#Polyship fic

[ladyspottedray]

So I've been replaying Final Fantasy 15

[questionable-sanity]

Xianle Quartet Polycule Headcanons bc I said so:

Feng Xin getting absolutely choked to death at night by his three Rapunzels' long-ass hair

Related: Hua Cheng, Xie Lian, and Mu Qing waking up once with their hair in a literal knot and Feng Xin being the one to carefully pick it apart (Mu Qing braids their hair every night thereafter)

Whenever Hua Cheng is sick of Feng Xin's yelling/arguing or whenever he's just bored, he shape-shifts into a female body to freak him out (Mu Qing absolutely eggs this on)

Of the four of them, surprisingly, Xie Lian can make Mu Qing blush the easiest (his secret is carefully guarded and Mu Qing will NEVER sate Feng Xin's nor Hua Cheng's curiosity)

As a canonically beautiful group of men from possibly the most pretentious nation on current history, they are judgemental as FUCK and support one another in this. "I don't want to be mean," Xie Lian begins, followed by Mu Qing saying, "No, no, you're right. That man is hideous."

Feng Xin Practicing Archery Watch is a carefully unspoken and blatantly objectifying ritual amongst Xie Lian, Mu Qing, and Hua Cheng. Feng Xin is the only one blissfully unaware (Hua Cheng: Say a single word, Ming Guang, and your temples are done for).

Mu Qing and Hua Cheng silently and pettily fight frequently over who gets to comb Xie Lian's hair at night. Xie Lian pretends not to notice and keeps a straight face as he hands Feng Xin the comb whenever this happens.

Early in their relationship Hua Cheng, Xie Lian, and Feng Xin routinely come up with careful plans to get Mu Qing to accept affections and gifts without either spooking him or making him question their genuineness (this takes like 300 years to get over).

Ghost City goes through decades of cyclical gossip as to WHICH of the three Hua Cheng is actually in a committed relationship with before settling on the idea that their king just has a harem.

E-Ming is insanely jealous of the other spiritual weapons, but especially Zhanmadao, who isn't even sentient. It's a sword thing.

Feng Xin and E-Ming's relationship is kind of like a dog-person dad forming a bond with the house cat. Begrudging acceptance, then begrudging affection, then full on cat dad behavior while still arguing that he is a dog person.

On days they are feeling particularly synchronous, Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and Hua Cheng bond by talking shit about Qi Rong. And sometimes beating up Qi Rong if he deserves it (he usually does).

Hua Cheng quietly makes sure that Cuo Cuo and Jian Lan are taken care of, and Feng Xin is quietly grateful.

One time, maybe for Hua Cheng's birthday, Mu Qing and Xie Lian agree to re-create their performance for the God Pleasing Festival. Feng Xin participates by happily pushing Hua Cheng over a railing (knowing full well that Hua Cheng let it happen) so Xie Lian can catch him.

Ruoye will randomly curl itself into Hua Cheng's (around his side ponytail in his San Lang form), Mu Qing's (in his ponytail), and Feng Xin's (in his bun) hair

Soft Dom Xie Lian.

[shiraoyagi]

0310/kotofuu chart. yaaaaaay

[markantonys]

me: okay, this is finally going to be the time i succeed at writing a fic that's just rand/elayne/avi

mat:

[weregreatatcrime]

"Next time maybe don't wear all black in the desert."

....so I may be writing smth, and I got tired of writing for the day and ended up drawing it instead of resting, because I'm intelligent. I love making characters sick and I MEANT to make Everyone feel bads but Prompto took the brunt of it bcz he is, out of all of them, the most likely to suffer the worst for heat illnesses

None of you idiots are free of heat exhaustion. Prompto’s pale ass just got hit the hardest

[roobgumball95]

I get you it's so hard finding bokuroo content 😭🤝 Do you have any headcanons of them you wanna share or just talk about why you love them? I'd love to talk to people about them but I don't usually find people here since it's a rareship of sorts so I'd love to hear your thoughts 💙

UGH THANK YOU ANON YOU GET ME 🤝

and stop yes i’d love to talk about them. ok one of my fav tropes is the like “what no dude we’re literally just bros what are you talking about” after like. they’ve been having penetrative and moved in together and even kenma is used to having bokuto around. like i LOVE that. “dude we’re literally just bros. you’re my best bro.” “bro…” “bro.”

also a gym buddy au would go stupid hard with them. idk i just love that they’re not even best friends they’re best BROS. they get into stupid crap and laugh at each other all the time and kuroo knows all of bokuto’s sensitivities and bokuto knows all the things kuroo feels but doesn’t show. and idk if after a long day of irritating everyone around them they maybe kiss a little and act stupid and say “no homo” before and after (just to be safe)? well who’s gonna tell. also just imagine bokuto posting some crazy sexy picture of kuroo half asleep and shirtless covered in hickies on his instagram story w the caption “bro is beautiful”. and kuroo has to make a rule that the words bro and dude do not enter the bedroom

[victorluvsalice]

Valicer Polyship Week 2024, Day Two: “Blorbo Has Two Hands” (Soulmate AU)

It's Day Two of Valicer Polyship Week 2024, "sponsored" by @polyshipweek, and today's prompt is "Blorbo Has Two Hands!" This prompt, as per PolyshipWeek's write-up on the matter, is all about "The rallying cry of polyshippers everywhere: Why have a love triangle when you can have a trio of lovers instead?" and how the polycule makes love, not war. This is naturally an excellent prompt, but I wasn't sure whether I was going to use it or one of the other ones when it came to writing a story for Day Two --

Aaaand then Wednesday, November 6th happened. And after rather a lot of time spent staring at the prompts with no inspiration because I was still feeling kind of numb inside over the fucking election results, I came back to the list right before going to bed, looked at "Blorbo Has Two Hands" again, and thought, "You know what, I can probably do something with that and my Soulmates AU -- specifically, someone doubting the trio are all actually soulmates because multiple soulmates isn't a common thing in that verse." So I drafted out a story about Smiler, working at a bar post-the trio fleeing England to avoid the wrath of Kelman, the wrath of Victor's parents, and possibly the wrath of the police after Alice killed Bumby, getting harassed by a customer who didn't believe them when they said that both they and Alice were Victor's soulmates -- only to get proven wrong when said soulmates showed up to find out why Smiler was suddenly feeling so upset. It was pretty rough, but I figured it worked for the prompt --

And then I went, "Hang on...didn't I just do something like this yesterday?" For indeed, this story was rather similar, at least in general theme, to the "Alice vs Nessa" Valicer In The Dark tale I wrote for Day One. But given my mental state at the time, I couldn't come up with anything better for Day Two. So I left it be and gave myself a choice -- either try to write a different story later, or lean into the theme and do a Victor-POV story of some jerk inserting their nose into the polycule's business and getting theirs for Day Three.

...given the story I'm about to present is the "Smiler gets harassed by a customer about whether or not multiple soulmates is a thing" story, you can probably guess what I chose. XD For now, here is your Day Two story! Sorry it took a bit to get there! XD

--

“So – Mister Van Dort over there is your soulmate?”

“Yup,” Smiler confirmed, smiling over at the table where Victor was currently involved in what looked like a rather intense conversation with Alice, his hands flying all over the place as they spoke. “We met at one of his parents’ parties – ended up in the same corner together, started commiserating over the fact that we both hated stuffy social gatherings, went to formally introduce ourselves by shaking hands, and – well.” Smiler grinned down at their own hands, currently drying a glass. “Suddenly the party was that much better.”

“I see,” their current customer – a fellow named Robert, who apparently ran a woodworking shop in town – murmured, nursing his third whiskey. “And Missus Van Dort is – all right with that?”

Smiler tilted their head. “Er – yes. Why wouldn’t she be?”

Robert raised an eyebrow at Smiler. “Because – she’s his wife?” he said slowly, as if they were an idiot. “And would likely want to be her husband’s soulmate?”

“Oh, there’s no problem there,” Smiler said brightly, putting away the dried glass. “She’s also his soulmate.”

Robert blinked at them. It was a pretty long blink. “What?”

“Alice is also Victor’s soulmate,” Smiler repeated obligingly. “We’ve got a bit of a thing going on.”

“You’re – but – that’s impossible,” Robert insisted, leaning heavily on the bar.

“It’s not,” Smiler said, mentally preparing their usual speech. “It’s rare, yes, but–”

“Balderdash,” Robert cut in, putting a finger in Smiler’s face. “People can only have the one soulmate. Otherwise, what’s the point of them?”

Now it was Smiler’s turn to blink. “What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about how the whole point of a soulmate is that they are the person that the universe has ordained as the most important one in your entire life,” Robert said, warming to his topic. “The relationship beyond which all others pale. The one twinned to the very center of your being! If you were given more than one, then – then it would cheapen that bond. Make it – make it lesser. It wouldn’t be about finding your perfect match – it would be about finding someone you just kind of like more than the rest. A person only has room in their soul for one soulmate. It’s simple fact.”

“It’s not,” Smiler insisted. “There’s been studies done on the bond, and–”

“Oh, studies,” Robert said derisively, grabbing his drink and taking a big swig. “Yes, everyone appreciates a study. As if any scientist really knows how to measure a soul.” He looked Smiler up and down. “And what do you know about studies? You’re a bartender.”

“My father’s an alienist,” Smiler said, wrinkling their nose against the bitter taste in their mouth produced by even obliquely mentioning Kelman. “And I study chemistry in my spare time. I’m not an idiot just because I pour drinks for a living.”

“No – you’re an idiot for letting your soulmate get married to someone else,” Robert retorted, attempting to poke Smiler’s arm – they jerked it out of the way just in time. “Shame on you for that. He’ll never be able to be a proper husband to his wife if you’ve already taken up that space in his soul! Everyone knows that people who have soulmates that are just friends have to remain single. It’s the natural order of things!” He took another drink. “Cruel of you both to lead that poor woman on. She should be off trying to find her actual soulmate, not being – taken advantage of by two horrible monsters like yourselves.”

Smiler opened their mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Closed it again. Where the hell were their words right when they needed them most? Alice had once said they could talk their way out of a murder scene while holding a bloody knife, and now they couldn’t refute one drunk?! One deeply annoying drunk who’d hit pretty much every nerve in their body, sure, but… “I...you…”

“Smiler?”

Smiler and Robert both looked over to see Victor and Alice approaching, wearing identical expressions of concern. “Is everything all right?” Victor continued, picking at the knot of his tie. “You – you feel quite upset about something.”

“Very deeply annoyed indeed,” Alice added, giving Robert a suspicious glare. He smartly shrank away. “Is this fellow bothering you?”

“Yes, but he might not be for much longer,” Smiler said, smirking. “You were saying about how people can only have one soulmate?”

Robert looked between the three of them, visibly processing the fact that Alice too had felt Smiler’s emotions. “I – but – she – you?” he stammered, clearly having trouble collecting his thoughts.

“All three of us,” Smiler said, leaning on the bar. “Two romantic bonds and one platonic one, and all very real. And even if we weren’t all soulmates – so what? I think Victor would still have enough love in him to handle both his wife and me.” They put on an innocent stare. “Unless you’re saying that nobody can care about anyone but their soulmate? Because that sounds like a pretty lonely and miserable life to me.”

Robert stared at them for a moment more. Then he reached into his pocket, plonked some coins on the bar, and fled out the door. The trio watched him stumble away on wobbly legs. “...so I guess he didn’t believe you when you told him we were all soulmates,” Victor finally said.

“He did not, and decided to give me a big old lecture about it,” Smiler said, scooping up the money and counting it. “Okay, good, this is what he owed...anyway, it was all about how ‘multiple soulmates cheapens the bond’ and ‘if your soulmate is your best friend you need to remain single’ and nonsense like that.” They shook their head as they put the money away. “Who comes up with those things?”

“Arses,” Alice said succinctly.

Victor and Smiler both snorted. “Well put,” Victor said, then laid a hand on Smiler’s wrist. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t feel at all that having both you and Alice as soulmates has cheapened anything. If anything I feel – I feel blessed. I had trouble believing sometimes when I was younger that I was worthy of one soulmate, let alone two.” A bright smile split his face. “And now look at me. Tied forever to the two most wonderful people in the world.”

Smiler beamed, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. “I feel exactly the same. Two bonds just means twice the love to spread around.”

“Well said,” Alice said, putting her hand over theirs. “Hopefully someday people will understand that better.”

“Mmm. Until then…” Smiler leaned in and gave Victor a quick peck, before shooting Alice a grin. “I’ll just enjoy what we’ve got.”

[oneeyedtav]

That First Touch

For @polyshipweek Day 1: Group Hugs Relationships: Dame Aylin/Shadowheart/Isobel Thorm Notes/Warnings: N/A Word Count: 641 AO3 Link: Here!

Isobel had cautioned her to be slow, not to overwhelm the not-so-Sharran, and Dame Aylin had tried, truly she had. Time and time again, when her muscles would twitch, shaking with the exertion to fight the urge to reach out, to brush the pad of her finger against the scar against Shadowheart’s cheek, and to express her pride and admiration. Each time she wished to, she would bite her tongue, would show a restraint stronger than she had ever been able to gather in her imprisonment, and turn towards their next task. 

Except things were different. Aylin had been distracted with bashing in the skull of a rabid Gnoll, and hadn’t heard the scattering of taloned feet against the cobblestone. It would have been too late, and she would have had to face the agony of once more dealing with her wings being cleaved from her body. 

If it hadn’t been for Shadowheart’s shout, the way her voice lilted with the magic weaving through her incantation, and the sudden flash of a blinding inferno, blazing its way to the aasimars rescue, she was sure she would be reliving not-so-old wounds. 

Shadowheart reached Aylin before Isobel could race down from her spot in higher ground. Scarred hands reached towards the Paladin, as if afraid to touch her. “Are you alright? I didn’t burn you, did I?” She questioned, the soft green of her eyes bouncing across Aylin’s armored form. She would have laughed, wanted to proudly exclaim that Dame Aylin was untouchable, despite the many scars that proved she was not quite as indomitable as she had once thought. 

Instead, Dame Aylin took one staggering step forward, eying Shadowheart with more emotion than she knew how to channel through words alone. In the next breath, strong arms encircled the cleric's waist. “Aylin!” she heard Isobel call, though it wasn’t with the scorn of a woman whose orders had been defied, instead full of the worry and admiration held for her lover. 

Shadowheart’s forehead rested against the cool metal of her armor, hands clasping almost hesitantly around her faulds. The Paladin only moved her arm enough to allow Isobel the space to wrap around the both of them. “Thank the Moonmaiden you two are alright!” She wheezed, blackened lungs struggling with her mad dash toward the two from the front lines. 

“More than alright, my darling Isobel,” Aylin murmured, surprisingly quiet as she leaned her chin against Shadowheart’s head, arms squeezing carefully around both women in her grasp.

 The trio stayed still for a moment, as if frozen in the respite their proximity could offer until Shadowheart slowly released her hold on Aylin’s armor and cleared her throat somewhat ineligantly. “Apologies, I saw the nasty beast lumbering after you, and-”

“You have done nothing to apologize for, little warrior,” Isobel promised, pretending not to see Aylin’s beaming smile as her nickname stuck to the not-so-sharran. Aylin pressed her lips to newly dyed hair, inhaling the familiar acidic scent of the dyes as they danced within the flowery fragrance of the clerics’ shampoo. 

“Our Lady Silver smiles upon me this day, to grant me with one as brave and forthright as yourself.” The Paladin agreed, finally relaxing her grip enough to catch the heat on Shadowheart’s cheeks. “And I could not be more thankful that it is you she has sent us,” Isobel’s hand sought out her own as their embrace came to an end. “Let us retire, so I may properly show my appreciation for your actions.” 

Shadowheart had never been a particularly shy person, at least from her memory, but whenever it came to Dame Aylin, and her pride in each word spoken, she could feel the tips of her ears reddening more and more as the Paladin led the way back to camp, hand in hand with Clerics blessed by Selûne. 

[lolliepops-rox]

Why does everyone exclude Animal from polymayhem???

like. legit question.

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Does anyone here remember when I decided to grab three randomass characters from two different seasons of Power Rangers, NONE OF WHICH HAD EVER APPEARED ONSCREEN TOGETHER, and went, hey, I wonder what the hell would happen if we shipped them together? Just for shits and giggles? And wrote a coherent 6k oneshot that actually made their character arcs deeper and make more sense than the show's? Now that was a proper crackship!

(Anyway, I was putting together the last of the playlists for this series and stumbled upon my Matt Griffin/Heckyl/Levi Watson fic. And remembered how batshit insane I could be back in the day. Because I don't remember how I thought of this concept, just that it worked out weirdly well. Also led to some of the funniest scenes in the series when Chase/Ivan found out that Heckyl was not only Riley's brother's Soulmate, but that Heckyl and Matt had another gold ranger as a Soulmate. I'm still tempted to write the world's funniest family dinner ft. Heckyl, Matt, Chase, Ivan, Brody, Levi, and Preston.)

[le-trash-prince]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: พิษเบ๊บ | Pit Babe (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kim/Dean (Pit Babe), Kenta/Kim (Pit Babe), Dean/Winner (Pit Babe), Kenta/Dean (Pit Babe) Characters: Kim (Pit Babe), Kenta (Pit Babe), Dean (Pit Babe), Winner (Pit Babe), North (Pit Babe), Sonic (Pit Babe) Additional Tags: Kim/Winner if you squint, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Pining, Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, Pre-Poly Series: Part 2 of Bad Gays, Part 5 of Pit Babe Fics

Summary:

In which Kim learns three things:

1. He likes spending time with Dean 2. He likes Kenta spending time with Dean 3. He doesn't hate Winner as much as he thought

[the-bar-sinister]

Fly Me To The Moon (54256 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth Chapters: 11/?

After Tomobiki's infestation by mushrooms, Lum convinces all her friends to come on an extended vacation to space while the mess is cleaned up, but as usual, nothing goes the way anyone expects.

While Lum's father tries to get Earth to become recognized as a part of galactic civilization, Shutaro Mendou's father makes a claim for the throne of Earth, while Shinobu is discovered to have the blood-right of an ancient and forgotten dynasty.

And poor Ataru-- well, Lum's family wants to make sure he finally understands what the expectations about Oni marriage really are…

---

Chapter 11 is up! Apologies for the long wait ^^;; <3

[prankdoeswriting]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Fairy Tail Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Acnologia/Zeref Dragneel/Mavis Vermillion, Acnologia/Zeref Dragneel, Acnologia/Mavis Vermillion, Yury Dreyar & Precht Gaebolg & Warrod Sequen & Mavis Vermillion, Rita Dreyar/Yury Dreyar, Acnologia & Zeref Dragneel & Yury Dreyar & Precht Gaebolg & Warrod Sequen, Acnologia & Precht Gaebolg Characters: Acnologia (Fairy Tail), Zeref Dragneel, Mavis Vermillion, Precht Gaebolg, Yury Dreyar, Warrod Sequen, Makarov Dreyar Additional Tags: Not Beta Read, Polyamory, Romance, Developing Relationship, Complicated Relationships, Immortality, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Strangers to Lovers, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Communication Failure, Feelings Realization, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Rating May Change, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Warnings May Change, Fairy Tail Zero | Zero Arc (Fairy Tail), feat. slightly edited backstory for Mavis Series: Part 2 of Eternity With You, And You, Part 78 of Works by "Prank" (Pseud Series) Summary:

A rampaging dragon chose to hear out an evil wizard's game. Two infamous villains chose to grant a girl's request. Three cursed souls tried to live amongst the fairies. Six people stand in the celebratory founders' photo.

Or: A new past for Fairy Tail - and how it changes (however little) its present.

[savage-sinister]

Deicide: New Horizons (13478 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth Chapters: 2/? Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Additional Tags: Background Poly, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, The Cross Guild (One Piece), Fix-It, Ensemble Cast, Implied Relationships, POV Multiple, not romance focused, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, characters and ship tags added as they appear Summary: The Straw Hats, the Donquixotes, the Charlottes, the Kid Pirates, Germa 66 and more have all joined on as members of Cross Guild. And while everyone would like some time to celebrate, the news that Sabo brings- that the World Government has an island-destroying weapon- brings the festivities to a halt. New courses must be decided on. Luffy wants a new body for his brother Ace, so Ace can stop sharing with Sabo. Doflamingo wants the same for Monet and Sugar. Jewelry Bonney wants someone to fix her daddy, Kuma. Kaidou wants to know what the hell happened to Big Mom. And what's this about something being wrong with Tashigi?

-

There were a lot of moving pieces, but "Mr. Zero" was keeping them all in order on the gameboard in his mind. The interruption had provided a perfect chance to get things moving again and organize some of the chaos that inevitably came from such a huge gathering of pirates.

The Donquixotes had gone with Caesar Clown and the Straw Hats' doctor Chopper to rally with the Vinsmokes and discuss an approach to Queen Ellery island. Smoker and Tashigi had gone with Trafalgar and a couple of the Straw Hats to see about that whole brain damage thing. Adio, the guy that Smoker knew, had gone with them too, to catch up with him. Crocodile was hoping to be able to shake Smoker down for more information about that when they got back.

That left him here with Mihawk, Sabo the Revolutionary (who was apparently also Fire Fist Ace), Straw Hat himself as well as Robin and Vivi. And this girl Lim.

Crocodile poured her a drink from his bottle in a handy spare glass. "So I don't know you, but apparently you know me."

Lim smiled that weird smile of hers again as she looked down into the glass. 

"I do, very well…or at least I know Robin's memory of you."

For her part, Robin looked briefly embarrassed before she wryly shook her head. "Crocodile, this is Lim. She's a lovely young woman, and a regular font of history and knowledge." 

So Lim knew Robin's 'memory' of him. Did that mean Robin had been talking about him? Ordinarily it's what he would assume, but something seemed off.

Vivi settled herself down in a seat between Crocodile and Luffy with a laugh. "...I never expected we'd see you outside Waford, Lim! I know Memoria's cut off outside of there!" 

"I'm glad we did though!" Luffy declared, grinning widely. "I almost just dragged you onto the ship."

"Waford," Crocodile glanced at Mihawk. He couldn't place whether the name was familiar or not "That's an island?"

Mihawk seemed pensive for a moment, in thought. "...I've heard of Waford. An isolated island protected by an impenetrable storm yet said to hold some untold power.."

Lim smiled back at Luffy. "I almost jumped on…but I had to wait for Adio to return. When he came back, I insisted we travel…even if it is strange being away from Memoria's power."

Robin closed her eyes in thought. "It's a shame it can't be used outside the Tower of Heaven just now—" she looked up at Crocodile. "...I feel I should explain this , but I'm having a lot of fun watching the look on your face."

Lim giggled into her hand. "...allow me. Mr. Crocodile. Robin called me a 'young woman', but I'm over 200 years old. Kind of." 

Crocodile huffed a chuckle and shook his head. "Oh I'm sure you're having fun, Robin. Alright, alright, I'm game. What's Memoria, and why are you 200 years old, Miss Lim?"

He shared another glance with Mihawk. Somehow, it already reminded him of the old days.

Mihawk had the trace of an amused smirk on his face, and seemed to read his mind as he often did. "...just like the old days, Captain. Might as well find out just what mystery lies within our new friend's story." 

-

"So you see, I'm Waford's Sky Priestess, Mr. Crocodile—or rather, I'm the 'copy' of the Sky Priestess from 200 years ago who's become the prime Lim!"

"So you did merge back together," Vivi said with a tilt of her head "I was wondering where the other Lim was."

"She's in here," Lim tapped her temple with a nod. 

Lim was overjoyed. Super overjoyed. For so long it was just her, and Adio, and the memories of others. But ever since the Straw Hats, things had changed. Fresh new memories to pour over and learn from, full of people within them that she grew excited to meet, she'd met dear friends who treated her like a member of their crew even if she'd caused them so much trouble, even if she couldn't come along—and she'd found her old self.

200 years ago there was a sky priestess, and while the Straw Hats were away, she merged back into one. The memories of the past, the present, and the prospect of the future.

She smiled at Crocodile and Mihawk—two figures she'd gotten to see quite a bit of in the Straw Hat memories. She was practically shaking out of her skin in excitement for meeting them in person. Waford was home to a powerful weapon—one under her partial control, at least before it was destroyed. It was also home to her miraculous ability—the ability to delve into Memoria, a land of memories inside everyone.

Outside of Memoria, her powers were dulled, but within it she could take bits of other's memories to devoid them of power, or use them to open doors into the inner world to heal wounds or learn of the past.

Unknowingly, she'd used that power to lure the Straw Hat Pirates into nearly giving her beloved Guardian power over the ancient weapon 'the Divine Breath' in his quest to destroy their people's hated enemy, the World Government. He'd hurt her—and he'd left, but it was only because of the hurt in his own heart.

So when he was defeated, and sailed off into the open sea to chance revenge one more time, she struck a deal with the kind Marine Smoker and waited–refusing to leave the island with her friends until he returned.

But now, now she was on her own adventure, sitting before people she'd been dreaming of meeting. 

"Well I'll be damned," Crocodile grumbled. He'd listened to Lim tell the whole story, with lots of interjections from Luffy, Robin and Vivi. "Alright, so you're kinda 200 years old. And you know me from Robin's memories. That's a hell of a power you've got there."

He tipped back some of the drink he was holding in his hand. 

The real Crocodile was a lot like the memory of him—smooth, well spoken, grumbly, and absolutely very much trying to get in control of the situation in some way…or at least a handle on it— but it was also clear he'd changed in some ways since the memories of him that had been shared with her.

She took a sip of her drink, and nodded.

"Why thank you! It's a power that's been passed down for a long, long time…Robin's memory was surprisingly fond of you, considering it ended in a fight. But meeting you one can see why!"

Robin once again got all flustered, hiding it under a quiet chuckle as she glanced away. "Perhaps."

Lim giggled into her hand. "But Memoria is a power meant for understanding the past recording, archiving, important pieces of history. Sadly, I have yet to find out how to make it more mobile, and I am no longer content with Waford's isolation!" 

She watched as Crocodile glanced at Mihawk. "Isolation'll kill your soul, Lim," he nodded firmly. "You planning on tagging along with the Straw Hat crew then?"

Luffy grinned widely at her. "You're welcome to! We're going to uuuuuhhhh… Robin, where are we going next?"

Mihawk—she saw him snort softly through his nose as he answered Crocodile. "I suppose it will, won't it? Avoid it if you can, young lady."

Even knowing her age he called her young lady; Lim was flattered! She tilted her head at Luffy, as Robin laughed into her hand.

"Queen Ellery Island, captain." Robin answered after she was done chuckling. "Apparently the site of a secret World Government research facility, so we can grow your brother and Monet new bodies and cure Kuma of the World Government's alterations. Interestingly enough, dear Luffy—it's under an island known for its organized crime and gambling circuit."

"Woah!" Lim placed her hand over her mouth. 

Luffy's grin stretched across his face. "Oh! It's gonna be a fun island! Gonna get Ace back, and gamble! Maybe it'll make up for that stupid Gran Tesoro bullshit… Lim you won't believe what happened, like, right after we split up, there was this big casino ship but it was all an evil trap."

While Luffy was chattering away about his adventure, Lim noticed that Crocodile had his fingers pressed together thoughtfully.

She was good at divided attention—with one half of her (she joked inwardly that it was 200 year old Lim), she listened to Luffy's story with a wide smile, nodding her head as she took it in and to heart. With the other, she glanced at Crocodile curiously "....that sounds dreadful! I do hope you can show me in Memoria someday!"

She tilted her head. "...what's on your mind, Sir Crocodile?" 

He looked up at her with his long smile, fingers still pressed together.

"Hmm? Oh, this and that, Miss Lim. I was just thinking about your goals. Your ability. Whether it would be possible to do something to let you access it more fully away from Waford. A lot of people would say memories are useless, but…"

She tilted her head "they're never useless, right Luffy, Miss Robin? Even though memories are distorted by perception, they hold a lot…fragments of who you used to be, secrets you've consciously forgotten but kept locked away, bits of history perfectly preserved… .memories are deeply important! You can even re-awaken things previously forgotten!"

Robin nodded firmly. "It's just another form of archival. I would never call it useless."

"Honestly," Vivi mused distantly. "...having lost our memories during the whole Waford thing? It makes you realize how precious they are."

Lim felt her passion rising. She was nodding along with Robin and Vivi. "...the only issue is Memoria's portability. But if we had a big enough ship…" 

Crocodile's smile widened, rolling across his face like the mouth of his namesake. "Now that sounds like the kind of problem that Cross Guild can solve. And if so, I have at least one application for your abilities we could use right away. Straw Hat– did you know Linlin lost her memory or are you out of the loop on that?"

"Who's Linlin?"

Lim cocked her head. "...uhm…Who's Linlin?" 

Nobody in her memory sets was called 'Linlin'. It was kind of a cute name, a little silly though.

Mihawk sipped his drink and clarified for her. "Linlin Charlotte—aka, ''''Big Mom''''. Over the years she seemed to lose more and more of herself to madness until she became the woman we know today. I've heard tales on what she was like in her prime…"

Vivi gasped, pressing her hand to her mouth. "....Linlin Charlotte is BIG MOM??? Like, the same Big Mom that ruled over Totto Land?" 

"Ohhhhh, Big Mom!" Luffy nodded sagely, crossing his arms. "Yeah we ran into her after we left Waford, Lim. She turned into a big problem, she wanted Sanji to get married and it was a trap anyway so like, all that for nothing. And then she showed up on Wano and it was weird."

"Yeah." Crocodile lit a cigar and puffed on it. "I talked to her oldest son, Perospero. He's been heading up the family since Linlin went down in Wano and it seems like she hasn't been right in the head for a long time. Pero says they're moving on, but I'm sure they'd love to know what the hell happened to their mother. Can't say I'm not curious myself."

Robin perked up with a curious smile. "You wish to use Memoria's power to—delve into Linlin's lost memories?"

Lim put her fingers to her lips, gently tapping against her thoughtful pout for a long moment "Honestly, if it's a lot of 'frayed memories', fixing them might do a lot towards repairing her cognition. You could theoretically restore them, as well as come to understand what happened. I admit—I missed that adventure, so I'm curious."

She glanced at Luffy. "...I missed a lot of adventures, it seems. I'm a little sad about that." 

"Sorry, Lim," Luffy huffed. "But there's gonna be plenty more adventures. Once we get Ace's body back, we're gonna be going right back to going after the One Piece. This is kind of a detour, honestly."

"Oh!" she bobbed her head—Ace. That big, unstable and important memory for Luffy. She remembered it…and felt a little shiver roll up her spine. "I'm glad you can still save him, Luffy. I tried, in the memory…"

Vivi interrupted, patting her on the back with a grin. "And it all worked out here and now! We're gonna save Ace and the other folks, and then charge for the One Piece, like the Captain said! You and Adio should come along for that!" 

"Yeah!" Luffy's grin once more stretched his face.

Crocodile chuckled. "That you should. But if you'd like to work on this Memoria problem while Luffy and his crew are off breaking the bonds of death; I'd be happy to work with you."

One of the other people sitting around them, Lim recognized him as Sabo from Luffy's Dressrosa memories, spoke up, adjusting his hat. "I know you guys are really going out of your way for me. Uh, pretty funny to hear it when you all say it so dramatically like that."

Luffy immediately twisted his arms around Sabo like a cord. "Aaaaace, of course we're doing it for you!"

Vivi smiled widely. "...consider it our chance to right a wrong!"

Mihawk had been listening carefully, closing his eyes. "I admit it's an interesting prospect—as is the delving of memories."

Lim chewed on her lip thoughtfully again. "Would you get me back in time for Luffy setting sail?" 

Crocodile snorted. "Lim, doll, I don't exactly have a choice. I already promised Buggy that we'll be matching Straw Hat step for step in this One Piece deal. And if I screw that up he's gonna be a sad, whiny kicked puppy about it for at least a decade."

Luffy giggled and kicked his feet at that.

Vivi broke down giggling too, falling against him as she tipped back her drink.

With a tilt of her head thoughtfully and a smile, Lim nodded. "In that case—I'm happy to give my assistance with this matter. I'm rather curious about this Linlin's memories, as it happens." 

Robin looked amused, leaning on her hand. "It's true, we don't want Buggy the clown to get all whiny. In that case—Captain? Might I have a word?" 

Luffy didn't disentangle himself from Sabo (or Ace?) instead, he just scooted over closer to Robin. "Eh? What's up?"

-

Robin looped her arm around Luffy as well, smiling as she squeezed him and Ace close. This whole conversation—and the remainder of Waford and the lovely presence of Lim—had gotten her thinking again.

Memoria, the living archive of memory itself, was a genuine fascination for her, one she was quite keen on revisiting.

"I was wondering if you'd like an envoy from our crew with them to keep tabs on how things go. In case you want to hear about it after." 

Luffy blinked, and looked at her and around at the room. "Oh. You want to stick around with Lim? And uh, Croco, I guess?"

Robin could tell that Luffy was hesitant. For a bold captain all about freedom, he was clingy. But Robin understood why. The last time they were all separated, well, the result was what was tangled up in his arms. And then they'd all spent two years—longer than they'd ever sailed together—with other people.

She was hesitant to leave him, of course. Robin adored him with all her heart. But the siren call of understanding more of their history and, frankly, the history of one of their former enemies— was strong.

They'd need an archivist on duty. More than just Lim.

"For just a little while, Captain. I'd be back by the time you were done helping Ace and Sabo." 

Luffy bit his lip. "I mean, if you wanna, I'm not going to stop you. I know it's the kind of thing you're interested in but…"

"You know, Straw Hat," Crocodile said, speaking up. "We could do a temporary swap. Could even call it a hostage swap if you wanna be funny about it."

Luffy looked up. "Huuuh?"

Crocodile grinned. "I got a man on my crew who's been wanting to sail with you for ages."

"Oooh?" Vivi asked with a curious smile "oh!! OH!" Suddenly she seemed rather delighted, clapping her hands together "I think I know who!"

Robin raised her eyebrow. "...hmm?"

Luffy rubbed his neck, his brow furrowing. "We already got Vivi…. Bon-chan???" He practically shot up from where he was sitting.

Crocodile meanwhile, chuckled. "That's right! He got stuck with me for a while but if you wanna leave Robin with me and take him for a while, I'm sure he'll be over the moon."

Vivi grinned brightly. "He really missed you, Luffy! We talked about you a lot over those two years!"

Lim just looked a little lost through the whole thing, blinking slowly and hugging her bottle to her chest. "He was the man who dressed like a swan, yes? I remember him in Memoria…"

"He's a good friend of the Straw Hats," Robin filled her in with a quiet smile. "Luffy was saved by him in Impel Down."

Trading her (for a little bit) for Bentham would admittedly be one of the only ways Robin could think of for Luffy not to worry. He'd be far too distracted. 

"Hey Straw Hat," Crocodile tried to grab his attention again. "I get that you're worried about Robin, but we're on the same team now, formally, right?"

"Right…"

"And we can communicate," Crocodile said. "I sure as hell wanna stay in contact. So you can just call in and check on Robin whenever you want to."

Luffy perked up yet again. "Oh! You mean like that snail you gave Vivi as a secret?"

"Oops!" Vivi held her hands up with a flustered smile. "Haha…yeah—just like that, only no secrets this time!" 

Crocodile took it with good humor, shaking his head with a sly smile on his face. "No secrets this time. And no leaving people behind for ages. Right, Hawkie?"

Mihawk nodded slowly. "Yes, we're quite finished with that nonsense"

It brought another chuckle out of Robin, her eyes lidded as she thought it through. "Good, because I refuse to be separated from Luffy for too terribly long—but as a historian I would very much like to be there." 

"Good. Invitation's open to you too, Viv, but I don't want to make your captain think I'm stealing his crew."

"You better not!" Luffy huffed. "But… you said we're all friends now anyway so. It's fine."

Vivi perked up. "Oh, gosh! Well…" She tilted her head from side to side "I'm not exactly going to be much use during the lab stuff, I'm afraid…and we ARE all friends now…"

Luffy stuck out his tongue. "Fiiiiiiine. But we have to have a drink first! Me, you two, and Crocodile. Before we all split up."

Robin felt a subtle heat on her face, and her lips parted into a rather coy smile. 

She knew her Captain well— 'we have to have a drink first' was his hard-learned almost-propriety speaking. Zoro and Nami's early work had ensured that by the time she met Luffy he always prefaced a sexual overture with 'let's have a drink'.

A polite excuse to lead into what would follow. "But of course, Captain. I'm sure that Crocodile will very much enjoy that."

Vivi clapped her hands together, a bright pink as she nodded her head. "A-absolutely! It's a plan…all together?" 

"Unless you two wanna take turns with me and Croco." Luffy stuck out his tongue.

Crocodile seemed to have caught on to what was being discussed, because he coughed into his hand. "Let's talk about that later, Straw Hat. Is there anything else we all need to discuss, or should we let your crew and Lim take some time to catch up? I gotta organize some of the other pirates on the island before they start getting ideas."

Robin glanced at Lim, who seemed to have had some sort of malfunction as she looked between them.

"Huh?" Lim quietly murmured. "I want a drink, too. But is it a social custom to have one before a parting?" 

"I think you'll find that drinks are used in all kinds of customs," Ace-Sabo piped up. "I think Luffy just means he wants to talk with the three of them in private."

Crocodile chuckled. Not many people would catch it, but to Robin, he was visibly flustered. "Here, Lim, gimme your glass, lemme top you up. Oh and Ace, if you have time I'd like to talk to you before you leave, to. Ah."

Ace-Sabo grinned at him and laughed as Crocodile looked even more flustered. "A private chat? I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Deuce told me you two talked a while ago. I'll be happy to chat with you."

Lim's brow furrowed a little—she must have been catching on. She offered her emptied glass to Crocodile to fill with a nod. "Thank you. I'm sure they do."

Robin leaned on her hand in amusement. The conversation—as it often did—had gotten a little ridiculous. "Sounds like a nice time. And Lim, ask around about drinks if you'd like. We have a little time before we ship off to retrieve Memoria." 

-

Crocodile lit a fresh cigar as he and Mihawk left the Straw Hats to continue their reunion with Lim.

"Today's been insane, Hawkie. Yesterday was insane. Pretty sure the day before that was almost just as insane."

Despite his words, there was a smile on Crocodile's face, and the lingering trace of a flush that Mihawk might or might not have picked up on.

Mihawk chuckled under his breath. "But I see you enjoy it. The same kind of enjoyment the insanity of the clown brings."

He tilted his head to the side—he absolutely picked up on it from the sharp smirk that crossed his face. 

Crocodile huffed and turned away a little, putting his hooked arm around Mihawk's shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, you caught me. I wouldn't call Straw Hat and Buggy the same kind of guy but they've got their similarities."

"They're different, but achieve some of the same ends." Mihawk leaned against him with a shake of his head, his arm looping around Crocodile's ."While you have that chat with him, Robin and Vivi, I may seek out my protege." 

Crocodile grinned widely despite feeling his face grow even warmer. "Now that sounds like a good plan. Don't wanna let him slip away when you've got a chance to test his skills, eh?"

"I've heard his exploits, and his countless injuries throughout," Mihawk drawled as he traced his fingers down his back. "I need to make sure he can still handle his sword. So to speak." 

A vision of it drifted through Crocodile's mind's eye and his smile curled.

"So to speak. I'll tell you about my chat with Straw Hat and you can tell me all about your swordplay." He chuckled a low, rather wicked chuckle. "Unfortunately until then there is business to take care of. Mores' the fucking pity."

Mihawk chuckled with him. "More's the pity. It's a dreadful shame. But—we make the best of it, don't we?" 

"We do, we do," he nodded. "I don't like the sound of that government superweapon, Hawkie. I want more intel on that."

Mihawk's smile fell from his face and he nodded. "So do I. We'll have to ask the Revolutionary Army's survivors and see if we can dredge more detail out of them. And then go on a proper hunt for it soon." 

Crocodile nodded. "Into the future, Hawkie. It's gonna be a hell of a ride. We better go find Buggy and see if he's done something stupid while we were busy."

"It certainly is," Mihawk leaned over, and pressed a kiss to his jaw. "knowing Buggy—he's done something completely asinine he needs our help to drag him from." 

-

Rebecca was keenly aware of Sugar's eyes on her as she walked near Doflamingo through Elegia on their way to link up with the Vinsmokes. The taste of alcohol on her tongue from the brief rest before things got started again still lingered, and she hadn't said much since Luffy's exclamation back at the big group.

She was a bit lost in her own head; at least Bonney seemed in decent spirits, walking with a hum in her adult form just behind Chopper and Caesar.

Doffy too seemed to be in good spirits, though that wasn't too unusual, at least when things were going his way. 

"Well, things are looking up, wouldn't you girls say?"

"I'd say!" Bonney grinned, rubbing her hands together. "I mean, if all these freaky mad scientists work together, I know they can fix my dad! After that, I'll find a way to thank ya guys."

Rebecca chuckled softly, nodding her head. "It's true…things are really seeming to turn for the better. Uta's calmed down, we've got a plan, we've got solutions to all sorts of issues…"

"Mm hmm." Sugar was still staring her down. It made Rebecca feel a bit nervous the way she hadn't said a word. Even though they'd known one another for some time, maybe that was why? Like to Luffy, she hadn't had the chance to really explain her presence here with Doffy…

Doflamingo seemed to pick up on the tension because he paused, and smiling, turned to the others. "Caesar, sweetheart, you know the Vinsmokes pretty well, don't you?"

Caesar pressed his hands together. "Ah, yes, Doffy? What about it?"

"Why don't you and Bonney and Chopper go say hello, and we'll catch up with you in a few minutes."

The expression on Caesar's face contorted.

Chopper leapt up to hang on his arm. 

"Come on Caesar!" From the look on his face, awkward smile and all, he could read the room pretty well too. "It'll be fun! I'll help us break the ice with them!"

Bonney put her hands behind her head, stretching with a nod. "alright, alright—we'll soften 'em up for you. But don't take too long, Mr. Doffy!"

She kind of guessed what was happening here. Doffy wanted to cut things down to just the four of them—to talk. 

It seemed that was exactly the case because after he had waved Chopper, Caesar and Bonney cheerfully off, he picked a nearby patch of grass, sat down, and patted the ground beside him.

Rebecca stayed standing, just for a moment as she glanced tentatively at Sugar as she settled down on the grass near Doflamingo without ever taking her eyes off of her.

She sighed softly, and knelt in the grass by him as well, settling herself down until she was comfortable. 

Doflamingo let the silence remain for a moment, washing them in the distant hum of the bustle of activity from not too far away. He sat with his hands in his lap and his smile was somewhat faded for the moment.

"You've sure grown up, Rebecca," Sugar said in a tone that didn't sound like hers—it pinged her with familiarity all the same, making Rebecca squirm a little in her seat.

"I suppose I have. It's been a long time since most of the Donquixotes saw me outside of the arena, and I've changed a lot the past month or so too." 

"Rebecca got the special treatment from the Vinsmokes, it seems," Doflamingo purred."It seems she's undergone quite the journey, and had some of her perceptions changed."

Rebecca flushed a little, looking off to the side with a quiet laugh. 

"You can absolutely say that I have. I'm part of Germa 66 now—the 'army of evil'. Their Shining White. Getting away from Dressrosa gave me the space to rethink some things…"

Sugar leaned on her hand, staring her down with her glassy eyes. 

"That would explain the new haircut. I thought maybe the stress of your big coup might have made you go prematurely grey.' She drummed her fingers against her own cheek with a soft clacking before she looked at Doffy instead. "Some of her perceptions changed, young master?" 

"It seems that way." He chuckled and his smile hitched wider. "She stopped threatening to kill me after about five minutes, and we talked for a while."

Rebecca pouted a little. It was a little more than five minutes! At least before her resolve to end him faded; just enough time for her to start remembering the good times she'd been trying to force down under the constant reminder of what the Soldier, her father, had told her they'd done.

"I couldn't bring myself to put you to the sword anymore," she huffed. "...I'd feel bad."

Sugar laughed, and again it sounded wrong—it sounded like her sister's laugh, especially with the way she slapped her hand on her knee. 

"Only five minutes? After everything Sugar told me about Dressrosa? She said Rebecca was trying to win the tournament JUST to get a shot at you!" 

"So she was! And here she had her shot and…" he shook his head, grin like a slice across his face again. "Ah, but Rebecca, you must be a little confused here, too."

That was an understatement, her brow was knitted in confusion, and she'd taken to worrying the edge of her cloak with a subtle frown. "Yes, I'm a little confused, Doffy."

"Never thought I'd hear you call him that again," Sugar snickered again. 

"It took Law a little longer. Just a little. But I'm very happy to hear it." Doffy snickered and wrapped his arm around Sugar. " But we won't tease you too much more, Rebecca. At least not about being confused. It's just as confusing a situation as Sugar and Monet must find you calling me Doffy again."

Sugar and Monet. She'd heard that Monet had died before the invasion of Dressrosa, only without many details at all. Even in her angry, hateful state—she'd felt a sting of sadness at that news. Poor Monet—the woman, with her wide smile and distinctive laughter, had been a friend. And then she'd died far from home.

"Like…Ace…and Sabo?" she asked in a shaking voice "Monet's in here?"

Rebecca had heard about Ace's situation just a little bit earlier during the meeting with Luffy and Crocodile and the rest. She remembered Luffy had said something about someone else too, but it hadn't dawned on her at the time who or what he was talking about.

"In the doll-flesh," said Sugar, no—Monet, as she sat up a little with a cool stare over her smile. "Surprise! Though for me the biggest surprise is still you, Becky. You had a grudge as wide as the Grand Line. Deep as any of the other Riku save for Vi. And even she turned a knife to our backs before she came home. Which makes me wonder what exactly happened." 

Monet. Rebecca had known her, along with Sugar, during the time that she'd spent living with the Donquixotes in Dressrosa. Before everything had turned upside down. Monet had always been incredibly smart, a wellspring of knowledge from the countless books she'd read. The older girl had shared them with Rebecca, teaching her everything from how to cook to details on Grand Line history and science. She was kind, prone to teasing laughter, and always went out of her way to play with young Rebecca like the big sister she'd never had.

Once, Monet had taken her on her back to the very top of the palace to look up at the sky above, armed with a book of astronomy. She'd spent some time alternatively teaching Rebecca the names of the constellations, and telling teasing stories about the other Donquixotes with the promise to one day 'make her laugh her ass off' with whatever Rebecca got up to as a part of the family proper. When shooting stars came, even if Rebecca was tired, Monet kept her awake with a lively song to make sure she stayed awake enough to see them.

"I…bet." Rebecca grimaced slightly at the pleasant memory. A new wave of guilt washed through her as she rubbed her arm. "I bet it's confusing." 

"The rest of the family's gonna be confused, too," Doflamingo pointed out. "Admittedly, they've been softened up a little for it by Law and your aunt."

"It's true," Monet mused as her fingers clicked against her chin. "Vi coming back to save everyone was a real softener, and then Law somehow forgiving the family and joining up? It felt like the world was going topsy turvy."

She glanced sidelong at Rebecca "it's put Doffy in a forgiving mood."

Rebecca chewed on her lip, worrying the end of her skirt again. "I hated you guys for a long while, you know…when my father had kidnapped me, he said exactly what I had to hear to have my heart broken again. T-that you guys killed my mother—and were only keeping me around as insurance." 

"And as I said to you in private, I'm sure he believed something like that at least." Doffy waved his hand dismissively. "But it's not as simple as that, is it?"

No, it wasn't simple.

It wasn't simple at all. She kept her eyes averted down to her lap. 

"No, it's not. But I was still young, and I was hurt, and I was taken from the people who were treating me as family—so I believed that it was. That's how I kept trying to fight you, that's why I fought in the arena after being captured." She gripped the special fabric of her suit, feeling it stretch against her fingertips as she dug them into her skirt. "I thought you were my enemies." 

Doflamingo chuckled. "What a thin line between friends and enemies. And it all depends on circumstance– and desire."

Rebecca glanced up at him again, and the reminder of exactly why her resolve to destroy was all too clear.

Circumstance and desire—and her circumstances had certainly changed.

-

Monet sat in the grass, her hand on her chin as her sister grumbled in the background about betrayal and she took a long moment to study Rebecca's face.

Rebecca—for a little while there she really was the Donquixote Family's little princess. They'd all loved her. Sure, at first they were only watching over her and keeping her sheltered from the realities of the Donquixote line of work because of Violet's heartfelt request to shield her until she was old enough. 

Sure, she was the Rikus' little runaway—whose mother's blood stained Dia's hands after he stopped her ill-advised assassination attempt—but she was charming and sweet. She'd taken to life in the family like someone who belonged there, and there wasn't an officer or executive who didn't enjoy her presence. In a way, Monet expected it took the young master back to the old days, when the younger Donquixotes were still growing up.

Monet especially enjoyed Rebecca's company. She was bright, inquisitive, and more than a little ridiculous. Monet couldn't help but dote on her, and Sugar couldn't help but indulge in playing around with her either.

And then she'd vanished. Gone in the night only to resurface in attempts to attack the family, and from there, into the dungeons of the Corrida Colosseum . It was a tragedy. But as Doffy said, hate was rooted in circumstances and desire.

Little Rebecca had sure changed in circumstance, that was for sure. For some reason Monet couldn't stop staring at the outfit she wore, or the striking pale of her hair. She'd gone and fallen in with the Vinsmoke family of Germa 66, adapted into one of their super-soldiers and somehow, now that they were on Elegia, that hate for the young master had simmered away into nothing.

"It's pretty clear your circumstances changed, Becky. You're a Vinsmoke now, right?" 

"The way I hear it she married them," Doffy chuckled. "Or something like that. It seems like a cozy situation, whatever it is."

Rebecca shot upright, waving her hands with a flustered smile. 

"N-nothing official yet! I mean, it is cozy, I do love them very much, b-but…well. Right now I'm just part of the team…taking their brother's empty spot. We haven't officially gotten married or anything!!!"

Monet felt her smile crawl across Sugar's face. "So flustered!! Sounds like little Rebecca's found her first love…s. Plural." 

"Plural!" Doflamingo laughed. "It seems the Vinsmokes are pretty inseparable. I can relate, eh?"

"You certainly can, young master!" Monet purred. "The Donquixotes, too."

She glanced at Rebecca again, who turned a vivid pink as she started chewing on her lip again. A familiar old bad habit of hers that warmed Monet's heart—and even calmed some of Sugar's annoyance. "They are. Just as inseparable as you all." 

"Maybe it felt a little familiar to you, Rebecca." Doffy teased her with amusement, putting a finger to his lips. "Does that explain the situation to you enough, Monet? Sugar?"

"It did," Rebecca smiled subtly at him "...I…"

She glanced at Monet before she fell quiet again, and she had to wonder exactly why. 

"Mostly. Rebecca got out of Dressrosa's echo chamber, fell in with people who, like us, aren't what her father and grandfather would call 'good people', and remembered the good times enough to falter in trying to kill you and back down. Right?"

"R-right!" Rebecca chewed her lip/ "And well…" she glanced at Doffy for a long moment again before looking down at her lap. 

Doflamingo reached over and put his hand on Rebecca's knee. "Something to say, Becca, dear?"

Rebecca started to stammer, and pressed her hands to her face for a moment before she murmured. 

"When I was talking with Doffy I really started to miss…you know. The Donquixotes, all of you. I wondered what it'd have been like if I'd never left." She shimmied in her seat , resting her hand atop Doffy's "you know?"

Monet's lips curled into a widened smile—interested and amused all at once. "Did you now?"

Doffy nodded with amused sympathy. "It really seems like everyone who leaves our little family misses us. Rebecca said she missed being a member of the Donquixotes– and that she wanted to build a bridge between us and the Vinsmokes."

"Is that right, Donquixote Princess?" Monet leaned forward in her sister's body, tilting to make sure she met the girl's downcast eyes. "You wanna be a part of the family again and build a bridge between us and the Vinsmokes with that upcoming marriage of yours?"

It brought an excited flutter to Monet's heart deep inside her sister's chest. For whatever reason, a union between the Vinsmokes and the Donquixotes felt as natural as breathing the sea air, or dancing in the flower fields of Dressrosa.

Rebecca nodded, looking up into her eyes with a sheepish smile. "Exactly. Better than linking the Riku family and the Vinsmokes, r-right? I don't know if I'll be accepted back in by everyone, but—I've burned that bridge to Dressrosa." 

"It might take time for some people," Doflamingo warned. "But they'll see that I've accepted you. If you put in the effort I'm sure those bridges can be rebuilt. More easily than most of Dressrosa, honestly. Pica went a little wild."

Doffy snickered at his own joke, shaking his head.

Rebecca pressed her hand over her mouth—was she laughing too?? Monet felt that sting of amusement grow, as Rebecca responded. 

"He sure did—I'm a little peeved at him for that! But, well, no sense crying over spilled rubble, right?"

"When we've got so much excitement in the future?" Monet purred as she closed her eyes. "No sense at all…and if Doffy's accepted you, Princess, I'll be happy to accept you too. I missed reading with you, you know. Sugar always gets bored and wanders off right when things get good."

Sugar twitched internally, and Monet weathered a stream of internal insults that she bore with a grin.

"You would??" Rebecca' smile finally grew more confident. "If you and Doffy both accept me, I'll do what I can to rebuild those bridges—and when my wedding comes, it'll be Rebecca of the D-Donquixotes who walks down that aisle!" 

Doffy clapped his hands together. "I do love a wedding! Speaking of which, we probably shouldn't keep your betrotheds waiting too long, shall we?"

"They might come looking for me thinking I've been captured or something," She laughed into her hand. "They're a bit protective! B-but maybe after that we can break the news to the rest of the Donquixotes?"

Monet watched her smile with a warmth bloomed in her heart. It was nice to see her so unabashedly happy, despite her embarrassment and hesitation. It took her back to the old days when she played 'big sis' for her as she scampered around the palace walls. 'The rest of the Donquixotes'....and Rebeca Donquixote. Seemed she was serious about coming back to the family after all.

Good. And. she wanted to see these Vinsmokes for herself. As she smiled, she told herself it was her 'big sis' instinct acting up—she'd have to ask them what their intention with her 'sister' was. 

"I was about to suggest the same thing," Doffy nodded. He stood up and as he did he scooped each of them under one arm. "I'm sure they're all gossiping about it already, since they saw you with me."

Rebecca squeaked, and curled into his side with a smile as she tossed her braid over his shoulder. "Oh hell, they probably ARE! Who knows what kind of rumors are going on!"

Monet looped an arm around Doffy's broad shoulder as she settled comfortably. "Knowing the guys they're probably making bets on if you guys fucked or not." 

That made Doffy laugh uproariously as he carried them– and it answered any question in Monet's mind.

If it wasn't Doffy's laugh, it was Rebecca's flustered sputtering. "W-w-whhaaaat? No, we gotta go stop them Doffy! We can't..I mean!"

Yeah. Monet was regretting not getting in on that. It would have been the easiest berries she'd ever made.

They absolutely fucked.

[shadow-fell]

...clicked on the bg3 fanlore page to discover that two of my fics are the example fanworks, which was surprising, ngl.

[nevermoredragon-main]

Thinking about my OT3s rn