#howl speaks to the void

[azaleakoneko]

MY BOYYYY. Look at himmm -vibrating with sadness and the other things- Lil angry pouty cutie babbyyy, ughh I need to finish what I’m writing for him already to shower him with love because he deserves it all and more 😡💕✨

[azaleakoneko]

it's just so special to me when like a character is a massive loser and yet they get someone who falls head over heels for them. like yeah boy pull some bitches with your weak-ass game and cringefail demeanor

[thefandomcassandra]

Every Time You Complain About How Mean La'ezel And Shadowheart Are, I Become More Sapphic And Spitefully In Love With Them Both

[majesticallyunmagestic]

UM UM UM!!!!! Stimboard for my partner!!!! Its made me at least three now outside of requests Ive made so!¡!!!!! Here!!!!! Throws this into the world!!!!!!

@maggotpoolautism

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[voidgangdaily]

SEEMS LIKE MY KNOWLEDGE OF RESIDERS ACROSS.. 'PLACES' IS MUCH MORE LIMITED THAN I HAVE EXPECTED. COULD YOU PLEASE REITERATE YOU PEOPLE EXACTLY ARE?

- From a stranger, PAPYRUS.

(ooc: sorry if this seems a bit too forward or cliche! tryna get back into the whole rping thing but problem is i have no one to rp with)

Hmm, well, we have been referring to it as simply 'the void'- as coined by December.

it's more like...A place between or more aptly, An out of bounds zone =)

DO NOT THINK TO HARD ABOUT IT PAPAYA!

WHERE WE ARE IS NOT OF MUCH IMPORTANCE.

IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS.

I'd beg to differ, but we've had this argument plenty. =)

WE HAVE?

Day 5.1

[azaleakoneko]

These men are SO FUCKING PRETTY, they’re gonna make me fucking BARKBSRKARDHJSAIBARKABRKC

[aspenonpawzzz]

HI

This is my introduction

my mewtual(s) in crime:

@justalexisfine

@imhereandqueersuckas (aka @goingtohellwithyou, that stupid fucker/silly/aff lost his password)

‼️‼️‼️I LIKE PINAPPLE ON PIZZA‼️‼️‼️

#c.ai shenanigans for c.ai posts lol

READ AND COMMENT IN MY FANFIC IM BEGGING!!!!

system side blog: @canis-constellation

fictive/fictionkin blog: @phantom-w0lfbane

Writers blog: @yourlocalangstdealer

term hoard/ label coining blog: @aspens-hoard

A-spec mafia: @aspec-warriors

(update: https://www.tumblr.com/aspenonpawzzz/757548899213918208/update?source=share)

Theme song: Throne, or Turn off the lights (panic! At the disco)

(Edit: forgot to mention, I have Tricotillamania!)

Plural Fluid!! (Coined term by me)

[smoking-mousetrap]

god what has become of me. the biting winds have forced me to resort to poetry

[syrecjh]

─★🪐 ̟ !!⋆⭒Battlefield Proposal

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ || katsuki bakugo x reader

The sky is broken.

Gray clouds hang heavy above the smoldering wreckage of what used to be a city center. The wind carries smoke, ash, and the faint smell of ozone from quirk discharge. A building groans as it finally gives in to the damage and collapses with a hollow, gut-punching thud. Somewhere behind you, a car alarm cries weakly into the void like a heartbeat trying to outlive a flatline.

You press your palm to your side where your suit is ripped, warm blood sticking through your gloves. It hurts to breathe. It hurts more to stop.

“Oi,” Katsuki barks, his voice rough like gravel chewed up by flame. He’s just ahead, chest heaving, the angles of his jaw lit by orange flame. There’s soot smeared on his cheek, a shallow cut above his brow, and something in his eyes that makes the marrow in your bones tremble.

“Keep movin’. We ain’t stoppin’ here.”

But he does stop.

Right there—between a fallen traffic light and a crater still sizzling with leftover energy. Sirens echo in the distance. The city's on its knees. And so is he.

You freeze.

“Katsuki?” you rasp. “What the hell are you—?”

His knee hits concrete like a thunderclap. Not from weakness. From intention.

You stare. Time slows.

“Shut up.” His voice is hoarse, heavy with dust and emotion. “Just—fuckin’ shut up a second.”

He’s kneeling, knee pressed into cracked concrete, and his hand is trembling—not from fear of dying, but from the terrifying possibility of never saying what he needs to say.

“There’s no time,” you whisper, throat closing, heart hammering in your ears.

“Exactly.” He looks up at you, raw and real and bleeding from a cut above his brow. “That’s why I’m doin’ this now.”

“No,” you whisper, already shaking your head, blood rushing in your ears. “You’re not—you’re not doing this now.”

His fingers fumble into the blackened edge of his gear—past the broken clips, the dust, the cracked metal—and pull something out. Small. Circular. Bent just slightly from the blast. A ring.

You blink like it’ll disappear if you look too hard.

“I ain’t got another fuckin’ minute to waste,” he growls, voice trembling in a way his hands never did in battle. “Been carryin’ this around like an idiot waitin’ for some perfect time.”

You can’t speak. The air’s too thick. Or maybe your chest is too full.

"And you think this is perfect?"

“No but now look where we are,” he huffs, looking at you like you’re the only steady thing left in this crumbling universe. “If one of us doesn’t make it outta this—shit, if you don’t, if I don't—I need you to know.”

“To know what?” your voice cracks like glass.

He meets your gaze. Fierce. Honest. Like war and worship all at once.

“That you’re it. You always fuckin’ were.”

Your knees give out. You’re on the ground before you realize it, crouched in front of him, tears streaking down your dirt-stained face.

“I’m not saying yes because I think we’re dying,” you whisper, clutching the ring like it’s a lifeline.

“I know.”

“I’m saying yes because I wanted to say it since last winter, and I was just scared and stupid and—”

He leans in. Foreheads collide, noses bump. The kiss is quick, fiery, unfinished.

“Then let’s make it out,” he says. “You and me. Together. Always.”

The wind howls again, shaking windows still barely hanging on. But inside this ruin, in the firelit silence between you both, something whole is born.

Hope.

He slides the ring into your ring finger. His fingers linger there, pressed to your heart. Like a vow.

And then the moment’s gone—because the city rumbles again, and reality snaps its jaws back open.

But you run differently now. You fight harder.

Because the ring is in your finger, warm from his hand. Because your blood runs next to his now—not just in battle, but in promise.

A battlefield proposal.

Born in fire. Held in grit.

And if you survive?

God help the world.

You’ll burn it down together in love.

And one day—when the dust has settled, and the skies have cleared—you'll tell the story of how love asked for forever at the edge of the end.

[beloveds-embrace]

The fire in the hearth had burned down to embers, casting faint, flickering light across the bedroom walls. Outside, the winter winds howled, clawing at the windows of the inn like a restless spirit, yet within these walls, everything was still. Simon lay on the bed, your steady breaths against his naked chest a comfort he didn’t think he deserved or will ever deserve.

And then he dreamed.

The other version of himself, a man he didn’t want to acknowledge as real, stood coldly at the edge of the grand dining table. That Simon was distant, detached, and unfeeling. His eyes swept over the figure sitting at the far end- you- your dress, not from him, crumpled, your face drawn with exhaustion. You were speaking, but your voice was hollow, words whispered into a void he couldn’t reach. The Simon in the dream didn’t even glance at you. His attention was elsewhere, his mind consumed with matters he thought were more important.

Simon didn’t think anything in the world would ever be more important than you, their precious and lovely Duchess. He didn’t understand his other self- didn’t want to ever have that careless view of you.

When you rose to leave, Simon’s nightmare-self didn’t stop you. You’d excused yourself so quietly that no one could have accused you of disturbing the silence. You left, head bowed, retreating to the dark halls of a cold, lifeless manor this Simon couldn’t relate to John’s lively manor.

Yet that Simon didn’t care. He returned to his work, to his whispered conversations with John, to the loving, fleeting glances exchanged with Kyle and Johnny.

Why did you let her leave?

But you- you grew smaller with each passing day. The halls that should have been filled with your laughter were silent. The dresses this Simon had carefully chosen for you did not exist, and thus you were left in dresses old and patched and unfitting, untouched by his hands. You faded, retreating into yourself, and the whispers of the staff about the “mad Duchess” grew louder.

The staff would never talk about you like that. Why did you let them, Simon?

Simon saw it all. He saw the way you flinched when no one looked at you. He saw the way you hesitated to enter a room, unsure if your presence was welcome. He saw you stop eating, stop dressing, stop existing.

The nightmare was a world of suffocating gray.

Simon stood in the grand halls of their shared home, but it wasn’t the home he knows. The walls were stark and barren, the warmth of family portraits and soft candlelight replaced with cold, lifeless shadows. Dust lingered in the air, undisturbed for weeks, maybe months, blanketing everything in the same muted despair.

There were no portraits of you, beyond the singular one of your marriage to John. Your face had been ripped off it.

He searched for you.

Room after room was empty, yet his heart pounded with dread. The dining table was set but untouched, the once vibrant dishes left cold and congealed. In the study, his desk was stacked with neglected lettersa some from you, written in a trembling hand, pleading for his attention, begging for his care. Each word burns itself into his mind: “Am I so unworthy?”

Your bedroom- no, your prison- was the last place he searched. He was afraid of what he’d find, yet he couldn’t stop his feet from carrying him forward. The room was dim, curtains drawn tight as if the light itself has abandoned you. You were there, curled up on the grand bed, your frail frame dwarfed by the heavy, oppressive canopy above.

You looked… so small. So still.

Simon’s heart ached.

Why did you do this to her?

“Love,” he whispered, his voice cracking as he knelt beside you. His gloved hand reached for your cheek, but it was cold. So cold it sent a jolt of terror through him.

You stirred, just barely. Your eyes fluttered open, dull and glassy, but there was no recognition in them.

“Simon?” Your voice was hoarse, barely audible. “What… are you doing here?”

The question was a knife to his chest.

Why wouldn’t I be here? What has my other self done to you?

“I’m here for you, sweetheart,” he choked out, his hands trembling as they cupped your face. You were too cold; Kyle would never leave your room this freezing; Johnny would never let you go to bed hungry and bereft of warm food. “I’m here now.”

But you pulled away, weakly but resolutely, as if his touch was poison.

“You’re always too late.”

The words echoed in the cold, empty room. He tried to protest, tried to pull you into his arms, but you collapse against the pillows, your breath shallow and fading, fading like smoke until-

And then you were gone.

The weight of it crushed him. The silence was unbearable, suffocating, and all he could do was scream your name into the void that took you from him.

Simon woke with a start.

The gasp tore from his throat before he could stop it, his hand flying to your side. You were there- warm, breathing, alive. His chest heaved, sweat beading on his forehead as the remnants of the dream clung to him like cobwebs.

You stirred, your soft murmur of his name breaking through the haze of fear. You sounded soft, groggy- so full of life it nearly brought him to tears. “Simon?”

His arms tightened around you, pulling you closer, so close that your sleepy protest was muffled against his chest. “Go back to sleep, love.” He whispered, voice rough. But even as he said it, he knew he wouldn’t be able to.

Hours later, when the sun began to rise, Simon was still awake. He had been watching you, his thumb brushing against your knuckles as he memorized every detail of your face. The soft curve of your lips, the way your lashes rested against your cheeks, the warmth of your skin beneath his touch. You were alive. You were loved. You weren’t-

The dream wouldn’t leave him.

In the morning, when you were fully awake, you made no mention of how tight Simon’s arms were around you. You made no mention of how he asked you again and again if you were warm, full- his arm around your waist in a gentle hold that felt like it was more for his comfort.

You said none of it; but you made sure you kisses him enough until that fear in his eyes slowly dissipated. You and him had come to this inn for a bit of break, and you didn’t want to return to the manor with any sadness clinging to you or Simon.

When you returned to the manor, Simon still made no mention of it.

He didn’t speak of it, though John noticed how Simon hovered closer to you than usual. He didn’t bring it up during lunch, though Johnny commented on how quiet Simon had become, his usual sharp wit dulled. Kyle, perceptive as ever, caught Simon lingering in the halls outside your favorite sitting room, his eyes clouded with something between guilt and sorrow even though looked no different than usual.

But it wasn’t until late that evening, as you sat before the fire with a book in hand, that Simon finally broke.

You didn’t hear him approach at first. He was silent as a shadow, and when you glanced up, startled, he was already kneeling before you.

“Simon?” you asked, concern flickering across your face. “What’s wrong?”

His hands found yours, cradling them as though you might disappear if he let go. For a long moment, he simply looked at you, his gaze tracing every feature of your face. And then, in a voice low and strained, he said, “I saw a world where I lost you.”

Your brow furrowed, but he didn’t let you speak.

“You were there, in the manor, but… no one saw you. Not properly. Not me. Not John. Not Kyle or Johnny. You were alone. Lonely.” His grip tightened on your hands, though he was still gentle. “You withered away, and we didn’t even notice until it was too late.”

The raw emotion in his voice took your breath away. “Simon, it was just a dream,” your voice was soft, though your heart ached at the pain etched into his face.

“No,” he said fiercely, jaw tight. “It wasn’t. It… it felt too real. Like a warning. Like something I could let happen if I wasn’t careful.”

You leaned forward, cupping his face in your hands. “But it didn’t happen, Simon. It won’t. You’re not that man. None of you are.”

His eyes closed, leaning into your touch like a man starved for warmth. “I won’t let it happen,” he murmured. “I’ll never let you feel like that. I’ll make sure you know how much we love you. Every single day.”

You smiled, brushing a kiss against his forehead. “I already do, Simon. You don’t have to worry. Stay with me for now, alright?”

And he did; he would not deny you of anything.

[azaleakoneko]

Please that’s so cute and so Cora

Adorable

[harunayuuka2060]

The NRC students: ...

Ace: Headmage... What is that?

Crowley: *clears throat* Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to "Mother." She will be working alongside our teachers from now on.

*A tall, humanoid figure with the vague silhouette of a woman, draped in a flowing dress with long sleeves and a floor-length skirt that conceals her feet. Her entire form is composed of an eerie, shifting black goo, continuously rippling and oozing like living tar. She has no discernible facial features—no eyes, no mouth, no expression—rendering her presence unsettlingly void of identity.*

Mother: *bows her head in greeting*

Leona: ...

Leona: Hey, Crowley. Are you sure her name is just "Mother'?

Crowley: I understand that "Mother" may seem like an unusual name, but it was the only word she reacted to. Therefore, we concluded that it must be her name. *smiles*

Leona: ...

Malleus: You speak as though this creature had been held in captivity.

Crowley: Er... Anyway! That's all for the announcement!

The students: ...

Ace: Wha... You don't even know if that thing is looking at us...

Deuce: She's not a thing, Ace.

Ace: Come on, it looks like an overblot monster!

Epel: Ace, can you not be an ass first thing in the afternoon?

Jack: You are being mean for no reason.

Ace: Oh, yeah? Then why not try to approach it, Jack?

Jack: ...

Jack: Alright. I will.

Yuu: I'll go with you.

Grim: I'm staying here.

Jack: Let's go, Yuu.

*Both got up from their seats and approach "Mother".*

Ace: My intuition's telling me we should ready our magic pens.

Deuce: Ace, shut it.

Epel: Oh, look! Jack is talking to her!

Jack: Uh, hello... My name's Jack Howl, I'm a first-year. And this is Yuu.

Yuu: I'm a first-year too! Our friends are sitting at that table! *points at them*

Mother: ...

Jack and Yuu: ...

Mother: ...

Jack: Er, sorry for bothering you.

Yuu: Yeah... Have a nice day!

Mother: *raises her hand as if to stop them*

Jack and Yuu: ???

Mother: *gestures for them to hold out their hands, palms up*

Yuu: Like this?

Mother: *drops a few gold coins and candies into their cupped hands*

Yuu and Jack: ?????????

Mother: *gently pats their heads, then gestures for them to return to their table*

Ace: Wait— Huh? What's going on?

Deuce: ...

Epel: ...Were those real gold coins?

Ace: ...

Ace: Wait here. I'm gonna say hi too.

Deuce: You disliked her earlier.

Ace: Shh!

[majesticallyunmagestic]

Gift stimboard for @maggotpoolautism ^^

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[mydearlybeloathed]

── 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐈𝐑

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: you loved to tease zoro, even if he seemed like he couldn't care less about you. zoro couldn't help but worry over you, hating how careless you were. a trip through the frozen mountains proves to be quite the test on your friendship.

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: zoro x gn!reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 11k

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: NOT beta read, requested, zoro is bad at crushes, kristoff-anna dynamic, canon typical violence, frozen au???, the plot outran me

𝐚/𝐧: i blacked out and woke up to this, now i will return to the void wence i came. until next time lovelies 🫶

Zoro was doing his best to act cool, and in this weather it wasn’t hard, but damn he hated ice.

Every step he took sunk into a foot of white snow, seeping into his boots and freezing every bit of his body. Not even the heavy coat you bullied him into could stave off the biting cold.

He shielded his eyes from the sun, gleaming off the ice yet never melting a thing, and huffed. His breath crystalized in front of him. The snowstorm had been brutal, blinding him and his crew as they trekked up the slope. When the snow cleared, the whole crew was gone.

Well, not entirely gone. That would've been too good.

“I’m never—” he nearly tripped face first into snow “—gonna hear the end of this.”

A bright chuckle to his right only dampened his mood further. You stomped along beside him, looking very content with the situation. You laughed against the harsh wind and grinned at the sun. “At least I managed to find you in the storm. You’d be a total lost cause if I hadn’t.”

You knew you were treading thin ice, so to speak. Zoro’s taut brow said that much. But teasing him was just too fun. Zoro tutted. “Only reason you found me was ‘cause you grabbed by shirt like a leech.”

You bumped his shoulder, gazing at him warmly. “And wasn’t that lucky.”

“Just—quit distracting me. I’m tryna’ find the others.” He trudged a bit harder and a bit faster to get ahead of you, using all his willpower to ignore how you snickered at his expense. Oh, how you got on his nerves. Each and every one, gotten. It was a feat not even the stupid cook could surpass you in. 

You just—you were so careless. With everything. Your punches, while effective, were blind and unforgiving, mostly to yourself. You laughed at the worst of times, doing a terrible job of choking it down so he would always catch your eye and be forced to crack a grin as well. In every fight he couldn’t stop himself from scanning the battlefield just to make sure you weren’t being an idiot like usual. And usually, he found you right at the center of the conflict with this look that just terrified him to no end. 

You had no clue when to quit, evident even now as you rushed to keep pace with him. Yet for once, you didn’t say a word, allowing the silence to roll in as flurries of snow began to float down from the sky. Zoro sent you a suspicious glance just to see a wistful smile on your face. Careless. 

It was in the way you ran ahead of him to jump in the piles of snow, laughing in his face when he told you to be careful. How you looked him in the eye as you tested the strength of a frozen lake while he stood with a set jaw. How you took his hand and dragged him with you to look at something shiny, only for it to be another damn icicle. 

Maybe it wouldn’t bother him so much if he didn’t feel your safety was all on him. If the thought of you getting hurt didn't shoot him years back in time to the moment he felt the most helpless he'd ever been.

Soon, the moon hung high over your heads.

Zoro barely acknowledged the change, head ducked and pace set, headed up the mountain without any hesitation. He didn't even register the distant howling until your were shaking his arm.

He finally stopped to look at you, your lips pursed in frustration. “Zoro, we should find somewhere to rest.” 

He sighed like he wanted to argue. Surely you could find the others at the peak of the mountain before sunrise if you just kept going. You glared just slightly. “The locals back in town said there were wolves up here. I’d rather not have to waste energy dealing with them… and you look tired.”

“I'm not.” Nonetheless, he followed your final pull on his shirt and followed you off the beaten path between the two long streaks of tall pine. 

Your hand remained on him while you took the lead into the near woods, scrutinizing the area for anything harmful or useful. Your eyes were wide open, smile nowhere to be found, until you froze and zeroed in on a target. Zoro followed your gaze. A small bluff rose up out of the earth ahead, creating an arched hollow underneath its ledge. 

“There,” you decided, dragging him behind you. For some reason, he let you.

He sat down at one end of the cover and watched as you dropped your bag to the ground and quickly started on a fire. Zoro leaned back, brows furrowed while you worked so intently. Your lips pursed as you nearly glared at the small flickering flame, as if daring it to go out, cupping your hands around it protectively.

The fire curled higher and higher, a thin plume of smoke dissipating above it. He was about to make a snarky comment about how the wind would just snuff it out, when he realized he couldn’t feel the harsh gusts at all. The wind was blocked by the bluff. He hadn’t even noticed, but you had, apparently.

You moved to sit beside him, putting a good bit of friendly space between you, and sighed heavily. It wasn’t a sound he was used to hearing from you—he was used to hearing you snicker and tease—and he found he didn’t like that kind of tired sound at all.

Wordlessly, you rested your head back for just two seconds before you shivered and turned to rifle through your backpack. Zoro leaned to get a peek over your shoulder, jerking back into place when you whipped around and threw a blanket at him. He grunted, annoyed, until he registered what he was holding. You pulled another one out for yourself, neatly folded against whatever else you had stored away.

“You just,” he started, looking at you weirdly, “happened to have two?”

You gave him a look just as weird as you wrapped the blanket around your shoulders and head. “No. I brought two. That one’s meant for you.”

Suddenly the blanket was the strangest thing he’d ever seen, analyzing it like it might come alive and bite him. His gaze rose to meet yours. “What?”

“Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t freeze.” You had the nerve to roll your eyes. You tried to be subtle as you shifted closer to him, the now gentle cold seeping into your bones still. He caught your eye and held it firmly. Your tongue passed over your lips as you grinned softly. “Might as well be me.”

You said it carelessly, like he knew you to be, like this small act of sincerity wasn't shortcircuiting his brain. He scoffed and stared at the blanket some more, hesitant before he gave in and draped it on his shoulders. He swallowed down a yawn, his face barely moving at all, but you noticed some small chip in his cool anyway. 

“I’ll keep watch, you rest.” It’s not a suggestion. The way you push back your shoulders and stare out into the dark says enough. It irked him.

Maybe three minutes he stared at you off and on, not even trying to pretend to be sleeping, his face pulled unpleasantly. Around minute four you sighed and let your head tilt to the side, settling Zoro with a soft expression. 

“Something on my face?” you asked, rubbing at your cheek roughly. Zoro buffered, his blinks slow whilst you grew increasingly self-conscious under his stare. It was like he looked into your very soul sometimes, and you doubted he had a clue. Finally, Zoro shook his head and turned away.

Now you watched him. He did his stubborn best to keep his eyes open out of spite, but you were right, he was exhausted. His eyes soon fluttered shut against his will, bringing a small smile to your face.

You could admit you liked him when he was like this: quiet, peaceful, pretty. It was only when he opened his mouth that he became the brute you so loved to disturb, if only because it was the only way you could excuse your constant desire to talk to him. And when he seemed to loathe every small moment in your company, teasing was your best option.

You scoot just an inch closer to him, simply testing the waters. Zoro doesn't move at all, his chest continuing to rise and fall with every harsh breath he took. So with the wind as your excuse, you moved till your shoulder rested against his own, your eyes on his face watching for any sign of disturbance.

He couldn't snap at you now, you thought, trying desperately to not smile too wide as you leaned your head back. Zoro might hate you when he was awake, but you could ignore all of that at the moment. You could forget how you were nearing the end of your patience with his careless words and glares, the way they pierced your heart, and set your gaze watchfully on the snow covered forest in front of you.

If you accidentally fell asleep only an hour later, Zoro would never know.

જ ⁀ ➴

Zoro woke up to a flurry of snowflakes in the morning, his nose twitching as one melted on his face. He rubbed his eyes, grunting away the remaining sleep, and blinked away the blurriness.

He glanced around to demand why you hadn't woken him so you could sleep, the words catching on his tongue when he found your blanket on the ground beside him.

It lacked something very important: you.

He jumped to his feet and hit his head against solid rock, tipping over with a curse and scrambling to his feet with his hands in his hair. Zoro spun around, calling your name once, twice. No reply. Just the peaceful fall of snow and empty white all around.

"Stop!" The swordsman whipped around lightning fast at the sound of your voice, a squeal echoing soon after.

His Wado drawn in a flash, Zoro shouted your name and bolted around the bluff and up a small hill, ready to gut whatever damned thing had the nerve to attack you--

You threw your head back with another laugh, face brighter than it had ever been when you laughed at him, and Zoro froze in place.

There you were, safe as can be, giggling as you fed a massive reindeer another carrot, its tongue tickling at your palm. The reindeer, and the large sleigh it was tacked to, wasn't what had his grip tightening around his sword.

Some guy towered over you, one arm leaned on his sleigh as he gave you this dazzling smile. You wiped the reindeer spit on your pants, your laughter falling short when you caught the soft look the guy was giving you. Zoro could see how you grew nervous under his stare even at a distance, awkward smile dancing across your lips and eyes bashfully averted.

You did a double take, catching sight of Zoro standing there stiff as a board, and your whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. You left your new friend standing there and bounded toward him, not noticing that his frown was more scowlish than normal.

"Zoro!" You beamed and reached to grab his arm. "Sorry I disappeared, I was--"

"You--you can't just run off like that!" He stepped back and glared at you, his cheeks flushed and brows drawn.

You flinched like he had slapped you, hands coming to rest against your chest defensively. You voice was small, your eyes wide. "What?"

He knew he was overdoing it, but your smiling face directed at that stranger flashed behind his eyes. And the memory of how terrified he'd been at the possibility of you being hurt...

"God, you're gonna get killed doing stupid shit one day and I won't be there to stop it!" Zoro's hand shook as he readjusted it on his sword. "Just--just use your head for once in your life!"

One step, two steps. You backed away from him bit by bit till you stood a good foot away from him, your lips parted as you breathed in sharply.

"Hey now, no need to get heated." That guy approached with his hands lifted slightly, a good-natured grin on his face. He locked eyes with Zoro as he came up beside you and dared to set a hand on your shoulder. Zoro had half a mind to cut it right off.

"I wouldn't underestimate your friend here," he was saying. "They're the one who saved me and my reindeer from some wolves last night, actually."

Zoro blinked at him, mouth opening and closing quite like a fish until he zeroed in on you and your growing confidence. "You... what?"

"Yeah." Your eyes darted up to his, blazing fire behind them. "Must've been a fluke, huh, since I was doing stupid shit. Oh! I'll be sure to let you know next time I gotta go piss, wouldn't want anything to happen to me since I'm such a fucken idiot, right?"

You were gone before he could process half of that, but he knew he had massively screwed up even before he turned to see you kick up a pile of snow and whisper scream into the air. Zoro, rigidly at a loss, startled at the reminder of the man's presence when said stranger stepped into his peripheral.

"I don't know what that was," he said, almost like an apology even as he looked at Zoro with thinly veiled contempt. He held out a large, calloused hand. "But I'm Hans."

Zoro's narrowed gaze darted from the hand to the man it belonged to before ignoring it entirely. "Roronoa Zoro."

Hans' complexion paled drastically. "R-Roronoa?"

Any satisfaction Zoro had jumped out the metaphorical window with your stormful return donning your backpack. Frustration simmering behind your every move, you trudged past the two men and threw your pack into the back of the sleigh.

You dusted snow off your gloved hands. "Hans is taking us up the mountain. Say thank you."

Hans looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else and Zoro looked like he wanted to put him six feet under the snow. Still, he was honestly terrified of the dark look in your eyes, so he conceded a reluctant, "Thanks."

"His reindeer's name is Vladimir," you said from your new place atop the sleigh, rearranging equipment to make room for someone to sit.

"You want me to--"

Your eyes instantly grew stormy with a don't test me kind of look. Zoro's jaw snapped up, yet even in the face of your anger, he had his limits. You didn't press further, ignoring him entirely and choosing a seat at the front of the sleigh.

Hans glanced between the two of you nervously while he effortlessly jumped into his sleigh and took the seat next to you, taking up the reins connecting his reindeer, apparently named Vladimir.

Zoro glared into your back as he stepped up too, looking down at the sea of scattered equipment in the sleigh's bed, and settled down in the empty space you had made.

The reindeer huffed and started up a steady pace, heaving the sleigh behind it effortlessly. And so, the four began their journey up the mountain. Zoro watched Hans steady your shoulder when you jolted with the movement, and decided that he hated everything to do with snow more than he'd hated anything else.

"So," he broke the silence five minutes in. "Hans. What're you doing here?"

You shot him a glare to which he rolled his eyes. Hans remained oblivious. "Oh, uh, right now I'm sellin' firewood in the villages down the mountain."

Zoro cast the many tools a curious glance, noticing the lack of actual wood. "Huh."

"Hans is the official wood deliverer for the whole kingdom," you blurted, eyeing Zoro out of your peripheral. "You must know these woods like the back of your hand."

The man practically fluttered under your praise, his cheeks blooming a pretty pink that had Zoro's eyes rolling. "Somewhat. I grew up here, but there are some spots I still don't know by heart."

"I bet you hardly ever get lost," you prattled on while checking your nails innocently. You shot Hans a charming smile. "I bet not even a snowstorm could knock you off track."

Hans couldn't help but chuckle bashfully, rubbing at his neck. "I guess you could say that. It's been a while since I've been lost, at least."

"Maybe you could give Zoro some pointers." The man in question shot you a harsh glare you couldn't see, too busy batting your eyes at the guy melting under your gaze. "His internal compass is a little... nonexistent."

Zoro's scoff was definitely loud enough for you to hear, yet you ignored it entirely in favor of shooting him the most infuriating wink. He wondered how much the cook would kill him if he tackled you into the snow.

A tense silence fell upon the three of you, only broken by the reindeer's occasional huffing, when Hans cleared his throat. Both you and Zoro's eyes darted to him at once.

"If you don't mind me asking, you're part of the Strawhat Pirates, right?" At your nod, he turned his attention away form the snow, even dropping the reins to his lap. "I heard in town that you guys were here. I was surprised to run into two of you. Thought your crew would've made it to the peak by now."

"Got lost in the snowstorm last night." Zoro beat you to answering, ignoring your sharp look. "The others should be dealing with the issue up there."

Hans nodded. "Probably. I can't tell you enough how grateful the townspeople are. Once the witch is taken care of, the snow should begin to fade."

You shifted to face him entirely. "About this witch. Do you believe it? That it's really a witch causing the freeze?"

Hans' sigh materialized in the air. "I'm not sure what I think. All I know if that someone is up on the mountain, farther than anyone is willing to go, and they're angry." He returned his focus ahead, grip on the reins tight and unforgiving. Something foggy rose behind his eyes. "The storm started when they made themself known. That's all I know for certain."

He was lying about something, you just couldn't place what. Whatever the case, Hans knew more than he was letting on, the tightness in his body language said that much. You chanced a look behind you, meeting eyes with Zoro, and he held a similar look of skepticism. You shared an understanding, then you remembered you were mad at him, and stuck your tongue out before whipping back around. Zoro sighed heavily.

"You're lucky I found you, actually," said Hans. "I was headed this way anyway, so it's no trouble taking you up the mountain. 'Sides, it's the least I could do."

You resisted the urge to glance at Zoro again, if only to see if he was curious too, but held your ground and settled for biting your lip in thought. As kind and as handsome as this Hans guy was, you were growing more and more cautious the longer he spoke.

The faster you could get up the mountain and rejoin your crew, the better.

જ ⁀ ➴

Hans was there you catch you when you stumbled off the sleigh, his charming grin awkward as he asked, "Are you all right?"

Your cheeks grew warm as an unflattering laugh left you. "Fine! Yep, I'm good. Heh..."

Zoro rolled his eyes and jumped down as well. He glared up at the tall mountains up ahead. "You said our friends should be up there?"

Hans nodded once. "Should be, if they went the right way. We have to go on foot now, the pass will get too rocky for the sleigh soon."

You rubbed your hands together, smirking at the trek ahead of you. "Sounds good. Honestly, Luffy's probably already beating her ass as we speak."

Your guide's brows furrowed then. "Actually--"

"If he has started, then we better hurry," Zoro said, one hand on his swords as he set off.

Hans turned to send his reindeer back down with the sleigh, patting the creature's nose fondly before pointing him away. He watched his friend trot a ways away before adjusting his pack on his shoulders and moving to catch up to Zoro.

You walked at a gentle pace, taking the moment to observe the beautiful landscape around you. The woods had given way to a steep uphill climb laid between tall jagged rock towering on either side. The pass up the mountain grew narrower the further up you went, and indeed rocks and fallen trees blocked the path here and there.

Not even five minutes in you were slumping over in agony.

"How'd we even make it so far on foot yesterday?" you complained loudly, rubbing at your eyes and making your vision blurry for a moment.

Somehow, Zoro was walking beside you now, a fair distance between you. Hans was leading the way around a large boulder. The swordsman scoffed at you. "You begged me to carry you for most of it."

"And you wasted the opportunity by refusing me, I remember," you lamented sarcastically, matching his energy with a roll of your eyes.

Hans glanced back with some concern, glancing between you and Zoro like he was afraid one of you would erupt, and trudged forward with new determination.

You sighed deeply. Teasing Hans wasn't fun anyway once Zoro started ignoring you--and even less fun when he completely fell asleep on the sleigh.

It was like he could care less what you did or what you thought of him. And when you cared so much, well, it drove you mad. No matter how you tried to ignore it, his attitude hurt, and that was no one's fault but your own for caring at all.

"Hans," Zoro broke the tension. "Why're you headed up the mountain? Thought you said no one goes this high 'cause of the witch."

For a long moment, you wondered if Hans was going to ignore him, exchanging a confused look with Zoro when your guide's shoulders tensed. Hans fixed his expression and smiled. "I left something up here some years ago. Might as well take the chance to get it back while I'm helping you."

Only when Hans' back was turned and he pressed on ahead did you sidle up to Zoro and say in a conspiritory whisper, "Well, that was cryptic as fuck."

He nearly smirked before he was shooting you a look. "I thought you were ignorin' me."

You pursed your lips and whipped forward. "I am, you asshole."

"What is wrong," he barked at your profile. "I snap at you all the time. What's so different now?"

"Nothing!" You sent him a scathing look, dark enough that Zoro faltered, just for a moment. You were seething. "Maybe I just got tired of taking it."

And with that, he was staring at your back again. You marched up to walk in step with Hans, who was doing an ass job at pretending not to listen.

Zoro couldn't keep the absolutely miserable expression off his face. If any of his crew could see him, he'd never hear the end of it. Zoro could hardly believe it himself: he nearly missed your teasing.

The thought itself tripped up his feet. He remained lagging behind the rest of the trek, eyes glued to the back of your head, lost in his thoughts until he almost walked right into your back.

You and Hans stood at the edge of a ravine, staring down into the dark depths below and then at the rope bridge stretching across what had to be at least ten yards. The rickety thing looked like it could snap at any moment, the ropes tying it to your side aged and frozen. Daunting, to say the least.

"Don't worry," said Hans, his tone only slightly faltering in its confidence. "I used to take this bridge all the time, it should hold all three of us if we distribute the weight well enough."

"You're joking, right?" Zoro scoffed. You gave him a sour look in response, and promptly moved to be the first to step out onto the deathtrap.

"It looks fine," you lied, chin held high. "Let's just get going."

Hans made a sound suspiciously like a yelp and yanked you back by your wrist. "Uh, let me go first."

You stepped out of the way for him, cheeks slightly warm, narrowing your eyes at a smug Zoro. You huffed in his face. "What?"

"Nothing," he smirked. Zoro made to follow after Hans, leaning into your ear as he passed. "No need to try an' impress me."

He left you floundering behind him, nothing even close to a complete leaving your lips. The bridge jumped with your footsteps when you ran after him, a finger poked into his back harshly.

"I was not trying to impress you." You walked on your tiptoes so you could shout the words in his ear, only drawing another infuriating laugh out of the swordsman. "I'd rather impress anyone before I impress you! Not like it'd be hard, moss for brains!"

"Ooh," Zoro said with a glance over his shoulder. "Touchy much?"

"You--!"

"God!" Hans suddenly whirled around, hands in his hair, crazed look on his face. You and Zoro froze instantly. "I don't care about your lovers quarrel! You're gonna get us killed if you keep jolting the bridge!"

Your jaw practically hit the ground. "Woah!"

"Lover huh?" Zoro's cheeks burned, his shoulders drawn back and tense.

Hans cut off any protests you had with a single finger. "I don't care! You wanna get up that mountain? Shut up."

He turned around just as quickly, his steps carefully placed even as he radiated frustration.

You avoided Zoro's eyes though you felt them zeroed in on your face. You gently pushed against his shoulder, muttering, "Just keep walking."

At the halfway mark of the bridge there was a gap where two wooden boards used to lay, but was now a one way trip to the bottom of the ravine. Hans and then Zoro stepped over it effortlessly, barely casting a glance downward. The longer you stared at it the wider the gap seemed to be.

No matter how you pushed yourself, your hands stayed planted on the ropes either side of you and your feet wouldn't move farther than a few inches. You couldn't tear your eyes away from the seemingly bottomless abyss down below... but suddenly, a rough hand appeared in front of you, forcing itself into your focus with its broad help and burly appearance.

Heart stuttering, your eyes darted up to meet his. Zoro stood on the other side of the gap, solid and sturdy, his eyes quickly averted the longer you stared at him. Zoro cleared his throat and reached out further for you. "We're losing daylight."

You blinked rapidly before nodding, placing your hand tightly in his, taking a deep breath, and taking a large step over the gap. Your eyes close against your better judgement, foot slipping just slightly as another hand roughly steadies your shoulder.

And then, he's snapping in your face again.

"Wha--don't close your eyes, idiot!" You clench your teeth, already set off, and whip open your eyes. Zoro looked... concerned. Instead of angry like his voice suggested, his brows were drawn taut and his mouth twisted into a frown.

You faltered for all of one second before you shook it off. "Why do you even care?" You pushed past him and set forth quickly.

Zoro let you by easily, a million different emotions rushing through his head until he settled on exasperation, as he so often did, and the words left him before he could catch them. "You're careless."

You stopped mid step, sending his heart racing with adrenaline. Shit, was all he could think. You turned slowly, something shiny in your eyes as you glowered at him. "Careless?"

He didn't have time to backtrack or double down, whichever way he chose. Snap.

Your expression fell in an instant. The sound of a gradual cracking. You turned back to where Hans should be, finding him standing safely on the other side of the ravine, his face sheet white.

He gasped. "Run!"

Zoro had shoved your forward before you could catch sight of the ropes tying the bridge down snapping little by little until the way you came began to plummet down.

"We're not gonna make it!" you shouted desperately, feeling the way the bridge tilted backward. The other side was still too far away. This was it.

Something snapped in Zoro, his arms enveloping you in a single swoop, ignoring your shouting, forgetting all his fear. All he saw was you, falling to your death, and so he jumped. He threw you as hard as he could before his momentum ran out, and he was plummeting to his doom.

You screamed and flailed your limbs, barely registering what had happened. Hans and the edge of the ravine grew closer and closer, yet not close enough--your front half rammed into the ledge, knocking the air from your lungs. Hans gripped your arms and started to haul you up just when your head caught up to your body.

"Let--" You braced your feet against the ledge. "Let me go!"

You broke from Hans' grip and flew back, your name falling from his lips as you descended like a bullet. Moving on instinct, you shoved a hand into your backpack and gripped the shell buried deep inside, shedding the whole pack an instant later.

Zoro, resigned to his fate, was ever so surprised to open his eyes to you hurling yourself into him. "Y/N--!"

"Grab onto me!" He didn't hesitate. The moment his arms wrapped around your middle you slammed your fist onto the apex of the dial, a blast of air rocketing you right back up into the sky. You held it down, petrified it wouldn't be enough, Zoro's loud ass screaming in your ear.

The dial fizzled out, the pair of you flying in a near graceful arc before another round of expletives fled Zoro's mouth as you once again felt your organs rearrange themselves with another sudden drop.

You landed on Zoro's chest, his arms locked around your waist, your interlocked bodies bouncing and tumbling on packed snow till you rolled to a stop battered and bruised.

The world rang in your ears, but you still lifted your head to assess the state of your friend. He groaned, looking up at you bleary eyed. "Are you okay?"

Zoro buffered, blinked, and shot up. His hands closed around your arms a bit too tightly, his eyes scanning your face as anger clouded his face. "What the fuck was that?! Why would you--why did you--"

"Oh, shut up!" You shoved him back just as harshly, breaking free your arms. His back hit the snow as you knelt over him, blazing down at him. "Like you were any different, you ass! You don't get to sacrifice yourself for me!" Your hand clawed at his shirt. "I won't let you!"

The silence was deafening. Zoro swore your voice echoed off the empty white snow. You heaved, a wild look in your eyes, hand still clutching him like you might decide to punch him. Zoro couldn't help but think it: you were beautiful.

You released him like you were disgusted, falling back on your knees with this broken expression. You scoffed and pushed yourself to your feet. Zoro watched your eyes go unfocused on the space behind him, waiting for the ball to drop on bated breath.

"And for the record," you said slowly, quietly. "Someone who's careless wouldn't have thought to bring a breath dial."

You turned, voice rising against the wind. "Someone careless wouldn't have made sure you don't freeze to death." Your fists curled, the air crackling with your anger. You whirled on him, eyes shut lest he see the pain they reflected. "Quit trying to act like you a give a damn about me! I know you don't care!"

You hated how your shoulders shook. You hated how afraid you felt. But most of all, you hated how he just sat there, dumbfounded. You blinked down at him, lashes fluttering to fight against the burn of tears. You had to get away from him, away from his silence. "Forget it."

"I'm sorry."

You made it six whole steps before he said it, his voice softer than you'd ever heard it. You nearly refused to believe it was him. You didn't dare to turn around, to breathe. "What?"

Zoro's answer was a series of harsh breaths. His lips moved but words failed to rise no matter how he tried to force them--he didn't know what to say. His hands raked at the snow, freezing his fingertips painfully so. He thinks you scoffed before your foot moved to take another step, and suddenly it didn't matter what he said.

"Wait. I... you..." Zoro lumbered to his feet. "I'm... sorry. I've been a dick."

"Tch." You refused to turn around. All your resolve would crumble it you looked at him.

"You're not careless, not all the time," he said, holding his breath when you shifted from foot to foot.

"You're just saying that." You shook your head despairingly. "Zoro, why else would you think so lowly of me?"

Zoro froze, blinking wide, and trudged toward you without thinking. He rounded you quickly and held you in place with a single look. "Is that what you think?"

Startled, you nodded, unable to look away from his bewildered expression. Luckily, Zoro looked down at his feet before you had the chance to combust.

"I think... highly of you. But I--I just worry."

You dared to think his cheeks turned pink when he said it. Your confusion only grew. "About me?"

He gave a gruff nod. It took him a moment to continue, his eyes searching the empty area to the left. "I think so much of you, that if anything happened, I wouldn't forgive myself. If you..."

Now you moved to catch his avoidant eye. "Zoro, it wouldn't be your fault if something did happen to me. And... well, I guess I'd like it if you had a bit more faith in me, y'know?"

You chanced a smile when Zoro simply stood there. "I know I goof off a lot, but who is it looking after you most days? Me. You never did thank me for the blanket, and I handled those wolves by myself, and I saved your life just now! I've proven myself more than enough times..." You poked his forehead when his eyes went unfocused, bringing his attention back to you. "So put a little trust in me, Zoro."

With a thousand little thoughts reflected in his eyes, Zoro nodded firmly. "I will. I do."

Your smile didn't exactly meet you eyes yet, but he would work on that in the future. Zoro hardly remembered why they were there in the first place anymore, lost in staring directly into your eyes till it was just on the verge of being weird. Hans appeared suddenly, running up a hill and breathing wildly.

He tripped over snow when he saw the two of you, hitting the snow and staring between you with the most exasperated look on his face. "You're--You're crazy! How on earth are you still alive?!"

"Y/N," Zoro said. You turned to see what he wanted only to realize that was his answer. Zoro grinned. "Y/N saved us."

You let out an unpretty laugh, cheeks burning as you hid it behind a cleared throat. "Whatever. How far did we fly?"

"Like--" Hans waved his hands around "--a long way." He finally calmed his breathing down enough to get up and approach you. "I guess this is just a short cut. We're closer to the peak--"

He paused in brushing the snow off his clothes, face going pale, his eyes set high in the sky. You and Zoro locked eyes and turned at once, spotting it instantly. The snowstorm circled like a whirlpool around the highest peaks of the mountain, right over the area you assumed you were meant to go.

Hans walked between you and Zoro roughly. "Let's go."

Again, you looked at Zoro, concern now plastered all over your face. He met your eyes steadfast, a level of certainty in his stance that assured you that your crew would come out on top, as always.

જ ⁀ ➴

"Nami!" You sprinted at her the moment you turned the corner and saw her. You, Zoro, and Hans had enetered the elaborate palace made of ice maybe five minutes ago, following Hans down one of three hallways like he knew exactly where to go, as if he'd been there before.

You didn't have the chance to dwell on the oddness of it, too concerned with the sight of Nami contained inside a cage made completely of ice. To her right, Sanji's entire lower half was frozen mid-kick, his face taken by relief at the sight of you. Behind him, only Robin's head remained visible above a pillar of ice. Her hands were stuck inches apart, as if she was just about to use her devil fruit powers before getting put on ice.

"Sanji? Robin? What happened? Where are the others?" You met Nami through the bars of ice, taking her frigid hand in both of your gloved ones. You cursed softly. "Nami, where're your gloves?!"

"One question at a time," she gritted out through a shiver. She looked blue in the face despite her puffy coat. "It's hard to think in this cold."

You released her hand when you felt Zoro's presence by your shoulder. Grabbing his arm, you nodded at the cage. "Can you break it?"

"It's just ice," he scoffed. Zoro shot you his best cocky smirk and unsheathed his Wado.

Nami fled to the farthest corner. "You better not cut me!"

While Zoro dealt with the cage, you moved to flutter around your other friends, worried eyes blown wide. You approached Sanji first and laid a tentative hand on his elbow. His teeth chattered even as he gave you a charmingly warm smile.

"'M glad you're--all right," he managed to say. His hand, still hidden by a glove, rested atop yours. "Was afraid m-mosshead would get y-you eaten."

"We found a local, he helped us find our way here," you assured him, moving to Robin with increased terror. "Robin, how do you feel?"

Her brow ticked just slightly, lips curled downward. She strained, probably trying to break free, before her head fell forward. "Chilly."

"I don't want your help, marimo!"

"Whatdya mean?! You gonna freeze here, huh?"

The conflict was solved by shattered ice before you could whip around. Sanji fell backward with a snarl and scrambled to his feet just as quickly. "You coulda cut my leg off!"

Zoro dared to smirk at him. "Whoops."

"Zoro," you hissed. His face fell instantly, head whipping around to look at you. "Help Robin."

But the swordsman appeared more hesitant this time, sizing the ice block holding Robin's body warily. "I just, I dunno how I could slice it without slicing her too."

Hans let out something like a grunt and marched up with a torch from his backpack. He lit it on fire with a match and shoved it into Nami's hands. "Just melt her out until it's soft enough to break."

He settled Sanji with a somber look. "Where did he go?"

Sanji, though miffed with his flippant tone, pointed a finger at the large doors at the end of the hall. Now that you looked around, you seemed to be in some sort of entryway.

"Hans!" You raced to stop him from just storming in guns blazing, grabbing his sleeve harshly. "What are you doing? This witch is-is dangerous! Let us handle it and--"

"This," he growled, ripping himself from your grip, "isn't yours to handle. I helped you find your friends, not get out before you get hurt."

Whatever else he had to say was cut off by the telltale sound of Luffy's voice bellowing from the throne room, "GUM GUM--PISTOL!"

Sanji and Zoro flanked your shoulders all at once. "Our captain is fighting whatever the hell is in there," said Zoro. "Long as he's in there, this remains our fight."

Hans measured the three of you up with a resigned scoff. "Fine. Just stay out of my way."

He went on ahead, leaving you and the boys to follow his trail. You leaned into Zoro, whispering, "I don't think this guy's a woodcutter."

Zoro scoffed lightly, daring to grin at you despite the unknown in front of you. "Sorry you had a crush on him?"

You gasped, reeling back your fist to collide with his arm only for him to catch it and laugh. His face had the audacity to light up in the most beautiful way, his eyes crinkling and smile wide.

"I--I didn't have a crush on him," you hissed.

Zoro released your hand too softly. "Please, it was obvious."

"I was trying to--" You clamped your mouth shut and faced forward sharply, horrified you almost let that slip. He didn't say anything more, but the satisfied look on his face made it seem like he knew.

Sanji gagged as Hans approached the throne room doors, his eyes glaring into the man's back. "Darling, you have questionable taste."

You let out a resigned huff and caught Zoro's eye, your cheeks warming all of a sudden. Honestly, you had to agree.

The strange man threw open the doors, mouth opening to announce some grand speech probably, but was unfortunately cut off when your captain barreled into him and sent them both hurtling backward.

Hans coughed, pressing his hand to his side, and sat up quickly. Luffy groaned underneath him, his stretchy legs tangled in both of Hans'.

Calling out his name, you ran up and grabbed under his arms, pulling him away from the fake woodcutter. Luffy's legs slithered as they untangled from Hans, which was a disturbing feat to witness.

"Almost had 'im," Luffy muttered, jaw setting.

With a glare in your direction, Hans rose to his feet and dusted off his clothes, setting one foot in front of the other, words rising to the tip of his tongue until he lifted his gaze and saw the young man standing between the large doors.

"Hans," the apparent witch gasped, his voice echoing off the ice. One after the other, Usopp and Chopper peak around the corner behind him.

He took a step forward, all his plans and speeches forgotten. "Jack."

Luffy, now standing beside you, scratched his chin. "Who's that guy?"

"Our guide," you blurted, head tilted. "Is that really the witch?"

"Yup."

"Kinda... anticlimactic."

"Yuh huh."

Both of the strange men whipped around at once and shouted, "Shut up!" They froze, glancing back at each other, and fell still once again.

From the other end of the hall, Nami's voice carried, "What's happening?! Is Luffy winning?!"

"Not sure!" you called back.

"Wait." Zoro approached the pair still staring at each other blankly. "You know the witch? Why didn't you say that before?"

Instead of answering, Hans cracked a grin. Surprisingly, the witch did as well, musing, "They're still calling me that?"

"It stuck," Hans laughed. "Not particularly wrong."

The witch, Jack (apparently), scoffed in reply. His gaze swept over the lot of you, all geared to attack should the moment come. "What exactly brings you and these... pirates to my palace, brother?"

Your jaw fell instantly. "Brother?"

Hans turned back with all the ease in the world. "I didn't lie to you. I just didn't exactly tell you the truth." He swept a hand across his chest in a simple bow. "My full title is Crown Prince Hans."

"Oh shit," you awed.

"I don't care who's your brother!" Luffy pushed up his sleeves, ready to fire another punch at any moment. "I came to end this winter!"

"So did I!" said Hans, his face falling solemnly. He faced the witch once again. "I meant to come sooner, but you've hidden far up the mountain."

Despite the tease in his brother's voice, Jack visibly tensed, taking a wary step back. He shot Luffy an almost desperate kind of glare. "I told you, I don't know how!"

Somehow, the room got colder. Hans stepped forward every time his brother backed away, a tender hand outstretched. "Yes, you can. If you just come back with me, we can figure it out. Together. Like Mother and Father wanted."

"You..." The ice all around began to fracture little by little. "You came all this way for nothing." The witch tightened his fists and breathed out a sigh. "Hans, I don't know what you thought would happen. There's no ending this winter... not without killing me."

The brothers exchanged an icy look, before Jack released a gentle laugh. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"I--I didn't come here to kill you," Hans insisted.

They continued like that, back and forth, the air getting stiffer and the cold growing harder. Spirals of ice crept up along the walls like vines. You stepped closer to Luffy, casting a glance back at Zoro and Sanji. Usopp and Chopper had snuck around and joined them.

Good. Everyone was in one place. Escape could be possible, probably.

"Hey," Luffy murmured, leaning closer to your ear. "I'm gonna knock Witch-Guy out."

You gripped his arm in a vice. "No. You--"

"He's gonna hurt your friend." Luffy shook you off easily. His usual playful attitude was gone, replaced by that rare, frightening seriousness.

You followed his gaze. Hans was backing his brother into the throne room, his eyes pleading, his hands reaching. The wi--Jack was curled in on himself, flurries of snow enveloping his head and sparks of ice flying off his arms.

Sanji's hand rested on your shoulder, gently tugging you back. "Love, get away."

The sound of Zoro unsheathing his sword met your ears--a sound you'd know anywhere--and you saw Jack raising his hands over his head, shouting something drowned out by the sudden gusting wind.

Everything happened very quickly.

Luffy, rushing forth with a fist drawn back. Hans, ignoring the ice hitting his face, reaching out for his brother. Your name falling from Sanji's lips.

And you, somehow, lunging at Hans just as Jack was knocked back by Luffy's fist and a blast of ice shot out from his splayed hands. You would have landed on top of Hans if you hadn't been sledgehammered in the back and rocketed to the side.

All the freezing cold from before could be considered warm compared to this. A cough forced its way from your lips. Your hands quivered as you struggled to push up off the ground, falling back onto your side. A faint ringing in the back of your mind overpowered the voices calling out to you.

You blinked and your face was being held by two warm hands, the kind of warm that made you want to be engulfed in it entirely. You blinked again and the ringing faded as you registered Zoro's face in front of you.

"--ou okay?" His voice wasn't meant to be that soft, you thought. Zoro was anything but soft. It just didn't suit him. Still catching the breath that was knocked out of you, you barely noticed when he drew you closer to his body.

A tight tingling festered in your chest, your hand clawing at the area, trying to scratch a deeply set itch. Zoro caught the motion, his hands moving from your face to your back, pressing into the spot you'd been hit.

"Ow," you groaned. "Cut that out."

The swordsman released a sigh at the sound of your voice. You could still bitch at him--that was a good sign.

"What even happened?" He looked like he was biting back words, mouth opening and closing uselessly until Sanji appeared over his shoulder.

He took a drag from his cigarette and puffed it out fast. "That witch hit you with ice." Sanji's set jaw softened. "Are you all right?"

You could still move your fingers and toes, and now that was ringing was gone you could feel you strength slowly return. You managed to sit up on your own. Zoro didn't move away by an inch, eyes on you like a hawk.

"I'm okay," you assured them. With Zoro's help, you stood to your feet, ignoring the quake in your knees. "Cold, but okay."

Neither of them believed you, obviously. Sanji's skeptical eye was pulled away when Hans clobbered Luffy on the head. He rushed over to put the guy back in his place while Chopper tentatively approached the knocked out Jack with his first aid kit.

In truth, you'd been lying through your teeth. You barely withheld the the shivers threatening to wrack your body. Cold didn't begin to describe the sensation crawling from the pit of your chest.

Zoro called your name and the sound alone caused your mask to slip, just a bit. He saw, of course, grabbing you by your shoulders and staring directly into your eye, like he could will the truth out of you.

You smiled casually, hands moving to shake him off in vain. He needed to stop looking at you, because dammit, it was working.

The fight in you faded more and more the longer his hands warmed your shoulders and his steady gaze warmed your face. Suddenly, you let the fatigue cloud your eyes. You leaned into his hands, eyes fluttering, shoulders jerking. "Zoro, I'm really cold."

That was all he needed. Your feet were swept off the ground, his arms enveloping you, his warmth defending you against the incessant chill.

Zoro rounded on the bickering group and felt his patience snap. "Hey!"

All eyes on him, he couldn't help the stagger in his breath. He held you closer to his chest as if it would do anything to help you. Zoro didn't have any idea what was wrong with you, this magic shit wasn't his cup of tea, but he could be pissed really well, especially when it came to you. So he zeroed in on Hans and locked his target.

"What the hell did he do?!"

Hans' eyes drifted down to your form, fully shaking now that you stopped pretending, vainly attempting to hide from the cold the further you curled into Zoro's arms. "They... they were hit with the ice?"

Sanji gripped Hans by the collar fiercely. "Saving you from that lunatic!"

Hans pushed back at that, hand shoving Sanji back by his chest. "Jack isn't a lunatic! He didn't meant to do any of this! He's cursed!"

Zoro marched up to him, towering over the man. "You think I care? What did that ice do?"

All Hans could do was stare at your contorted face in horror, shaking his head quickly. "I don't... Jack wouldn't..."

"Set them down!" Chopper ran over, his hooves clopping across the ice. Zoro begrudgingly knelt to the ground and rested you in front of the little doctor. Chopper pressed his stethoscope to your chest, his eyes flickering to your face. You forced open your eyes.

"It's probably just a cold," you murmured.

The way Chopper's ears flattened against his hat said otherwise. Nami and Robin approached at a run then, gasping one after the other at the sight in front of them. Chopper got in your face and mumbled something the others couldn’t hear, but it made your frown deepen before you gave him a nod. He worked his little hooves and unzipping your coat, unbuttoning the front of your shirt, and parting it just enough to see a sliver of your skin. 

Zoro was the first to see it, yet he didn’t gasp like Chopper or curse like Sanji or ask what was happening like Luffy. He just… stared, like he didn’t believe what he saw. The ice started at the center of your chest in a starburst shape, reaching out in tendrils that grew ever so slowly the closer he watched them. 

You peeked down at your chest and reacted much like Zoro, silent as your eyes rose to meet his. You winced as you sat up, resisting the urge to clutch your chest, and looked at him so dearly. The clouds in his eyes parted briefly when you grabbed his chin.

“No,” you commanded. Zoro blinked helplessly. “It’s not your fault.” You dropped your hand and somehow found it in you to grin. “I was just being--careless, right?”

Maybe he was right to worry after all, you mused to yourself, missing the way Zoro’s whole face crumbled, all his certainty drained out of him.

Zoro leaned away from you sharply, and you would think he was glaring at you if you didn’t know his actual glare so well. "Don't do that. You're turning to ice. Don’t you dare try an' comfort me.”

Again, your eyes were drawn to the star on your chest. Your lips quivered now, your body fighting against the cold and longing for the warmth Zoro had given… Though, if you let yourself think it, the cold chill started to feel warm against your skin. A sickening warmth. The ice was creeping up your collarbone.

So you ignored it entirely. You ignored everything, everyone, hearing death approaching the door. You leaned back on your hands and burned his image into your mind. "I can't not comfort you. It's, like, my self-appointed job."

Nami was choking behind her hand, you think. Chopper waved his hooves helplessly, wracking his brain. Usopp stood behind him, his jaw agape, eyes far away. Sanji stood a pillar next to Robin, each staring vacantly into space, albeit with an extra shine in their eyes. 

And Zoro refused to look at you. "Why?" he demanded.

"Someone's has to,” you said so simply. “So I look out for you. I guess sometimes… y-you worry me as much as I worry you.”

No one said anything after that, as if they could say anything. A sense of the inevitable filled the air and stole everyone’s voice. You fought to remain sitting, not wanting your last moments to be just lying down and taking it. Which made you think… “Should I choose a good pose?”

The joke didn’t land, apparently. No one laughed at least. The only reaction you got was from Zoro, his face whipping up to give you the sharpest glare he’d ever given you and—he reached out and hugged you. You don’t think he was breathing, his arms wrapping around you and dragging you close in one swift motion. 

You’re certain you’re cold to touch, your skin had to be freezing, but he held you anyway, clutching you closer every few seconds. Your surprise faded fast along with all your bravery, and you buried your face in his neck, hugging him back with all the strength you had. You could feel the ice reaching your neck now.

“Idiot,” he hissed into your skin. “You—No, you’re not, I… I’m sorry. I need…” Your hands clawed at his hair, His fingers dug into your sides. You let him speak, unsure what you would even say in return, when his voice met your ear quietly, “I think I’m in love with you. You can’t go.” 

He needed you to know. To understand. If possible, you gripped him tighter. Like a lifeline. His lips grazed your hairline, the fear radiating off of you snuffed out by the sole feeling of being loved. Funny. Just a day ago you were half convinced he hated you. And now? You had no doubt in your frozen heart that Zoro, despite his edges, despite his harshness, loved you.

The cold was its warmest now. Chopper had warned about the symptoms of hypothermia. You didn’t have to open your eyes to know the ice was spreading faster now, it had to be turning you to ice while you wrapped yourself around the swordsman. You’d die listening to his heartbeat, the sniffs of your friends, and… Chopper’s sharp gasp?

“It’s…” His hooves clipped as he danced in place. “It’s melting!”

That was a shock. You ripped yourself away from Zoro so fast you knocked his head with your own, the pair of you wincing in tandem. Sure enough, when you looked down at yourself, the ice was melting before your very eyes, soaking into your skin and clothes. “The hell?”

“Y/N!” Your captain launched himself at you and sent you back to the ground. He wrapped his arms around you threefold, dragging a delirious laugh out of you. “You’re not an icicle!”

“I’m not!” you cried, ruffling his hair. Nami collapsed to her knees beside you and forced Luffy off before nearly choking you in a hug. 

“But how?” Robin posed the question even as she sprouted a hand from Nami’s back and gave your cheek a fond pat. 

You were only standing for a few moments, your hands tight in Nami’s, when Sanji nearly knocked you and over again as he hugged around your neck. Teetering on your feet, your eyes found Zoro again. Your smile infected him, his lips tugging upward.

Zoro’s face fell abruptly, his hand moving to his sword as he stepped toward you. You turned quickly in Sanji’s arms, his hands sliding off your shoulders. Hans stood close. He stared at your chest, your face, at Zoro. “You…” His brows met in thought, watching how Zoro rose to defend you, how your eyes never left his face very long… and it dawned on him all at once. “He loves you…”

The words seemed to break the moment, your crew casting the swordsman a nervous glance. You did too, wondering if—fearing that everything was going to go back to the way it was. Zoro would say sike and everyone would laugh in your face for ever thinking he would ever—

“Yeah,” Zoro snapped, eyes dark. “So back off.”

You sputtered, cheeks hot. “Zoro!”

But Hans didn’t care about that, his gaze faraway, his feet taking him backward step by step. “Love… I know what to do.” He smiled and darted back to the lump of his brother that was slowly gaining consciousness. “I know!”

“Weirdos,” Luffy decided, his cheek suddenly resting on your shoulder. 

You burst into another round of laughter. His cheek was warm against you. Never again, you thought, would you ever take warm things for granted. “Captain, can we get outta here? Since he, uh, knows whatever he knows now?”

The faster you could get in bed, the better. Luffy laughed through his teeth. “Sure! These guys are getting on my nerves.”

Usopp set a solid hand on your shoulder, his waterline glimmering in the light. He fought viciously against a sniffle. “I wasn’t worried. I knew you’d pull through.”

You choked down a laugh and squeezed his hand. “Thank you. Though I do wonder how exactly I’m alive.”

“Who cares?” A gruff voice spoke from your right, Zoro’s face appearing in your peripheral. His shoulder brushed yours tenderly. “You’re alive. Let’s go.”

Luffy threw a fist in the sky and bounded back down the hall. “To the ship!”

You made to run after him when all of a sudden you were airborne, a cackling full sized reindeer swooping under you legs and taking off with your on his back. Your hands flew around his neck with barely stifled screams. “Chopper!”

All he did was giggle and completely ignore your protests on account of very recent “doctors orders” to stay off your feet. You cast a look over your shoulder like a plea for help. Your friends were running after you, some more enthusiastic, most struggling to stay on their feet. 

The winter air hit your face as soon as you left the castle, the crunch of Chopper’s hooves on the snow music to your ears. Not far down the mountain Luffy slingshotted himself onto Chopper too, his arms wrapping around your middle and his laugh loud in your ear. The others were yelling for you to slow down now, but Chopper didn’t listen—not till he tripped over a lump of thick snow and sent the three of you tumbling to the bottom of the slope. 

You rolled onto your back, chest heaving, heart full. The snow crackled with the running of the crew. Luffy and Chopper’s laughter filled the air. When you opened your eyes, the sun was blocked by Zoro’s broad shoulders. Oh, how the little smile he tried to hide just melted your mind. With a wave of your hand you gestured him closer. 

Zoro bent his legs, resting his elbows on his knees in a crouch, angling his head quizically. You twined your index finger through his, loving the little blush rising to his cheeks. 

“Did you mean it?” you asked in a short burst of bashfullness. 

Though his eyes avoided your own, his finger tightened around yours. A torrent of emotions whirled through his chest as he recalled how vulnerable he’d let himself be. It was dangerous, you were dangerous… but he’d never had a problem flirting with death before. “I meant it.”

Your placed his hand on your cheek. “It’s requited, just so you know.”

Zoro huffed a laugh, tentatively running his thumb over your jaw. “Good.”

“C’mon you guys!” Luffy and the others were already continuing the walk down the mountain. 

A flash of mischief flashed through Zoro’s eyes before he grabbed your wrist and hauled you up so quickly your feet left the ground. He steadied you with his hand son your shoulders, his forehead hitting yours as he snickered under his breath, stealing all your breath away.

“You dork,” you muttered, turning on your heel and walking off without him. It wasn’t long before his shoulder brushed your own, his steps in line with yours, his grin matching yours in delirium. 

જ ⁀ ➴

It took all night to reach the bottom of the mountain. You could have stopped the night, gotten some rest, but the idea of shot down by everyone instantly. You were all eager to get back to the Merry as fast as possible.

You rubbed at your eyes, yawning as you passed back through the village, headed for the icy docks just as the sun broke the sky. 

Chopper tried to convince you to just head below deck instead of helping with the rigging, but you’d assured him with a single smile that “I’ve never felt more alive, Chop. I’ll be fine.”

So he begrudgingly left you alone, keeping an eye on you while you kept an unabashed eye on Zoro. You tied off a rope without ever looking down at it, too busy stealing glances at the swordsman across the deck. He wore that damn smirk on his face, like he knew you were staring even with his back turned. You didn’t really care if he knew, not looking away when he met your gaze and dared to wink at you.

Your whole face went up in flames. This new side of Zoro was sudden and brash like you’d never known before. Your adrenaline spiked simply thinking of this strange new normal your near-death had created. It caught you offguard. Made you nervous. You loved it. 

She noticed it as the ship drifted into the harbor.

“No way!” Nami laughed and raced from the helm to the side of the ship. She leaned over and pointed off in the distance. “Look! Look!”

You joined her side and saw it at once. Starting out at the tallest pinetrees towering high in the forest beyond the village, the fallen snow began to rise little by little into the air, collecting in a flurry of ice that soared over the whole valley. From the ship you could see the people leaving their houses and gathering in the streets, their jaws falling as the icicles melted off their buildings and the frost disappeared from the foliage. 

The further the ship sailed the more you could take in how the whole island burst to life, the green of the trees fighting through the cold as the ice erupted into speckles of light in the sky. The sunrise illuminated the land basking in summertime for the time in a long while.

“Guess he did know how to fix it,” you said to no one in particular, not very surprised when you turned your head and found Zoro by your side. You could used to having him there, you think.

“Amazing,” he awed. He caught your stare and cleared his throat, cracking his neck and looking anything but nonchalant. He paused a moment, thinking, then, “You… didn’t actually like him, right?”

You laughed right in his face. “Please. He’s not my type.” Your hand ran from his shoulder to his bicep as you looked up through your lashes. Zoro stiffened, blinked fast, and choked on nothing all at once. 

“Right, yeah.”

Nami’s face was something between disgust and nausea. “I liked it better when you two fought.”

“Yeah, yeah.” You waved her off absently, eyes zeroed in on Zoro with one goal in mind. You stole his hand and started to drag him away, into the depths of the ship where hopefully, no one would need you for a long time.

Zoro followed without any hesitance, though he did raise a brow as the route to your room became clear. “Uh, what’re we doing?”

You pushed open the door to the girls’ quarters and let loose a heavy sigh. “Sleeping.”

“And I’m here because…”

You shot him the tiniest grin. “Moral support.”

As if he could argue with that. Zoro shook his head fondly, squeezing your hand and taking the lead further into the room. You moved around each other as if you’d done this a hundred times; he turned his back when you changed, you turned when he did. You held up the covers on your mattress with only a small bit of anxiety, paling in comparison to the flush taking over Zoro’s face when he lay down beside you. 

You faced each other for one minute before you decided you hated it and rolled over so your back was to his front, a good berth of space between you. Awkwardly, tentatively, Zoro’s hand hovered over your side until he went for it and tugged you agaisnt his chest. Instantly, warmth covered you. You grabbed his hand and held it to your chest, memorizing this feeling so you’d never forget. 

Sleep found you quickly, fatigue weighing down, Zoro’s mere presence lulling you into a dream you didn’t remember in the morning, only knowing that, as you rolled over to fin him already awake, the dream was filled with nothing but warm thoughts of the sea, the crew, and Zoro.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @100520s @kryscent @kultofkorii @dreamcastgirl99

[azaleakoneko]

The vibes this gives me and I’m sat for it 🧸

Vinsmoke Sanji!

[mihii-i]

(I don't do requests often, so I read your rules like three times out of nervousness 😭)

Could you write an Il Capitano x fem!reader where the reader is forced to walk home by her family after a ball. While walking back, Capitano picks her up and offers to take the reader to where she lives. Maybe toss in some soft/kind Capitano?

Thank you so much, I hope this is an ok request!

pitch black.

Pairings: capitano x fem!reader

CW: sfw, female reader, assy family members, written before natlan, so capitano might be slightly ooc, can be read as platonic or romantic, yum frostbite yay, ngl id cry myself to sleep if I was in snezhnaya bc I can’t handle cold weather, probably an iron deficiency, lazy writing at the end again AUUUUGHHHH, freakytano my glorious king, not proofread.

A/N: HIHIHIHI ALSO IM SORRY IF I MISREAD THE FAMILY THING BUTTTT I ACTUALLY WROTE ON A WEEKDAY YAY also guys should I do like a special for 1k cause my followers are eating rn ok but seriously thank u so much for all the support love yall!! 🕯️

Cold swishes of air circled the pitch black sky faintly illuminated by a star or two, ruffling the silky fluff of a heavy coat adorning your figure. You firmly tightened your grasp around the lapels of the large coat, fabric wrinkling and dragged between the clutches of your paling knuckles tinted a soft pink from Snezhnaya’s biting cold.

Hollow crunches of your footsteps simply rang aloud in your years as your father’s words piled up in your mind. They were merely harmless, yet the intent behind your family’s dismissal stung like a sharpened blade spearing into your chest. But of course, it wasn’t anything new. A gust of wind howled into the canal of your ear sharply, ringing the ill memory of your family spitting the venom laced words of ordering you to trudge home in the nation’s burrowing winter. They didn’t even bother to provide a coat or furnish your body in any way, simply shooing you off as if they were desperate to make you keep your distance from them.

You had been awkwardly situated next to them, the chatter making you shift uncomfortably in an off putting stance, similar to that of an upright statue. Their exasperating laughs bellowed throughout the ballroom obnoxiously, catching an occasional glance of a person or two eyeing them. If hunching your shoulders in embarrassment wasn’t enough, their attitude was more than enough for you to have a strong urge to pray for the Tsaritsa’s wrath to be bestowed upon them.

People had noticed your huddled stance, tracing the rim of your glass in circular motions in hopes to distract yourself from the growing oddity of your placement in the ball. And without hesitation, they would of course begin to approach you. Possibly out of pity? Perhaps even the goodness of their heart wanting to accompany the girl who wasn’t very engaged in the celebration. Each person would approach you, friendly smiles stretching their face as they’d attempt to greet you—only for it to be cut short by your parents’ attention snapping to the guest stood before you, slicing the conversation short as they’d beckon the person to come speak with them instead.

Tremors of disdain pooled inside of you upon seeing your family members so obviously attempt to shove out any possible chance of a trail of hopeful socialization paved on your direction. Your isolation only grew more and more frustrating as indistinct chatter bounced off the walls of the ball, your eyes following the sound of the echo trailing from the marble structure to the intricate chandelier and candles flickering. At this moment, you purely felt alone. Isolated from everything as you mentally stood still in a pitch black void, with drowned out voices clouding the lonesome darkness.

“(Name). I think it’s about time you headed home.” Your father rasped out, not even making eye contact with you as his gaze was locked onto the champagne bottle and glass snug between his hands. “The ball is over anyway. We’re only staying for extra drinks. Your mother and I will be out meeting some other relatives at the nearby restaurant.”

“Father, it’s too cold for me to walk back home. You know how-“

“Oh, (Name). You’ll be fine. I raised you to be an independent woman. You’ll find the way home just fine.”

Pushing past your father, your mother pokes her shoulder out as well, casting you a glance as she chimes in to the conversation.

“He’s right, dear. Go ahead and head home for the night. I trust you’ll fare just fine without us accompanying you home.”

“Mother, that’s not what I-“

“(Name). That’s enough. You should head home. End of discussion.”

You knew you couldn’t properly explain to them. They’d always toss you aside and swat off your remarks as such. You bit back your protest, swallowing as you scanned the ballroom for a spare coat anywhere. There were a few harbingers around, so a raggedy stray coat shouldn’t be too uncommon.

“Sorry. I’ll be heading home now.” You submitted under your breath, masking your mixed irritation dissolved into your tone. You only further grimaced slightly as your mother smiled and leaned over to place a faux affectionate kiss to your forehead. With one dismissive wave once more, her and your father turned their back to you to exit the ball, shouldering through the heavy spruce doors packed with people crowding them.

You blinked, fervent shivers making you tremble against each flake of snow that brushed along the exposed parts of your skin as you realized you had just stepped midway through. The searing cold made your head spin as you began to lose yourself, frostbite clouding your senses and enveloping the tips of your fingers slowly. No matter. You could make it home if you simply stopped spacing out and thinking about your shitty parents. Just then, a loud crunch resounded with the howling wind, heavy clanks of metal being heard in addition to the crunches.

The heavy thuds only seemed to become clearer as they grew closer and closer, a light drag of chains shuffling behind you as well. Your heart nearly pounded out of your chest in anticipation, a sense of apprehension overtaking you as you clutched the coat draped over you tighter in a pathetic attempt to shield yourself using the thick fabrics. The thuds came to a halt as your eyes slowly roamed over the man who halted before you. His figure loomed over you, as his towering frame was quite intimidating to the least.

The metal lining of his mask enshrouded his face in a sightless black, cloaking his face completely as it seemed like an empty void bore into the gap of his helmet. Streams of jet black hair along with that adorned along the cheekbone of his mask and down his shoulders, a few stray strands of his long hair edged along the sharp steel edges of his mask. On top of that. A thick white coat with black fluff was draped along his shoulders, the small fabric emblem in the corner pertaining to that of the Fatui. If he was wearing this coat, your best bet was he was definitely a Fatui harbinger. Likely a strong one at that.

Backing up slightly, your eyes wandered over the man’s figure as you stood neatly frozen in place, the wind swaying his streaming hair while the harbinger looked down upon you.

“Is something the matter, ma’am?”

His low voice cast the illusion of protruding through the thickened frozen air, a faint muffle present in his speech considering he had spoken through the hollow opening of his seemingly endless mask.

“I was just walking home..”

“You seemed to be troubled, though.”

You simply wanted to scoff, yet you only tilted your head away from the harbinger in shame. Had your family humiliated you this much to the point where a figure of such high status took pity on you?

Sucking in a breath, you slowly turned your head back towards him, his body frozen in place, and looking down at you like a great statue. His gaze remained locked on you—yet you couldn’t tell due to the hollow blackness pitched into the carving of his mask. “Your name?” He hummed lowly, his body still enveloped by his large coat, and arms hidden under the sides of the thick pale silk.

“(Name).” You replied bluntly, clearing your throat and lowering your voice almost immediately after as to not give a rude impression. “Yours?”

“Il Capitano.”

Capitano seemed to follow your lingering gaze as he spoke, tracing each spot your eyes transfixed on periodically. However, there was one particular spot you couldn’t take your eyes off, and he didn’t take long to notice you focused on the Fatui emblem at the corner of his harbinger coat. “First of the Fatui harbingers.” He added, sensing that you had been wondering his relation to the infamous organization serving under the Cryo Archon dispersed across Teyvat.

Sensing your evident shifts and subtle kicks of your feet, he didn’t take long to pick up on your troubled state fidgeting before him, as if you were afraid of a train of emotional danger clouding your judgement to even think properly—much less walk in such bitter conditions.

“Where are you off to so late, miss (Name)?”

“I’m just walking home…it’s important family business.”

You immediately added that last part as an audible afterthought, not wanting to involve a harbinger in your personal affairs. Capitano wasn’t stupid, however. The clouds of tension and fear were palpable amidst the indifferent expression of yours, flaked white from the occasional crystals of snow fluttering onto your face. Heavy clanks followed your words as he stepped forward carefully, not wanting to startle you as he made his way directly beside you.

The black fur lining the neckline of his coat brushed against your collarbone as he stood closely shoulder to shoulder with you, head kept high. He continued to stare off into the distance ahead of him, as if the burrowing fog wasn’t enshrouding the entire vicinity before the two of you and dimming your line of sight.

“Do you mind if I accompany you home?”

You blinked out of pure surprise. A harbinger? Walking you home? At first it was too much, you couldn’t possibly accept this, much less waste his time like this! However the chilling thought of walking alone at night so late sent a shiver down your spine, and it was definitely not just from the cold.

“Not at all, Sir Capitano.”

He shook his head, stepping forward as he beckoned you to catch up to him.

“No need for formalities. Just Capitano is fine.”

Nodding, you briskly walked beside him to match his pace. The two of you were purely silent as he walked into the swirls of fog patterned along the vicinity clouding the array of homes lined up on either side of the street. Shuffles of chains and howls of wind were the only noticeable sound echoing along the empty night roads, inducing a rush of calmness that replaced your previous anxious state. Halfway through, you proceeded to extend your arm out, pointer finger fixing ahead of you at a slight angle.

“My home should be around there.”

Capitano simply nodded, shifting his path in the direction of your finger’s aim as he slowly headed toward the squeezed space of homes cluttered along the sides. Once reaching your doorstep, he halted at the hardened spruce topped with a silver knocker situated above the center, as if he was awaiting your next words. You delivered him a sincere and thoughtful smile, folding your arms as you didn’t know what exactly to do with them. The freezing steel of the knocker uncomfortably brushed along the exposed skin of your shoulder, which was not effectively covered by the ragged coat, making you hunch over upon contact embarrassingly.

“Thank you, Capitano. I don’t think I could have reached home quick enough before passing out on the streets..”

He let out an affirmative hum once more, looking down at you through his helmet framed by his long hair which was now a bit unkempt from the winds mixed with the fog. But it was only a strand or two off anyway.

“The pleasure is all mine, Miss (Name).” He paused briefly, before adding once more. “If you’re in any trouble that requires my assistance, don’t feel afraid to call me.” His words were sweet, yet they made you laugh faintly, making you biting your tongue at his low tone questioning what was so humorous about his statement.

“Ah. It’s nothing, Capitano. It’s just…we met under a few hours ago..”

“It’s not the time we knew each other that’s the matter. Rather, it’s the fact that it’s obvious you’re clearly going through something, (Name). I don’t mean to pry, I just want to do what is just for you. And I can tell you’re a good person.”

His words only brought that faint elated smile back onto your face, an unexplainable disappointment drooping within you when he steps away from the door to head back. You wave to him, and he gives a quick nod, turning his back to you and heading back to god knows where. That smile remained on your lips for quite a bit, even when you rocked open the door slowly into the comfort and warmth of your home.

What a respectable and kind man.

A/N: it’s 1 am and I have a quiz tomorrow morning LOLLL

Anyway I’m so happy I got this done yay