#OP Adventure time au

[where-does-the-heart-lie]

The brain worms took over and i had to make this from @kiteou ’s Adventure Time AU

What song are they singing…

[kiteou]

Zoro sketches

[r0semultiverse]

MOMMY SORRY MOMMY SORRY MOMMY-😳

my soul is all yours 😳👉👈

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

who's your favorite character to draw? (doesn't have to be only mdzs characters)

I'd have to go with...Little Apple and Wei Wuxian!

[lostfirefly]

You’ve Got the Same Dream as Me (Ch.10, the final)

Hello, kiddos! The idea for this fanfic came to me from a dream. Тhe main characters were T. Cruise & H.Cavill (don't ask me why), but with a light hand they have been replaced. The main action of the dream took place somewhere in the sands. Аlthough this fanfic will feature Sir Crocodile and Buggy, the action shifts to the desert. No marines, ships etc. The devil fruit's abilities are preserved. Catch the Mummy and Indiana Jones vibes :) Different titles and names from the original source material will be used to emphasise the general OP's vibe.

Since English is not my native language, errors may occur. As always, feel free to share your thoughts :) 

And thank you to my dear @yujo-nishimura and @laurasoretta for believing in me :)

Description: Catherine, a librarian who is searching for the trail of her sister who went missing on an expedition. Notes in books and diaries lead her to Cairo. There she finds a retailer from an artifact shop who, in exchange for selling her a map and equipment, insists that Catherine take her along. They get into a little (or maybe a big) adventure.. 

Warnings: Mythical creatures are mentioned in the text. Half of ch. 10 is completely from my dream. We're coming to the final. Catherine is smart (but I love smart girls). Riddles :) Fight scene. Adventures and fun are still here (I hope). Dumbest events ever. Romantic movie vibes. Buggy x OC, Sir Crocodile x OC.

Welcome to the big final! Thank you for your likes, comments and love! It was fun to create this story. Maybe not everything turned out the way I wanted but I'm happy I decided to write it.

Words: 5100

Light. Camera. Action :)

Totally reccommend to listen to Real Slow Motion - Imminence before the last chapter. I've beem listetning to that track for the last days for inspiration.

The title is taken from «You've Got the Same Dream as Me» (Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli) (One Piece, Netflix)

Taglist: @gingernut1314

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• Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

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The beam of light spread across the entire wall. At some point the wall began to dissolve like a mirage in the desert and the road appeared. 

"I guess this is your Grand Line," Catherine said with a smile. "Maybe that's what was meant by the phrase 'believe your eyes'." There's the sun up ahead. So are we going? I don't know about you, but I'm confused by the word 'death' in the riddle. What if we don't make it out in time and stay here forever?"

“I guess, you’re right,” Buggy said almost silently.

They quickly gathered their belongings and crossed the passageway.

"Well, the third leg hasn't grown, that's good. If we don't get attacked by Horus's minions now, I think we're winners," Catherine laughed nervously. "Give me the map and compass!"

She spread everything out on the sand, lay on the ground with her belly and began to stare at the compass glass.  The green beam pointed clearly to the right. 

"Look, the map is completing the path!" exclaimed Jules. 

"Buggy, you promised to take me to the party. Well then, this has to be the biggest and the funniest party ever. We're in the Sabaody Desert!" 

Everyone looked first at Catherine, then at the coordinates in the diaries.

"So what I was looking at at the bar wasn't a joke or just numbers?" asked Buggy in surprise.

"Nope, those are the very real coordinates!!! We made it! See that beam pointing that way?" Catherine stood closer to him and held the compass up to his eyes. 

"Cathie-pie, I'd take off my captain's hat if I had one. But I have to admit, we wouldn't have gotten this far without you!" He looked at her and smiled broadly.

"Quit with your cute dialogues. Have you forgotten why we're here?" asked Crocodile irritably.  "Just because I helped you doesn't mean we're friends. I think you're misunderstanding a bit. I want the gold." He ran his hook along Catherine's neck.

"Hey, I told you already. Get your hands off her. And the hook, too," Buggy hissed through gritted teeth.

"I got it, I got it. You want the gold. It's over there." She pointed in the direction with her hand. "Judging by the map, we need to go around the wall we're at now and go up a bit. And, if Alabasta's book is to be believed, somewhere in there is the entrance to the cave with your treasure." 

Crocodile lowered his hook. Catherine took a couple steps toward Buggy. "If there's anything in that cave, you owe me the most delicious ice cream in all of Egypt, got it?". He nodded and put a hand on her back. 

They walked along a sandy cliff which was called Enies Lobby according to the book, periodically taking shelter from the sun in the shade. 

“Besides ice cream, you owe me a whole cake. I wish there was an island like this. A Whole Cake island. Wouldn't that be cool?” Catherine asked, panting from the heat. “God, it’s too hot. I’m gonna die here.”

"I won't let you die, my pie. Listen. Can I ask? How'd you get into all this Egyptian stuff? Sister? Longtime love? Or following in your parents' footsteps?" Buggy looked at her with a corner of his eye. 

"What? Oh, no. My mother worked in a bakery and my father was a journalist for a small newspaper. You know, one of those ones that travels out to cover unimportant events. But they made sure my sister and I had a normal life and an education. She went to engineering school, then fell in love with a pilot. As you can see, breaking up with him brought her and me here. As for me.. I went to the ancient literature faculty and found nothing better than being a librarian. But I'm happy with my life. At least I was. What about you? Who are your parents?"

"I don't really remember them, to be honest. Me and.. a former friend of mine.. were raised by another man. But that man died a long time ago, so-- "

"Oh, I'm sorry about the question then. I didn’t want.. you know.. So.. How did Buggy the Genius Jester end up in Cairo? Rika said you had your own circus or something."

"I just wanted to make a change in my life and decided that Egypt was the best place. And I'll be sure to take you to the circus the next time you come here to look for your sister after she breaks up with another guy again,” he cleaned his throat,  “Listen.. Do y–..” 

"Сathie, my sister!" Jules put her arm around Catherine's shoulder. "Promise me, when we get home, you and I will definitely go to the nearest bar and celebrate our returning."

"Get where? Home? Oh, yeah... We'll definitely go and celebrate something. All right, folks, I think we're here.  You see, the map doesn't show anything further”. Catherine tried pointing the compass in different directions. 

They were standing by a large sandy cliff, the top of which overhung the abyss. There were statues made of sand on the walls. 

Crocodile turned to Catherine, "Well, where to now?"

"Wait, let me see the diary and the book. So... So... There's a drawing of an octagon in here. I'm willing to bet my life that this is the key to your treasure. We just need to find where it fits." She approached the statues. 

"You realize that he won't let you or your sister out of here alive once he has a way to the treasure," Laura's quiet voice came from behind Catherine's back. 

"Why are you suddenly concerned about my life? You're the one who dragged me here in the first place."

"I don't know if this is going to sound dumb, but you're kind of a normal person. But I didn't willingly give you the tickets either. Everyone has their reasons for doing the wrong thing, right? Unfortunately, I have one. Anyway.. Sorry. I didn’t want to."

“What?” Catherine turned around, but Laura was already gone. She looked at the wall again, “One more riddle.. People! One more riddle!”

Everyone's father is the sun,

The main way will tell you his son.

Try to go through danger road,

It will lead you to the gold. 

“And?” Rika asked. “Honestly, sometimes I think you're just stalling.”

“Everyone's father is the sun… The god Ra was considered the supreme ruler of the world and the father of all pharaohs. We need to find his symbol or pattern. He is usually depicted with the head of a bird.” 

"They all have heads like that around here!", Jules said indignantly.

"No, there should be a sun above his head.”. 

"There's a similar one to what you described," Buggy beckoned Catherine with his hand. She squatted down next to him.

She whispered, "Listen, Laura came up to me out of the blue. And..."

“News? Updates?” Crocodile hissed and approached them. He placed the hook around Catherine's neck.

"That's the way it is, the beehive. The riddle says the son of the sun will show us the way. And I don't know what the difficulty of the road it says here is, but you know, the Egyptians liked to scare for nothing."

“The son of the sun? What's the point of these words?” Crocodile groaned. 

Catherine walked in circles and tapped her temples with her fingers. “The son of the sun.. The son of the sun.. It's Horus!” 

“What?” Jules squealed.

“Horus. He’s the son of Ra! We need to find his drawing!” Catherine snapped her fingers. 

"And what does this god of Horus of yours look like?" asked Rika

"He has a Falcon's Head... Look for the falcon head."

"Then there he is. On the next wall," Jules pointed her finger at the drawing.

 “Yes! Yes! That's him! That’s Horus! See, his beak is pointing toward the cave passage. Wait! There are lines here. See, it's also repeated in the diary and the book. Which means that Alabasta got to this place. “Where the moon meets the sun”. What does that mean?” Catherine sat down on the sand and rested her hands on her knees.

"Have you noticed that all the riddles are mostly about the sun and light? Could that mean something?" Laura asked, sitting down on the sand. 

"I have a hunch it has to do with the god Ra. He's the sun god and was considered the most important in Egyptian mythology," Catherine rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling of the aisle. 

"And what are those drawings on the ceiling?" Jules pointed her fingers to the obscure side of the lines. 

"Looks like an eye of some sort," Buggy muttered. 

"An eye... An eye. Exactly!" Catherine suddenly jumped up and ran forward.

"Cath?!" Jules shouted in the direction Catherine had run off in.

"This way!!!" came from somewhere in the depths. 

Without wasting a second everyone ran in the direction the voice came from.

"I told you not to do that!" Buggy walked over to Catherine, leaned over and stared intently into her eyes.

"I... well... just..." she mumbled uncertainly. She looked up at the ceiling and pointed to more drawings with her hand. "See? Barely visible lines that look like stars or eyes. They lead somewhere forward. The main way will tell you his son. As I said Horus was the son of Ra. The left eye of Horus symbolizes the Moon and the right eye symbolizes the Sun. Guess where they meet?" 

"Where the treasure lies?" Crocodile and Rika asked in unison. 

“Probably.. According to the book, there's a narrow road ahead, right along this sand wall. Listen, the beehive, can you turn into... well... I don't know... a sand bridge so we can all cross over?"

"You know, when we're done, the first thing I'll do is cut off your long tongue, and then I'll cut off your pretty little sister's tongue too if I have to," Crocodile hissed and ran his hook across Jules' throat. 

"Alright, alright! Please don't touch her!" Catherine's face changed. "She hasn't done anything to you..."

Crocodile turned around and walked forward, pushing Rika up behind him. Catherine glanced at her. Rika laughed evilly and hugged Crocodile. For the first time in a week, Catherine felt uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" asked Buggy, when Jules came over.

"No, Buggy, I'm not okay. We're out in the middle of nowhere, looking for some treasure for you and that freak. My sister and I will probably get killed either way. And you-- You'll be chopped up into some kind of salad like Cole Slaw, but you won't care because you'll put yourself back together again. And I'll die here. Hey, I’m warning you when I’ll turn into a mummy, I'll come for you. Do you understand?" 

“At least you'll be a cute mummy.."

“Why do you always have to mock me?” She rolled her eyes.

"Come on! Let's find a gold piece for me after all.” he smiled.

They reached a narrow sandy road that ran above the abyss. With each step, the path crumbled a little at a time, making their feet slip. While Crocodile clung to the wall with his hook, the others used small axes. Catherine kept whispering to herself, "I'm not going to die in the fucking cave," and occasionally glanced around to see if Jules was still there. They reached another cave with a huge hole in the rock. The bright sun illuminated the whole space.

Catherine looked up at the ceiling. "See. The lines have converged. And see the large pattern of the eye. It's not just an eye. It's a Wadjet. The Eye of Horus. It symbolizes fire and light and protects everything and everyone. And also known as “All seeing eye". And he's not looking sideways, he's looking down. Who's got the map?” 

Rika handed Catherine the map. She took out the compass and held it up to her eyes. "I don't understand a thing. It's like the green beam is going round and round. We couldn't have got the road wrong. Jules, hold the book, please. Buggy, you hold the diary." 

Catherine began to compare notes. "We're definitely in the right place, but I don't understand. It says there should be some kind of ring or lever. But where is it?"

Rika came up behind her and looked at the compass as well. "You're standing on it."

"What?" 

"You're standing on the lever, move aside!", she pushed Catherine out of her seat.  

“Hey. You could be more gentle.”

They all began to run their hands over the sand, trying to clear the surface. Under the thick layer of sand, a large circular stone ring with an octagon in the center appeared. 

"The octagon!" whispered Catherine.

"Holy mother!" echoed Buggy.

"So it's all true?" said Rika faintly.

"Have we found the treasure?" asked Crocodile.

"Not yet... Crocodile, Buggy, you need to try and pull this thing off. It's obviously got to go up. Again, according to the records...," Catherine flipped through the pages of the book and ran her fingers over the drawings.

Crocodile and Buggy walked around the ring for a long time, then made several unsuccessful attempts to pick it up. 

"Are you sure it goes up this way and not the other way round?" Buggy asked panting.

"Alabasta clearly spells the word 'rise.'" Catherine continued to run her fingers over the lines. 

"I may sound silly now, but have you tried putting that octagon you were talking about on top of the drawing?" came Laura's voice from the corner. Everyone turned around to look at her. Catherine shrugged her shoulders. 

Rika picked up the octagon and put it on the drawing. The five of them stood near the circular stone and drilled it with their eyes. Suddenly there was a creaking sound and the stone slowly began to rise.

"Pinch me somebody!" Catherine whispered softly. "It's like a real adventure movie, isn't it?" 

The stone rose all the way up and stopped, making a heavy sound. They stepped forward to get a closer look at it. 

Catherine gently ran her hand over the surface. "Look. Ankh is painted here too. And more than one. And the eye of the god Ra."

"And what does that mean?" Crocodile asked with a tone like he was already losing patience.

"Well how would I know, I'd have to look at the records."

"I'll give you five minutes," Crocodile slowly approached Jules.

"Okay, okay. Why is it all here?

The last border will fall,

When you shed a few tears on the wall.

If you’re not who is pure of mind,

Then the cave will leave you behind.”  

“I’m losing my patience!” Crocodile hissed.

“Honey, relax, we are so close to the treasure!” Rika suddenly hugged him. “Let that bitch do her work”.

“"We need water! Does anyone have water?" Catherine suddenly ran toward the rock. "See this ankh. This symbol is also considered the key of life. What do we have the key to life? Water! Also in Egyptian mythology, it is believed that all living things were created from the tears of Ra. Life is water. We need to pour water on this stone!"

"I have some," Jules walked over to the stone and poured some water on it. 

A noise was heard in the rock wall. They all walked toward it. 

"There's an octagon symbol here too. I suggest you try to take that key and put it here," Catherine pointed at the rock.

Buggy detached his hand, took the key and handed it to Catherine.

"Give it to me!", yelled Crocodile, abruptly snatching up the octagon. and placing it in a pattern in the wall. 

“One more riddle. Come on! Egyptians, are you guys serious?" Catherine grabbed her head.

“I have no time for this shit and for your riddles! Open the fucking door!” Crocodile yelled pulled out a gun and pointed it at the back of Catherine's head. 

"Yeah! I don't know how to open it just like that. I didn't put up those fucking ancient Egyptian locks. And you pointing that thing at me isn't going to make it go any faster!"

"Listen, clown, your girl is starting to bore me. Maybe I should shoot her in the head?" 

"What?" Buggy interjected, scanning the cave space with his eyes. "Oh, what do I care about her? I'm here for the same thing you are."

Catherine turned in his direction and looked at him with round eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, Cathie-pie, I told you from the beginning I only wanted gold!" 

Rika laughed loudly. "Oh, wow. I guess they lived happily ever after isn't part of the Egyptian myths. Open the fucking door!" She took Jules by the neck and pushed her toward Catherine. "Give her a hand or something!" 

"Yeah, sis. You sure know how to pick your boyfriends," Jules whispered. "I knew he'd trade you for the gold the first chance he got."

She hissed through gritted teeth. "He's not my boyfriend. He's a fucking clown! Listen...

To the east you look around, 

You'll see the sandy ground, 

Be aware it could be a trick,

You should push a small goldbrick.."

“And? There's a small goldbrick next to the key!” Crocodile pointed at the wall. 

“The translation is wrong.” Catherine whispered, checking the diary and the book. “No-no-no-no-no-no! What is the fuck?” 

“What's wrong?” Rika and Crocodile asked in unison. 

“The map's changing!” Catherine shook the map in her hands. 

“How is it changing?” Buggy asked with surprise in his voice.

“Are you fucking kidding with me?” Crocodile put the gun harder against Catherine's temple. 

“What the fuck?! Look! There was a passageway here, now it's gone, and there's a river instead of a road.” Catherine pointed at the map. “I guess someone doesn't want us to go that way.”

“We'll just stick to the plan. You're the smart one. Find me a way.” Buggy suddenly approached Catherine and looked intently into her eyes.

“I hate you. How cou..”. She didin't finish the phrase because he put his finger to her lips.

“I told you. I’m looking for this treasure and some chicken-brained girl and her sister aren't going to stop me.” He kept his eyes on her. 

“I have no time for your bullshit!” Crocodile growled and and started lowering the trigger guard.

Suddenly there was the sound of a gunshot. 

“Honey…” Rika's voice came through.

Catherine and Jules turned their heads and saw that there was blood dripping from Rika's side. She started to fall to the sand. Laura was holding a gun. 

"I told you he wouldn't let you go. Sorry, red-haired girl, I just picked the wrong side once. I played you for time. Run."

"You cunt!" Crocodile walked sharply toward Laura and impaled her with the hook. “I knew you couldn't be trusted.” 

Jules and Catherine's eyes darted around. "What the hell?"

He threw Laura's body to the ground, walked over to Rika. 

"I'm okay," she wheezed, "Luckily that girl missed. I told you a long time ago she was probably messing around with the clown. Where is he, by the way?" 

"Where's your boyfriend?" Crocodile ran up to Catherine, grabbed her by the neck.

"He's not my boyfriend! I have no idea where he is. Twisted off with his tail between his legs." 

“I don't have time for this shit!” Crocodile went back to the wall and pressed the brick with all his might. “Read the fucking diary!”

“I can bet my life that you won’t find your gold without the fucking map! By the way. Hello. The map has changed!” Catherine shouted. 

“Alright. I gave you a choice.” He stabbed Jules in the leg with the hook. 

“Catherine, run!” Jules whispered. 

Catherine hesitated for a few seconds and ran toward the hole in the rock. 

"Well no, come here, you bitch!" Rika, slightly wobbly, darted after her. 

The mountain starts to shake. 

Rika grabbed Catherine’s legs and pulled her to the ground.

"Get off of me!" She tried to fight Rika off. 

"Well no, you trashy bitch. I'm going to finish you myself and then your little sister." Rika pulled Catherine towards her by her legs and the belt of her pants. Catherine noticed the hatchet Rika had dangling from her belt. She tried to reach for it several times, but Rika fought back. On her next attempt Catherine managed to pull the hatchet out of Rika's pants.

"Try chop-chop ability, bitch!" She swung to hit Rika's arm with the axe, but missed. "Damn, I thought this was going to be cool like in the movies!" 

She saw Crocodile trying to open the door, holding Jules up with his foot. The sand began to slump over them. Catherine tried to get up, but Rika grabbed her and pulled Catherine to her. 

A chunk of the floor failed beneath them.

"No!" Crocodile shouted furiously. "My gold!!" 

"Crocodile!!!" Rika shouted with all her might. She and Catherine were hanging from a small handrail that was bending more and more under their weight. The floor was collapsing downward more and more.

"Rika!!!" he turned around in the sand, picked her up and lifted her up.

"Well, of course!" Catherine muttered.

"Have a nice stay. You'll look pretty good among the mummies!". Rika laughed. Crocodile picked her up and they rushed toward the hole in the rock. 

"Juules! Fuck!" Catherine yelled with all her might. The torrent of falling sand was starting to make her hands slip. She looked down. "Jesus, that's a long way to fall!". 

She felt a hand on her brisket. "Jule-e-es!"

"I've got you, sister!" she clutched the syially bleeding wound with one hand, the other trying to hold on to Catherine. "Damn it, promise me you'll go on a diet when we get it back!"  

The floor was crumbling more and more. Suddenly someone pulled Jules back out by the scruff of her necks into the air, tossing her closer to the hole. 

“Fuck! Jules!!”

She tried to pull herself up, but it didn't work. At the same second, she felt hands on her arms.

"Jul... Buggy? You're back?"

"Of course I'm back, Cathie-pie. It's not like I went anywhere."

"I thought you said you only cared about your gold," she muttered as he pulled her out.

"I winked at you!"

"No, you didn't! You told the dumbest lines ever!!"

"Why on earth would I not wink at you and then save you? You were probably so blinded by my beauty that you didn't notice." He pulled her to him for a split second.

"You're unbelievable," she rolled her eyes. 

"We'll discuss all this later. We need to get out of here, because anytime this whole cave is going to go to hell. We need to run as fast as we can forward and jump as fast as possible”

“Ok, Run. Definitely run... What? How do we jump? Where do we jump?

“Cathie-pie, down, it's our only chance to survive.”

“Great, our only chance is to fly into the abyss? Jules! Please! Buggy, take her, please! You know, you can save her using your chop-chop thing. I’ll jump. I promise.” 

“But..”

“We have no time. I’ll be fine!” 

He quisckly run up to Jules. “Well, hello, Catherine’s sister. Let’s fly a little”.  Buggy grabbed her in his arms and they rushed toward the crevice in the rock. 

Catherine just for a second saw him split apart, but then a great wave of sand caused by the collapsing cave obscured visibility.

"Oh, Catherine, amazing. Your second dumbest idea ever! Clear your mind and run. Clear your mind and run!"

The mountain is already falling apart and throwing some pieces up.

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Catherine woke up lying on the ground. She looked around quickly. Neither the cave nor the rock was gone. 

"Jules!!!" she shouted, wiping her eyes from the sand. 

"I'm here, I'm alive!" Catherine saw Jules lying on her back waving at her. "That Crocodile hurt me of course, but I'll live. God, I hope we're not lying on top of him somewhere right now."

"You're such a fool!" Catherine crawled up to her on all fours and hugged her tightly. "Where's Buggy?" 

"I don't know, he left me here, then he rushed in your direction. But then the rock collapsed and I never saw him again."

"Buggy?" they shouted together.

"I'm here!" his voice came from somewhere in the distance. Catherine squinted and saw him walking in their direction, picking himself up piece by piece.

"Thank goodness! You're alive!" She ran to him, stumbling in the sand and hugged him tightly around the neck.

"Oh, my cotton candy, you're going to suffocate me! You alright? Jules, what about you?"

“What? Yes.. I’m fine. By the way, we haven't really been introduced,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“Hah! You’re funny! Buggy the Clown.” he said and made a gesture. 

“No-no, Jules. He's not just a clown. He's “The One and the Only” Buggy the Clown.” Catherine laughed and pressed her forehead to his. 

"Hm.. So... What about the treasure? Lost forever? Along with the book and the compass?” Jules pointed to what was left of the cave.

“I guess..” Catherine replied and pressed her head to Buggy’s chest.

“Oh my God! I just realized what happened... We fell from there... He did it... I'm here... Oh... my goodness holy!" Jules said in a thin voice and started to pass out.

"Juuuuuules?!" 

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Ladies and gentelmen, welcome to Cairo Internatioanl Airport.

"Well, girls. Thank you for your time. It was really fun."

"Thank you, Buggy… but fun? No! Oh, my god, I cannot wait to get home and take a hot bath," Jules said with a sigh. "Nono, I’m definitely done with this shit. This Isn't for me. I'm gonna go home and ask Ethan out. I'll stay home and let him run around the world and solve impossible missions" 

"Sounds like a good plan," Buggy said with a smile. "Cathie, my cotton candy, are you coming? Don't you want to say goodbye to me?"

Buggy glanced at Catherine.

"What? Yeah. Sure. I’m coming," Catherine stood next to the trunk of the car and discreetly wiped away her tears.

Ladies and gentlemen, the flight from Cairo to Loguetown will depart in a half hour. All passengers are invited to board.

"Well…," Buggy said with a slight tremble in his voice and came closer to her, "This information is probably for you."

"I guess.. Yeah," Catherine hugged Buggy around his waist tightly, buried her temple in his chest and closed her eyes as hard as she could. "Thank you… For everything... These days were really fun." 

Buggy chuckled, hugged her,  pulled her closer and started stroking his hand down her back. 

"Catherine, sister. Come on! Hurry up, I don't want to be late," Jules shouted as she stood at the airport door. 

"Fuck… I’m coming!!!" Catherine shouted in annoyance towards Jules. She buried her forehead in Buggy's shoulder, keeping her eyes closed. "Sorry. It didn't work out with those treasures. But I hope, one day you find what you are looking for."

Ladies and gentlemen, the flight from Cairo to Loguetown will depart in 15 minutes. Аll passengers are invited to board.

"Shit, I really have to go now," Catherine hugged him even tightly, rested the top of her head under his chin, her eyes were still closed and she felt the tears begin to treacherously come. "Goodbye, my silly clown."

She grabbed her bag and walked quickly to her sister. 

"Goodbye, my red-haired pie," Buggy whispered softly. 

Boarding completed. 

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The epilogue.

—-3 months later —-

"Are you ready?" he asked her standing next to a car.

"S-sorry, I‘m late again, aren't I?" She popped out of the house to him wearing one sneaker, the other she held in her hand.

"Kind of.. Yeah, but I've gotten used to it in the last three months."

"Ass.. So… our sails are set?" She closed the door, sat down on the steps and began to put on her second sneaker.

"I don't know about the sails, but the tires are definitely ready," he kicked an inflated wheel with his boot. 

"You're my best! Well.. according to the map I was able to get..," she said, approaching him.

"You mean “you were able to steal." he put his hand on her back and kissed her temple.

"Shut up! I had a good teacher!" She put the map on the bonnet and ran her finger over it. "So... we're gonna have to go this way."

"God!" He started laughing.

"What?"

"What have I done in my life to deserve you?" He turned her towards him and looked intently into her eyes. 

"Well, first you pissed me off, and then you saved my life. Plus, you promised me a private jet home, which I didn't get. So I had to stay here to punish you." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe and kissing him on his big red nose and lips. "I love you, my Buggy Bear."

"I love you too, my cotton candy," he replied quietly and kissed her forehead. "But I still think the nickname you gave me is terrible."

"Just deal with it, you have no choice now," she lightly hit him on the nose with her index finger and ran her hand through his loose blue hair. "All in all, we have at least 5-6 days on the road. But, according to the map, we should come across small towns where we can spend our nights and replenish our supplies. And by the way, just for your information, you owe me a romantic dinner. Well, because of you.. we didn't get to finish the one you set up for me a couple days ago," her face turned red. 

“My fault, admit it,” he said against her lips, then took her hand and kissed her wrist. 

"I hate you," she gently pushed him away. “So-o-o… we can go on a new adventure!” She took a couple of steps back and began a little joyful dance. "Wait! Does this treasure have a name? Just so it's not like last time..."

"I've heard people call it the One Piece."

[onestepfcrward]

what if phantom ruby ! shadow 🤔

[jinglingeyes]

Jdjdjdjdj YOUR ART IS PRETTY AND THE WAY YOU COLOR IS SO NEAT /POS

Also @ tweet

LITERAL IN MY NOTES APP LMAO

V

very conflicted and confused GNC Unlabeled AFAB (who presents more masculine) Laios is about to get married before getting emotionally fed up with everything, (humans, parents, his sister be mistreated, feeling out of place/disliked, etc) decides fuck that mess, runs away at the alter, semi-catches up with Kabru and heads straight to the dungeon to explore. Whether anyone likes it or not! While Kabru tries to befriend and understand the person they slightly underestimated (thought was boring lol) and “under” observed. Falin is having fun adventuring only to receive news that Laios is gone/missing/left from thier parents and she is immediately off to find Laios with the help of her friends

as foretold

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Sum of All 2

Warnings: non/dubcon, mentions of crime, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: mob!Steve Rogers

Part of the mob drabbles au

Summary: you are given an unexpected assignment.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

You sit in silence next to the large, brooding man. You’ve heard of Steve Rogers before. Who hasn’t around these parts. You’re not a local, you moved here for the work. The job description didn’t exactly mention the state of the neighbourhood. 

You see the men in their tailored-suits, puffing on cigars, laughing, even cat-calling you as you pass. That’s just the city, you assumed. That was until you really started to notice the men. When you saw the tinted windows tailing the erratically driven beater cars or the shadows creeping around in the early hours outside your building. 

You keep to yourself. You’re just a visitor to this world. You have no plans to stay in it. 

He doesn’t say a word as he drives. You stare out the window. It’s like that awkward first date you went on as a teen with your stepfather’s co-op volunteer. Except worse. You have no idea what exactly this is. You try not to think about it or you might hyperventilate. 

He slows at a sign and you keep your gaze out the window. The city streets are clear and sunny despite the gloom in the car. You think back on the brief conversation between him and Brenner. He seemed irked by more than your upstart boss. ‘Engagement’... something happened there but you learn from the mistakes of others. Don’t ask. 

As Rogers taps the gas, a man in a hoodie dodges out in front of the car. The brakes lock and the man in the driver seat mutters. The jaywalker looks over and laughs, stopping to make a show as he taunts the driver. He sucks in and horks a wad of phlegm onto the windshield. 

Oh shit. 

You stare in shock. What the heck? You’ve met your fair share of wildcards in this city but you simply keep your head down and keep going. Not Rogers. 

He shifts into park. He’s still silent. He calmly undoes his seat belt and checks the traffic behind him. He gets out as the walk-by spitter continues across the street. The man doesn’t make it as he’s caught from behind and thrown onto the tarmac. 

Without hesitation, Rogers kicks the man’s side, then his stomach as the force of the first rolls him over. He continues his assault with a stony look on his face. His eyes are determined and his chin is set, but no furrow and scowl breaks his veneer. 

You watch as a swirling sensation stirs in your stomach and quickly invades your head. You don’t like violence and this is such an overreaction, you can hardly believe it’s real. It very much is. 

You can’t help the squeak that escapes you as Rogers bends over the man and grabs his skull between his hands. He smashes his face down into the street and you close your eyes. Oh god. This can’t be real. 

Your open your eyes to the ripple of reality. Others watch in a similar awe from the pavement. Drivers idle nearby. A police officer walks by and simply ignore the scene as Rogers stomps the man one last time. 

Fear courses through you. What did Brenner get you into? Why did you just go along with this? Your passivity was always bound to get you in trouble. 

You feel your body slacken as he stands straight and smooths his jacket. You slump in the seat and your eyes roll back as a wave of black specks invades your vision. Your chest feels ready to burst, your head too as you sink into oblivion. 

When you come to, the car is moving again. You lurch forward as the motion flips your stomach. You grunt and try to shake of the disorientation. You put your hand on the dash and gulp in air. 

“You fainted,” Rogers says dully. 

You blink and turn to look at him. You slowly sit back, “yeah, I did. Sorry.” 

He doesn’t offer any other comment. You don’t know what to say or do. You’re embarrassed at how you just passed out but you didn’t really have a choice. You’ve never seen anything like that. And now this man, who can light up like a match, 

“What kinda person...” you begin and flinch at your own voice, “just spits on someone’s car like that?” 

You swallow dryly at your redirection. Sometimes, your thoughts bubble through too quickly but you caught yourself. You think. 

He glances over at you then back to the road. 

“Yeah, like,” you ramble, your nerves bouncing off each other, “if I had a nice car, or a car at all, I’d be mad too. That’s not... cool.” 

You cross your arms as if you’re holding yourself together. You lean back and stare at the road. You’re too afraid to look at Rogers. He can probably hear your fear in your voice. 

“Right, that guy deserved it.” He says. “Got no idea what I’m dealing with. Don’t need that.” 

You nod and meter out a breath, “totally.” 

He grunts. You think he bought it. At least, he knows you’re too scared to tell him your real thoughts if he doesn’t. 

He drives on wordlessly. He’s tense, you’re tense. Everything is tense. 

You glance over at his knuckles as he grips the wheel tight. They’re bruised and there’s a bit of blood on the middle one. Your mind is racing. You see his fists flashing. This man is a maniac. 

“That must hurt,” you say. 

“Huh?” He utters. 

“Your hands.” You don’t know why you’re talking but if you sit there in silence any longer, you’re going to lose your mind.  

He shrugs, “don’t feel it right away.” 

“Right, right, of course, makes sense,” you accept, “I wouldn’t know. I never... whatever. Sorry, I’m going to be quiet.” 

You look out the window and focus on the buildings instead. Just don’t look at him. If you don’t, he can’t hurt you. Like the boogeyman. 

“I’m fine,” he says after a moment. “You don’t need to worry about me.” 

You nod and keep your eyes aimed out at the sidewalk. You’re not really worried about him. You’re worried about you. Well, you’ll just be sure to stay on his good side. 

[writingoddess1125]

Modern AU Buggy X Reader

Buggy x GnReader

Just fluffy Headcanon!

• Buggy is the leader of a budget theater group that he spends nights writing or getting his people to practice for local shows- during the day however he has his own Boat Charter company and a second business of a delivery company.

• Has Rhinophyma and Roseaca which is why his nose is so large and red. Hates it and has been to so many dermatologist to get it fixed- but due to blood flow and other things will have it for life.

• Has a deep anger towards his half brother Shanks- He feels like their mentor Gol D Roger's who owned a large shipping company when he died it should have been Shanks who owned the shop to keep the legacy alive. Buggy would have been willing to follow Shanks if he did this since he knew he cohldnt- But Shanks ended up just leaving town and Buggy trying to keep it together before it finally went belly up.

• Secretly wanted to be an actor but never got the chops for it due to his nose-

• When you first meet Buggy its at one of the plays, it's a fun improve night. While not many people are there you go with some friends since you found the tickets online.

• You're one of the few people that actually play along with the act and seem to be enjoying themselves. Instead of half drunk college students that got the tickets off groupon-

• He has you come down to the stage and does a whole improve act with you, Being such a good sport you end up helping him get the crowd more engaged.

• Buggy invites you to do shows with him which you agree to. Hum giving you his number in exchange

• Showing up every Thursday to the improv nights and you start becoming friends with his theater group. Noticing how Buggy seemed much happier as you got along with everyone-

• After a few months he works up the courage to ask you out on a date, which you gladly accept.

• At first he tries to take you to the most expensive places but when you express he doesn't have to spend money to show he lives you- He gets more creative and thoughtful.

• Walks through the beach, coffee dates, going to musicals together.

• His favorite are movie nights, He will show off his limited cooking skills aka Hot Dogs and a assortment of junk food while the two of you watch mostly terrible F Tier movies together.

- "Which one did you find?" You call out from the kitchen getting some soda for yourself and Buggy.

"It's called Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter {OP note: This is a real movie- absolutely awful}" Buggy yelled out, laughing at just the name as you jump onto the big couch and hand him his drink as he eats some chips.

"That sounds absolutely awful" You say, looking at the cheap movie cover and reading the back with a snort. Buggy nods, patting himself on the back for finding such garbage.

"It truly is, I've outdone myself" He says proudly before the two of you start the terrible adventure. Having to pause the movie at times for laughing so damn hard-

"This is so bad!" You say as you laugh and roll on the floor- Buggy no better. However he wiped the tears from his eyes as he caught his breath.

"While we can laugh at least he made a movie-" He pointed out with a shrug, you sitting next to him and raising a eyebrow at the oddly kind words from Buggy.

"What do you mean?"

"I always wanted to make a movie- But I doubt anyone would watch them.. they barely watch my shows" He muttered, his insecurities getting to him as he subconsciously touched his nose. You reaching over and grabbing his hand quickly, kissing his lips to snap him from his terrible thoughts.

"What are you talking about?! I think your shows are great and I know you'd do a fantastic job making a movie!" You proclaimed loudly with a smile, your Boyfriend turning and staring hard at you.

He stares at you- like youd said the craziest thing ever. You feeling a creep of worry going up your back at how he was looking at you

"What is your ring size?" He finally ask and gestures to your ring finger making you blush deeply red.

[hauntingmiser]

This is so babygirl like I can't-

"Making something wonderful is as easy as manifesting your own reality."

Fionna and cake latest episodes gave me more AT au brainrot

Also, Fionna and Cake spoilers?

SO BEHOLD! MARUKI AS SIMON PETRIKOV AND THE WINTER KING!

AS WELL AS AKECHI THE CANDY KING!

Gonna draw more Akeshu in this au later

[kiteou]

My passion for this au is great totally sane

[r0semultiverse]

What We Do in the Land of Ooo

🧛‍♂️ What We Do in the Shadows x Adventure Time crossover AU! ⚔

Finn Mertens in place of Guillermo de la Cruz

Marceline Abadeer in place of Nadja of Antipaxos

Bonnibel Bubblegum in place of Laszlo Cravensworth

Jake the dog in place of Colin Robinson

Vampire King in place of Nandor The Relentless

Betty Grof in place of The Guide

The Lich in place of Baron Afanas

Peppermint Butler in place of Wallace the Necromacer

Simon Petrikov in place of Derek

BMO in place of Nadja Doll (her old consciousness uploaded or something was an idea I had)

Marshall Lee & Gary Gumball/Prince in place of Sean & Charmaine

[thelittlelegends]

THE LITTLE LEGENDS

This is a blog for sharing and spreading love for the smaller Zelda games in the fandom!

For everyone crying over Spirit Tracks being forgotten, to people who wish someone else remembered the struggle to find a fourth player for Four Swords or sobbing at the end of online co-op for Tri Force Heroes – this is a home to join others in that love. Mainline and third-party Zelda games are all included!

The criteria for which Zelda games count as “small” is hard to quantify. To make things easier, we went by the numbers posted to Archive of Our Own, which has the option to disambiguate which game you’re writing for and is the current best-known fanfiction site. From there, we removed some things to try and narrow it down to core game fics and picked everything that was under 1000 works.

The resulting list of Zelda games is as follows:

CDI games = 14

Zelda cartoon = 29

Cadence of Hyrule = 50

Tri Force Heroes = 51

Oracle of Seasons = 76

Oracle of Ages = 85

Zelda II: Adventure of Link = 93

Zelda (1986) = 180

Spirit Tracks = 183

Phantom Hourglass = 191

Link’s Awakening = 256

Link to the Past = 260

Minish Cap = 290

Four Swords = 359

Four Swords Adventures = 423

A Link Between Worlds = 587

Wind Waker = 739

Some of this will be a case of poor tagging, and things winding up in the wrong place. (eg. Four Swords has 1200 entries, but upon removing all Four Swords Adventures or Manga story tags it reduces to 359.) Others may not be here at all because nobody has posted it under it’s own name vs a related game or “& Related Fandoms.”

While this means these numbers are not absolute, they still represent the problem: it’s hard to find content for your favourite games if it's in the list above, and we want to fix that!

WHAT DOES THAT ENTAIL?

The event we’re planning is very chill, very low-stakes way of building up interest and knowledge, and then collecting and sharing fanworks produced.

The event month will be AUGUST, 2024.

Every few days in August we’ll make a post for each game on the list (and any bonus games that were highlighted alongside the main ones), which people can reblog with a link to the fanwork they created! You can also make your own posts and tag the blog plus the game of the day but we cannot promise to see and reblog everything.

In the lead-up to August, we will be doing round-up posts for each of the above games.

Some will be doubled up and treated as “bonuses” due to their small pool of fans (CDI, the Cartoon), and if there are some we don’t know about we may take them on as suggestions!

Each of these initial game posts will include basic stats about the game: when they were released, on what hardware, where you can find them now, and what their story was. It will also include links to a walkthrough or two, for those without access to the necessary hardware.

The purpose of these posts is to be shared!

Reblog them with your favourite artwork, current fanworks you love and adore, your favourite AU they’re featured in! Share the lore you wish everyone knew, and the characters who get forgotten!

Share prompts you’ve never gotten around to using, or ones you don’t feel competent to handle!

Do not feel bad about doing this! Every exchange or event I’ve been in, people desperately wanted prompts and ideas to spark their own imagination!

The goal is for people to learn more about games that they may have never heard of before, or not had the time or ability to engage with in full on their own. And from there we can push up those numbers on AO3 for everyone to enjoy!

The scheduled games to be “main” features of this event, and their respective introductory dates, are as follows:

May 5th = Minish Cap

May 12th = Zelda II: AoL

May 19th = Oracle of Ages / Oracle of Seasons

May 26th = Cadence of Hyrule

June 2nd = Phantom Hourglass

June 9th = Four Swords Adventures / Four Swords [Game]

June 16th = Link’s Awakening

June 23rd = Zelda (1986)

June 30th = Link to the Past

July 7th = Tri Force Heroes

July 14th = Spirit Tracks

July 21st = Link Between Worlds

July 28th = Wind Waker

Exact dates for the posting schedule of new fanworks in August will be released soon!

[mysticcollectionbee]

I did the thing. (Also I made Jake a rubber ducky because it just fit him too well.

@slowthypiglordblr

Adventure Flock: AT Cast represented with Birds.

Jake the Duck...

and Finn the Dodo

Princess Bubblegum as a Pink and Grey Cockatoo

Her plumage befits her sweet yet limited morality.

Marceline the Marital Eagle

She's scary at first glance, but her rock'n talons and sharp beak beguile a warm downy heart.

Simon Petrikov the Crested Guan

Small, skittish, and unassuming, but this lil guy shines above all the rest in terms of quirky charm.

Betty Grof the Greater Roadrunner

Quick witted, swift footed, and unfettered even by rattlesnakes, this wacky bird will do anything for her boo.

Lady Cranicorn the Oriental Storke

Huntress Wizard the Great Horned Owl

Wise in the ways of nature and a skillful predator, but a complete birdbrain everywhere else.

Peppermint Vampire Finch

At first, one might think he's just a harmless dutiful servant. But this little nightmare is not to be trifled with.

Susan/Kira Albatross and Frieda the Tern.

Two travelers of the sky and seas, never to be parted again.

Lumpy Space Princess the Common Cuckoo

She's a lazy and apathetic moocher, but at least present when needed.

Prismo the Sarus Crane

Is there any wish in the cosmos greater than spending time with this dude?

Giuseppe the Sacred Ibis

The most wondrous and perplexing creature in all of Ooo.

Earl of Lemongrab the Barn Owl

Can be as quiet as a mouse, but has a voice that makes your ears bleed. This guy is just messed up in the head.

BMO the Junco

Who doesn't love a Junco in the winter?

Moe the Archaeopteryx

The wisest of all the birds and men in Ooo

Lemonhope the Yellow Warbler

Billy the Argentavis

The warrior ever, the hero the skies!

Flame Princess the Phoenix

The Mistress of the eternal flame

Water Nypmhs are various waterfowl

Canyon however is Pelegornis

The only one that can handle Billy's ride.

Magic Man the Peafowl

A magnificent bastard through and through.

Vampire King as the Roc

Former ruler of predators until Marcy came along.

Minerva Campbell the Caladirus

She's a helper to the end, even at the cost of her own life. (was a dove before her ascension)

Hunson Abadeer the Cassowary

The most evil of all birds.

The Ice Crown embodies the Snow Owl

Pretty self-explanatory.

The Lich in the leathery wings of the past

Killed off the dinosaurs of old, and now seeks finish off what remains.

[lostfirefly]

You’ve Got the Same Dream as Me (Ch.9)

Hello, kiddos! The idea for this fanfic came to me from a dream (again) I had about a month ago. Тhe main characters were T. Cruise & H.Cavill (don't ask me why), but with a light hand they have been replaced. The main action of the dream took place somewhere in the sands. Аlthough this fanfic will feature Sir Crocodile and our beloved Buggy, the action shifts to the desert. No marines, ships etc. The devil fruit's abilities are preserved. Catch the Mummy and Indiana Jones vibes :) Different titles and names from the original source material will be used to emphasise the general OP's vibe.

Since English is not my native language, errors may occur. As always, feel free to share your thoughts :) 

And thank you to my dear @yujo-nishimura and @laurasoretta for believing in me :)

Description: Catherine, a librarian who is searching for the trail of her sister who went missing on an expedition. Notes in books and diaries lead her to Cairo. There she finds a retailer from an artifact shop who, in exchange for selling her a map and equipment, insists that Catherine take her along. They get into a little (or maybe a big) adventure.. 

Warnings: Mythical creatures are mentioned in the text. I had to open books to refresh some of my knowledge and made everything more or less close to the original myths. Half of ch. 9 is completely from my dream. We're coming to the final. Catherine is smart (but I love smart girls). One more riddle :) Adventures and fun are still here (I hope). Buggy x OC, Sir Crocodile x OC.

To tell the truth I'm not happy with this chapter :( Hope you enjoy it!

Words: 2678

The title is taken from «You've Got the Same Dream as Me» (Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli) (One Piece, Netflix)

Taglist: @gingernut1314

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

• Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

"It's all your girl's fault! If she'd read those Egyptian poems properly, do you know what we'd have? Oh yeah, our way back?!", Crocodile hissed through his teeth, holding Buggy's head in his hands while the clown's body lay on the ground.

"If, as you put it, she hadn't been reciting those fucking Egyptian poems, we never would have gotten here!".

Rika, Catherine, Laura and Jules sat against the wall and watched the scolding.

"They've been yelling at each other for about fifteen minutes. Rika, I obviously deeply despise you for what you did and don't really want to talk to you, but could you ask your man to put Buggy's head back where it belongs?" Catherine mumbled, propping her head up with her hands.

"Hone-e-y, I hate to admit it, but she's right, there's no time for a showdown right now," Rika said longingly, leaning the back of her head against the wall.

Crocodile held Buggy's head in his hands for a long time, muttering something to himself. With an inarticulate hiss, he tossed it to the ground. In the next second, Buggy connected the head to his body.

Catherine crawled over to Buggy as he shook his hair off the sand. At this time Crocodile sat down next to Rika, closed his eyes, and sighed heavily.

Laura and Jules watched with round eyes.

"Damn you, Crocodile!", barked back Buggy.

"Are you okay? Let me see…" Catherine began examining Buggy's head and face, running her hands through his hair.

"What are you doing?" he looked at her in surprise, grabbing her arm to stop her. "Don't!”

"Don’t do what? You know, even though you're the biggest pain in my ass, I'd like the person who can save my life to somehow make it to the end of our adventure,” she examined his face a few more times. "Well, there are some minor scratches, but you'll live. And thank you, by the way. You did it again. You’ve saved me,” she ran her fingers lightly through his hair once more and looked into his eyes.

“Kind of… Besides, you’ve got to take me to the gold,” he replied with a slight chuckle. 

“Laura, what's happening? What was that?" Jules nudged Laura in the side.

"Well, how can I tell you? It's the abilities from the devil fruit. But I've never seen people do anything like... like him before," she nodded toward the clown. "You know, people, I realize that Jules and I are a little extra at your celebration of life, but maybe you can tell me where we are?"

"Ah, yes. Give me some time, please. Ok, I'll try to find something in the book. You girls examine the map. Hey! The beehive! The diary," Catherine threw it towards Crocodile and sat against the wall. 

"What am I supposed to do?" asked Buggy in surprise.

"And you sit here with me, your head has already suffered today." 

For a few minutes there was silence in the cave, broken occasionally by the noise of turning pages and Crocodile's scolding.

"Hey, cot-, pie.. Catherine," Buggy leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, "I w-w-... I’m...kinda...s-s-.....I'm...s-s-sorry..."

"For what?" she whispered back, continuing to flip through the pages of the book.

"Well...F-for what I said...well...about that.. one-"

"Yeah, I remember. I don't care. I just thought.. you… nevermind."

"I s-shouldn't have said that. It was.. w-w-r..," he mumbled uncertainty.

“Yes, it was.” She said, smiling slightly. “Thanks for apologizing, silly clown. Now I don't hate you. Now I just don't like you.” She made herself comfortable next to his shoulder.

“That's ok. I don't like you either.”

They continued to sit in the cold cave for about another 30 minutes. The wind occasionally blew out the torches. Because of the darkness and the hum of the wind, it began to seem as if there were rustles or footsteps coming from everywhere.

"Geez, my brain is starting to trick me. You haven't figured out where we are? Is there any chance of some mummy coming at us out of nowhere? I keep feeling like there's someone walking around" Jules looked around.

"So far I've figured out that we're in a cave with no name or maybe I don't understand something," Crocodile continued flipping through the journal. He moved closer to Catherine, "This place is described here, but rather superficially." They began to study the records in the dairy together.

Buggy, glancing at Crocodile, didn't even notice as he put his hand on Catherine's shoulder and moved her a little closer to him.

"We can name it something ourselves. The Legendary Cave, for example! And then we'll be remembered as a bunch of losers who died here," Laura said irritably.

"No one's going to die! We're not going to die, are we?" asked Jules in a panic.

"For fuck's sake, Jules! Seriously? You were going to go on an expedition somewhere with Crocodile without any preparation, as it turns out, and now you're whining about being stuck in a cave?" Catherine slapped the book on her lap.

Everyone looked at her in surprise. Catherine stood up from the ground, growling loudly. She took the torch and silently walked forward through the dark passage of the cave.

"I thought your sister was insufferable, but you're even worse. Score!" Rika shook her head with a smirk. “Hey, where are you going?”

There was no response. Buggy got up and went to get Catherine.

"You know, in horror movies when everyone gets separated, something bad happens," Laura replied quietly, running her hand over the sand, "Should we go after them?"

Everyone looked at each other and started packing up.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you ok?" Buggy caught up with Catherine.

"What? No. I mean, yes. Everything is ok, I guess. I'm just...tired a little, though I have to admit, this is all pretty exciting," she ran her hands along the walls, "And do you get this often? Treasure hunts of all sorts."

"Well, from time to time...," he scratched his head. “To tell the truth, this time I’ve got a nic~”

"Well, there you are!" Jules shouted and hugged Catherine, "Sister, you can't do this. You're walking down a dark hallway into the darkness, there's no telling what's going on here."

"I just..." Catherine continued running her hand along the wall, "What's this?"

She held a torch at the wall, illuminating the drawings and various writings.

“What are these? Whose drawings are these?” Rika leaned against the wall and squinted her eyes.

"These are drawings of Egyptian gods and their symbols! Wow! They're hundreds of thousands of years old! You know, I'm insufferable sometimes...." 

"Sometimes?" everyone asked in unison.

"But do you realize that we are now in a place where perhaps only a few have been! Or maybe just Alabasta was here, and now we're. All right, the beehive, open the diary! Rika, Jules, Laura, try to get a rough idea from the map of where we are. Buggy, honey, hold the torch for me," Catherine could hardly hide her pleasure as she ran between the wall of drawings, checking the journal entries and the book.

She would periodically get up and sit on her knees, whispering something to herself under her breath and checking the notes. 

“Anu.. Os.. Sar.. Oh, people, you're going to laugh now. We're in the corridor of the dead.” 

“Where are we?” they asked in unison, and Buggy's head separated from his body in surprise. 

“Can you stop doing that??” Jules asked with a little disgust in her voice. 

“Hey!” Catherine barked at her sister. “Look, it's Geb, Osiris, Anubis and Serapis. They were all related to the afterlife in one way or another. See, this one. With the head of a black jackal. That's Anubis. He's the lord of the dead, the patron saint of funeral rituals. Pretty cool, huh?”

"Listen, girl, are you trying to trick me again? What the hell is the corridor of the dead? How do we get to the treasure?" Crocodile grabbed Catherine's shoulder. 

Rika and Buggy stealthily took two short steps forward. 

"If you want to get to your gold so badly, the very last thing you need to do is kill me. I can read and write ancient Egyptian, and I'll be very interested to watch you figure the riddles out without me." Catherine walked over to the wall of drawings, “Wow! One more…”

“One more.. what?” Rika asked.

“One more riddle! Give me a minute..,” she sat facing the wall and started mumbling to herself. “West.. Sign.. Death..”

“Death?” Laura asked.

“Shhhh! Don’t interrupt me! One second.. 

Lead your soul to the west, 

Find heaven and tree’s nest, 

There in the darkness you will see a sign, 

It will show you the way to the Grand Line. 

Be aware, believe your eyes,

Or you'll meet your death and no sunrise.” 

She looked back at everyone over her shoulder with undisguised admiration on her face. All five of them were looking at her with a silent question in their eyes. 

“What does that mean?" asked Jules.

“Jesus, Jules, you're useless sometimes. How were you ever going to go on an expedition?” Catherine got up from her knees, shaking off her pants.

"Hey! I'm good at reading maps. I don't know how to solve the riddles" she pouted.

“Well, my friends. As I said, Anubis is the god of the afterlife. According to myths, he led souls across the stony deserts of the west to the paradise of Osiris.” Catherine leaned her back against the wall.

“What's a tree got to do with this riddle?” Crocodile asked.

“The Tamarisk tree was considered a symbol of Anubis. Look at the wall. All gods look to the east. But only Anubis' feet are turned to the west. I bet if we continue down the tunnel we'll come to the right place, to yours.. to the Grand Line, I guess,” Catherine waved her hand towards the tunnel. 

They gathered their belongings and moved down the long corridor. The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps and occasional whispers. Jules was talking to Laura about all sorts of things. Rika and Crocodile looked back periodically and whispered about something. Every time there was a noise, Crocodile put his hand on Rika's back. 

"You know, even though that beehive is all evil, I think it's really cute how protective he is of his girlfriend," Catherine whispered to Buggy. "How's your head? Does it hurt?"

"No, I’m fine. Why are you asking?" he looked at her with round eyes.

"I just...," she blushed a little and cleared her throat. "Hey, when you find your treasure, how are you going to share it? Or are you going to fight until you get old? Because you.. well.. you know. You can't die in a battle like normal people. You could form one team. Call yourselves, I don't know... a Cross Guild. Race through all the caves of Egypt, collect treasure, strike fear into the Egyptians and the local mummies."

"Clown, if you don't shut her up, I'll shut her up myself!" Rika said with annoyance.

⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭

They walked along the corridor, illuminated only by torches, for about ten minutes. And finally came out into a large part of the cave, more reminiscent of an underground hall. Faint rays of light were shining inside. The air was noticeably lighter here. 

“Find heaven.. and tree’s nest..”, Catherine whispered.

“You know, if I died, probably the heavenly light would be like the one I see now,” Buggy pointed his hand at the rays of light.

“You see! You're a very smart boy!” she tousled his hair. “We should find the tamarisk tree. A sigh or a drawing. I don’t know. Neither the book nor the diaries describe what the tree looks like.” 

Everyone dispersed to different sides of the cave and began to survey the space.

"People!" came Laura's sudden shout, "There's something here."

Everyone walked over to her. Laura was pointing her finger at a slab in the wall. 

"I don't know what this Tesseract looks like..."

"Tamarisk."

"Whatever. But I couldn't find any other trees.” 

"There are still drawings here!" shouted Jules, "On these walls."

"And here!" replied Crocodile and Rika.

“Believe your eyes.. Believe your eyes. Why eyes?..”

Catherine started running back and forth. Buggy walked over to her and slapped his fingers in front of her face. 

"Hey! Are you here?" 

She looked at him for a split second, sighed heavily, and rested her head against his chest. She kept muttering a riddle to herself under her breath and waved her hands. 

"And what is it with her? Has she completely lost her mind?" asked Rika, dropping to the floor and spreading the map in front of her. 

"Hey redhead girl, where do we go next?" Crocodile hissed and walked over to Catherine. Buggy instinctively put a hand on her back and took a step backwards away from Crocodile. 

“There in the darkness you will see a sign… Find heaven. Who's got the compass?”

Rika walked over to Catherine, put the compass in her hand and squinted at her. "You know, clown, I'm even starting to feel sorry for you."

Catherine pulled a mirror out of her trouser pocket. "Now, my chop chop friend, I need your help. Can you send your hand with the mirror up there and try to catch the sun bunny?" 

Buggy shrugged, took the mirror from her hand, detached his own hand, and held the mirror up to a faint ray of sunlight.  

“Damn you and your abilities,” she whispered with admiration. 

Finally, a beam of light hit the mirror, reflecting it pointed to the center of the floor. 

"Oh God, yes, you're the best!" Catherine looked at Buggy with big eyes. He blushed so red that he was as red in colour as his nose. 

“And now what?” Crocodile asked.

"Give me the map and the compass! Hurry!" Catherine practically snatched the map out of Rika's hands and placed it on the ground. She held the compass up, under the thin beam of light that fell, and yoked it to the map. "I knew it! The green light is barely peeking through, but I'm more than sure we're on the right way. There in the darkness you will see a sign.. What does it mean? Quick, we have to look at the tree drawings again." 

Everyone started looking round the walls again. 

“I found something!” Suddenly Laura's voice came through.

“Where? Where?” Catherine ran up to her. “Holy God! It's the sign of Anubis. It's Ankh!”.

"Look, he points clearly to the centre of the hall where the map is lying. What's next?" Jules came up behind her sister and rested her chin on her shoulder. 

"Paradise... Paradise... The opposite of the afterlife is paradise, right? What if we put a light on every tree? See, there are Anubis signs everywhere here one way or another. Either this is the very centre of the mythical afterlife... or it's just a dark cave with simple drawings," she laughed suddenly. 

Catherine put the mirror back in Buggy's hand, he separated his hand again and began catching sun bunnies, directing them at each drawing of a tree on the wall. All the rays converged on one spot. In the centre of the hall. A green beam of light from the compass reflected on all of Ankh's drawings. The green light from the compass and the white light from the mirror met in the centre of the hall. And then one large line of light pointed at the wall.

Catherine quickly leafed through the book and the diaries.

"I can't believe it!" she whispered, running her hand over the page.

"Believe what?" asked Crocodile irritably.

"According to Alabasta's book and the translations in the diary, we're at the right point. Brace yourselves, we're about to see the path," she said calmly.

"A path to what?" asked Buggy and Crocodile at the same time.

"To your gold, boys."

[lightsoutletsgo]

i told the stars about you — op.81 (royalty au)

pairing: prince!oscar piastri x lady-in-waiting!reader

word count: 1.5k

warnings: angst? heartbreak, slightly inaccurate and semi-confusing greek mythology references, a spot-the-princess-diaries quote just bc i can

I actually wrote this listening to the bridgerton soundtrack... it's not what I usually write so I hope it's okay! please lmk what you think and if you'd like to see more like this. for extra heartbreak, listen to "love is a choice" from the bridgerton soundtrack on repeat while reading happy reading! love mimi 🤍

It was an accident really. Well, less of an accident and more of a cruel twist of fate if you had to summarise it. After all, such a cliche thing to happen. The lady-in-waiting to the Princess falls in love with the visiting Prince her future ruler is tied to in an arranged marriage.

Had any sensible person heard the predicament you were in they may have sympathised but still scoffed at how foolishly the two of you were behaving. Desperately entangling yourselves with one another despite the inevitable heartbreak that was bound to come any day now.

“Did I ever tell you how much I love the stars?” You led on your back on the grass underneath the night’s sky, delicately raising a hand to trace invisible lines between each star above you. Oscar chuckled next to you as his hand slid over yours, joining you in your night sky tracing, “I believe you may have mentioned it once or twice before…” You gave a faint smile as your arm grew tired, choosing to link your hand with his and rest them by your sides. “Have I ever told you why?” Oscar rolled onto his side, facing you as his eyes searched yours, smiling at the way they reflected the moonlight,

“Actually, I don’t think you have told me that.” You sat up quickly, always excited to share the story with someone. 

Oscar sat up before he moved to sit behind you, pulling you to lean back into his chest as his arms encircled your body, head gently resting on your shoulder. “See that star up there?” You pointed to almost directly above you, “That’s the North Star isn’t it?” You nodded and turned your head to reward his correct answer with a soft kiss to the cheek. “Mmhmm! When I was a child, my mother used to tell me stories of the stars every night…” You sighed happily at the memories, “There was one story that I loved far more than any others. The story of Perseus and Andromeda.” “I think I learned about that a long time ago… During my classical classes…” “Show off…” You reached one hand up to gently flick his nose. “Well, the story goes that Princess Andromeda was a very beautiful woman. Her mother, Queen Cassiopeia, claimed her daughter was more beautiful than Poseidon’s daughters. As punishment for her vanity, Poseidon sent the sea monster Cetus. Andromeda’s father, King Cepheus, trusted the sea monster to disappear if they were to sacrifice her. Just before she was devoured by the sea monster, Perseus came by on his flying horse Pegasus. He was on his way home after one of his great adventures. Perseus fell in love with the beautiful Andromeda and struck a deal with her parents. Perseus would save their daughter by killing the sea monster and in return he would be allowed to marry her. Andromeda however, was already promised to marry another man, Phineus. A fight arose between the two which Perseus eventually won. And so Perseus and Andromeda lived happily ever after.” 

Oscar smiled at the sight of your eyes lighting up as you told the story. He nuzzled his nose into your neck making you giggle as you carried on, “All of the people in the story were placed in the sky by the gods, so their story would never be lost. Perseus and Andromeda are still positioned close together in the sky, where they rotate around the North Star, see?” Oscar’s eyes followed to where you were pointing once more. He kissed your cheek as you gave a happy contented little hum.“Mother always used to say that lovers who needed advice or guidance would talk to the stars… And that those confessions of lovers to the stars meant that their love would last forever, just like Perseus and Andromeda…” You reached for the bouquet of daisies you’d picked earlier that evening.

“You know..." Slowly, you plucked each petal off of the daisies you carefully held. "I told the stars about you." Oscar chuckled, not expecting to hear such words from the lady sitting with him. "What did you tell them?" You turned to look at him and smiled, staring at his brown eyes. "I told them you have your own constellations on your cheeks." Your stare landed on the faint few freckles dotted on his face. He laughed, "What? What does that even mean?" 

You showed him a half smile before looking down at the daisies and plucking the petals again. "I told the stars you have more stars in your eyes than there are stars in the sky"

His smile slowly faded, instead he looked almost like he was holding his breath, like he didn’t dare breath incase it ruined the moment, "I told them that you are the moon that shines brightest in my eyes when I'm surrounded by darkness. I told them I always wish for you on a shooting star." You gave him the daisies you had been holding since you’d sat next to him. All petals now plucked. Oscar looked confused as he took the flowers, about to open his mouth.

"Do you want to know why?” You cut him off with a sweet smile before he could even open his mouth to answer, “Because I got tired of asking the flowers if you love me or not." “Y/N…” Oscar’s voice was barely above a whisper. You spoke softly, "Do you know what the stars replied?"

"W-what?" He thought he’d lost his voice for a moment. 

You smiled.

"Go after him."  

Silence. “So will you…” “I'm in love with the King-to-be, and I'm inquiring if he loves me too…” Oscar’s eyes lit up and in that moment, you felt as if all the air had been taken from you. One of your hands gently cupped his face as your thumb rubbed over his cheekbone, “You really do have stars in your eyes.” “And your eyes hold the whole galaxy, my love.” Oscar pulled you close to him and sighed in contentment as you shyly buried your face into his shoulder, the stars twinkling at you both from above, as if centuries of lovers were sprinkling their blessing on the two of you. In hindsight you supposed it might have been a warning, that heartbreak would ensue no matter how much you loved him 　 ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆　　　

“I told the stars about you!” Oscar cried out. 

You stopped. “I told the stars about you,” he repeated, trying and failing to hold back tears that were already falling, “I told them that I would never let you become one and end up so far away from me, I told them how you said you would always stay by my side, and...” Oscar looked back at you, where you were now facing him.

“I told them I loved you.” Your eyes widened slightly before your face fell again.

“...We always knew this was going to happen. We cannot change what our fate is, Oscar, I mean…” You looked back down at the ground, clenching your fists tightly before you spoke again. “Your Highness-”

“Don’t call me that, Y/N.” Oscar said immediately, rushing up to you. “Y-you’re not a lady-in-waiting. I'm not a Prince. We’re just Oscar and Y/N, two people who fell in love the instant they saw one another.” He stared at you, not fighting the tears anymore. “Two people who fell in love under the stars… I want that Y/N back.” Your heart broke as his voice cracked, overcome with emotion. “Please my love…”

But still you said nothing

“Where’s the Y/N who would tell me she loved me, the Y/N who vowed to be by my side forever, and… the Y/N who would tell the stars about me?” You finally looked up at him, and Oscar searched your eyes desperately for a shred of his Y/N in you. A lone tear spilt over and fell down your cheek. Sparkling in the moonlight, it almost looked like a shooting star. ‘How ironic.’ He thought to himself bitterly. You wiped the tear away and as quickly as it had appeared it was gone.

Oscar’s eyes darkened, and he wiped his face, his expression hardening, “My apologies, Lady Y/N.” He said, his voice cold. “This has been rather inappropriate. I believe you must have somewhere to be?” “My apologies, your Highness. Permission to leave?” It was time to accept that the old Y/N was gone, leaving a stranger in front of him. And if his Y/N was gone, there was no reason to keep taking up a stranger’s time.

“...Granted.” You began to move before you hesitated, leaned into his side, whispered something, and left. Oscar’s eyes widened once again, and a tear fell down his cheek. 

“I never stopped telling the stars about you.”

Oscar quickly turned around to watch you leave. A pained smile slowly spread across his face. He didn’t try to stop you. You wore a similar smile as you forced your feet to walk away. You wanted nothing more than to kiss him once again, but that was a dream you couldn’t have anymore. It was a dream you’d have to tell the stars about.