#card is actually in our lost and found but if they don’t come back for it / bring the tv back THEN we’re using it

[jellyfishparade]

cleaned a house yesterday n they left all their garbage , food , cig ashes , and stunk up the place ,, and they also stole the damn TV !!!

BUT yk what else ? they forgot their credit card :) and now their buying us lunch for our troubles

[yeonmuse]

FLOOR 22 | DAY 8

PAIRING Lyricist & Lead Singer Kevin x Fan Reader

WORD COUNT | 2k

GENRE Smut

WARNINGS 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT ‼️ vaginal, body worship, mature language,etc

SUMMARY He spotted you in the crowd the night of his show and as if fate was on his side he found that you had been staying in the exact same hotel that he had been staying in.

MORE | Day 8 of the Groupie Love Series

Kevin was completely mesmerized as his eyes found you in the crowd. You seemed so bold and carefree the way your body moved at its own will, the only one that stood out to him amongst the crowd. Amongst the many women throwing panties and bras or trying their hardest to get the attention of him and the rest of the band you seemed to be in your own little world. You seemed to be doing something that was most important to him when it came to these shows, enjoying the music. Whether it was dancing in your own or rocking your hips to the sound of the music against some lonesome stranger you were just completely captivating, that was exactly why he why he would end the show regretting not having pulled you up on that stage.

When the show was over and he was alone in his car driving back to his hotel he mentally cursed himself for not having figured out who you were. He was left with just the memory alone of how you looked, no way of putting a name to the face, no way of contacting you, or at least that’s what he thought. As he arrives at the hotel he steps out of his car with an annoyed groan, throwing his keys over to the valet he disregards the thought of you all together, as his hope of finding you was somewhat lost.

“What the hell do you mean you gave away my room? Check In doesn’t even end until 11 o'clock.”

“Ma’am it’s on a first come first served basis if you had checked in on time then this mix up could have been avoided.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Look, I'm trying my best to stay calm and not be disrespectful, but either you pay me back in full or find me another room.”

Kevin was planning on simply passing by without regard for what had been happening in the lobby, after all it wasn’t just business. His plans were completely spoiled as he entered the lobby and saw your familiar frame standing at the check in.

“Ah Mr. Moon I'm sorry, did you need something?” Seeming to have completely disregarded you as if you weren’t there the receptionist redirects her attention to Kevin.

“Excuse the fuck out of me?” It was obvious now that you were completely pissed, so pissed that you hadn’t even seemed to notice who had been standing right there behind you.

“Actually, find her a room and put it on my card.”

“But sir, the only room we have left is our vacation suite and it currently has not yet been cleaned by housekeeping.”

“Whatever it is, have it ready for her by tonight, in the meantime have her bags brought to my floor, she can stay in the penthouse until her room is ready. If that’s alright with her of course.”

“I'd love to actually thank you.” Kevin couldn’t hide his adoration or amusement towards you when you turned towards the receptionist with a smug grin and spoke a sarcastic thank you.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to do that, you’re honestly a lot sweeter than I thought you’d be.”

“You know me?” Of course you knew him, and he obviously knew that having seen you at his show tonight but he couldn't let you know that.

“Mm somewhat, i could tell you more about your songs than i could about the band, not that you guys aren’t interesting, i've just found that sometimes the artists behind the music aren’t who they make themselves out to be sometimes.”

“And what do I make myself out to be?” He was quite curious to say the least, but most of all he was dying to know your perception of him.

“Mm it's too early in the conversation now but having seen videos of you offstage sometimes you seem like someone that just wants to enjoy his life, you don’t care much for public opinion, you’re the most carefree amongst the others.”

“Guess I'll have to take this time to prove your perception of me right.” His playful demeanor earned a laugh from you which immediately made him smile in response. You seemed to be in complete awe the moment the elevator doors opened onto his private floor, he had a penthouse all to himself.

“Make yourself comfortable, I'm sure your clothes will be up soon so if you want to take a shower you can use the first room to the left upstairs, if you need anything just give me a call i'll be in the kitchen.”

As Kevin instructed you make your way up the stairs and into the first door on the left. The entire penthouse just completely amazed you from the decor to the view of the city. You absolutely couldn’t believe that someone like Kevin Moon would invite you into his suite, but you were grateful. Seconds later as you had been taking in the view there was a knock on the door interrupting your viewing. As you opened it you were met with your bags placed outside the door, and you figured Kevin just sat there wanting to respect your privacy. Finally you could get out of those clothes and take a much needed shower.

While you had been upstairs showering Kevin had been downstairs in the kitchen, his mind seemingly wandering as he prepared dinner for both himself and now his new guest. A guest that Kevin couldn’t help but wonder what she would look like pressed against his wall. He was pulled from his thoughts as you entered the kitchen, in a crop top and a pair of shorts.

“It smells good in here, who would have known you could cook too.”

“There's a lot the media doesn’t care to know.” Kevin forced himself to look away from you, in order to not completely embarrass himself and ruin dinner in front of you. He couldn’t help but tense up in front of you throughout his cooking, you seemed to watch his every move, even when he shoves both dishes into the oven and sets the timer he could feel the way your eyes were glued to him.

“Maybe I should start a cooking show since you seem quite interested in watching me cook.”

“I'm sorry I stared too hard. Were you weirded out? I was just trying to pay attention to the steps since I never had what you’re making, I figured I’d just watch.”

“You're cute, Kevin chuckles and opens up the oven, he drops his spoon into the pan and takes out just enough for you to taste.”

“Since it's already nearly done I’ll have you be my little critic.” He brings the spoon to your mouth, his eyes stick on your lips as they wrap around the spoon. You seemed to have enjoyed it as a satisfied moan spills from your lips, making Kevin tense up.

“Kevin, this is so good, what the hell.” While you had been throwing Kevin praises, he seemed to have checked out. His eyes still on your lips, his mind playing the sound you made after tasting the food over and over.

“Kevin..”

“You have something here.” His thumb brushes across your lips making you immediately stiffen at his touch having been caught off guard. As if letting his intrusive thoughts win Kevins thumb brushes over your lips once again before he stuffs his thumb past your lips.

“You looked so beautiful at the show tonight I just couldn’t resist getting you alone. I'm sorry pretty, but I did lie to you…you think you can get past that? You think you could forget that I offered you to be here for my own selfish agenda?” His free hand rests on your waist. As he felt your tongue swipe across his thumb he knew that was his given answer.

“You looked so beautiful tonight, let me show you how someone should treat someone so beautiful.”

He lays you back against the counter, as he leaves adoring kisses from your waist to your chest his hands roamed every part of your body as if reading to memorize every frame. The way he touched and kissed your body like he was worshiping it sent chills up your spine. As he pushes your legs back to your chest a soft moan spills past your lips as you could feel how hard he was pressing up against your shorts through his pants. His hand rests on your ass and you immediately press into him making his breath get caught in his throat.

“If you keep on tempting me ill have to fuck You right here.” The moment he spoke you felt yourself clench and of course he felt it too. He now has both hands on your waist using his hold to press your ass again him, grinning as he hears a moan spill from your lips.

“Don’t play with me, Please Kevin.”

“I don’t know, I like hearing you beg.” He chuckles and you direct a slap to his chest making him laugh more. Finally as if not being able to wait himself he pulls off both your panties and shorts in one go before throwing them off to the side. Looking down at you like this he was completely mesmerized. You watch him as he leans back to push down his pants all while taking in the sight of you.

“Even more beautiful like this.” Without warning he pushes his thumb against your clit and applies pressure against it.

"I guess I'll have to admire how pretty it is later, I need you so bad right now, gorgeous." you moan at the pressure against your feeling his finger presses up against your clit in a way of not letting up. Finally moving his thumb he aligns his cock with your entrance before shoving inside.

“Oh fuck wait.” Kevin's nails dig into your thighs as you stop him from moving any further. Your back arching against the counter top as you tried to adjust to his size for a moment.

“Shit move.” He didn't need to be told twice, he starts off at this slow pace and moans lightly feeling how you clenched around him every time. Kevin didn't miss the way your nails clawed at the kitchen counter and then that was when you moaned his name, the moment he heard his name from your lips he knew he needed to hear more. They only fuel him to go faster and harder.

When he bottomed out you both groaned, and then he set a brutal pace. He was reaching so deeply that you were now certain you could feel it in your stomach. He bullied your cervix with the tip; slamming into you over and over as you cried out at the feeling.

“Kev, it’s too much-“ you whimpered, making him reach down to caress your cheek.

“Just hold on a little longer for me, beautiful you’re doing so well” he grunts in response to your soft whines, picking up his speed and rubbing his thumb over your clit.

In that moment you exploded with a loud moan. He picked up his speed, gripping your waist and yanking you into his thrusts. One of your hands reached up to pull him closer and he easily obliged. Leaning in closer he let your fingers tangle in his hair as he left kisses along your collarbone. By now you were practically crying from the overstimulating feeling but he still didn’t let up. His thrusts were getting sloppier and less rhythmic. Now his hips were stuttering and before you had a moment to realize what was happening he was sucking on your shoulder, and your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you melted to the pleasure, pure mind-dissolving ecstasy. You came hard, little dots of light scattering around your vision as your orgasm ripped through you. Kevin wraps his hands around the curve of your hips as he releases every drop deep inside of you.

“Ah fuck, we got this far and i didn’t even ask you your name.” Kevin, still breathless from moments ago, facepalms as he realized he had completely ruined you and never asked for your name. At his reaction you simply laugh and reach up to play with his hair.

“Yn, its Yn”

[spnbabe67]

The Devil Wears Lace

Kinktober Day 10: Nude Photography (D.W)

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem Original Character

Warnings: Smut, Oral (F. Rec), PiV

Summary: Tori knows how much Dean loves his Busty Asian Beauty magazines. So for his birthday, Tori comes up with a unique gift

Word Count: 1539

Authors Note: Title from the song The Devil Wears Lace by Steven Rodriguez

Tags: @zepskies @king-of-milf-lovers @nightxcreature @opheliadynah

When Tori found Dean’s stash of porno magazines, she actually found it funny, mostly because why did he hide them to begin with? She had been looking for an old spellbook in the back of their closet. He had them squirreled away in a beat up old shoe box and shoved it under a pile of blankets and flannels that didn’t have room to be hung up. She wasn’t gonna lie, she had sat down, flipping through the magazines, admiring the scantily clad or completely naked women photographed in the pages. A small glimmer of an idea planted itself in the back of her mind as she put them back exactly how she found them. She’d addressed the non-issue of him hiding them later, telling him he didn’t need to hide them, or at least not store them in the back corners of the dark closet like it was something to be ashamed of; he’d kissed her hard after that.

Her plan wasn’t set in motion until months later. January rolled around, and so did Dean’s birthday. Once all of their friends and family had either left or turned in for the night in the copious amounts of room in the Bunker, and her and Dean got ready for bed, Phase 1 of her plan was put into effect. 

“My love?” Tori had said innocently enough, holding the last present.

Dean’s grin was bright enough to outshine the Sun, and it warmed her heart beyond what was communicable with words. She could imagine that same ear-to-ear grin on baby Dean’s face. What she would give to go back in time and make sure that star-bright smile that made his green eyes sparkle made it’s way onto his face more often. She returned his smile as she closed the door, coming over to sit cross legged on the their bed across from him.

“Happy birthday, Baby.” She sat the neatly wrapped present on the bed between them.

It was funny, watching him carefully unwrap the present, removing the paper from the cardboard box. She suppressed an amused grin at Dean’s attempt to conceal his confusion as he saw the box contained a camera.

“I’m sure you have questions.” Tori giggled, grabbing her pocket knife from the nightstand, offering it to him to open the parcel.

“It’s great, Tor.” Dean said, opening the box. “But photography is more Sammy’s thing don’t you think?”

“I don’t think you want Sammy to be a part of these photos.” Tori said with a half grin, standing up from the bed.

Dean set aside the camera as Tori slowly unbuttoned the flannel she had been wearing. As her nimble fingers freed each button, more and more of her skin was on display. Or it would have if the black, lacy, Teddy bodysuit wasn’t laid across her body like lines on a map. She shimmied out of her jeans before sauntering back over to Dean, standing between his legs.

“I know how much you like your magazines.” Tori carded her fingers through his hair, tipping his head back from where he’d been drinking her in like he’d been lost in the desert and she was a cold glass of water. “So I figured we could make one of our own. Your own special edition.”

“Tor.” Dean breathed, brushing his hands up and down her hips and sides, leaning in to press a kiss to her belly. “You are incredible and wonderful and I love you so much.”

Tori smiled, pride blooming in her chest at Dean’s praise. She dipped down, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before finding his lips. “I know.”

The next eleven months, they took pictures, sometimes it was when Tori decided to plan a themed outfit, like the dark red satin and lace set she wore for Valentines day, or the star spangled banner bikini top with incredibly short jean shorts for the Fourth of July. But most of the time it was Dean who pulled out the camera, snapping pictures of Tori fully nude, no make up, no itty bitty articles of clothing, just her, just the way Dean had fallen in love with her. 

When Dean’s birthday rolled around the next year, it was like deja vu. He got ready for bed, settling against the head of the bed. Then Tori walked in, that beautiful smile on her face that made her eyes light up when she got excited. 

“Happy birthday, Baby.” Tori said as she straddled his lap, holding up a rectangular shaped object wrapped in the same wrapping paper from the year before.

Dean perked up, taking the item from her. “Wait, is this?”

“Open it.” Tori grinned.

Dean didn’t wait this time, ripping off the paper. Sure enough, Tori’s naked form, photographed sprawled across their bed, flushed with that gorgeous after-sex glow. He grinned, glancing between Tori and the magazine in his hands, flipping through the pages. Tori had even put recipes for various pies, excerpts of Vonnegut, fake ads for his favorite whiskey, and even handmade coupons for free cuddles.

Dean set aside his magazine on the nightstand, wrapping his arms around Tori, pulling her in and kissing her hard. He could feel her smiling against his lips as he squeezed her hips through the sweatpants she was wearing. Dean returned her smile as Tori cupped his face, kissing him sweetly. 

“So pretty, baby.” Dean murmured against her lips as his hands explored her body, feeling the muscle contrasted by the perfect softness cushioning her belly, her hips, her thighs. 

“Dean!” Tori squealed in delight as Dean flipped them over, laying her on the mattress. “It’s your birthday. I should be taking care of you.”

Dean hummed against her neck, feeling up the curves of her. “You can take care of me by letting me taste you.”

Tori bit her lip as Dean pulled her sweats down her legs, tossing them away. He rolled the hem of her long sleeve t-shirt up under her breasts, heavy and aching, pressing a kiss to the skin below her belly button, trailing her mouth downward, tongue darting out as he moved southward. Tori bucked her hips up was his mouth made contact with her sopping core. Dean hummed against her clit as her hands made their way into his hair, holding his face against her heat. Fuck she tastes so good. This was the perfect birthday present, ending his birthday between the legs of the woman he loved. 

Dean moaned as Tori’s slick coated his tongue as he licked and sucked until he could feel her legs shaking on either side of his head. He gripped the top of her thighs holding her in place as she came on his face. 

“One more, please. Let me feel you cum for me again.” Dean practically begged, the only reprieve from the assault of his mouth on her oversensitive pussy.

He didn’t even give her time to answer before his mouth was back on her, his fingers sliding into her as his mouth continued to work on her clit. Tori moaned raggedly as Dean’s index and middle fingers curled up against her g-spot, pushing her hard and fast towards her second orgasm of the night. Tori was damn near paralyzed with pleasure as her orgasm tore its way through her, only able to push Dean’s face away from her sensitive core. 

Tori giggled breathlessly as Dean’s fingers glided up her sides, pushing her shirt off, adding it to the discarded pile of clothes on the floor.

“My pretty girl. You’re the best birthday present I could ask for.” Dean pushed off his pants, pulling Tori into his lap, letting her push his shirt off so they were both naked.

“You’re such a sap.” Tori smiled into his mouth as she lowered herself onto his cock. “I love you so much, Dean.”

Dean gasped into her mouth as her warmth enveloped him. He ran his hands up and down her back, feeling the muscles under his touch flex with every time she undulated her hips down onto his. 

“I love you too, Tor. More than anything.” Dean whispered to her, holding her body close to him, savoring the sensation of her moving on him, the way she made him feel. 

Dean tipped his hips up, meeting the slow and grinding pace Tori had set, feeling that tight pull in his lower stomach. He kneaded the plush at her hips, his other hand snaking to rub her already sensitive clit. The extra stimulation had her moaning into Dean's mouth, her peaked nipples finding friction against his chest sending jolts of arousal through her body. 

Tori gripped Dean’s shoulders to keep her grounded as her third orgasm had her feeling floaty and lightheaded, exhaustion chasing the euphoria high. Tori clamped down on Dean’s cock, milking him until he groaned into her neck, sending spurts of cum deep into her. Tori smiled sleepily as Dean laid them back on the bed, keeping his arm around Tori’s waist and on his chest. 

“I love you, Tor.” Dean murmured against her hair, stroking his hand up and down her spine.

“I love you too, Dean.” Tori pressed a kiss to his chest. “Happy birthday.”

[specialagentlokitty]

Saul Silva x teen!reader - just lost between worlds

Hey, I have a request for a Saul Silva xTeen Reader Story. If you want to write it 😉 So Reader is from the first World. R runs away from something/ someone, falls and suddenly lands in front of Alfea. Saul finds R. He is suspicious and for the first time only recognizes a danger in R. R wonders where they are and learns about magic, fairies and specialists for the first time. Maybe R becomes a specialist or Saul helps R to find out why R is now in the other world...? - Anon💜

Saul was used to all things strange and weird, but when he got reports there was an intruder outside of Alfea he wasn’t expecting to see a giant crater, a closing hold in the sky and what appeared to be a teenager laying where the road should have been.

“We aren’t sure where they came from or why.” Sky said.

“Are they alive?” Saul asked.

“Yes, we checked. Professor Harvey is coming as well.”

Saul nodded, ordering all the students away and he walked around the landing zone, trying to determine the best and safest way inside.

“Do we have any ID for our mystery teenager?” Farah asked.

“No, but right now they’re yet to wake up, I can’t find a way down can you make one?”

Farah nodded and made them some stairs out of the dirt so the three teachers could go investigate.

While the professor checked you over to make sure you were okay, Saul went through your bag while Farah stood watched carefully, poking through your memories.

“Well, there’s nothing in their head to suggest they would be a threat, let’s take them inside.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Saul said.

“Well we can’t exactly leave them out here.”

He sighed, knowing she was right and helped carry you inside.

It wasn’t until the next day you woke up, and you wouldn’t let anybody near you. You were throwing anything you could grab to keep them all away.

“Calm down!” Saul snapped.

“Fuck off!”

“Either you calm down or I restrain you.”

“I’ll break your nose!”

Saul glared at you, but he made no attempt to actually get near you.

He wasn’t sure what you were capable of yet, and he didn’t want to jump straight into trying to fight you.

When you made no movement, he released his grip on his sword slightly.

“Who are you?”

“You tell me first.”

“We found a student card in your bag, do you go to college?” He asked.

You huffed a little.

“No.”

He carried on asking questions but you wouldn’t give a straight answer.

They all agreed it was best to keep you there while they tried to learn more about you and how you got there but Saul didn’t trust you one bit.

But you were fascinated by Alfea and everything they taught, thought you were sad to learn you didn’t have magic.

“What were you doing when you landed here?” Saul asked.

He was in charge of watching you until Farah came to collect you so he could teach his lessons.

You glanced him from your spot on the pebbles, and tossed one aside.

“Was outside, pretty dark so couldn’t see much.”

He glanced at you before going back to reading some papers.

“Why would you be outside in the dark?”

“Finished work late. I’m bored is there anything to do here?”

“Not for the likes of you who shouldn’t be here. Do you recognise these?”

He handed you a sheet of paper and you looked through it, showing him one of the patterns.

“Its spray painted on the side of my building.”

He took it back and crouched down, handing you another one.

“What about these?”

You looked through them, shaking your head.

“What are they?”

“Protection circles, some fairies use them to hide things. Someone wanted your building hidden. Was it always there?”

“Dunno.”

Saul nodded, folding the papers to put back into his pocket.

“Are your parents magic?”

“Dunno.”

“Do you know their number, maybe we can find them.”

You glanced at him, then laid down, tossing a few pebbles away from you.

“I know where the they are.”

“Where?”

You made grabby hands at him, and he reached over, letting you use the phone they had gotten for you in case they had to leave you.

You went into it, did a few things then handed it back to him.

“What is this?”

“A cemetery obviously. They’re dead asshole.”

“Sorry.”

You said nothing and tossed some more stones.

Saul looked at you, they had preformed all the tests and everything they could, and as far as he could tell there was no magic about you.

There was nothing particularly important about you in relation to Solaria or Alfea, yet here you were.

No explanation.

Just a lost teenager wondering how to get back home considering apparently now you couldn’t just leave solaria.

“When can I go home?”

Saul sighed, looking down at you.

“I’m sorry I don’t know.”

“Okay..”

He walked over, standing above you.

“We’ll figure this out.”

“Don’t waste your time, it’s fine I guess.”

He was still suspicious about you, but now he felt a little bad.

You had nothing here and apparently you had nothing back home either, you were just thrown between realms and all alone.

But until he was sure you weren’t a threat he wouldn’t be taking in the role of a caretaker, even if it did somewhat upset him to see how defeated you seemed to be.

Then an idea struck him.

“Come with me to training.”

You looked at him.

“Come on, it’ll give you something to do and I can still watch you.”

Maybe it wasn’t the best idea, but at least he could watch you, and he could have you stay busy doing something.

What was the worst that could happen?

[newleaf92]

Some of my Hazbin Hotel Theories:

Theory 1: Vox and Alastor

While I don’t believe that Alastor purposefully lost his fight with Adam (his reactions were too genuinely shocked for it to be on purpose l), I fully believe that Alastor is going to end using that his advantage to purposefully mess with Vox in season two. At the end of Stayed Gone, Alastor says, “oh, this will be fun,” in regards to making Vox wish he didn’t come back from the seven year absence. Alastor has a purpose with everything he says, and he always chooses his words carefully to either get a reaction or manipulate situations to his advantage. There is no way that he forgot about his statement to Vox, and in the aftermath of the battle, Vox has forgotten about it due to being thrilled that Alastor is once again missing—there also wasn’t a reaction to him reappearing with Charlie and the others. So, I think in the second season, we’re not only going to see the Vees be larger villains, but we’re also going to see Alastor make good on his threat to push Vox off his self proclaimed overload throne.

Theory 2: Sir Pentious

Now that our precious snek has found himself in heaven, he is going to accomplish something major…at least I hope and in my opinion. I think that he’s going to find a way to easily and (hopefully) discreetly communicate with Charlie. My actual hope for this is that she finds out her hotel actually worked in the moment when she is at her lowest, and it spurs her into not only believing in her hotel tenfold, but it’s also going to make her grow even more because of it.

Theory 3: Lilith

Despite my hopes and beliefs that she is actually a villain, I do have a theory about her that I don’t really want to come true mainly because I think her being a villain would just be more fun (on a side note, this theory may have the potential to make her even more villainous if played right). However, Lute tells her “Adam is dead. Your deal is done,” at the end of first season. What if the deal was she abandon Lucifer and Charlie, return to heaven to be with Adam, and Charlie would not come to harm? Yes, Lucifer may have made the hellborn safe from the exterminations, but what if Lilith had lost faith in not only Lucifer but also his powers to protect Charlie? Or she was unaware of that fact because Lucifer kept it to himself because he didn’t want to burden anyone else with his plans/dreams as he had failed with heaven? This also could further explain Adam’s desperation to destroy the hotel—if he could keep Charlie’s plan from working or at least destroy the hope that she could make it work, he wouldn’t have to worry about Lilith leaving again.

Theory 4: Adam

Throughout the show, I found him to be as entertaining as I did annoying. He was an egoistical, sarcastic jerk, but he did make me laugh—plus his songs were fun. I do kinda hope and think that he’s not truly dead and is brought back in hell. This could one of two ways, in my opinion, and I hope one comes true more over the other.

Option 1: he ends up finding residence in the hotel, and actually manages to learn the error of his ways which leads to a big confrontation between him and Lute (this one is boring imo)

Option 2: he still is the same egostical jerk that he was in heaven, except this time he is completely fueled by revenge. What better way for him to try and find it than to team up with the overloads who are currently going to be trying to be the top dogs of hell? The Vees. Adam and Vox would actually get along, but can you give imagine the arguments that could happen between Val and Adam? Adam would 100% trash Val’s porn productions because our previously angelic jerk would still play the “all of mankind came from these nuts” card and claim that he’s the best and Val’s production pale in comparison.

[endlesstwanted]

The Price of Silence

My entry for @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt #286 — Anything Could Happen. Also on Ao3 here.

Fandom: Thunderbolts (Movie 2025), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Blue (Original Character), Yelena Belova, Ava Starr, John Walker, Antonia Dreykov, Alexei Shostakov

Tags: Missions Gone Wrong, Mild Blood, Uneasy Allies, Interrogation

Summary: Bucky tries to settle down the discussion with the team on how to treat their hostage, unaware that Blue has their own plans to get the information they need.

Wordcount: 941

Fill for: @halloweenhorrorbingo — That One Family Member Everyone is Afraid Of / @fandombingo, The Magnus Archives — “He was always very careful to stop before he did anything that might get the police involved.” + Wonderland — “The exact shape doesn’t matter.” + Reverse: 1999 — All-or-Nothing / @buckybarnesbingo — Image prompt: Winter Soldier bridge scene / @multifandom-flash, April Events: Honesty Day — 2 + Torture = 5 + Marvel card: Thunderbolts — Sarcastic wit

“Does anyone mind filling me in?” Bucky entered the meeting room in the base, making Yelena and John stop their heated conversation.

“We went to talk to the guy,” Alexei said, pointing to the interrogation room behind them.

Bucky’s eyes opened in surprise at the scene playing at the other side of the glass. “Why do I leave to grab a freaking burrito and when I come back this guy has more blood outside than inside?”

“He woke up fierce today,” Ava said about their now hostage.

“Actually, Blue was very careful to stop before they did anything that might get the police involved,” John added, looking at his food. Bucky handed him what was left of his burrito and stepped closer to the glass.

Antonia stood next to him while they looked into the other room, seeing Blue stitch up the other guy. “Still think it was a good idea to let them join us?” She asked the question that had been playing in Bucky’s mind since he was practically forced by Valentina to let Blue work with them.

It was that, or Blue in the Raft, so he made a logical choice. Which didn’t mean it was a good one.

“What now?” Ava asked. “We’ve lost anonymity, and we found nothing where we found this guy at. Our only chance to stop the attack is for him to speak.”

John crossed his arms. “We don’t have time to waste. We need answers now, and the fastest way to get them is to apply some pressure. Make him talk.”

“Pressure?” Bucky questioned his choice of words. “That’s what Hydra would have done, John. And breaking someone doesn’t mean you get the truth. It just means you get what they think you want to hear.”

Alexei huffed from his seat in a corner. “You all take this too seriously. Back in my day, a good scare did the trick. No need for all this philosophy and good manners —poke him a little, he talks.”

Yelena rolled her eyes. “Yes, because torture always works so well in the movies. You think he’s going to sing like a little bird just because you threaten him? Please.” She huffed. “I was trained to be more finesse than that.”

“Fine,” John gave up. “If you’ve got some ‘finesse,’ I’d love to hear it. Because so far, all I’m hearing is a lot of talk and no solutions.”

“Maybe if you stopped shouting, you’d see the point,” Ava muttered. “We don’t need brute force. Get inside his head, make him doubt everything he knows. It’s cleaner and more effective.”

“We’re not getting into anyone’s head!” Antonia jumped.

“She’s right,” Bucky said. “This is not about playing it nice, it’s about doing what’s right. We’re not like them, not anymore, remember?”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Barnes,” Yelena crossed her arms too. “You think I’m suggesting we offer him tea and biscuits? I’m saying there are smarter ways to break someone and gather the information we need to save half of the state.”

John pointed toward the door, insisting. “Exactly. We don’t have time for second-guessing. Let me handle this!”

Ava blocked his way. “Oh, yes, because you’re so great at keeping things under control,” she argued. “Remind me again, how that worked out for you before?”

Yelena tried to hide a laugh under a cough, and then whispered. “Don’t forget the part where he pretended to be the hero of a nation. That was adorable.”

John raised his hands in surrender. “At least I’m willing to do something. What it takes, anything! You’re all too scared to get your hands dirty. What do you say, Bucky? You have the call.”

Bucky had been sitting down for a while now, thinking of their options. They could either interrogate the guy and hope he suddenly became one of the good ones, or pressure him with something. Not violent force and not mental tricks, despite how everyone in the Thunderbolts had been trained with. Most of them had been victims of those same things, and if one of them would to apply those techniques to anyone in front of him, they’d had to do it over his dead body.

“So what is it, Sarge?” Ava asked him.

He looked up to the interrogation room, seeing Blue as they picked up more bandages. Everything fell into place when their eyes met and some clicked in Bucky’s mind: that guy had ended up that way so Blue had to stitch him up and have him alone for some time while they discussed how to get the information out of him.

Blue had stopped hearing the commotion outside, so they guessed everyone was waiting for Bucky to make a decision on how to proceed. They turned back and sat next to the doctor to finish fixing the wounds they had caused: It could be ironic, because they wouldn’t need to be doing that if they hadn’t fought the guy in first place, but it was all going according to plan.

“Tomorrow morning,” Blue started talking for the first time since they exchanged some pretty bad words during the physical exchange, “when your face is on the cover of all the newspapers, what do you think little Amelia would like to read over your picture?”

Okay, yes, they knew bringing the eight-year old kid to the conversation was playing dirty, but they had to hit where it hurt the most (metaphorically, of course).

And honestly, Blue doubted that they would reach the main pages if they avoided the attack in time and covered everything like Valentina had asked them too. “‘Hero’, or ‘Terrorist’?”

[iszapizza]

cowboy bfs (knivio drabble)

Knives stepped out of the small dressing room, tugging on his collar as a way to keep his hands busy. The outfit Livio had picked out for him fit snugly around his body, shirt and black pants tight but loose enough to move in them. He wasn’t wearing the cowboy boots yet; he wouldn’t dare complete the attire if it didn’t look good. This was his first time going out for Halloween with someone that wasn’t Vash, so he had to look perfect. No. He had to look spectacular. His confidence evaporated, though, when he heard Livio’s voice calling from afar, looking for him. Knives’s eyes sped around trying to gather his location, but a small gasp to his left made his neck break out in a sweat.

He turned quietly; throat tight. His eyes met Livio’s wide gold ones, and he inwardly cursed at the heat gathering on his cheeks.

“If it looks that hideous, I’ll just change out of it, no need to gape.”, Knives muttered, and to that Livio stuttered a bit before answering.

“No! Uh, I mean. You look good. Great.”, the taller man scratched the back of his neck, eyes blinking before looking up and down Knives’ form. His tan face grew darker and Knives fought back a snort. He could be so obvious sometimes, but rather than mentioning it, he had preferred to observe and not risk their relationship mutating into something else. Something less familiar and more daunting than the tentative friendship they had built through Vash’s insistence. You need more friends, he had said. He had argued back that he didn’t need them, but now he was glad Livio had actually managed to stuck around like he did. Who else would drag him out into the world and make him see it not as one to be destroyed but tolerated instead. He had a lot of feelings surrounding that, but Livio’s gaze made him forget all that mess for a moment and snap back at him.

“Now it’s your turn. Go dress up, cowboy.”, he said dryly, to which Livio blinked and bit his lip.

“We didn’t come here for me. I already have a costume, don’t you remember?”

“That’s a shame, you’d look great in that pink hat over there.”

Livio laughed. A beautiful sound, raspy and deep, scratching at the inside of Knives’ chest comfortably. Like the shivers you get as you sit next to a fireplace, before the warmth sets in. He could get drunk in the sound, but Livio spoke again and the sensation was lost.

“Stop teasing me! But seriously, you look amazing in that get up. Do you want it?”, he asked gently. His head was tilted to the side, as if he was a gigantic dog. He was built like a mountain, but his eyes were sweet and punctured at Knives’ heart harder than any blade. Fuck, he was in too deep.

“Sure. I’ll ask Vash if there’s enough money in the card. Lord knows he could eat up all our savings in donuts.”, he snuck back into the dressing room. He started to remove the clothes, hands sweaty at the prospect of Livio standing outside. He never let anyone get close enough to see him like this, but something about the other made him wonder about his reaction to his bare skin. Was he too pale? Too bulky? Too uncomfortable to hold? He shook those thoughts out of his head. It didn’t matter. They were friends. Just friends. Like Vash intended. Like he had promised to himself.  But he no longer knew what he wanted anymore.

He walked out and saw Livio waiting next to another stall, hands in his pockets. He gazed at the bundle of clothes in Knives’ hands and held out his own. Knives frowned but got the message, handing them over.

Livio broke out into a sprint, long legs carrying him through the aisles with ease. After processing the shock, Knives ran after him, calling his name, for the first time not caring about the curious gazes on his back. He arrived at the end of the line to pay, and found out that Livio had somehow sped through it until he was extremely close to one of the cashiers. Knives gulped as he saw him take out his own card and pay for the costume.

Livio walked out of the line, a broad smile on his rugged handsome face and Knives wanted to gut him.

“What the hell was that?”, they walked away from the gathering of people, next to the children’s section.

“I wanted to give it to you as a gift!”, Livio grinned.

“I didn’t ask for that.”

“Oh.”, Livio paled and started to glance around nervously. His hands held the bag as if it had gained several kilograms of weight by magic.

Knives sighed and took hold of the bag, but not before gracing Livio’s hands, to which his heart stuttered, “Fine. I’ll take it if only to keep you from crying.”, he spoke before Livio could interrupt him, “At least let me pay for the boots.”

“Oh right, the boots. I forgot about those.”

And to that, Knives laughed. His laugh wasn’t as pleasant as Livio’s. It was sharp and sometimes too loud to be a socially acceptable laugh. But Livio smiled at him either way, eyes soft and too enamored. And Knives wanted so bad. He wanted so bad, to do something, anything.

They strolled over to the shoe section, and never had Knives ever thought he’d be this delighted to buy a ridiculous pair of cheap cowboy boots.

[oceansprompts]

marvel's midnight suns | misc quotes 3

Tell me, do you have any tried and true ways to avoid being triggered?

How has your, uh, [abilities/job] affected your loved ones?

On the Stark scale of recklessness yet daring heroics I give it a solid six out of ten. Don’t worry, you’ll get there. With a little help.

Stopped here before, while you were out- wanted to surprise you with a nice little housewarming present. Was all set to write you a lovely welcome note but I’m fairly certain that wasn’t red ink in your “quill”.

Certainly got that new suit of yours done a lot faster than I expected. Speaking of… what’s the verdict, boss?

The roar of the ocean, winds moaning through the rafters…

So, you tell me: what’s not to be troubled about?

Hydra may be on the rise, but they will never rise above the Tower.

Go ahead! What are you waiting for?! Say it! Tell me I screwed up!

How did I let him play me like that?!

Half the night I’m shaking hands and managing expectations…

Are you really going to chase the birthday girl through a hellish dimension?

It’s not gonna be easy to get that sample…

I mean call me crazy…

Give me a couple hours and a decent lunch…

Gives us our biggest ace in the hole! I know, the irony isn’t lost on me.

I’m serious, what kind of hero are you…

If you can deliver, great. Otherwise, he should get out of the way, you know?

So in a way, it’s kind of poetic. I’m gonna use dad’s shady tech…

My appreciation of magic is evolving quite a bit…

I think he’s afraid I’m gonna turn around and become an even greater sorcerer than he is.

Every problem has a solution, my friend…

I don’t like to say that I do my best work under pressure, but I think this time, I even amazed myself.

Or maybe you’re smart and you know I can get us across the finish line?

How would you, ah, handle something like that?

If that fails, we shoot him off into outer space…

I know I said I was completely comfortable with that thing before, but I may have lied…

And now here we are, two friends, enjoying a moment…

Yeah. I don’t want to know card tricks or anything like that…

If you don’t mind, can we keep these lessons between you and me?

Is it crazy that I’m actually kind of enjoying this?

Yes! Blazing trumpets, fiery pits, Thor’s backyard–where did you end up?

Acceptable answers are “genius design,” “work of a genius”–really, anything involving the word “genius”.

Money isn’t everything, but it’s a lot of things…

No, the whole situation. Chasing magic pages from an evil book…

Well, I am in the middle of something. Come back later.

I cannot let such a fate happen to her.

And when all you knew was darkness and despair growing up…

What I eat is none of your business.

I do not think I will ever sleep again: not until we find her.

Don’t you also hear it calling out to you in your dreams sometimes, whispering secret things, dark think?

Like I said earlier, we’re all mutants. Not to freak you out or anything.

Wait, if you found your way to this place… What did you hear?

This day is an anniversary of my weakness… Nothing more.

I should stay here, this evening. I can endure the stares and the whispers… But not tonight.

You can, but I should not. Don’t worry, I will return in the morning.

She should trust us… We should be trusted.

I do. I just think wearing a hellhound’s skin to bypass a demonic barrier…

I don’t know if I’ve recovered from my traumas…

I did not say you. This…is a place I like to take all my…colleagues.

The others would not understand. But I know you do, as we both… Have so much in common.

And more importantly, you’re proving to be quite a good… friend.

It never felt right for a bad person like me to fight with the good guys… Until you showed me how.

Am I a monster for being grateful it happened as it did?

I will never apologize for being comfortable with my darkness…

When this battle is over, you should come back with me, join the X-Men.

There is always strangeness in the background. Like hippie aliens…

Made from octopus, marbled with ginger shavings…

Hunter, what I most appreciate is that you always know when to say nothing.

No. Something you can do by yourself during the bleak moments.

It must be worse for you. All the faces are new.

It comes so easy to you. Even when you are a butt, you are a likable butt.

This was the only music I had for so long…

Replacing you was too much to ask of her.

Not to me. You are incapable of replacing her.

[realmeganamram]

GOOP GIFT GUIDE

HELLO, all! Gwynnie here! Welcome to another issue of Goop, my newsletter for people who enjoy the finer things in life. I’m proud to present our annual gift guide. Just because I’m Gwyneth Paltrow, it doesn’t mean I can’t kick back and enjoy the holidays. I put my winter-capris on one cashmere leg at a time, just like you!

Here, I’ve compiled my favorite buys for every type of person. Whether you want to spend $7,900,000 or $8,000,000, we’ve got the right gift for you!

FOR THE CENTERED SOUL

Trinket vessel ($339)

If you’re like me, your trinkets end up all over the place: hidden inside your artisanal peony terrarium, strewn on your wicker birthing chairs, veiled behind a piping hot cup of acai-and-clamshell tea. Keep your trinkets neat and tidy with this minimalist, torus-shaped vessel. So stunning.

Candle masseuse ($197 per hour)

This moderately priced candle masseuse will massage your candles (votive or taper!) for a clearer, more intense burn. Why not treat your candles to a little holiday cheer?

Free-range dream catcher ($418-$523)

Did you know that the human body is 70 percent dreams? Most dream catchers sequester a dream until it’s cramped and broken, like a calf for veal. This dream catcher, made from organic, non-G.M.O. wheats and berries, allows the dream to roam free until the moment of humane confinement. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Dreams (PETD) gave it three “Zzz’s” up!

Very tiny tarot cards ($196)

This adorable gold-leafed tarot set is perfect for a tiny bird, or even a small mouse!

FOR THE FEELER

Geranium eye mist ($515)

If you happen to have lost the ability to cry through a combination of Botox and cocktail of personality disorders, this floral-scented eye irritant will produce extremely realistic tears immediately upon contact! Perfect for funerals, Oscar speeches and haggling with your local fishmonger.

Porcelain-and-crystal bisque ($3,400)

This soup looks better than the real thing! A sculpture of a bowl of soup made entirely of solid porcelain and healing crystals. Can be used as decoration or a meal replacement. I lost 64 pounds by replacing three meals a day with thinking about crystals!

Leather divorce papers ($279 for pack of four)

He can’t not sign these! Made from the tanned hides of Wagyu show-steers, these gorgeous, legally binding divorce papers will make consciously uncoupling a pleasure. After the divorce is finalized, treat yourself to thinking about a crystal bowl of ice cream. Your body will love you for it.

FOR THE WANDERER

‘We Are the 1 Percent’ Globe ($2,914)

Ever think to yourself, “there are just too many countries”? Well, then, this beautifully enameled, reclaimed, no-kill ivory globe is just for you. We removed any countries with a G.D.P. of less than $2 trillion, according to the World Bank, leaving the United States, China, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Brazil, Italy and India. These countries have been arranged according to celebrity child consultant North West in a cute, minimalist neo-Pangaea land mass.

Human picture frame ($670-$1,890 plus annual food and water stipend)

A picture frame for people who don’t do picture frames. Hire this human adult man to hold your photos silently in front of his face. Comes in three practical sizes: tween, medium and Swedish.

PETD membership ($530,700 for one year)

Give the gift of a one-year membership to this up-and-coming association created to protect and advance the art of dreams. It’s very exclusive. There are very few members. There is only one member. I am the only member.

FOR THE FUN-LOVER

Real-Life Monopoly set (about $42,420,595)

Why still play old-fashioned board games with rinky-dink pieces and flimsy dollars? It’s 2015, for my-close-friend-Pete-Sampras’s sake! We’ve found an incredible option for the serious gamer: a real-life Monopoly set using real U.S. currency, houses and hotels. Each kit comes with thirty-two (32) actual, livable houses strewn across the Eastern Seaboard, each worth $200,000, and twelve (12) fully-functional hotels each worth $3,000,000. Price includes a beautiful locally sourced burlap sack with actual bills worth $20,580.

Floor-length jean shorts ($4,415)

As if jorts couldn’t get more stylish! A bit pricey, but you’re paying for the detail: The seamstresses who make these fashion essentials have painstakingly pulled out the seams of jorts to create an entirely new kind of pant, one that stretches down to the floor.

Twister With Gwyneth ($4,600)

I’ve put my own spin (pun intended!) on the classic contortion-based child’s game. Instead of a bunch of colored dots on a mat, my Twister is just one ecru dot in the middle of the tarp. It’s sleeker and has a gorgeous minimalist aesthetic. To play, you just stand in the middle of the mat and have your human picture frame read you a Basho haiku. So fun.

FOR THE SPLURGER

D.I.Y. novel set ($13,000)

These inspirational books will have you writing in no time. We’ve found a whole set of first-edition Jane Austen novels, ripped out all the pages, and replaced them with blank pages. You’ll feel her spirit in every line that you write.

One hundred dollar bill ($1,000)

What says “holidays” more than cold hard cash? Plus, Ben Franklin looks adorable here. Hang it on the wall as cute art for a nursery or fringe the edges and use as garnish for a summer salad.

Yoga mat (market price, around $106,500,500)

This yoga mat is made out of a Picasso.

[nehswritesstuffs]

fly little seagull, the world awaits - Part 5 of 5

Okay, NOW I promise we’re done, lol. I have actually two different endings for this, but the first I wrote less than a day before I read ch 1079, which then screwed it up, so you have this one now instead ahahaha I’ll also let y’all figure out for yourself what got written before and after I read 1081 last week (more before than what you might think), so... enjoy!

Chapter 1 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter 2 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter 3 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Chapter 4 on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Onigashima shall rise and fall. A boy shall become a man. Friends shall part ways. A certain legacy shall come full-circle despite the need to be broken. [14,616 words; AU where history repeats itself in the worst way]

It had not been long and Nauja was beginning to deeply regret her decision to sneak onto Onigashima. Tengu-ya had been extremely angry when they had left and she was beginning to understand why. She didn’t have a Devil Fruit ability like Tama or Momonosuke—only her knife—and things were already pretty hairy. There was not a familiar face around as she and Tama wandered around the chaos; most of the people running by them were Beast Pirates and other lackeys of Kaidou and Orochi.

“Okay, let’s split up,” Tama decided. They were both riding on Komachiyo, having snuck off Speed’s ship when no one was looking. “We can cover more ground that way.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“We’re here as samurai—we need to find our units,” the junior kunoichi reasoned. “Your father and his men should be around somewhere, while I have to find the Straw Hats and distribute these dango.”

“Makes sense, I guess,” Nauja nodded. She and Tama high-fived before she slid off Komachiyo’s back. “Let’s do this!”

“Right!” Tama rode off speedily, while Nauja crept about in the shadows, trying to not be seen by the large amount of adults that were wandering about. Some of them were engaged in fighting, while others were simply going to and from different stations. She eventually found a large alcove where she could catch her breath without anyone around, glad for the breather. Her dirk was already getting heavy against her wrists and she wasn’t anywhere near a member of the crew.

“…a child…?” a voice marveled. Nauja jumped nearly out of her skin and turned around, raising her knife in defense. There, she saw a strange blond man standing there, his expression unreadable, but there was no mistaking him for any of the other bounty posters she had been quizzed on. “What is a child doing here…?”

“What do you want with me, Basil Hawkins?!” she snapped. Instead of answering her directly, he brought out his tarot cards, the bits of paper hanging in the air.

“A Paradise accent tempered by a conspicuous Northern lilt,” he said, swishing the cards around. “Approximately seven or eight years old, accurate identification of other pirates, bladed weapon, very short hair, yellow and black hearts on her lavender yukata, a Sora backpack and matching charm on her weapon’s sheath… probability of being a certain Supernova surgeon’s natural child or ward… ninety-seven-point-two-six percent.” Nauja shivered and a chilling smile crept onto his face. “I was correct.”

“Get lost, you creep.”

“On the contrary: I think I found my way to get back on Kaidou’s good side,” Hawkins observed. “With this offering, I might survive that much longer.” He held out his hand. “Come, child, I shall bring you to safety. All this fighting must be scary…”

“No,” she snapped. Her dirk wavered in her hands. “You said Kaidou—I can’t trust you.”

“He’s not necessarily interested in you, child, but your father,” he said. “You’re worth more to him alive, trust me on that at the very least.”

“I won’t go with you!”

“Do not make me use force—I do still have some respect for your father, after all.”

“Then don’t you dare touch her!”

Out of seemingly nowhere, a large rock seemed to teleport itself to slam into Hawkins, which he had to create a straw shield to defend against. When he brushed aside the rubble, he saw Law had slid onto the scene, looking rather worse for wear as he knelt down and brought his daughter into a hug before he began physically checking her for injuries.

“What in the hell are you doing here?!” Law scolded, panting hard from his effort to get to her side. His heart felt as though it was going to explode out of his chest. “I told you to wait with the other kids!”

“Vaor, I did wait with Tama-ya… kind of…” the girl grimaced. “She’s here too…”

“You girls are in so much trouble!” Law groaned. “After all that, you deliberately disobeyed me and now you’re in the one place I wanted you far away from?! How did you even get past Tengu-ya?!”

Nauja bit the insides of her lips and tried to look away guiltily—busted.

“Quite possibly, my fortunes have changed.” Hawkins stared at the cards in front of him before clearing them from the air. “A forty-percent increase… it’s worth it.”

Glaring at his fellow Supernova, Law held Nauja close to his side as he extended his free arm, attempting to activate a Room to get them out of there. It wasn’t working, with each attempt flickering out in his panic.

“Kaidou is going to love this,” Hawkins stated. He drew his sword, readying to strike. “Trafalgar and his brat, handed to him on a—”

Just then, a massive roar cut him off, so loud that it shook everything around them. Hawkins turned to look and instead got a face full of allosaurus tail, which cleared him through the far wall. The dinosaur slowly stomped into full view, growling lowly at the broken wall before shifting down into X Drake’s Human form.

“Are you two alright?” he asked. He saw Nauja’s eyes were wide in amazement; few kids were immune to the charm of a literal dinosaur saving them.

“It was under control,” Law hissed.

“Mmhmm, sure.” Drake watched as the other man put the child down and leaned against the wall in an effort to catch his breath properly. “Hey… can I, uh, give her something?”

“What could you possibly have to give?” Law asked. Drake bent down and picked up a pen Hawkins must have dropped when he was hit and procured a piece of paper from his inner jacket pocket. Law raised an eyebrow, knowing full-well what sort of paper it was.

“Something I never really should have had on me to begin with.” He knelt down and used the floor as a writing surface before beckoning Nauja over. “What is your name, darling?”

“Trafalgar Nauja,” the girl beamed. “Who are you?”

“Nice to meet you, Nauja. My name is X Drake, and as you can tell, your father and I know each other… in a way.”

“You sound a little like him. Are you also from the North Blue?”

“I am,” the man admitted. “I even have a father like you have Trafalgar here. Got him in a similar way, if what I hear is correct.”

“Your dad’s navigator found you and he just kind of took over?”

“More like my father’s friend found me, but close enough.” He sat directly on the floor in an attempt to hunch over more and be at her eye-level better—curse his height. “I even have a brother, although I never met him. He left our father’s life as I entered it. Although I’ll never know his laugh or hear his voice or learn what he thinks of me, I’ve been living in his shadow this entire time… seeing and experiencing the consequences of his actions. He’s like a ghost, in a way, and there’s something telling me that he would want you to have this.”

Drake held out the paper and handed it to Nauja. She looked at Law before accepting it, only doing so once he nodded. Looking down at the note, she scrunched her nose in thought.

“‘Please take care of her. Dorry.’ That’s weird. Why do you want me to have this?”

“…because one day, you might run out of options,” Drake said. “Your father is strong and capable, but even he has limits. If you ever find yourself with nowhere to hide, and he can’t help you, let this paper guide you to my father. Call him Grandpapa and give him a hug and show him this paper.” He then paused for a moment. “Do you know what a Vivre Card is?”

“Oh, yeah! We have some of those! That’s what this is?” She held open her palm and laid the paper in it—sure enough, it began to shuffle across her fingers.

“Yes. Remember: only use it as a last resort. There is only so much my father can do for you, but it’s safer than wandering around on your own. He will make sure nothing bad happens while you’re in his care… he will think of what my brother would have done—what my brother did for a scared little boy before he died—and will hide you from the bad people in the world until you are ready to face them yourself.”

“Then I’ll keep it safe,” the girl nodded. She carefully secured the note in her yukata sleeve. “Thank you, Dinosaur-ya, for this special gift.”

“…and how do I know I can trust your father?” Law asked. Drake shrugged and stood.

“You don’t,” he replied honestly. “Is this a risk? It’s a major one, but you are the only one who can truly talk to him about my brother, and that is at least worth something.”

In an instant, everything felt to Law as though it shifted violently and clicked into place as he stared at the other Supernova… this now-former Tobiroppo… there was more to him than he could have ever imagined. He wasn’t just any deserted Marine… he was Sengoku’s project after Cora-san died… Law was sure of it. His eyes went to the Vivre Card in Nauja’s hand—to trust her with it was to trust him with it, Drake clearly under the assumption that he wasn’t going to use it to attack the former Fleet Admiral. The other man’s actions were all beginning to make a lot more sense, even if all it did was make him more conflicted…

“Does he know about her…?”

“Possibly…? He doesn’t hear a lot of chatter these days, but at the same time, many of Kaidou’s officers know she exists. The intel might stay on Wano, it might extend off the island—that I can’t say. What I can say, however, is that it wasn’t me if it gets leaked.”

Just then, a massive burst of Haki came from the ruined wall, causing Drake to shove Nauja towards Law. “Hawkins is coming to; I suggest you book it.”

The little family did, not even turning around to watch Drake morph into an allosaurus and roar so loud he shook the building.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Law slashed the last of the guards down and finished descending the staircase into the lowermost basement. Nauja tap-tap-tapped her way down the rest of the stairs, avoiding her father’s unfortunate victims. The room they entered held a large blue stone, covered completely with strange symbols that made the little girl’s eyes go wide.

“This is a Poneglyph?” she marveled. Law nodded, placing his hand on the smooth, cool stone.

“It is—people have died for so much as being able to read what’s on it.”

“You can read that…?!”

“I can’t, but Nico-ya can. Her home island died because some of them could read Poneglyphs. She was the only survivor.”

“…like you…?”

“Indeed.” He let his fingertips catch in the grooves, feeling the enormous weight of the writing’s unknown message. “I wonder how many people died for this over the centuries.”

“Couldn’t they just listen…?” Nauja asked. She looked up at Law and tilted her head. “It’s whispering… you don’t even need to read it.”

“You can… hear it…?” He looked at her and raised his eyebrow. “How do you mean?”

“I… don’t… know…?” The little girl looked at the Poneglyph and tilted her head. “It’s just kinda… I dunno… humming, I guess…? In a way? I understand it.”

“…and what is it saying?”

“It’s talking about a legendary warrior and how he killed a dragon with a perfect sword, becoming a hero to all of Wano and the world,” she replied, wrinkling her nose in thought. “Do you think I can hear it because it’s part of the age-related hearing range?”

“No… I think you can hear it because of something special.” He placed his hand on her head and stroked her hair.

“Symetesia…?”

“No, not synesthesia,” he paused, “more like the Voice of All Things. I’ve heard of it being something before, but wasn’t certain about the existence of such a talent due to the rarity and lack of clinical observation.”

“Really…? It’s rare…? Then why can Momo-ya hear it too…?”

Law stared at his daughter. “What do you mean?”

“Momo-ya could hear a voice at Zou. I couldn’t make it out, so I ignored it, but he could hear it clearly. That was the excuse he used to hide in his room all the time.”

“Was it now…?” He needed something to tell her, and quickly. “If it is the Voice of All Things, then that is a rare trait, possibly an offshoot of Observation Haki if my theory is correct.” He considered something briefly, then knelt down to be at her eye level. “Does this whisper anything about the Will of D.?”

Nauja paused, closing her eyes. “No. Why? What’s that?”

“Cora-jiisan once told me that the People of the D. are the enemies of the gods… meaning the Celestial Dragons. Something the crew doesn’t know—not even Bepo-ya—is that I am one of them.”

“You… you are…?”

“Trafalgar D. Water Law was the entire name your opa and oma gave me, the name your jiisan told me to keep hidden,” he explained. He placed his hand on the cool stone of the Poneglyph again, Nauja copying him. “Nico-ya says I must search for the Poneglyphs in order to discover the truth. What you told me confirms I need the red ones.”

A low rumbling shook the floor, making the plaster above them creak.

“A sub-basement is probably not the best place to be right now, in retrospect,” Law noted. He grabbed Nauja again and opened a Room, bringing them to a higher floor again and the heat of the battle. “Those assholes better not do anything drastic without me.”

“Uh… that looks kinda drastic,” Nauja squeaked. She was pointing to some nearby rubble, which contained an arm draped in a familiar kimono sleeve.

“Shit,” Law spat. He put Nauja down and spotted the familiar allosaurus on the other side of the hall. “There’s Drake-ya. Stay with him. I’ve got some samurai to bring down here.”

“Vaor…?” He looked at her and saw that her eyes were glassy with tears. “I’m sorry for sneaking over here anyhow despite agreeing not to. Please come back.”

“I’ll do my best, famke,” he echoed. He pressed a kiss to her hair before swapping her with a rock next to Drake and himself with a splinter of wood from an even higher building level.

Honoring an alliance sure was shit.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Drake wasn’t certain as to why he had Trafalgar’s child by his side again so soon, but he definitely imagined it had something to do with the fact her father was on the roof of the building fighting with Kaidou and Big Mom. He allowed her to sit on his oversized allosaurus foot, the girl clinging to his leg as he stomped around in an attempt at intimidating people. Anyone who dared to snatch or otherwise harm her got either tail or teeth making the definitive decision for them: no.

Not on his watch.

Drake fought and intimidated the Beast Pirates while he watched over not only Nauja, but the little reindeer-doctor as he synthesized a cure for the chilly disease that was ripping through Beast Pirates and Alliance members alike, not caring about things such as sides and loyalties. He only began to relax as the Straw Hats’ doctor blasted a cure into the air. It even had a certain smell to it—sweet with a hint of spice—that brought him back to the infirmary of Tsuru’s ship, where he had been laid up for so, so long after she had found him. The girl slid off his foot and he shifted back into his Human form, looking over the scene as frozen limbs melted and the healing flames from Whitebeard’s former doctor, of all people, seas be damned, flickered out.

“NAUJA!” The girl jumped as she heard her name called, seeing Shachi run up to her and Drake, accompanied by two of Kid Pirates. He flicked her on the forehead, which caused her to squeak. “What are you doing here?! Does the captain know?!”

“He knows,” she admitted sourly. “I’m just here with Dinosaur-ya because Vaor’s up there.” She pointed at the giant hole in the ceiling. A roar just above the basement of Human hearing came from the hole, which made them all shudder.

“Impressive,” one of the Kid Pirates nodded.

“I think we can take it from here, beefcakes,” the other Kid Pirate said, giving Drake a wink. Shachi facepalmed, her crewmate ignored her, and Drake simply stared.

“We’re kind of in the middle of a life-or-death war here…” he mentioned.

“Little flirt don’t hurt,” she shrugged. She then looked at Nauja, who seemed some level of disturbed. “C’mon kiddo; let’s get you to the main of the group before shit gets too hairy around here.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nauja replied. The adults all exchanged a quick look—yeah, kid must have been in a ton of trouble already. They left Drake’s side to head on back to the little group of Penguin, Bepo, and some stray Kid Pirates, who were fighting Beasts Pirates to the best of their abilities.

“Oh, fuck,” Penguin cussed soon as he saw Nauja. “Cap’s gonna blow a gasket…”

“Already blown!” Nauja insisted. “I think I’m grounded until I’m older than Bone-ya.”

“Sounds about right,” another Kid Pirate nodded. He then noticed a large horned person running their way. “Ah, fuck, another strong-looking one…” Except, Shinobu was there too…? The fuck…? “Hey, what’s going on?!”

“Are you the one referred to as Trafalgar Nauja?” the tall person with Shinobu asked, voice booming. The pirates all tensed, only not attacking because they knew the kunoichi was trustworthy.

“Uhh… yeah…?”

“Oh, good!” squeaked a voice from nearby. It sounded familiar…

“Momo-ya…?”

Sure enough, Momonosuke fell out of the tall person’s pant leg and ran up to Nauja, wrapping her in a hug. “I heard that you and the junior kunoichi had joined the battle! It’s so auspicious that you’re still alive!”

“It’s… auspicious… that… you are… too…?” she replied. She tried looking to the adults for answers—none had any.

“I have decided,” Momonosuke declared. He held Nauja at an arm’s length and put on his most serious face. “Verily! If we survive this and I become shogun, in recognition of your bravery and service to Wano, I shall name you as my intended!”

If the area around them all could have become quiet, it would have.

“What the fuck,” the horned person groaned, snatching Momonosuke up by the collar. “You dragged us all the way over here to propose to your girlfriend?!”

“I’m not his girlfriend!” Nauja snapped, the boy’s words now clicking into place in her brain. “Ask Tama or Toko to marry you, pervy brat!”

“O-Tama is a vassal and it would therefore be inappropriate, as would O-Toko for being my sister’s ward,” Momonosuke stated plainly. “You are the natural choice.”

“Ooooh, Kid’s gonna want t’ hear about this,” a Kid Pirate marveled. A couple of her crewmates nodded sagely in agreement—any ammunition for their captain against the others’.

“This is stupid; Oden out,” the horned person scoffed, stuffing Momonosuke under an arm. By the time Nauja had recovered from the shock of the encounter, the other three members of the Heart Pirates were staring at her with amused expressions that made a chill go down her spine.

“Don’t tell Vaor!” she insisted. “Momo-ya’s just being dumb!”

“Love makes people do dumb things,” Penguin chuckled. Still paying attention to their surroundings, he took his polearm and used it to knock some arrows out of the air. “Look alive! We’re still targets, people!”

Nauja drew her dirk and tried to stay close to the other pirates, attempting to not get too close to any enemies. She really regretted coming along with Tama—so much was happening, everything, all at once, everywhere, and to make matters worse, she was missing the festival! For what?! Her dad being cross with her and Momo being weird? Yeah… this wasn’t one of her most brilliant ideas.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Having popped back down below the battle to regroup, Law and Kid found themselves unfortunately within one another’s company. They were going to have to figure out a way to separate Kaidou and Linlin; the only way those two could have been even more dangerous if they had been actual siblings instead of, well, whatever the fuck they truly were.

“Feck… sounds like the ol’ bird’s down below too,” Kid noted as they ran through the corridors. “Did our dirty work for us.”

“Wouldn’t know what that’s like,” Law grunted. He tried not to think about what had happened before he ran into the Southern redhead again, having been snatched out of the air by a Northern blond, who he repaid in kind by having him watch over the severely injured Wanolese Easterner. Fuck, there was a lot going on. “We need to figure out where our crews are; they’re our support system.”

“No shite, Shirley,” Kid scoffed. He raised his eyebrow, however, at the nearly distracted look on the other man’s face. “Thinking ‘bout some other orders Straw Hat gave yeh?”

“Fuck off,” Law growled. They turned a corner and saw the group that their respective crews had merged into, with Killer already there and helping protect them. “It’s about time… Penguin! Report!”

“No one else has been able to get on Onigashima,” Penguin replied as he parried a blow from a Beast Pirate. He pushed his opponent back and a Kid Pirate took over, slashing their adversary across the stomach. “Sounds like Tama’s here too, working her dango-magic.”

“I figured as much. Based on that, I figure you have her little co-conspirator?”

“I have stabbed a lot of people,” Nauja stated, popping out from behind Penguin. She was splattered in blood, but it was clear it was not her own. “This is way worse than when we show up in a Marine port…”

“Yeh brought yer bairn t’ the battle?!” Kid said, completely flabbergasted. “What the actual fuck, Trafalgar?!”

“Not on purpose, let me assure you,” he replied, marveling at the fact he didn’t have a headache already.

“Och, aye, like I’d believe yeh at this point, yeh bloody fucking twat,” Kid snapped. He then turned to Nauja and gave her a toothy grin. “Ever get tired of the pompous ol’ windbag an’ yeh can come visit wi’ yer Uncle Kid. We know how t’ treat a wee bairnie right.” The little girl giggled, making her father roll his eyes.

“He’s not your uncle; don’t listen to him,” Law deadpanned. “He’s just an idiot whose metal plate in his skull’s gone magnetic.”

“At least I don’t do any of that daft posing shite,” Kid shot back. “Yeh looked like yer at a modeling gig, not fighting for our fucking lives!” He struck a couple poses to prove his point. “At least the Straw Hat knob’s putting in visible effort!”

“Sorry my Devil Fruit requires concentration and finesse!”

“Fucking finesse yersel outwith m’sight, yeh moody-arsed beanpole! Big Mam’s mine, yeh ken?!”

“Are we speaking the same language?!”

“Awww, playin’ the daft laddie, aren’t we? Well, while yer nerd-brain’s so busy tryin’ t’wrap its processes around m’accent, I’m gon’ take t’ bint’s head mysel.”

“As though I’d let you take all the credit after all that shit I had to pull to keep you together!”

“Aye; I bet yeh’d like it all, eh? Took yer turn already, Trafalgar! Now it’s time for the lads’ lads t’shine!”

Just then, a giant spider made of straw crashed onto the scene, with Basil Hawkins sticking out of its back. It roared—somehow—and made it clear it was out for blood.

“A’ll gie him laldie,” Killer said, his voice almost mirthful. “Fucker’s mine.”

“Then let’s split up!” Kid shouted at the rest of his crew. “Pick off some officers!”

“Bepo!” Law saw his navigator’s ears perk up and the Mink took the three steps to join him. “Take Nauja and run. I don’t care where. Just get her someplace quiet.”

“Understood,” Bepo nodded. Before Nauja even had time to protest, he picked her up and ran, dodging Beast Pirates and arrows as he did his best to do what was asked of him.

“Come on, Kid,” Law scowled. “We’ve got an Emperor to distract.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Blood pounded in Law’s skull as he watched Charlotte Linlin grow both in girth and in power. He knew there were some who called his Devil Fruit abilities horrifying—and rightly so—but what was happening before his eyes was down-right chilling. She was tampering with people’s life forces; she was killing them without so much as a drop of consent. It wasn’t just the doctor in him, but his very humanity was sickened.

“All I do is for my family,” she chortled as she continued to bulk up. “My children are heirs to a legacy of greatness. As their mother, it’s my duty to clear a path for them. I’m sure you will understand as I grind your bones into dust.”

“Classy,” Law replied, rolling his eyes.

“Yer eldest is fifty, yeh dusty ol’ bint,” Kid scoffed. “That’s more than time t’ stop relying on mam to fix yer problems.”

“Say a pair of brats who don’t know a mother’s touch,” Linlin smirked. “I still have some daughters I could marry you to if you decide to do the smart thing and submit. I’ll teach you a little something about filial piety.”

“Fuck that,” Kid spat. “That shite got m’crew and me nowhere! All we got, we took oursel!”

“…and you, Trafalgar?” Her voice rumbled with power, echoed with the cries of all the souls she ripped from their hosts. “Do you wish to become Mama’s new favorite?”

“My parents never played favorites—that’s part of what made them good at parenting,” Law fired back. Kid let out a snort—fuck this was the good shit. “Besides, I wouldn’t use my daughter’s wedding as a bargaining chip. She’s too headstrong for such a thing, even if I was that shitty of a parent.”

“Roast t’ hag!” Kid cheered amongst the gasps and marveling. “Gie ‘er good!”

“What would you know about being a parent?” Linlin sneered at Law. “My intel does say you have a bratty little tag-along these days. That’s not a daughter; that’s a charity-case. What sort of pirates resort to charity, I wonder?”

“If being a father is charity, then I wonder what your children think of their fathers? What your sons think of their children.” Law drew his sword and widened his stance slightly. “I know more about being a father, being a parent, than you can ever fathom.”

“You really think she’s yours, you delusional boy?”

“More mine than whatever caused your multiple uterine prolapses are to you.”

Kid was fucking cackling.

“Have it your way,” Linlin hissed. “Napoleon! Prometheus! Hera! Let’s finish these upstarts.”

Law brought up a Room and Kid cracked his knuckles and neck. Now they were talking.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It took a while for Bepo to finally find a corridor that was relatively quiet before he felt safe enough to put Nauja down. Surprised that there was even a place still calm within Onigashima, he searched for a storage room before ushering in his littlest crewmate and closing the door behind them.

“You alright?” he asked. She nodded. “Good, now let’s figure out what we’re going to do from here.” He peeked out into the corridor to double-check and breathed a sigh of relief—no one.

“What’s gonna happen if Vaor can’t stop them?” Nauja wondered. She looked around the room in a panic, seeing that it was empty aside from some low tables, boxes, and stacks of Wanolese seating cushions.

“This place crashes into the Flower Capitol and we would have to get back to the Tang fast as we can,” Bepo replied. He looked back at Nauja and saw that she was shaking as she tried to not cry, likely overloaded by everything and regretting having come along. She was so different from the first time he saw her—a pair of curious eyes poking out from behind smears of dirt and matted hair—and it only showed him how far she’d come with them… with Law. “Listen: nothing bad’s going to happen, okay? We’ve got this.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” chuckled a low voice. The Mink scooped the child up into his arms and held her close. “Cute… as though either of you are anything other than a liability…”

“I don’t know who you are, but you’re not getting to us that easily,” Bepo announced. He put his back to the wall and tried to sniff out the other person in the room and couldn’t; the smells from elsewhere in the complex were still too strong.

“I’m surprised you don’t recognize me… little brother…”

A figure stepped out from behind some cushion stacks and both Bepo and Nauja gasped. There, standing before them as though everything was completely normal, was Zepo.

“You’re dead!” Nauja declared, pointing at the other Mink.

“How would you know?” Mystery Zepo chuckled. “What would a Lesser Mink cub know about me?”

“Enough to know you’re not real!” She looked at Bepo, who seemed completely at a loss for what to do. “Come on! We need to get out of here!”

“I… I…” Bepo breathed, his brain sputtering out. “Was Fred wrong…?”

“He can be,” Mystery Zepo replied. A large explosion rumbled from elsewhere in the castle.

“No, he’s the one lying! That’s proof!” Nauja wiggled from Bepo’s grasp and tried to shake him out of it. “Bepo-ya…!”

“…but… how can he be here…?”

“Shoot…” The small child looked around and tried to figure out what she could do to snap Bepo out of whatever it was that was keeping him from knowing that this wasn’t real. Was it a Devil Fruit? A robot? A really good imposter? She needed to figure it out, and quick.

“You’re going to let me take care of the cub,” Mystery Zepo said. He began to step forward towards the pirates, sending a chill down Nauja’s spine.

“Bepo-ya! It’s a trap!”

“Of all the people in this place, don’t you want to trust your brother?”

“Don’t listen to him!” Nauja could see that there were tears forming in the Mink’s eyes as he trembled against the wall. “I don’t know who he is, but he’s trying to trick us!”

“Why would I trick my brother?” Mystery Zepo asked.

“Your brothers are Vaor and Penguin-ya and Shachi-ya!”

It was no use—Bepo was absolutely frozen in indecision. Nauja knew she had to do something, or else they were going to fall victim to… whatever it was that mimicking the long-dead Mink.

“Bepo-ya! Look at the moon!” she shouted, running to the shut balcony door. She struggled to pull the frame open. “Look at the moon and let’s get out of here!”

Just as she was able to force the frame open, the Mystery Zepo was there next to her, having appeared in nearly an instant. He took a knife from his belt and glared at Nauja, sunglasses glinting in the moonlight.

“This is not your place,” he hissed. “Don’t you da—”

Mystery Zepo was cut off, a giant paw reaching around his skull and crushing it. Electric sparks frizzed from his body as the illusion tech broke, revealing a faceless robot in its place. Bepo, in full Sulong, casually tossed the contraption to the side and straight through the wall.

“Nothing hurts the captain’s daughter,” Bepo growled, voice low and gravelly. Nauja carefully went over to the now-ruined wall and looked at the robot, taking careful note of the markings along the side.

“PUNK…?” she wondered aloud, tilting her head. “Why’s it got the word PUNK painted on it?”

“I don’t want to hang around long enough to find out,” Bepo replied as another explosion made the building quake. He muttered a low apology as he swept her up into one paw and burst through the outer wall of the storage room, bringing them into the open air. Despite there being no change to the color, his fur was now longer and fiery, and his face more fierce.

He roared at the moon in mid-air, cursing and thanking it in one long, rumbling note that crackled in Electro.

If he ever found the people who tried to trick him with his brother’s face, he was going to rip them apart.

“Hang on, Nauja!” he boomed. She held on tight as he brought them to the ground around the palace, the clouds closing up once again once his paws were on the dirt and he shrank back to his normal size. He shuddered and coughed up some blood—one of the benefits of an underwater ship was being able to avoid Sulong and the effects therein.

“VAOR!” Nauja screeched as she saw the flames that were engulfing the castle. Bepo grabbed her and secured her against his chest—she wasn’t going anywhere.

“We have to stay out here!” he insisted. “I can’t let you burn!”

“…but Vaor…!”

“…wants you to live!” Bepo exclaimed. “Everything he does, everything the crew does, is so that you can live!”

Nauja went limp at that, knowing that he was both right and correct. Guilt settled on her, knowing that her actions, her presence was what drove Law and the crew to do a lot of what they did, and it hurt more than she could comprehend. Bepo let go and placed her on the ground, a paw resting supportively on her shoulder.

“All we want is a future you can look forward to,” he said.

“…but… why…?” Her voice cracked as tears began to choke her. “I’m just some kid you found…”

“You’re Law’s kid, the crew’s kid…” He licked her temple gently. “We love you.”

“…but… why…?” she repeated. “What did I do to deserve it…?”

Bepo stared at Nauja, completely flabbergasted. “Nauja… you didn’t need to do anything.”

“…but I’m nothing but trouble!” she cried. “If it wasn’t for me coming along, you’d…!”

“Don’t think that way!” Bepo held Nauja’s face in his paws and made her look directly at him. “There’s no reason for us to love! We just do! Why else would we let you stay? Why else would we take care of you? Why else would the Captain adopt you as his own daughter?” He saw the tears and snot running down her face and tried to wipe it off with his sleeve. “We knew what bringing a kid into the crew meant… we wanted to love you. There doesn’t have to be a reason other than that.”

“…even though I do stupid stuff…?”

“Kids do stupid stuff all the time—it’s how they learn.” He saw she was biting her lower lip in an effort to stop crying, it not really working. “The rest of the crew does stupid stuff all the time too, and they’re adults, so I don’t know why a few mistakes is such a big deal.” He licked her forehead again. “Sorry, but you’re stuck with us.”

Nauja nodded weakly and hugged Bepo, letting the Mink comfort her as they remained hidden in their spot outside the castle. The muffled sounds of war punctuated their embrace; both were drawing strength from the other, the aftereffects of the raid and their conversation completely wiping them.

Just then, a curious smell reached Bepo’s nose, then a noise that was definitely not fire.

“Is… is that seawater…?” he marveled. He and Nauja looked at the castle and saw that there was water and smoke coming out of the building—something was extinguishing the flames.

“Vaor!” Nauja gasped. She broke from Bepo and began to run towards the castle. She made her way past water-logged Beast Pirates and samurai, Bepo tailing close behind, as she searched for Law. By the time she found him, he was laying down in a pile of debris, eyes closed as he breathed heavily.

“Dinna worry; he ain’t dead,” Kid groaned as he caught sight of the child. He was laying in his own pile of debris, though had his eyes open. “The ol’ bat kicked our arses, but we got her in the end.” He gestured towards a nearby hole in the floor, presumably where Big Mom went.

“Vaor…?” Nauja knelt down beside him and put her hands on his chest, shaking him. “Are you alright…?”

“Ja, famke,” he groaned. Law struggled to lift his hand, reaching out towards Nauja. He was able to find her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb as he opened his eyes. “I’ll be alright. That was just…”

“…a lot…?”

“Yeah… it was a lot.” He offered her a wan smile, which she took as permission to hug him, clinging desperately as he rested his hand against her back. “Ball’s in your court, Strawhat-ya.”

Almost as if Luffy heard him, a gleeful shishishi reverberated throughout the castle.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

After having the sheer audacity to to return to the fray on the back of a dragon, Luffy turned into Nika to no-sell Kaidou.

Fucking hell… Monkey D. Luffy became Nika, the legendary sun god and liberator of peoples from times ancient and immemorial, while Law had a time with the hag that just wouldn’t die? And the “help” he had gotten from Kid? Had to almost carry the moron while he was staggering about and yet Strawhat-ya turned into a literal god.

Now wasn’t that some straight-up peak protagonist-level shit right there?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The aftermath of the raid on Onigashima was, fortunately, plenty less complicated than was feared. With Kaidou and Big Mom done for (Law did not want to say they were dead, as he knew he needed a corpse to do that), the Beast and Big Mom Pirates scattered like ants after a good threatening from Yamato. Orochi actually was dead, confirmed by Hiyori and Denjiro, who were there as he spoke his final words before being consumed by flames. The royal siblings were reunited and Oden’s long-lost heir proclaimed himself shogun.

Wano was free.

Oh, the celebrations that were had! Those who had been in the Flower Capitol wept in joy and relief, knowing that they had nearly become victim to a misplaced Onigashima. Parties broke out throughout the lands, bolstered by food sent from the unpolluted farms. Talk of the old ways now flowed freely, bringing with it reminisces of a society—while not perfect—was still defined by full bellies and factory work not being a death sentence. Many of the Alliance members were met with cheers and grateful platitudes, much to their derision. Pirates were not heroes, after all, and honestly had been in it for their own reasons. Whether itching for a fight or wanting information, they were not the ones that Wano should have been heaping their praises on.

Despite this, while members of the victorious forces recovered, there was a heightened sense of wonder and gratitude in the air. Adults took their first clean drink of water since childhood alongside their own children, festival stalls did not close up, and people smiled in the streets at whomever crossed their paths. It was even evident that the inhabitants of Ebisu were genuinely happy, as there was something about their demeanor that was simply right. All were thankful, even as they cleaned up the messes that had been left behind in the fighting.

Meanwhile, invitation had been extended to all the members of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance to stay within the royal palace while things were settling down. Although Law would have rather started living in the dockyards in Tokage, he subjected himself to the Flower Capitol for a while longer as he put aside Nauja’s impending punishment and allowed her to remain with her new friends. He had taken to wandering around the palace while they were at play, doing exactly the sort of thing he knew his daughter couldn’t whilst aboard a submarine full of adults.

“Vaor! Vaor! Vaor! Look at this!” Having been examining a frieze in a quiet corridor, Law glanced over to see Nauja with Tama and Toko, the three girls striking a set of poses out of Sora, Warrior of the Sea, with the pink-haired girl in the middle with her arms up and arched, while the older two stood on either side of her, hiding their faces in the crooks of one arm while their other pointed up and towards each other at an angle, nearly touching in a point.

“Teaching them about Sora, I see?” he chuckled. “How does he compare to Wanolese stories?”

“O-Ja tells us tales of this warrior, and he seems mighty!” Tama gasped dreamily. “I wonder if he ever gets sent to the New World…?”

“Well, I like Poison Pink!” Toko giggled. “She’s really cool! And her hair’s like mine! I can wear her costume!”

“Maybe when you’re a bit older,” Law replied. Shit… he hoped the kids saw the earlier versions of the Germa 66 costumes and not the ones that looked more like the real deal. There was no way he was getting blamed for a Wanolese child wanting a neckline that passed her navel. A distraction, a distraction… “Say, how about the four of us head down to the festival before it gets too crowded?”

All three girls’ eyes became large and round—perfect.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Okay, so maybe being a chaperone to three energetic children wasn’t the smartest move after all. The trio were excitable and bouncy and not only chattered like chipmunks on uppers, but moved as such too. Between that and the fact that he was out in public, it made Law tired just existing, which wasn’t a very good look if he was perfectly honest. An even worse look would have been opening a Room just to keep tabs on them—he only had two eyes and there was three of them.

Then again… this must have been how his parents felt when they were taking him and his sister to festivals, wasn’t it?

Still attempting an aloof aura, Law smiled inwardly as he watched the girls rush from stall to stall; Nauja had friends and that was irreplaceable. They bounced and giggled and acted like normal children, making him wonder if any of them had ever been this way before… if that luxury had been afforded them. At least he knew more days like this were ahead of them… ahead of him…

“Oh, what’s that…?” Nauja asked, pointing at a stall. People were standing in front of it and lighting incense, a sight that made her tilt her head in curiosity.

“That’s some leftover incense from the Fire Festival,” Toko said. “Haven’t you ever seen any?”

“They don’t have it where we’re from,” Nauja replied. “What does it do?”

“You light it as an offering to people who’ve died,” Tama explained. “I light some for my mom and dad every once in a while. Some people say you can talk with their spirits that way.”

“Like… tell them you’re doing alright…?”

“Yeah! Do you want to light some for your mom?”

Panic seized Nauja as she came at a crossroads. What was she going to tell her friends…?

“Ahahaha! O-Tama, some people don’t have moms!” Toko laughed. “I don’t! I only had a dad too!”

“…but you have Hiyori-sama!”

“She’s more like my sister!” Toko then turned to Nauja and grinned, tilting her head to the side. “Do you have anyone you’d like to light incense for?”

“Well… um…” Nauja glanced back at Law, who nodded in permission. “My grandparents… and my aunt. I never met them, but I want to say hello… let them know my dad’s taking good care of me.”

“Then that’s perfect!” Tama gasped excitedly. She and Toko pulled their friend to the stall, their chaperone hanging back. “Three sticks, please!”

“All three of you girls are going to light one?” the stallkeeper asked, trying not to chuckle.

“O-Ja never has and we need to show her how!” Toko said cheerily.

The stallkeeper nodded at that and set out three sets of incense. Each girl got a wooden skewer, which they lit with the flame of a lantern. Nauja watched as her friends transferred the flame to the ends of the incense, which she copied, and snuffed the remaining flame on the skewer in some provided sand. She placed her hands together and closed her eyes in imitation and tried to think.

‘Uh… hi Oma, Opa, Tante Lami, Cora-jiisan… I don’t really know if this is going to work, but I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Nauja and I’m your granddaughter… or niece, in Tante Lami’s case. Law-san is my dad now, and although I’m not related to any of you by blood, I’ve heard stories about you that makes it feel like that doesn’t matter. Vaor and the crew love me and protect me and take care of me, and that’s more than I’ve ever had before. Thank you for making him so kind. Even when he’s sad, he is kind, and I know you all did that.’

She peeked at the incense sticks—only halfway.

‘Well, I know about you, so I guess you should know about me! I’m almost eight years old, I love reading Sora, Warrior of the Sea, and drawing! I want to become a doctor, like Opa and Oma were and like Vaor is now! I love drawing things like how they are in the textbooks! Clione-ya calls it “hyper-realism”. Oh, yeah, and we live on a pirate ship! It can go under the water! Vaor’s crew is made up of some of the kindest pirates out there. I know, I know, there shouldn’t be such a thing as kind pirates, but there are. All they want is to be free. There are other crews like that we’ve been meeting, and I really like it a lot!We’re good friends with so many other kind pirates and that makes our crew seem not so weird!’

Another peek—nearly done.

‘Okay, the incense is almost done! I know we’ve never met, but I love you! Thank you! Bye for now!’

Opening her eyes and letting her hands fall to their sides, Nauja watched the incense as it fizzled out. It was kind of stinky, but it was a good sort of stinky, she guessed.

“Did you girls have a good chat?” the stallkeeper asked as Toko and Tama also opened their eyes. “I’m sure whomever you were talking to loved the attention.”

“I’m sure they did as well,” Law said. It was barely there, but Nauja could hear his voice crack slightly. “Now let’s hurry back—you don’t want to miss the fireworks, do you?”

The three girls gasped—no they did not!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

With stray mochi wrappers and broken konpeito littering the balcony, Nauja watched as the fireworks reached their grand crescendo. Tonight she and her friends were watching with Zoro-ya, Hiyori-ya, and Sanji-ya, with each child snuggled into an adult. Toko-ya was already snoring against Hiyori-ya and Tama-ya was beginning to falter in her perch on Zoro-ya’s lap; only Nauja was really awake of the three.

“I believe it’s high time we put these little ones to bed,” Hiyori-ya said sweetly as the last bit of glitter faded into the sky and smoke. Zoro-ya grunted something and stood, hauling Tama-ya up with one meaty arm and accepting Toko-ya with the other. “Did you wish to join them, Lady Trafalgar?”

“No, I should clean up here,” Nauja said, leaning out of Sanji-ya’s grasp and grabbing at some of the wrappers. “I promised I’d sleep with the Hearts tonight anyhow.”

“Suit yourself,” Zoro-ya shrugged. Hiyori-ya followed him inside, with Sanji-ya’s eyes trailing behind them in a way that Nauja couldn’t tell who he was looking at. He then turned his attention back to Nauja, taking care to stub out his cigarette before moving to help her.

“You’re such a hard-working kid,” he noted. “Does Trafalgar work you that hard with chores?”

“Technically, I’m still in trouble,” she reminded him. He nodded, knowing that she was talking about sneaking onto Onigashima. “Most of my actual punishment is gonna come after we leave Wano—I won’t get any sweets or be allowed to do anything but study or train for a while after this.” She saw that he had a curled eyebrow raised in question. “It’s… more than fair.”

“You’re a pretty neat kid, Nauja-chan,” Sanji-ya chuckled. “I mean, you were brave enough to go to begin with.”

“It’s not bravery if you go in not thinking about how bad it could be,” Nauja muttered. “All I wanted was to be with Vaor.”

“Still… not everyone can figure out who I am without me giving more facts,” he replied. “You had me sweating on Zou when you mentioned my eyebrow. No one had made the connection until then.”

“Then everyone’s stupid,” she scoffed. Sanji-ya snorted at that, which in turn made Nauja grin. They finished putting all the wrappers in a bag and left the spoiled konpeito shards for birds before heading inside. Zoro-ya and Hiyori-ya met them in the corridor, the other two adults now free of Tama-ya and Toko-ya.

“You coming?” Zoro-ya asked. Sanji-ya swallowed hard and glanced at Nauja: the final obstacle.

“I can find my dad on my own,” Nauja said frankly before walking away. She heard a door to one of the rooms slide open and shut as she made her way down the corridor, not wanting to alert her adults to the fact she knew what possibly might be going on.

The palace was quiet as Nauja padded her way through the corridors and staircases looking for her dad, the only other ones active being the staff. He was not in the large bedroom where most of the rest of the Hearts were already asleep on the giant mega-futon they made by pushing a bunch of singles together. Nor, she noticed, was he in any of the banquet halls and receiving rooms, where he had been apt to sulking in the past few days. The only ones she could find were the members of the Hearts who were off cavorting with pretty maids or the handsome footman, making her wrinkle her nose in irritation… some use they were being…

Wait! There he was! Nauja found a staircase that led down into a room that had dozens upon dozens of wooden dolls. A blue Poneglyph sat in it, whispering to her tales of Wano’s past. Ignoring it for the time being, she went down what looked like another staircase set into the floor, continuing to descend deeper and further into the rock below.

“Who is this joining us?” As Nauja’s eyes adjusted to the light, she saw that Tengu-ya was standing there without his mask, leading her Vaor and Nico-ya down below the surface. “Ah, another intrepid explorer for our group.”

“If the fireworks are over, you should be headed to bed,” Vaor said sternly. Nauja shook her head instead and grabbed hold of his coat.

“I wanted to stay with you,” she reasoned. Nico-ya giggled quietly, while Tengu-ya simply gestured to an opening in the wall where a dim light shone.

“I think there is something here that you all might wish to see,” he said. Nico-ya and Nauja proceeded to crawl in through the hole, while Vaor placed himself at the end with his Devil Fruit ability.

There, beyond a pane of clear glass, was an underwater Wano shimmering in the moonlight.

“That is Old Wano,” Tengu-ya explained. “Our nation used to be much bigger, but when the country was sealed off it was done so literally, and the rainwater had nowhere to go. The buildings you see are probably around eight hundred years old. It is good that the sky is so clear tonight, or else it would be impossible to see except for in the daytime.”

“Wow…” Nauja marveled. “Does that mean there’s even older stuff further down?”

“There is,” Tengu-ya said. The girl slid out from the opening and rushed down the staircase, the clack-clack-clack of her geta echoing against the stone-hewn walls. Once at the bottom, she gasped in wonder at what she saw in the pale moonlight filtered in past waves and glass.

There, telling her its secrets, was a red Lode Poneglyph.

“Vaor!” she squeaked. “Oh, seas, Vaor!” Nauja ran up to the fence that surrounded the stone and jumped up and down excitedly. When Tengu-ya brought Vaor and Nico-ya to the chamber, both were nearly at a loss for words.

“It’s really here,” Nico-ya marveled. She tilted her head in confusion as she watched Nauja stare at the Poneglyph in wonder. “What do you know about these, Nauja-chan?”

“It’s singing!” the girl replied cheerily. All three adults blanched. “The blue stone that was on Onigashima and the one upstairs were just whispering, but this one is singing! I can hear it clearly!”

“How can you do this?!” Nico-ya gasped. She grabbed Nauja by the shoulders and looked into her eyes, scared beyond her mind. “If this is a game, Nauja-chan, you need to tell me, now.”

“She’s been showing signs for a while,” Vaor replied, his tone calm and serious. “It’s the Voice of All Things—I think she can hear it. She did on Onigashima.”

“That legend…?” Tengu-ya questioned. He then scoffed. “Then again, look at all here that otherwise lives in folklore and whispers…”

“Why is that such a bad thing?” Nauja asked. “It’s just something I can do… it doesn’t hurt anything, right?”

“It might not to you or to the rest of us, but this means that you understand this,” Nico-ya said. She pointed at the Poneglyph, which seemed to buzz in joy. “Never tell anyone outside this room you can hear those. Do you understand?”

Nauja nodded.

“It’s like my full name: we have to hide it from the world,” Vaor added. “Never be ashamed of it, but you have to know that if a bad person discovers you can hear what these things have to say, then our travels might become more dangerous than they need to be.”

“A secret name?” Tengu-ya mused.

“You may know, as payment for this,” Vaor said, gesturing at the Poneglyph. “My name in-full is Trafalgar D. Water Law. My parents died before they could pass on the knowledge of its meaning upon my coming-of-age.”

“So you wish to search for the meaning behind the Will of D., hmm…?” Tengu-ya asked. Vaor nodded. “Then you must take care… as though this old man needs to tell you that. There is nothing of the Will in what has been passed down in the shogunate, but I believe it is something you might be able to find an answer for at the End.” He then stared at the younger man, intensely curious. “Where are you from? I was one of the few with access to newspapers, even after my escape, so I might know of it.”

Vaor hesitated. “Flevance, in the North.”

“Ah—then how fortunate that the son that survived bears such a name, and that he might be one of the heroes that graced this country.”

“We’re no heroes, and we are far from saints,” Vaor stated. “We are pirates—our goals merely aligned.”

“Hmm… strooth… however, it does not change what you have done, nor will it change the meaning behind your name.” Tengu-ya went to Nico-ya and Nauja, putting a hand atop the little girl’s head. “Now, my child, can you tell me what it is this lovely stone sings of?”

She recited it perfectly.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was the late following day and Law was returning to the Flower Capitol after having visited the dock at Tokage Port where the Polar Tang was now sitting. Ikkaku and some of the more mechanically-inclined members of the Hearts, along with Robo-ya and Nose-ya, were working on making some additional upgrades to the ship, some that put him at-ease and others that were… questionable at-best. He made it back to the palace before it was time for dinner, the festivities still going strong. How long did a festival need to be, anyhow? A quick check on Nauja—she was reading some Sora books to Tama and Toko, who presumably could not read common script, given their expressions—and he decided it was time for a bit of wandering before dinner.

…or else he would have, had Shachi and Penguin not cornered him.

“So…ooo… Cap…tain…” Penguin said, drawing out the words. “We hear the Head Brat in Charge is looking for ya; has all day.”

“I am not beholden to Momo-ya now that he’s shogun,” Law frowned.

“It’s about Nauja,” Shachi said. Law blinked at that.

“Is she still beating him up?”

Shachi grimaced slightly, making a tsk noise as his lips parted. “No… more like… I think you need to get changed into something more appropriate.”

“What about my clothes is inappropriate?” Law threatened. He was wearing a button-down shirt, jeans, and boots, with his usual hat and his feather-trimmed coat draped over his shoulders. Just because he wasn’t still in Wanolese garb didn’t make him look inappropriate…

“Nothing normally,” Penguin said, “but come on, let’s go; Bep’s getting Momo for us.”

“I don’t like this,” Law stated as his two officers dragged him through the corridor, one on each arm. They got him to the room the lot of them had been sharing before most of the crew left for Tokage and wrestled him back into his yukata… the one he could have sworn he left on the Tang. “You two better explain yourselves, and quickly.”

“It’s probably better we don’t,” Shachi claimed. He and Penguin then pulled him along again, bringing their captain to a small meeting room where Bepo was waiting nervously out in the corridor.

“Oooh, ready…?!”

“Bepo…” Law warned. The polar bear mumbled an apology and quickly slid open the door, allowing Penguin and Shachi to literally shove him in. By the time he regained his footing, the door was traitorously shut behind him.

“Lord Trafalgar, there you are.” Law’s attention snapped towards the voice and saw that it was Momonosuke; he was still not used to the deeper timbre of his older self. “Please, have a seat.”

Law raised his eyebrow; they were the only two in the room, the young shogun already sitting seiza on a cushion while an empty one sat across from him. He complied, sitting in the Wanolese fashion in hopes that this wouldn’t take long, placing Kikoku down at his side.

“Mind telling me what this is about?” Law asked, getting directly to the point. Momonosuke swallowed hard.

“It… it’s about your daughter… the Lady Trafalgar…”

“You know you don’t have to refer to us by titles we don’t have,” Law stated, pinching the bridge of his nose. Wano was so nauseatingly extra he could barely stand it. “What did Nauja do?”

“Uh… nothing… I…”

“She and I, as well as my officers, are staying here at your request, in order to not break up the friendship she has with Tama-ya and Toko-ya while we can,” he explained. “If she has done something that needs addressing, then I shall address it as her father.”

“You see, that’s it! She hasn’t done anything!” Momonosuke gasped. Law narrowed his eyes. “It’s just that, since I’ve become shogun, I’ve been made to think of the future!”

“We’re setting sail soon; I don’t expect to return any time in said near future,” Law said. “I know Tama-ya and Toko-ya are fond of Nauja, but they’ll have to make do with letters.”

“Then… will you come back? In, say, fifteen years?”

“Why fifteen?”

“We shall be the year we both become twenty-three years of age; verily, I seek your permission to wed Lady Trafalgar upon such an auspicious reunion.” Momonosuke bowed deeply, his hair hiding his face as his nose nearly touched the tatami mat. “She is a hero to the nation, and no doubt shall become a fine woman. It would be an honor to have her as a bride.”

Of all the fucking…

“You know you’re older than me now, right?” Law mentioned, voice sharply deadpan. “You know… the man who is her father…?”

“I am eight years of age!”

“You are twenty-eight goddamned years old,” Law said firmly. “In fifteen years you will not be twenty-three, but forty-three. Furthermore, I am not the person whose permission you would need in order to marry her.”

“…then whose would it be…?”

“Nauja’s!” As a pirate and a medical professional, he had heard plenty of absurd things in his life, but this conversation was quickly ratcheting itself towards the top of the list. “She’s not some thing to treat as a token! It’s not my job to barter her away!”

“…but, I…!”

“…and what the actual fuck makes you think that, even if you were still an eight-year-old brat today, that she would want to get married to you in fifteen years?!”

“Her fortitude and dedication to this country’s freedom makes her an excellent candidate to be a shogun’s wife!” Momonosuke cried. Fuck… Law really still was bullying a kid, wasn’t he? “Her character is precisely the sort of thing that this country needs at my side, that I want to see in my own children some day!”

“This conversation is over,” Law decided. He picked up Kikoku and stood, trying to flex impending numbness from his calf muscles. “If I ever hear that you’ve come within fifty feet of my daughter without my presence, you shall learn precisely why they refer to me as the Surgeon of Death on my bounty posters. Do I make myself clear?”

“Uhh…”

“Then let me make it clearer: I don’t care that you leapt through time and this,” he gestured at all of Momonosuke, “is because of a Devil Fruit. I don’t care that when I met you a few months ago, you were still a literal child. I don’t even care that you are Shogun of Wano and Strawhat-ya’s new idkbff. Come near my daughter again and I will make you wish I killed you.”

“…o…okay…”

Law slammed open the door, finding that all three of his officers were there, as well as Hiyori, the princess looking rather irritated while the pirates all jumped at the sight of their captain.

“I told him it was a horrid idea,” Hiyori said, composure calm as only a vindicated younger sibling could pull off. Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi, however, were frightened into silence.

“How long have you known about this?” Law glared.

“Ju-just when we were s-sent to g-g-get you…” Penguin lied. Law turned his amber eyes towards the weakest link: Bepo.

“Onigashima!” The bear cracked instantly. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! We should have told you sooner, but it was low priority since we kind of had other things on our mind!”

“It was the middle of the battle!” Shachi added. “He was still a kid then! We thought it was cute!”

“Didn’t you ever propose to a girl when you were a kid?” Penguin asked, trying to brush it off. “I mean… that’s just what boys do when they find a girl that doesn’t put up with their shit…”

Completely done, Law turned on his heel and went back to change his clothes. Once he was in actual pants again, he found where Nauja was, with her and her friends trying to act out a scene from Sora.

“Alright girls,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Sleepover at the Tang. Grab your stuff. Come on, this means all of you.”

“Oh, do you think Jean Bart will bake us cookies?!” Nauja gasped.

“Wait…” Toko stared at her friend, smile still wide, but the tiniest hint of confusion in her voice. “What is this ‘sleepover’ your father speaks of, O-Ja?”

“It’s when friends all stay the night over at someone’s house!” Nauja explained. “Well, if submarine ships count as houses!”

“So… this has been a sleepover this whole time…?” Tama asked, looking around the room. That’s right—none of them really lived there.

“Yup, and now I’m returning the favor; chop chop,” Law said. The girls cheered and began to gather the stuff they would need to head back to the Polar Tang. Once he was able to corral them out into the corridor, they ran into Hiyori again, the woman giving him a knowing smirk.

“Hiyori-sama, we’re going to have a sleepover with O-Ja!” Toko grinned. “Isn’t that neat?!”

“It is,” she agreed. She then turned her attention to Law—they really had seen a lot for their age, hadn’t they? “I shall set my brother straight. He has a lot to learn.”

“A lot to learn about what, Hiyori-ya?” Nauja asked.

“Never you mind,” Law said. He took the bag that had Tama and Toko’s things and waved the girls off. “Make sure everything’s in your backpack before we go—I don’t know when we’re coming back.”

“Okay!” The three girls rushed down the corridor towards the Hearts’ room, leaving the two adults.

“Don’t fret, Lord Trafalgar,” Hiyori assured. “By the time you return to these shores, my lord brother will have long-forgotten all about his childhood crush. She’ll be safe.”

“I hope so,” he frowned, staring down the corridor. She giggled at that, catching his attention. “What…?”

“Sir Denjiro looks at me that way when I’m being particularly troublesome,” she admitted. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You’ll never stop worrying, you know.”

“I know.”

“One day, she will thank you, and it shall be about everything you’ve never told her about… this included.”

He nodded and inhaled deeply, trying to keep it together. “I know.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was well after nightfall and the dockyard was still bustling with activity. Several bonfires were lit to help with light, though they also served as gathering places for the varying pirates and shipwrights that were not currently working. One pirate in particular was utilizing the atmosphere to take to storytelling, with three pajama-clad children sitting rapt in front of him.

“Aye, so there we was, staring down this absolute unit of a granny; bigger than the whale that guards the entrance t’ the Grand Line!” Kid watched as the girls giggled at him, all three amused by his tale. “She tried t’ gie us t’ join her, but that would’ve involved marrying some kid of hers and that bloody fucking bunch of reprobates? Aye, right, I dinna ken a worse fate than being tied to one o’ them.”

“Don’t swear like that around them,” Law scowled in disapproval from his reading spot on the other side of the fire. Kid scowled right back and gave a venomless two-fingered salute.

“Yer lads cuss.”

“My lads can speak without anyone feeling like they need a dictionary.”

“Where the fun in that?” Kid then noticed Toko let out a yawn, the pink-haired girl being the first to flag. “Oi, Trafalgar, I think the bairnies here need a wee kip.”

“Is that right now?” Law asked. “Time for bed already?” Nauja, Tama, and Toko all shook their heads in a panic.

“NO!” they all chimed in.

“I thought Eustass-ya couldn’t tell you what to do!” Nauja added.

“He can’t tell me what to do, but he is part of the Inter-Seas Association of Semi-Capable Adults and therefore knows when certain children might need their sleep.” He snapped his book shut and placed it in his inner coat pocket before standing. “Now then, say goodnight to Eustass-ya.”

Pouting, the three young friends tackled Kid in a hug, not entirely wanting to leave just yet. He was able to wrap his right arm around them with a chuckle. “I can finish in the morning if yer that interested.”

“We are!” Tama replied. “Even though O-Ja and I were there, we did not see all the events unfold!”

“Yeah, and I was not there at all,” Toko said. She closed her eyes and hummed. “You’re warm.”

“You’ll be warm inside too,” Law said. He plucked Toko from Kid’s grasp and motioned for the other two girls to follow. After exchanging a knowing glance with Kid, Law led Nauja and Tama over to the side of the Polar Tang, opening a Room so he could place them by the top deck’s entrance. They went below, with Nauja leading the way to her bedroom. It had been finished earlier that afternoon, with more shelves, chests to place her things in, and a bunk bed that was sitting over a desk. The older two girls marveled at the changes, while the third was already too asleep to notice.

“Oh, wow!” Nauja gasped. “This is all mine?!”

“That it is,” Law replied. He placed Toko underneath the blankets while Nauja and Tama investigated the rest of the room. “Robo-ya and Nose-ya worked rather hard on it with Ikkaku-ya.”

“I’ll have to thank them in the morning!” Nauja beamed. She hugged Law tightly before climbing up the ladder leading to her bed. “This is so cool! I thought this place was neat before, but now… it’s the best!”

“Did you sleep here before?” Tama asked, following her friend.

“Yeah, but before that I had to sleep with Vaor, because this room was actually storage,” Nauja said. The girls allowed Law to tuck them in as they settled in on either side of Toko, the three fitting snugly. “Ikka-ya put this together for me when it was decided I needed my own room.”

“That’s neat…”

“Good night, girls,” Law said. “If you need me, I’m at the end of the corridor, to the right.”

“Good night,” Nauja and Tama echoed back at him. Law then turned out the lights and switched on the nightlight—the star-filled, mid-ocean sky illuminated the ceiling, garnering a couple little gasps before he closed the door.

Nodding, Law went over to the kitchen and made himself some coffee first before heading into his cabin. There, he sat up with his mug of liquid life and a medical tome he had acquired from the Flower Capitol, reading it to see what sorts of things Wanolese medicine did the same and different compared to others. It was a surprisingly engaging read, making it so that he almost flew through the first half of the book on only the one mug of coffee. As he put the mug down after draining it, the photos secured to the wall caught his eye. He had recently added some more of Nauja, snail-captured images of her having fun with him and the crew surrounding the ones he had of his parents, sister, and Cora-san.

“You’d be proud,” he whispered in the silence. “I’m gonna figure out this mystery myself, so I can give my daughter our true identity. I’ll teach her everything, and then she’ll do us proud.”

The photos simply smiled back.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

When it was finally time for the Polar Tang to depart, it was difficult separating Nauja from Tama and Toko. The three girls sobbed at the prospect of not being together again for a long time, with some of the Wanolese well-wishers that had gathered needing to hold the girls back. Even Momonosuke was there, wailing about not wanting Strawhat-ya to leave, though in reality, it was the same deal.

They would come back again, one day. It was a promise between friends.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

They were nearly at the next island when they ran into trouble again.

“Captain, uh, we’ve got a problem,” Hakugan stated, peering through the periscope. He, Law, and Bepo were in the navigation room, with the captain sitting in his chair.

“What is it?”

“It looks like there’s people already on the island…”

“…so…? There are people on most islands.”

“It doesn’t look like it holds a permanent settlement, but there is a small harbor. Some affiliates of Blackbeard are currently docked there.”

“Fuck…” Law’s upper lip curled into a sneer as he contemplated the new information. He didn’t want to risk pissing off anyone who answered directly to one of the Emperors, not if they didn’t have backup. Wano was one thing and this was another. “How close by can you get to the island in order to reset the magnetic field?”

“…for this place? It’s gonna have to be close.” Bepo was checking the Log Pose and comparing it to the map he had unfurled on the dash. “According to the information we got from Zou, this place has a tight reset zone.”

“Alright—down periscope and dive—I want us off their radar soon as possible,” Law stated.

“Aye, aye,” Hakugan nodded. He turned off the periscope and concentrated on a series of dials and switches, which he used to begin prepping the Polar Tang to dive. “Huh…”

“…what…?” Law raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

“No… just… I feel kind of funny…” He then grunted suddenly, holding his stomach. “What the…?”

“I feel weird too,” Bepo agreed. “Do you think it might have been those pies Penguin made…?”

“The pies were cooked,” Law sighed, “you’re just being sill—urgh!” A sharp yet pulsing pain hit him in the abdomen as well, causing him to fall out of his chair and collapse on the floor. Something odd coursed through his body, making it feel as though it was changing, much to his chagrin, and they hadn’t even started to dive yet.

“Captain!?” The voice sounded like Bepo, and yet wasn’t. It was too high in pitch. “Captain!? What’s happening?!”

“I don’t know, I…!”

Law paused at the sound of his own voice, something intrinsically off about it. He struggled to his feet and looked over at Bepo, only to see that his navigator was donning a hairstyle close to Fred’s and was gaining a pear-shaped figure. Looking at Hakugan, he saw his helmsman was now sporting a cup size probably larger than Ikkaku’s. He felt his chin and discovered his goatee was no longer there, which caused him to look in the glass of the porthole at his reflection.

After all the years of his father staring back at him in the mirror, it was now his mother’s turn.

“FUCK!” he cursed. “Hakugan, dive, NOW!”

“Captain, what’s going on?!” the helmsman asked, attempting to maneuver to ship fast as he could.

“I don’t know! We’ll figure it out later!” Law turned towards the doorway and saw Shachi standing there with four mugs of coffee in his hands, now staring wide-eyed at the scene.

“What the fu…?”

Suddenly, a rumble shook the Polar Tang, spilling coffee and sending those in the control room into furniture and walls. Shachi in particular landed in Law’s new cleavage, which the captain did not appreciate. By the time he shoved off his crewmate, he was looking at Shachi alright, but a Shachi with the sort of hourglass shapeliness he’d normally be chasing instead of sporting.

“WE’VE BEEN HIT!” Ikkaku’s voice blared over the intercom snail. Sirens started to go off and a deep panic seated itself in Law’s chest.

Nauja.

“TACTICAL MANEUVERS!” Law ordered into the receiver on the dash. “BATTLE STATIONS!”

Once the command was given, Law rushed out of the navigation room and went to the engine room, seeing that Ikkaku was already barking orders, and then the mess hall, where most of the crew still were. A leak had sprung near a join—it was worse than he thought.

“CAPTAIN?!” gasped several crew members. Someone in the back was already infected, with Jean Bart changing into a bearded woman before his eyes.

“Vaor?!” Law’s head snapped towards the sound of Nauja’s voice, seeing that she was running towards him. “What’s going on?!”

“Sorry, but I’m gonna look like Oma and Tante Lami for a bit,” he said quietly. The terror in her face made him sick to his stomach, yet he kept it together as he looked at the rest of the crew and their quickly-transitive state. “What’s the status of that leak?”

“It’s hard to hold! We’re going to take on water sooner than later!”

“Shit!” Law grabbed the intercom snail and hissed into it. “We’ll need to surface!”

“…but Captain…!”

Another blast shook the ship, where transforming people got flung into walls and Nauja clung to Law’s leg.

“Captain… it’s Blackbeard himself! We have a visual!”

No…!

“If we keep going down, the water pressure will crush us!”

“Let’s surface!” Law ordered into the Den Den. “Prepare for battle, and be quick about it!”

“Vaor, what’s happening?!”

“I don’t know, famke,” he frowned. The girl watched as Law finally realized what was going on and used his Haki to bust through the forced gender flip, going back to his normal self. Once he did, the others in the room began to change back as well.

“How the fuck…?” Law whispered. He looked at his hand, then at his crew, as they went through changes at different rates. A sense of dread filled him like nothing he had ever felt before.

They had made it into the ship without so much as boarding.

Blackbeard’s crew had made it on the ship without boarding, and was about to make them surface.

“Shit—Nauja, backpack, now!”

Squeaking in reply, the girl scampered off, dodging crewmates as they ran around the ship, popping back to normal and panicking about the condition of the Polar Tang. She made it to her room and found her Sora backpack, putting in it all the things that she knew she needed: Professor Nanuk, books, photos of the crew and her family, the envelope with money and some Vivre Cards, her dirk, a jacket…

“Nauja, move!” She jumped and looked over at the door; Law was standing there, his arm outstretched and his face stern. He grabbed her soon as her backpack was secured and carried her through the ship.

“Vaor…?! What’s going on…?!”

“I need you to listen to me, Nauja,” he murmured in her ear, voice softer than she expected. “The crew loves you. Can you remember that?”

“…but Vaor…!” She looked around and saw that suddenly they were in the loading bay. “What’s going on?!” He set her down on the floor and knelt before her, ignoring the blaring klaxons and flashing warning lights all around them.

“Repeat what I said,” he demanded, voice shaky. She nodded weakly.

“The crew loves me.”

“I love you.”

“You love me.” She clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Vaor… Vader… Dad… please…”

“It’s going to be too dangerous from here on out,” he said. He gently placed her on a chair in a sort of… thing…? She wasn’t sure what, but he strapped her into a harness and kissed her hair and forehead. “Be good, alright? You’re going to grow up to be an amazing person, Trafalgar D. Water Nauja. It’s a shame I won’t get to see it.”

“Vaor…?!”

“I love you, Nauja, with all my Heart.”

Nauja’s eyes went wide as Law hit a button on the wall and the seat turned into a capsule. She screamed for her father as she struggled against the harness, although he couldn’t hear it thanks to the workmanship of the pod. It sank onto a track and another wall slid down between them, a glass panel allowing them to keep eye contact as the capsule settled into place and tears streamed down their faces.

Fly little seagull, he said silently. The world awaits.

The escape pod jettisoned itself, whisking Nauja far away from the current battle. The torpedo chamber filled with water as the contents were all forced out until only air bubbles and the sea remained.

Law set his face and exhaled heavily—it was time to take care of Blackbeard and, if he was lucky, at least his crew would survive this.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nauja stared at the folded Vivre Card in her hand, then up at the building in front of her. Everything her father ever told her came rushing back all at once, as she knew she shouldn’t be there. It was the Marine Headquarters, which was precisely not the place for a pirate to be, even a little one. She was glad she put her boilersuit in her backpack a while ago to blend in with just her t-shirt and shorts—this was going to be leagues more difficult than infiltrating the okiya.

Knowing she wasn’t going to get anywhere with hiding in the wharf, Nauja stepped out into the sunlight and began to walk up to the Marine Headquarters with her head held high. Recruits and minor officers all stared at her, wondering whose kid she was, all the way until an elderly lady with kind eyes stopped her.

“Where are you going, my dear?” she asked. “I think you’re a bit young to be signing up.”

“I’m here to see my grandfather,” Nauja said. She held up the folded Vivre Card and it shuffled on her palm. “My uncle gave this to me because I don’t remember what my grandfather looks like.”

“What is your grandfather’s name? That might help.”

“Uhh… Grandpapa…?”

The woman chuckled; oh, the innocence of children. She then noticed that there was writing on the inside of the Vivre Card. “What’s that?”

“A… erm… a note.”

“For whom?”

“It’s for Grandpapa from Uncle Dorry.”

The elderly lady inhaled sharply, her eyes going wide for just a moment. Nauja began to panic, only for the woman to reach out and grab her arm.

“I know your grandfather; let me take you to him.”

“You… you do…?”

“Yes. I knew your Uncle Dorry before your grandfather knew him.”

A light went on in Nauja’s head—this was the friend that Dinosaur-ya had mentioned. She nodded and let the woman take her hand, bringing her through the maze-like corridors of the Marine Headquarters. She eventually found an office, where there was an elderly man sitting at a desk doing paperwork.

“Tsuru, what’s this?” he wondered, sitting fully upright. He watched as the little girl detached herself from his old comrade’s side and approached him, holding up a Vivre Card. It spun in her hand when she was directly next to him—it was his.

“I think you should read that, Sengoku,” Tsuru suggested. He picked up the Vivre Card and unfolded it, seeing the familiar, distinctive script inside.

‘Please take care of her. Dorry.’

“Where did you get this, child?” Sengoku asked gently. Nauja shuffled in place nervously.

“Your son gave it to me,” she said. “He knows my dad, and we met not too long ago, and he gave me that saying that if I were ever in any trouble Dad couldn’t handle, that I should find you.”

“Did he, now?”

“Yeah; he said something about his brother, and how although they never met, his brother would want me to have this.” The adults both looked at one another, which allowed the girl’s eyes to wander towards the photo frames on the desk. “That’s him! That’s Uncle Dorry!”

“Yes, it is him, isn’t it?” Sengoku nodded. He pulled the photo frame closer, allowing Nauja to see both the portraits clearer. She gasped when she saw the other one in the frame, before it having been shielded by glare from the lights. “What’s the matter?”

“That’s Cora-jiisan!” she realized. Nauja went into her backpack and pulled out an envelope, from which she presented a copy of a photo she last saw on her father’s wall. “He was Dad’s dad! Like how Dad is my dad! Dad needed Cora-jiisan and he took care of him, like how I needed Dad and he took care of me!”

“Is that so…?” Sengoku marveled, looking at the photo. It was something he had never seen before, with his son taking the photo of himself and a sour-looking teen with white patches on his face and in his hair. He wasn’t sure there was a time he had seen that sort of smile on him as an adult, and it made him nearly want to cry.

“Yes! This is Dad and me!” Nauja said. She held out another photo, this one of her and a very familiar-looking pirate. It was the teen from the first photo, no longer sick and now the adult taking the picture. Sengoku stared at the photos side by side, then stared at Tsuru, terrified of what was happening.

“I did not know,” he apologized to the child. “Since I’ve retired from my normal duties, I don’t hear a lot of chatter about who is in what crew these days. That this man has a child is news to me.”

“Dad didn’t really think he was my dad until very recently, but now that his adoptive uncle’s in prison, we’re safe to be a family! Well… kind of…”

“What do you mean by that?” Tsuru asked.

“Well, there’s this big, mean, ugly guy who made his crewmate turn all the guys on the ship into women! After he fixed it, Dad had me get my backpack together and he put me in an escape pod. I… I’ve been going by this ever since.” She tapped the now-still Vivre Card on the desktop. “Now I’m here! Why do you have a picture of Cora-jiisan?”

“He was my son, before your Uncle Dorry came into my life,” Sengoku said. “I found your Cora-jiisan, he found your father, and your father found you. We are family.”

“Then maybe,” Tsuru said, “this is a chance to make things right.”

“Indeed.”

Sengoku stared at the little girl for a moment, wondering what he did to deserve such a sweet and innocent thing as this. He had done so much wrong by his son—by the boy he had taken in without thought of reproach from the Celestial Dragons—and the kid he’d decided to take in. That Flevench boy should have grown up to become a Marine… should have been allowed to do great things, and yet he had squandered it. He, Sengoku, had squandered the future of a young man he’d never met—Trafalgar never truly had any autonomy when it came to this—and now the man’s daughter was here… in his office… in need of a place to be safe and free.

“What is your name? I can’t introduce my adorable little great-granddaughter if I don’t know what her name is.”

“Trafalgar D. Water Nauja,” the girl said firmly, head held high. “My dreams are to become a medical illustrator and get justice for Vaor and the crew and the ship that was our home. Dinosaur-ya—erm—Uncle Dorry said that you can keep me safe while I grow up. Is that true?”

“It is,” Sengoku nodded, “and it shall be. No one, pirate or Marine, will know what hit them.” He brought her into a hug and the girl broke down into sobs. Tears flowed from them both as the finality washed over them, unaware of the note that had been slipped into her backpack, tucked between the pages of a book about a city long-razed, written on the back of a photo taken while neither subject had been paying attention as they read together in the sun.

You shall fly, my little Nauja, and the world shall know your name.

[marriedtolike18fictionalmen]

Our Infinity of Stars (pt. 7)

😈

“Isn’t this near the place Lo’ak got left?” Neteyam asked as we landed on a rock outcropping in Three Brother’s.

“Exact same place, actually. Although he was in the water rather than all the way up here.” I took the hand Neteyam offered me and swung my leg off Syura.

“I never would have guessed there were plants and stuff up here,” Neteyam commented as our ikrans flew away. “It’s nice, and you know for sure nobody will bother you.”

I lay down on the warm, fine sand. “I love just laying down in the sun for a while. Or at night coming and watching the stars, you havent lived until you’ve gone for a fly over the open ocean on a clear night.”

Neteyam grinned where he sat next to me, “Hey princess, got any plans for tonight? I just got a great idea for a little date night.” 

I scrunched my nose as he shimmied at the end of his sentence. “Please never do that again; shimmy, i mean.”

He laughed and lay down, head resting on my belly like how we always used to back home. I threaded my fingers through his braids, feeling how messy they were. “Can I take these out? They’re messy as hell.” I asked, tugging gently on his hair.

He sat up, finding a rock I could sit on and plopping down in front of it. “Do you even have a comb?”

I whistled for Syura and grabbed the bag I carried with me everywhere off her neck. “Thank you, sevin.” she dove back over the edge, and I turned to Netyam with the comb in my hand. “I always have a comb.”

He settled his head against my thigh as I started on the back of his head. I hummed quietly as I worked, and felt Neteyam’s eyes flutter closed. I made my hands gentler, not wanting to jerk him awake, and continued on.

After the braids were out, I massaged his scalp with some oils and combed through it to get rid of the tangles. As I did this, Neteyam awoke, “Shit, did I fall asleep?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to wake you though. Your sleepy voice is cute as hell after you take a nap.” The words slipped out and I pressed my lips together after they did. “I’m done here in any case, just wanted to let you sleep.”

Neteyam dragged his fingers through the long hair, grinning up at me. “Thanks for the compliment, Princess.”

I shoved his shoulder where it leaned against my thigh. “Don’t let it get to your head, we wouldn’t want the golden boy to float away cause his ego got too big.”

Neteyam brushed my hair from my face, leaning in to murmur, “There’s other parts of my that can get bigger though.”

I gasped and hit his chest. “You’re so dirty, whatever would your father think?”

He laughed, “Hey, your reaction made it all worth it.” He leaned back against the rock, and I lay my head down in his lap, drawing idle shapes on the palm of one hand while the other carded through my hair. “I wish my kids have hair like yours. It’s so silky and thick, mine’s a mess when it’s out of the braids for more than a day or two.”

“My hair refuses to stay in any style though, it’s slightly annoying when I want it in braids, remember that time I tried to do goddess braids? That was a mess.” Neteyam laughed, remembering the lion’s mane my hair had become that week.

“I also remember us playing that song playlist when I helped you take those horrid things down. What did that song go like?” He started humming the tune. He perked up, “I think I have that music player thingy we used.” He reached into my bag, pulling out the player. He pressed play and we danced to the tune.

I hummed along, then we both remembered the chorus as it crescendoed. “I would never fall in love again until I found her, I said, ‘I would never fall unless it's you,’” Neteyam dipped me and I grinned as he pulled me back up, twirling under his arm. “I was lost within the darkness but then I found her, I found you.”

I had at some point closed my eyes, and I opened them as the woman’s part continued to play in the background.

My one hand was cupping Neteyam’s neck, the other resting over his heart. I felt the rapid thump that matched my own heart beneath my fingertips, and looked up to see Neteyam’s golden eyes searing into my soul. The butterflies running rampant in my stomach went silent as the hand that had been on my hand raised to hold my jaw, his thumb rubbing my cheek. 

I stepped closer and raised on my toes as he bent. Neteyam paused millieters from my lips, the butterflies awakening once again before our lips finally met and it was as if something clicked into place in my center.

They say kissing is like a thousand fireworks, or like a hurricane of butterflies, but all I felt was calm. I curled my fingers into his hair and he groaned into my mouth. His hand moved down to pull my hips closer and we entwined our tails.

I slid my tongue across his lower lip and the hand that rested on my jaw moved to tilt my chin up, the fingers splayed across my throat. We broke apart panting, “This is a bad idea.” he whispered. “A really bad idea.”

“Yeah, no. We shouldn’t.” I whispered back, but again we surged towards eachother, my arms locking around his shoulders and his arms around my waist. Lifting me with ease.

“Guess those years of training paid off,” I panted as I wrapped my legs around his waist. 

Neteyam pulled my face back to him. “Shut up and start kissing me.”

And I obliged. He pressed me against a tree, pinning me in place with his hips. Our mouths moved in a dance that they seemed to have always known, and I pressed my hips down on his.

Neteyam groaned, his grip tightening on my hip and slid one hand up around my back and brought us both to the ground.

I pulled myself into his lap, trying to pull him impossibly closer. His hand had fallen on the armband I always wore, and he pulled away to see what it was. “I never took it off for more than five minutes.” I whispered watching his face as he gazed at the band. My fingers rubbed the beads of the matching band around his bicep.

Neteyam crashed our lips together with a new passion, and I moaned as his tongue slipped into my mouth.

“You have no fucking idea what you do to me, Princess. Seeing that armband on you the first day, I almost jumped you right then.” Neteyam rasped into my skin, his lips dancing along my throat.

“Says the man who pulled up on a goddamn toruk. Jesus christ I almost lost it. And then your voice-” I let out a small moan, “It went straight down south the first time you spoke.”

Neteyam laughed, burying his face in the curve of my shoulder. “We’re both such skxawngs.”

I tugged on his braids to make him look at me, “You can say that again.” I softly pecked his lips. “It took you for-fucking-ever to make a move.”

Neteyam cradled my cheek in his hand, “I’m sorry. Does this make up for it?” He kissed me after every word, and I smiled against his lips.

“Wait,” I pushed against his chest and leaned back. “Did you plan this out?” Neteyam only bit his lip, not answering. I gasped, “You totally did! You’re such a simp.”

He crinkled his nose, “Guilty as charged.”

We both leaned in to continue where we left off, but both our radioes cracked to life in our ears. “Wraith, Pathfinder, this is Eagle Eye speaking. WHat’s your 20? Devil Dog wants everyone at the Shack. Over.”

“Fucking Lo’ak. It’s always at the wrong time.” Neteyam leaned his forehead against mine, and I kissed him one last time as I stood. 

“Roger that Eagle Eye, this is Wraith speaking, we’re at Three Brother’s. ETA fifteen minutes.” I gathered myself and whistled for Syura. 

Neteyam stepped into my path, “so, this mean that you’d allow me to court you?”

I rolled my eyes, “Yeah no shit, Sherlock.” I started to walk past him, stroking my hand across his chest as I went. I paused as a thought popped into my head. “Are we telling people?”

I turned to Neteyam after I spoke, and found him contemplating. “I dunno. I kinda don’t want to right now, keep you to myself, but I would also love for everyone to know if that’s what your comfortable with.”

Maybe… “What if we didn’t outright flaunt it, but not hide, and wait to see who notices first. Other than your mother, she’s gonna know instantly.”

“I’d bet that ‘Rina figures it out first.” Neteyam said.

I scoffed, “Please, Ateyo is gonna figure it out.”

Neteyam held a hand out. “If Ateyo figures it out, I’ll crush all the leaves for two months straight for all the salves.”

“If ‘Rina figures it out, I’ll take responsibility for Lo’aks stupidity for two months.” I grabbed his hand and we shook on it. I pulled Neteyam in, sealing it with a kiss. “Race you back!” I jumped back and onto Syura’s back, shooting off as soon as tsaheylu was made.

“Cheater!” I looked back to see Neteyam calling for Takutai and clamoring up to try and catch up.

Are we going to leave them in the dust? Syura’s voice sounded through my mind.

You know it! I leaned down her neck and we shot forward for a minute or two, gliding on the ocean breeze.

They’re right on our tail y’know. I looked back to see Neteyam and Takutai racing after us. Let’s speed up at the end, they won’t see it coming.

I nodded and caught her up on everything that had happened that day. I can’t believe we didn’t do this sooner! How long have I secretly dreamed of this? Forever is too small! I shook my head at my own stupidity. Ok, ready? I asked as we neared the village, right behind Neteyam.

Syura sped up, tucking in her wings to use the ocean’s breeze to our advantage and I grinned at Neteyam as we passed eachother.

Takutai seemed to say something to Syura, but she pointedly ignored him.

We swooped down onto the beach, and I cheered as I realized we had won, offering Syura an ample handful of the dried meat I carried on myself for her. “That’s right, Syura! I swear, I’m gonna sneak you some really great food later, you totally deserve it.” Neteyam had landed seconds after us, and I went over to him and Takutai. “You did a good job too, sweetheart.” I gave Takutai a piece of meat as well, and when he flapped his large wings in thanks I stole a kiss from Neteyam.

He had a daydream look in his eye, and shook himself to remember what we needed to do. “C’mon, apparently we have a family meeting to attend.”

I went over and took off the harness from Syura, scratching the scaly skin that was slick from her sweat and the oceanspray. I leaned my forehead against her brow, and she flew off as I walked back to Neteyam’s side.

“Remember, we’re not hiding nor flaunting.” Neteyam murmured as we entered the large tent that Jake and Neytiri were now sharing with Adib until he was completely better.

I nodded before turning to everyone who was already there. “‘Sup everyone? What was the big thing that we had to rush back for?” I asked.

“See, that’s what I’m wondering.” ‘Rina chimed in from across the room. 

Tuk gasped as I settled down next to her, “Are you having another baby? I’m supposed to be the youngest!” she whined. 

Jake and Neytiri laughed, “No, kiddo. Although I wouldn’t mind another kid,” Neytiri slapped his arm, “It’s not that. Adib is the one who wanted to tell you guys something.”

All eyes turned to my brother, who’s tanhi glowed brighter in the faint light. He cleared his throat before speaking. “Earlier today my courting offer was accepted by a girl I’ve had my eye on for a while.” he announced.

“What? There’s no way. You’re fu- messing with us.” I blurted.

Neteyam grinned from his spot next to Adib, tail flicking over to rest against mine. “It’s about time. Alira’s been having to deal with your goo-goo eyes for too long now.”

I gasped, shoving Neteyam’s chest. “You knew? Since when does Adib tell you these things?” I turned to Adib, “And you! You said that you’ve had your eye on her for a while, define a while for me.”

“Y’know the horrid H-I-C-K-E-Y I had a few weeks ago? The one from around the time the Sullys showed up? That was Alira.” He smirked as he was clearly remembering how it got to be on his neck.

“I know what a hickey is. You don’t have to spell it out.” Tuk drawled with the utter confidence only a ten-year-old can possess. 

The entire group burst out in laughter and I shook my head at her not-so-innocent utterings. My ears pointed backwards as I heard another group approaching, and everyone turned to see Alira and her family entering the mauri alongside my mother, and everyone was carrying some food.

“Here, let me.” I took the bowl from Alira’s hands, and turned to Neytiri. “Sa’nok, where do you want this?”

She inclined her head to the middle of the circle and I placed the food down before returning to my spot next to Tuk, Alira’s brother sitting down next to me. I looked over to see Adib and Alira giggling together from across the circle. I smiled and looked back down to Tuk, asking her about her day. 

“My day was good, I got to help my mom with making the food for tonight. She had to tell me what we were making it for, so I got to be a secret-keeper for the entire day!” She grinned up at me, a bit of food on her cheek. 

“I’m honestly jealous,” I reached down and wiped her cheek off, “how come you got to know before me?”

“Maybe I’m just a better secret-keeper than you!” she turned to Neteyam, “tswal tsukan, what happened to your arm?”

Neteyam looked down at the skin above his armband, and I chimed in. “This skxawng decided that he shouldn’t listen when I said to be careful of the coral and scraped himself against it.”

Thank you Neteyam mouthed over Tuk’s head as she started to admonish me for not protecting her oldest brother. Suddenly she turned and started interrogating Alira. “Where did you meet my brother, Alira? Why hasn’t he talked about you?”

“Tuk! Be polite!” Neytiri admonished.

“What? I was just asking…”

Alira laughed, “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind. I met Adib one day a few years ago when the idiot tried to tame a tsurak and I was in the tent when they brought him in.”

“I broke my arm really badly that time, but once it healed I may or may not have played it up a little to keep on having her help me with it.” Adib cut in with a grin.

“Somehow he charmed me and made me agree to a date, and a few months later, here we are!” Alira returned his grin with one of her own, and I couldn’t help but share a grin with Neteyam myself.

[fuzziekins]

I cannot begin to tell you how many things i’ve found that don’t belong. It started with stupid or annoying little things or these disgusting food combinations.

Mayo with the cookies? We sell Mayo cookies now.

Lunchables with the pasta? Pasta lunchables are a thing now.

A bag of Starbursts with the yogurt? Well…funny enough a couple of weeks later our store did start carrying Starburst yogurt.

There were atrocities of leaving yogurt in the magazine racks by the registers. Or, instead of putting them in the coolers with the sodas by the registers, they would be ON TOP of the coolers. Because it’s so much easier than actually opening a cooler 🙄

Side note - people complain so much about prices going up and things being expensive that they don’t realize it’s very much their own doing. With all the perishable items we find out that go bad because people are too lazy to put them back themselves, i’m pretty sure companies have to compensate for that lost money by making things more expensive. Like a supply and demand kinda deal.

It got to the point where my coworker and i made a game outta it because it happened so. Damn. Much. We have been doing this for 4 years now.

We call it Retail Bingo. I print out these cards, complete with questionably (not)Photoshopped images together to make it look like we actually do sell things like potato chip coffee. It’s now at the point where another coworker has joined the game. We come up with two things from different aisles and put them together; to get a square you have to match one of the items from something in that aisle. Dog Pretzels for example: as long as there’s a bag of pretzels somewhere in the pet food aisle, or dog food/treats with the chips and pretzels, it counts. Get a bingo, the other coworker(s) buys you a register candy. Clear the full card and you’re owed a muffin. (It’s like $1 difference between the muffin and register candy for us, but we’re lazy and wanted to keep it simple with something we could both agree on 😆)

I’ve had a list going on in my phone that predates Retail Bingo. It’s probably been a MINIMUM of 5 years. Some things maybe sound like they could be things in reality (like, yeah you can put bacon in scones or get the flavor of potato chips into the bread you’re baking, but that doesn’t mean we actually see them) but others are just plain wrong (don’t think it’s listed here, one coworker’s response to Tampon Tea was GOLD!).

This barely covers a FRACTION of my list.

But if you wanna have some emotions and see more, there’s PLENTY where this came from!

I've seen items in places you wouldn't believe.

Onions in the candy display. Soda on the bread shelf. And other displacements too awful to name.

[specialagentlokitty]

Saul silva/Farah x reader - don’t belong here

I've actually never never watched "Fate The Winx Saga", but got interested now as you're writing for it. 😅 So how about a reader, who is from our world but suddenly wake up in the universe of the show? Maybe they are found by one of the characters who than has to explain everything... 😝😂 - @prudentia-potentia-est 💜

You had no clue what happened, one moment you were trying to go to sleep the next everything was completely black and you were waking up in a greenhouse.

Blinking, you looked around and slowly sat up, groaning as you held your hand to your head.

“Easy now, you had quite the fall.”

You looked at the man coming over and you grabbed the nearest object, which happened to be a broom and pointed it at him.

“I just want to check you’re okay.” He said, raising his hands.

“Don’t come any closer! I.. I’ll hurt you!”

He nodded his head and took a step back.

“How about names? I’m Ben Harvey. I assume you’re (Y/N) (L/N)?” He asked.

“How do you know my name?”

Another man and a woman came around the corner and you backed up a little more. The woman smiled, holding her hands up and the other male held up your bag.

“We were trying to figure out who you were. We found a lot of cards in there.”

“I go to a lot of places, why’re you going through my bag you creep. Give it back.”

He tossed the back over to you.

“I’m Farah Dowling. This is Saul Silva, and you, apparently do not belong here.” She said.

You rolled your eyes, picking up your back and sitting down to make sure everything was in there.

“Well obviously not. Take me home.”

“We can’t.” Saul said.

“Why not?! You brought me here!”

“Actually…” Ben mumbled.

The three of them shared a look and you swung your bag back on your shoulder.

“We don’t know how you got here. What were you doing before now?” Saul asked.

“Trying to sleep.”

“With your bag on?” Farah asked confused.

“I was tired okay, I’m pretty sure I put my keys in my fridge.”

They laughed softly and you stood back up, swinging the bag over your shoulder as you held up the broom again.

“Where is here?”

“You’re in Solaria. At Alfea, the school.” Farah said.

You rose a brow in confusion.

“It’s a school for Fairies and specialists. Im the specialists headmaster, Farah is the fairies headmistress. Ben is a professor. What’s this?”

Saul held out a card and you took it, looking at it.

“My word badge.”

“You have a lot of them.”

“I’m commander. I have access to a lot of places.”

“Like what?”

“Need to know basis. And you don’t need to know. Now get me home. Stop spouting crap and fairies and all that, they’re not real.”

Farah’s eyes changed colour and it felt like someone was inside your head and you quickly shook your head and she stopped.

“You broke your arm when you were six.”

“How the hell do you know?”

“I saw the memory. I didn’t pry don’t worry.”

You slowly backed away and they came closer so you threw the broom and ran.

You had no clue where you were going, but these people were insane and you could stay here so you ran.

You ran into the trees and broke branches in random directions, pulling the pocket knife out of your bag you dig it into some more trees.

You circled some, and used branches to swing yourself over others.

You had spent a lot of time practicing things like this, and you now had to put all those years of training to use to try and evade them.

The three did try chase after you, but the moment you were in those trees they lost you.

“They’re good.” Saul said.

Farah and Ben both nodded their heads.

“We need to find them before it gets dark, it’s not safe.” Farah asked.

She used her magic to try and track you, amplifying the sounds of the forest to listen for anything.

Kneeling under a tree, you lightly knocked on it and nodded your head, it was completely hollowed out so you began to dig.

You needed to create a space you could hide, and set up whatever traps you could.

They heard the sound of you digging and began to run in that direction.

They weren’t sure how you got there or why you were there, but they knew you didn’t belong there, so they had to keep you away from everything and try to figure out how to send you back home

[episbep]

rehab day sixteen

quick update cos my sleeping med are sleeping med-ing (recovery memes cos I took 0 pics today)

(I saved this as a draft 2hrs ago to go find something to reblog between this and my last update but instead booked a tattoo, applied for loans and credit cards to fund secondary treatment (all were rejected) so got back in touch with my old dealer (he’s been released) and found a new ket dealer not too far away from mine😵‍💫🙃 definitely not great choices but I’m sure it’ll be fiiiiine as long as I’m not a dumb ass about it and stick to meetings find a sponsor all that fun stuff)

Three rly big personalities left treatment today (one’s my house sister😭) so it’s gonna feel empty and quiet without them. There’s a rly aggressive/overly sexual man in our group that’s making everyone uncomfortable and has been moved to an all lads house but it’s thrown off the normal calm happy goofy vibe that we had going on in the centre. Me and my crush are still going strong but got an implied telling off from one of the counsellors today about us having an SR (special or sexual relationship) but it’s not even sexual…yet, just lots of flirting.

I’m most definitely abusing my sleeping pills by forcing myself to stay awake and getting a fuzzy spinny head which is almost close to a high - I’ve had three these past two days, only takes one to conk me out entirely. I feel like I’m heading towards a relapse but I also feel like I know how to get back on track with recovery if I do end up there and it won’t be the end of the world as long as I don’t give up recovery entirely or get back into the ‘all day every day’ habit.

Group therapy was bitchy - just all talking about this aggressive guy and one of the girls shared that she’s got beef with someone in the room for talking behind her back but wouldn’t say who or why!!!! so annoying gimme the gossip it’s starting to get boring haha. One of the best people packed their bags and left this morning but was back by the afternoon - I was genuinely chuffed to see him, proud of him for coming back🥰

we weren’t actually in treatment for too long today, we had our “fun” activity which turned out to be mini golf and it was such a laugh. I got a hole in one!!! But still lost overall😄 it’s all about the experience tho right? had iced coffee then went back to the houses (no meeting tonight cos almost everyone wanted to watch the football)

One housemate helped me dye my roots (well overdue) and another cooked us a Pakistani recipe for dinner that he makes for him and his wife back home - it was fucking spicy but rly delicious! Feeling very grateful for this messy bunch, sometimes it’s hard to believe we’re all addicts/alocoholics/both and we’re in here cos our lives were out of control when for the most part there are no issues and we have a good time together. Insane really how different people are when they’re clean.

[1-50thofabuck]

Trading Card Cases & Outdoor Encounters III

I ordered some trading card cases for my various decks, such as the two Outdoor Encounter decks that I have. Looking at it though, isn’t it odd, the amount of space left? It’s almost exactly 2/3rds full.

As if there’s room enough for just one more deck. If only I had Outdoor Encounters III.

So, heck with it, I got the deck. It fits perfectly with just enough room to make it manageable.

Outdoor Encounters III includes a new kind of card: locations. It’s kind of odd to switch up and add a new card type in the third and last. I’m wondering if they ran out of ideas for the normal encounters or if they just had a brainstorm and decided to add them. They fit well, though, and don’t seem at all out of place. Once shuffled together they certainly don’t feel anomalous. 

Random dungeon entrances are great. I personally love the idea that dungeons are so common you can just stumble across entrances like in a Legend of Zelda game(at least the ancient ones I grew up playing). Have some dungeons prepped for when the PCs come across one, or use all the various cards sold by Philip Reed to randomly generate one on the go! (Or using your system of choice. As I mentioned I didn’t opt for the dungeon generation cards because I have random dungeon gen stuff coming out my ass backwards. Choosing which one to use or finding a way to cobble them all together would be a greater and more amusing challenge for me.) 

I also like that the locations are given the standard “hostile,” “indifferent,” “friendly” labels just like encounters with monsters/NPCs. They also include a fourth label, “abandoned,” reflecting that it’s less than indifferent - which could go either way. I’m just guessing that’s a difference - I’m not really sure how a strange outcropping with a dungeon door is “indifferent,” compared to another dungeon entrance which is “hostile,” or a glowing pyramid filled with corpses and treasure or an obelisk carved with learnable spells being “abandoned.” I would think perhaps the pyramid would be “indifferent” since it has treasure, but also a chance of afflicting PCs with a disease. At any rate, these labels don’t matter too much to sit and split hairs about the differences. The text description is what’s important, the label simply being a quick reference.

Reed has a specialized box for such cards as a Kickstarter, which I supported as in a previous post. I ordered that and a number of other decks. Whether I move these three to that one, or use that one for others, we’ll see when they come in. Perhaps I’ll post an update with images of the card box after construction, the new decks and so on. Apparently the decks are in and Reed is waiting for the actual card boxes, which I imagine will be in soon.

One thing I’ll say, his Kickstarters go from funded to product-in-your-mailbox fast. 

Never would have imagined way back when I was messing around with his 4C RPG(a Marvel Supers retroclone, and a public domain system like ours!) that all these years later I’d be spending on all these other products, but what can I say, the man produces quality. 

In other news - 

While we continue to proofread and pretty up “the Hypogeum of Hate,” our upcoming free adventure module set in a fantasy Celtic Scotland, we’re looking for playtesters to play another upcoming module, “the Blind Leading the Blind,” set on a tiny island in the same area. Fae, fomorians, wild enchanted items, cultural clashes, conspiracies and ancient secrets abound on the Enistis, beginning with this lost dungeon the PCs uncover. As they discover clues hidden throughout, should they survive long enough, they will realize that the dungeon was not lost but sealed away in the hopes that those who built it would not rise and bring terror to the entire island. Because this was the stronghold of the Soliform Order of the Knights of the Lord’s Keep, who brought back the dark secrets of immortality they had found and used them - until the day the forces of Order shut them away, secretly, in the dark. There they wait for the PCs to free them - just as their book of prophecy foretold…

One thing players liked about the original version of this adventure when I ran it long ago was that it contained almost no “intelligent” monsters. Giant insects, slimes, aberrations, rodents, bats, hazardous plants and other unintelligent but dangerous creatures gave the module a more disquieting and unnerving feel, driving home the emptiness and desolation. I hope you all will like this as well, and that it makes the intelligent monsters, once PCs unleash them, all the more frightening.

There are various “paths” PCs can take to complete the adventure, which could give the module an amount of replayability. As there are items meant to help with different scenarios and situations within, and these can be found in several orders(or not at all), it almost has a “Mega Man” like number of choices, should the PCs figure everything out, that could make it fun to replay to try tackling these challenges in different orders, or even “shuffling” items and perhaps monsters to produce such replayability. Simplify the system and you might even have a board game - anything’s possible! You think this is a good idea? You like it? Contact me! Think it’s dumb? Let me know!

If anyone is interested in playtesting - by participating in play through the Penny Thought Exchange Discord server(and maybe Roll20?) or by running it yourself for your own friends, please contact me here. Send a PM if you wish. Thanks!

And thanks to Philip Reed for the many years of high-quality, cost-effective releases! It was the 4C System that helped me rediscover the old Marvel system, which I hadn’t played in forever. 

[sdnimer]

Journal Log #01

I have been making my own private journal, but I also would like to share a little bit from it over here. I felt like, if somebody ever found this, this is the part of me that I want them to read.

AND, I can't believe this journal log has been self-harm for years! I'm happy to say I've grown out of it. So here's some refreshment on how I've been writing my private journal logs. (hence the new number) I might share more if I ever felt like I want them to read too.

1:01 AM - Monday, December 11th 2023

It has been a rollercoaster ride of information, huh? Things are moving so fast that you didn’t had enough time to process and this cause a little delay in your business.

Let’s rewind and unwind. We can’t sleep anyhow since we keep thinking about it and although writing about it out on our previous journal is so worth it, I can’t find it. So, typing on our old method again.

I liked her so much. I cared for her too much that I slowly lost track of myself a little bit. I wanted to impress her with my card skills and my only way of saying “I love you” or “I wanna keep in touch with you” is through card, and I couldn’t express them outside of my craft. This is a new territory because the new environment was because they reciprocate our feelings back, and even though in my heart that we aren’t together officially or even mentioned on the same page, I knew there will be a moment that she will find somebody else that fits better for her relationship needs.

People meet new people all the time, especially in an industry that are build through communities. You have to stand out and be in the crowd. So, it’s really not your fault that you couldn’t make it into fruition or towards what you think it should be. You did your best in telling them how you felt, because that is the most genuine thing that comes from you.

Deja vu isn’t it? With "Z" and now "S". The only problem is that they are everywhere and it is a small world. You’ve made promise that even if this doesn’t work out, way before you pursuit her, you will still support her in the smallest way you possible could in your own capacity. Let’s be honest here, you wanted to impress her on what you can do as a person. Yes and she’s totally out of your league.

Looking back, maybe you push your luck too much or you were too late. There're gaps in-between and you were too afraid to pursue since you haven’t gotten that point for yourself. Honestly, this was our very first love that we thought we could work it out. Giving her space to grow and guess she found somebody. We are gonna feel sad and we are gonna celebrate for her.

Whether it’s an actual thing that we heard, or we’ve heard it wrongly, maybe "O" was right. The closure is to not have any of it. You still have to move on. You got better things to worried about then a girl who doesn’t share their days with you, even after you’ve mentioned your interest. They say that your vibe attracts your tribe. And that Bug Hunter said, “So many lives to still impact, some still have yet to cross path.” so maybe with us stepping into our business-hood, we’ll find someone who appreciate us and our crafts. Our personalities, our intentions, and our care. Which we have, platonic-ally, and isn’t that better?

To Sop, I don’t know if I heard was what I think it was, but I had wish you would just be honest and tell me about it. Tell me gently and lead me into it. It is totally understandable that I would be crying about it, it’s a heartbreak after all. All heartbreak will go through sadness and tears. With open-minded conversation, it wouldn’t even be tears, just relief. Right now, I have no idea what I heard was right or not. And if so, you don’t have to hide, you can just tell me. I would rather have it confrontational by you then anyone else.

Anyhow, I’ve said my piece in my recent card to you, and I don’t need to repeat it ever again. I don’t need to be try hard making you liking me or getting your attention. And "J" can finally stop pestering me about rizzing you up.

Tough industry, huh? You want the best but balance is needed, silence is needed, proper structure is needed, but it is what it is. It’s a corporate industry world. You have to let it go and let them settle it themselves. Be there when they needed you. You’re a listener, only a doer when it is within your spectrum.

Although this anger can’t be translated anywhere else, we suffered a stiff migraine that was ultimately result in our 4th attack this year, I think it’s a sign to let go of the industry as a whole. Go back to where it made us feel having fun wasn’t a chore and being alive forgetting the horrors of reality for a moment. Like what we’ve said, fun and alive is what I want to be remembered.

Let’s also disclaimed that why we’re having so much anger was because of how we were in a company with their 5 core values. We are passionate in what we do, we have integrity, we hate stagnancy, we do something about it, and we give value to each other. What was missing in these cases was integrity. That’s why we’re so angry and adamant to call out since that was what we’ve been practicing for almost 3 years, and that’s what kept us strong for 6 years.

Without saying it out loud, it’s like we’re fighting against our morale integrity. At the same time, everyone deserves a second chance, and I would like to believe that he is genuinely sorry and would make amends. The only way I could forgive someone when it comes to integrity is that they’ve genuinely show results. Wow, a company really taught us about performances in another level, huh?

You can take myself out of the company, but you can’t take the values of the company from me.