#i forgot how much i shipped them until they were in front of my faces again

[demonpiratehuntress]

Ace + (Name) Day

Portgas D. Ace x F!Reader

summary - part 2 to "marry me", since someone wanted the wedding :) Ace chooses his birthday to be the date of your wedding, and you wonder why until he tells you.

warnings - none

a/n: happy birthday to the man who never fails to make me feel better regardless of my mood, our very VERY special fire fist <3

After proposing to you, Ace wanted to immediately start planning the wedding. Being pirates, you couldn't have a very big, very extravagant ceremony, but you didn't want one. You insisted that just being his wife made you happy enough, but Ace wanted you to have a wedding.

And he chose his birthday as the date.

Except that he didn't let you keep track of the date, so you wouldn't know he did that until the day came.

Marco helped you shop for a dress, Thatch baked an absolutely gorgeous cake and the rest of the crew decorated the ship as best they could to suit a wedding ceremony. Naturally, Whitebeard was asked to officiate. Ace even had backup plans upon backup plans for anything that might go wrong, a testament to how much he wanted this day to be perfect for you.

And when you walked out in that long white dress, a radiant smile on your face and nothing but happiness and excitement in your eyes, Ace swore he would have broken down in happy tears right then and there. As he watched you come down the improvised aisle, walked down by Marco, he couldn't take his eyes off you and felt them brimming with tears. You looked absolutely stunning, and for the first time Ace found himself speechless. His tongue was tied. A lump formed in his throat. He was marrying the most beautiful woman to ever exist.

Marco handed you off to Ace at the makeshift altar, which was really just you and Ace standing in front of Whitebeard's seat. You smiled up at your soon-to-be husband, and Ace's knees knocked together. It wasn't often that he got nervous, but you looked so amazing it was damn near impossible for him to keep it together.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate a love that is truly rare among pirates," Whitebeard began, trying not to read off of cue cards Marco held up from the back. Still, it was extremely sweet.

You barely listened to Whitebeard, your gaze transfixed on the stunning man before you. He did not wear a shirt, as predicted, so his tie kind of just...hung there. It might have been tacky to anyone else, but it made you giggle and you loved it because it was just so him. He still looked godly, so handsome you could cry. And the smile on his face...nothing in the world made you happier. You wiped a few tears from his cheeks as Whitebeard finally got to the questions.

"Do you, Portgas D. Ace, take (Last Name) (Name) to be your wife?"

"I do."

You smiled even more, as Ace hadn't even let the captain finish before he gave his response.

"And do you, (Last Name) (Name), take Portgas D. Ace to be your husband?"

"I do."

Now it was Ace's turn to smile, and you both felt butterflies bloom in your stomachs. You had been together long, but you still gave each other that sickeningly sweet feeling every time and it was only compounded now by the fact that you were making your union, your marriage, official.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Ace didn't hesitate, he was grabbing you and pulling you forward to press his lips against yours as soon as that sentence ended. He kissed you passionately, moulding his lips against your own with such fierce love that you could barely stay standing. His grip on you was the only thing keeping you from collapsing as he stole the air from your lungs with his absolutely breathtaking kiss. When you pulled apart, you were both breathless and Ace rested his forehead against your own with a soft smile.

"Oh, and happy birthday Ace."

Your eyes shot wide open when you heard that, and panic filled you. You hadn't realised it was already his birthday, it wasn't like you forgot but you had just not been able to keep up with what day it was.

"Ace-"

"Shhh," he put a finger to your lips, "I wanted to marry you today."

"Why?" You mumbled against his finger, blushing madly. "It's your-"

"Our day," he corrected, still grinning, "I wanted to marry you today because...(Name), I've never really felt like I could celebrate my birthday. I hated my existence more than anyone else until you came and made me feel like I was worthy of living. You came and made me feel like I had a purpose, and that purpose is loving you. You've given me a reason to live, a reason to exist, so I want to dedicate this day to you. To us. I wanted to marry you today because you are the best gift that I could ever receive."

Your eyes went wide again, before you smiled softly and felt tears fill your eyes, "Ace...that's so sweet. That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. I love you, I love you so so much." You pulled him in and hugged him fiercely, peppering kisses all over his face.

"I love you too," he sighed happily, enjoying your passionate affection.

The rest of the day was spent celebrating the official union, with lots of partying, lots of eating, and most of all...lots of drinking. Laughter and cheering filled the air, and there was no happier atmosphere than that on the Moby Dick that day.

Later on, you pulled Ace aside and handed him a small giftwrapped box, smiling.

"I would have left it with everyone else's gifts but I wanted to give it to you personally."

He took it slowly, already overwhelmed by the love you'd shown him today, and stared at you in awe for a moment - as if he couldn't believe you were real. Then he opened the present slowly, and what he saw inside melted him entirely.

It was a beaded bracelet just like his necklace, only it had both your intials carved onto the beads, with a heart in between.

"This..." He looked up at you again, actually starting to cry again, "(Name) this is..." He couldn't even describe how much it meant to him. His hands were trembling, but he slid the bracelet on immediately. "This is perfect. I'm never taking it off."

"I'm glad you like it," you beamed, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

He turned at the last second and connected your lips with his again, arms winding around your waist so he could hold you against him as he locked you in another dizzying, world-rocking kiss.

"I love you, I love you, I love you..."

Praises and 'I love you's' fell from the fiery commander's lips repeatedly, his lips finding as many places to kiss on your face as he could. You smiled, giggling a little cause it tickled, and held him close.

"I love you too."

Eventually you and Ace were called upon to slow dance in front of everyone, and you happily wrapped your arms around your husband's neck as you gently swayed together on the improv dancefloor. Your head rested on his shoulder, and his chin on top of your head, and as you listened to his heartbeat, you knew...this was where you had always been destined to be. Safely wrapped up in Ace's arms, for the rest of your life.

"To Ace and (Name) Day!" Someone cheered loudly, eliciting even louder cheers from the rest of the crew.

You smiled at that, and Ace grinned, as both of you spoke at the same time.

"To Ace and (Name) Day..."

a/n - i hope this was as good as expected! and again, happy birthday to our loveable, fiery goofball, Portgas D. Ace!

[pallysuune]

Summery: You were unfortunate enough to catch the eye of Jago Sevatarion. By some stroke of luck, you were able to slip away from him. There's only one thing you forgot to take into account - the Captain's Raven still haunts the ship.

Pairing: None really? Sevatar/fem!Reader/Rushal eventually.

Warnings: Night Lords are just a warning all their own. Especially Sev and Rushal. Not much else here.

A/N: No smut here, but maybe I'll make a second part with it, if people would like one.

You had always heard such horrible rumors about what the Night Lord's did to their serfs. You had done the best you could to keep your head down and desperately tried to be as uninteresting as possible. You were human. You were disposable. Worse than that, some of the Night Lords enjoyed hurting humans, and would use any excuse to relieve a serf of their position to use as a toy.

But you'd messed up. After a long, frustrating day, you'd snapped to one of the other humans about what you would do to one of the more rude Astartes if you 'got your hands on them'.

You were scrubbing the floor and didn't see the man you were talking to go pale. Didn't see someone looming behind you.

"Is that so?"

You'd frozen at the sound of that impossibly deep rasp. Your heart stopped. You thought you were going to die, right then and there. You didn't need to look up to know who it was.

And you didn't look up, you just pivoted toward him, pressing your forehead to the ground. "M- my lord, forgive me, I-" you gasped, your voice wavering with dear.

"Save it," Sevatar dismissed your words. "Look at me."

You couldn't bring yourself to look up. Your heart was racing too fast, the world darkened at the edges of your vision. It was only when he shifted impatiently, when you heard that slight squeak of the pneumatics of his armor, that you moved, jerking your head up so quickly you nearly gave yourself whiplash.

You looked up at Jago Sevatarion, your heart in your throat. He looked back down at you, impassive and apparently unconcerned with your panic. He studied you a moment longer, then his lips twisted into a smirk.

"Come to my rooms after the serf's final meal tonight," he said. And before you could say anything, he turned and walked away.

Oh.

Oh, you were so dead.

You looked back at the other serf who you had been speaking to, only to find them frantically washing the floor, ignoring you. Well, you couldn't blame him. It was every human for them self on a Night Lord ship. Which also meant you were on your own if you wanted to find a way to survive.

You had to run.

The serfs day was separated into times to work, times to eat, and times to sleep. There was a morning meal, and an evening meal. You decided to wait until the change between work and meal time to slip away when all the serfs were shuffling from one place to another. You slipped into a serf's corridor and then, from there, into the vents. You couldn't think of anywhere else to go. It wasn't a permanent solution, you knew, but you didn't know what else to do and you were panicking.

So you crawled through the vents until you found a dark little maintenance corridor. There, you pressed your back to the wall in a corner, pulled your legs up to your chest, and tucked your face into your knees.

You were scared and alone, in the dark. It all weighed down on you. All you could do was close your eyes and cry.

How long you stayed like that, you had no idea.

There was the faintest sound just in front of you. Your head snapped up and your heart stopped.

He looked like a ghost, crouched just in front of you. An Astartes without any armor on, dressed only in black linen pants and shirt. Long, messy black hair framed scarred, paper white face. The heaviest scarring was around his mouth and lips. His eyes were pure black from corner to corner as he looked at you.

You'd forgotten about him. He was so rarely seen.

The Raven.

Sevatar's Raven.

Tears welled in your eyes immediately. "Please," you whispered.

He just looked at you, studying you silently for a long moment. Then he raised a hand, making a complicated series of signs you didn't understand. You shook your head, tears slipping silently down your cheek.

"I don't understand..."

Silently, he shifted closer to you. It was impressive that he could fit in the maintenance tunnel at all, let alone move so smoothly and so quietly. You realized with a little spike of horror that the sound you heard before, the one that had alerted you to his presence at all, must have been intentional.

He stopped just in front of you, close enough that you could feel the warmth radiating from his body against your legs.

"Please," you whispered again. You squeezed your eyes shut, more tears spilling out. "Please don't take me to him. Just- just forget you saw me. Please."

A large, calloused finger traced the curve of your cheek, not wiping the tear away as much as following it, trailing it down your skin. Your breath hitched in a rough sob. He cupped your cheek. His hand was large and warm, and despite the well-worn hardness of his skin, he was gentle when he touched you. As if you were glass.

"Please?" You whimpered, trying one last time, as your eyes fluttered open to look up at him.

He met your gaze with his, and slowly, so slowly, shook his head.

Your heart fell.

[toastnpretzels]

home

relationships: crosshair x reader

masterlist

word count: 733

warnings: angsty, fluff, there's an unexplained relationship between the reader and crosshair, kinda left it up to interpretation whether you think they were together before or if it was just them having feelings for each other.

season 3 episode 4 spoilers

author's note: i have not posted a fic in so long. ive been so busy but that doesnt matter. the new episode had me feeling some type of way so here you go. its kinda short but i didnt want to expand without seeing hunter and wrecker's reaction to crosshair being back.

thank you for any support whether its likes, reblogs, or comments <3

“I had help.”

The last few months had been terrible. From losing Tech and then losing Omega to the empire. Spending everyday looking for her with no success. Nothing was ok. All of us were miserable. Our family was being torn apart and there was nothing we could do about it. It couldn’t have gotten any worse.

Getting the comm from Omega was one of the best things to ever happen to us, but seeing her running down from the ship was even better. Embracing her, knowing she was safe, felt better than anything had. Things were starting to feel right again. All it took was one hug from Omega.

But then he walked off the cargo ship and everything in my body froze. He looked so different. He had been gone for so long that I thought the feelings had disappeared. Seeing him there, I knew they never were.

I forgot what it was like to be near him. I forgot how my heart sped up and how my head felt dizzy. I forgot how he smelled and how warm he was. I forgot how much I loved him.

-

After Kaller, nothing was ever the same. He wasn’t the same. The chip had changed him. The Empire had changed him.

He let us go on Kamino. The same day you had told him you loved him. On the platform before we left, with tears in my eyes. I told him I loved him.

“You shouldn’t.”

“Crosshair, please,” you whispered. He could hear the way your voice was breaking. You couldn’t lose him again.

When he didn’t say anything, you turned to walk away. Typical Crosshair to not say anything. He grabbed your wrist as you started walking.

“I love you.”

You stared at him. Your tears threatened to spill out from his confession.

“But I can’t come with you. You deserve better. This is where I want to be. With the Empire.”

I should have dragged him to the ship. I should have done more. But what more could you do when he didn’t want to be there. He wanted to be with the Empire.

Why couldn’t he have just came with you that day?

-

No one moved. Everyone was just as shocked to see him. No one knew what he was going to do, how he was going to react. He had tried to kill us before, but he had also let us go. No one trusted him anymore. You chose to remember how he had let us go.

You were the first one to move. Slowly, I stepped out from behind Wrecker. Every step I took towards him was filled with anxiety. It had been too long.

He doesn’t want to see me.

Is he still him?

Why did he come then?

Why would he still be here if he didn’t want to be?

You stopped a few feet in front of him. I could see how tired he looked from where I was standing. I couldn’t stand seeing him like this. It hurt so much. He had been through so much since Kamino.

What did they do to him?

I couldn’t stand there anymore. I ran the few feet that were left in between us. I wasn’t sure if he would push me away. As I got close to him, I fell right into his arms. I didn’t realize just how much I had missed him until this moment. He wrapped his arms around me in the tightest embrace I’ve ever had. It had been too long since I had felt him. He was safe. He was here.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered after a few minutes, so quietly that you barely heard it.

I looked up at him. He had tears that were threatening to spill over. Your heart broke at the look on his face.

“Shh. Not now. Just let me hold you.”

You stood there for what felt like an eternity just holding each other. Quiet tears were spiling from both of your eyes.

“I love you,” he whispered into your hair. His arms tightened around you again, as if he was afraid you would disappear.

It would be hard to forgive. Hard for everyone, not just you. So much had happened. But for now, all that mattered was that him and Omega were safe. Omega was home. Crosshair was home.

“I love you too.”

[owlwithanapple]

The Light and The Dark

Chapter 05. Change

You really can't take it lightly. All the crew members on the ship are men, even if they are all companions. When you are immersed in joy, all you are thinking about is what kind of shower gel to choose today and how to tie your hair tomorrow.

All the items and equipment on the ship are shared. Because you are the only woman on the ship, many things that are the same as before must add new rules. One side is for your sake, and the other side does not want to create conflicts.

Because of your new arrival, Rayleigh set some rules, especially for the bathroom. He stated that whenever someone uses it, a sign must be hung outside the door to indicate that someone is using it to avoid causing trouble and accidents. With Rayleigh's attentiveness and tolerance, you feel much more at ease on the ship.

But you still got into trouble, not intentionally, but unexpectedly. You were so immersed in the joy that didn't notice the sign outside the bathroom door mentioned that someone was using it. You didn't knock on the door and directly reached out to open the door then walked in.

You put the folded and clean clothes in the closets by the door, not noticing that there were men's clothes next to it. You took off all your clothes and threw them into the wooden barrel beside you, exposing your skin completely naked.

You sat on a wooden stool and poured a bucket of water on yourself. The warm water relaxed your tired body and muscles. You took a spoonful of shower gel and evenly applied it to every corner of your body, including the most private parts. The bathroom was filled with a faint floral shower gel scent, which really relaxed your mood.

While you were washing your hair, you hummed a melody softly. Suddenly, a sound of water gushing out came from the direction of the bathtub. The sound made your body tremble, you stopped your work then slowly turned your head to looked back.

A figure climbed out of the bathtub, with soaking blond hair and an attractive body, strong and reliable arms, sexy and wild body, perfect muscle all over the body, just like that, it appeared directly in front of me.

Your eyes slowly moved down from his neck, not letting go of every detail and part of his body, not missing any traces at all, until you saw the part that shocked you so much was the thing between his legs, you saw with your own eyes how magnificent it is.

"Wow..." You swallowed and blurted out.

"Oh my god..." He was so shocked that he forgot to close his jaw.

You were attracted by his majestic and strong body, and he was shocked by your slender figure. Both of you were impressed by each other's naked bodies, and silently gave each other the same reaction in heart. Enjoying the scene, it suddenly dawned on you that there was a person of the opposite sex in the same place in the bathroom.

"Y/N...?!" Rayleigh's voice came, and he looked at you with a blushing face.

"Rayleigh?!" You straightened your back shyly.

"Didn't you see the sign outside saying someone is using the bathroom?!" He quickly pulled a towel around his waist, then he threw a towel over you, revealing both of your naked bodies.

The towel slipped off your body, and you hurriedly picked it up and wrapped it tightly around yourself, facing the wall to avoid his sight. You were embarrassed and shy quickly apologized, "I'm really sorry! I didn't notice there was hanging outside the door! I didn't mean to! I'll go out right now!"

"No need...! I'm done! I'll go out first!" He told me in a panic.

You were still facing the wall when heard hurried footsteps from behind. He immediately took the clothes and rushed out of the bathroom. You almost jumped up with a loud noise. His arm strength was extraordinary, especially when he slammed the door.

Suddenly the door opened again, with a loud sound. You glanced back, it was him again. He was holding your clothes, even your underwear. Your eyes widened, showing that you were shy and at a loss. You were confused, didn't know what to do.

He covered his erection with the towel. You were shocked by his reaction. How could it be more majestic than before it was erect? He put your clothes back to the original closet neatly, and looked away after carefully checking his own clothes.

He cleared his throat to relieve the tension and said, "Sorry. I took your clothes and put them back. I definitely didn't do anything against my conscience."

"It's okay... I accidentally barged in..." You looked down embarrassedly.

"Ah... take your time washing... and my side is a natural reaction, I hope didn't scare you." He tried to comfort you carefully and gently.

You didn't answer him because you hadn't calmed down yet. You still wrapped yourself tightly, then you nodded in panic to show that you understood. He left the bathroom, this time closing the door gently. After confirming that no one was around, you threw the towel aside and continued to take a shower.

He stood outside the bathroom door, leaning against the door with his eyes closed, scratching his wet hair, looking down at the erection between his thighs with a towel, he said to himself, "Calm down, myself."

After a while, Rayleigh calmed down and put on his clothes outside the bathroom door. He found a place to sit down and dry his hair. During that time, your naked body kept repeating in his mind. Although he had seen it once, he still felt very impacted the second time. Especially the plump breasts, slender waistline, and cute buttocks like peaches. What's more terrifying is your face, how can it be so attractive.

Suddenly there was a sound, it was the sound of Shanks and Buggy quarreling. He noticed that they had towels and clothes in their hands and walked towards the bathroom. He didn't realize the seriousness of the problem until he remembered that you were still taking a shower. The impact of your figure was too amazing, he rushed over immediately.

At this moment, you finished shower then took a new towel to wipe your body. Shanks and Buggy ignored the sign and opened the door. You were standing naked in there, wiping your wet hair and body. They were shocked by the scene in front of them.

"Oh my god..." Buggy's eyes were shining.

"Is this heaven?" Shanks didn't even close his mouth.

The impact made them both give thumbs up at the same time to show their satisfaction. Their noses bled and so shocked their eyeballs rolled back then they fainted on the ground at the same time.

Hearing the sound of a bang, you looked towards the door saw Shanks and Buggy fainted with a nosebleed. You were so nervous quickly wrapped a towel around and squatted beside them gently patted their cheeks.

"Shanks! Buggy! Are you okay?!" You were already panicking. You and Rayleigh had just had a chaotic scene, and now it was these two's turn.

Rayleigh rushed over saw Shanks and Buggy, just as he said. He stole a glance at your cute face, your breasts that were covered by the towel but vaguely visible, and the part that just covered your private parts. You exuded temptation from head to toe, which was too stimulating for the two children.

"Put on your clothes first, I'll take care of them." Rayleigh easily carried Shanks and Buggy on his shoulders, his eyes stole a glance at you.

You just realized that you were still naked, just wrapped in a towel. You blushed and avoided Rayleigh's eyes, thinking back when you saw him naked and erect just now, so embarrassed. You quickly stood up and closed the bathroom door, leaned against the door and said "Okay..."

He breathed a sigh of relief and carried Shanks and Buggy away. After a while, you put on your clothes and left the bathroom. On the way, you passed their room and heard Rayleigh's voice coming from inside. You curiously leaned against the door to eavesdrop, although it was a bad behavior.

"Rayleigh! Sister has a great body!" Buggy told him excitedly.

"I almost thought I had ascended to heaven." Shanks said this in a very intoxicated manner.

Thinking back to your body being exposed naked in front of them, you covered your red face thought about how you wanted to jump into the sea. Why were you so careless caused so much trouble for the three of them?

At this time, a very serious and stern voice came from inside, and the voice came from Rayleigh, "Listen you two, don't talk nonsense about sister's body. Sister is the only woman on this ship, you are not allowed to hurt her purity, learn to respect women. Even if you two die, take this matter to the grave together, understand?"

Shanks and Buggy looked at each other, raised their left hands at the same time and said "Yes!"

Rayleigh curled his lips and smiled then said again, "After 20 minutes, you two can use the bathroom. Sister may not have finished showering yet, knock on the door. Understand?"

They both said "Yes!" at the same time again.

You walked away from their room with a sigh of relief, and found a place nearby to rest. You were touched, especially by Rayleigh's behavior and his attitude towards educating Shanks and Buggy.

Although what happened just now made you feel very embarrassed and confused, Rayleigh was gentlemanly and had a moral bottom line. He also explained to you the reaction of his erection, you knew it was a normal phenomenon. But he didn't take advantage or sexually harass you, thanks to him, you didn't feel ridiculous and stupid.

A comfortable coat was draped over your shoulders, Rayleigh sat beside you, quietly looking at the sky. The moment you saw him, you recalled that scene, then looked down at the ground, your heart couldn't calm down, and couldn't forget that memory.

"Y/N, I'm sorry. I didn't notice you and accidentally saw your body." He said with a sense of self-blame.

You shook your head said in a shy accent, "I should say sorry, I didn't notice the sign outside the door."

He scratched his cheek with fingers. "If you want to slap me or hit me, I don't mind."

"No need! Besides!" You suddenly leaned closer him.

He was shocked by your loud voice and close distance. "Besides..?"

You realized that you were too close to him, and shy. You immediately lowered head, closed your eyes, and clenched hands. You were so nervous that couldn't speak. He smiled gently, realized you hadn't calmed down yet. He considerately stretched out his left hand to gently stroke your hair, then stroked the back of your head then hugged you to his shoulders.

You buried your face in his shoulder, enveloped by his gentleness. His right hand reached your back and moved down to your waist to hold you, then pulled you close until body was completely against his.

He stroked your hair while rubbing circles around your waist to comforted you, "I'll find a way to fix the bathroom issue. I don't want to repeat the same mistake again, and don't want anyone else to see it."

You nodded quietly, nuzzling his shoulder like being cute. The corners of his mouth curled up, and his heart was itching because of cute little action, but he clenched his teeth to suppress the emotions, whether it was sexual or selfish desire. H e kept telling himself after what happened just now, must not tease you. Especially now.

But there was a moment when he couldn't help but see your current appearance, which was only exposed in front of him. He stroked your hair quietly, and the scent of flowers on your body meant that you had just taken a shower with a floral scent. His other hand was still stroking your waist in circles, and he could feel your breath through a layer of clothing.

You pull away from his shoulder a little bit, your cheek rests on his shoulder, you can see his expression from the angle of his chin, you can smell his faint scent, he reaches out to touch your cheek, during this time you vaguely feel his admiration for you.

At this moment , both of you have each other's heart, even if it is a little bit of possession or selfishness, but want to be with each other from the bottom of your heart. His other hand is still on your waist, he gently pinches it to feel that the physical touch is real, you don't care at all and don't mean to reject him.

You shyly nuzzle his shoulder and think about whether you can act coquettishly to him "What you just saw in the bathroom must not be told to anyone."

After hearing this, his eyebrows rose, his mouth were covered with a wicked smile. He nodded in a doting manner, "I know. Don't tell anyone about my erection."

You immediately buried in his shoulder shyly, your ears were red, and shyly, "I won't tell anyone."

He chuckled, resting his chin against your head, and said in a playful and seductive tone, "Very good. Don't tell others that I'm very majestic. You understand what I mean, right?"

You still shy about that moment. He noticed your mood change and smiled evilly, hugging you tightly, your bodies completely pressed together. His face nuzzled against your ear, his breath was transmitted to your skin, especially your sensitive parts.

However, this time his words were a little calm, "I'm a little selfish, I don't want others to see your body, even those two."

You reach out your arms to wrapped around his waist to hug him, feeling his calm but a little nervous to confess to you, you move your hand up to his back and pat twice before blurting out a sincere word, "I don't mind you being a little selfish."

You realize what nonsense you are saying, immediately step away from him and try to explain, but his hand covers your mouth. From a distance of one hand, he presses a kiss on the back of his hand that covering your lips, not directly on your lips, and this action makes you excited.

He pulled away with his hand away from your lips, his fingers rubbed your cheeks and then stroked your lips, he curled his lips and smiled, revealing an attractive and happy expression "Very good. I love to hear it. I will be selfish. And..."

You tilted your head and stared at him cutely. He was infected by your cuteness after seeing it. He took a deep breath and told you in a serious tone, "Next time there will be nothing in between, I want your lips."

"Rayleigh..." His declaration seemed to tell you what he wanted, but you were confused. Was it like Crocus said, that you both had the same feelings for each other? Or was it just pure interest?

"I'll take you back to your room." He said and withdrew his hand.

The wind blows across your cheek, the stars fill the sky, the waves form a huge arc, the whole ship drifts slowly on the sea. It is a scene you are used to seeing after being a pirate. But today is a little different, these scenes cannot be compared with the person in front of you.

On the way back to the room, your footsteps came from the quiet corridor. He holds your hand tightly with his rough palm and a strong arm, the temperature of his hand conveys warmth to me. The broad and steady shoulders carry heavy responsibilities, bringing you countless warmth.

After he let go of your hand outside the door, you were a little reluctant to quietly slip away without his warmth. At the moment when you hold the door handle to open the door, a pair of hands behind you reach out and hug your waist, his face buried in your hair, and stay there quietly.

"Rayleigh?" You stole a glance.

"I don't want to let you go, want to hold you to sleep." These words came out of his mouth, the hands were holding your waist tightened a little, but didn't hurt you.

You were silent because you didn't know how to respond to him, your hands reached out to hold his arms around your waist. A small laugh came from behind, after he satisfied, he nuzzled your hair and your neck to lean against it. Just like that, you two stayed still for a moment and indulged in it.

At this time, Roger left the room to go outside to enjoy the night view. He saw Buggy and Shanks hiding behind the wooden box. They covered their mouths and stared with eyes wide open, as if they had seen an incredible sight. Driven by curiosity, he quietly approached them and squatted beside them. He looked in their direction and found Rayleigh and you.

"Wow, so passionate." Roger rubbed his chin with his fingers, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he had seen a rare sight.

"Ro—" Buggy and Shanks were so scared that they almost screamed at the same time, but fortunately Roger quickly covered their mouths.

"Be quiet. Look at their expressions." Roger said to them with a smile, but he still covered their mouths.

Feeling very confused, Buggy and Shanks did what Roger said. What they saw was that you and Rayleigh were full of smiles on their faces. Rayleigh's touch on you was a strong intimate hug and super close contact, which was completely different from before.

"Hahahaha, the so-called adult world." Roger let go.

Buggy was so surprised that he was flustered and wanted to speak loudly, but Shanks covered his mouth to stop him from screaming, "Shut up, don't disturb them. Let's go take a shower."

Buggy was like a wooden box being dragged away by Shanks. Roger was about to leave but accidentally bumped into the wooden box due to his tall stature, making noise. Rayleigh did not immediately release the hug between the two of you, but followed the direction of the sound with a hint of murderous intent. Roger quickly hid, Rayleigh's expression was like a wolf ready to fight.

After Rayleigh let go of you, you immediately turned around to face him. At that moment, he retracted his terrible murderous intent and his expression had returned to a gentle look. He opened the door and motioned you to go in, but when you walked in, he once again hugged your waist, lowered to rested his forehead against yours and pressed it gently.

"Good night. Have a good dream." Feeling your warmth, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment.

You closed your eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his forehead resting on yours. "You too. Good night. Have a good dream."

"I... will have a good dream, especially the beautiful scenery I just saw in the bathroom." He smiled like a wolf and couldn't help teasing you.

Your face was flushed like boiling water, because his reminder made you think back to the scene in the bathroom. "Please forget that scene! It's too embarrassing!"

"Hahaha! This is our secret. And... you've seen me naked. I have a strong body and I'm proud of myself. It should meet your aesthetic standards, right?" He gently pinched your waist with his right hand, put his strong left hand on the door, and lowered his head to your face.

"Ah... it fits..." You said shyly.

"I hope you will dream about me." He let go of your waist and lifted your chin.

You swallowed and nodded nervously, "I will try to make myself dream."

A burst of laughter emerged, Rayleigh covered his face to cover himself, his shoulders kept shaking as if he was trying to hold back his laughter. But in fact, Rayleigh was touched by your innocent side. He was just teasing you but you took him seriously.

He cleared his throat, scratched his hair, bit his lower lip once, and smiled evilly, looking straight at you. "Then I have to try to make myself dream about you. Good night, Y/N."

After he let go of you, he took a few steps back. You stood at the door and smiled slightly, still blushing. You nodded slightly. "Good night, Rayleigh."

After that, you walked into the room and closed the door. He was still standing outside the door, looking at the closed door. He reached out and touched the wooden door, feeling reluctant. He wanted to stay by your side, but he couldn't get over that obstacle. He was also uneasy, wondering your feelings was same as him.

After left, he walked towards the wooden boxes. Seeing Roger still hiding there, he kicked him mercilessly. "What are you doing here, idiot captain, spying on me in the middle of the night?"

"Hahaha! I'm just curious about how far you and the little girl have progressed." Roger sat on the floor and scratched his head laughed.

Rayleigh chuckled after hearing what Roger said, leaned against the wooden box, looked at the starry sky at night and muttered to himself, "It's not that simple. I don't want to scare away the only flower in Roger's pirate group."

"You are very uneasy." Roger's words hit Rayleigh's pain directly.

"Hahaha. Sometimes I really don't want you to be so sharp to expose me." Rayleigh bumped Roger's arm with his fist like a buddy fight.

"When you looked at her, the expression is completely different from the other crew members." Roger didn't show weakness and bumped his arm with his fist.

Rayleigh smiled like a wolf and said, "Fuck."

Roger laughed after hearing the swear words burst out of Rayleigh's mouth. He liked to pick a fight with Rayleigh the most. Then he stood up and prepared to leave. Before that, he looked directly at Rayleigh and said, "Don't let her go. I don't want to see her fall into other men one day. I don't agree with other men owning her, only you."

Rayleigh looked at Roger's leaving figure and smiled and muttered to himself, "When did I say I would let her go. Idiot captain."

At this moment, you are lying on the bed staring at the ceiling in a daze, your eyes cannot close at all. You have been trying to recall the scene in the bathroom and trying to make yourself dream, but the sleepiness disappears over time. This action seems to be a struggle with sleep.

"I can't fall asleep at all..." The scene in my mind keeps replaying, some gentle and some seductive memories keep emerging, and all the intimate contact just now is vivid. It is too stimulating and makes me unable to sleep every night.

Finally, morning has arrived. There are many noises coming from outside the room. The crew members have started to get busy. As soon as you opened the door and left, the crew members passing by were frightened by your face. Shanks and Buggy walked towards you cheerfully. They both looked solemn and stiff. They said at the same time, "Sister! What's wrong with you!"

You touched your face and said awkwardly, "Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night."

Before you finished speaking, the two of them ran to find Roger and Rayleigh. Buggy jumped on Roger's shoulders and kept shaking him, shouting, "This is terrible! Sister's face is so scary!"

Rayleigh directly grabbed Shanks and asked anxiously, "Where is she?!"

Shanks pointed in the direction of the dining hall, "Sister is there."

The four of them rushed in that direction quickly, they found you sleeping soundly on the dining table. Rayleigh came closer and saw that you had dark circles under your eyes. You must not have slept well last night. Fortunately, you were not injured, he was so scared that his soul was burning like ashes.

"So didn't sleep well, hahahaha!" Roger put his hands on his hips and laughed, Buggy covered his mouth to prevent Roger's laughter from waking you up.

"What should we do?" Shanks looked at Roger and Rayleigh in confusion.

"Shanks, you don't have duty today. I'll carry her back to the room, you keep an eye on her, find me or Roger first if anything happens." Rayleigh told Shanks in a serious tone.

"I will take good care of sister!" Shanks straightened his back and saluted.

Buggy immediately joined in, "I want to take care too!"

Roger ruffled Buggy's head, carried him on his shoulders and took him away with a smile, "No~ Today you are responsible for cleaning and fishing with me, the captain~"

Rayleigh carefully picked up the sleeping you, trying to keep the shaking motion not too obvious, letting your head rest on his chest, Shanks hurriedly followed the footsteps, and the crew passing by made way because Rayleigh stared at your sleeping face with a very serious face.

Shanks opened the door, Rayleigh walked in and put you on the bed gently. Shanks pulled a small stool and stood on it to cover you with the quilt. Rayleigh, who was watching from the side, curled his lips slightly. Shanks left the room and went straight to the kitchen to get a bottle of water for use. At that time, only Rayleigh was left in the room.

He wandered around and there was no one around. He leaned over and gently pressed a kiss on your forehead. The kiss stayed on your forehead for a while before retreating. He touch your cheek when he saw your face. He felt the same warm breath as when you leaned on his shoulder last night. A seed was planted in his heart and it lingered for a long time.

Shanks came back excitedly with two bottles of water. "I'm back. I prepared two bottles in case sister is thirsty."

"Very good, sister will be in your care for the time being. I'm counting on you, Shanks." Shanks' hair was messed up by Rayleigh, then Rayleigh prepared to leave. Before that, he looked at you to make sure you were safe, then closed the door before leaving.

Shanks pouted and complained while fixing his hair. "Damn, my hair was messed up after so much effort."

He looked at your sleeping face and smiled brightly. He pulled a chair and sat down, shaking his feet. While waiting, he had nothing to do, so he jumped off the chair and ran to your desk, where he saw a pile of unfamiliar books and Enbu in a wooden box. The books all recorded many ancient texts. He flipped through a few pages and saw a lot of profound knowledge, unlike what he read every day.

"So cool..." Shanks sat there quietly flipping through a book.

Two hours had passed, and suddenly the ship shook violently. There were many rumbling sounds of shells outside, and the shouts of other crew members. Shanks ran outside to see that something was wrong. It was the Marine ship that was attacking. Suddenly, a bang startled Shanks.

He looked back and saw you fell off the bed woke up directly from sleep. Shanks immediately ran to your side and asked nervously, "Are you okay, sister?!"

"I'm fine...what happened?" You sat on the floor and scratched the back of your head.

"It's the Marine. They are also sailing in this sea. It seems that a war is about to start. Sister, stay here and don't run around. I'll go and see what's going on outside." Shanks reached out and gently stroked the back of your head. It felt like a brother comforting his sister.

You grabbed Shanks' arm to stop him, and got up from the ground, taking out Enbu from the wooden box for self-defense. You touched his red hair and said, "Let's go together."

The End.

[nethhiri]

Marooned: Chapter 20

Kid x FemReader x Killer

Warnings: Violence, murder

Fire-Roasted Revenge

You spent the next several days staking out the base, making a note of where and when guards were posted. You had a plan. The base was bigger than you anticipated. It would have been better to wait until Giemsa left on a ship. Though, you had never been patient and you had waited long enough for this moment. You waited until dark to execute your plan, and hopefully Giemsa.

You had picked off a few guards ands stolen the uniform of one of them, putting it on over your clothes, though keeping your coat on, of course. You put a torch in Mini's mouth and had her light up the perimeter, effectively trapping anyone inside, including yourself, but you would figure that out later. Then, you busted through the doors on boarback, whoever you didn't snipe in front of you was trampled by hooves. You were on a beeline to the captain's office, which was unfortunately in the center of the facility. As you went further, the marines started clearing out, either helping put out the fire or running from it. In the chaos, you were mostly ignored unless you were right in front of someone. 

You dismounted as you got close to your destination, changing strategy to be a little more inconspicuous. You had Mini wait down a hallway next to a window. It was your escape plan. It wasn't the smartest idea or the best one, but it would do. Before you left her, you thought for a second, grabbing a sword you had picked up and putting the handle in her mouth. Her tusks were sharp and dangerous on their own, but a sword probably wouldn't hurt. Plus, the pig seemed pleased to be wielding it. "Wait here. If I'm not back in 15 minutes, leave without me and meet me on the docks. And if I'm not there... it's been a pleasure working with you, Lieutenant." You pressed a kiss to her forehead and took off running. 

Your path was blocked by a few straggling marines, obviously scared out of their minds, but trying to carry out their duty until the end. Light smoke started to fill the hall. You could hear cries and screaming in the background, nearly drowned out by the blood rushing in your ears. You forgot how good the feeling of adrenaline was, and how good it would feel to be one step closer to your goal. "You can run and have a slow death or I can show you mercy. Choose." You leveled your gunblade at them. They fled. So much for duty. Melting wasn't a very pleasant feeling, you would know. 

The double doors in front of you were locked, not an obstacle for your devil fruit. You pushed them open and saw a man sitting behind a desk. "Giemsa," you said in a phony greeting. You see confusion on his face until you threw your uniform hat to the side. Then the man looked like he wanted to evaporate into thin air. The blood drained from his face. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." You laughed. "Maybe I am a ghost." You shot at him.

He had just enough sense left in his head to dodge. There was a metallic clang as his sword was blocked with your blade. He was faster now than he was then. You managed to back him up with your blade work, pulling the trigger only for him to roll away, leaving a bullet hole in the wall. The man coughed as darker, thicker smoke filled the room. You didn't even feel the stinging in your eye as you cornered him. 

"H-how are you alive?" 

"I told you. I'm a ghost." You brought your blade down hard, hands shaking as you grunted against the force of his own blade blocking you. Again, you heard screaming. This time you really heard it, though. The voices stirred something in you. In your brief distraction, Giemsa pushed you back, unbalancing you. Your mind was racing. Why did that get my attention? A bad feeling settled in the pit of your stomach. You gritted your teeth and kicked him away from you, landing a shot as you did so. He fell to a knee with his side gushing blood.

The room started getting hotter and the screaming got louder. The smoke was starting to interfere with your vision. It hit you like a sea train. The screaming sounded eerily similar to... No. You looked from the direction of the screams to Giemsa on the floor. This was your chance to end him. "Fuck! Tell all your bastard friends that I'm coming for them." You ran in the direction of the screaming, dodging pieces of the ceiling that started to fall. You would be a hypocrite if you let something bad happen to your crewmates when the entire nidus for this revenge was because your former crew let something bad happen to you.

There wasn't a lot of time left. If you got out of this, you would have a massive target on your back now that they knew you were alive. Best case scenario is Giemsa burns alive here. There wasn't time to worry about that now. You were getting closer. These looked like interrogation rooms. You kicked the door down. Without wasting time you were removing shackles from wrists and ankles. "What the fuck are you doing here?! Who else is here?!" You had worry in your eyes as you looked into Quincy's. 

"Em-Emma and Dive." 

You grabbed her arm and hauled her over to the other doors. "Start checking all of them." You didn't want it to be true, that the screaming you heard was Quincy's. You could hear her voice crack screaming for her captain, but you still didn't want to believe. The amount of guilt you would have on your head if any of them died because of you... You kicked down doors until you came across Dive, releasing her in the same fashion as Quincy. You grabbed her and looked around to see Quincy pulling Emma out of a room, but she looked awfully limp. You ran to her and held Emma up from the side opposite Quincy. You pointed in the direction Mini was in. You hoped that boar still had a stubborn streak. 

"You goddamn pig! I told you to get lost!" You slapped her on the back as the four of you made it to the window. "But I'm glad to see you," you said, already helping Quincy and Dive onto her back so they could pull Emma up. "When you get out, you have to get as much fresh air into her as possible. Do you understand?" They both nodded.

"You're saying that like-"

"There's not enough room. I'll be fine." You really hated lying to your friends. You shot out the window and knocked the sharp edges from the frame. "GO!" You shoved Minerva towards the opening. 

You turned around to see fire blocking your path in every direction. The oxygen pouring in from the broken window fueled it to burn faster, hotter. Window it is. You climbed out the window, straddling the edge to see a clear exit path. There was another window that didn't have the orange glow of flames on the inside. Using your devil fruit, you made handholds in the brick of the outer wall. You looked down to see a brownish-red blob darting around the courtyard and breaking through a wall to get out. And they say I'm hard-headed. You climbed down towards the other window, but the brick under your hands was hot. Almost there. The skin on your hands started to burn as you swung yourself into the glass, landing in the broken shards. You got up, ignoring the pieces that were embedded in your flesh. 

Stumbling into the next hall, you were able to see through the smoke to a stairwell. Seeing that as your best route, you dropped to avoid the smoke that was building up, doing an army-crawl until you got to the stairs. The smoke was still thick, however crawling was not an option. Taking in a deep breath, you got up and ran down the stairs as fast as you could. Nearing the exit, you had to take in a breath. The heat and fumes scalded your throat. At this point you didn't feel very much. You knew you could heal it later. You had to get somewhere safe first. There was a great rumbling somewhere behind you. The ground started to shake harder as the rumbling got close. The building was coming down. You couldn't see well anymore. You ran in the direction of the exit, stumbling a few times as the smoke started to overtake you. At some point you looked down and you were on grass. You turned behind you to see a billowing cloud of rubble and flame. The second you found somewhere slightly hidden, you allowed your body to give out. Thank god. That would have been the lamest death ever.

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

Kid's head looked like it was about to explode when Pomp and Reck had told him earlier that day that some of the girls had gotten captured by marines. They hadn't even seen it happen. They only overheard some marines talking about it. Killer, Heat, Wire, and a few others were quick to volunteer to aid in Kid's cause to "kill all those marine bastards". 

"Looks like someone got here first." Killer observed. Smoke and flame licked at the sky through broken windows. 

A few marines were scattering like ants from the inferno. Kid dragged one over clutched in his metal grasp. "WHAT'S GOIN ON? WHERE ARE PRISONERS KEPT?" 

The marine was too scared to form a coherent sentence. 

"USELESS!" There was a squelching crunch before Kid tossed him to the ground. The flames were reflected in his eyes. "LET ME FIND OUT THAT BITCH SET THIS FIRE. IF A SINGLE HAIR IS BURNT ON ANY OF MY CREWS' HEADS I WILL RIP HER LIMB FROM LIMB!" Kid was about to barge into the burning mess when Killer held him back. 

"I don't think that's wise, Captain." 

"SO YER FINE WITH THEM BURNING ALIVE?" Kid looked like he wanted to deck Killer. 

"It's too dangerous! You know that!" The first mate was torn. Of course he loved his crew, but Kid was his best friend, the man who was going to be King of the Pirates. 

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN! WHAT KIND OF CAPTAIN WOULD I BE IF I DIDN'T TRY?"

Killer released him. He understood. He didn't like it, but he understood. "Okay. I'm right behind ya then." No way would he let his captain go alone. Killer saw something in the distance and grabbed Kid again. "Wait! Look!" 

Kid looked in the direction Killer indicated. He saw the rotund shape of a boar. "I KNEW IT! WHEN I GET MY HANDS-" 

"No! On top!" Killer gently smacked Kid on the head.

The closer Mini got, they could make out their missing crewmates. Emma was conscious now, but drowsy. They were all covered in soot, had some minor scrapes, but there were no singed hairs on any of their heads. 

Killer helped them get down. He couldn't help but notice the obvious absence of the person he expected to see. "What happened?" He looked them over for any major injuries. Turning to the other pirates, he ordered them to take them all back to the ship and do their best first aid until he got back. 

Quincy was on the verge of tears, "It was Y/N. She saved us but...b-but..."

Dive finished for her, "But she's still in..." Her voice faded off as the building in front of them started to collapse. From one end to the other, it folded in on itself, spewing hot ash and smoke in all directions. 

They stared in silence. The only sound being the crackling of fire and the settling of twisted metal and crumbled stone. 

"Well," Kid started. "That's that then. Rest in pieces, Sea Snake." He turned in the direction of the Victoria Punk, but stopped. He could feel the eyes of Quincy, Emma, and Dive burning into his skull. "WHAT?! I'm only kidding." 

Even Killer gave him a disparaging look. 

Kid threw his hands up. "FUCK OFF, ALL OF YA! I can tell her stupid fucking gun's somewhere over yonder. Relax!" He flung his hand in the direction of the forested area next to the pile of rubble. Growling and muttering to himself, he grabbed Minerva by the tusk and tugged her in that direction. "Help me find her, pig!" As much as he didn't want to, he owed you. You had saved four of his crew now. Granted, the fire was your fault to begin with, and he wouldn't let you forget it either. 

The redhead thrashed through the forest, with Killer behind him, yelling about how stupid your gun looked and that you were lucky you didn't have a real weapon, since that would be indistinguishable from anyone else's. Kid stopped at the place he felt the presence of your gun and looked around. "I don't see anything. Time to go. We tried." 

Minerva snorted, nudging at what Kid thought was a soot-covered log. A log that coughed. Kid threw his head back and groaned. "Damn it all to hell. Fucking found her." Killer made a displeased sound. "I mean, phew. Good thing we found the twat," Kid amended. He knelt down and brushed some soot off your face just to make sure.

You were too exhausted to move. You felt someone jostling you a little, no, carrying you, and groaned. Peeling an eye open, you saw a very blurry image of mostly red. Your voice was raspy and grating, yet still carried a tone of disappointment, "Ugh. You." 

Kid hushed you, putting his hand over your mouth. "I'm not happy either but my girls would be very upset if I left ya." Kid yanked his hand back quickly and about dropped you right there. "DON'T FUCKEN BITE ME! Ya shouldn't be talkin!"

The great Captain Kid cares about your health? What next? Pigs flying? You frowned and tried to point. "Want Killer," it really did hurt to talk, you were realizing. 

"TOO DAMN BAD! YA GOT ME!" Kid grit his teeth. 

You could hear Killer laugh at Kid's discomfort. Have you ever heard him laugh out loud before? No. He only looked like he was laughing, never made a sound. You hummed, amused. "Your laugh," Killer tensed at your words. "It's nice."

Kid and Killer shared a glance. Unbeknownst to you, Killer was entirely pink under his mask. 

You let your eye close and decided to save your voice, no energy left to wonder if you were safe with them or not. You thought so, though. The soft, rhythmic tamping of Mini's hooves against the dirt and grass lulled you to sleep. 

Next

[beanghostprincess]

The Strawhats go to an amusement park and Sanji sees the most adorable, softest, cutest, plushie of a fish as a prize in one of those Shooting Games. He loves it. It's so cute. And he has always been fond of soft things, even if the only one who has ever known this is his mom. Usopp stops next to him and asks "What? Did you see something you like?" and Sanji blushes furiously and brings a cigarette to his lips, looking away and muttering "No- No. It's stupid. Let's keep walking, I saw some food trucks right this way". But Usopp won't have that. And so he lets the crew walk away and do whatever while he stays in that Shooting Booth for a long, long while. Usually, he would just finish the game and win whatever he wants in no time because, well, he's the best sniper ever. But apparently, he just can't win this fucking game no matter how good his aim is. And he knows he's not doing it wrong. He knows it's not him.

The dude working there says that maybe he's overconfident because the game is perfectly fair. But you know, Usopp is also the best liar in the world and he just knows when somebody isn't telling the truth.

--

After a long while, Usopp finds the crew eating together at one of the tables close to the food stands, but he can't spot Sanji anywhere. Not until he looks around and he sees him obviously talking to one of the cooks in what seems to be his break. Of course he would ask about recipes instead of eating. Well, Usopp just waits there until Sanji finishes talking and he turns around, their eyes meeting for the first time in a few hours. Sanji's immediate reaction is to grin at him, but then he tones it down a bit and clears his throat, looking away for a few seconds. "Did you get lost on the way to here? That's more of a marimo thing to do, huh? What were you doing?"

Usopp is excited to give him the gift. Or afraid he won't like it. Or maybe just anxious. Maybe it's too much. Maybe he realizes that he has a crush on him and every effort he's made to hide it will go to waste. But it's more important to see Sanji smile, he thinks, so Usopp breathes in and shows him the stuffed animal. "I was just getting back something you forgot on the way. Nothing much."

Sanji's face is indescribable. He gasps and drops the cigarette he's been holding to take the fish from the sniper's hands. He looks at it with so much love and fondness that Usopp is extremely glad he did this. "You're an idiot." But there's no malice in his eyes when he looks up at him. "Why did-"

"A sharpshooter cannot back down in front of a challenge like this!" But he leaves his cocky speech aside to shrug and smile at Sanji back. "And you seemed to like this cutie, so I thought it'd be nice for you to have it."

Sanji stares at him deadpanned for a few seconds. "I'm buying you food."

He can't help but roll his eyes. "Shut up. You're not." Sanji always does these things.

"It's true. I'm not." He holds the plushie close to his chest with one hand while he starts pushing Usopp, his other hand on his back. "We're going back to the ship and I'm cooking you something."

Usopp wants to stop walking, but the other keeps making them move. "Sanji." He sighs. "Accept a gift like a normal person."

The only thing Usopp can see right now is the back of Sanji's head because he's walking faster than him now, impatiently leading the way to Sunny. "You're my sniper and you got me this. And I'm your cook and I will make you something to eat." He turns around for a second and grins, brighter than the fireworks around them. Brighter than any light from this festival Usopp has seen. "That's how we work. Shut up and follow me."

So Usopp follows.

When they see that same Shooting Game again, completely in ruins and a bunch of kids taking the prizes and having fun around the chaos, Usopp tries to walk faster. And faster. But Sanji stops walking, so he has to stop too. "Usopp."

The sniper looks around anxiously. "Yeah? What's up?"

"No." Sanji frowns. "You tell me what's up."

Usopp is about to lie or confess, one or the other, but full of fear of rejection anyway. Until he sees Sanji's amused expression, about to burst out laughing, and it brings his confidence back. "You know. I guess some liars just don't deserve to get away with their schemes. That's all."

And when he sees Sanji giggling and rolling his eyes, holding the fish closer, Usopp thinks he would set a thousand booths like this on fire if it meant seeing him smile.

[kade-is-here]

RvB Secret Santa for @funsizedcrow!

(@redvsbluesecretsanta)

I chose to write a WashNut fanfiction-it’s my first time writing a ship fic, and I only had a vague idea of what I was doing. Happy holidays, and I hope you enjoy!

(Forgive me if it’s cringe >_<)

Drabble One: Love Between a State and a Pastry

God, Donut had no right being that hot.

The simulation trooper had a habit of swinging his hips every which way and cracking inappropriate jokes like a middle schooler fresh out of the closet. In reality, both of those traits should’ve been an immediate red flag to Washington, who had sworn on his life on multiple occasions that he was straighter than the eastern border of the state he was named after. So, why was this lightish-red soldier that liked to hold wine-and-cheese hours and bake vegetarian cupcakes making Wash’s cheeks flush on more than one occasion?

Speaking of the wine-and-cheese hours, Caboose had a habit of dragging Agent Washington to them whenever he could. At first, his actions were annoying to Wash. Of course, after what happened with Church/Epsilon and Temple, Wash couldn’t exactly say no. But now he was happy to go along with the sim trooper.

“And this one,” Donut exclaimed, holding up a glass of some kind of red wine, “is called Pinot Noir, which goes well with Brie!”

Donut-Franklin Delano Donut-watched happily as the Reds and three Blues(Carolina, Wash, and Caboose) indulged in their own wine glasses and small porcelain plates with the creamy white cheese spread on crackers. Wash didn’t want to admit it, but he almost forgot to actually drink his wine until Caboose made a face after sipping his own and handed the glass to him.

Good god, Wash thought as he stared at Donut, something about those eyes and something about that face just-

“Wash,” Caboose piped up, “this tastes gross.”

Donut sighed, stepping in front of Caboose. “Y’know, Boosey, a little birdie told me that you come here for the cheese and crackers and not the wine!” He teased, his blue eyes crinkling upwards as he smiled, even the one on the burned side of his face.

“A little birdie?!” Caboose gasped. “Admiral Sprinkles, you never told me that you had a bird!”

“It’s an expression, Captain. But I’m sure that Wash would be happy to finish off your fancy grape juice!” Donut turned those brilliant blues towards Agent Washington. If Wash was an AI, he was sure that he would’ve short-circuited. God, this was cheesy.

“Yeah, sure,” Washington said after clearing his throat a few times to make sure that his words wouldn’t come out as awkward squeaks. He took the glass from Caboose’s much larger fingers, sipping at it.

Wash almost made a face too, but he tried to be polite. “It’s, uh… earthy,” he offered, trying to use terms from those wine websites he browsed before going to the meetup. Not because I want to impress anyone, he told himself, but because I don’t want to look stupid or out-of-place.

“Donut, I hate to burst your bubble here, but this tastes a bit like the piss of a dirty Blue!” Sarge spoke up.

“How do you know what Blue piss tastes like?” Carolina challenged Sarge.

“I- why, you-“ Sarge spluttered for a whole three seconds, before glaring at the redhead, his white mustache bristling. “You scheming, conniving Blue!”

Okay, so maybe Wash didn’t have to worry about being out-of-place.

Washington ended up receiving a lot of glasses of wine from Caboose. He passed several of them to Donut, who seemed to have the alcohol tolerance of an African Water Buffalo. Seriously, how does a guy drink that many glasses of wine and not even have a wobble in his hip-swinging step?

After the hour was up, Sarge seemed intent on getting the Blues out of Red Base.

That fact was obvious by the way that as soon as he had his helmet back on his head he bellowed, “GET YER FILTHY BLUE ASSES OUTTA HERE!”

“Actually, Sarge,” Donut hummed as he stepped in, “I’d like for Agent Washington to stay behind to help with the dishes.”

“Why, you insubordinate little-!”

“Thanks!” Donut chirped as he hooked his arm through Wash’s, doing a little twirl before leading him to the kitchen as Sarge continued yelling curses and threats about doing pushups or washing the windows and whatnot at their backs. Donut ignored the older soldier like a pro.

“All these dishes need to be hand-washed. If someone didn’t take a bite out of their food, set it aside. Otherwise, toss it. The wine gets poured down the drain.” Donut commanded him, suddenly holding quite a bit of superiority over the former Freelancer. It reminded Wash of the whole time-traveling shenanigan, and how impressive the pink soldier could be when he asserted himself.

“Roger,” Washington replied, nodding. Donut got to work putting away the leftover food and putting away the plates and glasses, while Wash washed(hah) and dried the dishes. They worked in silence for a good few minutes, before Donut spoke up again.

“Is there any reason why you were staring at my face so much? Maybe you’re into me, hm?” The latter half was in a teasing tone, but the former was dead serious. The former Freelancer was so startled that he almost dropped the wine glass he was scrubbing. That would’ve been bad. Donut, noticing that, kept talking. “You didn’t cause it, and I know that you’re no stranger to scars, so what’s up?”

Washington took a second to evaluate the risks of telling him. Oh, screw it. I’m brain damaged. If it goes wrong, I could blame it on that.

“Your first assumption was correct.” Wash told Donut, keeping his tone strong and stoic like how he used to tell the higher-ups in the Freelancer program about the results of a mission.

The silence that followed seemed to wrap itself firmly around Agent Washington’s neck.

“…well, then.” Donut mumbled.

“I’m sorry, sometimes I say some things-“ Wash tried to say, but Donut spoke over him with a much brighter voice.

“That just tickles my pickle!”

“What the FUCK, Donut?!” Simmons, who was passing by, yelled, a comedically timed voice crack shoving itself into the middle of his sentence.

“Don’t worry about it, Dick!” Donut singsonged back. Simmons sighed heavily as he continued walking. “Anywho…”

Wash startled when Donut suddenly appeared right next to him. “Well, I’m sure that you’ll be overjoyed to know that I’m into you, too!”

Washington blinked. He had not expected it to go that well. “…oh. Okay, then,” he stammered.

“Do you wanna kiss?” Donut asked.

…well. That was fast. This guy does not mess around, Wash thought.

After staring at the sink full of soapy, dirty dishes, the former Freelancer nodded.

“…affirmative.”

Donut had to stand up on his tiptoes to kiss him, and Washington had to bend down a little, but their mouths fit together perfectly, like two pieces of two completely different puzzles that just so happened to work out.

God, his lips taste as sweet as his name does.

Drabble Two: Agent Washington’s First Sleepover

“YES! HOORAY! I AM SO EXCITED!” Caboose shouted at the top of his lungs, bouncing around the base like a hyperactive puppy. “THANK YOU, TUCKER AND AGENT WASHINGTUB!!!”

The former mentioned soldier sighed, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah, Caboose. It was just to get you off my back for a night.” Caboose was either too excited or had heard that line too much to care.

The reason why the big blue soldier was currently off-the-walls was because Wash and Tucker had agreed to allow Donut to come over to the base for a “sleepover.” According to Tucker, events like that had already happened several times; apparently, Donut just told the Reds it was a spy mission. If you can call watching children’s movies and eating cookies out of a stash that Caboose got from who-knows-where spying.

Anyway, it didn’t take much for Washington to agree. There weren’t many chances for him and Donut to hang out, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Hopefully Caboose would let him join.

Speaking of which, the soldier had started yelling even louder, and had disappeared from the room. His voice, while muffled, was coming from upstairs. Wash, concerned, ran up the stairs to the roof of the base.

“Caboose, what’s-“ Washington started to ask, before cutting himself off.

“HELLO, SERGEANT SPRINKLES!” Caboose bellowed down into the valley, waving with the enthusiasm of three separate Cabooses. Washington stepped up beside him to see if his suspicions were true.

Donut skipped-no joke, skipped-over the hill in front of Blue base, carrying a matching pink duffle bag and waving back. “Hello, Caboose! Hello, Agent Washington!” The lightish-red soldier waved back. Wash raised one his hands to wave, but Donut had already disappeared. And so had Caboose.

Washington muttered a curse, running back down the stairs.

“How could something so big move so quietly and fast?” He mumbled to himself.

Turns out, the two simulation troopers were down in the common room in the barracks, piling pillows and blankets to make a surprisingly well-made pillow fort.

Washington cleared his throat, drawing the attention of both bright blue and deep brown eyes.

“Gentlemen,” he started, attempting to sound all commanding like the leader he was, “I would like to request your permission to join your sleepover.”

Caboose blinked, setting down the chair he was carrying a few feet away from the couch. “…wha?” Sometimes if the soldier wasn’t focused all the way, spoken words jumbled together. Or, at least, that’s what Caboose told him.

“He wants to know if he can join, Caboose,” Donut explained.

“Oh!” Caboose visibly perked up. “Well, Agent Washington, Commander Biscuit and I would have to discuss that.”

The blue and pink soldier turned away from Wash, conversing quietly. At first, Washington was nervous, but then he realized that Caboose was saying “suspicious whispering” and Donut was just murmuring nonsense.

They both turned back to him a few moments later.

“Well, Wash, we talked, and we decided that you can join our sleepover! Yay!” Caboose clapped his hands together, and Donut did jazz hands and echoed that “yay!”

Washington sighed with relief. “Well, what do we do first?”

“First,” Caboose started, suddenly with the seriousness of a commander explaining the risks of a mission, “we build a fort. THEN, WE SIT IN THE FORT AND WATCH MOVIES AND EAT COOKIES!” He yelled that last part, grinning widely.

“Sounds… fun!” Wash tried to sound excited. Honestly, he was just there for Donut. The cookies didn’t sound too bad, though.

First, they all got out of their armor. Washington felt a little awkward without it, but since the other two weren’t wearing theirs, he felt like it’d be awkward if he was the only one.

He helped Donut and Caboose finish up the pillow fort, and then the blue simulation trooper scampered off to fetch the cookies.

“So,” Donut purred, leaning into Wash playfully, “you came here for me, huh?”

Wash sighed, trying to ignore the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Maybe,” he teased, “or maybe I’m just curious and I want cookies.”

“Wouldn’t blame ya,” Donut grinned, leaning back onto a pillow. “Those cookies are better than a guy’s-“

“I FOUND THEM!” Caboose cheered mercifully, barreling into the fort and crashing into a pile of pillows and stuffed animals that Donut had seemed to have arranged for this exact purpose.

The two simulation troopers got the TV working as Wash sat back. He wanted to help, but they insisted that he relax, saying that he was an “honored guest” and that he “deserved to chillax.”

The first movie they watched was Shrek. The former Freelancer ended up sandwiched between Caboose, Donut, and plenty of plushies. Washington ended up counting the passage of time by the amount of cookies they ate(chocolate chip, and almost impossibly rich and buttery) and the movies that passed. Alice in Wonderland, Finding Nemo, The Corpse Bride…

Eventually, Caboose fell asleep, and it was just Donut, Wash, and Coraline.

Donut turned to him eyes twinkling gently in the light from the stop-motion film. “Guess we’re alone now, huh?” Wash found himself nodding back.

“I guess we are,” he agreed. They stared at each other for a moment. Washington didn’t know what Donut was doing, but he knew that he was drinking the sight of his boyfriend-was that the word? Was that what they were?-in like water after a hard P.T session.

Donut leaned his head on Wash’s shoulder, before tilting his face upwards to kiss him on the chin. Washington felt his face flush with warmth, before he leaned his lips down to kiss Donut’s hair.

Rustling and sleepy mumbling from behind them interrupted the two lovers. (Really, was that what they were? Truly?)

“…mmmhhhhh… you two are kissing…” Caboose murmured, looking up at them with barely-open eyes.

“Yeah, Boosey, we are,” Donut told him. “Go back to sleep, buddy.”

“…‘kay.” Caboose rolled back over, his soft snores resuming only a minute later.

“I knew he was an easy sleeper, but wow.” Washington shook his head, mystified. “You’d think he would have questions.”

“Considering what Grif and Simmons do, I don’t think anything really fazes him anymore.” Donut grinned, sitting up and kissing Wash on the cheek.

He paused, before kissing him back. “You wanna go to bed?”

“Yeah, sure,” Donut shrugged, nodding back at the TV, “the movie’s over, anyway.”

He was right; the credits were rolling. Washington leaned forward and turned off the television, laying down on a pile of pillows. Donut laid down next to him, under the same blanket.

“Goodnight, Agent Washington,” Donut whispered into the dark.

“Goodnight, Donut,” Washington found himself whispering back.

Drabble Three: Obligatory Hurt/Comfort(and a li’l bit of a beach episode) TW for violence, gore, nightmares(PTSD), main character death

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit-!

Several sets of heavy footsteps pounded behind Wash-Agent Washington of Project Freelancer-as he ran through the hallways of some ship in some part of the galaxy. Bullets flew all around him, barely missing his gray armor.

Then, more bullets flew towards him. At first he panicked, then he noticed the light blue hologram and the teal armor.

“Carolina-?!” Washington called as the firing on both sides slowed down, then stopped.

The other Freelancer nodded, lowering her gun. “Hey, Wash. Lovely weather we’re having, eh?”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Epsilon muttered. Carolina sighed, shaking her head.

“We gotta move, boys. The other guys are down that hallway.” Carolina pointed to the passage on the right, the walls littered with bullet holes and burn marks. “I’ll be right behind ya.”

Washington nodded, then took off down the hallway. “Hey, I’m here-!” He called as he turned the corner, then stopped in his tracks.

The Reds and the Blues were littered on the floor or slumped against the wall. Actual, it was hard to tell who was Blue; there was so much blood, everyone was the same color as Simmons or Sarge.

“…guys?” Wash croaked hoarsely. “Team? Come on, speak to me-!”

He knelt down in the middle of the bloody mess, crawling around on his hands and knees and shaking the men. No responses, no heartbeats, no nothing—just silence.

Wash’s vision blurred as his shoulders slumped. “Carolina…?” He called. When he didn’t receive a reply, he called again, louder. “Carolina!”

Washington stood up, his armor now covered with the gore of his fallen friends. There was no trace of Carolina, not even when he rounded the corner to look down the hallway.

He tightened his grip on his gun, then almost fired when the toe of his boot hit something.

An AI chip?

With trembling hands, Wash crouched down and picked it up. The numbers on it read 001, which meant that it was Epsilon’s.

If the Alpha was there but Carolina wasn’t, that wasn’t a good sign.

Washington took a deep breath, then felt around the back of his neck until he found the slot for his implant. He gently pushed the chip in.

Just like the first time that Epsilon was in Wash’s head, a pounding headache strong enough to force the Freelancer to his knees took over.

Terrified, angry screams filled his head—some of them his own, some of them the AI’s. The blurriness in his vision became tinted pinkish-red, and the last thing Wash saw before he blacked out was the simulation troopers’ bodies laid down next to him.

And when his eyes shot open again, he was looking at a dimly-lit ceiling with a fan whirring in the center of it.

Wash-Agent Washington of Project Freelancer-gasped and panted, gripping at his head and his neck. The pain was fading, the the implant slot was thankfully empty.

Rustling and sleepy murmurs came from next to him, and the soldier quickly felt under his pillow for his combat knife. It wasn’t there. He didn’t have a weapon.

The person next to him sat up, squinting.

“Wash? Y’okay?” He mumbled, his bleached hair sticking out all over the place before being forcefully flattened by Washington slamming him down. “WHOA-! Wash, it’s me, Donut! Your boyfriend!”

The Freelancer paused. “Boyfriend…?” Wash whispered to himself, before quickly sitting back. “Oh, fuck, Donut, I’m so sorry-“

The simulation trooper sat up again, waving a hand in dismissal, “Oh, it’s fine. I’ve been pushed down harder by smaller men. But are you okay?”

Washington blinked. “…nightmare,” he mumbled in reply after a few seconds.

“Ah.” Donut nodded sagely. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Wash quickly shook his head. “No. No, thank you.”

“Do you wanna go outside and look at the ocean for a little bit?”

Now that Wash said yes to. Donut helped him up since the soldier’s legs were still shaking, put a shirt on(one of Wash’s. Not that he minded, of course), then led him out to the back porch in the rental house they got on Chorus since everyone needed a break.

The lovers headed down the path that led to the beach. The ocean was beautiful; Chorus’ moon, Aria, lit up the water, and the waves gently lapped against the soft sand. Stars covered the entire sky, and in the ocean, little spots of neon blue light made their own constellations.

“Those are the eggs of the coral they have here,” Donut whispered to Wash. “I don’t know why they’re bioluminescent, but it’s pretty nonetheless.”

Washington nodded wordlessly, just staring at him. The cool night breeze that fluttered the leaves of the palm trees by the beach also gently lifted Donut’s hair, still as messy as when he first woke up.

Apparently, the simulation trooper got the memo, because just like the first time they kissed, Donut stood up on the tips of his toes, and Wash leaned down. Their lips pressed together, then pulled apart, and the men just held each other, staring into each other’s eyes before looking out at the ocean.

After they went back to their room, Wash slept soundly, and woke up to the smell of frying bacon and the ocean’s waves crashing outside from the(most likely open) back door.

Donut had stayed beside him the entire night; in fact, the trooper was still asleep and still in Wash’s shirt.

Despite the fact that the rising sun was already casting its light into the room through the gaps in the blinds, Wash-Agent Washington, former soldier of Project Freelancer-decided to stay in bed a little longer. The morning could wait. He was on vacation, after all.

[snowyaika]

pairing: felix x rebel!reader

summary: you and felix became close when he joined the rebellion. when he’s gone from a mission longer than he should be, you set out to find where he really is.

word count: 2.2k

warnings: season 6 chapter 10 spoilers, swearing, symptoms of a panic attack but not actually stated, brief mention of suicide(but not acted upon), pain pain pain!, kind of an open ending, all lowercase, gn!reader, follows plot of show

notes: whew! put a lot of prompts into this one, gotta make it sting a little! keep in mind this is my first work for this fandom and for…well, anything! please please please comment your thoughts on it, hope you all enjoy :)

-

“felix, rendezvous back at the ship, it’s time to let them end their war once and for all.” the radio goes quiet for a moment, the other side contemplating their choice of words.

“tie up your loose ends.”

the line cuts off with static, locus supposedly getting ready for the attack on the federal army.

it’s quiet, until a long sigh breaks through the empty room. “fuck.”

-

it’s no question that felix and you have a… special relationship. ever since he joined the rebellion, it’s as if you two just clicked.

you were one of the best in the rebellion, although you didn’t have much competition. because of your superior skill, or well, the inferior skill of others, you had trouble connecting with the other soldiers.

when felix showed up, everything changed.

like a flipped switch, you were never alone, always by each other’s side. of course, other than when he went on his own missions and when you had your own duties to attend to on base.

you two did everything together. training, dining, hell— even chores (although, he was more so just keeping you company as you were on dish duty).

eventually, things started to take a turn. training sessions and missions suddenly turned into late night walks and deep conversations in your quarters.

of course, this soon led to more… intimate moments between you both.

soon after, everyone could catch on that you two had something going on.

… or maybe it was after felix beat up a new recruit to the brink of death when he found out the poor guy was flirting with you.

nevertheless, things were going fine— perfect even. as fine as things can be during a civil war.

until everything wasn’t.

-

“felix? i thought kimball sent you out to scout the feds?”

you’re in the back of the weaponry, sharpening your knives (gifted by a certain someone) and preparing your other guns for an upcoming mission when you spotted him walking up to you.

“oh god, please tell me she doesn’t want me to tag along. i don’t know how many more bullets i can take for you.”

he let out a soft chuckle as he stood in front of you, staring down at you seated on a crate.

“oh please, it was one time. and you didn’t even get shot, it grazed your leg.” his eyes flicker down to the knife in your hand, his chest puffing up smugly.

he’s weird that way. seeing you use the knives he gifted you gave him a sense of possessiveness, as if he was staking his claim on you. you always called him a creep when he brought it up.

neither of you brought up how you never denied it.

“as much as i’d love to have you on this next mission, no, she didn’t tell me to come get you.” he clears his throat before continuing, “i just… wanted to you to see me off.”

you pause your work, staring up at him with a confused look. of course because of the helmets, he doesn’t see it, so you both stare at each other in awkward silence for a moment.

“...okay, i’ll bite. why?” you set your weapons to the side so you can stand face to face with him. “you don’t plan to die on this one, do you?” your tone has a tint of humor to it, but your body is clearly tense.

“darling, please. look who you’re talking to. you think some weak federals can kill this awesome bod? i’m offended.” he makes a pose of showing off his arm muscles, causing you to just scoff and lightly shove his shoulder.

“right. i forgot i was hanging with the strongest man on the planet,” your tone drips with faux praise, glancing behind him at the lingering soldiers giving you both cautious glances.

“i’m serious though. i just wanted to see you before i left.” he steps closer, his hand reaching for yours, his fingers brushing against your wrist. your helmet clinks gently against his like a childish kiss. everyone already knew about you two, but it’s nice to keep some professionalism in public.

“how long will you be gone?” you whisper softly, as if raising your voice would shatter the intimate moment between you two.

“not long. intel says it’ll be quick. i should be back in a few days.” he responds just as gently, all humor in his voice gone and replaced with a tone you would never hear him use with anyone else.

“okay, be safe.”

-

it’s been two weeks since your last conversation with him, and it’s safe to say you were… on edge.

you’ve been going around the base non-stop asking the same questions, where is he, what do you know about the mission he was sent on, and at some point during it all kimball summoned you herself after you snapped at one of the rookies.

“what the hell were you thinking, pulling a gun on a fucking rookie? have you lost your goddamn mind?!”

kimballs voice is loud enough to echo throughout the whole base, yet you remain unphased as she throws words towards you that are intended to hurt. you tune her out, completely uninterested in what she has to say.

your mind hasn’t been the same since he left. you can handle when he goes off on his usual missions, but when he doesn’t come back two weeks after he said he should’ve?

it’s logical for you to get a little high strung.

you let her hurl a few more insults towards you before interrupting. “it won’t happen again. am i dismissed?”

she grinds her jaw to restrain the next string of curses about to be let out, and huffs. “look, i know you’re stressed that felix is gone. shit, i don’t know where he is either, okay? but you need to get your shit together. i don’t want to see another fuck up like this again, understand?”

you only nod, turning on your heel and walking out of the building. as you make your way towards your quarters, you overhear the galaxy's greatest heroes (a bunch of lazy idiots if anyone were to ask you) talking about some sort of rescue mission to save the rest of their team.

you tense up. maybe felix was sent to go after them and got captured himself? you were willing to take the chance to find out.

pausing, you contemplate the risk of asking to join them. not because it would be betraying your alliance to the rebellion, but because hanging around with them will surely lower your chance of survival.

waving away your doubts, you walk into the building they were in. they notice you immediately, instantly becoming tense. “oh… hey there,” the yellow (orange, he always corrects you) one says.

“i want in on your little rescue mission. it’ll be wise for you to bring me along.”

they all share a look, before the teal one speaks up, “uh… sure. but why?”

-

oh my god, they’re fucking idiots.

there is absolutely no possible explanation as to how the five of you have made it this far, and you don’t plan on questioning it, instead thanking whatever god is up there that you haven’t blown your own brains out from the frustration of having to deal with their idiotic antics.

you don’t think about it any longer once they reunite with their team, your disappointment evident when you don’t see felix being one of the people among them.

for fucks sake, where could he have gone?

your question gets answered shortly after.

“...felix?”

you stand amongst the other soldiers, staring at him with a confused expression. your heart stutters in what you thought was relief, but you should’ve known better.

once the fight broke out, you were so confused. you had no idea what to do. do you shoot at him? what if it was just a huge misunderstanding? why was he with locus? there was too much going on. before you even knew it, one of the soldiers, you’re assuming one of the heroes allies, teleports your team away.

you were left behind.

following your instincts, you fucking book it and run, away from whatever the hell just happened and whoever the hell was chasing you.

not long after, because your training wasn’t that good, you’re worn out from running away, deciding to take cover behind one of the many rocky pikes surrounding the base.

you drop your gun, your hands shaking too much to hold it steady. “fuck, fuck, fuck!” you hear footsteps running past you, and you try your best to hold your breath. you didn’t know what to do, you weren’t cut out for this, you weren’t cut out for this war.

your breath is shallow as you rip off your helmet, taking large gasps of air and clutching your chest tightly to help ease the pain forming there. you couldn’t feel anything, your chest was hurting so much it numbed the pain in your legs from running.

trying to steady yourself, you count your breaths, praying that you can just calm down and keep running.

“i knew i’d find you here.”

your heart drops, and you raise your head to look up at the person approaching you. you take a deep breath to try and focus.

“felix, i thought you- what the hell is going on?” you stand up straight, starting to walk towards him. you’re so confused and you need to know if it's really him.

before you can even take a step, his gun is aimed straight at your face. “stay where you are.”

your body instantly freezes, a sudden chill shooting down your spine. “felix.. what are you doing? we can leave before they find us, stop messing with me and put the gun down!”

he doesn’t seem to listen, his gun following your head as you try to move slightly out of its range.

“you know, from the day we met, i knew i’d hurt you eventually,” he lowered his gun, starting to pace slowly in front of you.

the radio in his suit buzzes, most likely containing orders to the soldiers nearby to eliminate you immediately, but all he does is switch it off.

“i was surprised, really, how easily you opened up to me. i mean, come on, trusting a mercenary? i thought i taught you better,” he keeps the gun lowered, but you know the threat is still prominent, “and then you had to go and fall for me. you sure gave me trouble finding ways to report to command without you being on my back all the time.”

your brain lags, trying to piece together what he’s saying but you’re so deep in denial. “felix i- what are you even saying?”

“do you remember the first time we met?” he cuts you off, taking a step closer. “the first conversation we had?”

when you don’t respond, he takes pride in answering his own question, “i told you not to get too close to me. kimball said it herself– i was hired to help you guys, what makes you think you and your little crush on me could ever change that?”

it’s like a wave of ice water washes over you, and you finally come to your senses. it really is felix, and he really is betraying you.

your gaze slides down to your previously dropped gun, and as if reading your mind, he lifts his gun again towards you, “i don’t think so, darling.”

what once was a nickname that made you smile giddily, now makes your body tingle in a new feeling of discomfort.

“what is this, a lesson in not trusting people? god, spare me the act,” your words leak with newfound hatred, glaring at him as if looks could kill. “just get it over with and say you never loved me.”

your brain yells at you to not be so hostile, to start begging for your life, but you’re stubborn.

just how he taught you.

your comment takes him by surprise, the grip on his gun faltering slightly. he quickly recovers, tightening his grip and aiming it at you with a new sense of justification. “don’t make me kill you.”

you let out a scoff, “what, going to shoot me? go on, do it.”

after a moment of silence between you both, and still no sound of a trigger, your eyes narrow at him, “don’t have the balls to do it? you don’t need me to call locus over, do you?”

he lets out a low growl, but still makes no move to pull the trigger. letting out a sigh, you lean back on your heels. if you were going to die now, you’d at least like one of your questions answered.

“what was going through your head when i told you i loved you?” you try to sound like you don’t care, like him betraying you didn’t feel like a fucking train wreck, but you can’t help the unsteadiness in your voice.

“that i wish you never had trusted me.”

you see his finger twitch on the trigger, and you look up to the sky.

as much as you hated the feds, they had a pretty damn good view.

[ternfic]

Reboot

Chapter Two

Emmet was working on putting the roof back in place when the voice called up to him.

“Hey so I couldn’t get anybody in that cavern fortress to respond, think you could tell me what’s going on around here?”

Emmet yelped, the suddenness of the voice startling him enough that he lost his balance. He flailed for a moment, but ultimately lost the battle, and toppled right off the roof. “Ah, geez-!” the stranger yelped, and Emmet found himself expertly caught and placed on his feet. He blinked at the other, tensing. The face had a few more lines on it, the dark hair sporting several strands of silver now, but there was no mistaking the dark blue and bright green space suit.

“Rex.”

Rex blinked at him in surprise. “You remember-” He cut himself off, then slowly shook his head, chuckling helplessly to himself. “Really should’ve expected that. You’re his avatar, after all.”

“What are you doing here?” Emmet demanded.

Rex sobered up at the question. “I need your help. You’re the only person I can trust.” Of all the reactions he’d expected Emmet to have, his younger self stepping forward to shove angrily at him wasn’t one of them.

“You lied to me! You tricked me into causing Armomageddon! And you- you said you were just gonna go back and try it all over again until you ‘got it right’! How can I trust that you’re not just trying to trick me into helping you destroy everything again?!”

Rex floundered for words for a few moments, and realized there were only two he could say that could possibly make things right. “I’m sorry.”

Emmet stopped, staring at him. “What?”

“I was… wrong. About a lot of stuff.” Every fiber of Rex’s being screamed discomfort at having to admit to such. “She came back for you. She fought tooth and nail for you. Those aren’t the actions of someone who’d gladly forget you for an easier life. And it was… dumb of me to ever believe otherwise. I should’ve trusted that she never would have forgotten us without outside interference.”

“Outside interference?”

“That’s why I need your help. I went back to investigate, to try to find out why they forgot us so readily. When I told you before they were brainwashed, yeah I lied to you then, but… I think, in my timeline, they actually had been. My interference last time broke whatever spell they’d nearly been put under. But I got caught out and had to run. That’s why I need your help. There’s never been anybody who could go unnoticed better than you.”

Emmet quirked a grin at him. “That’s probably the most backhanded compliment I’ve ever received, even counting that time with Metalbeard and my couch.”

Rex gave him an uneasy grin in response. “So, uh. We cool?” He tentatively offered his hand. Instead of taking the offered hand Emmet launched himself at Rex, wrapping his arms around his other self in a tight embrace.

“Yeah, we’re cool.” He pulled back to smile bright at Rex. “Bro.”

Rex smiled back at him in relief. “Awesome.” He then turned his attention to where Emmet’s house-ship stood nearly finished behind him. “…You know, I got room for two in my cruiser. How about we leave that here where it’ll be safe?”

Emmet sagged in relief. “Oh thank goodness, yes. I’d much prefer you to fly.” Rex laughed and clapped his shoulder.

“Let’s get a move on then, the clock’s ticking.”

They hadn’t taken two steps toward Rex’s cruiser when they heard the sound of an engine approaching. Before long they could see the vehicle in question, a familiar black and white car hovering over the dusty ground. They watched in stunned silence as it pulled to a stop in front of them and Bad Cop got out.

“Brickowski,” the officer growled.

“Yes?” both of them answered automatically. Rex winced. Emmet just wondered why Bad Cop was there.

Bad Cop seemed equally surprised by Rex’s response. He turned to Emmet. “Who’s this?”

“My brother!” Emmet chirped back without missing a beat.

Bad Cop’s frown deepened. “…We weren’t aware you had a brother.”

“Yeah he’s older than me by almost ten years. He’s been in space until recently.” Rex tried not to let his awe show in front of the cop. Granted, most of that wasn’t even really untrue… But Bad Cop still didn’t seem convinced.

“Our family had a ‘falling out’ years ago,” Rex picked up. “I got disowned. Probably why you didn’t find anything about me when you were investigating Emmet.”

“I see,” the cop finally relented.

“Is there something we can help you with?” Emmet asked brightly.

Bad Cop’s mouth pressed into a thin line as he shifted his stance. “We’re coming with you.”

That surprised Emmet. “You are?” He certainly wouldn’t object- even though Rex had apologized, Emmet wasn’t certain he trusted him 100% just yet and he knew he could rely on the cops- but he still had to ask. “Why?”

Good Cop switched out. “Because it’s our duty to protect the citizens of Apocalypseburg. The people here will be fine; I doubt any Duplos will be arriving so soon after General Mayhem’s appearance. Your friends are the ones who need help right now. And we didn’t want to leave you to do this all on your own.”

Bad Cop switched back out, eyeing Rex warily. Rex simply lifted his chin in challenge. “Weren’t expecting you to already have help, though.”

“Honestly? I wasn’t either.” Emmet smiled at the cops. “I’d be glad to have you along, though. Makes our chances of success that much better.”

“Good.”

“I dunno,” Rex interrupted, frowning at them both. “We bring too many people, and our chances of being discovered are that much greater, too.”

“Three bodies isn’t ‘too many’,” Emmet argued. “I really do think we could use their help.”

“I don’t have room in the cruiser for one more.”

“Then we’ll follow in my house-ship.”

Rex growled out a sigh, dragging his hands over his face. “You’re not gonna give up til I say yes, are you?”

Emmet shook his head and grinned at him. “Nope.”

“Alright, fine, they can come.” He eyeballed the cops, then turned to give his cruiser a considering look. “Maybe all three of us can fit in there, though it’ll be a squeeze.”

“At least it’ll only be until we get to the Rexcelsior, right?” Rex nodded.

“Then we’ll manage,” Bad Cop said.

“Alright. Let’s move out, the longer we dawdle, the less time we’ll have to put a stop to the Systarians’ plans.”

[naberrie2024]

Elysium

“Elysium”

The Naberrie lake house was an idyllic place to raise a family. A hidden gem surrounded by water and magnificent plants and trees, in a remote village of the beautiful Naboo. Obi-Wan Kenobi found himself in peace as it happened each time he went there. He felt home and he was blessed to know that the Naberrie family was safe, happy and…

PUM!!

“LEIA!!!”

A realm of chaos too.

“ANAKIN! Just stop teaching our daughter how to built a ship in her room for God’s sake!!!!”, screamed Padme Amidala Naberrie from the spot in the garden where she was painting calmly along Luke.

Obi-Wan smiled to himself. Even if they had changed names to not catch too much unwanted attention, it was pretty obvious that Luke and Leia Naberrie were Anakin’s children. Stong, chaotic, passionate, fascinating and.. a mess.

He walked to the spot where Padme was teaching Luke how to paint when both of them realised he was there. Luke knew first. He could feel the Force strongly and he always knew when Obi-Wan was close by.

“Uncle Ben”, said Luke happily as he ran to his open arms.

He caught the kid in his arms and hugged him. Then, he looked at his 5 years old face. He looked exactly as Anakin as a child. Fortunately, he seemed more quiet, more similar to her mother in that way. And it seemed, he also learnt a bit from himself. He was indeed his uncle and he visited them every week, sometimes, he even stayed for months.

“Master Kenobi”, said Padme with her serious voice. Then, she laughed and Obi-Wan looked at her in awe. She looked so much young than those terrible years of war and fights.

Sometimes Obi-Wan forgot how very young those two have been. Anakin was only 23 when he had to fight against Palpatine. His padawan, his little brother fought with all his strenght saving everyone that day. Anakin Skywalker was only 23 when he ended the sith and brought the light to the galaxy. And Padme Amidala was only 27 when she gave birth just after defending herself from some clones that tried to attack her. How she managed to do that while in pain, only God knows.

The thing was that Anakin grow old quickly after that day. He looked ten year older than his wife. He lost a lot of life energy saving the galaxy from the sith, indeed he almost died. He still remembers Master Yoda bringing Anaking to life in his own trembling arms. He had been in shock, unable to help his brother after seeing him kill Palpatine, he had thought his padawan, his dear brother was dead. But he wasn’t.

God, he was blessed that day and everyday afterwards.

“Milady”, Obi-Wan bowed at her.

She hugged him as she continued laughing.

Luke didn’t let go of his arms.

Nor that he was thinking of letting go of him anytime soon.

He adored Luke so much.

Padme sat again on the soft grass, caressing her long hair and staring at the lake.

“How long are you gonna stay?”, she asked as she continued painting, “Luke, aren’t you going to show uncle Ben what you painted for him, my darling?

“You painted something for me?”, he asked to Luke.

“Of course I did”, he answered just as Anakin used to do.

Padme laughed again and he put the boy in her arms. He kneeled in front of Luke’s painting.

It was his lightsaber and Anakin’s , side by side.

He smiled.

“You’re so good, my boy”, he smiled to Luke, “ You paint so much better than your father used to when he was a child, you know?”

“Its’ for you, Ben”, said Luke, a bit sleepy.

Padme caressed Luke’s hair until the little child fell asleep.

“He’s in Leia’s room”, she said smiling

He bowed at her one last time

“Oh come’on, go to him, you know you’re dying to see him and so is he”, she smiled sweetly at him.

……………………………

Anakin Skywalker, or Anakin Naberrie these days, have lost more than a few years of youth fighting against Palpatine. He lost the feeling of both his legs, so his young brother had to live in a weelchair for the rest of his days. It seemed it didn’t make him angry, just a bit nostalgic about his time as a warrior and pilot.

Obi-Wan regreted it everyday. If he could exchange their places, he would. He would give his last breath so Anakin could breath a second longer. He would give him his legs and his whole body if he ever needed one.

“Anakin”, he said knocking slightly at Leia’s door.

Leia and Anakin were… doing some sort of dance with their arms. Rap or something like that.

“Ts… Ts.. You are the star and I’m just a peasant.. Ts.. ts..”, sang Anakin as Leia danced along his father, both of them sitting on the floor.

“It seems to me you’re unable to build your daughter’s new bed, aren’t you?”, he teased his student.

Anakin looked at him, smiling funny with shiny blue eyes. “Ocean eyes” had once said Padme, the same eyes Luke and Leia inherited.

“Master”

“Padawan”

They both looked at each other. Then, they bursted into laughing. He went to Anakin and hugged him tightly, he kissed his head and he caressed the golden, a bit grey, long hair of his brother.

“How are you doing? Want some help?”, he asked as he sat beside him.

Leia ran to his arms then, hugging him and whispering how much they have missed him.

“You think you can do a child bed with.. the shape of a royal ship, old man?”, asked Anakin as he looked confused at some instructions.

“I think you’re looking at them.. upside down, daddy”

Obi-Wan laughed hard and Leia smiled at them.

Anakin sighed, laying down with his eyes closed.

“Who do you think build your bed when you were a child, brother?”, he asked Anakin as he took some pieces of the bed and started to glue some of them.

“I had a bed with ship form as a child?”, asked Anakin.

Sometimes he reminded him of a puppy. Innocent, naive and childish. And he loves him so much. More than anything else in the galaxy, along with his children.

“Of course you did. Your whole room was like a ship. Your ceiling full of stars and distant planets. The room of a true pilot. I built it of course. I wasn’t gonna ask Mace or Yoda. They would say it’s attachment. Not that they think that way anymore”, he said smiling at Anakin and Leia who stared at him as they usually did when he started to tell a story, “It amazes me, though, that the best pilot in the entire galaxy can’t build a bed”

“It’s not so easy, master!”, said Anakin as Leia decided to sit on his chest.

Obi-Wan looked at them. Leia looked exactly as Padme although her character was… in the middle. Also, she inherited from her mother….

“I’m gonna continue doing my budget for the extraordinary session for my planet”, said the little girl as she got up.

Anakin and him stared at each other in shock.

“Your what?”, asked Anakin

“My budget for my planet. Daddy, don’t you know what a budget is?? Its..”

“Don’t look at me like that Obi, the one obsessed with politics is her mother, not me”, said Anakin as he shook his head, “Not only one politician in my house, but two. My luck”

“It could be worse”, he said as he saw Leia writing down her “speech” as she vocalised each word carefully. She saw them looking at ther, so she got up and went to other room, chanting her speech.

“Amazing”, said Obiwan as he looked still at where she had been just a moment ago

“You enjoy that my children and wife torture me, Obiwan. You’re enjoying it too much”

��Do I need to remind you that I raised you?”, he asked laughing at Anakin, “ Once, you literally, blew a ship when you were 10. I was so scared you had hurt yourself that it took me several minutes to realise you were standing there like a king, smiling because you haven blown a royal ship. Which cost me..”

“I know, I know..”

“And there was another time you…”

“I get it, Obi-Wan, I get it”, said Anakin as he crawled to lay next to Obi-wan, the young man put his head on his lap as he used to do as a child and teenager, “I missed it. I miss flying”

“I know, dear heart”, he said as he looked at his brother’s face. “But what if I told you… I changed a few things in my ship so you can pilot it safely?”

Anakin almost jumped at that.

“You didn’t!!!!!”, shouted Anakin as his eyes shone with happiness.

“I did”, he repeated as he continued building Leia’s new bed.

“PADS!!!!! KIDSSSSS”!!!!! LOOK AT WHAT OBI DID!!!!”

Obi-wan laughed as the whole family reunited in the room, yelling with happiness as he told them how he changed his ship so it could be anakin’s ship.

After a while, Padme went away to help her maids to make dinner. While Anakin and Obi-Wan continued building Leia’s bed.

Obviously, both ended up falling asleep.

When Padme went to look for them, she didn’t have the heart to wake them up, so she took a picture of both of them sleeping, smiling.

Master and padawan

Brothers.

Family

[burnwater13]

Grogu wondered what it would take to talk his dad into letting him have a massiff or a barghest as a pet. He was sure that they would be great pet owners. How could they not be? Plus, after the time they spent on Tatooine, Grogu knew that Din Djarin liked massiffs. He’s scratched them and talked to them in a very kind manner. Grogu wanted to do that too.

He’d asked Peli Motto about getting a critter like that to accompany them on their adventures and she had snorted spotchka out of her nose. It was funny but Grogu tried hard not to laugh. Once she wiped her face, her shirt and the table in front on them she shared a few words of wisdom.

“Kid, you don’t want a smelly ol’ critter crammed into that little bitty starfighter with you. It’ll be worse than that time you forgot about the dung worms you saved after that banquet with the Daimyo. And… did ya think about that? A critter like a massiff will eat you out of house and home. Do ya really want that kind o’ competition?”

Grogu sighed. Peli was right. A massiff or a barghest would eat a lot. They’d never have left overs again. Which actually would have saved him from having to clean the insides of the N-1 with that tooth polisher his dad had handed him. Hmmm. That was a plus. They’d clean up his messes and as far as Grogu was concerned that was a huge plus for having a pet.

But he didn’t want to ask his dad about until he had a lightsaber proof argument for why they should add another member to their family. Peli had a point. The N-1 wasn’t really the best ship to use for vacations with a family pet. 

When they were back on Nevarro, Grogu began to pepper Din Djarin with questions about the native species of Nevarro. Din finally told Grogu to go to the High Magistrate’s office and see if they had an official brochure or data tape or something explaining Nevarro’s flora and fauna. Grogu was only too happy to make that trip. 

On the way to the High Magistrate’s office he bumped into IG-11-M and decided to ask the marshal what they knew about it.

“Greetings, Din Grogu. I will access my data storage to retrieve the information you have requested. One sec… Nevarro is home to a wide variety of native and invasive species…”

Ten minutes later, IG-11-M was still rattling off the list of insects that called the planet home, but hadn’t even gotten out of that part of the animal kingdom. Grogu didn’t know how to stop the droid from reciting the whole record of every critter so he just quietly walked away. Maybe someone else would be able to interrupt the droid…

He managed to make it to the High Magistrate’s office and the protocol droid there was a much bigger help. Yes, there were massiffs on Nevarro. No, the High Magistrate didn’t have any rules about owning, keeping, or caring for the creatures. Yes, they would fall under the general liability clause of ownership of a creature that could cause harm or damage if left un-supervised. Yippee! They could get a massiff as long as he took good care of the critter.

“Din Grogu, please recall that such creatures do require a license and a ten credit fee for the processing of such license if you intend to bring it into Nevarro city.” 

Oh. Hmmm. Well, that wasn’t bad, right? He just needed the credits. He could earn ten credits doing chores right? Oh. Wait. The Mandalorian said chores built character, not equity, whatever that meant. He wondered if anyone in Nevarro city needed help? Something that Grogu could do that they valued. At least valued enough to give him ten credits.

He was pondering that when he walked back out to the main street and saw IG-11-M still standing there reciting facts about Nevarro. He wondered if he should just hit the droids re-set switch when he heard the Anzellan’s yelling that someone was leaving without paying their bill. He looked over and noticed the person trying to rush a way.

Grogu only had a split second to make a choice and he could only hope that he chose wisely. It happened so quickly, it was hard to say. He just used the Force a little to push IG-11-M into the path of the person trying to run away. The tiniest bit, really. He heard a crash, a bellow, and the sound of a certain marshal switching from the discussion of habitat for the lava flies to the placing a perpetrator of a crime under arrest. That made Grogu giggle. It just did.

In the end, IG-11-M was holding the person by the scruff of their shirt, the Anzellan’s were calling him ‘Good Baby’ and High Magistrate Greef Karga was handing him a ten credit bar and thanking him for capturing the person who was trying to cheat the droid-smiths. 

Grogu was pretty happy with how that all turned out. Now he just needed to find a massiff and explain it all to his dad. Easy, peasy.

[thewillofdeez]

50/50: A Shanks/OC (and Beckman/OC) Romance - Chapter 3: Old Friends and New

Summary: A twenty year journey of friendship, love, and heartache between Shanks and the woman he loves.

Chapter 3 word count: 3071

The next morning, Riley, Shanks, and Beckman gathered the last of the items they needed from Riley’s home into a bag, which Beckman slung across his chest.

“You guys ready?” she asked.

“We are if you are,” Shanks said with a smile. “Let’s do this.”

“And…and you’re sure you still –”

“Oh my God, Riley,” Beckman said, grabbing her face and forcing her to meet his eyes. “Yes. We want you with us.” Beckman pulled her to him and kissed her on the top of her head. “Stop it. Okay?” Riley was still a little teary and unsure from the night before, and must have asked the men a dozen times already if they were really sure. She didn’t think she’d be able to believe them until she was on the ship and thoroughly out to sea. But the reassurance certainly helped.

She smiled and nodded. “Okay. Let’s go. I promise I won’t ask again.”

Shanks and Beckman opened the front door and stepped out, and Riley followed, closing the door behind her and taking a moment to look up at the building that had been her home and workspace for the last time, bidding it a silent goodbye.

“Umm, Riley?” Shanks said. Riley turned around. What appeared to be a good chunk of Isha Island’s population was standing in front of her - her patients, her friends, people she did business with…easily over a hundred people had come to see her off. At the front of the crowd was her old teacher, Dr. Hikaru, now rather aged and bent and well into her retirement. She had been the one to help Riley become a doctor in the first place, and who passed her practice onto her. In a way, it was sort of because of her that Riley was now able to go on this adventure. Riley couldn’t hold back the tears as she went to the old doctor and engulfed her in a hug, allowing it to really sink in that she might never see these people again. It was a bittersweet realization.

Shanks and Beckman stood back and allowed Riley the time to say goodbye to everyone. Some people even came with gifts, and Shanks and Beckman’s arms quickly filled with items - a few bottles of sake and rum, crayon drawings from some of her younger patients, baskets of fruit and dried meat, and more. By the time she had worked her way through the crowd, the two were thoroughly bogged down.

“Bye everyone! I’ll miss you!” She turned and waved to her village one final time as she and her friends crested a hill, and the village slowly sunk out of sight, hundreds of hands waving back at her.

Riley took some items away from the men to lighten their load, and together they made their way to Bill’s house and the shipyard.

Bill greeted them as they approached, waving enthusiastically. He brought Riley in for a bone-crushing hug - the man sometimes forgot how big he was, but Riley couldn’t complain. This was going to be the last time she’d see him for some time, after all, if ever. Together, they loaded the last of the items onto the ship. On the deck, wind whipping through her hair, Riley couldn’t help but be a little nervous. Not only had she never been out to sea, but she didn’t really know much about sailing, her boat in town being quite simplistic compared to a full-sized ship. Bill, Shanks, and Beckman had walked her though how to handle the ropes and steer, and she’d been reading up on the subject as well, but this was going to be her first time actually putting what she’d learned into practice. Not only that, but this ship was far larger than she had ever expected, and it was, for the moment, just the three of them. It was doable, but it would be difficult.

“Bill, thank you for everything,” Shanks said, embracing the larger man.

“We could never repay you for this,” added Beckman.

“We can and we will,” Shanks responded with a sly grin, “When we get some treasure under our belts.”

Bill laughed. “No need, truly. It’s been a joy! I wish I had workers like you around here more often. You boys take care of Riley, you hear?”

“We will!” said Beckman with a smile and a fond look at their new crewmate. “We’ll keep her safe.”

Finally, it was Riley’s turn to say goodbye. Bill brought her into a hug, this one gentler. He then held her out in front of him at arm’s length. “Your family would be so proud of you,” he said softly, then tilted his head in thought. “Perhaps not for the piracy part, but in general.” Riley laughed, trying to hold back more tears - she’d done more than enough of that in the last 24 hours, thank you. “Everything you went through, everything you’ve accomplished as a doctor…and your journey is only just beginning. You’re gonna do great, kid.”

“Love you, Bill.” Riley said, rubbing an eye with her hand. “Thank you.” One more embrace and he released her, stepping down the gangplank and back onto land.

Shanks and Riley lifted the gangplank as Beckman worked on unfurling the sails, then made his way to the helm. They waved goodbye to Bill and his family and team one last time, and the ship was off. When the course was set and the sails filled with wind, Riley made her way to the stern and leaned on the railing, watching as Isha Island became nothing more than an ever-shrinking spot in the distance. Shanks joined her, resting his crossed arms on the railing. They shared a smile, before resuming their watch on the speck of land in the distance. 

When the island was no longer visible, Riley spoke. “So, Captain, what’s the plan?”

“Welp, Phase I is to find people for the rest of the senior officer roles. I’ve got a vice captain and a doctor, but we need at a minimum a navigator, a sniper, a cook, a musician, a shipwright, and a helmsman. After that, we flesh out the rest of the crew. You’ll have a medical team of your own, eventually. And from there, we’ll see where it goes. We’ll build up our reputations, get our names out there, get stronger, maybe cause some trouble for the World Government.” He shot her a wink. “You’re gonna look great on a wanted poster.”

“And the One Piece?” Riley asked, smirking.

Shanks barked out a laugh. “We’ll get there in time. Officers first.”

Over the next half a year, Shanks, along with Beckman and Riley, began to assemble their officers.

The first person they added to their crew was an enormous teenager named Lucky Roux. He’d helped the trio out of a scuffle elsewhere in the South Blue. He and Shanks got to talking, Shanks learned the man was a line cook by trade with dreams of being a chef, and suddenly Shanks was helping him make that dream a reality aboard their ship.

In the East Blue, along the Gecko Islands archipelago, they found Yasopp, a sniper. Riley was surprised to learn that Shanks had met the man before and he had previously turned down an invitation to join Shanks’s crew. But as she and Beckman knew, Shanks was, if nothing else, persistent. This time when Shanks asked, Yasopp said yes at the insistence of his wife. Riley watched as he bid her and his young son goodbye to join the crew. Yasopp was also the one to name Shanks’s crew the Red Hair Pirates, and created the first version of their jolly roger, painting it on the mainsail: a skull and crossbones with a mop of crimson red hair.

Elsewhere in the East Blue, they met a young man named Limejuice, an amateur shipwright who left his father’s company to join the crew.

In the North Blue they met Building Snake, a navigator who had washed ashore a rocky, deserted island when he was shipwrecked, his entire crew presumed dead. He had initially planned to come with them only until he could reach another island, but it was only a matter of time before he agreed to become a permanent fixture of the crew.

In the West Blue, the Red Hair Pirates came across a musician called Bonk Punch. It was because of Riley, actually, that he joined the crew. Bonk had a pet monkey named Monster, who was only a few weeks old at the time. In a village that had been ravaged by pirates, Riley had gotten to work doing damage control, tending to the injured while the rest of the crew drove the other pirates out.

“Please,” Riley heard a voice as a tall figure emerged from the settling dust. “I know you’re not a veterinarian, but…please help him.” In his large hands was a tiny monkey with a gash across its chest bleeding profusely.

Riley nodded at the man, taking the monkey from him. Logically there were humans who might have needed her immediate assistance more, but she couldn’t say no to the big man and his small companion. She patched up Monster, and when he was back to full health, it took no convincing from her and Shanks to have them join the crew. When Monster grew up, Shanks was very insistent on him being considered an officer of the ship in his own right, and not just Bonk’s pet. He was, after all, a very smart monkey.

And on the Grand Line, the crew met Gab, their helmsman, an enormous man with intimidating looks but the kindest heart of perhaps all of them. Gab had been working under duress for a much crueler pirate crew, and when the Red Hair Pirates encountered them, engaging them in battle and eventually sinking their ship, Gab was quick to escape and join them.

What Shanks had said to Riley when they first met remained true - Shanks wanted kind people on his team, and all of the assembled officers met that description. Which wasn’t to say they weren’t capable of fighting, or even killing - they were, and they did when they had to. But as a crew, their goal wasn’t to cause chaos, instill fear in the average person, or get copious amounts of gold at the expense of others. It was to live freely, and to help where they could.

With the senior officers assembled, Phase II began. The Red Hair Pirates had already begun climbing the ranks of formidable pirate crews, with each member having a wanted poster boasting a decently-sized bounty (except for Riley's – as the sole non-combatant member of the crew, she was only worth 20,000, but she was determined to get that number up). Riley proudly displayed them in the mess hall every time a new one came out. They had been written about in the papers numerous times, taken on Marines both on land and at sea, and had a unique reputation: The World Government hated them, of course. Many other pirate crews hated them. But on average, while they were initially met with fear and loathing on every new island they visited, they always seemed to befriend the average person along the way. 

It took another year after that, but eventually they were able to say that the Red Hair Pirates were complete, with ten senior officers (including Monster) and 49 pirates working under them, plus Shanks, totaling 60 pirates. Shanks and Beckman had no trouble recruiting crew members - by this point, they’d developed enough of a reputation that they were worried they’d eventually have to start turning good people away.

True to his word, Shanks did provide Riley with her own medical team - working under her were a pair of brothers from Fishman Island named Dirk and Dane. They were young, but had good hearts and were eager to learn.

Shanks, Riley found herself musing one day, was an excellent captain. He was a natural for the role - brave, charismatic, a strategic thinker, and he cared deeply about every member of his crew. He kept a list in his quarters of everyone’s birthdays and insisted on celebrating every single one, was always happy to spend time with even the lowest-ranked people on the crew, treating them as if they were a member of his inner circle, and was very good at making sure everyone knew how much he appreciated them. It was the kind of family-building on a pirate ship that, as far as Riley knew, only people like Whitebeard had ever really achieved.

For her part, Riley was happy. Though it wasn't always easy being the only woman amongst fifty-nine men (and oh how she longed for the day when another girl was willing to join the crew), not a single man aboard ever gave her any hassle, and she had a friendly, playful relationship with most of them. She had their respect both as a senior officer, and as a doctor. Which wasn’t to say they couldn’t be kind of crude, boisterous, and gross - they were still men, and pirates at that - but she never once felt intimidated or endangered around them, which was more than she could say about some men she’d met at bars. If anything, the rest of the crew had a tendency to be annoyingly overprotective of her - her job was to be the crew’s doctor, and in order for her to be able to do her job in the midst of battle, the rest of the crew would act as her protector so she could work on the injured. In doing so, however, her protectors often ended up being injured themselves.

And that was the only thing Riley didn’t like about life on the Gold Dragon. Every other member of the crew was a fighter in some respect. Shanks with his sword, Beckman with his rifle, and both of them with their growing Haki. Axes, guns, staffs, slingshots, knives, and even just feet and fists - every other member of the Red Hair Pirates knew how to fight in some way, and they all worked together to help each other get stronger and share their knowledge. Hell, even Dirk and Dane knew a good bit of Fishman Karate and were able to hold their own in battle when they weren’t assisting Riley. None of them needed Devil Fruits to be a formidable crew, they were powerful on their own merits.

And that just left Riley, the weakest, the one who didn’t know how to fight, whose strength was limited, and who felt powerless about it. The one who had to rely on everyone else for her own safety. In the early days with the crew it was a minor annoyance to her, but as more and more years passed it increasingly became something she hated.

After a difficult and almost devastating battle with a fleet of Marines led by a Vice Admiral, Riley and her team had just finished fixing up the crew. In the process of defending her, Beckman had gotten a bullet to the back, just barely missing a kidney, Yassop got a minor concussion, and Gab had been stabbed. As she treated their wounds, the men still carried smiles on their faces, despite the pain. She knew that they didn’t mind looking out for her and getting hurt or killed in the process, but she minded.

When the last patient left her office, Riley made her way to the upper deck to get some fresh air. Looking out over the sea and lost in thought, she almost didn’t notice when Shanks came up beside her.

"Berry for your thoughts?" He said, grabbing her attention. Riley looked at him, then back to the sea.

"The guys got their asses kicked today," she said quietly.

"Eh, we win some, we lose some," Shanks replied with a shrug. "There were no casualties, and I consider that a win in itself. Just means we gotta get stronger."

"Shanks…” Riley began, unsure of how to continue. How would he react? She had known Shanks for several years at this point, but a request like this, from subordinate to captain, was uncharted territory. And she knew that of all the people on the crew, Shanks felt perhaps the most protective of her. She looked up to meet his gaze. “I want to get stronger too. I want to learn how to fight."

Shanks almost let out a laugh, but the look on her face stopped him. “You’re serious?”

“Deadly,” she replied, echoing the words he had spoken to her a long time ago.

Shanks sighed. "Riley, you don't need to learn how to fight. You have fifty-nine men who would die for you without question."

"See, that's the thing," she shot back, "I don't want anyone to die for me. Beck got shot defending me, Shanks, the bullet missed his kidney by less than an inch. If it had been any worse I don't know if I could save him without getting him to a hospital. I hate seeing you guys get beaten up taking care of me."

"None of us mind, Riley, we–"

"It doesn't matter if you don't mind. I mind. I want to be able to defend myself, and you, and everyone else on this ship. I want to be able to hold my own with the rest of the crew. Please."

Shanks looked at her, and could see the desperation in her eyes. She'd make a good fighter, sure. She was lithe, and fast, and with some work he was positive she could effectively wield any number of weapons. But allowing her to fight meant allowing her to be in danger, more so than she already was, anyway. He couldn't risk that.

"The answer is no, Riley. I'm sorry, I won’t sign off on this."

"Shanks…"

"Your safety is my priority, Rye. I'm not gonna allow you to be in any more danger than you already are." With that, he turned and walked away, hoping it would be the last he'd hear of the matter.

For Riley's part, she could be as stubborn and persistent as her captain. She didn't stop bringing it up every so often, careful not to push him, but making sure he knew how she felt. If she had to out-stubborn Shanks, it would be hard, but she'd have to try.

Previous - Chapter 2: Conditions and Compromise

Next - Chapter 4: Rescue and Reconciliation

[tickle-page]

Hii!! How's your day, talented writer? hihihi I really hope you're doing well! If you have time please consider writing an enstars tickle scenario, where the producer (male) is jealous seeing hokuto being close to tomoya (knowing that tomoya have a crush on hokuto) when hokuto noticed it, he began teasing the producer and eventually tickling him lol, the scenario seems fun because of the one sided tickle fight (lee male producer, ler the one and only merciless hokuto) Take your time & have a nice day!

Jealousy!

Sorry I added this gif, I’M SO FUCKING SHOCKED AT IT😭

P.S. Sorry it’s not long. If you need me to redo it to your liking, say something and I’ll try my best, promise. I didn’t know where I was going with this and I apologize.

P.P.S! I didn’t know what ship u exactly wanted, so I made Hokuto, Tomoya, and the producer be in a relationship. I’m really sorry if that’s not what u wanted

⚠️Tw⚠️: Cringe

————————————————————————————

The producer heard faint pleads coming from Hokuto’s room, so he did the only right answer, went to go give it a look. What he didn’t realize was the cute, yet, annoying display in front of him.

Hokuto was tickling the ever loving shit out of Tomoya. “Aw~ Can’t take what u dished out, Bunny~?”

“Nohohoho, Stahahahap, please, H-Hohohohkuto!!!” Tomoya withered in place; he couldn’t really do much since his hands was being pinned down by the bigger one, so all he could do was take it.

“Too bad, u knew my thighs were really ticklish, but u still squeezed them? If I don’t know any better, I’d feel like u wanted this type of attention.” Hokuto slowly traced down the man’s stomach, to his navel and wriggled inside of it.

The teases and tickles Hokuto placed on Tomoya, made him squirm in place. It reminded him everytime someone else would do the same thing, but they were never… this intense? He doesn’t know how to describe it, all he knew was that he wanted to be in Tomoya’s place. Something tickled the inside of his stomach, wether it was butterflies, his giant lee mood, or… that he was… jealous? Couldn’t be, he doesn’t know why he was jealous, he has no reason to be. But nothing he says will stop this growing urge to go over there and stop this mess.

Hokuto looked up at the door because he felt a strange presence, as he saw the producer walk out, quietly closing the door behind him. Something was off with his face tho, he looked… sad. Hokuto got off of Tomoya, as he rubbed the latter’s stomach, “There, now you’ll learn your lesson. Never tickle me unless u want to be tickled back.” He laughed walking his way towards the door.

Tomoya panted, “it… IT WASN’T INTENTIONAL!”

“Yeah yeah, but u still did, and u had a smirk on your face, learn your place jellybean~” Hokuto looked back and winked at him, then walked off, closing the door.

Tomoya blushed.

——————————————————

“Hey, sport, can I come in?” Hokuto knocked on the producer’s door with his middle and index finger.

“Yeah.”

“You ok? I saw u leave the room, u looked sad.” Hokuto walked to his desk to where he was sitting, and sat on top of it.

The producer blushed tenfold, it was more embarrassing that Hokuto saw him walk out of the room, then watching the scene itself, and he doesn’t know why.

“It was nothing, now please get off my desk so I can finish my work in peace.”

Hokuto wouldn’t let this slide, he got off, walked behind the producer and swirled him around to where he was facing him. “Aw~ your face is all red~, wanna tell me why u seem upset?”

“Ugh, your head is bigger than your body, get. OUT!” The producer tried pushing him away, but he was bigger and stronger, and he didn’t look like he was moving any time soon.

“No! Not until u tell me!” Hokuto squeezed his sides. The producer squirmed away from the attacking fingers.

Hokuto stopped. “Oh? I forgot u were ticklish, hehe, now u gonna tell me why ur upset. Or u want me to attack u?~”

“How can you just FORGET someone’s ticklish? And no! Get away from me you big oaf!” The producer tried to push him off a second time, but his attempts were ineffective.

“Idk, I guess I just tickle Tomoya too much, that I forgot other people were ticklish.”

There he goes again, always talking about Tomoya. The producer doesn’t have a problem with him, but whenever Hokuto mentions his name, he has a strange urge to punch the wall. He loves Tomoya matter of fact, he loves Hokuto too, but… he just doesn’t know what he’s feeling anymore. “Did u forget u were ticklish too?” The producer squeezed his side, causing him to fall to the ground, giving the producer a chance to run, until he caught his ankle and made him fall.

“Don’t think u can wiggle away from the tickle monster~ He’s got his ways.” Hokuto managed to get up while still holding the producer’s ankle and sat on his back. He ran a finger down his spine, making him arch his back with a squeal.

“Eek! No! Plehehehease, Hokuto!” The producer begged, hoping his pleads won’t work because he kinda didn’t won’t this to end, well not yet of course.

“You gonna tell me what’s up?” Hokuto flipped the producer around, facing his reddened, smiley face.

“It’s none of your business.” He turned his head to the side as to not look up at his ler, who had this shit eating grin that was making him squirm with anticipation every second he stared at him.

Hokuto examined the producers sharp jawline that looked like it could cut a rock in half. It was so defined and smooth, he could kiss all over it-. What the hell is Hokuto saying right now?! Kiss his best friend?! That’s absurd, not too mention he was probably straight, but every time Hokuto kept telling himself lies, he couldn’t find himself looking away, distracted by the beauty. He brought his index finger up to trace it, only for the producer to scrunch his neck back towards the man who looked like he was written by Aphrodite. “Heheheheh, Hokuto!”

Oh yeah, that’s what he was doing, interrogating the cute one underneath him. He almost lost control for a second, “Aw, what’s wrong, producer? A little ticklish?~”

“Don’t even, you’re extremely ticklish too.” The producer brought his hand up to squeeze his side for demonstration, but was caught and brought up above his head.

“Any last words?” Hokuto wriggled his hand above the producer’s outstretched armpit.

“Uh…um…”

“Ha, all choked up? I didn’t even start.” Hokuto brought his hand down, making skin contact.

“Pfft- Hohohokuto!” The producer wiggled in place, making it kinda obvious that he still wanted it to continue.

“Tell me now, or I’ll tickle all the way down from your armpits to the bottoms of your oh so ticklish bare feet.” The ler whispered in his ear teasy lines, while he lightly scratched the producer’s bare underarm. “You wouldn’t like that would u?” Hokuto got close to his face where the producer could practically feel his hot breath.

The producer rapidly shook his head, “N-no, I won’t!”

“Then your gonna tell me why you’re upset, doesn’t that sound fun?~”

He gulped, and it was a pretty loud gulp because it got the attention of Hokuto.

“Wow… So you aren’t gonna tell me? You know, this could all be over with one quick swoop!” Hokuto squeezed up and down the producer’s ribcage.

“GaH! Nohohohoho please, Hohohohkuto.”

“You do realize since you’re not telling me to stop, you’re enjoying yourself, right?” Hokuto stopped his attacking fingers.

The producer looked up at him with teary eyes. “Wh-What, but… but I don’t…” he sounded like he was about to cry, and that struck something inside of the ler’s heart.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok, trust me. Your secret is safe with me.” Hokuto caressed the producer’s face, staring deeply in his watery eyes, getting lost like he was in a tide pool trying to survive. It was beautiful, charming, to be exact… “Tomoya enjoys it too, but he has his limits, and it’s just so cute, haha-“

“SHUT UP!” The producer blurted out, letting his jealousy get the better of him. “You always talk about Tomoya. Tomoya did this, Tomoya did that, AND I’M SICK OF IT!! Ever since… ever since u met him, it felt like we lost connection. You would always tickle him, I would never even get a poke out of you. And I can’t say how I feel… b-because, I don’t want to be judged…” The producer sniffed out, god he swore to secrecy that he will never explode like this to anyone, but he couldn’t stop as the tears kept flowing down his cheeks, and words kept getting spurred up by his saliva forming at the corners of his mouth.

“Woah, Woah, Woah, what do you mean?”

“I like you, Hokuto, I love Tomoya too. In fact I wanna date both of you guys, but… But, I can’t” The producer whispered that last one, taking in heeps of breath. “I know it’s weird to be in love with a men since I’m one too, let alone, in love with two at the same time, so I get it, if you don’t want to be friends with me beacuse I’m gay, then that’s fine… I-”

Hokuto interrupted the producer with a passionate kiss, lasting for at least 3 minutes, till the producer broke apart. “Wh-What was that?!”

“I love you too, producer, I love Tomoya as well.”

“What are u saying?”

“I guess what I’m saying is… will you go out with me? Please?”

“O-Of course!” The producer went back in for another kiss, until they both heard a knock at the open door, coming face to face with Tomoya.

“That was the hottest shit I’ve ever seen. YOU GUYS LOVE ME!!” Tomoya squealed with excitement.

*cringe warning*

They both laughed, “Tomoya, will u date us?” Hokuto asked.

“OMG YES!!! But too bad I missed out on tickling the producer….”

“It’s ok, you can help me tickle Hokuto if you want!” The producer smiled at Tomoya and grinned at Hokuto.

“Wh-What?!”

“Did u honestly forget u were the most ticklish one out of us three?” The producer got up, leaning over a scared, soon-to-be, lee.

“Oh, yes~ I forgot that too.” Tomoya walked over to him with wiggly fingers and a meanacing grin matching his lover’s.

“Wait, wait guys. It was ok if I tickled you two because u enjoyed it and I don’t, please guys, have mercy on me!” Hokuto slowly backed up to where his back was pushed to the wall.

“Mercy? We haven’t even started yet. Tomoya, hold him down.”

“Yes, sir!”

“NO! STAHAGGAGAGAP!”

That night was filled with laughter, kisses, and truth or dares. It was one hell of a night, a night that they all will remember.

[seigephoenix]

Happy Friday! How about "Comfort after a nightmare" from the cute couple prompts for the pairing of your choice?

Thank you! I do love the variety of ships I have that fit this prompt! I had to roll a d12 to figure out who to write for it. XD I wound up going with Elaina Cousland x Alistair for this prompt. It seemed to fit just right.

Content Warning: canon storylines mentioned Length: Again I forgot to look. XD Oops

Elaina jerked awake grasping the front of her shirt as sweat poured down her face.  She struggled to breathe, forcing the air in her lungs was too hard with the panicked thoughts still racing through her head.  She pressed the heel of her palm against her temple, as if willing the panic to go away would work.  She knew it wouldn’t, it never did.  She looked up as she heard footsteps outside of her tent and she braced for the inevitable questions.

“You alright?”  Elaina released a shaky laugh as she realized it was Alistair.

“I’ve been better,” she admitted.  Her eyes widened as Alistair pulled back the flap on her tent.  “Yes?”  She shook her head at the unspoken question in his eyes.  “It.  It wasn’t about the darkspawn if that was your question.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”  He shifted until he was inside her tent, letting the flap fall close behind him.  She felt the tears welling up and hastily brushed them away with her fingers.  “That bad?”

“I.” Her words were broken on a quiet sob, and she bit down on the inside of her cheek.  There was no time for grieving, not until Howe was dead at her blade and the Archdemon no longer a threat.  Only then would she let herself break.  “I was just reliving what happened at Highever the night Duncan recruited me.”

Alistair thought back and realized what she meant.  He reached out and grasped her hand in his.  “You know, it’s alright to let yourself feel.  Duncan told me that keeping everything pent up would create a wound on your soul.  That’s not something you can heal like a wound.”  Alistair ran his thumb over her knuckles and Elaina paused at the ache in her chest.  This wasn’t sad and it made her heart yearn for something she didn’t want to put a name to.  “If you need to talk about it…”

“Maybe I should…”  Elaina whispered as she stared down at their hands.

“I’ve always been told I’m a good listener.”  He grinned and she couldn’t help but laugh at how earnest he looked.  She had no doubt he was a good listener, Alistair had just as much a sad story as she did.

“I saw my father again, begging me to leave Highever.  So that at least one of his children would make it out alive.  We.  We didn’t know if Fergus was still alive or not.”  Elaina sorely missed her older brother and did not want to tell him the news if he did live.  “The last image I have is of them facing their deaths because they trusted the wrong man.”  Alistair’s thumb never stopped moving across her hand, just silently reassuring her that he was there.  “I.  I can’t help it.  I should have stayed.”  She closed her eyes as the tears began anew.  His hand reached up and brushed across the tears on her face, until his palm rested against her cheek.  The touch startled her, and her eyes darted towards his.

“I think that your parents would have been very sad if you had stayed.”  Elaina felt the tears welling up again and she hiccupped around the sob rising in her chest.  Alistair pulled her against his chest as she let the tears fall and she broke down.  “We can’t ever change the past.  No matter how much we wish we could.”  She felt his hand running down her back as he spoke.  “The only thing we can do is live.  Live and fight on as they would want us to.”  Elaina sniffled and leaned back.  “Better?”

“Haha, somewhat.  Thank you, Alistair.  I’m glad I wasn’t alone.”  He gave her a cheeky grin.

“That’s me.  Look, whenever you do need a shoulder?  I’ve got two really strong ones.  Okay?”  Elaina nodded and leaned back as she sensed he was growing uneasy.

“Alright.  I’ll remember.  Thank you again Alistair.”  He nodded and shifted.  “I think I’ll try to get some more sleep before sunrise.  We’re heading into Orzammar and I don’t want to be sleepy when facing the king.”  Alistair nodded and bid her good night before he headed out.  Elaina looked down at her hands and closed her fingers as she felt them aching to feel his warmth again.

[missmoondalorian]

Chapter Four - A Warm Welcome

    The KING?! You felt a surge of panic, as if you had to get something done. 

"Whoa. Slow down." You told yourself.

   Why are you getting all worked up? It's not like you're going to even meet him. You laugh at yourself and figure you'd at least go with the crowd and see his ship come in. It must be a magnificent vessel.

   As you near the docks you see Sis with the other kids pushing their way through the crowd to get to the front, and call out to her. 

She grudgingly walks towards you.

"Can't I go see the Dawn Treader come in?" She pouts.

"Yes, of course." You smile, I just wanted to let you know where I was. Stay out of the way, and mind your manners."

"I will!" 

She disappeared into the crowd. 

You stood towards the edge of the group, making sure Sis could find you easily if she needed to. Plus being in the middle of a large crowd made you nervous. You heard the crowd get excited and looked up to see the most beautiful ship you had ever seen pulling up to the end of the dock. 

It was massive, painted gold, and had huge purple sails with the Narnian crest on them. The head of a sea serpent adorned the bow, and you could swear it was alive with how much detail was in it. 

There were so many people on board. More than what you assumed to be a normal ship crew. Then you realized people in the crowd were calling out to those on board, some crying, others laughing. These were the lost villagers!

As the gangplank dropped and people disembarked, you were astounded at the sheer number of them. So many families were being reunited around you. You recognized a few of them, the fisherman and his wife you had just spoken to were hugging their daughter who you clearly remember being sacrificed to the Darkness years ago. 

The combined feeling of joy and sadness from everyone was palpable, sobering, and a bit overwhelming. You scanned the crowd, lost in your own thoughts until you heard a familiar booming laugh from a tall, furry headed minotaur up near the dock. 

You saw Sir Tavros clasping arms and laughing with someone, who you couldn't quite make out from this distance. Clearly a dear friend. 

He then motioned downward, beckoning someone towards him, and who but Sisni emerges from the crowd to stand by him. 

The man Tavros was talking to knelt down towards her level, and shook her hand. She shied and hid behind Tavros, and said something to him. He then looked up, around, saw you, and motioned for you to come over.

"Damnit Sis." You whisper to yourself as he motions for you to come to him. 

"What did she say now."

You wonder to yourself as you move through the hugging families.

The crowd parts to let you through, and you can now see the man Tavros and Sis were talking to, and your breath catches. 

He's incredibly handsome... handsome isn't even the right word, he's gorgeous.

He is tall, even standing next to Tavros, he comes to his shoulder. Long, thick, dark hair pulled back messily allowed for a stray strand to frame his angular face.

"Ah here she is!" Sir Tavros exclaimed. 

"This was the beautiful lass I told you about Sire. She, and her sister have shown us all great hospitality."

SIRE?!? Aslans' ghost. It's King Caspian. 

You immediately forgot how to walk, talk, or breathe. 

They must have noticed you stop dead in your tracks, because King Caspian approached you smiling, and with his hand over his heart gave you a little bow, and held out his hand for yours.

You fumble awkwardly but manage to place your hand in his, and give the world's worst curtsey. 

He brought your hand up to his lips, and kissed it. A tingle shot up your arm and you felt yourself turn beet red. 

"It is my genuine pleasure to meet you, my lady. I cannot thank you enough for taking such good care of my crew."

You could have sworn you died. This can't be real. 

The only thing that reminded you it was, was that Sis (without your noticing) had made her way to your side and poked you very hard in it.

You jumped slightly.

"Of course your Majesty, it was my honor and privilege." You managed to gasp out.

You made eye contact with him, and felt a warmth spread from your stomach downwards. His eyes were dark and deep, but warm. A scruffy, light beard framed his gentle smile. But Aslan, did he exude pride. Even if you didn't know he was the king, you would have felt weak in the knees in his presence. Fuck was he handsome...

You suddenly realized your hand was still in his. He gave a small laugh and smiled as he let go. 

In a matter of seconds, the rest of the villagers realized who he was and began swarming him. You and Sis got pushed away and towards the edge of the group, Tavros followed.

"I hope it's alright miss, but I told his Majesty that he and the rest of the crew should stay at the inn with us. It is so much more comfortable than the ship."

Sis answered for you, "oh YES! how amazing that King Caspian will be staying at our inn! Right?"

She looked at you.

"Of.. of course. What an honor." You responded to them both, while internally panicking.

"We will go ahead and start preparing for their arrival, come on Sis."

You waved goodbye to Sir Tavros and headed back to the inn.

"Oh wasn't he just marvelous?!?" Sis gushed. 

"He even called me miss! Can you believe he's going to be staying with us?!? Maybe he'll make me a princess?"

"Don't get your hopes up. " You smiled at her. 

"What was all that about anyway? " she asked

"What?"

"You curtsied like a newborn deer, and You stared at each other for like...an hour... You were being so weird. "

"Was not." You felt yourself blushing again, thanking Aslan that it was getting dark so she couldn't see. "I was just thinking about all the work we have to do now to prepare for all these guests. I don't think we have enough rooms. "

You were actually thinking about that now. There was no way in hell you were going to give the King a shared room.. but the only other empty room was...

"You can give King Caspian Mother and Father's room?" Like she read your mind.

"We don't have a choice, do we?" You sighed. "Alright, let's hurry up and get back. We have a lot to do."

Back at the inn, you sent Sis to go prep whatever other beds were available while you stood staring at your parents' closed bedroom door.

" Just fucking do it." You scolded yourself. "it's for the King."

You took a deep breath and opened the door.

It took a minute for your eyes to adjust to the darkness, but the familiar smell of dried eucalyptus hit your senses like a brick wall.

Your mother always kept dried eucalyptus hanging in the window, she said it kept out pests and kept the room smelling fresh. She was right. Minus the dust, the room looked and smelled freshly cleaned, which you were extremely thankful for. Less to have to do.

You lit the lamps, and started dusting, and picking up anything that belonged to your parents that was left out. Your mother's hairbrush, father's shoes, and various other personal items each brought back vivid, and very specific memories. But you couldn't afford to dwell on them now. You silently thanked your parents for allowing the use of their room as you cleaned, taking mental images and caching them away so you could return everything to its rightful place as soon as you are able.

You didn't even notice Sis in the doorway.

"I don't think I've ever been in here." She almost whispered.

You started. "Crap, you scared me." 

"Sorry."

"You have, but you were just a baby when they..."

"Got taken."

You both stood in silence for a while. 

"It's a big room." She spoke first. "I think his Majesty will be happy with it."

"Yea.." you trailed off. The realization that the king... the incredibly good looking king...will be sleeping next door to you. The quickest thought of sharing a bed with him crossed your mind, you felt that warmth creeping downward again, and shook it out of your mind. 

"Shall we get dinner started for the crew?" You asked her. 

She nodded and you closed the door, feeling slightly guilty about thinking of the King in that way...

[angelictragedy]

Bite. Fear. The air reeked of it, the terror the poor human must feel... All because of him. He expected the anger, the hatred, yet still, hearing it so openly had him recoiling like he'd been hit, hands twitching on his lap where they'd fallen.

"Vash... Hasn't arrived here. He was here, but he.... They said he's gone again." He didn't understand it, still didn't know why they'd bring someone here then send them back. "I... Don't know who they are. The Guardians are the ones who told me he was gone. But someone, something brought us here, picked us for-" for what he had no idea.

The mention of a trick has him jolting, head snapping up only to hunch. Of course he'd think it was a trick, he'd never done a kind thing in his life according to this man. He hadn't in so long he nearly forgot what kindness was.

"Arriving here... I'd initiated my last run... I remember dying, burning up inside as I walked aimlessly into the sands, leaving my brother with the nice humans that saved him...." He looks to the sky, a spark of a memory, arms open wide seeing stars - ships - falling.

Suddenly, his lap is full of dog, her nose bumping his chin, her pink vest with a large badge emotional support animal next to another I am working please don't pet me in smaller writing yet no less large and colorful to catch the eye.

The tears never stopped, hands trembling as they slip up to her sides. Wings formed, blooming behind him like a flower, feathers tearing through his face, his sides. The picture of a broken angel, just as Vash had been countless times by the end of Wolfwood's life, more after.

"I'm sorry." He hiccups, blue falling back to Nicholas, to the man his madness had not only tortured, but killed in the end.

"I don't want to hurt you. Simply to repent. Let.... Let me tie her somewhere safe. Here, death isn't permanent, so you could kill me as many times as you liked." Lips curled in a way that mirrored his brother, just as he would when humans would fill him with lead, that soft prayer his pain would be enough.

Still, his legs refused to work, he couldn't move. Her whines grow as his head falls down, bumping hers.

"You have to go, Gato. I... I won't let you get hurt because I need to repent." his voice is soft, crackling on the edges as he pleaded with the pup who plopped her butt right down. "Please, Gato... I... I deserve this." It's small, pinched out of his fluttering lungs.

Still, she remains, whining with him as he slowly holds her. Still, blue turns up, smiling to the human. It's filled with pain, guilt and shame. He deserved so much agony, so much suffering by the man's hand, yet here he is, shattering apart just seeing him.

"There... There is no trick. I'm too old, too tired. I-I'm trying to be better, trying to make change... All I have are my feathers, they cannot sharpen, believe me, I've tried to impale my own limbs with them before." He's tried a lot until he got Gato, until he'd made promises with Legato to be better.

Yet here he is, throwing those promises out.

"You never have to see me again. I'll avoid you best as I can." As soon as he could move he'd tie her up and walk to his death. Wings lower, soon draping along the ground behind him, once white plumes were also stained black in many places, echoing his dying state.

He was nothing. A pitiful mess in front of the killer, one almost knocked back by nothing more than a puppy trying to soothe him.

"I just needed to know it was really you. That you were safe." He feels his heart clench, his lungs ache as another tear trailed down a cheek feather. "I know this doesn't make sense, I know you're mad, how I wish you pulled the trigger when you stood over my healing form. Things would have been so much better for the world if I never-" he's nipped now, earning a wince as finally he looked at the dog.

He'd been clawing his arms, his hands on her, when did they leave? When did he start taking anxiety out on his own flesh again? He frowns at the glowing blue blood before an idea struck him.

"I can do it!" Eyes light up as feathers gently tug the pup's leash, another snaking towards the dagger. "I-I'll prove to you I'm changing, I'll do what you couldn't! Then you'll see I'm not tricking you." Was he desperate?

Yes. He wanted so badly for someone to witness him suffering so he could repent for his sins. Vash had stopped him, he'd seen the blood of his brother for a second time because of his inability to cope, but Vash wasn't here and Nicholas wouldn't care if he died, might even cheer.

"She will know to wait for me, or to go home. I can die, then you'll see!" He knows he sounds frantic, that his voice is pitching up, that the tears burned his skin now as everything ran cold in his veins.

He just needed his dagger back, he knows how to make it slow, how to bleed and burn in a way that makes him feel just an ounce of agony the humans he'd hurt might have felt.

Then he'd be believed.

Nicholas didn’t understand what exactly was happening. Where he was, why he was there, how he got here, it was all a mystery to him. It wasn’t right. None of it was. The last thing he’d remembered…the inevitable. Death. He’d felt it in every step he took the last few days he’d been alive and had never muttered a word, keeping what he knew would come for him until he was already in the ground.

This, quite obviously, was not six feet under in the desert sands outside of Hopeland.

First of all, he was breathing. Second of all, nothing was familiar. This was not the Gunsmoke he knew. For a moment he considers maybe he’s been dead so long they made this much progress. But that couldn’t be.

After someone unknown to him handed him a package of goodies he was left to his own accord. For quite a while he’d wandered aimlessly moving on foot until his body ached and he couldn’t no matter how hard he may try. Whatever this place was…he certainly wasn’t used to its complex terrain.

Eventually when his attempts at finding some explanation render him nothing but exhaustion he stops at the tower again after what feels like circles. He figured he’d perhaps come across someone eventually if he waited long enough. And he did. Waited, and waited, and waited, until he heard a voice he wasn’t expecting to.

Had…he not been killed?

If he wasn’t, did that mean…Vash was…

What was all of this?

Whipping around like a dog that’d been hit one too many times he stares him down, and he backs up, a hard glare covering his complexion with the undertones of stagnant fear. If anyone could catch onto them, it would be him. He was the creator of those fears after all.

How could you hit a dog and not expect it to bite?

“What the hell do you want? And who the hell is they? Where am I? Where is Vash?” He snarls, cynical as ever. His eyes didn’t dare to follow the knife, his frenzy of emotions not allowing him to. In fight or flight, all one can do is keep focus on the perpetrator. For his protection, he felt he had to.

Whatever the other was trying to do, he clearly wasn’t buying it.

“Back for round two? One lifetime of torturing and using me wasn’t enough? Whatever this is, you’re stupid if you think this trick will work.”