#i love you goa !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[anouchan-jpg]

i love heavy rains.

llike yes! press me down! keep me down till i get dissolved in the mud and become a flower.

its like a heavy blanket

[wrapperpaper]

The 'inner child' urge to build a house and live in Panaji is immaculate. To go on walks around the neighborhood, cycling in the evening, stare at the sky while sipping tea, seeing Mamma Mia for the thousandth time, swaying peacefully in the kitchen while soft bollywood songs play in the background and paying my own bills seems kinda nice.

[helyiios]

What is your happiest memory? 💛

Watching the sun set over the sea while eating banana and honey pancakes in Goa 💛

[najlepshy]

“… hippies and other kinds of boring people …” - my great aunt talking about the colonisation of goa

[nyancrimew]

oh wow you once came to india? im indian, I'd love to know where all you visited and how the experience was! (positive or negative lol, ik its a difficult country for many foreigners)

i really enjoyed it but i cant say i really experienced india at all, i was flown into goa by a big tech company, picked up at the airport by the driver and immediately taken to the 5 start beach side taj resort where we spent 5 days before being driven back to the airport. the food was fantastic, the ocean awesome to swim in and it was fun to finally meet some of my friends from the android community i never thought i'd get to meet (most of them from india).

but we definitely got just an all expenses paid luxury vacation/conference much more than anything else, we did plan to go out and explore a bit of goa on one of our two free days but it was way too hot and the resort was quite a way out of the city so that never happened.

i would definitely love to eventually go back to india again though and actually experience a bit more of it than the glossy resort world if i can ever travel again (and can ever afford traveling that far again)

[innerfare]

Sabo’s Type 

Summary: A collection of random headcanons describing Sabo's type

Genre: Angst

CW: None // SFW

———

Sabo is such a show off, it’s no joke. It’s for this reason he has such a thing for a damsel in distress. He really enjoys the opportunity to flex his powers. (Flashback to Dressrosa arc and him swooping in to rescue Rebecca but leaving poor Bartolomeo lmao.) But he likes it even more if showing off doesn’t work, since it works on basically everyone else. 

Someone who is unimpressed, or at least initially hides it from him. Sabo lives for a challenge. While he loves it when people fawn over him, he’ll become a little obsessed with someone who shrugs at his dragon claw and fire fruit ability, who brushes off his pretty face and muscular body, who doesn’t care that he’s the second in command of the Revolutionary Army and is going to tell him exactly what they think of him.  

Someone with a voice like honey that makes him want to kick his habit of hanging up the transponder snail in the middle of the call and instead stay on the other line for hours listening to them talk about nothing. 

Someone powerful. Someone who can not only hold their own in battle so he doesn’t have to constantly worry about them but also someone who can spar with him. Someone who has undergone rigorous martial arts training and insists their style is more powerful than his dragon claw. Someone who triggers his competitive side. 

Someone who will make fun of him, even going so far as to poke fun of his heritage (without going too far). The odd joke about Sabo being a pampered aristocrat will get his blood boiling. He’s the type to ignore all the people fawning over him and go straight for the person who seems uninterested (side note: Sabo does not respect the ring; if you’re married and he wants you, he’s going for you). 

Someone with as much a reason to hate the World Government as he does, perhaps even more of a reason. Someone who wants to see the world burn. But also someone who starts out as his enemy, so maybe a marine or member of Cipher Pol with a traumatic backstory working as a double agent for the Revolutionary Army. 

Someone who likes his scars. He’s come to view them as a symbol of his failure to escape Goa on his own, and even as a symbol of the reason he couldn’t be there for his found family, so he doesn’t feel proud of them the way a warrior should. But if you’re proud of them, if you run your fingers over them, he’ll grin like a fool. 

Someone who is well read and a good enough writer to read his manuscript and offer feedback, someone who can edit some of the pages and offer him some direction when he’s not sure which direction to go in. Someone who agrees with his point of view on the subject matter (typically the corruption of the World Government) and can aid him in getting that across. 

Someone who makes him feel safe enough to ask for affection. Sabo isn’t really used to positive reinforcement. Though he received some once he joined the Army, a rough childhood without a drop of real softness has left him a little thirsty for someone to run their fingers through his hair while he vents about everything wrong in the world. 

Low-key has mommy issues, craves a woman who will make him food, take a bath with him, and tuck him into bed. Refuses to admit it, though. This folds into him craving a more feminine partner because he's been surrounded by so much roughness. One of his guilty pleasures is definitely crushing on the young noble women he's supposed to be usurping.

Someone who doesn’t hesitate to make his family their own, who falls right into the ranks of the Revolutionary Army and makes themselves at home with the Straw Hats (I think it goes without saying Sabo's SO has to have Luffy's stamp of approval). 

———

Hope you enjoyed it! If you want more, you can check out my masterlist here!

[tossawary]

Thinking about a "One Piece" AU, where all of the East Blue Strawhats have actually met each other before Luffy starts sailing. Because Nami and Zoro are both wandering pretty far, easily able to meet anyone, and Sanji is on the Baratie, which is also moving around and may dock at various islands.

So, let's say that the Redhair Pirates briefly dock near Syrup Village on their way back to Foosha Village, and young Usopp stows away so that he can go be a brave adventurer like his father. For a couple weeks, little Usopp and little Luffy are rolling all over town together like frolicking puppies, until the Redhair Pirates are ready to head out again and drop Usopp back home along the way (Yasopp is going to be in SUCH shit with his wife). Little Usopp goes back to tell everyone about this kid he saw eat a devil fruit that turned him into a rubber man, such that Usopp could use the other boy's fingers as a makeshift slingshot to fight off crocodiles! They had great fun trying to figure out Luffy's ridiculous new powers together and coming up with silly attack names.

And no one believes this story from Usopp because it's absurd. After a few years, Usopp starts to wonder if he actually made the whole trip up, if he's just lying to himself too, until Luffy finally shows up again and it's like the Spider-Man meme. "YOU," Usopp says, pointing with a trembling finger, until Luffy makes a noise like a squeaky toy and then tackles Usopp for the tightest and happiest hug anyone has ever seen.

Little Usopp meets little Nami at one point because she's just passing through, picking pockets, waiting for her next ship, and she steals from Usopp what she THOUGHT was money but actually turns out to be exploding paint pellets or something. So, a paint-stained little Nami turns on Usopp like, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS???" because she's so shocked and angry about her cute new outfit being ruined, and he ends up apologizing (just full on sobbing) to HER for not being a good enough pickpocketing mark.

The Baratie docks at Usopp's island at some point to pick up groceries, maybe they got blown off course by a storm, so young Sanji meets young Usopp at a market stand selling spicy peppers. Usopp spins Sanji long and complicated stories about the flavor and rarity of the peppers, how he labored for many days through terrible dangers to pick them, and then someone else gets back to the stall and says, "Thanks for watching it for me, kid." And Sanji is like, "What?" And Usopp has to admit that he doesn't actually work there. He does know a lot about peppers, though! However, he was also lying a bit... maybe a lot...

Zoro meets Usopp and Luffy because he's hunting bounties through their islands. (Luffy falls in love INSTANTLY. I wrote another post about that.) The little Usopp Pirates become convinced that Zoro is a pirate invading their island, so they get Usopp to come "fight" Zoro, which ends up being Usopp guiding a lost Zoro (the kids set up so many fucking traps, he is NOT having a good time) to the nearest bar. They hang out for a bit. Usopp got a little tipsy. Usopp CLAIMS later though that he fought a ferocious, green-haired pirate who had swords instead of hands.

Young Sanji meeting young Nami is just a classic case of "you let that pretty girl have HOW MUCH in free food???" Zoro probably tracked a bounty to the Baratie at some point and got in a fight with the waiter; Zeff won't just ban the fucker because Zoro did actually pay his bill and Sanji HATES it. Zoro and Nami could have met at any point in their travels; they could have even had a navigator & bodyguard setup for a little while, before Nami ran off with all of some pirate bounty's treasure.

The Baratie usually wouldn't dock somewhere like Foosha Island, but they were in the area and Zeff wasn't such a fan of Goa Kingdom. Little Luffy wasn't even allowed in, but Sanji fed him some food out the back anyway, and Luffy decided then and there that Sanji was going to be his cook. Sanji said, "You are fucking crazy," of course, but no one has ever reacted to his All Blue dream like Luffy did. So when Luffy finally comes looking for him, Sanji still immediately says, "Fuck off, I'm not going!!!" but he's also smiling so wide at seeing this crazy kid again. It fools no one.

Nami probably went treasure hunting in the jungles there. She screamed at the top of her lungs when a 15-year-old boy dropped out of the trees and said, "Hey!!! What are you doing? Ohhh, are you treasure hunting? Can I help?!" (Ace has just set sail. Luffy is bored.) Nami could use the help, so she allows it, figuring that she'll find a way to trick Luffy at the end. But after their wacky adventure together, Luffy is like, "That was fun!!! You can take all of the treasure now, I don't need it," and young Nami doesn't say no but it breaks her brain a little bit. What kind of idiot says that the adventure is the best part and actually MEANS it?

So, they're all screwed by the time that Luffy sets sail. He's coming for them! He'll find them all eventually! ♥️

Alternatively: none of the East Blue Strawhats meet each other beforehand but they do all meet Ace when he sets sail. Has anyone in the world ever talked about their little brother this much??? This Luffy kid doesn't sound like a real person. And then two years later, they all run into Luffy and they're like, "Oh, shit, he's real."

[leonidele-rambles]

okay but.... what if he was? what if he was? we've already seen Oda mix different places together in the same island (Alabasta was a mix of Egypt and India) and ASL's Gray Terminal is inspired by a place in the Philippines.

though we already have the in-world London (Rommel kingdom), I still think it's entirely possible that Goa Kingdon was inspired by somewhere just as 'posh' as Britain. who knows? I'm not Oda

Nothing pisses me off like people saying Sabo is British

[diminuel]

I love your Crocodile so much, and love the idea of him showing how much he cares about his kids, in his own way. What do you think his reaction would be when Crocodile saw Luffy on level 6 when he came to save Ace?

Thank you ;w;

If we're talking Stinky Child AU I'm still trying to figure out how Ace' imprisonment would have gone! Would Crocodile and Ace react to each other? Would it be safe to risk exposing a connection even though it's hard to imagine how things could get even worse?

I think the despair Crocodile would feel knowing that Ace is down here, that he couldn't protect him would be immense. Worse than any torture he might have endured in Impel Down. Not only is Ace facing a public execution, he knows that this is going to change the world in one way or another. Most likely both WB and Dragon will be pushed to move and while Crocodile doesn't care about WB running into a trap, he does not want Dragon to be there.

And yet, when Hancock delivers the news that Luffy is coming? He's never felt as horrified as then, because Luffy is just a child (yes, he's an adult by Goa law but he's a baby, his baby!). He is just an inexperienced rookie that only managed to beat Crocodile because Crocodile couldn't fight him properly. How did he get here? There is no way that he can survive a siege on Impel Down! He'll lose Ace, Dragon and Sabo will be pulled into a trap that will most likely kill them and end what Dragon has been fighting for for so long, Luffy is going to die here. Everything Crocodile has done was for nothing! He failed everything he set out to do!

But then... Luffy shows up when Crocodile feels like all hope is lost. Against all odds, Luffy is here, alive, with familiar allies.

He feels fortified by this, Luffy's appearance like a breath of air, like sunshine on his skin. If they get him out then he'll make a difference. Luffy got so far, Crocodile will make sure he gets out of Impel Down.

But Luffy would of course be shocked and pained to know that Crocodile was down here and he didn't know! I don't know if it would be safe for Crocodile to hug him or to tell him he loves him and all is good, but maybe a hand on Luffy's shoulder and a smile would be enough to settle Luffy's anxieties.

And then they're off to save Ace!

[where-does-the-heart-lie]

I'm up way later than I need to be and listening to music while I draw and this song gives me SUCH Sabo feelings and I would love to hear your opinions!! (Never Love An Anchor by The Crane Wives)

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Y07xArvIvjw&si=ffMbMHTWuHHnxY2C

You dare bring. The Crane Wives. Into this peaceful household.

Never Love an Anchor no less.

RELATING THE SONG TO THE BLORBO FROM MY SHOW NO LESS

The audacity.

Anyway.

Yeah it makes me think about how Sabo left Ace and Luffy on his own accord at the end. Of course it was a last resort but he left them because he knew that this was the only way for them all to be free.

He left knowing that he would probably not see him until they were 17. Or maybe even never again.

He left them so that they could be safe. Because as long as long as he was with him, as far as he could see, hands would still try to claim him, resulting in the ones he loves getting hurt.

There was no winning for Sabo or any of them. As long as he tried delaying the inevitable, it just never would have happened.

He had to give up what he loved so he could keep it.

And then after he regains his memories, him thinking how much he’s changed. His claws might hurt the one he loves so dearly, even though at this point he doesnt even know him anymore. What if when Luffy finds out that he was alive, it only hurts him deeper. Knowing that there was someone who would have made a difference that day wasnt there. Reliving not only that day in the moment of reuniting, but the say he lost Sabo, too.

I dont find it strange that Sabo didnt try to reunite with Luffy until dressrosa. And in fact i think that reuniting with luffy is something he did as an absolute last resort. I think he truly didnt want to meet him that day at all.

In the anime alone, it doesnt much show it, but in the manga and the Episode of Sabo his hesitance and nerves are really clear to me. He takes a second before he starts walking to talk to luffy. His hand is clutched and shaking. He walks as slowly as he can. And also he only does it after he knows that Luffy cant get the fruit.

They both need that fruit safe. An heirloom of their precious brother, the only thing they have left that can life on from him.

If Luffy could’ve finished that tournament, im fairly certain Sabo would’ve never revealed himself.

I think he feels like he might hurt luffy if he did, but i also think that he didnt feel he deserved it. To reunite with Luffy after all that time. After all that happened.

Going back to the song, the lyrics

“So, I did the only thing that i could And severed the rope to set you sailing from my harbor.”

Even though it was Sabo who went sailing from the harbor, what he was doing was sever the rope from his connections with luffy and Ace so that they could grow and be free without worrying about being held back by him and the weight of his life keeping him suffocating at the bottom of the harbor he’s being drowned in.

If sabo had successfully left Goa that day, and he had reunited with Ace or Luffy somewhere down the line, i think he would act the same way he did in dressrosa that day. I think he would feel his baggage is too much, someone could be after him. And he wouldnt want to reunite. Especially after how he left them.

To me, that letter didnt read as a “i hope i see you again”, but a “goodbye forever”. Which i mean,,,, it was one, at least in Ace’s case, so … 🤷‍♀️ kill me

Anyway, the sentencing of your crimes of Crane Wives-ing me will be capital punishment, i hope you understand.

Thanks for the ask!

[the-aspec-country]

I exist now!

hi Tumblr! I am the Aspec Country! I don't know how else to introduce myself so I'll just tag some people

(sorry if I double tag you)

@aro-sp-ace-force @big-fucking-sagittarius-astar @bisexual-navy @canadian-hellbird @france-unofficial

@gimmickverse-weekly @god-of-death-official @gimmick-swag @genderfluid-marine-corp @i-say-bean

@i-am-the-milky-way-galaxy @its-target-official @libra-the-scales-offical @literally-leo @literally-luxembourg

@might-be-capricorn @moongate-keepers-official @non-tyrannical-usa @official-god-of-order @officially-new-zealand

@official-draco-constellation @officially-capricorn @the-missiles-guy @totally-neptune-official @totally-oregon

@totally-ikea @ursa-minor-probably @ursa-major-actually @walmart-the-official

@youraveragemagicalthief@yahooo-official @duothelingo @i-say-bean @corvus-the-constellation

@and-cassiopeia @officially-taurus @the-official-god-of-chaos @the-real-illinois @the-principality-of-sealand

@the-red-planet-mars @its-target-official @guatemala-official @the-gimmick-authority @thestateoflouisiana

@amul-unofficial @official-the-united-states @official-denmark @denmark-forreal @denmark-official

@denmarklandia-official @actually-danish-denmark @official-hongkong @official-ireland @definitelytherepublicofireland

@actually-literally-ireland @forever-scotland @totally-france @france-unofficial @russia-totallyofficial

@germany-official @totally-germany @genuinely-germany @definitely-britain

@definitely-canada @official-new-zealand @india-official @yugoslavia-official @wales-official

@the-offical-roman-empire @the-official-italy @guatemala-official @totally-italy @the-principality-of-sealand

@definitely-brasil @holy-roman-empire-revived @spain-unofficial @very-real-australia @antiquitian-empire

@literally-luxembourg @100-percent-real-official-malta @totally-japan @therealrepublicofkorea @pakistan-official

@i-am-poland @kingdom-of-asgardia-real @very-much-mexico @republic-of-molossia @the-kingdom-of-norway

@sweden-official @non-tyrannical-usa @the-entire-country-of-sweden @greenland-offical @the-state-of-michigan

@state-of-0hio-official @cape-breton-island-itself @state-of-florida-official @state-of-connecticut-official @the-us-navy-offical

@the-us-navy @the-real-illinois @the-state-of-georgia-official @mhm-wisconsin @rejasthanofficial

@stateofuttarpradeshindiaofficial @the-only-ontario @actually-alberta @newjersey-official @new-york-for-real

@definitely-indiana @the-province-of-nova-scotia-real @femboy-state-of-florida-official @the-republic-of-texas

@new-hampshire-real @unofficial-illinois @newhampshireofficial @saskatchewan-real @quebec-official

@texas-real @rhode-island-real @we-are-not-the-feds @totally-texas @telangana-official

@sovereign-state-of-alaska @tamil-nadu-official @west-bengal-official @this-is-goa @totally-oregon

@buffalony-official @maharashtra-official @kolkatabbg @gujarat-official @axom-miss

@karnatakaofficial @canadian-tire-real @tamilnadu-official @bihar-official @mumbai-official

@communist-usa-real @officially-gay-va @definitely-north-america @antarcitica-official @official-the-pacific-ocean

@the-real-atlantic-ocean @bangladesh-official @hyderabad-unofficial @delhi-the-capital @the-lovely-planet-earth

@totally-italy @france-unofficial @totally-france @the-official-italy @the-wonderful-jupiter

@speckled-callisto @deimos-moon-of-terror @moon-of-fear-phobos @decafcatfeen @the-real-eris

@the-real-illinois @the-official-goose-god @india-official @pakistan-official @asteroid-belt-resident-ceres

@genuinely-germany @antiquitian-empire @actually-mtn-dew @spain-unofficial @definitely-brasil

@definitely-britain @definitely-canada @very-real-australia @zoozve-official @the-province-of-nova-scotia-real

@the-problemo @unusuallyy @concrete-the-cat @official-denmark @official-hongkong

@official-planet-pluto @truly-pluto @truly-the-sun @its-target-official @i-am-poland

@ruhrpott-i-guess @non-tyrannical-usa @the-gimmick-authority @realsafari @official-new-zealand

@google-news-official @guatemala-official @forever-scotland @definitely-waste-management

[syrupfog]

It's not hard for Law to pass for an alpha, but that doesn't mean he wants to do it. Dousing himself in pheromones makes him gag, and he knows suppressants aren't good for long term use. 

"You'll get used to it," Doffy had whispered in his ear. "And if you don't? That's too bad."

Doflamingo holds too many things-- too many lives-- over his head. Freedom is a pipe dream for Law. 

"You're going to get me this political alliance with the Goa kingdom," he tells Law, sickeningly sweet. "All you have to do is manage not to be rejected by their prince."

The reality is more complicated than that; of course it is. The third prince of the Goa kingdom is a strong willed omega who's run off every arranged marriage his grandfather has attempted to set up. They have to be desperate if they're looking as far north as Swallow Island.

The good news is that no one that far east will know Law is lying about being an alpha. That's a point in his favour. The bad news is that Law's looking at living a lie... for the rest of his life, for the sake of his friends that he'll likely never see again.

The boat docks at Goa and Law's ushered up to the castle so fast, it's clear they're trying to get this over with before he can back out. 

He meets the three sons (and their grandfather) at dinner, an elaborate affair he has no appetite for (unlike the four of them).

Luffy, the youngest, his betrothed, barely looks at him. He eats what must be double his weight in meat and then takes off, the other two not far behind; at least the oldest asks his name before he runs off. 

Then he's left with the grandfather, the king. That's much worse.

The king says, "He's a handful, but he needs a good strong alpha to put him in his place." 

Law nods. Plays the part. "I'll be what he needs," he says. 

The king laughs. "I like you, boy," he says. "Have a drumstick." 

Law accepts it, but doesn't touch it. He feels queasy.

In the coming days, it's difficult to meet Luffy. It's difficult to even find Luffy most of the time, he's off like a whirlwind every day. When Law does manage it, he finds himself trailing after Luffy, just doing what he can to keep up, while Luffy complains about his scent.

"You reek," he says, frowning childishly. 

'I know,' thinks Law. The pheromones clash with his omega scent terribly. He hates it. 

"I don't want to marry someone who stinks," Luffy says. 

"You'll get used to it," Law says. He sort of doubts it, though.

Then he has to spend a good twenty minutes running to keep up as Luffy's gotten word from his brothers of an underground fighting ring in the city. 

(Luffy beats everyone in the ring and then shuts it down). 

(Law thinks about how Doffy would have encouraged it continuing).

The problem is, as Law follows Luffy day after day, he watches this man do thing after ridiculous thing, and each time the citizens prosper for it. 

The problem is, each time it happens, Law is horrified to find himself falling a little in love. 

That's not part of the plan.

Especially because Luffy doesn't feel the same way. 

The goal was and is still marriage. But looking forward to a spouse that resents him makes Law want to curl up and hide, his omega suffering from the potential rejection already. 

And having to act an alpha the whole time.

But, as long as LAW doesn't formally reject the marriage, Luffy won't have a choice. The date is set for the end of the year. He just has to make it through, follow Doffy's orders, keep his friends safe. An emotional rejection will be fine, Law knows logically it's not personal.

"You've made it longer than anyone else," the middle brother, Ace, tells him at one point. 

"I have to," Law says, before thinking better of it. 

Ace gives him a bemused look. Law wonders how much longer he can live in Goa without even one person (bar their odd king) liking him.

The problem really comes when his heat is due. 

The suppressants keep most of it at bay, but the need for comfort, for an emotional connection of any kind, pulls at him. Dousing himself in alpha pheromones nearly makes him vomit and he has to suppress a whine.

He ends up not seeking out Luffy at all that week, instead holing up in his quarters, desperately hiding inside a nest made of the few things he's kept that smell like home. 

For just a moment, he thinks maybe none of this is worth it, wants to just crawl home, seek comfort.

But then he steadies himself. This isn't about him. 

He doesn't come out for meals, claims he's sick when the servants ask. 

After three days, the door swings open with a bang and Law is startled out of his half asleep state as part of his nest caves in over top of him.

"Hey," says Luffy, crawling into the nest. "You haven't come to see me. Are you leaving?" 

He would prefer that, wouldn't he? 

Because the only person here whose opinion of Law matters hates him. 

Law, to his utter horror, opens his mouth and nothing but a sob comes out.

He's in heat, on suppressants, and being rejected, okay? He curls in on himself, clutching the brim of his hat over his eyes, clenching his teeth to keep from making more noise, although that just leads him to shake harder, overwhelmed. 

"Whoa!" says Luffy. "Shit, what's wrong?"

And then, to Law's utter horror, Luffy says, "Huh. You finally smell good." 

Fuck. He hasn't reapplied the pheromones since he made his nest. 

Everything Law is feeling is broadcasting through his unadulterated scent. 

"I mean, you smell sad. But you smell good. You know?"

Then Luffy is literally crawling over top of him, nuzzling into his neck, releasing a calming scent that Law didn't even know was possible for someone as chaotic as Luffy. 

"Wha—" Law tries, voice cracking from held in tears. 

"I'm making you feel better," Luffy says.

And well, he is— Law's already stopped shaking, eyelids drooping from exhaustion, but—  

"Aren't you— curious? About my scent?" 

"Yeah, sorta" says Luffy. "You smelled all wrong before. But you smell better now. I like it. You should stop spraying that other stuff."

Spraying—

"You knew?" 

Luffy stops nuzzling, blinking down at him. "Knew what?" He tilts his head. "Oh, that you're an omega? Not at first. Ace n' Sabo told me, said they had you ivenstigated 'cause they didn't trust you." 

Awesome. Great. Law's failed. Everything's done for.

"Hey wait," says Luffy. "Your scent's gone all upset again. What's wrong with being an omega?" He puffs up his cheeks. "I’m an omega!" 

"That's exactly what's wrong with it," Law snaps. "Nobody wants two omegas sitting on the throne!" 

Luffy reels back and fixes Law with a glare.

"I don't care what anyone else thinks," he says. "And you shouldn't either! Why do you even want to marry me if you can't even be yourself? What's the point?" 

Law clams up. He can't just— he can't tell him. 

"Traffy," Luffy says lowly, staring down at him with wild, steely eyes.

Law keeps his mouth shut. He thinks, dimly, that this is the first time Luffy's called him by his name (albeit, not quite his name). 

Luffy leans forward slowly, and Law feels like a bug under a microscope. "Traffy," Luffy says. "Who's hurting you?" 

"What?" Law asks, dumbstruck.

"You're not a bad guy," Luffy says. "You're stubborn and a stickinamud, but you're not mean and you don't yell at me." 

Law has definitely snapped at him a few times. 

"You don't yell at me about stuff that matters," Luffy corrects, at his look. "You're a good guy, Traffy. Who's hurting you?"

Law feels a bit like he's a child again, getting grilled by his parents after taking the fall for his sister busting out the window with a ball. 

"I-I—" he tries. "I can't—" 

"Is it that Mingo guy?" Luffy asks, and Law is starting to wonder if Luffy just. Knows everything.

"Ace 'n Sabo told me about him too, that they think you might be a bad guy because he's your dad and he's a bad guy." 

"He's not my dad," Law snaps. He thinks of his father. Thinks of Cora, even. Doffy could never be what they were. 

"Oh," Luffy says. "He's the one hurting you."

"You don't— it's not that simple," Law pleads. Pleads for Luffy to understand. There's no easy way out of this, not when Doffy holds all the cards. He's shaking again, cold like he's outside in the Swallow Island winters. Luffy's calming scent so far away.

"It is that simple," Luffy says. "But that's alright. We can fix it, now that I know. Okay?" He leans down again, slotting his cheeks between Law's neck and shoulder, and—

"You don't care?" Law asks, voice embarrassingly small. "That I'm an omega?" 

Luffy— Luffy laughs.

"You are an omega," he says, like that explains it all. 

"Do you want me to call the wedding off?" Law asks. Luffy holds the cards now. He knows Law's just under duress. 

"Nah," says Luffy. "You're a good guy, and I like you. We'll get married, then I'll kick that guy's ass."

"You can't just—" Law doesn't have it in him to explain just how vast Doffy's networks are, his crime syndicates. He plays both sides of the underworld, rules both of them. 

But— 

If anyone could— 

Law feels crazed. He feels like Luffy isn't real, can't be this... perfect.

"My friends," Law says. "He's going to kill my friends. I can't be the reason they die, Luffy." 

Luffy nods (into Law's shoulder) (He smells like candied bacon). "Okay," he says. "We'll get them out first. Sabo's good at that shit." 

Law is pretty sure Sabo hates him.

"He also doesn't hate you." 

Law is more convinced Luffy is all knowing. 

"He doesn't hate you because I like you, so he has to like you." 

Luffy says things so simply, like there's no option other for them to be true. 

Law doesn't get it, sort of hates it, does believe him.

"Can— I'm in heat, Luffy," Law says, because he's overwhelmed and ten seconds away from another meltdown. "This isn't really appropriate." 

"That's okay," Luffy says. "I don't care about appropriate much, anyway." 

That's true, Law knows that.

The nest smells like back home, and now it smells like Luffy. 

Luffy, who is good, in a way that doesn't make sense. 

Luffy, who is wrapped around him like a jellyfish. 

Luffy, who says he's just going to fix everything. 

Law has nothing to offer him in return.

If— if Luffy manages this, even just to get his friends out— Bepo, Penguin, Shachi... Cora... 

Law's seen him do odd miracles every day. He believes him when Luffy says he'll do this too. 

Shuddering out a breath, Law soaks in Luffy's scent. 

It's sweet, it's omega.

It's strong and powerful and unique to Luffy. 

Law wants to drown in it. 

He whispers a prayer to the forgotten sun god of his childhood island that everything will work out. 

Luffy whispers back that he should go to sleep, because it will.

[itsprashimusic]

Wildest Dreams Warm Realities

"Standin' in a nice dress"

Summary - You thought seeing him on the train was the last time you would but turns out, that Goa really is as small as some might say.

Pairings - Charles Leclerc x indian!fem!Reader

Warnings - reader likes to dance, curse words, reader can dance, y/n used i’m sorry, one of the outfits has a slit and another is off-shoulder, lmk if there’s anything else. Happy reading🩵

W/C - 2.9k

A/N - happy birthday to my first love<3 this gave me the motivation to finish a pt2 that has been in the works since march. if i bore you with my description of the dance, please feel free to let me know, but again be respectful.

Navigation | "Say you'll remember me" | "Standin' in a nice dress" | "Starin' at the sunset" | ..babe"

The first four days of doing absolutely nothing in Goa felt amazing. Waking up late had never felt so good. The sun was warm but not overbearingly hot. And the cool winds in the evening provided the perfect opportunity for wearing those long cotton skirts plastered all over your beach moodboard. 

You had nearly forgotten about the Monegasque you met on the train. Nearly. It was a quiet evening before a long next day when you remembered the cute foreigner. It was a unanimous decision to go to the beach where most of your friends dipped their feet in the rising tide while you and another friend sat and enjoyed the sunset. Reminiscing about the mysterious driver made you want to talk about him more to your best friend, Sarah, but after coming to the beach, she got lost in a crowd of people. She texted you saying she met someone and was having an interesting conversation. You wished that you were the person she was having a conversation with instead of a stranger she just met.

You soon forgot about Charles just as quickly though when your group called you and the other girl to the water. You got up and ran towards the incoming waves, hair being blown back by the salty winds. 

The next day you got up extremely early. The wedding was at nine in the morning, for some reason. 

The dress code was traditional Indian wear, and since you were the only one who could do it, you became the dedicated saree draper. You barely had an hour for yourself to get ready. By some miracle, your makeup, hair, saree and jewellery were ready in time. 

The wedding was beautiful. The first half of the wedding took place in a temple in the south of Goa. 8:30 in the morning you and all of your friends were surprisingly ready and sitting in the two cars and driving to the temple. Reaching just about on time, you saw that most of the venue was empty. You mentally face-palmed yourself. The group found a table and settled there, all the purses and water bottles were left on the chairs surrounding the table. 

About half an hour later the wedding party arrived along with the pandit and the families of the bride and groom. A few of the bride’s relatives were going around and handing the women long, fresh gajras. Sarah carried a bunch of booby pins with her, and helped all the women in the group, including you, with pinning the gajra to their hair. Some left their hair open while others had an updo. You had styled your hair in a way you knew would look good no matter what. 

The wedding continued. There wasn’t much that happened. Rituals were conducted, poojas were repeated and everyone was sweating horribly due to the humidity. The only thing keeping you from smelling like a pig was the powerful fragrance of the gajra. By around 12:30 pm, the wedding was more or less done. Your group scurried to be among the first to greet the newlywed couple and give the gifts. Everyone was hungry, and since there was going to be an evening extension of the wedding, no one really bothered to say ‘congratulations.’ The group gave their gifts, took 2 photos and left in a hurry to grab chorizo sandwiches from a cafe across the street. 

Thankfully in the evening, the dress code was not as strict. Meaning, that the grandparents and family elders were not there, allowing the newlywed’s friends and younger family members to wear western clothes. But you did not know this when you packed. All you had was traditional party wear.

“Konse kapde hai tere paas?” you asked as you walked into your shared room with Sarah. The girl just looked up from her phone with a confused expression. “Kya?” 

“Mere paas aaj shaam ke liye kapde nahi hai,” you complained as you started looking through her suitcase trying to find a dress you liked. 

“Woh blue off-shoulder wala dress hai, pehenle.” she dismissed you and went back to texting on her phone. 

You knew exactly what dress she was talking about and promptly found it. It was a baby blue off-the-shoulder dress with beautiful white flowers all over it and a tie-up in the front. You put the dress on, sat under the fan and began redoing your makeup for the evening. Your hair was behaving, so all you had to do was fluff it with your hands. Small butterfly earrings, a matching white butterfly-studded choker and a modern kada with the same butterfly decorating it; this was a jewellery set you were gifted on your birthday by Sarah herself. You thought that this was the perfect occasion to wear it. You had white heels to match along with a sling bag. 

Using your shoes as an excuse, you managed to convince one of the guys to drive instead. It was an hour before sunset when your car reached its destination. It was a lovely open area with a dance floor near the sea. You could hear the waves crash against the land as you walked to the entrance. The first thing that your entire group did was to go up to the couple, who were good friends of yours, to congratulate them and take photos. The next stop was the snack counter for a little energy boost before the dancefloor opened up. 

The newlyweds had their first dance to a very sweet song. Just as the song ended, the DJ switched it up to more upbeat tunes which got the entire crowd dancing. While you were dancing you saw and met many people who you had not seen in years, including some of your old school friends, a few of them complimented your jewellery. There was this one guy you had a crush on during your school years who revealed he also liked you at that time. Some old classmates admitted to not liking you at all. Basically, within the first 45 minutes of dancing you wished you were back in your room. But then a different song started playing and you coupled up with Sarah as the MC wanted people to find a partner. You did a funny version of the macarena. You did some line dances followed by some jiving music. 

It had been two hours of dancing, two hours of hearing different bollywood songs, maria pitache 3 different times, some punjabi and tamil songs, and english bops like shape of you and baby. You were sweating horribly by then and wanted to go get a seat right when you heard the iconic ‘pretty lady, pretty lady, pretty lady’ and took a u-turn back to the dance floor. 

Just as the song reached the line ‘bareli ke bazaar mein’, you stretched your arm out and turned. You felt your arm lightly hitting someone. When you went to pull your arm back, instead, you got tugged and ended up colliding with someone. Apologies started to pour out of you, as best they could over the loud music. Your butterfly kada got caught on a piece of a chain that was stitched to the man’s kurta. The bridge of the song was playing in the background as you looked up and saw that very face you were dreaming about at night during the past four days. 

To say that Charles was surprised when he saw you was an understatement. His left hand was on your wrist, and the other was held by his stomach. You both kept looking at each other and back down at where the pair of you were connected. The song shifted to the intro of Hookah Bar. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked. 

“Me?! What the hell are you doing here?” 

You both just kept staring at each other, your eyes seeming to be in a fight, trying to determine who has to answer the question first. You got fed up first and pushed your way out of the dancing crowd, Charles having no option but to be dragged by you and your butterfly kada. 

You reached a more quiet corner when you said, “I was invited to this afterparty. The bride and groom are my school friends whom I haven’t met in a few years. Your turn.”

He took a breath in before answering, “My brother said that he knew an authentic Indian party we could attend and my family trusted him.”

You bore a look of bewilderment on your face. “You know what, I am gonna ignore what you just said. I am happy to see you here, regardless of why you ended up here.” Charles breathed out a happy sigh and smiled. God, his smile was even better than you remember it. You moved to give him a hug when you were reminded that your kada was still stuck to his kurta. Damn, he looks good in Indian clothes, the colour goes really well with his ey- 

Your thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of Charles’ warm hands over yours, carefully untangling the chain from the butterfly. Your hand was finally by your side and you were smiling widely at him when he pulled you in for a hug. 

The hug felt nice. It was not common for you to be hugged by a guy, so it felt nice. At that moment your mind flashed back to the ‘relationship’ you had in school where you fell for the attractive guy in your class who turned out to be an asshole who was openly dating someone else. It is not really that deep, but it made you think whether you were going to make that same mistake again because Charles is extremely attractive. And whether it was going to be an even bigger deal because you are no longer 14 years old, but an adult with a job and big girl responsibilities. 

Charles was the one to break the hug. Pulling back, he saw the look of doubt on your face. “Y/n are you alright?” he asked. You nodded while taking in a large breath. “Have you had dinner yet?” you say trying to change the conversation. “No, I have not. But I am excited to try the local food.” 

You told him to come with you. Taking the brunette to the Goan dinner counter you showed him all the different foods and explained what the food was made of. You took some of your favourite foods that you spotted. He ended up with rice, fish curry, prawns, crab legs and a bowl of dahi you secretly took just in case. 5 bites in and he was trying his very best to hide from you just how much he was feeling the spice. You laughed and took pity on him, “Here, this will help” you said while passing him the bowl of cold dahi. He managed a ‘thankyou’ in between coughs due to the spice and finished about half the bowl. 

In between your small talk with Charles, the MC came up to you and whispered in your ear. The Monegasque looked confused but didn’t question you. “Are any of your family members around? I need to go somewhere, and I don’t want to leave you alone.” Charles replied that he could call his brother. With that confirmation, you gave him your bowl of dahi and left, passing by his brother whom you greeted. Little did Charles know that you were heading to a changing room with hired anarkalis and ghagra cholis. 

About 10 minutes later, the stage where the couple were previously seated began filling up with smoke as the MC gave a monologue. The beginning of a song started playing just when he finished speaking. All of a sudden the lights went off as the sound of lightning played, leaving chills all over the guests' arms, legs and necks. The lights come on and there stood on the stage are women from your school and college who were known for their dancing skills, you standing front and centre.  

All that could be seen were the silhouettes of all the ladies. The music began, and the sound of a woman singing in a high pitch was heard loudly on the speakers. You were mouthing the words Shreya Ghoshal sang. As the upbeat tune of ‘Radha’ began, each woman stepped forward and gave a step in time with the music and lyrics. The crowd was loudly cheering everyone on. Charles was mesmerized watching you. He didn’t know you could dance. But now that he saw you dancing, he never wanted to take his eyes off of you. Never wanted you to stop moving your body in that rhythmic, captivating way. 

With the addition of the best man and the groomsmen on stage, the crowd went wild. They were all great dancers back in college, not losing touch with that side of them. The best man was your dance partner when it came to competitions and events. You guys were shipped together, but he was already dating his now wife back then. And just like back then, he joined you front and centre, not missing a single beat when doing your old handshake. 

The way he stood behind you and let his hand fall from your ear during the line ‘o radha tera jhumka’ and the way his hand hovered (at an appropriate distance) over your hip during the line ‘o radha tera thumka’ and the way he followed behind you like a puppy, holding your dupatta during the line ‘o peeche peeche saari nagariyaan’, it got Charles feeling some type of way. He’s only met you one time before, why is he feeling like this? And that dude is married for fuck’s sake! WHY IS HE FEELING JEALOUS?!!??!

The last line of the chorus played and as the men twirled and stood behind the women, came the first line of one of the sexiest songs alive. ‘Main ruthiya yaar manawangi…’ The lights dimmed, the focus was again mainly on you and the crowd shrieked so loud Charles thought his eardrum might break. Part of the costume came off, showing off more skin and allowing for easier and more movement. 

Your legs showed through the slit as you bent your knees sideways and tend stood back up, leaving the Monegasque’s eyes bulging and mouth open while the crowd wolf-whistles. 

‘Mere maahiya sanam jaanam’ had the crowd going insane as your shiny waist chain blinged underneath the expensive lights and made the party feel 10 times hotter. 

Charles swore in French, a word he doesn’t use often but which was almost too fitting for this moment. 

The hair flips, the arm movements, the rolling on the ground and the structure of your leg which was on full display when you stood up, all this was more than enough to hypnotise the driver. He was in a trance, under a spell, fixated on you and only you, his dahi a lukewarm forgotten bowl. 

‘Dariya dariya mere yaara’, the lights flashed everywhere, temporarily blinding everyone. But the sight that was waiting for them would definitely be worth it. For those 3 seconds where no one could see the stage, everyone’s position changed. You were kneeling on the best man’s shoulders, while he was standing up straight. You’re friends who were also watching and cheering you on lost it, along with the guests. Even though Sarah had seen most of the practice, she hadn’t seen this part, and it shocked her. She took a video of the entire song to show you later.

‘Akhiyan de mohalle mein, har shaam tera aalam’ The body rolls and hip sways broke Charles. He understood zero of what the song said, but the vibe of everything was more than enough to make it feel as if his entire body was on fire. The way you gripped onto the best man’s hair to avoid falling had him falling hard for you. 

You allowed yourself to fall face first but caught yourself with your hands and proceeded to do a front-facing cartwheel, landing a mere 10 cm from the edge of the stage. Now kneeling you completed the remaining steps of the song before it changed into another. As the song changed, all the women were lying back on their hands and were then dragged away backwards by the men, who were performing next. 

Once exiting the stage you stayed near the stage to watch the rest of the performance. The guests were filled with life, the energy only increasing. About 20 minutes later when the performance was done, all the dancers from all the different dances went up on the stage, music never stopping. You, the best man, the bridegroom and a few of the other main dancers were standing in the centre. ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’ played as everyone did the hookstep. 

Charles managed to catch your eye in the middle of it all. You both maintained eye contact. It broke when you were pulled down by the bride for a photo. Once the whole show was done, you got off the stage with the objective of finding Charles. But he was nowhere to be found. You came to the conclusion that he probably left since it was quite late. You and your friends were nowhere near done with partying since that was the point of coming to Goa. This was one hell of a Christmas Eve. 

A/N - Please bully me into writing and posting the remaining parts before this year ends🙏🏽 Hope you enjoyed reading🩷

Tags - @blue-eyed-mary | @sam-is-lost | @juleswrites223 | @kawaiiixchan | @holy-macncheese-balls | @rhythmstars | @nerdreader | @speedycycletyrant |

[charlieconwayy]

Top 50 OTPs of All Time ☆ #44. Naomi Campbell & Emily Fitch

"I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you. I think I was twelve. It took me three years to pluck up the courage to speak to you. And I was so scared about the way I felt, you know, loving a girl, so I learned how to become a sarcastic bitch to kind of feel normal. I screwed guys to make it go away, but it didn’t work. When we got together it scared the shit out of me. Because you were the one person who could ruin my life. I pushed you away. I made you think things were your fault. But really I was just terrified of pain. I screwed that girl, Sophia, to kind of spite you for having that hold on me, and I’m a total fucking coward because I got these… these tickets to Goa for us three months ago, but I, I couldn’t stand… I didn’t want to be a slave to the way I feel about you. Can you understand? You were trying to punish me back and it’s horrible. It’s so horrible, because really, I’d die for you. I love you. I love you so much it’s killing me."

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Cara yan Crackships that will never happen but are fun to think about

Dracule mihawk & cara - romantic, dramatic goth x confused princess

Law & cara - loves cute things x is a cute thing

Ace & cara - literal hot head x composed ice princess

Shanks & cara - chaotic man x overthinking, stressed

Zoro & cara - guard dog x bunny

Buggy & cara - the beautiful bride x how are you still alive clown

Boa & cara - the most beautiful x the most beautiful

Sabo & cara - revolutionary x princess

I can go on

Okay honestly... Sabo and Cara would genuinely work out great as a couple and I'm kinda obsessed with it now.

Like I immediately pictured Sabo infiltrating a gala being held in Cara's home country. He kind of knows how to blend in from his childhood in Goa Kingdom, but he's rusty and imperfect. Most of the people there are too preoccupied with themselves to notice, but Cara does. When the formal dance begins, she makes sure that she ends up dancing with him.

Sabo thinks he's absolutely nailing his act if the princess herself is approaching him, only for Cara to playfully whisper that he really didn't do his research. He's left buttons undone all night, he holds champagne flutes wrong, and he was courteous to the staff. How amateur.

He's already looking around for a quick exit, sure that she's about to scream for the guards, but she calmly continues, asking if he's had a hand in the civil unrest in the country. Then she really throws him for a loop by giving him advice. She tells him which parts of the country have less surveillance, and what groups would be more likely to be sympathetic to his cause or even want to help.

Of course, Sabo is dubious of her. This makes no sense and is highly suspicious. However, she goes through the whole night without ratting him out, and the areas that she said would be safe actually are. So he seeks her out again and really talks to her. He learns about her personal disdain for her family's rule and how much she hates seeing the citizens suffer for it. Even though other revolutionaries are more wary of her, Sabo can empathize with her due to his own background and gives her a chance to prove herself.

They work together to bring down her family, and when they succeed and the people are free, he offers for her to join the Revolutionary Army. Her tactical expertise helped significantly during the take down, and he says he would be a fool to not at least try to convince her. He didn't even need to try, she was happy to join and work with people that can actually appreciate her for her. They go on to become the ultimate power couple.

I was going to talk about some of the others, but I got carried away oops

[ooffmlsorry]

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

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

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

🔥🔥🔥

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“All done?” 

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

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

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

“Sounds like me,” he said.

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

Cold. 

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

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

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

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

“HA! I got you!” 

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

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

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

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

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

So cute!

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

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

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

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

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

“I love you, Ace,” you said. 

And then he kissed you again.