#ac spare parts shop

[primequality]

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[myeagleexpert]

【ＨＥ　ＳＡＩＤ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＡＮＤ　Ｉ　ＷＯＮ＇Ｔ　ＦＯＲＧＥＴ　ＩＴ】

You know those important parts where you use the highlighter to highlight something important? So, my dear player, that's what we have here. Some interactions between the characters x yuu and the interactions between them that make me think a lot about the character they are!

Pt1: Heartslabul - Savanaclaw - Octavielle ( You're here!)

Pt2: Scarabia - Igynia - Pomefiore - Diasonia ( Loading...)

Wₕₐₜ ₐᵣₑ yₒᵤ dₒᵢₙg ₕₑᵣₑ? ₜₕₑ Qᵤₑₑₙ wᵢₗₗ cᵤₜ ₒff yₒᵤᵣ ₕₑₐd!

"Trey enthusiastically said he’s going to bake a strawberry tart for my birthday party. Make sure you come to eat some too. …Well, it not like it’s a Rule of the Queen of Hearts or anything"- Birtday Union

"Thank you for coming to celebrate my birthday. …Eh? You’ve hidden my present somewhere in the Heartslabyul dormitory? I see now. The answer to the riddle on this card must reveal the location of the present. Heh, you’ve sure come up with something rather interesting. Well, since you’ve gone through the trouble of planning this for me, I suppose I’ll just have to play along."- Birtday Union

"You are as energetic as ever today, I see. No, this isn’t any sort of rebuke. I truly do hope to see you enjoying my birthday party to the fullest."- Birthday Union

((he deserves to have more light and fun moments, and eat lots of strawberry pies))

"Don't worry, if you get lost, I'll come searching for you. I'm pretty used to looking after my siblings, so I'm sure I'll find you quickly."- Playfull Dress

"Thanks for celebrating my birthday. But I have to say, I wasn't expecting you to have my gift delivered to my dorm like that. You should have just handed it to me directly, since we were meeting up, anyway. Was I shocked? Well, yes... Ah, so it was supposed to be a surprise present! Haha, oh man. You're always finding ways to startle me."- Platinum Jacket

"Riddle’s got a pretty tight handle on everything, there’s not much for me to do as his Vice Dorm Leader. I’m basically just here as decoration." - Cerimonial Robes

"You want to take a picture of me? You’re the record keeper, so just do as you like. …It’s more nerve-wracking if you know you’re being watched, you know?"- Outdoor wear

"Oh, good timing. Help me carry these dishes. Of course, there’s some for you and grim too."- Outdoor Wear

"Hm, you want a scarf? Well... Oh, maybe if I ask Sam, he can lend you a spare one. Just wait a sec."- New Year Attire

"Do you have any plans for the winter this year? If not, what if you got a temp job at a cake shop...? Haha, I'm just kidding."- New Year Attire

((he's so big brother material, I love these little moments of him being so attentive))

"Amusement parks are so rad～! Why don't we take a selfie together right here at the gate? Think of it as the first of many to remember today!"- Playfull Dress

"Oh hey, think you'd want any popcorn? If so, tell me your favorite flavor. Your boy Cay-kun'll get it for you."- Playfull Dress

"Thanks for coming to celebrate my birthday! I’m super stoked! You’re gonna give me whatever I want for my birthday? Well, if you say that… it might make me want to ask for something huge. I’m kidding, don’t worry! How about we go skateboarding together? We can do some sweet tricks and post some pictures online!"- Birthday Union

" “#Birthday #NRCUnionJacket #SpecialMadeForCay-kun” …You know I totally gotta brag about today’s special outfit!"- Birthday Union

" Why are you looking at me like that while petting the tsum? You’re making Cay-kun feel so conflicted～"- Tsum Event

"Pfft, your hair is all over the place from all the wind. Sooo laaame… Eh, mine, too!?"- Playfull Dress

"The whole point of birthdays is definitely the presents. So what did you get your dearest friend Ace-kun, then?"- Birthday Bloom

"I’m good with not dating anyone yet. 'Sides, I’m already busy looking after you lot."-Suitor Suit

"A word of warning. Until I say it’s safe to, deeefinately don’t look up at the ceiling… Juuuust kidding! Haha, did that scare you?"- Halloween

"The basketball club's most promising rookie has arrived! You better not take your eyes off my fresh plays, 'kay?"- Club Wear ((He's a little shit, but I'd root for him in the front row))

"Practicing passes with Floyd is basically a matter of life and death. But that's 'cause he's always throwing them at breakneck speeds!"-Club Wear

"Hey, we should all play basketball together sometime soon. If we invite Deuce or whoever, we can probably get a 3-on-3 game goin'.-" Club Wear

"Are you going to come cheer for me at my next track meet? Then, I definitely can't do anything uncool. Just you wait and see how I do!"- Club wear

"You want me to show you the awards I've gotten from my track meets? You bet! I was hoping I'd get to show you."- Club Wear

"I bet if you, me, and Grim just go ham talking about all that happened today when we get back to school… Ace’ll get crazy jealous."- Rabbit wear

"I think I was able to help my mom feel a bit of relief. And that’s because you all came with me, so, thanks."- Rabbit wear

"I can’t believe you’re here to wish me a happy birthday… Today’s such an amazing day. …Oh, shoot. I definitely have some kind of weird look on my face right now, don’t I? Sorry, I just got so happy I couldn’t help this wide grin. Anyway, thanks so much, Prefect! I’ll make sure to keep doing my best to be someone deserving of your celebrations!"-Birthday Union

((he is my good little boy, I love him, Deuce you live in my heart))

​🇹​​🇴​​🇳​​🇮​​🇬​​🇭​​🇹​, ​🇮​​🇳​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇬​​🇷​​🇪​​🇦​​🇹​ ​🇯​​🇺​​🇳​​🇬​​🇱​​🇪​, ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇱​​🇮​​🇴​​🇳​ ​🇸​​🇱​​🇪​​🇪​​🇵​​🇸

"They got bone-in meat to eat right there, and you still order the salad. And that's why you're a herbivore."- Playfull Dress

"You don't have to call my name over and over again, I hear you. I'm just staying silent so I don't ruin all your amusement park excitement."- Playfull Dress ((Are we going to delude ourselves and dream that he was admiring us the whole time? Yes))

"A horror attraction? Sure, I'll tag along with you for that, 'cause I bet I'll get to hear some good screams from you herbivores."- Playfull Dress

"You have my utmost gratitude for such a splendid celebration. …There, I thanked you. I’m not saying it again."- Birtday Boy

"You want to make me happy? Hahah! What fine intentions coming from a herbivore. I’m looking forward to it."- Birthday Boy

"Sneaking up behind me like that, were you attempting to surprise me? Aah, my bad. I’ll pretend I didn’t notice, so go on, continue."- Birthday Boy

"You’re just going to carry drinks around and not even toast with me? Hey, bring a glass for yourself too."- Birtday Boy

"Did this sword catch your eye? The motif of the hilt seems to be a jellyfish. I can let you borrow it, but don’t swing it around."- Halloween ((Would you also have a jar of dirt too? Asking a friend))

"You can’t trust someone who smiles all the time, like Jade. Usually guys like me end up being the more trustworthy ones, you know?"- Halloween

"Doesn’t matter who the opponent is. The only one deserving a win is me"- Beastly Garb

"Magic is strictly forbidden in Catch the Tail. Maybe I’ll train you up for the next one… I kid, this ain’t ever happening again."- Beastly Garb

"Back home, there were a ton of people who took issue with my sense of fashion. You wouldn’t do that to me, hmm?"- Gala Couture

"The rich folks from the Scalding Sands are much richer than royal families in other countries. If you want to butter someone up, you’d have better luck with Kalim"- Gala Couture

"Well, aren’t you super meticulous on something as simple as a cake cutting. I don’t really care how you do it, but just get it done before tomorrow comes."- Blooming Birthday

" I had Cater delete all the pictures he took. Obviously, I asked him nicely. Yeah, that’s right, I’m such a shy boy."- Blooming Birthday

"If you’re going to act all high and mighty, I’m going to expect something grand from you, y'know? So hurry up and bring out my present, already."- Blooming Birthday

"Wouldn’t ya believe it, Vil gave me a sewing kit. Something this special deserves to be shoved in the far back of a drawer for posterity."- Blooming Birthday

"If it’s survival, leave it to me! My experience is different from all the other guys."- Outdoor Wear

" You wanna know the trick to fishing? Hmmー …How ‘bout I trade you for those nuts you’ve got in your hand?"- Outdoor Wear ((What nuts? THESENUT--))

"Grim-kun stole your food? Guess it can’t be helped, here, I’ll share my grilled fish with you. Now you owe me one! Shishishi〜"- Outdoor Wear

"Shishishi, you totally remembered my birthday, right?"- Union Birthday ((It's marked on my calendar, my hyena))

"Thanks for celebratin’ my birthday with me! Since it’s my big day, we should go grab some grub and… Ah! Oh noooooo, this is sooooo terrible, I forgot my wallet… I guess I can’t buy… Eh, you’ll treat me? Really? Maan, it’s really great having such a generous junior like you! C'mon, let’s go, let’s go. Shishishi～" - Union Birthday

"Can’t believe a talkin’ portrait wished me a happy birthday… ’S not something I woulda ever been able to imagine happenin’ to me while I lived in the slums."- Union Birthday

"The guys in the magical shift club gave me some powdered sports drinks. I love gettin’ practical gifts like that!"- Union Birthday

" If you’re gonna come check out our practice, make sure you bring us refreshments! Like sports drinks, nutritional jelly drinks, or even doughnuts!"- Club Wear

"My nickname “Disc Thief” is pretty well-known, so maybe I might get scouted by some pro team with their eye on me… Nah, that’d be too good to be true."- - Club Wear

"We can hear Leona’s voice pretty good even when we got noisy spectators durin’ a game. Guess lions just got a healthier roar to ‘em." - Club Wear

"Even if you can’t use magic, you can still join our club. We got a ton of stuff for a manager to get done!" - Club Wear

(Leona simps… do you think his snores are loud too? And during… NO I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THAT)

"Hey, are you here to celebrate my birthday? Thanks for coming all this... Wait, you just wanted me to show you my homework? Do you own homework! Geez, don't mislead me like that... ...What is this box? Is it a present? O-Oh. Then, I'll gladly take it... Hey, you didn't do all this just to get a kick out of how I'd react, right?" -Platinum Jacket

"Ah, you wasted no time in coming. …You’re not scheming to horseplay around on my birthday, are you?" - Union Bithday

"You want me to take a picture of in this outfit and send it to my family? …Well, I guess that’s fine. Th-Then… please take one for me." - Union Bithday

"Thanks for the birthday wishes. …Something I hope for in the coming year? I want to grow some more. Eh? I’m already big enough? …I’m not talking about my height! I mean I want to mature more. Whenever you’re around I end up feeling so dazed. It must mean I’m relaxed around you. Thanks." - Union Bithday

((i mean… he's already our big boy… I hope the wolf form grows bigger and bigger too, my cute puppy))

((I feel like Yuu feels lighter and more playful around Jack, to the point of making pranks and having fun together <3))

ɐɐǝs ǝɥʇ ɹǝpu∩ ɐɐǝs ǝɥʇ ɹǝpu∩

"Oh my, I see how your eye shines so... If you've taken a liking to that painting, I shall order a reproduction for you. At a discounted price, of course." - Platinum Jacket

"Young love is wonderful. There is no end to the troubles that come from it, so it's quite a favorable emotion for those of us who impart counsel." - Platinum Jacket

"Laying out on the beach to watch the sunset is actually rather lovely, isn't it?"- Beach Wear

" The water around this island is unbelievably delightful. The water is warm and there are no predators. It is a far cry from my hometow."-Beach Wear

"If I were to describe the Coral Sea in one word, it would be "vast." If you ever decide to visit for a vacation, you may come to regret it. "- Beach Wear

"What could you possibly... ...Oh, it's you. I thought it may have been Stitch-san coming to pester me once again."- Beach Wear

"You may leave it to me to lead us in this dance. Allow me to show you just how much effort I've put forth."-Masquerade Dress

"You wish me to take your picture? Of course, I don't mind whatsoever. Now, what should I ask for in return?"- Masquerade Dress

"Oh, my, are you sharing your pastries with me? I would be elated to take some off your hands. It is rather nice that I can try so many in smaller portions."-Masquerade Dress

" What is it? Eh, oh, I look good in this outfit? ...Fufufu, whatever are you scheming? Please, do tell."-Masquerade Dress

"Jade poured this tea as his gift to me. Only... He had this strangely good-natured smile on his face as he did so. ...Would you care to drink it?"- Bloom Birthday ( you littl-)

"I don't understand why candles are inserted into the cake... Sure, it's lovely to see the flames dance in the dark, but it ruins the cake's presentation when it comes time to eat it." -Bloom Birthday

"Something I would like? ...Then, please sing a birthday song for me. Come, you'll sing for me, won't you?"-Bloom Birthday

"Azul can grant any wish," they say. ...Would you like to see if the rumors are true?- Ceremonial Wear

and this duo dialogue? BOYYY

Azul: I am so honored to be paired with you, Jamil-san.

Jamil: Get moving instead of just flapping your lips, Azul.

(suck this up octoponk)

"Down in the ocean depths, the Sea Witch's favorite lipstick is very popular. The container is even shaped like a seashell... I recall gifting it to my mother once, as well."- New Year ((I have a wish for my birthday present, and I think you do too))

 "Do go on, Tsum-san, do whatever you please. It's alright, I shall be watching over you."- Tsumsitter ((Go ahead little creature, spread chaos, I'll be admiring your work))

"Allow me to show you how wonderous the mountains truly are. I do so hope that you will want to join the Mountain Lovers Club afterwards."- Outdoor Wear

"I brought along a very large backpack, but it is mostly empty. That is so that I will be able to bring home some of the nature's bounty as souvenirs."- Outdoor Wear

"It is more crucial to use your intellect when it comes to potionology, rather than magic. Since you have no magical abilities, don't you think this would be the perfect subject for you?"- Lab Wear

"Could you tell me your favorite dish? It may be a good addition for the Mostro Lounge menu."- Lab Wear

"Have you ever heard the phrase "haste makes waste"? ...Never mind, how foolish of me to ask."- Lab Wear

"In the Mountain Lovers Club I founded, we study the flora that we've collected. ...Oh, does this pique your interest?""- Lab Wear

"May I help you? ...I'm afraid it is somewhat difficult to continue exercising when you're staring at me so intensely."- Pe Education

"You are quite... No, nevermind. You do realize that courage and recklessness are two different things entirely, yes?"- Pe Education

"You wish to climb Moln Mountain? I understand how you must feel, but... Snowy mountains are quite dangerous. It may be better for you to build up your climbing experience little by little first."- Apple Boa

((I don't know about you, but Jade's sentences wander from a nice person to someone suspicious)) ((Do you want to know something? Everything that comes out of his mouth is a trap, suspicious as hell))

"Here, Shrimpy-chan, you can have my fries. Nah, you don't gotta thank me. I just couldn't finish 'em 'cause I just slathered something spicy all over it." - Playfull Dress

" Y'know, I really like big and hefty shoes like these～ I love the way they make big, strong stompy sounds when I walk～" - Playfull Dress

"My shoes and jacket sparkles just like scales! Humans have it so good～ They can just swap up their scales whenever they want just by changing clothes." - Platinum Jacket

Beach Wear Vignette - Dialogue

Floyd: 'Cause, I mean, if someone tells you not to do something, doesn't it just make you want to do it more?

Stitch: Yahahahaha!

Floyd: My pops and mama always told us that it was dangerous for us kids to go by ourselves, so we shouldn't go near it.

Stitch: Grrr, rargh!

Floyd: Hmm? Oh, it's nothing like that. That whole thing where the humans and merfolk were afraid of each other is stuff from a long, long time ago.

Floyd: Folks've been comin' and goin' between the land and sea for a while now, ever since the mermaid princess married that human prince.

"Aha. I'm all ready to go, but is the party ready for me?"- Bloom Birthday ((Chaotic child detected))

"Ah, hey, it's Koebi-chan. So you're gonna give me whatever I want as a present? Then, tell me a fun story you know from up here on the surface. ...What, you weren't expecting me to ask for somethin' intangible? I mean, this is waaay better than getting somethin' I don't need. But I ain't gonna let it slide if you tell me a boring story. Mmkay, you can go ahead and start now～"-Bloom Birthday

"Maaan, passing practice is so boring 'cause it's too easy. Koebi-chan, wanna play 1 on 1 with me? I'll go a little bit easy on you"- Club Wear

"Hm, I don't see your mouth watering. You saying my food tastes bad?"- Apprentice Chef

"I make a ton of grilled sandwiches. I ain't got a recipe or anything. Just toss in some leftovers and grill 'em and you're done."- Apprentice Chef

"Jade'll put shiitake mushrooms in pretty much anything, so I got to the point that just lookin' at 'em pisses me off."- Apprentice Chef

" You make real great-lookin' faces when you're eating, Shrimpy. Didja like my cooking? 'Kay, then next time, I'll make you something even better."- Apprentice Chef (( PLEASE DO ))

" Next time, you should go up on stage, Koebi-chan. I'll be expectin' a fun show."- Port Wear

" Ehhh, my ribbon's crooked? I don't have a mirror, so I can't see it... Shrimpy-chan, why don'tcha fix it nicely for me?"- Platinum Jacket

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Every like, repost and comment is very welcome and appreciated. ♥

[lucauali]

bob the builder - eustass “captain” kidd

warning: kinda suggestive, making out, groping, female bodied!reader (is wearing a skirt and revealing top), modern AU

I couldn’t think of a title LMAOO but it's subject to change, also I'm fs gonna write for ace next bc I'm on the alabasta arc rn which is also why I'm writing Kidd in a modern AU. Please ignore the fact that idk how to end these drabbles

"I'm home!" You were met with silence as you softly shut the front door of your new apartment closed. The numerous bags in your arms dropped since the weight of them had been straining you all day. After gently pushing them to the wall with your foot, you ventured towards the hallway. The open door to the bedroom you shared with Kidd remained empty with only the bare necessities inside.

Clank!

The sudden sound made you turn your head towards the spare room at the end of the hall. The door was closed, but it didn't keep Kidd's muffled groans and shouts of frustration shut in the room. You giggled as you turned the doorknob and opened the door.

"Eustass! I'm home!" Said man was hunched over something that was blocked from your sight. He whipped his head around and looked you up and down.

"Hey there, sweetheart. Didn't hear you come in." He got up and walked over towards you. Once he stood tall in front of you, he suddenly gripped you by the hips and pulled you flush to his body.

His eyes raked over the cropped denim top and white mini skirt that adorned your body. The plunging neckline and short cut of the clothing did wonders for your curves.

"You went out shopping for decorations like this? I'm going with you next time, then." He grumbled as his grip traveled all around your body. You let out a squeal when his hand smacked your ass in a teasing manner.

"I asked you to, but you said you were 'too busy' so I just went on my own. What were you so busy with anyways?" You pouted up at him as you started to rub your hands on his bare chest. The light sheen of sweat on his body and the fact that he swapped his usual grey sweats out with some shorts made you think he was getting around to setting up his at-home workshop.

Kidd smirked down at your hands and then at you, "take a look behind me, sweetcheeks. Hope you like it." With that, you peeked around his build and gasped.

Behind Kidd was a completed vanity. The white vanity came with two columns of drawers, along with the pull out drawer under the table top. The table top had crystal-clear glass that showcased the drawer beneath. The best part was the huge mirror with LED lights on the border.

You ditched the redhead behind you to closely inspect the brand new piece of furniture. The mirror even connected to your phone for music!

Suddenly, you felt Kidd press up behind you and circle his hands over your lower stomach. He hid his face in the crook of your neck as he mumbled, "I take it you like it?"

"I love it! Thank you so much, Eustass!" In the middle of checking the storage space, you remembered what room you're in.

"Wait, but baby, isn't this your workshop room? Where are you gonna put your table and all your stuff?" The room wasn't as big as the bedroom, but it could fit a few more larger pieces of furniture.

"Don't worry about it. I'm putting my stuff against one of the other walls. Thinking about putting a curtain or something so that the your side doesn't get messy." You looked up at him with a sweet smile that can make Kidd say yes to anything you ask.

"Thank you, I really mean it. It means a lot to me that you would gift me something like this." With that, you planted a sweet kiss on his lips, which he happily reciprocated.

Kidd hummed against your lips with a smug smirk, "yeah? Wanna show me how thankful you are?" A gasp ripped past your lips as he smacked your ass again.

"Mmm, I knew you would like this outfit. But no! I need to show you the decor I got first!"

"Babe, c'mon! That can wait." Kidd groaned as he tried to reach for you, but you simply walked past him and out the door.

"Nope! You're gonna fall asleep if I don't show you now, so come here!" Your voice echoed down the hallway while Kidd groaned.

Even though he can't take you to bed yet he still wouldn't trade moments like these for anything else.

[shirohige-pirates]

A Truly Mythological Christmas

Cisfem!Reader x Marco the Phoenix

Also on Wattpad // Ao3

18+ - this story is going to get steamy in ways not allowed for your holiday Lifetime specials. Swearing, cheating, assassins, intrigue - you know, all that simple small town stuff.

Chapter 9: Cuppa

The wagon really was back in the driveway by lunch the next day.

Thatch steps out of the driver’s seat as Fossa pulls in behind him in another car. His pompadour hasn’t survived whatever they did to fix the wagon, and both him and Fossa are grimy. Both are smiling, at least, so they must’ve enjoyed getting to work on the damnable thing.

“Little warrior!” Thatch says, opening his arms, and then looking at his hands. “Ah.”

Laughing, you step down off the porch and let him hug you. “A little dirt won’t hurt,” you assure him. “I need to get cleaned up later anyway. Sorry I didn’t get to do more than wave at you last night.”

Thatch gives you a wide, toothy smile. “It was good to see you, but yeah, it’s a busy night for me, that’s for sure.”

“You’re going to find a nice girl and lose your mind trying to feed a whole family and spend time with her.” You point out and Thatch’s face goes red.

“I did - kind of.” He admits. “We just met a week ago, and decided it was way too soon to be spending time with one another’s family. But I’ll see her on Christmas Eve.”

You put your hands to your mouth and give him the squeakiest voice you had. “Awwww! My baby Thatch, all grown up and - wait, she’s okay with the pompadour?”

Thatch gives you a sour look, but then grins, puffing out his chest a little. “Says it suits me.”

“That’s good, cause it does.” You agree. “I hope it works out for you, big guy.” He blushes, pink going all the way to his ears.

“Shucks.”

“We fixed the timing issue, and put in a new starter.” Fossa explains. “New set of spark plugs, and oil change since we already had it up on the rack, replaced a few parts with spares we had in the shop.”

Your brows raise. “It might actually be safe.”

Fossa nods. “Damn right it’s safe. We weren’t gonna bring it back over if we couldn’t get it up to snuff.” He grunts and you smile.

“Thanks. I appreciate that. Dadan would’ve driven it until the motor blew itself through the hood.” You grumble.

“I wouldn’t have let it get that bad!” She shouts, coming out onto the porch. “Oi, thank you boys for fixing it up for us. It’ll make the holidays easier.”

“Yeah, but we’re scrapping it for parts when I buy you a new one.” You assert, and Dadan just grunts.

Fossa laughs. “You are still the warrior!” He pats you on the back and you struggle to stay standing. “I swear you’re the only one she listens to.”

“Oh I know at least one other person she listens to.” You say knowingly, giving Dadan a look. Your mom blushes, and grumbles under her breath about head strong daughters, before sitting down on the porch bench.

“Anyway, thanks guys. If you’re hungry you can come in for a bite? We’re about to have lunch.” You offer.

Both of them smile, but decline. “We gotta get back to the house, I’ve got two birds in the oven that we couldn’t find space for yesterday, and Izou’s not going to be able to handle them.” Thatch admits.

The guys head out, and you and Dadan get lunch together. Her shrill whistle cuts through the backwoods like a whip and a few minutes later the boys come running in from the backdoor, stopping in the mud room to clean up and strip of shoes caked with cold mud. The temperatures were going to drop, and the ground was going to freeze, but for now it was only just cold enough to make the mud cake thicker.

Lunch gives way to the afternoon, and you get cleaned up. When you come out of your room, Ace is standing in the hall, all eight years of him, with a very severe look on his face.

“What’s got your face in a knot?” You question, pretty sure you already know. You’re dressed nicer, not like for the feast, but certainly a step up from what you’d been wearing.

“I… don’t want you to go back to the city.” He says, and your eyes go wide. It wasn’t exactly what you expected, but it was similar.

“I know.” You admit, squatting down enough to look up at him. “I promise I’ll visit lots more than I was before.”

“Can’t you stay?” He asks, and there’s something in those little wet eyes that speaks volumes.

“I could.” You reply. “You’re gonna be my little brother no matter where I am, you know that right?”

Ace nods, and you can see him struggling not to cry. You brush a bit of his hair aside and when he doesn’t flinch away you wipe one of the tears that escaped.

“And no matter who else comes into my life.”

“I know!” He yells, and finally starts crying. He doesn’t run off, and when you tell him to come in for a hug he does.

“Thank you for telling me.” You say softly, and you can feel Sabo and Luffy come over until all three of you are hugging. Sometimes it takes weeks and months, sometimes years, but every once in a while, when you find your family, you know it in a matter of minutes.

And that could be scary.

“I don’t wan’ you ta date Marco either.” Ace grumbles into your shoulder and you can’t help but laugh.

“Ace, I told you not to say that!” Sabo scolds.

“Marco’s nice.” Luffy declares, and Ace just grumbles in response.

Grinning, you give each one of them a kiss on the forehead. “I appreciate having you three looking out for me. I mean it. If I do end up dating Marco I’ll visit even more often.”

Sabo and Luffy light up at the idea of it, but Ace seems conflicted. Little guy really doesn’t want to let go of his jealousy. That’s okay.

You ruffle his hair.

“C’mon, let’s get dinner going.” You urge the boys downstairs, and pull out your phone as you follow along behind them.

You: Still up for tonight? I’m sure you’re a busy guy, Mr. Business Owner.

It only takes a moment for him to reply.

Marco: Izou’s helping, should be done in the next hour.

You: It’ll be 2 hours before we’re done with dinner, don’t feel rushed. Thatch and Fossa got the wagon working, so I’ll meet you there.

Marco: That’s a shame. 😉

You snort. You know he means it’s a shame he won’t have an excuse to come pick you up, but you’re not going to let him get away with that so easily.

You: It is, but I’m still getting her a new wagon.

His only response after that is an actual pineapple emoji.

Dinner went smoothly. Ace seemed to let go of some of his frustrations with a full belly, and even managed to join his brothers in saying good bye when you left the house after the meal.

You couldn’t help the nerves that coiled in your stomach the closer you got to Makino’s. You hadn’t been there since she took over from her mom, but you doubted it had really changed. Change came to Sphinx, sure, but usually pretty slowly. That just meant it would be comfortable. The atmosphere, and the company, were all already known to you, so there wasn’t any reason to be nervous.

It was the “Just you and I” that kept sticking in your head. You knew Marco meant the two of you at a table, and not the two of you as the only two people in the whole bloody bar, but there was a lot of weight behind the statement. A desire to be able to hang out and have it truly just be the two of you.

You weren’t surprised to see Marco’s car in the parking lot already, but you were surprised to see him leaned against the trunk. He straightened up when he saw you pull in and smiled in greeting, coming over and walking into the pub with you.

“I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

“Nah, ten, twenty minutes tops.” He says. “Not even long enough to get cold, really.” Marco tugs at the thick turtleneck he’s wearing before opening the door for you.

The pub’s fairly packed, as you’d expect post dinner on a friday night, but it looks like Makino expanded it, or her mother did, as there’s a barn style second floor above the original lay out. It added more tables, but also opened up space on the first floor for a bigger dancing area. A location that was very full of people already.

Marco indicated for you to head upstairs, and when you got up there it was much less crowded. There were some big booths, but most of the tables were really only meant for two or three people. The music was muted up here, and unlike downstairs there weren’t any TVs playing sports channels.

It wasn’t exactly restaurant vibes, but it was a pleasant liminal space. Casual enough you wouldn’t feel awkward to have nothing but a couple drinks and maybe an appetizer if you stayed long enough to get peckish.

You aren’t surprised to see Makino come up to take your order just a minute after you got seated.

“You didn’t tell me you renovated.” You say, sticking out your tongue.

“We got to talking about other things.” She retorts, giving you a half-hearted shrug before looking between the two of you. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll have an Old Fashioned.” You say. “And some zucchini fritters. I let Luffy get away with stealing a good bit of my dinner tonight, and I’m already a little hungry.”

“A Negroni,” Marco says. “And maybe some fried pickles to go with the fritters.”

“Sure thing.” Makino says with a smile before heading back downstairs.

You sigh, almost laying your head on the table.

“What’s wrong, yoi?” You can hear the smile on his lips.

“The whole town is going to have us in a tree at this point.” You’re not really grumbling about it, but you can imagine it getting out of hand. “Makino knows the details of my extended stay.”

“Ah, the story I don’t even know yet.” He muses.

“I’d say I’m surprised Makino or Dadan hadn’t already told everyone, but they are a lot better at not gossiping than I give them credit for.” You admit. “Spare me though, let me have a couple sips of a good drink before I start such a frustrating tale.”

“Of course.” He assures you. “You don’t even have to talk about it tonight if you don’t want to. We can just talk about the glory days if you want.”

You smile. “Like pushing Thatch in the lake.” Marco laughs.

“He told me what he said to you before you did that. You know he didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know he didn’t once he came back out of the lake and explained himself.” You say, covering your face. “But come on, how else do you take ‘lemme tickle your tummy with my pompadour’?”

“Not his best moment.” Marco agrees. “What did he say when you threatened to cut it off?”

“Oh he was just being annoying. He’d had the damn thing for years by then, and I think I’d made some comment about him considering a new do.” There’s a sheepish look on your face. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way, but I think he might’ve been having a bad day. He just kept like, using it to get in my way. Blocking my view of the board, almost getting it in my lunch, the whole time going on about how useful it was.

“I didn’t realize I’d struck a nerve so I didn’t apologize.” You admit. “But looking back on it I bet it was the umpteenth time someone had said it to him and he just snapped.”

“Remember the snowball fight?”

“Gods, which one? Oh - oh you mean,” you laugh and Marco’s already nodding.

“You ducked that toss and it hit Izou right in the face.” He laughs. “He thought he was far enough away from the rest of us, but that line!”

You both make a motion across your faces. “The line of lipstick from the impact. Oh no I remember.”

Makino comes back up and gives the two of you your drinks. “The teasers will be another few minutes, but I’ll have ‘em brought up once they’re ready. I’ll be up later to check on you.” She gives you a wink and you stick your tongue out.

“How’s he holding up lately anyway?” You question and Marco quirks a brow. “Izou. He said during the feast that well, I don’t know the details, but screw that fiance, honestly.”

“Ah. Yeah. He’s doing alright. He was a mess for a couple weeks. Hell, most of us were, but him, Thatch and Squard slept in Pops’ room for a while. Julius, Brocca and Palms spend most of the time being therapists, given that they are, and I think it helped. Izou’s sorrow went to rage when Ain tried to walk back her decision.”

Marco pauses taking a drink as a server brings up your appetizers.

“It’s hard to say if it was because of the promotion, but the timing was just too perfect.” Marco explains, popping a deep fried pickle into his mouth as you grab a fritter. “I’m almost grateful to her for it, because he got so angry it pulled him out of his sorrow. Not the way I wanted to see it happen, but, even seeing it coming, it was a hard loss.”

“Yeah… and you?”

Marco pauses, and then gives you a soft smile. “I’d been bracing for dad’s death for three years by that point. It was hard, but I’m just glad I got to be there. I’d been doing so much traveling I kept expecting to get a phone call while I was halfway around the world.”

“I’m sorry it happened, but I’m glad you got to be there.” You say, and lift your drink. “To Pops.”

“To Pops.”

You clink the glasses carefully, and each take a sip, neither of you having drinks that should be finished in a gulp or two.

“As for me,” you say, grabbing one of his pickles. “I was engaged. Izou and I were sharing a drink in shared misery, I imagine.” You admit. “Since you know the Charlottes, you probably know Perospero.”

Marco’s eyes go wide as shock covers his face for a second. “Her firstborn, huh?”

“Yep.” You pop your lips at the end of the word. “At first I thought it just kind of happened, but looking back I’m sure Linlin had a hand in all of it. Especially since Pero was already in love with someone else.” You take another drink, think about what you’re thinking about and take another drink.

“I’m going to need to buy a new bed when I go back home.” You say, a look of disgust on your face.

Marco grimaces. “Sorry about that, little warrior.”

“Ah, it’s fine. It’s-.” You sigh. “It’s just, getting fired over it is really what gets me. And yeah, it’s not like fired fired, but being forced to accept a severance package, and made to submit your own resignation is, effectively, the same thing.”

“Is there another option?” He prompts and you shake your head.

“I mean, I could send the picture of him in my bed with two women to the papers,” you explain and Marco nearly chokes on his drink.

“You took a picture?” He coughs and you nod, pulling out your phone. “No, I don’t need to see Pero’s, well, anything.”

“Oh everyone’s covered.” You assure him, flipping through your pictures. “I’d honestly like to show it to someone else. Make sure I’m not losing my mind.”

You hold out the phone, face down, and give him a chance to say no, but your words were apparently enough. Marco takes the phone with an apprehensive look on his face before he tilts it up and looks. The look on his face is only there for a split second, but it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

You realize, you don’t think you’d ever seen Marco look angry before. Irritated, maybe, but never really truly mad. But that flash of rage across his face was a little terrifying.

Thatch might have inherited Pops’ booming voice, but Marco most certainly inherited his presence.

“Sorry.” He says, handing the phone back.

“Eh? For what?” You question taking it back.

“That you’re being punished when you didn’t do anything wrong, yoi.” He says, and you hum softly in response. “You really enjoyed your work, and I know Linlin’s not going to see the flaws in her kids, or how she runs her family, yoi.”

“Thanks. But, I mean, it’ll work out, I’m sure. Kata’s helping me track down a comparable line of work, and the money from the severance package is going to make things easier for me and mom an’ the boys. So, even if I want to, I can’t really complain.”

You grab a fritter, but Marco grabs your hand and eats it for himself. It’s a quick action, more childish than flirtatious, but the warmth of his hand on yours is apparently enough.

“Wha-What?” You stammer.

“You stole my pickle.” He says, covering his mouth while he eats his pilfered snack.

“From the thing, from the basket!” You assert, pointing at the little basket of pickles. “Not out of your hand!” Your whole face is flushed, you’re certain of it. You’re not even halfway through your drinks, so you can’t blame the alcohol.

Marco holds up a pickle for you, giving you the single most mischievous smirk you’ve ever seen on his fucking face.

Fine, two can play this game. You decide, mustering up every scrap of determination you had.

Grabbing his hand like he had yours you get the pickle, and the tip of his finger in your mouth. You lick the end of his finger before letting his hand go and leaning back into your seat, a smug look on your face as his cheeks dusted pink.

To his credit he kept his expression fairly neutral, so the blush was a big win.

“I suppose we’re even now.” You hum and Marco nearly laughs before leaning toward you.

“I suppose so.” Those three little words roll off his lips and draw a line down your spine and suddenly you feel like you’re in over your head. He takes a fritter from your basket, and you take a drink of your Old Fashioned.

“I-.”

“Let me take you on a proper date.” Marco says evenly.

“A… proper… Marco, I…” You pause for a moment and take another sip. “I’m not going to stay in this town.”

“I know that, yoi.” He answers.

“I don’t… if I’m just going to have a holiday fling, I don’t want it to be with someone so important to me.”

“I don’t want just a fling.” He looks you in the eyes and you feel pinned to the wall. “You never asked me if I’d go to the city with you, and I understand why. But I would.”

“You’ve got the store, I-.”

“My brothers can handle the store, yoi. They can take care of the business. I didn’t grow up with a dream of taking it over. After all the traveling I’ve done, settling down to a nice quiet life in the city sounds perfect.”

You snort. “A nice quiet life in the city.”

“I just know, we never really tried before.” Marco says looking down at his drink before looking back up at you. “I would like to take that chance.”

“If it doesn’t…work.” You press your lips together. You weren’t really afraid of that, honestly.

“We give each other space, move on, and continue being friends.” He pauses, reaching his hand across the table and you let him gently hold yours. “We can take it slow. I can come up there and stay for a couple weeks once the holidays are over. I…” His fingers flex against yours. “Would like to be happy with you, not just happy for you.”

You put your face in your free hand to shield yourself from this man as much as you can. Even if you are leaving your other hand in his.

It felt a little like falling into some kind of prophecy. The town had believed the two of you were dating every time you turned around. But you were friends. Maybe not just friends, but dating never seemed like the right word. You weren’t flustered around Marco. You didn’t have butterflies in your stomach, and you didn’t lay awake at night thinking about him.

But, he was always there, so there was nothing to fret. He was going to be your friend for your entire life. Him, Izou, Thatch, Haruta, and the long, long list of Edward children. Sure you’d all go do your own things when you grew up, but he would always be there.

He would. Wouldn’t he?

“A date.” You agree, looking at him from behind your fingers.

“Tomorrow night.” He prompts, giving you a sweet smile.

“I’m going to be here for weeks.” You remind him, lowering your hand and grinning.

“I’ve already left us both waiting far too long.” Marco insists and you find yourself looking away again.

“You’re killing me.” You say, running your hand down your face as you try desperately not to blush yourself into a stupor. He doesn’t say anything, just looks at you with that easy gaze, those hooded eyes. The soft shift of his fingers against yours. The clink of ice in his glass as he takes a small sip and gives you time to reply.

“…Tomorrow then.” You murmur the words softly enough you know he probably didn’t even hear them.

“Is dinner at 7 a good time?” He questions and you can’t help but laugh.

“Dinner at 7 is a good time.” You reply, squeezing his fingers and finally managing to look at him again. “Am I meeting you somewhere?”

“Ah, it’s a proper date, little warrior.” He grins. “Which means I get to pick you up at 6:40.”

You laugh. “I suppose that means I should get dolled up a little.”

“I would never demand such a thing,” he says with a wink, leaning back and slowly letting go of your fingers. “Wear whatever you’re comfortable with, pretty bird.”

An interruption from Makino, checking in on the both of you, breaks more of the tension. You order new drinks, switching who got what, and spent the rest of your time talking about your younger days. You talked about work a little, the good things you’d done, and the interesting things he’d seen on his travels.

He was so relaxed, as far as you could tell, but you bet he had been horribly nervous leading up to it. No matter how cool he’d managed to play it. No matter how well he hid the pink that crept across his cheeks. You knew.

Not that it was doing you much good right now. He might’ve been an uncoordinated and awkward boy at one point, but he certainly outgrew most of it.

A hug at the end of it, a kiss on your forehead. Marco told you to sleep well, and dream sweet.

He was already looking forward to seeing you again.

[cozage]

Five Stages of Grief

A/N: I'm so sorry.

CW: Major character death (you know the one. If you don’t, KEEP SCROLLING), spoilers for Marineford, depression, anger, just complete angst and sadness. 

Word count: 850

You didn’t think there was much to deny. You saw him die in front of you. It was a fact that the whole world knew. Portgas D. Ace was dead.

Denial came in the quiet moments. When you woke up in the middle of the night and reached for his warm body, only to find empty sheets. He must be in the bathroom, he’ll be back soon. 

It came at the dinner table, when you shot an irritated look at the man who sat down next to you. The guy didn’t even spare you a second glance, and you scoffed at his boldness. Everyone knows that Ace sits there. 

It came with orange hats and unexpected flames. A stranger in the crowd could turn into him at first glance just by a simple accessory. A building explosion down the street made your heart flutter.  He’s just around the corner. 

--

You weren’t an angry person. At least, not until after Ace died. Then the emotion came frequently and overwhelmed you. It was waiting for you at every corner, never letting you rest. Nobody was excluded from your wrath, either. 

Anger ripped into you the first time you laughed after his death. You turned to look for him, as you always did whenever someone on the crew made a fool of himself. You searched the room while you cackled with glee, not even realizing you were searching for him until you had done a complete circle. Laughter was instantly replaced with tears. You can’t laugh anymore, because he’s not here to share it with you. 

It ripped into you when you were sparring with a crew mate. You lost your footing, and he knocked you to the ground and disarmed you, forcing you to surrender. You screamed in rage, demanding a rematch. No wonder you lost him, you’re too weak to save anyone. 

It ripped into you when you heard another pirate crew make a jab at Pops in passing. Your blade is instantly against the leader's throat, telling him to repeat it to your face. They begged for mercy, and you granted it. They ran away, scared of the threat you posed. Why couldn’t he have run away, just once in his life?

--

You had started bargaining before you even went to rescue him. You begged and pleaded with every deity that you had ever heard of, and you abandoned them all for good when they failed you on that day. 

Bargaining began when you saw his wanted poster on an island after he was captured. You snatched it off the board, staring at his face. The face you were sure you’d never see again. The man who was supposed to be executed in five days. “Do you know him?” An elderly lady asked, a look of concern in her gaze. You ran out without answering, with the paper clutched against your chest. Please, don’t let this be the last time I see his face. 

It began when you saw the Strawhats all together again. You knew Kuma had sent them to different parts of the world with no way for them to return together before Ace’s death sentence. Everyone from the Whitebeard Pirates was at Marineford, a full crew united for one man. If Luffy's crew had been united too… If they had all been together, we might’ve been able to save him. 

It began when you awakened your devil fruit powers. Every single awakened devil fruit user was infinitely stronger than those who had not awakened theirs. If you had just awakened it earlier, you could’ve saved him.

--

You couldn’t hide your depression, and thankfully nobody asked you to. For a long time, you didn’t speak, didn’t acknowledge others, didn’t come out of your room. When you finally started to act somewhat like your old self, most people thought the worst was over. 

Depression found you when friends took you shopping. You passed a hat shop, and they led you in to try some on. “You always looked so cute with a cowboy hat! You should get another one that’s more your style!!” He had always let you wear it, and you didn’t want anything other than that one. Nothing fit right like the way his hat did. 

It found you when the sun set. The sky mocked you, reminding you every day of the colors you lost. The red, orange, and yellow that represented the flame of his life draining away every night. He should be sitting here, matching the colors of the sky with his flames.

It found you when they sold his Striker. It didn’t make sense to hold onto, since Ace was the only one who could operate it. And such a notorious boat would fetch a high price. You watched it float away with its new owner, a ghost of the vessel it used to be. That boat will never sail again, not in the way it was built to. 

--

Acceptance wasn’t here yet. And you weren’t sure you’d ever see its light. You would never recover from this, that was one thing you were sure of.

[theamazingmaddyas]

I've been thinking a lot about the Valdez family—and not just Sammy, Esperanza, and Leo—so I decided to make my own in depth Valdez family list with headcanons (obviously, since some we don't even know the name of)

Sammy Valdez was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the first in his family to be born in the United States, his parents having immigrated from Mexico right before he was born.

Sammy's wife (Leo's bisabuela), Otília Delgado-Fuentes, was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to Houston as a teenager with her parents. She met Sammy at his shop when her car broke down and the rest in history. She ended up working the business side of Sammy's shop, selling spare parts, as well as putting in transactions for what Sammy was doing.

In addition to Sammy Jr. (I'm just gonna be calling him Samuel for the sake of simplicity for now on), I think they had three editional kids: the others being Emilio, Aleyda, and Evangelina. Samuel was the eldest, followed by Aleyda, Emilio, and finally, Evangelina.

Samuel, as well as Evangelina, followed in their father's footsteps and became mechanics. Aleyda became a writer, and Emilio helped his mother run the business portion of the shop. Both Emilio and Aleyda decided to attend college, while Samuel and Evangelina did an informal trade school under their father's tutegale.

Aleyda moved away to New York and married a fellow latine writer named Salvador García, and barely keeps in touch with the family. They have no children.

Emilio married a woman named Martha Delacruz and had three children—Silvia, Estefania, and Enrique.

Evangelina never married, instead focusing on her career. She was Esperanza's favorite person when Esperanza was a girl, and her biggest inspiration, and also adored Leo. I haven't decided why or how, but unfortunetely, Evangelina died sometime before Esperanza, because I'm convinced she would have fought tooth and nail to get custody of Leo if she was there.

Samuel, of course, had two daughters, Rosa and Esperanza. Samuel married Margarita Rosa Iglesias-Perez, a Mexican immigrant who went to Houston to attend college.

Rosa, in addition to Raphael (who Leo mentions in Mark of Athena, I believe) has two more children, María Rosa and Carmen with her husband, Matías Cisneros-Cortez.

Esperanza, obviously, has just Leo, who is the eldest of Sammy's great-grandkids, as stated in Mark of Athena. Some childhood Leo Valdez headcanons of mine is that he attended a bilingual school up until third grade (we know why third grade) and that he had to be taken to another classroom during math because he would act out due to boredom. (He has ADHD and was at a college math level at 8, of course he'd be bored.)

These next three are future, or my headcanon for Leo's kids, so if you were just here for the possibly canon-compliant ones, that's over! I'm totally fine with people using the previous name headcanons in fics without giving me credit, as it is just names, but I'd appreciate it if people tell me about some Valdez family fics! I'm always looking for some, and have only read like one or two. However, for Leo's children, if you take more than just their names, I'd appreciate the tag. I've had them since like 2016, and am really attached, even though some details have changed a lot since then (example being, back then, I thought canon couples were infallible and I had to make them Leo and Calypso's kids, when now, they're just Leo's).

This part is detailed in my Solangelo future fic, Surprise? but my favorite hc of all time is aro/ace Leo who adopts demigods to give them the childhood he deserved. So all three are demigods (children of Hephaestus as well, because I think that's fitting) and Leo's a single father who gets help from everyone at Waystation.

The eldest is Madalena Esperanza, who has her own POV in Surprise? in Chapter 7: Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters. She was born in Portland, Oregan, and her mother died of childbirth. With no other living family members, Hephaestus took her to Waystation to see if Emmie and Jo could take her (as Leo was still in college, at 20), but Leo saw her and instantly realized that he wanted to adopt her because he saw bits of baby him in her, and had the funds to as he was working part time at a local mechanic shop on weekends that paid decent, and Emmie and Jo were able to help. Madalena was the name her mother had planned to give her, and Leo added Esperanza when he officially adopted her. Random fact about her is she grows up to be an Olympic level skateboarder, and Leo built her a few pipes to practice.

Next, also in Surprise? is Leo's middle, Aidan. His story is detailed almost completely in the fic—his bio mother didn't want a kid and was going to give him up for adoption so Hephaestus went to Leo to ask him if he wanted to adopt another kid. Leo said yes, and him and Lena went to Illinois to pick him up from the hospital. His bio mother also didn't want to name him, so Leo and Lena did.

Finally, not in Surprise? is Emilia. Leo's youngest, who's seven years younger than Aidan, and thirteen younger than Lena, so she's not present in the fic, but is special in my heart. Her bio parent, like Lena's, died in childbirth, and Hephaestus once again asked Leo if he had room for one more kid. She was born in Miami, Florida.

So, there's my Valdez family tree! Again, feel free to use everyone in your fic, but Lena, Aidan, and Emilia are my children so I'd like a tag for them.

[missameliep]

Title: In a Little Book Shop - Part 1

Book: Desire & Decorum AU

Pairing: Ernest Sinclaire x Hayley Parker (OC)

Rating: Teen

Word count: ~3k

Summary: Ernest Sinclaire inherited his father’s little bookshop at London and, for the last decade, is used to the uneventful routine of a shopkeeper until a mysterious woman walks in and changes everything.

A/N: English is not my native language; there's one swear word; the poetry in bold blue letters are from Pablo Neruda's Poema 14 from "Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada"; and Hayley Parker is @rosesnink's OC and I'm borrowing her.

Noe, I hope I did Hayley justice. This is just a silly little idea I had, and now I'm sharing it with you.

The Brahms’ piece playing in the back of the store swells in crescendo to a loud forte, almost muffling the sharp sound of the ancient brass bell at the door.  

Like every other Tuesday afternoon, at 3 o’clock sharp, the deliveryman walked in. Head bobbing to the music playing into that gigantic white headset he never takes off, today he was carrying only one brown box that almost matched the shade of the company’s uniform.  

The man nodded to Ernest Sinclaire, who had been sprucing up the counter for the past forty minutes, despite it already looking neat when he started or the fact that less and less customers have stopped by these past weeks. Not to mention most of the people who did cross the threshold were solely interested in the shop’s AC. With the heatwave, people certainly have fled London, he keeps telling himself.  

But he could be wrong.  

Printed books might have gone out of fashion this season like some insist. 

The situation has been so critical, he’s been considering his friend Bart’s suggestion of turning part of the antique bookshop into a cafeteria. 

‘A book ‘slash’ coffee shop. It’s trending', the man often says. However, Ernest is less than thrilled with the idea of fiddling with the antique shelves his father dedicated so many hours and love to restore years ago. Except for the improvement in the acclimatization and the profusion of autobiographies, the shop looks exactly like it did at its inauguration day in 1816. The framed lithographs in the entrance testify of the superb work.  

Almost bouncing, the deliveryman quickly crossed the distance between them, not sparing a second glance around, which Ernest always considers a shame. Does he even realize this bookshop has outlived 7 kings and 2 queens? 

Putting down a box with the handmade bookmarks commissioned to the talented artist Annabelle Parssons, Ernest signed the electronic receipt and took the brown box from the deliveryman’s hand. After the usual polite but wordless interaction, the man left. He was alone again when. The only sounds on the store from the first notes of one of Chopin’s nocturnals and the pens pushed aside to reach the pair of scissors in the top drawer.  

Like always, he unpacked and carefully inspected the content of the box. Taking one by one, he examines the book covers, searching for any sign of damage. This time the box is filled to the brim with several copies of two cookbooks that trend whenever another season of the Great British Bake Off starts.  

Cookbooks and travel guides are the best-selling items. Despite his personal opinions, he won’t complain if they keep the businesses going. Occasionally a customer after them might accept one or two of his recommendations or be drawn by the siren’s call of one of the poetry books or new authors he strategically places around the store.  

It happened to that young Spanish writer whose thrilling debut fantasy trilogy became the hit of the store last Christmas. He’s not ashamed to admit he had his friend Bart rambling about the story whenever a new customer arrived nor the way he made use of the beautiful art of the cover. Some of the customers were instantly drawn to the fiery red head in the cover – he cannot blame them though, since he was mesmerized by the heroine’s beauty himself – but most of them returned merely days later to buy the other books. Which reminds him to write a note to himself to place an order for more copies of the author’s new trilogy. 

A fit of laughter from a small child outside draws his attention from the paper and he smiles. His gaze follows the kid and the middle-aged woman holding their hand until they disappear after passing the large side window. The store’s location in the corner of two busy streets is privileged and is a perfect spot for people watching.  

Across the street, a pair of young women, who look too young to be drinking, linger by the pub’s door, and a group of teenagers walk past the door but don’t look twice at the windows. They are probably going to the ice-cream parlour two stores down.   

Keeping himself busy, he takes the recently arrived box. While moving some books aside to give space to the new ones without messing the systematic alphabetical and subject order, a copy of The Tucci Cookbook slips from his hand, hitting the ground with a dull thump. Kneeling to pick it up, a glimpse of someone outside catches his attention. An indistinct mass of blonde hair moves quickly, almost running. A second later, the bell rings sharply and hits the base producing a long higher pitched sound, like it does whenever someone opens the door with too much force. 

“For fuck’s sake!” The angry feminine voice startles him. There’s some mumbling while the door closes with a soft click.  

From where he is knelt, he only catches a glimpse of a pair of high heeled black leather boots, which is a rather unusual choice for a scorching day like this. The heels click sharply against the wooden tiles, while she moves around the store.  

“I’ll be with you in a moment,” he speaks to make his presence acknowledged, while pulling himself up and returning the book to the appropriate place.  

Moving around the box, he finally comes face to face with the woman, who had just removed an ash blonde wig from her head and was trying to shove it inside a small studded leather backpack. 

The woman’s hair is dark and glued to the head with a mix of sweat and some kind of greasy product, and her makeup is heavy, covering her face almost like a mask. The long and thick fake eyelashes look like spider legs and it’s hard to even distinguish the colour of her eyes. Not that he is trying to, of course. It was a polite gaze. Not even a gaze; barely a glimpse that allowed him to acknowledge the bright enticing eyes. 

Dressed all in black – black tank top, black sequin leggings, black heeled boots –, she looks like one of the artists that perform in The Club at Margaret Street. Even her lips are painted in a shade of ripe plum, almost black. If she’s one of the famous ones and is trending on Spotify or whatever is cool this week, he definitely cannot tell. Or maybe she’s just another TikToker committed to the art of making the most entertaining videos according to Bart, who often shoves the mobile into his nose to show the next Amy Winehouse, and wants to revel on the AC. As long as she doesn’t mess with the books and at least buy a bookmark, he’s fine with it. 

The woman zips up the bag and shoots him an inquisitive look. 

“Cat ate your tongue?” she asks and there’s a lilt of laughter in her tone. His gaze meets hers, and she looks pleased with his reaction and not offended, even though he’s been silent for impolitely long. 

His first guess might be right. She’s probably famous and he’s pulling a William Thacker again. And her eyes are brown in this light.  

He straightens himself and clears his throat.  

“Welcome to Ledford Park Bookshop. How can I help you, miss?”  

“I’m buying a gift.” 

“Anything in mind?” 

“A book.” 

Her wide teasing smile almost makes him smile, but he doesn’t. Instead, he keeps his usual bookseller unbothered expression that some might mistake by grumpiness, which is not. It’s professional and he’s learned from past mistakes: smiling freely encourages idle conversation. 

“I was thinking about poetry. Something sensual,” she speaks the last word with an accent. “Do you have anything?” 

“The Erotica section is in the back.” 

“Perfect!” she replies while looking over her shoulder at the window. There’s a hint of relief in her words and the sigh she let out, but perhaps he was mistaking it by the effects of the heat. 

Her heels click rhythmically following him to the back of the store, and he stops himself from glancing over his shoulders and let’s his mind picture the way her hips sashay instead. 

In a second, they’re surrounded by shelves dedicated to erotic poetry, art catalogues and a range of classic authors like Sappho and Ovid, to best-selling from the 20th century like Pablo Neruda.  

A smug grin pulls at the corner of his mouth as she looks around, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. This is the most frequent reaction to the extensive collection. Just one of the many treasures that pleases the regular customers, who keep coming back for more books, more enlightening conversations, more ideas for their own books.  

“Poetry is over there,” he points at the neatly arranged books on her right side.  

Looking over her shoulder, she asks, “Any Spanish authors?”  

Taking a deep breath to consider, his lungs are filled with her sexy and intoxicating perfume. It emanates from her body and hangs heavily in the air. His attention is caught by it like flies on spiderwebs. It takes all his willpower to remind himself of the question. To free himself from the web, he walks around her, trying to clear his mind, and his eyes settle on the section reserved to books written in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. 

“Are you familiar with Pablo Neruda?” 

“He’s Chilean,” she corrects him without missing a beat. 

“You are absolutely correct. Most people mean books written in Spanish, I simply assumed that’s what you meant... I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” she speaks bluntly, “I don’t walk around expecting recognition about my intellectual capacity or general culture. Especially not from men.” 

She slowly and deliberately walks in front of him, glancing over her shoulder. There’s a menacing but also hypnotizing glow to her eyes, almost catlike, what it’s probably enhanced by the eyeliner, but mostly because her eyes resemble those of big felines one would see in wildlife’s documentaries, it’s the same look when they are ready to jump an antelope. And her big defying eyes are definitely grey.  

With maybe hints of blue in this light.  

She turns around and deliberately sashays back to him. Smiling, she takes the book from his hand. Her mouth curls into a smile, wide and showing her a hint of her teeth, and it makes her look prettier. Pretty. She’s pretty. Not enough to tempt him, but pretty enough to have people composing sonnets about long legs and shapely lips. Not him. He’s not thinking at all about how desirable her lips look. 

Flipping through pages of the book, she starts reading one of the sonnets in perfect Spanish. But not any of them, she’s reading his favourite one.  

When she changes language, her voice is melodious in an unexpected way, it loses the edge, every word sounds like coated in honey.  

Entranced, Ernest cannot avert his gaze from her lips while she reads.

Mis palabras llovieron sobre ti acariciándote.  Amé desde hace tiempo tu cuerpo de nácar soleado. Hasta te creo dueña del universo.  Te traeré de las montañas flores alegres, copihues,  Avellanas oscuras, y cestas silvestres de besos. 

Before he realises, he’s reciting the verses with her, enunciating every word as clearly as he could.

Tilting her face up, her eyes flick from the page to his face. Her gaze burns his skin. She looks straight at him. Perhaps she’s looking straight to something hidden inside his eyes.  

Her voice fades and he recites alone the last two verses. 

Quiero hacer contigo  Lo que la primavera hace com los cerezos. 

Her expression changes, lighting up almost as if a treasure had been unearthed in front of her eyes. 

“¡Guay! ¡Hablas Español!” she cries, and the next words flow quickly and excitedly from her lips, and he cannot follow them at all, except for a few of the nouns and pronouns. His knowledge of the language is practically non-existent: he poorly reads and can only speak a few sentences to save his life in case of a catastrophe. 

“Sorry, I don’t. I only know some of Neruda’s poems by heart, and that’s one of them.” 

He lowers his gaze, shame burning his cheeks and warming him more than the heatwave had done so far. His fingers go to the collar of his white shirt, and pull at it, loosening it slightly. 

“For a moment, you could have fooled me.” Her words sound too flirty, almost daring.  

Is it a dare? Would she want me to pretend? 

Her lips twitch, pulling at the corners when she laughs. It’s impossible to look direct at her eyes, like one cannot look at an eclipse, risking burn their retinas. The intensity of her gaze probably does the same. His gaze wanders, then focus on the shelves, from one book spine to the next.   

“Why learning the poems if you don’t speak the language?” Her long fingers run through the spines of books, stopping his contemplation. “Trying to impress the ladies?” 

The silence stretches for a bit, giving him time to think; he stares at her, considering if she’d be truly interested in the truth. 

“My father worked with publishing,” he started, and his voice did not falter or waver as it would years ago; it’s easier to speak about him, almost comforting as if planting these memories like seeds, they’d bloom... “Every summer I’d work a few days a week at the office... When I was fourteen, he was working on a collection of Neruda’s poems and... well, that’s it.” 

“That's it? That's barely a story,” she laughed. “So, what happened? You memorised the poems to impress your father or something...?” 

He shook his head and delved into the memories of the suffocating summer surrounded by manuscripts and heated arguments about the imagery invoked by the cherry trees. “Father was a man easy to please. I never felt the urge to impress him. It always seemed that being myself was enough...” 

“Lucky you.” The hollow laugh that left her mouth startled him, but she recomposed herself. When she spoke again it wasn’t a question, but a statement, “Your father taught you about poetry.” 

“He taught me most things, including the tragedy of translators ignoring the profound differences between cultures and the meaning lost in translation when the works is rushed, and one chooses literality over intent... I was probably too young at the time to truly understand all he was trying to say... But I noticed in Spanish the poems sounded...” he paused, searching for a word. “More poetic somehow... Melodic in a different way... And then I memorised this one. And plenty of others –” 

“Which ones?” she cuts him off, and he’s about to answer – and Ernest suspects her feline eyes would compel him to answer questions until his throat was sore and his mind emptied of words – but the phone rang.  

With a sigh, he excuses himself. “If you need any help, don’t hesitate in calling me.” 

“I won’t.” The same expression from before returns, and so is the sharpness behind the words. 

He walks behind the counter to take the call, and he can no longer see the woman; for once, he’s not worried about shoplifting.  

The call takes longer than he wishes, and his patience almost runs out when the caller keeps inquiring about books’ covers that would match a specific shade of purple. The person doesn’t know the name of the author or genre, just that it's trending online.

He lets out a long exhale through his nose.

Any other day, this wouldn’t bother him, and he’d welcome the challenge, putting the phone down, he’d look around, like an archaeologist digging a site. But now he must go back to this one customer, because he needs to serve well. Nothing else. 

“Maybe you should stop by. We’re open until 20:00.” 

The person reluctantly thanks him and hangs up. 

Ernest’s eyes search the monitor underneath the counter. She’s moved to the shelves on the side of the store, next to the psychology section, closer to Jung. 

There’s a book close to her face, but her gaze is not on the pages. 

“Have you changed your mind about the gift?” he asks softly trying not to startle her or sound pretentious but fails.

Her shoulders tense and heave with an intake of breath, before she turns around to look at him with an unreadable expression. 

“Should I take the Neruda, or should I browse some more?” she asks breezily, one side of her mouth curled with a smirk, “I wonder if there’s something else more... suitable for my taste...” 

“By all means,” he replies politely, “Feel free to look and see if there’s anything else, you’d prefer.” 

“I definitely will.” She glides amongst the tall shelves closer to the window, then halts and looks at him over her shoulder. He was observing her, and his cheeks warm at being noticed.  

“Our bestselling books are over that table,” he says and returns to the task of organizing cook books but still observes her.   

Finally, her heels click as she comes to him.  

“I know what I want,” she says casually, and the book in her hand passes to his hand.  

Neruda.  

Her fingers graze his, and his breath catches in his throat. He swallows hard the surprise. That’s the most human contact he’s had in several weeks, and it’s surprisingly pleasant. Not anything else. His heart is racing because he’s shocked. This entire interaction has been incredibly odd. 

From the backpack, she takes a few notes to pay for the book. The money is placed in the counter, and so is the change. His attention is entirely focused on gift-wrapping the book, and not once he looks at her while doing it.  

When the package is passed to her hand, she thanks him, says goodbye and leaves.  

He never gets a name; but she lingers by the door and smiles pointedly at him before closing it. Surrounded by a cloud of her perfume, he wonders if it’s the last he’ll see of her. 

Thanks for reading!

[holymolyineedtherapy]

Modern!One Piece

(I'm sorry I'm not an artist so no drawings)

Luffy: Lives with his foster mom, Dandan, and his brothers Ace and Sabo. He was put into foster care by Garp when he got a promotion to Police Captain and was unable to be home enough to take care of Luffy. Ace and Sabo are currently in college at Grand Line University (GLU) while Luffy is currently a third year at East Blue High School. Luffy doesn't really have a goal for his future aside from just not following in Garp's foot steps.

Zoro: Lives with his adoptive dad, Mihawk, and adoptive younger sister, Perona. He used to live at a dojo with his best friend, Kuina, but they moved back to Japan to continue her training. He is currently a third year at East Blue High School and is a part of the Kendo club. He met Luffy back in their first year and quickly became best friends. They tend to get into a lot of fights at school. His goal is the same, to become the world's greatest swordsman.

Nami: She lives with her mom, Bellemere and her sister Nojiko. Bellemere is an ex marine and currently works as a farmer for their family orchard. Nojiko goes to GLU while Nami is a third year at EBHS. She works part time after school to help their family with money and help her pay for her own college even though her boss, Arlong, is a total ass and their business deals with momey laundering. She met Zoro and Luffy her first year and got dragged into their group fairly early on. They helped her get out of working with Arlong and got him arrested even though some of his gang got away. Her goal is to become a meteorologist and cartologist.

Usopp: He currently lives in his van, Merry, that was gifted to him.by his best friend Kaya, whose family owns a majority of the car lots on their side of the city. He is a third year at EBHS and met the crew in his second year. He didn't go to school much in his first year so that's why they didn't see him often. Usopp works at one of Kaya's shops after school, detailing cars. He doesn't really have a goal for the future, but he does want to learn more about mechanics.

Sanji: Currently living with his dad, Zeff, and works at the Baratie when not at school. He met the crew in their second year since he was in a different class than them in their first year. He moved in with Zeff, who was a private chef for the Vinsmokes, as a kid. There's a custody battle going on with them and while the courts favor Zeff, the Vinsmokes have the money and connections as they live on the North side of the city. His goal is to open up his own restaurant or take over the Baratie so Zeff can retire.

Chopper: IS STILL A REINDEER, I will not apologize, it's one piece there doesn't need to be an explanation for how a reindeer is like a human. He doesn't meet the crew until they all enter GLU. He graduated high school early due to being super smart and is on track to be a medical student and become a family doctor. He is the youngest in the crew but they all treat him kindly and he becomes the little brother.

Robin: She works as a professor at GLU in the archeology department. She worked in the Alabasat Desert for a while before returning her findings and deciding to become a teacher. She meets the crew at a local pub where she becomes the sort of mom of the group. Her goal is to uncover the mysteries of the world and discover new things still.

Franky: He owns his own mechanic shop but teaches at GLU in his spare time when his brother, Iceburg, is unable to teach his class. He took over the shop from his dad, Tom, and helps mentor Usopp on the weekends. He even gets Usopp a part time job there as a car detailer and gets connected with Kaya to help expand both their businesses. He meets the crew at the pub as well as him and Robin already knew each other. His goal is to expand his company and hopefully fulfill Tom's dream of being a grade A mechanic.

Brook: Owner of said pub!! He started it with his buddy, Calico, and their band often performed there before he went solo and big time. After Calico passed, Brook settled down and took over the pub where he still performs live. The crew made it their new hang out spot and often get Brook to give them free things. He wishes to perform live for the rest of his life and continue to create music.

Jinbe: STILL A FISHMAN FIGHT ME ABOUT IT I LOVE HIM. He is also a marine biologist that has previously worked with Robin. He traveled back to town where he met the crew while they were in high school but had to leave due to work. He returned about two years later and got a job at the aquarium where he let's the crew in for free most times so they can have fun. His goal is to help people understand more about the sea and combine their worlds.

Vivi: A foreign exchange student from Alabasta that the crew met back in high school. She went to school with them for their third year and met Chopper briefly before she had to return home. She is the daughter of the current King of Alabasta though its more of an honorary position. Her goal is to become a true politician and make her country prosper. She still keeps in touch with the crew and they all have matching tattoos from a drunken night out on the town.

This is all really just headcanons and stuff that I like. I thought about making gangs a huge thing in this au like pirates but idk I like the idea of them just being silly and living life like normal people. I have a lot more ideas so if yall wanna hear them I may do another post in the future.

[liamthemailman]

♠️♥️House of Cards♣️♦️

Act Two Part Two - Deal

CW: None

The way to King’s office was a distance away from the medical bay, unfortunately. It only meant more bright lights and noise from passing foot traffic that Ace had to power through. It was good enough that he was stable on his feet as he tried to ignore the thrumming pain in his head, and the curious looks directed to his neck.

His mind strayed as he walked, wondering why King had called him into his office. In addition to that, Ace couldn’t make sense of King’s summary of the incident. It was vague and left more questions than answered, and Ace dreaded whatever conversation that was awaiting him. 

Ace would like to think that King had decided to go easy on him, perhaps already over the fact that he had attacked his wife, figuring Queen would have already told him by now. Though how much truth was in Queen’s reports was up for debate.

Ace nears a corner leading to King’s office, feet brisk and light. Just as he turns around the corner, he sees a captain exit King’s office. He watches as the man closes the door behind him, readjusting the boonie hat that sits on his head.

They pass each other in the hallway. Ace bowed his head a little as he caught the eye of the superior officer. The captain nods back, his mutton shops stretching into a polite smile, and they part ways walking in opposite directions. Ace looks over his shoulder as the higher-ranking soldier disappears around the corner.

Ace brushes the short lived interaction away and knocks at King’s door. 

“Major Hansley, it’s Lieutenant Doe. May I enter?” Ace waits for a response as he listens to muffled paper shuffling on the other side before hearing King telling him to come in.

The office lights were a little dimmer than the overhead fluorescent lights, Ace’s headache already reducing as his eyes adjusted to the change in light. He steps closer to King’s desk, straightening up, his hands locked behind his back.

“At ease, Doe, you act like you’re in trouble.” King chuckles as they lock eyes again, eyebrows raising as he takes in Ace’s rigid posture. “Have a seat.”

The chair drags a little as Ace seats himself on the wobbly chair, pulling himself closer to the desk. King gives another short laugh as he notices the puzzled look on Ace’s face.

“Am I not, sir? I figured Captain Tudor would have reported what happened in the safehouse.”

“Trust me, Lieutenant, Elize did not spare me the details,” King sighs. He picks up a folder and puts his reading glasses on. “From what I’ve heard, you’ve caused a bit of trouble.. But before we start..”

Ace watches as King slides a form towards him. Ace furrows his eyes at the paper, leaning closer to read the text.

“Transfer forms,” King says, leaning forward in his office chair. “Another captain has requested your transfer, if you’re up for it, of course.”

Ace picks up the papers, swiftly skimming over the details of it before placing them back down on the desk. His eyes meet King’s again as the other man awaits his answer. A pause stretched between them as Ace debated his choices. Given, he had his issues with the team, but Ace found that they didn’t necessarily call for a transfer. 

“...No thank you, sir, I’ll stay where I am.”

“Very well,” King hums, taking back the forms and setting it aside. “So, regarding your.. Slip up during your last mission.”

Ace tenses as he waits to be chewed out. It was only natural, seeing that he admittedly did strike Queen first. He had no excuse for his actions and Ace doubts he could even reason with King about it anyway.

“Queen has suggested a.. Uh, immediate dishonourable discharge for you, seeing that your records aren’t exactly clean either,” King states, opening the folder and flipping through the pages, his glasses sitting on the edge of his nose. Ace subconsciously holds his breath as King skims through the papers, unnerved by how nonchalant he seemed even as he referenced Ace’s time as Mad Dog.

“However, your skills are too valuable to let go-” King continues, causing Ace’s shoulders to relax a little. “-and given your last count of insubordination was well over five years ago, with your previous team no less, I’ve decided not to process her complaints.”

Ace let out a soft huff of relief, shifting in his seat as King continued to flip through the pages. He released his fists, seemingly having clenched them unknowingly. 

“Thank you, Major, but-”

“Please, Doe, it’s just us. No need to act like there’s a stick up your arse.” King hums, earning a sigh of frustration from Ace. He shuts the file sharply. He places the file back down on his desk.

“Okay.. Again, thank you, Hansley..” Ace says, forcing the words out of his mouth. “Though I must ask, what’s the catch?”

His words cause King to bark a laugh, finally making him look back at Ace. Ace tensed as he caught the slight gleam in King’s eyes, only confusing him further.

“Sharp as ever, eh, mate? You’re not really off the hook since I can’t let you walk away scot free, you understand.” King says, sliding the folder towards Ace, silently cueing him to pick it up. Ace flips through the pages. “So here’s the deal. Just take care of this thorn in my side for me, and we forget it ever happened. Deal?”

Ace’s eyes flit over to the objectives. It seemed simple enough. A solo mission. Doing some reconnaissance for upcoming mission operations and simple maintenance on a satellite ground receiver. Everything was right up Ace’s alley, which was perfect since it made his life easier.

“Deal.”

“Good man, Ace,” King says, leaning back, his chair squeaking under his massive weight. “Wheels up at 0500 hours.”

With that, Ace was dismissed.

Quicksaving...

[sabo-has-my-heart]

Loving Blaze

The first of 2 part anon's next set of requests:

"1. Ace x fem!reader or gn!reader where Ace is a firefighter and reader is an architecture student whose apartment just burnt down. Ace was one of the firefighter that went to put down the fire and help reader finding a new place to live by suggesting reader to live in the apartment next to his (and also joking about how reader doesn't need to fear about the apartment building burning down). Reader repays him by making him meals for his job, and also finds out he lives with his brothers a highscholer Luffy and a politic major uni student Sabo. They bond overtime as neighbor but one time, reader misheard Luffy about Ace's work incident and thought he died in a fire, so reader came to the fire and cried, saying how he left without knowing reader's feeling and Ace was actually behind her, with a quite big injury but heard all of her confession."

Also, sorry for taking so long with fics lately. Been busy with various things.

Warnings: injuries, fires

Word Count: 1670

     Watching the flames eat away at your home, you couldn’t help the despair that washed over you. Your entire life had been in there. Books, pictures, gifts from family and friends. Old keepsakes, your computer, everything had gone up in the fire. All you could do was watch as the firefighters put the flames out. You weren’t sure how much time passed before a hand rested on your shoulder, drawing you out of your thoughts. You vaguely knew the black haired boy in front of you. His name was Ace, you’d gone to highschool together.

     “Hey, it’s okay. You’re alive, that’s what matters.” he said softly, giving you a soft, sweet smile, “Why don’t I help you find a new place? There’s an empty place next to mine.” he offered. Despite your shock, you nodded, you would need a place to stay. 

     It didn’t take long for you to get the apartment, the manager feeling rather sympathetic and Ace offering to pay the fees and first month’s rent for you. It wasn’t that you couldn’t afford it and with the money you would get from your stuff burning, you didn’t want him spending his money, but he just smiled and said it was fine. Replacing furniture and other household items would be much harder, however. You’d have to wait until you got the insurance money for most of what you’d need, in the meantime, you could only hope you could afford the necessities. Ace had just smiled mischievously as he helped you go mattress shopping. The first thing you’d need was somewhere to sleep, the rest could come in time… right?

     Apparently you had put too much trust in the boy, walking into your new apartment to find two boys holding a couch in your living room. One was a tall blond, about Ace’s height wearing rather nice clothes, and the other was a shorter boy with black hair and a straw hat.

     “Oh… you’re back already. I must not have gotten Ace’s text.” the blond said awkwardly as the four of you stood there. You turned to Ace, looking for an explanation as to why these two boys were holding a couch in your new living room, watching as he smiled nervously.

     “It’s uh, some old furniture from some friends. Thought it might help until you could afford something newer.” Ace said sheepishly.

     “Sanji also said she could have his pots and pans! He’s been wanting a new set for a while, oh and Nami had a spare dresser!” the young boy said excitedly, making Ace facepalm. 

     “It was supposed to be a secret, gifts from a ‘friend’.” Ace explained, making you smile.

     “Thank you, Ace. I owe you more than I can say.” you said softly, wiping away the tears that had started to gather at the corners of your eyes. It was sweet of him to go to such lengths for you. 

     “I uh, any time. Seriously, I’m just right next door if you need me.” he said with a charming smile. You nodded, you and Ace helping the other two boys set up. They were Sabo and Luffy, Ace’s brothers who lived with him. Apparently after telling them he was going to take you mattress shopping, they’d offered to help, knowing people who could help you. 

     Thankfully, it was easy to settle in, Ace offering to help you whenever you needed it and the money from the fire coming in rather quickly. You’d surprised the boy when you’d brought him lunch at his work upon finding out that he’d left it at home that day, too busy hurrying out the door to grab it. His heart had skipped a beat when you’d given it to him and another when he saw what you’d brought him. While helping you move in and adjust, he’d told you how much he and his brothers ate, meaning that you didn’t bring him a simple, small lunch, you’d brought him something that actually suited his appetite. 

     Sitting next to him, you played with your hands. You’d already finished your food and were now just sitting with him. The boy looked up from his food turning towards you.

     “Thanks. You know, for helping me out so much. I really, really won’t ever be able to pay you back for everything you’ve done for me.” you said softly, giving him a sweet smile. Ace swallowed the food in his mouth, staring at you for a moment.

     “It’s uh, it’s no problem, really. I was happy to help and besides, it’s better that you become my neighbor than some other weirdo, right?” he said nervously, hoping you didn’t notice how anxious he felt. You shook your head, still smiling at him.

     “It might not be a big deal to you, but it means so, so much to me. So thank you.” you said again, making him smile and nod. 

     A few weeks had passed since you’d moved in, growing closer and closer to the brothers, Ace in particular. The two of you regularly spent time together, whether just sitting together when you brought him lunch or laughing on your couch when he came over to see you and talk. While you couldn’t bring yourself to tell him, you had more than a bit of a crush on him as he made your heart pound. The pounding of shoes outside your apartment made you smile. Luffy was home. It was clear that he was talking on the phone, but rather than the usual loud, nearly shouts of excitement, he was quieter this time.

     “.... said it was pretty bad… no, Ace is…. Just not…. Alive… all that… he might not… come home… yeah… We’ll visit.” His words were too faint to catch more, but it didn’t matter. Ace was… no, it couldn’t be! You rushed out of your apartment, yanking your car door open before speeding down the streets. No, no it couldn’t be! He had to be alright! It didn’t take long to find where he’d been. While plenty of fires happened, few happened at the same time, making it fairly easy to find where he’d been. You once more stood in front of a burning building, tears running down your cheeks. The others struggled against its blaze and more of the geared up men rushed out of the flames, unable to withstand their fury any longer. Even without knowing much about fires, you could tell that this one was particularly bad… if Ace had been caught in that. Your vision blurred as you fell to your knees.

     “Ace… Ace no… please… it can’t be true.” you sobbed into your hand, “I, please, please let it all be a nightmare. I can’t… I don’t know what to do without you. You’ve become my world. Without giving me time to tell you how much I care about you? Ace… I’ve wanted to, I wanted to ask you out or you ask me out, or something, anything, since… the moment you helped me. I fell for you from that very moment. You… you fucking idiot. Why are you in such a stupid, dangerous profession where I could lose you at any moment?” 

     The black haired firefighter carefully worked his way from the gurney, despite the protests of the paramedics. Setting aside the oxygen mask, he made his way over to you, putting a hand on your shoulder.

     “Don’t worry, it’s a bad… okay, a couple of bad burns, but I’m still here.” his voice croaked, hoarse from the smoke. You spun around in shock, staring at the boy. He had bandages covering his lower stomach and right shoulder and more wrapped around his leg, but he was smiling at you.

     “Ace!” you cried, throwing your arms around him, forcing a grunt of pain from his lips. Almost immediately, you pulled away, looking at him in worry as the paramedics finally pulled him back towards the truck, damn near forcing the oxygen mask back on him.

     “He’s fine, well, mostly. Some serious burns to the back of his shoulder and abdomen, his leg was hit by a falling beam, but he’ll be okay. I trust you’ll be able to help him stay in the hospital and get better?” the paramedic asked with a small laugh.

     “I’m not gonna need that much time, Marco! I’m fine!” Ace shouted, before the blond turned and glared.

     “Mask back on!” Marco ordered, glaring until Ace put the mask back over his mouth, “As I said, he’ll be fine. He’s too stubborn to die that easily. I’m sure you can convince him to stay in bed if you play nurse.” Marco said with a chuckle, making you blush.

     “I’ll take care of him. Don’t worry about that. I can’t guarantee you’ll get him back though.” you said with a small laugh. Marco chuckled but nodded in understanding. You were worried about him. The blond man walked away to tend to others, leaving you and Ace.

     “I’m glad you’re alright.” you said softly, wiping some soot from his forehead before kissing it.

     “Can’t die, not until I’ve taken you on a date.” he said, putting the mask back on when you flicked him for taking it off. In truth, he wasn’t entirely sure he still needed it, but Marco had insisted, so he wouldn’t argue. 

     “I uh… we can worry about a date after you get better. Though perhaps something a little less… flammable, we’ve had far too much happen together with fires for my liking.” you said with a smile.

     “Only if I’m allowed to propose in front of another blaze.” he joked, making you blush and laugh. 

     “One thing at a time. Starting with a ride to the hospital.” you scolded, making him sigh and nod in agreement. 

     “Stay with me the whole time?” he asked, taking your hand, his thumb rubbing the back of it.

     “Gladly.” you agreed, getting into the ambulance with him, the both of you heading to the hospital to get him patched up. 

[primequality]

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[dessertgeek]

The Mari Lwyd Twitter saga (2021)

This is part of my efforts to transcribe @seananmcguire's annual holiday Mari Lwyd Twitter threads/poetry battles. The hashtag for now is #Mari Lwyd Project, the first post is here, this thread's source is here.

This round is Seanan + @tkingfisher back for another round of cheese and rhymes! And 2021's is the one that inspired me to work on this, as the non-Twitter versions I could find, though there be plenty, were all screenshots.

As always, credit to the authors/poets/cheese protectors. CWs for food and caps. Settle in for a read. (And if there are more 2021 poetry battles can someone please link me or transcribe and send me a link? I'm not finding more yet.)

Seanan: HELLO MY SWEET, IT'S BEEN A YEAR. I KNOW YOU MISSED ME: NOW I'M HERE. YOU HEARD MY BELLS UPON THE BREEZE. I HOPE YOU'RE WELL PREPARED WITH CHEESE.

Ursula: I’ve blockaded the pantry, I’ve bolted the door I’ve piled up the padlocks ‘til they’ll padlock no more, It may be quite churlish, but this cheese I’ll defend From equine depredations ‘til the cold bitter end.

Seanan: THE WIND THROUGH MY BONES HAS BEEN FREEZING AND CRUEL, IT BLOWS DOWN THE CANDLES AND KINDNESS OF YULE, AND I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D BE QUITE THIS UNKIND. YOU'LL SPARE NOT A CRUMB, NOR A SLIVER OF RIND?

Ursula: If you asked me for money, I’d write you a check, And the clothes off my back, I’d pile on your neck. But my cheese—! I’m sorry, but that is the bar, I’m all for charity, but you’re going too far!

Seanan: IF YOU HAVE MONEY, CHEESE IS SIMPLE: IN YOUR ACCOUNT IT LEAVES NO DIMPLE. IT'S HARD TO SHOP WHEN YOU'RE JUST BONES, YOU'RE MET WITH LOATHING, STICKS AND STONES.

Ursula: In that case, my friend, I will now blow your mind For cheese can be had, from the curd to the rind. With the power of the internet, your torment will end, If you’re a skeleton, online shopping’s your friend!

Seanan: AND YET I FIND THAT SHOPPING'S HARD WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE A CREDIT CARD FOR "WINTER SPIRIT'S" MY PROFESSION, BUT PUTS NO CASH IN MY POSSESSION.

Ursula: That seems like a problem, I freely admit, The solution, I fear, not within my remit. But if your profession’s not a matter of choice, Have you tried sending Winter some kind of invoice?

Seanan: THE SOLUTION FOR NOW IS RIGHT THERE IN YOUR HAND: OFFER ME CHEESE, DOESN'T MATTER WHAT BRAND, AND I'LL SPEAK TO THE SPIRITS OF COLD AND OF FROST AND ASK THEY SPARE ROOTS, LEST YOUR GARDEN BE LOST.

Ursula: So we’re moving to threats now, is that what I hear? Menacing my garden which you know I hold dear? It’s on now, bone horse, forget the Brie— You mess with my plants and you’re messing with ME.

Seanan: I OFFER NO THREATS, BUT THE BLESSINGS OF SPRING: FOR FROST COMES WITHOUT ME, IT'S THAW THAT I BRING. I ASK FOR A TOKEN, ONE YOU CAN REPLACE, AND MOVE WITH THE WINTER TO SOME OTHER PLACE.

Ursula: This type of wording is really quite damnable Like a Mafia Don saying “This places looks...flammable.” Leaving my garden so the frost won’t attack it? Cold bone horse, you’re running a protection racket!

Seanan: YOUR POINT IS VALID, THAT SEEMS PLAIN, AND YET IT SEEMS I MUST REMAIN. I'LL SIT HERE IN MY CHEESELESS CORNER, AND SO THE YEAR WILL GROW NO WARMER.

Ursula: It’s true I long for Spring’s return Yet Necessity must sometimes burn Seems to me this vein’s untapped… What happens if I keep Winter trapped?

Seanan: YOUR PATHS STAY SLICK, YOUR WINDOWS FREEZE, AND ALL BECAUSE YOU WON'T SHARE CHEESE. YOUR FIELDS ARE FALLOW, GRASS UNSPROUTED WHEN YOU WON'T LET ME BE RE-ROUTED.

Ursula: Ah, but think of Winter in Summer’s home— The savings on AC alone! A captive winter’s a useful tool, Just much climate could you cool?

Seanan: NOT QUITE AS MUCH AS YOU'RE NOW THINKING, AND I'D FAR RATHER JUST BE DRINKING, IT'S EASY TO BE FREE OF ME. JUST GIVE A SINGLE BITE OF BRIE.

Ursula: I don’t fear winter’s icy blast When it’s 72 and overcast But consider this with empty eyes How about a compromise?

Seanan: ...WHAT COMPROMISE ARE YOU PROPOSING? IT'S NOT LIKE I'LL BE DECOMPOSING. BUT AS THE SNOWFLAKES GLEAM AND GLISTEN, THIS I SAY TO YOU: I'LL LISTEN.

Ursula: I’ll write the word “cheese” on the back of a napkin And slide the note under this door you’re attackin’. And don’t argue with me that the cheese is synthetic— The best magic always has been sympathetic.

Seanan: WHILE IT STILL SEEMS A TAD BIT MEAN, IT SUITS ENOUGH TO MATCH THE SCENE. THE THING THAT'S WRIT THE THING IN FACT, AND SO I'LL GO...BUT I'LL BE BACK.

Ursula: Goodbye, bone horse, the season moves Its icy wheel beneath your hooves. And as I devour this cheese with chives I feel I should apologize. ‘Twas wrong to plot to see you imprisoned— But there’s no ethical consumption in capitalism.

[undercover-stories]

Sasunaru bodyguard au PART 1/?

To say that life had been hectic for the past few weeks would've been an understatement. Something that tends to happen when you find yourself a witness to a murder and are told that your testimony has the potential to convict and put away one of the most dangerous criminals in Konoha. An effort made difficult by the fact that any witnesses they had before were either found dead or were too scared to testify and understandably so. But this time they had one ace up their sleeve.

The culprit knew there was a witness but they didn't know who.

It wasn't much but the prosecuting team would take what they could get but still, the DA and his associates weren't taking any chances. So when Naruto had been told about how they were going to proceed it hadn't been a surprise.

This is how he finds himself at an unfamiliar old-fashioned soba shop sitting cross-legged in front of one of the DA's associates. Their noodles and order of tempura arrive just as another man joins them.

A very, very familiar man.

Sasuke Uchiha barely spares him a glance. Instead, he busied himself with pulling out a thin folder from his backpack.

The associate slides his untouched bowl of noodles to the newcomer before standing up and giving Naruto a warm smile.

"You have my card Uzumaki-san. You can call me anytime you'd like. I'll leave you both to be acquainted "

He puts on his hat and makes his way to the entrance to the shop. Leaving Naruto wide-eyed and alone with his estranged best friend who he hasn't seen in almost a decade.

"Uzumaki-San-"

Uzumaki-San?????

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke, I'm a licensed PI from Taka-investigations - "

" I know", Naruto interrupted, brows creased but the other man didn't seem to notice.

"- I'm also registered as a personal protection specialist- "

"Yeah, I know. Itachi told me", Naruto added hotly. But the Uchina didn't even look up from the folder he'd brought. Lying open on the table and is currently being skimmed through by its owner.

"- I've collected some info on the current situation and on your daily activities that will hopefully aid me in protecting you as best as I can - "

"You know Sakura is going to kill you when she finds out you're back right?"

"- Are there any questions you might have?"

"Yeah, where the hell have you been?"

Finally the 'professional ' facade breaks.

"I'm surprised Itachi didn't tell you. He seems to have told you everything else"

"You asked him not to. You're still his little brother. He wouldn't break a promise to you for anyone. You know that"

Sasuke's typical unimpressed demeanor is broken, instead looks properly chastised. But as fast as the reaction comes it is smoothed over and his professional mask comes back. He busies himself with slipping the folder back into his bag and asks the lone waiter to package the noodles that had been ordered for him.

Naruto wishes he had something else to say about the matter. After all, a gap of 8 years allows a lot of time for conflicting emotions to accumulate. Naruto has even voiced some of these emotions to Itachi during one of his weekly visits to the older Uchina's home. But instead, he just feels...hollow. It's not like he is a stranger to Sasuke's callousness. They've known each other since kindergarten. But to be faced with it again after 8 years, it felt as if a hand had thrust itself into his chest and torn out his heart. He wonders if this is what it feels like to be rejected by someone you lov- cared deeply about. It sort of is, isn't it? It hadn't hurt as badly all those years ago when Sasuke had left. But in comparison that pain had been a growing burn. This was acute and brutal.

He can't stay here.

As the waiter places his tray on their table to collect Sasuke's dish, Naruto asks him to pack his own that were also untouched as well as the plate of tempura. Telling him to place them all in one bag.

"What are you- ", Sasuke starts but it's Naruto's turn to interrupt him

" You don't like Sunaba Soba", Naruto said, referring to the dish that the associate had ordered for him.

" I'm fine with it"

Naruto only shook his head, “You always said it was too sweet. Just give it to Itachi. I know he likes it. I ordered Mori Soba but I'm not hungry so you can have it"

And without another word, Naruto left.

[sockeye-run]

tired tired tired tired tired

Requested an extra day off this week because my husband's best friend and his family are visiting from San Antonio. Usually we go see them, since they have more room to spare, but they decided to come out to the country and look at cows and trains I guess lol. It's an important visit though because it's likely the last time we will see them in person for many years; his friend moved up a rank and is being promoted but also moved because of it. This is my husband's ONLY friend, and he's terribly depressed about it. San Antonio was already pretty far for a visit, but he could end up virtually anywhere now. Anyway, Idk how we're going to host them all, we can barely host the kids when they visit. But my husband seems unconcerned. My problem is that I have it ingrained in my behavior to be welcoming and accommodating to guests and I'm going to feel like an asshole because I am physically and mentally exhausted, and our busiest pick up weekend is this weekend so I won't even be around most of their visit. I'm hoping to use the extra day off to clean the house as much as humanly possible and prepare it with some creature comforts for their stay. We just got rid of our couches and have no replacements (there are actual camping chairs in our tiny ass living room rn), and their poor kids have to sleep on cots. The least I can do is provide coffee and snacks lol. I'll have our only car at work all weekend so if they want to adventure out into town to look at racist antique shops (seriously I cannot even express how common it is to find straight up n*zi memorabilia in shops here), they're going to have to squeeze into his friend's small car together. Thank God we at least have AC and WIFI and a community pool lol. It's basically camping here. Hopefully at the very least the weather will turn out nice.

I felt so guilty about asking for an extra day off this week during our busiest time of year, I had a very active stress dream about having to sleep at work but still waking up late lol. Nevermind that I requested time during our slowest part of the week, and while I don't have to run the kitchen as well as support retail because the actual kitchen manager took a week and a half off for her own vacation knowing full well how insanely busy we are right now. At least I don't have a cake order on top of it all? For now. 🤞

I can't remember if I've mentioned it or not but the party order went well. We were, of course, crazy busy on Saturday, hosting a boy scout troop as well as the average nice weather weekend customers and tipsy meadery attendants. The meadery was so busy that there wasn't enough seating for everyone, and despite having planned this party for over two weeks and the fact that oh idk the meadery is on farm property so like everything including the meadery is farm property and they don't get to veto farm activities for their own last minute needs, I got griped at by the meadery manager because she didn't know that there was a party reservation that had nothing to do with her and didn't take away any meadery space but instead took all of the cafe space but she was pissed that her shit wasn't my priority?? Ugh. I really do get it; we're all high stress and stretching ourselves thinner than dick skin to make ends meet and fulfill as much service as possible in these chaotic times, but I don't deserve to be humiliated in front of a customer because you're not handling the stress of your unexpected success very well.

But the party guest loved the cakes, and the lady even hugged me when she saw it lol. Felt very validating plus I've never been hugged by a customer before so that was sweet. I have to sit the kitchen manager and our owner down for a meeting and let them know that I am %100 down for fulfilling custom catering requests for guests, but only when it is actually doable and sustainable and if I can complete it in a sane and logical way. I had to spend a lot of my free time preparing for this order, and I was expecting to run the kitchen as well as support retail during a busy pick up season while balancing this experimental order on my nose like a circus seal. I need two actual full uninterrupted 8 hour shifts, back-to-back, to successfully do something like this. The farm is doing very well in all aspects this year; bee sales, agritourism, social media interest and interaction, etc. But that is sadly the problem. Our owners aren't willing to hire the help we need to provide the experiences we offer, so we're all trying to multiply our bodies and get five things done at once. For less than a livable wage lol. My husband is stressing bc politicians are trying to cut VA funding again, which could lead to us taking a serious financial hit which we may never recover from. So now every chance he gets, he's lecturing me about standing up for my rights as a worker and demanding better pay with better boundaries and I'm just like damn if I even manage to survive this season I doubt I'm going to jeopardize what little income I have and a job I actually care about for my personal rights nawattameen? There's just no winning here for me.

So anyway it's Monday again lol good luck I guess.

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