#because he was raised by bandits in the mountains

[archiveikemen]

"Dark If" Story Event: Chapter 1

Ellis Twilight

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belongs to Cybird. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

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Victor: Miss Kate. The ability to create the ultimate happy ending lies in your hands. — Now, off into the twisted fairytale world you go. 

…

When I woke up, I found myself in a room inside a lavish castle. 

(Uhh… right, I’m the “princess” of this country.)

(... Huh? Why do I have memories of that?) 

Memories of being raised as the princess of this kingdom slowly came back to me. 

(It feels as though I have two sets of memories. One from living in this world, and one from another world.) 

Yet, strangely, both felt like they were indeed “mine”. 

King: … Are you awake, Kate?

Kate: Good morning, Father. 

After a knock, my father entered the room looking concerned. 

King: With only a few months left until that wicked fairy’s prophecy is set to come true… I can’t be at peace without personally ascertaining your safety every morning. 

I was born as the princess of this country and spent my life living a sheltered life within the castle’s walls.

The reason for that was— a curse. 

The fairy who placed the curse on me said, “in 10 years time, the curse will take effect when she pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel”. 

— Without any explanation, he returned to his castle hidden deep in the mountains. 

In response, my parents gathered every last spinning wheel in the country and destroyed them. They relocated those working in the textile industry to state-run factories, and I wasn't allowed anywhere near them. 

Kate: If the curse takes effect, I’ll fall into a deep slumber for 100 years… right?

I muttered based on my memories, and my father nodded with tears welling up in his eyes once more. 

(A cursed spinning wheel… the world I strayed into must be the story of “The Thorn Princess¹”.)

¹ “The Thorn Princess” is also commonly known as “Sleeping Beauty”. 

(If I go along with the original plot, it’d probably be better to fall into a deep sleep because of the curse, but…)

The man who introduced himself as Victor said that there was “something missing” in this twisted fairytale world.

If I fall asleep before I find it— I won’t be able to look for it for the next 100 years.

(First things first, I need to break this curse to give myself more time to find it!)

Kate: I’m going to ask that fairy to break the curse. 

King: W-what!? Absolutely not!! 

Kate: You can assign a few guards to escort me. 

King: Even the royal guards fear him! I’ve sent people to assassinate him several times, and all of them returned in a dreadful state…! 

Kate: Then I’ll go alone. Don’t worry, I can sniff out dangerous places from my experience as a mail carrier. 

King: Mail carrier? H-hey, hold on—! 

…

(While I did say I’d go alone… it’s still better to be as well-prepared as possible.)

After dodging my panicking father and the royal guards, I made my way to a mercenary recruitment place in the castle town. 

Kate: I’d like to hire a bodyguard for my journey… 

Since there was a real chance of encountering wild beasts or bandits on my way to the fairy’s castle, I decided to use part of my allowance I had been secretly saving and hire someone to protect me. 

However—

Long-Faced Mercenary: Go to the fairy’s castle!? You’d need more than one life to make it there alive! 

One-Eyed Mercenary: No way, not doing it! I’ll never go anywhere near that terrifying guy ever again! 

— The last person I spoke to fainted the moment the word “fairy” left my mouth, his eyes rolling back in fear. 

(It’s just as Father said, the fairy is greatly feared…)

(Looks like it can’t be helped… I’ll just go alone.)

???: Is it true that you want to go to the fairy’s castle? 

???: If that’s what you wish for… I’ll be your bodyguard. 

I looked up when I heard the voice making the timely offer and saw a young man standing there. 

Receptionist: You’re in luck, miss. That guy’s a skilled assassin. 

Receptionist: Once he’s targeted someone, he latches onto them like thorny vines, that's why he’s called “Ellis the Briar”. 

The receptionist, a young man with mint-coloured eyes, politely introduced him. 

The fee he quoted in a low voice was an amount I could afford with my savings. 

Ellis the Briar: I only take on jobs from here every now and then, so I didn't know I had a nickname. 

Kate: Umm, mister… Ellis the Briar?

Ellis the Briar: Just “Ellis” will do. 

After being rejected by many people, Ellis’ offer to be my bodyguard made him look like a knight in shining armour. 

Kate: Thank you so much for accepting my request. 

Kate: But… are you not afraid of the fairy, Ellis?

Unlike the other mercenaries who fled at the mention of the fairy, this relaxed young man seemed unfazed. 

I was a little worried that he might not understand the weight of the situation he volunteered to be involved in. 

Ellis: I’ve been burned, frozen, stabbed, and slashed countless times by that fairy.

Ellis: If there’s anyone here who knows exactly how dangerous he is, that’d be me. 

Kate: What!? You were burnt— are you alright?

Ellis: Yeah. I can't die, and I’m not afraid, so I’m okay. 

(In a strange world where even fairies exist, not dying might be possible too… I guess?) 

Ellis: If the journey will lead to your happiness, I’ll go with you.

Kate: A-alright. I’ll be counting on you, Ellis! 

Ellis: Fufu… you don’t need to be formal with me.

Ellis: You can relax and speak casually. We’re friends, after all.

(Friends!? Since when…?)

I was a little confused, but the young man’s smile carried not a single hint of malice. 

(He’s probably just the kind of person to want to close up the distance between himself and others quickly…) 

Kate: Okay… got it. 

…

— And so, I embarked on my journey with Ellis, who had a mysterious presence. 

There were two paths leading to the fairy’s ancient castle.

One was a horrible half-day route, while the other was a three-day walk on flat ground. 

Ellis suggested the easier route, taking into consideration my limited stamina as someone who lived a sheltered life. 

— On the second night. 

Our journey was progressing smoothly, but I found myself having trouble sleeping. 

Ellis: Can’t sleep?

Kate: Yeah… I know I should rest, especially since we’ll arrive at the castle tomorrow. But…

Ellis: Kate, can you come over here? 

Kate: …?

I had come to trust Ellis after all the countless times he had helped me during this short journey, and so I unhesitatingly moved closer. 

Suddenly, he pulled me by my arm and I fell on top of him. 

Ellis: It’s hard to fall asleep on the hard ground, isn't it? You can rest on me instead. 

Kate: B-but, then you wouldn't be able to sleep with me weighing down on you… 

Ellis: You’re light as a feather, so it’s okay. Go on, you can sleep. 

I tried moving away, but Ellis held me close and wouldn't let go. 

Kate: You’re being so kind to me because I hired you… 

Ellis: Am I? Maybe I’m being this kind only because it's you, Kate. 

Kate: …

Thump. Thump. My heart was pounding loudly, but…

As I leaned my head against Ellis’ chest, I realised that I didn’t hear his heart pounding. 

(... Am I the only one who feels this way?) 

A strange unease crept up to me, but I started feeling drowsy as Ellis gently rubbed my back in a soothing manner.

Ellis: … Why do you want to meet the fairy? 

Kate: I want him… to break my curse…

Ellis: I see… 

Hearing Ellis’ tender voice, my eyelids slowly grew heavy. 

(Ellis took care of everything for me throughout this journey…) 

(I must give him a big reward and properly thank him once this is over…)

(Oh. But… I feel lonely thinking we’ll be parting ways.)  

While such thoughts crossed my mind, making me doze off… I drifted off to sleep on Ellis.

And because I was asleep, I didn’t hear the words Ellis spoke as he watched me. 

Ellis: So you want the fairy to break the curse…

Ellis: That means your feelings haven't changed since “back then”. … I’m so glad. 

Even as Ellis slowly wrapped his hand around my neck, I didn't wake. 

Ellis: … I want to kill you as soon as possible. 

…

I was able to get a good night’s rest thanks to Ellis, and we finally arrived in front of the fairy’s castle. 

However, the path leading up to its doors was overgrown with briar, as though rejecting all visitors coming from the outside. 

Ellis: We can’t pass here, let’s go around. 

Kate: Yeah… oh, can you wait for a quick moment? 

Ellis: What’s the matter? 

Kate: There’s a little bird trapped in the briar and can’t get out… 

I crouched down next to the briar and while being careful not to get pricked, created an opening for the little bird. 

It then quickly escaped and flew away. 

Kate: Had it stayed trapped in there, it might've died. I’m glad I could save it…

Ellis: … Indeed. 

Ellis: Giving even a little bird the choice of where and when it wants to die must make it feel happier, doesn't it? 

Ellis: You’re very kind for allowing it to choose how to die, Kate. 

(That wasn’t why I saved the bird, but…)

(... Ellis certainly has a strange way of thinking about things.) 

I felt a little uncomfortable, but decided not to dwell on it and continue our detour towards the fairy’s castle. 

…

Kate: E-excuse me… I’m here to seek help with breaking a curse.

Kate: Is the fairy home…? 

???: I am, but I ain't breakin' the curse.

The man who appeared was much younger than I had expected. 

Ellis: Jude, I’m back. 

Ellis: Let me introduce you, Kate. This is Jude, the fairy.

Kate: …? Hang on a second…

Kate: Why did you say that you're “back”? What's the relationship between you two…? 

Ellis: I’ve been working as Jude’s assistant for many years now. 

Ellis: When Jude isn’t busy, I sometimes find work at the mercenary recruitment place to keep my skills sharp. 

Kate: What… did you say…

Kate: Ellis. You offered to protect me on this journey, helped me so much throughout, and I trusted you… 

Kate: Now you’re telling me that you’re an underling of the fairy who cursed me…!? 

Ellis: Rather than an “underling”, I’d say we have more of a contractual relationship. 

Ellis confirmed it like it was no big deal.

(Ellis had ties with the fairy way before I did…) 

(We travelled together and I thought of him as a reliable companion… were those all one-sided on my part?) 

Ellis: What’s wrong, Kate? You don’t look so good…

Ellis extended a hand towards me in concern, which I reflexively brushed away. 

Kate: … I-I’m sorry. 

Kate: I… need to go outside to cool my head. 

Overwhelmed by all that just happened within moments, my heart felt like it was on the verge of shattering. 

I excused myself and wanted to leave the castle, but the fairy didn’t allow me to. 

Jude the Fairy: Ya had a reason for comin' here, didn't ya? Guests oughta stay in the guest room.

Kate: What.

— Jude grabbed my arm and roughly shoved me into the guest without further discussion.

Now that Kate was locked away, the hall went silent once more.

By now, Kate was most likely being served warm tea and snacks in the magical guest room. 

Jude: … Ellis. Ya don’t understand human feelings at all, do ya? 

Jude: If she finds out that her bodyguard, whom she saw as a friend, actually has a contract with the exact fairy who cursed her, she’ll feel betrayed. 

Ellis: Is that so…

Ellis: It’s been five years since I became human, and yet there’s still so much I don’t know. 

Jude: It’s “only” been five years.

Ellis: For us, it’s “already” been five years.

Ellis: All I want is to make Kate happy… human emotions are so hard to understand. 

Jude: … 

Jude clicked his tongue in annoyance, not bothering to hide his irritation with Ellis’ non-human mindset. 

He then picked up a sword and slashed at Ellis without hesitation.

— However, Ellis didn't even flinch. Despite being cut, he didn't bleed and was perfectly calm. 

Ellis: … It’s pointless no matter how many times you try, Jude. 

The wound Jude inflicted on Ellis healed on its own, returning his body to how it was before. 

Ellis: As long as Kate doesn't find happiness, I won’t die.

Ellis: Regardless of whether I’m burned, frozen, stabbed, or slashed…

[dark-dimare]

Imagine seven year old Luffy seeing some baby animals (maybe wolves?) play-biting out of affection and deciding to do the same. So he goes up to Ace and just gently *nom*.

Ace is confused, cause what? He asks, and Luffy just says that he saw someone else do that to their siblings. Ace, not realizing that Luffy saw baby /animals/ play-bite their sibling, and runs with it. After all, Luffy has the most experience with kids their age between the two of them. (Sabo’ as experiences don’t count to them because “Nobles are weird”)

So the two (or three if it happens before Sabo’s accident) just start biting each other as a way of showing affection. No big deal, just average wild child stuff, only it continues once they’ve set out and gathered crew.

I imagine Ace ended up gathering the Spades in a similar manner to Luffy, one by one kind of way but no more than two at a time. By the time the next Spade joined, the previous one was not only accustomed to but joined in with affectionate biting. It wasn’t much, or often, but still present enough.

Ace doesn’t even realize that it’s not a normal thing until after he joins Whitebeard, when he affectionately bites Thatch for bringing him food. A whole shenanigan-esque scene happens where they try to explain to Ace that No, humans do not tend to bite each other in affection outside of lovers in intimate situations. Once it finally sinks in, all he can say is “Oh no, my brother’s poor crew.”

Luffy doesn’t hesitate to affectionately bite his nakama, and they just take it as part of him, just like how he’s rubber. It mainly becomes a thing when the other Straw Hats start doing it as well.

Zoro, I imagine, would be the first, and would first do it to Sanji. Like, he just woke up from a nap, and sees Sanji handing him a bottle of booze. So, as thanks, he instinctively gives Sanji a gentle nip on his wrist as he takes the bottle. Sanji is so shook he doesn’t even start a fight over it, and just numbly walks over to the girl(s). “You know how Luffy keeps biting us?” “Yeah, he’s like a damn mosquito, only he doesn’t draw blood.” “Zoro just bit me. Like how Luffy does.” “…What?”

From there, it spreads. Gentle nips as thanks, worried noms for those injured, soft bites as just general “I’m glad you’re here”. Every one of the Straw Hats bite each other. (I imagine Brook has a bone in particular that he lets them nom on because he’s so tall, and they don’t want to upset him by making him feel like a chew toy, and it just has various teeth marks simply because of how many times they’ve gently bit him. He’s very thankful for it, because on nights when he can’t sleep because he’s suddenly thrown mentally back into isolation, he can feel their marks on his bone and remember that he will never be alone as long as they live.)

The Whitebeards are thrown through a loop if/when they meet a small crew captained by their Second Division Commander’s precious baby brother, and finds that a l l of them have the same way of showing affection, and none of them brought up how weird it is.

(If Sabo was still around when Luffy came to this conclusion, I imagine it’d gotten stuck in Sabo’s instincts to nom with affection. Koala is the first -and only for a long time- person he bites, and she doesn’t question it because “maybe it’s an amnesia thing? Like him not even knowing his name?”, and doesn’t even bring it up. The others only find out once Hack gets bitten for delivering a tired and hungry Sabo a snack after training. “You know I’m not food, right?” “Yeah?” “So then why did you bite me?” “I bite Koala all the time?” “I thought it was an amnesia thing, is it not?” “No, it’s not even really a human thing, with some very age-specific exceptions.” “Huh. Normally, I just feel like biting, so I bite. Normally, it’s a ‘I’m glad you’re here’ or ‘hello/goodbye’ bite. That was a ‘thank you’.” “…all right.”)

[blacklegsanjiii]

I keep thinking about a Roger who got his illness cured and raising Ace with Rouge and being retired after faking his death. Ace who is suddenly two years older than normal as they settle in Foosha in the East Blue with some mountain bandits nearby. They're out sailing when they stumble upon the Germa fleet and Sanji escaping to the orbit when Rouge goes and gets him before he makes it to the Orbit and gets back to the small ship they sail and twelve year old Ace is looking at the kid as Roger, who had babies on his ships, frowns at the shape the kid is in.

So they go back to Foosha and get Sanji situated and Ace really doesn't like the new kid taking up his parents time. He's acting like a toddler when a new baby comes home basically. Ace is pissed despite the kid having a lot of scars and Ace spends a lot of time in the jungle. So he spends even more time there. He eventually meets Luffy and Sabo and decides to go tell his parents he's living in the jungle since they have a new kid and he found brothers he actually likes.

Roger and Rouge know how hard it can be going from an only child situation to suddenly having a sibling but like, fuck Ace, look at the kid who is hiding? Also where did you find more more kids? Can we meet them? It's fine if you want to live in the jungle with them, but you all can also live here? It's fine?

Sanji feels bad and avoids Ace who is still absolutely a mama's boy so he spends most of his time with Roger. Ace brings home Sabo and Luffy to meet them but Sanji just stays in the other room. Turns out they're spending the night so Sanji climbs to the roof to sleep, it's nice to sleep outside in Foosha. Roger climbs up and sits with him and explains that sometimes forcing a situation doesn't work; a lesson he's learned the hard way. Roger pets Sanji's hair and holds him and apologizes for not knowing what to do but he knows in time Ace will come around. Sanji shrugs and says it's okay, he's used to not being wanted.

Roger feels his heart breaking because he knows the ways he's failed Shanks and Buggy. Knows how he fucked them up and nothing he'll do will ever fix it. Sanji who is small and has a permanent red ring around his neck that he and Rouge put lotion on every day. Sanji who is smaller than he should be and quieter and so well behaved unlike the noble boy Ace brought home. Not that Roger has room to judge because the kid spoke viciously about the government and nobles so it made sense and Luffy only talked about Shanks with them.

Garp shows up when Ace is out with Sabo and Luffy. Sanji is looking at the marine as Roger holds him and Rouge laughs and talks smack about Roger with Garp(we all know Rouge was above him okay? They know it too) and introduces him to Sanji. Garp asks them to keep an eye on Luffy and raise him for him and Dragon, which they agree to easily after everything he has done for them. Garp asks Sanji what he wants to be when he grows up and Sanji says a chef on the All Blue. Garp nods and says the Marines would be a good way to get there and Roger kicks the man out of his house and says to stop spreading propaganda. ASL, who happen to be walking up, cheer until Luffy realizes it's his grandpa and gets a fist of love which makes Rouge chase him with her staff.

Rouge tells ASL when she's done and after Garp leaves. She explains what he asked and how they won't stop them but they are there for them if they need them. Luffy asks if they really can stay there longer and Rouge is like 'Of course, the more the merrier!' and it's like a light bulb for Ace when his mom says that because she wanted more kids, Ace remembers wanting siblings when he was younger but nothing ever came of it.

Until Sanji came along. Sanji who was thin and wiry like Luffy. So Ace tries to do better by Sanji after that. Luffy and Sabo don't get it but they go along with it and grow to accept Sanji as another brother. Sanji becomes more open and free with them and of course the three of them fight over Sanji being their cook. Roger and Rouge laugh at the antics until the terminal fires and they lose Sabo. They comfort their children and they heal in time.

Ace still sets off at seventeen and then Sanji and Luffy set off together later. Everything is the same still. Like Rouge and Roger and them keep up with the papers and they know Ace is in the White Beard fleet and they've seen poor Sanji's poster. But then Ace disappears from the news and there was a buster call on Enies Lobby so now the former King and Queen of the Pirates are setting sail as fast as they can to go see what's going on when news of Ace's execution comes out so they head there and then Roger says while they're there they should get Buggy out of Impel Down so he can meet the others. Rouge screams and asks why he didn't mention Buggy was in Impel Down and Roger yells he absolutely did and said Garp did it.

They barely make it in time to Marineford to help save their son-is that Luffy? Rouge is screaming at the top men of the marines as Ace stares at them and Roger is yelling at Luffy and Buggy. Buggy is gaping at them as Luffy runs forward yelling 'mom' and 'dad' and makes the Impel Down escape team shake their heads before running into the fight. Once it's over, Ace and Luffy both taking life threatening punches and being shipped off and most of the battle field passed out from the sheer amount of haki Roger has let out and Shanks shows up and is there to end the war and pick up Buggy.

Rouge is dragging Roger by the ear after explaining everything to his brats and apologizing but says they need to find Luffy's crew and their other son and Shanks and Buggy keep asking how many kids they have and Roger says counting Shanks and Buggy he has six, one's dead though.

Also Roger and Rouge sending the crew off at Sabaody and Roger casually asking how it was training Luffy and if he checked in on Shanks and Buggy after everything. Rayleigh keeps trying to avoid the second question but Luffy went with Boa six months before. Rouge, terrifying Rouge who is glaring at Rayleigh demanding to know why he never checked in with them when that was Roger's technically last request to him and why would he let Luffy go with Boa. Rayleigh is pale. So fucking pale he looks like he's about to pass out as he stutters about Roger not being dead and lying. Roger gives him the most unimpressed look because that still doesn't cover not checking in on their brats and the punch he gets is well deserved.

[diminuel]

Still watching One Piece and I'm amused because I watched this before, just at the beginning of my One Piece flash in April, when I had not yet been Dragodile/ Crocodad obsessed. X'3

*points*

No eyebrows man is here. With tattoo and with stubble.

(Showing naked forearms again, just like in Logue Town. Risqué.)

And he said he was actually born in "this land" (so I assume Goa kingdom) too. Which then makes it more likely that he is Garp's biological child. I mean, he could still have picked him out of the trash somewhere.

(Luffy was born in Windmill Village, relevant for Crocodad headcanons.)

And Dragon really should get a less conspicuous ship. How have you stayed under the radar for that long? >w<;;

P.S. Stinky children.

P.P.S Garp really is a piece of work. Dadan did a good job beating him up. He did choose his work (or sense of justice) over his family. And he couldn't be bothered to raise either Ace or Luffy, only showing up to beat them up and tell Dadan (a mountain bandit) to raise them into good little marine soldiers. Just what's wrong with you, man? Into the garbage with him! >:C

[one-idea]

I love the ASL brothers and really want them to be raised by Shanks.

I have an idea but I have to put a few events out of order.

So let’s get into it

We start fairly close to cannon with Shanks’ time on Foosha. He meets Luffy and he loves this kid. It’s the reason they keep coming back to the island in the first place.

Now this is where we are going to start rearranging somethings. Because Shanks and Higuma confrontation happens before Shanks has found the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Mean Luffy doesn’t eat the devil fruit (yet) Luffy gets mad at Shanks for not defending himself against the mountain bandit and runs off. Shanks follows him wanting to explain to the boy why. (Some fights you win by not fighting at all)

It’s here that he learns a hard truth about Luffy. Because Luffy runs home. Where he lives alone in a little shack. At first Shanks in confused, he thought Luffy lived with Makino. But Luffy can’t stay with her full time. She’s not his guardian and doesn’t have the money to care for him. She help him and cares for him when she can but most of the time Luffy is alone. The exception is when his grandfather is in town and is training him by: throwing him down ravines, dropping him in the middle of the jungle, tying him to balloons.

Shanks is horrified. Growing up on the Oro Jackson wasn’t easy. He saw a lot of horrible things when he was too young to process them. But he never doubted he was loved. And here Luffy is, a boy he’s come to love as his own sobbing because “nothing is worse than being alone.”

But Luffy looks at him with determination and says “that why I’m going to be king of the pirates one day because my Namaka will never leave me.” And Shanks knows two things. One Luffy is going to be the king of the pirates. There is not a doubt in his mind that Luffy is the person his captain was waiting for. Luffy is going to change the world when the boy sets out on his own. The second thing is that he won’t leave this little boy, who is walking sunshine, feel unloved or unwanted ever again.

Shanks hugs Luffy close and tells him he knows that Luffy is going to become the king of the pirates but before he can do that he needs so experience on the seas. How does the little anchor feel about join his crew? Luffy is ecstatic! He’s wanted this for so long and now Shanks is letting him on his crew.

But Shanks knows there is still one thing he needs to get before he can take Luffy with him. After all he came to the East Blue in search for one thing, the Gomu Gomu no Mi. He has to find that first. Once he has it he can head back to the New World. If he takes Luffy with him now then they could easily be track down in the East Blue by Luffy’s grandfather.

So he takes his hat off and places it on Luffy’s head telling him, “this hat is my treasure. There is one thing I need to find here in the East Blue before we can set sail for the Grandline. Can you watch over my hat while I find it? It shouldn’t take me more than five months. Then I’ll come back for you and we will set sail to the grandline together.”

Luffy looks up at him with such hopeful eyes “you promise?”

“Of course! I can’t go back to the Grandline without my hat. I’ll just have to bring along the little anchor wearing it.” Shanks tries for joking but ends up sounding way more fond and sentimental.

He cares Luffy back to Makino’s bar, watching as his boy falls asleep in his arms. Once there he explains their new situation to the crew. He then turns to Makino and as he closes the tab for the crew he also gives her more then enough money to take care of her AND Luffy for the next five months. Asking her to watch over his boy for him until he returns. Makino is torn because on one hand should she really be letting Luffy travel with these pirates? But at the same time she’s never seen the little boy be as happy as he is when he’s with Shanks and the crew. So she agrees.

In the morning Shanks leaves after explaining to Luffy he will be staying with Makino until his return.

Well not all plans go according to plan. Especially when Garp returns to see his grandson wearing Roger/Shanks hat and talking about sailing with Shanks’ crew.

That’s a big no for Garp. So he takes Luffy away from Makino and delivers him to Dadan. Strapping a sea stone cuff to his wrist (trying to dampen the boys haki signature so Shanks can’t find him) (yes I know cannon doesn’t full support this but it also doesn’t full disprove it so we’re playing fast and lose today)

This is where he meets Ace and Sabo.

It goes much like it does in cannon. With the two older boys not liking Luffy very much until after Porchemy kidnappes Luffy and beats him. The beating is far more brutal this time around as Luffy has not consumed his devil fruit yet.

The three boys become sworn brothers over shake. And start to bond. Until a few months later when Shanks returns to the island.

He is worried when he can’t feel Luffy while approaching the island. His panic growing as they get closer and closer and there is no sight of their anchor on the dock there to greet them. Shanks hurries to Makino’s bar only to be met by her sad eyes and tearful explanations. She hasn’t seen Luffy for months since Garp took him from her. She’s not even sure if he’s on the island or not at this point.

Shanks and the crew spread out. They’re going to search the whole island. If Luffy is here then they will find him. Shanks heads up the mountain, looking for his boy, he’s stretched out his observation Haki as far as it can go. He notices something strange. The signatures of two young boys but it seems as though they are making room for a third. A third that Shanks can’t sense.

Shanks is heading that way, hoping it’s Luffy. Hoping he’s not crazy. As he’s getting closer he can sense more signatures surrounding the young boys. And whether or not Luffy is with them it would seems these boys are in over their heads. He arrives right as the bluejam pirates are beating Luffy and Ace, while Sabo is dangling in Bluejam’s grasp. To say he is not a happy camper is an understatement.

Shanks moves fast get in between Luffy and Ace and their attackers. The three of them are surrounded but it doesn’t matter much to Shanks, everyone here is far weaker than he is.

The pirates are confused and Outlook III is telling this obviously homeless man to move along as he has no business here. Shanks ignores them and turns to Luffy. “Anchor what’s happening.” “They’re trying to take Sabo from us.”

Shanks doesn’t know who Sabo is or why these full grown adults are beating up his kid and his friends but frankly he doesn’t care. They were dead the moment he saw them hit Luffy. But to hear his son, who has extreme separation problems, crying because adults were taking away his friend. He’s going to drag this out a bit.

A quick blast of conquers haki has all the pirates and the sniveling noble down for the count. He’ll send some crew members out here to have some fun with them later, when three small children aren’t watching the pain he’s willing to put them through for touching his boy.

Sabo’s been dropped to the ground and Ace and Luffy have run to greet him. Luffy’s about squeezing the life out of the poor boy, but Ace stops and puts himself between the stranger and his brothers. Nothing is hurting his brothers, not even this weirdly powerful man.

But Shanks just smiles at him as Ace starts to grandstand. Asking the stranger who he was? What he was doing here? Questions and accusations flying from the angry boy’s mouth. But Shanks just laughs and looks over Ace’s shoulder and asked. “Come on Anchor don’t I get a hug?”

Ace is confused until Luffy rushes past him and throws himself at the stranger. Shanks just laughs as he catches the little boy and holds him tight before pulling back to look him over. He quickly spots the sea stone cuff and asks Luffy about it. Only to learn that his grandfather was behind the gift. A gift Shanks will be removing as quickly and safely as possible. Setting the boy down and drawling his sword.

The whole time Ace and Sabo are trying to figure out who this strange adult is. At least they were until he put Luffy down and drew his sword telling Luffy to hold his arm out and keep it still. The little dumby even does as he asks. The two brothers scream and rush forward to stop this stranger from cutting off their idiot little brothers arm, but they don’t make it in time.

Meanwhile Shanks, unaware or uncaring of the panic he is causing in the other boys, taps his blade against Luffy’s cuff cutting the thing off his wrist. Luffy giggles and thanks him just in time for Ace and Sabo to make it to him and inspect his wrist for damages, there are none. But Ace and Sabo are not impressed with this stranger.

Shanks just laughs and starts leading the boys back to the Red force. They’re hurt and he wants Hango to look after them as soon as possible. Ace doesn’t want to go. But there’s a promise of a doctor for his brothers. And Luffy is going whether Ace’s wants him to or not. So they head down.

This is the start of my idea. The next part is Ace and his extreme dislike of Shanks

He’s going to take Luffy way. (He learns about their promise and is furious that this man is going to take one of his brothers)

Luffy eats the Gomu Gomu no Mi and loses his ability to swim and Ace blames Shanks

That mountain bandit that shanks made mad the last time he was here is back and wants revenge. Mainly Luffy shaped revenge.

Next

[lewiscarrolatemybrain]

Thinking about a time travel Pirate-King-Luffy-Raises-ASL fic but specifically like.

He knows the things he wants to fix in Ace and Sabo's lives. He knows he's going to shower them both in love and affection, reassure them constantly that they are safe, that they are wanted. He knows he never wants Ace to grow into that sad, angry, lonely little boy who believed his existence was a curse; never wants Sabo to be taken from them only to return weighed down with mountains of guilt and need to atone for something that was never his fault. He knows he's gonna do everything in his power to give his brothers -- his sons, now -- the carefree childhoods they deserve, and when they grow into young men and set off to chase whatever dreams they dream in this life, they'll do it with his full support and the knowledge that they can call on him if they ever need him, and he'll always come running.

Then he finds himself looking down at this timelines version of Monkey D. Luffy, a tiny little baby who blinks at the world with big, startled eyes and grins a gummy smile at everyone he sees.

And Luffy realizes, with a kind of slow-dawning horror, that uh... actually, his childhood sucked too.

I don't really have a ton of plot for this but just the surrealism of holding himself as a baby and coming to the awful epiphany that he... deserved better? That his childhood was Not Good? That it wasn't just his brothers who were failed by the world in general -- but that he, Monkey D. Luffy, should not have been dumped in the care of a girl barely old enough to raise herself, much less a child. He should not have grown up with an empty, howling loneliness in him that drove him to do absolutely insane shit like try to stab his own eye out to prove himself worthy of joining a pirate crew, because he was so, so desperate to convince Shanks not to be yet another person who turned around and left Luffy all alone. He shouldn't have been tossed on his ass in a bandit's hut and told to fend for himself. It wasn't Dadan's fault, or Shank's, or Makino's. It maybe wasn't even Gramps's. But it still shouldn't have happened. Luffy deserved better.

This Luffy will get better, he'll grow up loved and kept right from the start, but... wow. Luffy had a bad childhood. Crazy. And he just lived like that? A whole lifetime? He never dealt with it? Crazy. He's gonna go sit down with his sons and try not to think about it.

[newkatzkafe2023]

Not sure if this is your inbox but I'm really new to Tumblr and don't use it often but anyways if it's ok with you can you do all wukongs with mommy dearest reader and fem ruv reader from fnf/Friday night funking?

Ohhhhhhhhhh Ruv is my favorite FnF character 🇷🇺🤩

(Lmk Wukong) Yooo, he met you when your booming voice shook his entire mountain, He thought it was an earthquake😱. He went to find the source of the sounds and found a pretty purple Russian monkey, with the vocal cords that can be heard even in the celestial realm. Wukong was shocked by your interesting but glass shattering little quirk of yours and wonders if it affects your way of talking or yelling at the Matter. Though right now he needs you to keep it down, he's trying to sleep😴 😓😣

(MKR Wukong) HE IMMEDIATELY ASSUMED HE WAS UNDER ATTACK🤣🤣🤣, because he woken right out of his sleep from what felt like a giant earthquake. The camp was shaken scarying the crap out of the monk and pigsy, and startled sandy out of his own sleep fruity got scared and hid in his shirt. Wukong quickly went to find the potential threat in the woods they were in, but what he wasn't expecting was to see a very light purple monkey. When Wukong found you he had to fight a blush and demanded an explanation as to why you attacked them, until you told him that you were just singing. Making his jaw dropped on the floor, that just raised further questions!😲

(NR Wukong) Ohhhhhhhhhh he spotted a pretty Russian monkey at a underground block rave. Your big booming voice literally shaking the stadium as you sung on stage and what's shocking your microphone wasn't even on. After the concert rave Wukong wasted no time coming over to introduce and flirt a little with you and even got little Ole you to blush, and thus the beginning of your relationships with him.😘

(HIB Wukong) Your silence make him wonder what's going on in that little head of yours, you would just sit next to him and watch over the family. You do love him and his children, making it your business to keep an close eye on Luier and Silly girl. Until some demons bandits attack their village and aim to take Luier away, before Wukong and do anything you got infront of them, turned on your microphone and sang your heart out. Which would be weird until you sent a large group of demons flying with just your voice, not to mention Breaking the sound barrier. Hence why Wukong avoids Arguing or disagreeing with you in fear you would get upset and blow his ears out😬😬😬.

(Netflix Wukong) He didn't think too much of you, not in a bad way, but you were just very quiet. You would often just sit on the sidelines as you watched Wukong act like a fool and battle other demons. One day, you had been watching him train until a group of demons came to provoke and taunt him, which Wukong was rightfully pissed but then suddenly the group was practically sent to orbit by a sonic boom. Wukong slowly looked over and saw you standing there with your mic, now he's wondering if you can teach him how to do that..😐😛🫨

(BMW Wukong) A beautiful woman, with a powerful set of pipes and ohhhhhhhhhh is he interested. He had heard of you from some musicians about you and your Unique Voice and went to one of your concerts, and well apparently not only is your voice the most beautiful thing he's ever heard. It was also the loudest one he's ever heard and he was yelled at by alot of celestials Deities, not to mention your voice shakes the earth to its very core. Like seriously it was felt by him, AND HE'S STANDING ON A CLOUND!!!! now he very intrigued now.

(Destined one) Huh I feel like he's always the quiet one, until something happens and it makes him loud. With that the same goes for you as well which is why you both get along so well with each other. Now he found out about your out of this world rapping voice when he was fighting a Creature and wanted to help your husband so you took your Mike and sang. Which sent the Creature flying back into a large deep crater! The Destined one saw the wrath of a goddess that day!

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG🇷🇺

[ooffmlsorry]

Hiii congrats for 100 followers!! ❤️ For the event, can I request Ace x reader with the prompt "mistletoe? how corny..." I think it would fit him haha ❤️

Eeeeee!! Of course I can and I so agree he’s such a goofball! Thanks so much for the congratulations! I really hope you like it! Mwah! 😘

A/N: I use the nickname "firefly" which I saw in a post by @eelnoise, just wanted to say I didn't come up with that but it's the perfect pet name, especially because it's gn.

🔥🔥🔥

Ace never liked winter. Most winter islands were barren and hostile. The cold buried people in layers, bullied them into their homes and hovels, suppressed by a natural—and sometimes unnatural—force of nature that they could do nothing against but endure. When snow came to the Goa Kingdom, he remembered it being the same. There was only so much he and his brothers could do outside of the mountain bandits home before they were freezing their little asses off and forced to retreat. 

Even with the mera mera no mi, he doesn’t like the cold. The winter air feels off on his skin because of his devil fruit. It reminds him of getting stitched after a numbing agent has been applied to his skin—knowing that part of him is being tugged but he can’t feel the pain. Winter puts Ace in a bad mood. 

The crew of the Moby Dick knew this, and like any family would, they tried to distract their brother to the best of their ability. And hey, if they benefited from it a little, then so what? Around the ship you could hear:

“Hey Ace! You mind taking care of that ice up ahead?!” 

“Bet you could heat this frozen barrel up in no time, right Fire Fist!”

“Do you mind helping us clear ice off the deck?” 

You sat on one of the cold, wooden benches, bundled up in layers with a mug of hot tea clutched close to your chest. Ace had something for you, something he’d never seen before, he said, but he couldn’t just give it to you and let you open it in peace. 

“That’s not how it works, y/n,” he had said earlier in the day. His fingers dug in a little as they rubbed up and down your arms, dragging his warm hands over your skin. His eyes always sparkle when he looks at you. There are stars up there in those eyes. Whenever you tell him so, he reminds you you’re the one that put them there. 

“Not how it works?” You raised an eyebrow. 

He smirks at you. His hands started to heat up as his cheeks turned a little bit pink. “I have to be there with you,” he said teasingly. Ace leaned down to plant a kiss on your lips, then pulled away just before your lips could meet. “I think someone’s calling my name, sweetheart.” 

You watched in shock, blinking in utter surprise when Ace snickered and sauntered away. (In all honesty, you didn’t know the man had enough restraint to not kiss you.)

Needless to say, your interest was piqued. What kind of gift requires two people? What had Ace found for you on his last mission? Ace always returned with something for you and you kept every single gift. Every seashell, scarf, flower, book, necklace, or trinket from him you saved in a now-empty tin of cookies he got you long before you started dating. All of Ace’s gifts were special, no matter how insignificant he thought they were. 

You watched Ace help brush melted slush off the ship. Your eyes met and he smiled broadly, sticking his tongue out at you. A soft smile spread across your face. How could a man that thought of you every day, that loved his crew so selflessly, be anything but good? How could you not have fallen in love with him? 

As if Ace knew what you were thinking, he stopped. The broom stilled in his arms. His gaze on you burned across your body. Ace turned to his crew member, Barry, and said something to him that you couldn’t hear. You did, however, hear the boisterous laughter that erupted from Barry. Ace picked up some slush and pelted him with it in retaliation. 

He shook his head and wiped snow off the sleeve of his jacket. “Young love,” he said. “Ain’t nothing like it.”  

Red bloomed under Ace’s freckles and his shoulders raised up to his ears. It was adorable seeing him suddenly look as bashful as a school boy as he walked over to you. By the time he got to you, he looked more like himself. 

“All done?” 

“Sure am, firefly.” Ace took the mug from your hands and placed it down on the table. He wrapped his arms around you. Even through your coat, you could feel Ace’s body already begin to warm yours. Your head rested on his bare chest, the jacket he wore was unzipped. For a moment you savored the rumble of his voice through his ribs, the sound of his heart beating strong and loud underneath skin and muscle. 

“I don’t think I’ve told you today how gorgeous you are,” he said. 

“You did,” you said. “You woke up in the middle of night, called me gorgeous and passed out again.” 

“Sounds like me,” he said.

You breathed in the scent of a hearth and the sea, and sighed as you exhaled. “Ready to—AAAH!!” 

Cold. 

Cold was the first thing you felt as slush ice slid down the bare skin of your back, trapped between your body and your now freezing, wet shirt. 

Before you can stop Ace he’s leapt over the bench and took off running, cackling as he made his escape. “Oh you son of a—” You grabbed the nearest handful of melted snow. All your shock and annoyance melted into glee at the panicked look on your boyfriend’s face. “I’m gonna get your ass!” You yelled and took off after him. 

Slipping and sliding on the deck, you weaved between tables and crew members. Cold wind whipped through your hair, whistling in your ears, and stinging your eyes. You followed the sound of Ace’s commotion, stumbled down the stairs and through the hall after him. Your and his laughter echoed behind you. 

Finally, you caught up to Ace who was standing still under the frame of his bedroom. It didn’t occur to you to wonder why he wasn’t still running from you. You were having too much fun. At this point the already melted slush in your hands had turned into water, there was nothing you could do but forcefully smack your cold, wet hand against his chest as you collided with him. 

“HA! I got you!” 

Ace’s arm wrapped around your waist to keep you both from failing. The man hadn’t even flinched.

“Did you? Did you really?” He said, grinning down at you. “It felt more like you were trying to splash me.”

You looked up at him, your lips pushed out in an exaggerated pout. “I can’t believe you did that! Now I’m cold and wet.” 

“Well, I can fix one of those things.” You almost instantly feel warmer as Ace begins to heat up. “I thought this would be more fun than just asking you to come down here,” he said. His hand cups your face softly. The hot calluses on Ace’s hands trail over your skin, gentle and tender enough to make you forget everything that led up to this. He tilts your face to look above him at the green sprig hanging above his door. 

You stare at the beautiful green color of the leaves and the red berries hanging delicately like pearls. Was this the gift? Had Ace really never seen mistletoe before? You pictured Ace coming across the flower on his last mission, maybe in the wild, but more likely someone selling it and being absolutely mystified by the tradition. 

So cute!

"Mistletoe?” You chuckle. “How corny…”

His shoulders slumped slightly. “I should’ve known you’d know what it is,” he said. His eyes no longer met yours. “I thought I’d be surprising you…”

You hardly gave him a chance to be disappointed, sliding your hands up his chest to drape over his shoulders before he could step away. “You don’t need to surprise me. You’re special enough all on your own, Portgas D. Ace.” You twirled your fingers around the tips of his jet black locks and felt him melt a little underneath your touch. “I would have you just as you are.” 

“How did I get so lucky?” Ace mumbled more to himself than to you. You didn’t know who he was asking, and it didn’t matter. You were exactly where you wanted to be. Ace looked at you, his eyes glimmered slightly. The love so plain in his eyes made your stomach flutter. “So if you know what is,” he said softly, “then I can bet you know what comes next?” 

Ace pressed his lips to your almost reverently, cherishing the feeling of your lips against his. Your eyes flutter shut and you enjoy the familiar bliss of his touch. Your fingers curled in his hair slid up to the base of his scalp to urge him on. Ace licked into your mouth as he pushed you up against the frame of the door, the wood pressed between your shoulder blades. When you pulled away you were both breathless with matching smiles on your faces. 

“I love you, Ace,” you said. 

And then he kissed you again. 

[momonyu]

deal or no deal

portgas d. ace x reader

making deals with a pirate is a dangerous thing

"we have a contract!" + ace

2.5k words

a/n. i did not intend for this to be so long, but i always forget how easy it is to write for my favourite loveable boy ♡ anyways, this takes place during ace's great blackbeard search cover story hehe

cw. angsty ending and goodbyes (but there's a small epilogue!)

day 1.

this isn't what you signed up for.

chasing down mountain bandits and patrolling streets? sure. chasing down pirates at sea? absolutely.

what you didn't sign up for when you joined the marines was discovering pirates within your own naval base — a peculiar situation that you find yourself in at the moment.

"start talking now." you stare daggers at the tied up pirate in front of you. "what are you doing here?"

he squirms, doing his best to avoid your gaze. "i'm just looking for someone."

"to do what? rob them? assassinate them?"

"no," ace sighs. "i'm just trying to deliver a letter."

your surprise is quickly replaced with skepticism, ingrained into you by your hours of marine training. you lean in to study him, peering into his eyes to gauge whether he's telling the truth or not.

he has really cute freckles.

you blush at the intrusive thoughts, a wonderfully adorable sight that ace will surely tell you about later.

your eyes land on his arm tattoo, far too familiar for your liking. you recall a conversation you once had with vice admiral garp.

"you're one of whitebeard's men!" you gasp. you narrow your eyes at him. "are you trying to smuggle communications to blackbeard?"

his face hardens. "talking is the last thing i'd be doing if i found him."

disappointment floods you. gathering intel is your specialty, but it's been much harder to find information about blackbeard's coup than you'd like to admit. it would've been too easy if this pirate was in kahoots with him...

"look," he says, straightening up. "maybe we can help each other out."

you raise an eyebrow.

"if you help me with my letter, i'll tell you anything you want to know about marshall d. teach."

"including where he is and what's he's planning?"

"okay, maybe not that" — your face falls — "but only because i don't know! if you're looking into him, we can look together?"

you cross your arms.

"that hardly seems like a fair deal to me - you get your letter delivered and you get information about blackbeard? i'm going to need more than just some outdated background info."

"i'll have you know that i'm a commander under the most powerful pirate in the world," he huffs. "but i'll tell you what - after all this is said and done, you can arrest me."

at this, you stop to think about it. it would do very well for your career to bring in one of whitebeard's big shots. on top of that, imagine if you also had intel about blackbeard's whereabouts! surely, you'd get that promotion you've been vying for.

and while you're fantasizing about the rewards for ace's capture, he smiles to himself. having someone on the inside will help him stay undercover and, if he's lucky, he'll get some answers about teach before he goes on his merry way.

for ace has no intention of being caught by any marine — no matter how cute they are.

"alright," you finally say. "you've got yourself a deal."

he grins, and you falter for what will not be the last time at how handsome he is when he smiles.

"nice t' meet ya, partner."

day 5.

"holy cow, look at the amount of food on that guy's plate!"

"i told you the rumours about the new guy were true."

"where does all that food even go?"

"what a freak..."

the gossip of your peers gets drowned out by the screech of a chair being pulled and the loud thud! of a plastic tray barely supporting the mountain of food on top of it.

"man, don't you love dinner time? you guys have it made!"

"what are you doing?" you hiss.

ace can only offer you a look of confusion, too busy stuffing his face with a drumstick in each hand.

"'you guys?' you're supposed to be one of us, remember?" you point at him with your fork. "and for a guy who's trying to stay undercover, you sure are calling a lot of attention to yourself."

"i can't help it," he says — or tries to say. his voice comes out muffled from the food he's shovelling into his face. "i have needs."

for what it's worth, there is something adorable in the way that this uncouth man looks so happy with his cheeks stuffed like a squirrel. you can't help but giggle, and it makes ace smile.

he thinks to himself,

what a cute laugh.

day 8.

ace yawns, stretching his arms before his hands land on the back of his neck.

"is this where taxpayer money goes? to pay two marines to go for a stroll when they could be doing that for free?"

"it's called patrol, and everyone has to do it," you nudge him with your elbow. "especially non-tax paying criminals disguised as law enforcement."

"y'know, being a marine isn't so hard. boring, but easy enough."

"easy, he says! it's only easy because i'm the one busting my ass to try and keep your cover under control."

ace gives you a sideways glance, flashing a lazy grin. "tomato, to-mah-to."

you roll your eyes, but ace knows you well enough by now to distinguish your seriously-pissed eye roll from your endearingly-annoyed eye roll.

he can say with 99% certainty that this one is the latter.

and to make up up for that missing 1%, ace waggles his eyebrows in the way that made you laugh yesterday. to his delight, you giggle again and he swells.

walking down a line of shoppes, your arm brushes past his as you point to his left, "see that parlour over there? they have the best ice cream in the world."

"that's a ballsy proclamation, officer."

"yeah? what makes you say that, officer?"

"you're talking to the ice cream connoiseur on this side of the ocean. i don't know if i can just take your word for it."

"so you're saying i'm lying?"

"no," he grins at you, devious, dazzling and dashing. he nods towards the store. "i'm saying that we should go get some ice cream."

15 minutes later, ace has to agree that this was, in fact, the best ice cream he's ever had. he laughs at your boasting and your "i told you!" and your sermon about the fruit-to-cream ratio, and he wonders if you know that the reason why he's enjoying this ice cream has nothing to do with the flavour and everything to do with you.

day 16.

"ace? what are you-"

"quick! run!" he grabs your hand and practically drags you down the hallway at lightning speed. you nearly trip over your feet as you run behind him.

"hey! stop right there!" booms a voice behind you.

"we gotta hide!"

like any well-trained soldier, it's answers first and questions later. "there's a closet on your right around the corner!"

ace darts around the corner with you in hot pursuit. he thrusts open the closet and quickly pulls you inside.

"who-"

"shh!"

you hear running getting louder, and you decide to question ace later. in this tiny broom closet, you do your best to discern what's happening on the other side. both of you press an ear to the door and listen carefully.

footsteps approaching. footsteps slowing down. footsteps stopping just outside the closet.

you hold your breath.

it feels like an eternity that ace's pursuer stands on the other side and you don't dare to make a single peep. you lock eyes with ace, who stares back at you with an exhilarated smile.

a voice mutters, "i could've sworn-"

"commodore, sir!"

you gape at ace with wild incredulity.

commodore? you mouth with wide eyes.

he winks at you, holding a finger to his lips.

"they're looking for you in the grand boardroom, sir."

a pause.

"alright, at ease. let's go."

the two men walk away, but neither of you dare say anything until a solid minute after the footsteps fade away. and then-

you smack ace across the chest, "what-"

"ow!"

"-did you do?"

"that hurts!"

you shoot daggers at him.

he smiles sheepishly at you, "okay, i deserve that. but look what i found in his office!"

he holds up a sheet of paper with excitement. in the darkness of the closet, you can't make out the words and only look at him with confusion.

"there's a scout ship coming from the green shores. as far as i know, that's where teach was last seen!" he rushes through his words. "and comil's going to be on that ship! we can kill two birds with one stone!"

he looks at you expectantly as you process what he says.

"if vice admiral comil's on that ship then they'll definitely have detailed notes of their observations... there's no way they wouldn't have gathered intel!"

"that's what i'm saying!"

"ace, that's great!" you throw your arms around him. "this is it!"

it's not until ace instinctively wraps his arms around you that you realize two very important things.

one. if vice admiral comil truly is on that ship, that means that your adventure with ace is coming to an end soon.

your heart sinks.

two. you and ace are alone, hugging, in a very, very dark and cramped broom closet — and you don't want to stop.

your heart races.

you look up at ace and he's never looked more earnest. mischievous, startled, impressed, hungry, and even flirty — you've had the privilege to learn what each of these expressions look like on ace's handsome face.

but this — his eyes boring into yours with an intensity that burns as hot as your cheeks — is a first.

you swear that you can feel his heart beat against your chest. he feels warm, even in an open vest, and you realize that he felt just as warm when he was holding your hand.

he brushes hair out of your face and, for a second time in this room, you hold your breath.

do it.

"you're right," he says quietly. "this is it."

and then, as if he heard your prayer, he kisses you.

day 23.

"are you okay? are you hurt?" you look for any sign of harm under all the soot on ace

"relax, it's just fire." he grins, "they do call me 'firefist ace', y'know."

finished with your examination, you reach up to brush away a bit of ash on his cheek. given any other circumstance, that smug smile on his face would make your heart flush.

right now, though, all you can think about are his words, sinking into your skin like lead.

"i know who you are, ace. the problem is," you do your best to erase any emotion from your voice. "so does everyone else now."

ever impulsive, the implication of ace's actions doesn't hit him until now. silence settles between you for a moment, and in the background, the commotion becomes audible. between the ship fire and ace's identity reveal, you've never heard so much chaos happen at once.

"they're looking for you," you say quietly. "they'll find you soon."

you wish you had more time. in the past 3 weeks, you've realized — on more than once occasion — that this is not what you signed up for. this had started out as a purely transactional relationship between a criminal and law enforcement, i.e. the bad guy and the good guy.

but it's been so much more than that.

in all his smiles and stupidity, his companionship, and his kind, kind heart, ace has proven to you over and over again that he's more than just the bad guy that your training manual has made him out to be.

you thumb the seastone cuffs hanging from your waist, completely lost in your thoughts. your stupid agreement looms over you; you know this is your only chance to arrest him.

it's not until he says your name that you remember where you are.

"did you say something?"

ace takes a deep breath, looking far more serious than you've seen.

"the deal's off."

huh?

"but we have a contract," you cling onto the very thing that you were just cursing. "you can't just do that! you got everything you wanted, you- it's not fair-"

he takes your hand, and the small act of affection is enough to quiet your protests.

"will you listen to me for a second?"

his voice is gentle, careful, loving. you manage to nod.

"i think," he intertwines his fingers in yours. "we both knew that my arrest was never going to happen."

you say nothing, waiting.

"i have no intention of getting captured here," he takes your other hand. "and i don't think you want to do it either."

a pang in your chest. he's right, and you know it. deep down, you knew that you were never going to be able to hold up your end of the bargain. the idea of putting an end to his adventures is something that you could never do.

he presses his forehead against yours, and it's so, so warm. it makes your heart ache. you close your eyes, focusing solely on the warmth that blooms from where you and ace are connected — from your foreheads, from your fingertips — as if it might make this any easier.

"hey," ace's voice is barely a whisper. "look at me."

like a good marine, you do as you're told.

you look into his dark eyes, and they look into yours.

"here's what i want you to do," his breath fans your cheeks.

"you're going to tell the captain that i'm going after blackbeard. tell them that you have information on his defection from the whitebeard pirates for the murder of a crewmate, okay?"

you nod again, willing the tears that are building in your chest to stay where they are.

"and thank you," he says. ace's voice breaks, and that's when the dam cracks. tears fall onto your cheeks as he does his best to continue.

"thank you for your help," ace says, knowing that he's running out of time and conviction to leave. "and for giving me everything i wanted."

he tilts your chin up to wipe away your tears, "you are everything."

and he kisses you for what feels like a millisecond and a lifetime all at once. he tastes like unfinished stories and goodbyes come too soon — like the sweetness of ice cream on a summer afternoon, like the warmth of breakfast on an autumn morning, and the richness of hot cocoa on a winter night.

he tastes like what you imagine love to be.

"wait for me," is the last thing he says to you before he leaves.

and like a good marine, you'll do as you're told.

epilogue.

"mail for ya, sarge!"

you take the letter from the young postal worker, thanking her for delivering your letter. you inspect the letter, curiosity growing as you do. there's no return address or sender, just your name and what looks to be a burn mark.

you smile.

ripping open the envelope, you find a photograph of a freckled pirate in his orange hat in front of an ice cream shoppe, eyes smiling in that way that makes him look like a little kid.

there's a sign in the background that reads "best ice cream in the world!" and you laugh. flipping over the photo of ace, you find a short message.

gonna need you to come verify their claims - let's go together next time.

it's a deal.

[coldslaws]

finally got all of my au alt N designs in one pic. and a bonus ancestor. enjoy :)

if you haven't seen most of these before it's because ive only really posted about one of them

from left to right-

Animal crossing: just a little guy! exactly what it says on the tin. N moves to a deserted island full of anthro pokémon. it's a fun time

N: you know her. you love her. and if you don't then you're probably following the wrong account sorry

Euclid: cowboy au N. a wandering bandit in old western unova out to antagonize folks and steal their pokémon away to his sanctuary. snatching some funds along the way also doesn't hurt. i go back and forth on making him a legit ancestor to N as opposed to just an au version, if i ever decide officially on that one way or the other then i may further change his appearance

?: who the hell is this guy. this is not N. wonder if he may be relevant in the future of @raising-harmony . who knows. i sure don't

Faller: woke up one day a strange region. they have no belongings from their original time or home to identify themself with- although, they did appear alongside an odd man in a white uniform. N has no recollection of anything whatsoever, but the man adventuring alongside them seems to know more than he's letting on

Warden: once a warden to a lord zoroark. the people of hisui never very well respected them or their lord, given how dreadful zoroarks were seen as. as the creatures were wiped out en masse, and the remainders were forced to relocate, N was unwilling to leave her friends behind, and perished alongside them. rumor has it you can still see him roaming along mountains and snowbanks with his lord at his side

Beta unova: you know him. you hate him. it's okay he hates you too

[tuliplee2]

I think a good in universe explanation for a lot of small plot holes in Luffys backstory is that he was kinda sickly when he was born and everyone was just glad he was alive.

Why was Luffy raised in foosha village and not with the mountain bandits like Ace? He needed more care than was possible at that mountain base.

Why is Luffy so much smaller than his dad and grandpa? Because he was born sickly and nearly died every time he went out without supervision till he was at least 8

Why did Luffy not know haki? At 7 Ace was fighting grown men and winning with mild scratches at 7 Luffy with a devil fruit that makes him immune to blunt damage nearly died do to some random bandit the moment he did not have direct supervision. They needed to work on basic not dying in a fight.

Why was Garp in the east blue at the start of the series with a conveniently open position that would train a teenager in haki and marine skills? He was planning on filling that position with Luffy and teaching him ship and haki stuff than.

Why was Luffy so much weaker than Ace when he set out to be a pirate? His training and actually fighting didn't start until later in Luffys life than Ace so he didn't reach Ace at 17 levels till he was like 19

Why wasn't Luffy taught so many things about this world? People were just glad that he wasn't dead because he nearly died like 4 times by 8.

Was this planned by Oda probably not but it fits

[halloween-neko96]

The Ocean Where The Stars Follow You 💫

[One Piece - ASL Never Met AU]

The one Roger trusted his son with wasn't Garp. That one small difference created a whole lot of changes.

In which, Ace was raised by Rayleigh, Sabo still tried so hard to leave the Goa Kingdom, and Luffy grew up without brothers.

Ace - Intro 1 | Early Childhood

Instead of Garp, Roger trusted his son with Rayleigh so Ace was raised by Rayleigh and Shakky on Saobody.

Ace is a much happier boy because he knows his parents love him from the start. He doesn't have parental issues aside from a little guilt for Rouge's death. Rayleigh spends a lot of time telling him stories about Roger and Rouge.

However, Ace also didn't grow up without issues. Rayleigh continued mourning Roger and Rouge for a long time and Ace sometimes reminds him about them a lot. Ace developed quite a complex about it, sometimes feeling guilty for making Rayleigh sad.

Rayleigh did try his best but Saobody is not a nice place for a child to grow up. Ace got in a lot of trouble. He also saw a lot of ugly things under the cheerful surface of it. By the time he reaches his teenage years, Ace already has a rather big reputation on Saobody.

Sabo - Intro 1 | Early Childhood

Sabo's early years follow the same as canon. The 5-year-old noble child ran away to live in the Grey Terminal. However, there is no Ace for him to befriend with.

Sabo spent his following years living alone in Grey Terminal, stealing and robbing people. At one point, his father found out and got him back. The fire in Grey Terminal still happened. Sabo met Dragon briefly while trying to warn him about it.

In the end, Sabo still chose to leave Dawn Island and was shot down by the Tenryuubito that visited the Goa Kingdom. He was saved by Dragon and the Revolutionary Army.

And here is the twist. Sabo doesn't have amnesia. He remembers perfectly his childhood and there is nothing on Dawn Island that makes him want to come back. Because there were no brothers and shared happiness. As far as Sabo is concerned, the only thing waiting for him back in the Goa Kingdom is suffering. So he went with the Revolutionary Army and never looked back.

Luffy - Intro 1 | Early Childhood

After Shanks and his crew left, Garp didn't bring Luffy to Dadan. Luffy spent the rest of his childhood in Foosha Village.

Luffy, due to spending more years with Makino in her bar, learned a bit of her skills. He still is a disaster in the kitchen but Luffy is actually good at bartending.

At one point, in his boredom, Luffy decided to explore the jungle. He eventually met Dadan and her bandits as well as discovered the Grey Terminal. Luffy in a stroke of luck, found Sabo's old stash of pirate funds. He used it to pay for a part of his tab at Makino bar.

Since finding out about the big animals on the mountain, Luffy started to go hunting more often and spent more time on the mountain. He usually crashed Dadan's place despite her protest. She stopped complaining once Luffy left her some of his hunts and some treasures he robbed the thugs from the Grey Terminal.

Luffy's main place was still Garp's small house in Foosha Village. It's where he kept all his stuff.

[Next>>]

[trofysisters]

Тимофей

Тяжкое бремя ответственности легло на плечи Тимофея, ведь теперь он в доме хозяин и должен заботиться о благополучии семьи. Ждать вакансии в маминой профессии он не мог, поэтому был готов пойти хоть уборщиком дельфиньих загонов, хоть учителем в школу. Судьба ему благоволила, и его взяли учителем на замене. (A heavy burden of responsibility fell on Timofey’s shoulders, because now he is the master of the house and must take care of the well-being of the family. He couldn’t wait for a vacancy in his mother’s profession, so he was ready to become a dolphin pen cleaner or a school teacher. Fate favored him, and he was hired as a substitute teacher)

В первый же свой рабочий день он получил постоянную работу учителем начальных классов. Просто прежний учитель не выдержал и сбежал, а Тимофей мечтал иметь большую семью, вырастить и устроить брак 6 своих детей, поэтому обязан был научиться справляться с этими маленькими разбойниками. (On his first day of work, he got a permanent job as a primary school teacher. It’s just that the former teacher couldn’t stand it and ran away, and Timofey dreamed of having a big family, raising and marrying 6 of his children, so he had to learn to cope with these little bandits)

Жена Тимофея - Олеся полностью разделяла его мечту. Она даже постаралась подружиться с беременной соседкой, чтобы познать все секреты счастливой семейной жизни. Вот только готовить Олеся умела только яичницу. Яичница на завтрак, яичница на обед, на ужин омлет. Надеюсь, Тимофей вскоре не закукарекает. (Timofey's wife, Olesya, fully shared his dream. She even tried to make friends with her pregnant neighbor in order to learn all the secrets of a happy family life. But Olesya only knew how to cook scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs for breakfast, scrambled eggs for lunch, omelet for dinner. I hope Timofey doesn’t start crowing soon)

Хоть Олеся и закончила университет, знала она очень мало. Однако она была готова учиться и поддерживать чистоту в квартире. (Even though Olesya graduated from university, she knew very little. However, she was ready to learn and keep the apartment clean)

Вот только из-за недостатка знаний весь мир для нее был полон чудес и магии. Она убеждала Тимофея, что они обязательно поедут в свадебное путешествие в горы, нужно только послать запрос во Вселенную. (But because of a lack of knowledge, the whole world for her was full of miracles and magic. She convinced Timofey that they would definitely go on a honeymoon to the mountains, they just needed to send a request to the Universe)

Тимофей жену не переубеждал. Пусть верит во что хочет, главное, чтобы она была счастлива, а ее заветные желания он сам исполнять будет. (Timofey did not persuade his wife. Let her believe in whatever she wants, the main thing is that she is happy, and he himself will fulfill her cherished desires)

Пока супруги наслаждались друг другом, у двери в их квартиру появился задиристый парень из университета. Во время учебы он постоянно издевался над Олесей. На днях он ей звонил по телефону, но Тимофей не стал ее звать, подозревая, что ничего хорошего этот парень не скажет. Что ему вообще нужно от девушки? (While the couple was enjoying each other, a cocky guy from the university appeared at the door to their apartment. During his studies, he constantly bullied Olesya. The other day he called her on the phone, but Timofey did not call her, suspecting that this guy would not say anything good. What does he even want from a girl?)

Ночь любви с супругом дала свои плоды, (The night of love with my husband bore fruit,)

и Олеся побежала рассказывать о случившимся со всеми подробностями еще одной соседке. (and Olesya ran to tell another neighbor about what had happened with all the details)

Однако к просьбе Тимофея о повышении Вселенная была глуха. (However, the Universe turned a deaf ear to Timofey’s request for a promotion)

Возможно, ему просто не хватало навыка, поэтому пришлось ему развиваться на материальном уровне со шваброй в руках. (Perhaps he simply lacked the skill, so he had to develop on a material level with a mop in his hands)

В любом случае, главным чудом в его жизни было скорое рождение их с Олесей ребенка. (In any case, the main miracle in his life was the imminent birth of his and Olesya’s child)

[blacklegsanjiii]

Okay but- Acesan estabilished relatonship in Single Dad!Mihawk AU?

Like, the Strawhats meet the Cross Guild, and no one besides Sanji and Zoro (bc he stayed in Kuraigana for 2 years) knows Mihawk is Sanji's dad. Sabo and Ace are going to see Luffy and the crew like they hace been planning (Ace also wants to see his boyfriend), and finds the Strawhats witg the Cross Guild (they're... confused, to say the least).

Crocodile and Buggy intent to ignore them and decide to go their way, but Mihawk stays (almost everyone is kinda nervous about this), he's silent for some minutes until he says: "Good to see you Roronoa, and how are you, Sanji?". And as if everyone isn't already surprised by him knowing 'Hawkeye', Sanji replies with one: "I'm alright, dad".

And boom, there's chaos. The Strawhats are asking a thousand questions to Sanji and Ace is processing the fact that his boyfriend is DRACULE MIHAWK'S SON.

When everyone thinks everything calmed down, Luffy asks "Ace, don't you knew Sanji was Mihawk's son? You're his boyfriend"

Well, this isn't a information Dracule was expecting. (I just want to see, like, a 'family dinner' with Mihawk, Sanji and the ASL - Ace kinda nervous, of course)

I've been looking at this for a while trying to think of how to respond because Golden is vastly different. I'm definitely down for a Single Dad!Mihawk pt 2 Ace Lives AU. I haven't posted much about it or the concept of it at all so.

Sanji and Ace, who have been dating since Alabasta at least. Like at some point after the time skip and post Wano ASL all plan to meet on Karai Bari probably cuz Mihawk wants to test Zoro or something. Mihawk also just wants to actually see his son so ya know? Also he absolutely has not seen Sanji since he almost bisected Zoro.

So yeah Ace and Sabo show up as they're making landfall to Karai Bari and after a brief talk with the chairman and the lieutenants Buggy and Croc leave and Mihawk is just inspecting them all. He's probably trying to gauge their power when Zoro's like "where's 'Rona?"

And Mihawk explains she went back to Moria rather nonchalantly and then Zoro quickly catches Mihawk who nods and then looks to Sanji who is like "what?" And Mihawk is like "and how have you been?" And Sanji, whose brain to mouth filter is gone for the moment, "well I'm not starving on a rock with Zeff so I think I'm good dad"

Which

Okay.

Ace.EXE has stopped working. Robin is giggling madly at what Sanji said and Mihawk is pinching the bridge of his nose as Nami is yelling at Sanji and Chopper is crying and clinging to Sanji's leg. Zoro is gripping his sides laughing as everyone else is catching up while Ace is still blue screened. There is so much yelling. So much. Mihawk groans because he expected it, he did, but it's so much noisier than what he's used to. Even Buggy and Crocodile fighting every day should have made him used to the noise, and Perona and Roronoa before that, doesn't make it easier.

And then yeah, Luffy would say some dumb shit like which causes Ace, who has just started to come back around to blue screen again. He shouldn't be scared, he was the second division commander(or still is? First division maybe? Is he a strawhat? You decide!) He had a war fought over him specifically. He fought Germa to save his boyfriend! He's fought admirals and vice admirals and was raised by mountain bandits and Garp, he isn't scared but his boyfriend, Sanji, the love of his life and light of his life is Dracule Mihawk's son? Like what the actual fuck and then he watches Mihawk blink as Sanji lights a cigarette off of his own foot and Ace goes "I know! I go to prison and he disappears for two years and can do that and sky walk!"

Mihawk looks to Sanji and is like really? And Sanji points out that he told Mihawk he wanted to learn to fly when he was eleven after Marco flew him around Kuraigana as a reward when Marco came to check on the hand he broke training Sanji with swords. The hand that freaked Mihawk out because it healed in two weeks. And Chopper nods solemnly "youve always healed freakishly fast, after seeing Germa it makes sense"

And Luffy talks about the fact that Sanji broke his back and fought the next day and was fine. Sanji points out Zoro tried to cut off his feet on the island before that. Luffy says he stabbed himself in the face. Mihawk is looking at the monster trio before Koala and Nami say in tandem that when the brothers are together it is worse. Mihawk agrees to have dinner with them all and he's catching up with Jinbei who asks him why he didn't betray at Marineford and Mihawk gestures at the island which makes Sanji ask about Kuraigana. Turns out the Marines are trying to take it over.

"Trying" being the key word. Sanji and Zoro nod. Ace is like "why didn't you tell me?" And Sanji just gestures between him and Mihawk and asks if anyone would have believed him. Zoro says not before training under Mihawk. Jinbei says their humor is very similar. Then Ace asks about Marco and the broken hand which Sabo and Luffy are climbing Ace to hear about and Mihawk tells them about how he had just started training Sanji in haki then a few days later White Beard pulls Sanji out of hiding space and sent him into a PTSD attack. Sanji nods over the stove as he cooks and then tells the story of Mihawk breaking his hand.

Like when they're in town at the Doctor and he says it's fine? But it's not fine? It was broken in several places? Mihawk felt awful and Yoru screamed at him the entire time. And when Marco checked on him after Mihawk called in the favor cuz he scared the fuck out of his son and when Marco was checking him over he looked at Mihawk and double checked that he broke Sanji's hand, triple checked even. And then later he flew Sanji around and Marco laughed at Mihawk for how pale he went even though he's already translucent.

Sabo and Luffy are laughing, Ace really wants to join them but that's his boyfriend's dad. The Greatest Swordsman Alive is his boyfriend's dad. He's terrified. But as Sanji starts to get ready to serve Luffy is trapped by hands and Ace goes to help Sanji and Koala sits on Sabo to keep him distracted.

"Luffy will try to steal your food, he doesn't care, no matter how much I feed him or how often." Sanji says as he and Ace start setting plates in front of people.

"The exact opposite of you then." Mihawk says.

"Okay well, we don't need to get into that. Look at who I date and my captain, trust me. It's fine." Sanji assures the man who just eyes him. "Judge is alive, worry about that." And Luffy is whining so when they're all sat with plates Mihawk watches first hand how Luffy eats, Sabo eats like he's on a mission as well. Ace probably had manners beat into him by Deuce, Marco, and Makino so at least there's that. Mihawk expertly evades Luffy where as his crew and brothers and Koala will stab Luffy in the hands.

Sanji makes Zoro help with dishes since he trained for two years under and they're just gonna be washing dishes. Luffy asks what Sanji was like on Kuraigana and Mihawk answers. Leaves out most of the trauma healing they had to work on. Ace probably doesn't know the extent. Sanji's scars were faded by the time he was thirteen. And the Nami says she thought Sanji would be taller after seeing his birth family and Mihawk cocks a brow as Sanji tenses slightly.

"That is something Sanji will discuss if he so chooses. Bear in mind Luffy is the grandson of Garp and son of Dragon and he's not their height. He may still grow." Mihawk points out.

When dishes are done they filter out at some point it's just Ace and Mihawk. Luffy is probably already begging for food or dessert or something. Sabo is talking with Jinbei but keeping an eye on Ace and Mihawk.

"So are you going to give me a shovel talk or something?" Ace asks.

"I don't necessarily see the need." Mihawk answers. "Unless you want me to threaten you?"

"No, no, it's okay." Ace quickly assures a hand on his neck. "I just wish he told me about you."

"I'm sure you feel the same way about Germa as well." Mihawk says and Ace nods. "Never told me the name of his country, once in a great while would tell me something vague about his family. I couldn't risk having someone take him. It took a lot of work to get him here."

Ace nods again as they watch the crew and Mihawk chats idly with some members who aren't afraid to talk to him.

"So if I married Sanji-"

"Don't push your luck."

[diminuel]

How does Ace’s personality differ in stinkychild au

I mused on that before a bit in this ask reply!

I think personality wise he is pretty much the same. He starts out being closed off and always ready to bite, but he warms up very quickly once he realizes that there are people who want him, who care about him and who are invested in his well-being. Before he got picked up by Crocodile, he was "raised" by emotionally distant and overwhelmed mountain bandits who constantly talk about how he's a burden and that there's something bad about him that he doesn't understand but that makes him different.

He grows up to be polite, kind and responsible, but he's also a bit of a hot head that needs to constantly prove himself worthy because he simply can't shake off just how much the world hates Roger's blood line.

He tries to silence his fears of not being worthy of the love he's been given, by being rather reckless out there. Making a name for himself, living his life on his own terms instead of in the shadows of the pirate king.

Whitebeard, a pirate who knew Roger, who is part of the big world out there that hates him, gives him validation that his parents can't (because they're his parents, they are biased, they must love him) and maybe that helps cool his head a bit.

But a part of him is always uneasy in his skin.

So, to sum up, he's the pretty much the same X'D

[venturethroughtheveil]

Beyond The Pines [Pt. I]

[Series description: Two years ago, dad died from cancer, leaving you to raise your younger sister, Vivian, alone. Your best friend, Ellie, was one of the few support systems you had until your feelings for her seemingly put a strain on your relationship. When Vivian goes missing, can you trust Ellie to help bring her back?]

[Author comments: I've put together an audio to go play along as you read. Voices are *ALL* AI-generated using ElevenLabs. I did not include Y/N's voice in order to preserve your own inner dialogue. This series will be slow-burn, and will have smut and graphic depictions of violence. 18+ only.]

[Credit to Youtube Channels Ambient City (horse stables); Hursty Outdoors (walking/snow); Music: Gustavo Santaolalla (Opening Suite; Longing; Unbound)]

Be sure to expand the audio to play from the beginning!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

You slipped a glove off, braving the winter chill to scavenge your jacket pockets.

Sugar cube.

A rare commodity for your generation; you were lucky to find a small box of them while scavenging a ravaged coffee shop. You twiddled the rock-hard substance between your thumb and index, anything to dissociate from the girls’ conversation. Something about Dina falling into a pile of shit; you tried not to smile at that.

Fresh, powdered snow crunched beneath the heel of your boots. The warm glow of faerie lights danced across the ground at the stable’s entrance. 

Jackson was quiet. Peaceful. Safe. A stark contrast from the nightmarish infected and worse – bandits – roaming the mountains outside town limits.

They pass you.

“C’mere, Phantom,” The sleek, black mare whinnied and happily trotted into her refuge, “my pretty girl.”

She was a young horse, strong, with a spitfire nature. You had that in common.

When you weren’t on duty, you and Ellie used to race her and Shimmer on Cirque Trail, stopping to stuff your pockets full of wild huckleberries, which Joel made into killer pies. You frowned at the thought.

Gently, you threaded your hands through Phantom’s mane, silently thanking her for keeping you safe another day.

"Because you've been so good today," you murmur, presenting the sugar cube in a cupped hand. Immediately, Phantom gnashes it between her teeth, nose flaring.

Her face is just too comical. You laugh, wiping the slobber from your palms on your worn blue jeans.

The shrill creak of another stable door shutting disrupts the moment. Dina laughs at something Ellie says.

“Night, Ellie.”

From your peripheral, you see the woman leave.

The last six hours of patrol were miserable, from the clutch of infected you cleared to the dry dialogue between you and your friends.

Well, you were friends until three months ago at the town dance when you watched Ellie and Dina kiss. At this, you passed your glass of whiskey off to an equally dumbfounded Jesse and walked straight out of the hall, tears pricking your eyes and bile rising in your throat.

Beyond patrols with them– which, despite your pleas, Maria continued to schedule, likely to force a reconciliation – you hadn’t talked to either since.

Apart from working well together, you and Dina weren’t inseparable, so avoiding her has been relatively easy. On the other hand, avoiding Ellie, your ex-best friend, has been excruciating. No matter how hard she tried – showing up at your door in the dead of night to beg you to come outside, leaving joints on your windowsill, landing snowballs square in the back of your head – Ellie couldn’t get more than cut-and-dry responses out of you.

Eventually, she stopped trying.

Part of you was embarrassed at your childish behavior, but you couldn’t face her, not after that night.

You closed the latch to Phantom’s stable, hyper-aware of the forest green eyes that bore into your side profile.

Without a word, you make your way over toward Mike, who was on duty tonight.

“Hey - thanks again for picking up a shift so short notice, Y/N,” he gave you a sympathetic smile, “with the horde that’s passing through, we can’t be too careful.”

‘Bullshit. This is all Maria.’

“Sure, don’t mention it” Your tone was casual, but irritation and exhaustion were etched into your features. Desperate to go home and avoid Ellie – who was clearly waiting for you, you quickly scribbled in the logbook.

‘Four runners + three clickers in Tetonia. Cleared.’

You said goodnight to Mike and walked straight past the freckled girl. She was propped up against the stable entrance, brows furrowed and lips in a tight line. She looked tired.

“Uh - hey...”

You keep walking.

“…okay…”

‘Fuck off,’ you wanted to say. Instead, you shook your head and gripped your backpack tighter, eyes unable to meet hers.

No more stargazing with her. No more all-nighters snuggled up watching cheesy 1980s horror films. No more spitballing ideas for her next set of tattoos – a rabbit skull; an arrow; the numbers 000129 – she never explained that one; an ouroboros. No more. You had bigger things to worry about.

She made her choice, and it wasn’t you.

‘UGH,’ Your face scrunched up in a cringe.

She could have at least told you. While her head was in your lap – your fingers gently combing her auburn locks to the soft tune of Johnny Cash’s Hurt filling your bedroom – she was dreaming of Dina the whole time.

And you could have it all, my empire of dirt.

I will let you down.

I will make you hurt.

Heat bloomed across your face in embarrassment. You never told Ellie that you loved her – that you were in love with her – hell, you didn’t even understand it until you saw them lock lips at the dance. Now, you were cursed to watch them fall in love while you self-isolated and grew more bitter by the day.

The walk home was about thirty minutes from the stables. A good chunk of land on the outskirts of Jackson that's been in the family for generations.

Hopefully, your sister wasn’t asleep. You needed to vent.

‘If I walk fast, I’ll probably get home at 10ish.’

Fragrant pine and earth filled your frost-nipped nostrils. Even with your heavy parka, and thick, fur-lined boots, the cold settled deep in your bones. Without a flashlight, seeing your hands in front of your face would be impossible. It was that dark out.

The metal of your keys stung your battered hands. You became keenly aware of something behind you as you turned the lock. No need to reach for your pistol; it was obvious who was in your driveway.

‘How the fuck did I not notice her?’

“So, you’re stalking me now?” Without turning around, you tapped the heel of your boots against the worn, wooden deck to knock off the snow. You then kneeled to untie them. “Go home, El.” There was an authority in your voice.

Footsteps approached, crunching through the snow. 

“Maybe I’m not here to see you,” Ellie shrugged, “maybe I’m here to see Vivian.”

“I really doubt that.”

You turned and looked up at her, batting snowflakes from your lashes. It was the first time you’d really studied her face in weeks.

Dark circles hung beneath her eyes, cheeks hollow as if she’d not slept or eaten, yet, with that constellation of freckles smattered across her face, the deep forest green of her eyes, those lips, she was still the most beautiful girl you’d ever seen, more beautiful than any model from those Vogue magazines your sister collects.

“You look like shit.” You lied.

“Gee, thanks.” A smile tugged at the corner of Ellie’s lips. “Can I come in? It’s cold as shit out here.”

You hesitated; time seemingly slowed as you studied her. Ellie’s eyes met yours, unwavering. That stupid cocky smirk was still etched into her face.

“Take your shoes off,” you conceded. “Don’t track horse shit into my house.”

Family pictures, odds and ends from your grandparents’ vacations to Maine, and cheesy words of affirmation your mother hung years ago adorned the entrance of your home. It wasn’t your style, but it felt wrong to take them down.

Ellie’s eyes traveled around the room, searching for changes.

The cabin was simply too spacious for just Vivian and yourself. Two stories tall, there were four rooms and three baths. Maria has scheduled to move incoming residents downstairs sometime next month. This angered you more than Viv. This was your family’s home, and you certainly didn’t want strangers sleeping in what once was your parents’ bedroom. You didn’t have any say in the matter.

Your younger sister, on the other hand, was enthusiastic. For her, it was ‘too quiet,’ being just the two of you. You couldn’t really blame her, though. Most interactions between you since your dad’s passing have stuck to mostly your venting about patrols and Maria and all the house repairs needed. Vivian would talk about her newest boyfriend – if you can even call them that – the boys never lasted more than a month.

Dad passed two years ago from cancer.

It was a devastating loss to both of you, but you especially had little time to grieve. Vivian was just 14 at the time. She’d started supervised patrols with Jesse only one week prior. Dad was proud.

When everything went to shit, you took extra patrols to cover Viv’s duties. You did this for a few reasons, to let her have the chance to be a kid and grieve, to provide for your baby sister, and to avoid facing the reality of your situation. You two were alone in the world, and you weren’t ready to raise a 14-year-old.

Ellie made the extra effort to be there for you both. She’d walk Vivian to school and training, cook dinner, and often help with chores. She’d spend ration coupons on old, crumbling makeup or cheap-smelling candles that your sister adored.

It wouldn’t be totally out of character for Ellie to walk all this way to check on Viv, not at this hour, though, and you both knew it.

‘So why did you let her in?’

You set your shoes down at the entrance, inviting Ellie to do the same. The grandfather clock in the adjacent dining room read 10:13 pm.

“I’ll tell Vivian you’re here. I’m gonna head to bed –“

“Come on, Y/N,” Ellie grabs your arm, “I can’t live like this anymore. You don’t answer the door, you won’t talk to me,” she grips you tighter, “you won’t even fucking look at me.”

Her touch burned your skin. You try to yank back your hand to no avail. She was much stronger than you.

“I fucking miss you, I miss my best fucking friend, and I don’t even know what I did wrong.” Her eyes are pleading, desperate.

“Let go of me, asshole,” you demand in a whisper-yell. “you’re gonna fucking wake Viv.”

But it was useless; Ellie’s eyes were determined, glossy, as if she were on the verge of tears.

She pulls you closer to her, chest pressed against yours, and you’re sure she can feel your heartbeat pounding out of your ribcage. This is too close. Intimately close.

“Talk to me. Say what you need to say.” She demands. “yell at me, hit me – anything – so we can move on and pretend you haven’t been acting fucking insane the last few months.”

Her lips are too close to yours.

“Don’t make me.” Your voice was small, eyes welling with tears. Emotions that had been bottled for the past three months. It was your turn to beg. Beg her not to do this. Not here, not ever. All you wanted was to grieve the loss of your friendship and move on so you could get your shit together for your sister. There was no room for weakness in your life anymore. Cutting her off is easier than a painful rejection.

Ellie’s eyes searched yours for an answer, and her lips were pulled in a frown.

“I need to know, Y/N.”

‘Don’t do it.’

You weren’t the best at impulse control. It was a trait you got from mom, something you thought you’d begun to improve at. But the body heat between you, the desperation in Ellie’s eyes, and her nails digging into your now-bare shoulders were too much.

Ellie’s lips were chapped compared to yours. Salty from the tears that had flown moments prior. The kiss was innocent, sad. Your lips moved gently against her still ones. This wasn’t how you dreamt it happening.

The kiss was over as soon as it began.

Ellie pulled back, freeing you from her iron grip. You both stood there, facing each other for an eternity. The grandfather clock ticked loudly.

She looked dumbstruck, cheeks blooming red, and it wasn’t from the cold.

“Shit”

White-hot shame finally engulfed you as you realized what you’d just done.

‘So much for self-control.’

Without another word, you grabbed the jacket at your feet and rushed upstairs, two steps at a time.

Part of you wanted to seek refuge in your sister’s room, cuddle up, and cry into her shoulder like when you were kids and mom and dad would have screaming matches downstairs. Instead, you barged into your room and locked the door behind you.

Ellie doesn't follow.