It's barely the end of the first day of school, and three faculty members are dead. Nobody knows much yet, but supposedly the six freshman who all managed to get detention on the very first day of school were involved and, if the rumors are to be believed, two of them actually died. In a dumb fight in the cafeteria against some animated corn. Kipperlily rolls her eyes when she hears it. They're clearly a bunch of losers who are going to either drop out or get someone killed before the year is out, but that's not really her problem, is it?
Still, just to be on the safe side, maybe their party should spend some time in the woods behind the school, and get some practice in with rats and things before they find themselves involved in a fight like those dumb detention kids did.
It's a month into the school year, and Kipperlily's starting to get the hang of things. She's feeling comfortable in a fight now, they've been killing rats and twig gremlins in the Far Haven Woods as often as they can manage, and they're getting really good at it. They even have a name now, the High 5 Heroes, chosen by Kipperlily herself, of course.
Meanwhile, Kipperlily's pretty sure the kids from detention actually killed someone, though nobody seems to be talking about it. Kipperlily doesn't care what anyone says, she's heard multiple people say they saw members of their group talking to Penelope Sam and Johnny spells, and then the day after Johnny Spells gets killed in a fucking car chase, the rich kid, who's literally the son of a pirate, has a mysterious new motorcycle? It's all far too suspicious.
It's the week after winter break, and Kipperlily is stuck in the stupid guidance councilor's office, talking about her dumb feelings. Unlike the Bad Kids (and what kind of stupid name is that), who apparently had an adventure dropped in their lap within minutes of the first school day ending, Kipperlily has been waiting months and still nothing has popped up. Plus Oisin and Ivy keep joking about changing their party name to the Rat Grinders.
It's dumb. Who would want a party name that's based on some joke? Besides, she already chose the name. So why on earth would they change it now? At least Lucy seems to agree with her about it.
It's just days after prom, and Kipperlily is sick of everything. The stupid Bad Kids apparently crashed prom and literally defeated Kalvaxus, Emperor of the Red Waste. It's honestly bullshit. A dumb group of kids that couldn't even make it through one day of school without getting one third of their party killed, and they're being credited with saving the entire continent? Kipperlily's been digging into the Bad Kids' history with every moment of her free time, trying to figure out how a bunch of dumb untrained kids managed something so huge. And she thinks she might have cracked it.
Kristen Applebees is literally Helio's Chosen One, and apparently Adaine Abernant is the new Oracle of the Elves. Kipperlily doesn't know what Fig, Fabian, or Gorgug's deals are yet, but if rumors are to be believed, then Riz Gukgak's dad was eaten by the very same Kalvaxus. Clearly the entire reason the Bad Kids are succeeding is because of their personal histories.
And to make matters worse, Oisin and Ivy managed to get the rest of the party to go along with the stupid Rat Grinders name. and Mary Ann didn't even have a reason for it! The only one who voted with her was Lucy. So now they've got a dumb name and no real adventuring prospects, and all the while, a bunch of kids who skip classes and get arrested are somehow getting perfect grades with no effort.
It's sophomore year and everything is terrible. The Rat Grinders meet every day to kill rats in the woods and it's dumb and boring, and not even a little bit difficult anymore, and she has to go to weekly councilor sessions with Jawbone, who's an ally of her rival adventuring party, which. Aguefort already clearly likes them, and even before he was resurrected they had managed to get two of their allies positions in the school. Which has to be an unfair advantage. And now Fig's dad is the vice principal rather than the lunch lad. It's really no wonder they never seem to get in trouble for skipping classes or any of their other bullshit.
At least she can use their connection with Jawbone to her advantage. Every meeting with him, she mines him for new information on the Bad Kids, who have been doing absolutely nothing so far this year.
It's sophomore year and The Rat Grinders are going to finally get their chance! Porter and Jace have approached her with the opportunity of a lifetime! Porter even said she shows a lot of promise! He doesn't even seem to take issue with his anger, and he says that he's going to help her become an amazing adventurer. All she has to do is accept this weird little rage star thing and start worshipping some dead god of rage. Kipperlily honestly isn't that much into religion, but this is the first interesting thing to happen to her all day. She's already working to convince Lucy to change her god.
It's sophomore year and even as Kipperlily is finally making progress, the Bad Kids are still showing her up. Somehow, they ended up fighting the Nightmare King himself, defeating him and somehow in the process, Kristen Applebees managed to ressurect a dead god of her own. It's bullshit and literally the only reason they manage to get back in time for the end of spring break is the direct intervention of the principal again. Plus now Fig has somehow managed to become an Archdevil and start dating Principal Aguefort's daughter. As if she wasn't already a rockstar.
It's sophomore year and Kipperlily's going to make the Rat Grinders the best adventuring party at Aguefort, even if it kills her.
It's junior year and the Bad Kids seemed determined to ruin her life. It's bullshit. They literally didn't even know who she was before this year, and they seem determined to ruin everything she's working towards. On the first day of school, they all collectively decided that Kristen was going to run for school president, seemingly as a bit, the exact second that they find out she's running. And immediately on meeting her they made fun of her fucking name for literally no reason.
It's junior year and everything's going to plan. Kristen's been expelled, and the Bad Kids are taking The Last Stand, and they've got the perfect opportunity to get rid of all the Bad Kids for good. And yet somehow Kristen fucking Applebees manages to ruin their fucking plans perfectly, spotting her out before she can succeed in killing the proctor and Buddy. Instead she has to kill Buddy and let Oisin take her away before the Bad Kids can do anything. So of course the Bad Kids get a literal perfect score on The Last Stand, and now they've all aced their classes for the whole year.
It's junior year and they're summoning a dead god. It's junior year and they find out as they're casting the spell, that the name they'd gotten was fucking wrong. It's junior year and despite all their preparations the Bad Kids have managed to get to the gymnasium with all their stupid fucking votes. It's junior year and Kipperlily is at least going to kill Riz. It's junior year and Riz literally dives into lava.
It's junior year and Kipperlily's going to kill Riz. He thinks he's hiding, but she can see him, and she's going to have to close with him, but this is her opportunity, and then she's in the air, and he's got her in a hold person spell, and she's falling, and she's in the lava, and it's so hot, and it burns, and then it's all gone.
It's junior year and Kipperlily is dead. It's junior year and she's in a world of crystal spines and lava, and in the reflections of the crystals, Kipperlily can see everything. She sees herself in those wretched meetings with jawbone, kicking at the leg of the chair, and she can see Jawbone asking her every fucking time, what can she do to become a better adventurer. As if it was ever in her control. As if she ever could have done anything. As if it wasn't all about her backstory the whole time. As if she weren't the boring daughter of two boring people. As if she had ever had a chance.
"Did you ever try?" She hears a voice ask. And then Ankarna is there. The god that she tried so hard to kill. "Did you ever really try to become a better adventurer, or did you just wait for it to happen to you?"
"I did everything I could!" Kipperlily insists. "It's unfair, why should they get all the advantages?"
"Were they really ever advantages? Or did you just decide they were?"
"You think those idiots deserved their success? All they ever do is screw around!"
"That is not what I have seen of them. Nor have I seen any better of you. Of course, you did your schoolwork and you did it to the letter, but when did you ever challenge yourself? When did you ever take a risk? When did you ever seek out a task that was more than what you felt certain you would succeed at? Would you have even have the courage to take part in Porter's plan if he had not personally trained you, ensured that you were all as powerful as possible? You insist that the Bad Kids are only successful because of their tragic history, but what of Gorgug? There is not one thing in his past that drives him and yet he has succeeded at doing things no one else has ever managed." Ankarna stares long and hard at her, and then she is gone and Kipperlily is alone again. With nothing in her death but her own thoughts to keep her company.
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unexpected comforts
law x gn reader, fluff, overworked and sleepy law
a/n: been watching wano and law is just too bbg. had to write some fluff for this man. law 100% has doctor's handwriting btw. also i'm bad with titles so ignore that
You groan as you wake, rolling over onto your side in a groggy, hazy state of mind when you're met with what could only be the fabric of couch cushions in your face.
Weakly, you open your eyes and force yourself to sit up. One hand rubs at the back of your neck in a feeble attempt at soothing the ache there, your reward for once again falling asleep on the sofa arm. You're not even sure what time it is, and the dark, deep water from beyond the lounge's porthole window doesn't help with approximating any time of day.
With a sigh, you scour the room. Memories from the hours prior run through your mind as you look over the now long abandoned drinks scattered around the table in the middle of the room, the rest of the Heart Pirates having turned in for the night without wanting to wake you.
Whatever mild inebriation that still flows within you isn't enough to keep you from cleaning up after their mess. You're fully aware that your crew didn't mean any malice behind their leftovers, so you're content with doing a bit of chore work before you too tuck yourself in for the night.
Getting to your feet with a stretch and a yawn, you begin gathering the various glasses and bottles of whiskey left over and take them to the kitchen to dispose of properly. You wash the drinkware in the sink and set them aside to dry before tossing the empty bottles in the bin on your way out of the room as you head for your bunk.
The cold interior of the Polar Tang and its metal walls had been something you'd long grown used to, though when the main areas of the submarine lay as dormant as it did now - it did feel a little eerily quiet. You shuffle down the main hallway in your socks, feeling somewhat thankful that you'd left your boots in your quarters for fear of waking the rest of the crew up with heavy footsteps.
As you near your destination, you pass by a very specific door that's just slightly ajar and have to retrace your steps in a double take. A faint light from within the room bled into the dim hallway, and, unable to keep your curiosity in check, you peer inside quietly.
You're greeted with the sigh of your captain, his head flat on his desk, discarded hat next to him. It was quiet enough for you to hear that he'd also fallen asleep in a less-than-ideal position. You knew that he overworked himself to the bone, so his current circumstance did little in the way of surprising you. Nevertheless, you feel your face soften at the sight before quietly sliding between the door and making your way over to him.
At first, you're unsure how to wake him - or if you should even wake him. You figure that you should at least try, especially considering how your neck feels after waking up on the sofa awkwardly, let alone face down on a desk.
"Captain." You say softly, using your hand to lightly touch his shoulder and gently shaking him. When you're met with silence, you do it just a bit harder. "Law."
With a slight mumble, he begins to stir. "Hm?" Law's low, tired voice makes your ears ring, and suddenly you're not sure if this was a good idea after all. He sits up and turns to see who had roused him from his sleep, and when he sees you there with a concerned look across your expression he feels his jaw tense.
Out of each of his subordinates, it had to be you here waking him up. Law didn't have any regrets when it came to choosing his crew, and that includes you.
But he hated that he found you alluring - hated that his heart beat fast in his chest when you got even remotely close to him. Law can't wrap his head around why you make him so dizzy, so uncharacteristically infatuated each time he watches you do even the most mundane of tasks around the sub.
He's thankful that his room is dark enough to hide the obvious warmth in his cheeks.
"Captain," You say, your tender voice meeting his ears and making his stomach churn with nerves. "Sorry for waking you, but surely sleeping on your desk isn't what you want for the night." You smile down at him, though your expression is laced with concern.
Law briefly studies your face as if processing exactly what you said. He looks down at his work strewn out along the desk in front of him and sighs. "I've… got a lot of work to do." He mumbles, wishing beyond hope that you'll take him at his word and leave him in peace, for his own heart's sake.
You shake your head, and the hand you have on his shoulder falls back to your side and god, does he miss the warmth already. "If you're set on working through the night, could I get you something to eat? At least a glass of water?"
You were too good to him.
Law wants to say 'no', to wave you off to bed with a nod, but the words fail him. "Some water would be nice if you don't mind." He says, tone low and groggy. "Sure thing." You hum, your fondness for your captain dripping in your words. And you've gone in a flash, Law watches as your shadow fades away in the corridor before leaning back in his chair, rolling his head back, and closing his eyes with another deep sigh.
Before he knows it, you're back with a smile on your face and a glass of ice water in hand, offering it out to him. Law takes the glass with a small smile, humming his thanks before taking a very long and much-needed sip of the water.
"You know this, but you really should sleep, Law." His name from your lips tightens the thick knot already in his chest, and he has to force himself to keep his eyes on his paperwork lest he falls into your soothing aura once more.
He doesn't answer immediately, and you decide that it's your cue to leave him for the night. "Goodnight, captain." Your words are barely louder than a whisper, and as soft as any pillow. When you turn to exit, you've barely taken a step before you hear Law speak from behind you.
"Y/N-ya, wait."
You freeze on the spot and turn around with a curious tilt of your head as your eyes meet his once more. "What's up?"
Suddenly, he's not sure if he can do this. He swallows, clearing his throat to buy himself even seconds of time to find his voice. Law finds himself not wanting you to leave. Your sweet expression, your eyes peering over at him from beyond your pretty eyelashes, the small smile on your lips, even down to the faint smell of whatever soap you used upon your skin - it was almost too overwhelming. Almost.
"Will you stay?" He asks, letting the query hover in the cool air.
"You don't think I'd be a bother?" You ask, shuffling your feet together in a nervous twitch.
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't think so."
A fair reply, one rewarded with a smiling nod from you. "Of course. I'll hang out." You were the only two awake, after all. Law smiles, just slightly enough for you to notice, and you take a seat at the edge of his bed, just across from where his desk is.
You're not really sure what to say, knowing full well that your captain wasn't the keenest about being interrupted with his work, but as you watch him slide his lithe hands across the pile of notes in front of him, you can't help but be at least somewhat curious as to what he's up to.
"Captain-"
"Law."
You flush. Even though you use both terms interchangeably, this was the first time he's ever corrected you. "Law," You begin again, finding yourself feeling warmer than before. "What's keeping you up so late?"
Law doesn't look toward you - he can't. "Research notes." He says as he scribbles down a messy note in handwriting nigh impossible to read.
"Ah, so doctor stuff." You hum, crossing your legs under yourself. "Shit I don't understand." A small laugh escapes your lips, and Law clenches his jaw at the sound.
"Nothing you need to understand, thankfully." He replies, and you swear you can hear a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Are you stressing out over it?" Your question is laced with concern, though it's followed by a lengthy yawn from deep in your gut. Law turns to you then, his gaze softening at the sight of your sleepy form. "I'll be alright." He says. "Make yourself as comfortable as you need."
You nod at him, his gentle gaze surprising you considering it's rarity. "I can't promise that I won't doze off." Law lets himself chuckle, that little hint of a smile appearing on his lips again before he turns back to his work. "Like I said, make yourself comfortable."
The two of you sit in a comfortable silence for a while - at least until he hears your heavy breath from behind him, undoubtedly asleep. He fights some reluctance as he turns back to you, and the sight of your sleeping form, long curled up on his mattress, nearly stops his heart.
Law rolls his desk chair around fully, quietly admiring just how peaceful you look. He leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees as he watches you for a while. Your hair has fallen into your face, and with each exhale the strand covering your nose blows softly around. It's an alleviating feeling, the one you're unconsciously giving him - one that fills him with a sudden compassion. He wants to reach forward, to brush the hair from your eyes so he can see your pretty face again.
Your sleeping visage seems to do enough for him to finally close his notes, spellbound by the amity you emanate. Law yawns and stands from his chair after what feels like hours, he trudges over to his bed - far too tired to even change out of his jeans - and lies next to you.
One long, tattooed arm wraps around your middle after gently tucking your stray hair behind your ear, and he pulls you close. You hum in satisfaction in your sleep, clearly content with his weight at your side. The position is intimate, its soothing nature flooding his mind with the realization of just how much he wanted this feeling - how much he needed it. The stress of the day seems to melt away as he holds you tightly, burying his face into your hair with a satisfied sigh.
Law closes his eyes, allowing sleep to properly take him again, knowing that waking up next to you in the morning will feel far better than finishing his notes tonight.
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