#nonbinary original character

[nonbinairyboi]

Nothing Left - Chapter 2

Fic Summary: You hadn’t spoken in years. Technically, you had the ability to, though as the years wore on, you weren’t so sure. You’d settled in Jackson over a year ago and now it was fall again. You are drawn towards Ellie and her ‘not-dad’, but you had always assumed any relationships deeper than surface level were beyond you at this point.

Chapter Summary: You grow closer to Ellie and go on patrol with a new extra set of hands.

Pairing: Joel Miller x nonbinary!Reader/OC (afab, short hair, tall, dimples, has multiple nicknames but none are their name)

Word Count: ~3.2

MAIN MASTERLIST

Read on AO3

Series Warnings: This is my first fanfic and I plan to go into some dark stuff including some in-depth discussion of SA that was done to the main character (not by Joel) and the mental impact it has. I am unsure if I will be writing smut as I never have before but I will update the warnings if that changes. There definitely will be allusions to smut if nothing else, so MINORS DNI!

Chapter Warnings: Mild violence. Slight reference to general depression and anxiety. Misgendering a bit/wrong name being used. 

Chapter 2

As the cold began to creep further into Jackson, you found yourself busier and busier, picking up any odd jobs you could.

You helped with the farming, the greenhouses, patrol, as well as picking up some mending jobs as you could. It was comforting to have something you could work on at home to quiet your mind.

At night, without anything to focus on, your mind could go off on its own and run into a thick dark forest, getting caught up in the tendrils of leaves and branches blocking your path. It always surprised you how the smallest, most mundane things would catapult you to another place and time, and lately it felt like all of those places were cold and abrasive.

Mornings had become one of your favorite times of day, which was ironic because you used to hate them before the outbreak. Before the outbreak, it signified a slog of going to school, then going to work to slave a way at a job for minimal pay. At the QZ, it had been the same, feeling heavier as the jobs were harder and your days would take more gut-wrenching turns. On the road, they were bittersweet. It meant that you had made it another day, but that was a thought often tinged with regret. Why were you still here? Did you really have to continue another day?

Now, they had come to be a bit more peaceful. Even when you woke up from a dream that left you feeling anxious or out of breath, you could close your eyes and take deep breaths while hearing the gentle birds outside your window. There was a thicket of trees near the back of your house that hadn’t been chopped down for wood, and they housed quite the collection of songs.

A few months into living in Jackson, you had started to take morning walks after bad dreams. They weren’t very long, but they generally helped. You avoided the busier parts of town, staying where it was still quiet and you only encountered a few people with smiles and nods. It felt like a warm-up for the social interactions of the day. Once the air had cleansed your mind, you wandered towards the center of town to grab some food.

Today, you had awoken with an uneasy feeling, but you couldn’t remember the dream that had caused it. After a few minutes of walking and focusing on your breaths and the soft crunch underneath your feet, the cold fist that had gripped the inside of your chest seemed to warm up and loosen as you turned towards town.

You had patrol with Eugene later in the morning, but you had a few hours till then. You grabbed food and slid into a spot at the end of a table, away from the few people who already sat around. 

Taking a breath, you zoned out staring at the light that poured in from the window. It reminded you of the way the light would come in your childhood home during winter break from school, when you got up early, still accustomed to the weekly schedule for school. Laying on the carpeted floor and studying the rainbow that the prism hanging in the side window created next to you.

You were jolted out of your thoughts by a loud clatter directly across from you at the table. You jumped slightly at the unexpected noise and turned around to lock eyes with the person who had abruptly brought you back to the present. 

Ellie winced when your eyes met and mumbled a quiet, “Shit, sorry!”

You tried to school your features into a smile to show that she didn’t need to be sorry. 

She plopped down into her seat and picked up and studied an apple from her plate.

“Joel told me that back when people went to grocery stores, they used to put stickers on apples. That seems too weird to be true though.” She said with a furrowed brow.

You could help the giggle that bubbled its way out of your throat. 

Ellie smirked and turned her attention back to you. “Soooo…. Is it true?” she asked.

The side of your mouth stayed tilted up as you nodded back at her. Ellie narrowed her eyes.

“Really? It’s not just a joke he was trying to get me to believe?” 

Your smile grew as you nodded again.

“That is so weird.” She turned her eyes skeptically back to the apple before taking a large bite out of it. 

“Soo, Chhhaaaarlie,” She said, drawing out the first part of Eugene’s moniker for you as she chewed, making you squint a bit at the sound of her trying to talk around her bite. She paused for a bit as she finished her bite. “How do you even keep up conversations? Does it annoy you that people just kinda talk at you? Can you talk and just choose not to?”

You raised your eyebrows at her. A smirk formed on your lips at her direct questions. Most people skirted around the topic, stuttering a bit when they asked you something regarding your silence, not meeting your eyes. She made you feel like more of a person than most of the community had as a whole. You shrugged and tilted your head to the side, meeting her gaze.

“Fine, keep your secrets,” she said, squinting at you, before launching into a monologue about what she had been up to lately. How she loved learning but hated school generally, that she thought it was pointless when they stuck to the same curriculum that people had had before clickers existed. She admitted that they learned other things too, but still seemed annoyed at the concept of having to write an essay in the smallest print she could to save paper. Most other things besides notes were written on small white boards.

You got up together as you finished your respective breakfasts. She trailed after you as you went towards the stables, reasoning that you had enough time to help with the horses, but not quite enough time to go home and rest before your patrol. Ellie stopped abruptly in front of the board where name plaques hung, indicating who was on what patrol, staring at the plaque that had ‘Gabby’ written on it. 

“I didn’t know you were on patrol,” she said brightly. “Maybe I could tag along sometime.”

You gave her a disapproving look. You knew that she must know the age limit on patrols and you weren’t about to be on the wrong side of her brooding dad’s temper.

Ellie let out an annoyed and slightly childish grunt of a sigh in return. “Ugh, I thought you were one of the cool ones.” She dragged her feet as you moved further into the stables.

“Does it bug you that the thing says ‘Gabby’?” she asked quietly. You halted in your motion to grab the pitchfork. Frowning, you turned back to study her. She was far more discerning than you gave her credit for. As she looked at you, it felt like she was seeing further into you than anyone had in a long time and it made your heart stick in your throat for a moment. 

So much good could have come from a mind and heart like hers in the time before, you thought. Although, who knows, she might have been stomped on all the same, just in a different way than the apocalypse had.

After some moments of silence, you shrugged and put on a weak smile. She didn’t seem pleased with your response as she continued to stare at you. 

You nodded your head to the side to indicate that she should probably get going. You pointed at her and then signed ‘go’ and ‘school’ in ASL. You hoped someone had taught her some of the signs you used. You hadn’t ever tried to teach anyone grammar, so you stuck to the basics.

She looked at you and repeated the sign for ‘school’, clapping her hands together louder than you had. “Does that mean ‘leave me alone’?” she asked. You shook your head quickly, not wanting her to think you were tired of her. After a moment, you pointed more directly in the direction of the school and mimed a teacher in front of a board. 

“Oh, school?” she asked quickly. You nodded, the both of you smiling at the moment of shared understanding. “School,” she repeated while signing. You waved your hand in front of her face to get her attention before repeating the sign slower, showing the angle that your hands came together at. She copied you, correcting her hand placement. You nodded at her with a smile. 

“I used to know someone who used that.” She said after a moment, her demeanor changing to solemn. You felt your stomach drop. Had you sent her into a spiral by communicating? You couldn’t bear the thought that your mere existence might cause her pain even without you speaking. It was obvious that she was using the past-tense for a reason. 

After a moment, you saw her raise her glistening eyes to you. She then put a small smile on her face and surprised you by signing to you without prompting. “Endure and Survive,” she said while signing. You could tell that it meant something deeper to her, so you did the only thing you could think of that might provide support. You kept your eyes on her as you repeated the signs back at her with a more serious face than you had used before. It seemed to work, as the corners of lips turned up despite her wet eyes. 

After a moment more of silence, she abruptly turned, calling out a quick “bye!” behind her.

You stared after her before mentally shaking yourself out of your trance and picking up the neglected pitchfork to start your task. 

Not long after you finished, as you moved on to saddling your horse, a teenager you didn’t know well rushed in, looking stressed. You thought his name might be Jesse. He caught your eye and looked around the stalls. “Did you already muck the stalls?” he asked in a rush. You nodded politely. “You saved my ass!” he exclaimed, making you laugh. “I’ll update the log and get on with it then. Thank’s Gabby!” You nodded and continued your work. 

A few minutes later, you heard the crunching of leaves from outside, signifying that someone else would be joining you in the stables. Assuming it would be Eugene, you whipped around to pin him with a smirk, your hands on your hips. Your smile immediately dropped and your eyebrows shot up as you met a less familiar pair of steely eyes. Joel Miller.

Silence passed as you stared at each other, both seemingly surprised to see the other. You couldn’t quite interpret the look in his eyes at seeing you. It was obvious he thought the stables would be empty save for some stablehands, but there was something else lurking behind that reaction. Something more personal. 

The tension was broken as Eugene strolled in behind him and you both turned to face him. 

“You know each other?” He asked, moving past Joel to start saddling his own horse, aptly named ‘Spot’ by one of the younger children in town. Joel seemed to grunt before correcting himself and replying “Not really, no.” You nodded and shrugged your agreement to his assessment. 

“Joel will be joining us today. There was some evidence of more movement than usual along the trial yesterday,” Eugene explained. “I call this one Charlie, although everyone else calls ‘em Gabby. Neither of those are their name from what I can tell, but this one is just too damn polite to correct us.”

Joel studied you a moment before taking a few steps forward and holding out his hand to shake. “Joel.” he said, while you reached out your hand and shook his hand. His grip was firm and you thought maybe he looked surprised at how firm yours was in return. He probably was like the rest of town, assuming that because you could get jumpy once in a while in town and were quiet, that you were weak and skittish in general. 

“Don’t let Charlie fool you,” Eugene remarked as if reading your mind. “They are tougher than they look. And a good shot too.” 

Joel’s eye flicked down your body and back up, as if he could somehow assess whether or not you could shoot straight by looking at you. You were a little taller than average for your body type, but the rest of you gave nothing away. After a moment, he either found what he was looking for or gave up, as he turned toward the horse he favored, who was named Whiskey. 

You finished saddling your horse, Nightshade, and then caught Eugene’s attention while indicating that you needed to go check out guns for patrol. Eugene said “Go on ahead, we got ours on the way in.” Going up the gun shed, you checked out a pistol and a bolt action rifle, before smiling at Robin behind the counter. You were 80% sure that the teenager you had seen earlier was her son. 

When you arrived back at the stables, Eugene and Joel were finishing up. 

“Let’s go.” Joel gruffly said.

“After you,” Eugene replied, staying in the stall as Joel strode past. You followed Joel out of the stables, leading Nightshade behind you, hearing Eugene fall into place behind you. As you reached the front gates, you all waited as the tall gates were pulled open for you. 

“How often have you done Elk Creek?” Eugene asked, side-eyeing Joel. 

“Only a few times. I generally go on Alpine Valley or Teton Village.” Joel replied.

“Well, good thing you’re paired with Charlie and I then,” Eugene said, swinging up onto his horse. 

Joel grunted, although you couldn't tell if it was warily or in agreement, following suit as he mounted Whiskey. You jumped up as well and maneuvered yourself in front. You always loved the first glance out into the wilderness when the gates opened. Despite the fear that an open landscape had instilled in you throughout the outbreak, it also allowed you to take deeper breaths. Some days everything about you seemed like a contradiction. 

“Charlie’ll lead the way,” Eugene explained. Falling in step behind you next to Joel. 

The next ten minutes were spent in relative silence as you made your way towards the regularly trodden path towards Elk Creek. Your eyes darted around, wary of any movement you saw in the wind. 

Eugene called up to you as you began to enter a thicker area of trees. “They said that there were a lot of footprints overlapping about a mile before the cabin. Said there were definitely some infected if the wonky path they led was any indication, but that there were some other tracks that seemed to cross paths with them that had a straighter trail. Keep your eyes peeled.”

You stuck your arm to the side and gave him a thumbs up, not wanting to become distracted from the path ahead. You pulled your rifle off your shoulder and held it across your front, adjusting the reins until you were satisfied that you could set up a shot and fire quickly if needed.

“Y’all run into infected or raiders on this trail together before?” Joel gruffed. 

“Quite a few times actually, but none were too iffy. Charlie is the kind of person you want as your backup in those situations. Got their head on straight, especially on patrol. And one of the only people I’ve never known to not talk too much and distract their partner.” Eugene replied.

You smirked from your place in front of them, feeling slightly bashful to be talked about so directly.

Joel cleared his throat, “From what I’ve heard so far, I’m more worried about you, Eugene.”

Eugene let out a laugh. “Well, that might be a bit true. I know when to be quiet. Between us three and your kid, I think we fill in the full spectrum of chattiness.”

Joel puffed out a small laugh. “She could learn a few things from - uh - Charlie here on that one.”

You dragged your eyes away from the path ahead to look back and catch Joel’s eyes. Once your eyes locked, you lifted the edges of your lips up and shook your head.

“Charlie seems to have the opposite effect on those around ‘em. As soon as they walk into a room, I swear the room gets louder, but not due to anything they do. People just seem to take Charlie’s silence as an invitation to unburden themselves of any thoughts they’ve ever had.” Eugene remarked good-naturedly. 

You left out a small laugh at that. You heard the steps of one of the horses behind you stop momentarily at the sound. You bit your lip, wondering if Joel was surprised that you could make any noise at all or if it was something else about your laugh that had surprised him. You mentally shook your head to focus back on the task at hand. You were always nervous in front of new people, but out here, that wasn’t what was important. 

Eugene and Joel continued chatting behind you as you rode. Well, to be fair, it was mostly Eugene talking, with grunts and one-word replies from Joel. When you were about a mile out from where the tracks had been seen, you held your hand up to stop the two behind you. You turned back and signed ‘voice lock’ back to Eugene, to indicate that it was time to stop chatting. Eugene straightened on his horse, but said nothing. 

“What’s that mean?” Joel asked. 

“It means it’s time to stop yackin’, at least out loud” Eugene replied at a lower volume than he had been using before. 

Joel grunted his assent and kept quiet. 

As you rounded the next curve in the trail, something up ahead caught your eye. It looked like a flash of something shiny, which spurred you into action. You halted Nightshade and brought your rifle up, looking through the scope towards the glint. You heard the other two stop behind you. After a moment, you found what had caught your attention, but it only confused you more. 

Tied to a branch amongst the trees far ahead, someone had tied a silver ribbon. An uneasy feeling overtook you as you stared at it. It seemed deliberately put there, but why?

After a moment of tense silence as you looked around the area through your scope hoping to find any further indication of what it could mean, you heard a sudden thrashing sound from both sides of the path. 

You quickly shouldered your rifle and began to unholster your pistol as you heard Eugene and Joel yell something unintelligible to each other. 

A moment later, as you were flicking the safety off of your pistol, you heard a shot ring out from your left. You turned quickly to look towards where the shot came from just as a strong hand grabbed onto your right leg, causing you to cry out in surprise. 

You hear Eugene shout your name as a pain sliced through your calf, and suddenly, you were falling diagonally back off of Nightshade as a force pulled you sideways just as Nightshade reared up on her hind legs. You desperately put the safety back on your gun as you furtled towards the ground.

[newpathwrites]

Series Masterlist Main Masterlist

VIII. Futures (Epilogue) - Part 1

There was a time, lost and alone in the galaxy as a young Mandalorian, that Jai didn’t imagine they’d even live to see adulthood. And now they lived a life beyond even their wildest childhood dreams. How lucky they were that Din had answered the marshall’s call that fateful day.

Had he not, they would never have found this family, this home, this fulfilled life…

Speaking of the man to whom Jai owed everything, here he was now stepping swiftly toward them, armor impeccable as always despite his tentative retirement.

They met in the middle, more forcefully than intended, embracing fiercely.

Summary: How is our lovely clan doing a few years down the line? Spoiler alert… they’re doing very well!

Note: This chapter deals with a lot! We’re going to look at every member of our little family (though admittedly with a greater focus on Jai and Winta), what they’re doing in the future, and how it all fits into a greater plan.

This chapter will examine Jai’s experience of gender more explicitly through flashbacks of their interactions with Winta over the years. Hint: Winta was instrumental in securing Jai’s identity as they came of age on Sorgan. When Jai was uncomfortable in their body and afraid that nobody would understand, Winta was always there as a quiet ally. And it went both ways - Jai helped Winta through other struggles that weren’t depicted in prior chapters. I hope you all come away from this epilogue better understanding the strength and depth of this relationship and how important it has been to both parties.

Warnings: Discussion of infertility, sexual references, gender dysphoria (and euphoria), references to parental death.

Word count: 5.2k

Read on AO3

____________________

Din awoke to something warm and fuzzy pressed against his forehead, a pair of very familiar claws tapping his cheeks.

“Grogu,” he addressed his ward tiredly.  “I know you’re excited, but can I sleep just a few more minutes?”

The tapping only continued, and Din opened his eyes to look into the larger ones of his son.  “Grogu… use your words, ad’ika.  What do you want?”

The boy huffed in response, raising his little hands in the air as the sheets and blankets went flying off the bed.  “Up now, you will.”

“Hey,” Din admonished him, sitting up and pulling the sheets back up to cover his sleeping riduur.  “No need to wake your mother.”

He took a moment to stretch out his joints.  Age and several long decades of abusing his body were catching up to him.  He was ‘retired’, in a manner of speaking, these days, and that had certainly helped with the chronic tension in his back.  But some mornings, like today, he’d wake up with Grogu dozing on his chest, much of his pain miraculously resolved.

“Thank you, ad’ika,” he told him gratefully.  “But I really wish you’d reserve your powers for more important things.”

Grogu hopped off the bed defiantly and looked up at his father.  He had other priorities at the moment and no interest in discussing his (in his opinion) very reasonable use of the force.

“Come today?  Jai will?”

Din couldn’t help but smile.  “Yeah.  Jai should be here in…” he looked over at the chronometer.  “... just a few hours now.  Why don’t you go next door and see if Winta needs any help while we wait?  It’s getting harder for her now, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” he responded with a toothy and knowing grin.  “Help her, I will.  Get up, you will.”

Grogu hopped off, and Din laid his head back down on the pillow.  Perhaps he’d bought himself a few more minutes of sleep.  His son’s excitement was contagious, though.  Stars, he was looking forward to having Jai back home.  He’d really missed the kid.  Though, he supposed, they really weren’t a kid anymore, were they?  And anyway, they’d been an old soul practically since birth.

He knew he’d missed his chance at a few more minutes of relaxation when he heard the front door of the cabin open and close and Winta’s voice floating in from the kitchen.

She hesitated a moment at the bedroom door, whispering, “Is everyone decent?” before waltzing in with Grogu on her hip and a protective hand over her swollen belly.

Din got up quickly, placing a finger over his lips, and guided her out and back into the kitchen as he pulled a shirt over his head.  “Your mother’s sleeping in for once.  She was up all night getting ready… as if Jai will care about the silverware being polished…”

“Well, I couldn’t sleep… too excited,” Winta replied quietly as she started a kettle on the stove for the morning caf.  “I figured Grogu would be awake, so I decided to come over instead of waking up Tov with all of my tossing and turning.  Baby’s kicking up a storm, too.”

“Sit down.  Let me do that.”  Din pulled out a chair and gestured for her to take a seat, his fatherly instincts kicking back in full force in the months since learning of his adoptive daughter’s pregnancy.  

Grogu force jumped out of her arms, and Winta lumbered over but didn’t immediately sit down, reaching out to take Din’s hand and laying it flat over her belly.  “Can you feel that?”

“Yeah.”  His face broke out into a fond smile as he felt the baby’s movement under his hand.  

Winta sometimes couldn’t believe that this was the same man who’d wandered onto their planet over a decade ago, decked out in full armor with a hand perpetually at ready to pull a blaster, a tiny green child he claimed wasn’t his own in tow.  Now he was the picture of a doting grandparent.

“That’s your grandpa, little one,” she murmured, leaning forward to speak over her belly.  “He’s going to teach you all kinds of things… when you’re much much older…”

He chuckled as he helped her lower into her seat.  “You know Mandalorians start training with a blaster at age five…”

“Don’t you even think about it,” she replied firmly.  “Age fifteen… minimum…”

Din pulled the whistling kettle off the burner and poured two cups before setting himself down.  “I suppose I’ll have my hands full training Grogu.”  He turned toward his son.  “You should show Winta what you’ve learned one of these days - fly her to Mandalore.”  

“Yes,” Grogu told her from his perch on the table.  “Fly you, I will.”

Din looked back at Winta.  “He can do that now.”  

She smiled - Din’s pride in his foundling, technically her older brother, was very sweet.  “After the baby’s born, Grogu - I’ve been wanting to visit Mandalore and see it for myself.”

“Oh…” Din suddenly interjected. “Bo-Katan sent me a message last night.  Jai’s climate reconstitution system is working.  The test area is almost completely un-glassed.  If this works, well… So many planets destroyed by the Empire could be rebuilt.”

Winta nodded approvingly and let out a soft chuckle.  “Jai will be elated to hear that, though I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“Nope.  Not in the slightest,” Din agreed with a trademark shake of his head.

_______________________________________

Din let Omera sleep well into the late morning.  She’d been running herself ragged between helping prepare for the baby, which could come any day now, and Jai’s impending visit.  Though Winta had begun to take over some of her mother’s responsibilities within the village, she was physically limited at the moment by her very pregnant state, and Omera had been insistent on continuing to do it all, refusing Din’s every offer of assistance.

Stars, she was going to be livid…

“Din.  Djarin.  How could you let me sleep so late?”

He huffed and rolled his eyes toward Winta, who stifled a giggle, before turning around in his chair to face his wife.  “Omera.  You look well rested, Cyare.”

“Don’t you ‘cyare’ me…  There’s too much to do before Jai gets here!”

“Like what?” he asked, getting up from the table and standing before her.

“Well,” she started.  “I need to fill the water basins…”

“Done.”

“And we still need to put the crib together…”

“Tov and I did it yesterday.”

Omera was losing the argument, and she knew it.  She knew she should be grateful, but… she just needed everything to be perfect.

“The stew?” she asked with much less furor.

“It’s already simmering at my place,” Winta told her from the table.  “Relax, Mama.  Everything is under control.  You need rest, too.” 

Omera looked down at her feet for a moment.  Her voice broke slightly as she looked back up, tears filling her eyes.  “I just… need to be useful…”

What in the galaxy…?  This woman practically carried a small planet on her shoulders.

“Omera,” Din murmured, pulling her against him and wrapping his arms around her body as she cried.  “In what universe are you ever not useful?  What’s really going on, Cyare?”

Behind him, he was vaguely aware of Winta hoisting her body up and out of her chair, whispering to Grogu to follow her out the door to give them privacy.

Omera looked at him through the tears, responding with a despairing tone.  “I’m old, Din.”

“You’re not old…”

She inhaled sharply and averted her gaze before sharing the full truth, one that had been bothering her since seeing the medic in town a few weeks back.  “I’m going through the change.”

Din had to think for a moment about what that even meant.  Menopause - that was it, he was rather sure.  Admittedly, he didn’t know much about it… but it didn’t seem like any good reason to run oneself into the ground.

“Are you not feeling well?”

“I feel fine, Din,” she replied with annoyance.  “But soon I’ll be old and useless…. And gray… and ugly… and you won’t be attracted to me anymore…”

He gave her a quizzical expression, smirking as he asked her dryly, “I’m already gray, Omera.  Do you no longer find me beautiful?”

His monotone delivery did her in.  Ah, that dry humor she loved so much.  It was hard not to smile at that, and she felt her mouth turning up against her will.  And of course, she still found him exceedingly handsome.  “You know what I mean, Din.  It’s different for women…”

“Well,” he responded matter-of-factly.  “It’s not different for me.  How about…” he started, putting on a slightly suggestive expression that was almost comical on this perpetually serious man.  “I spend tonight showing you how beautiful and valuable you are to me?  Grogu can stay with Jai in the barn - they’ll want to catch up, anyway.”

“Oh?” she replied coyly.  “How will you show me, Din?”

Got him.  That wiped the smirk from his face as his cheeks went pink with embarrassment.  After all these years, he was still shy about speaking of their intimate activities out loud.  “Don’t make me say it, please.”  

“Will you ravage me?” she asked, eyes sparkling with amusement.

“I don’t… ravage…”

“Or perhaps you’ll make love to me…”

He cleared his throat, one of his only nervous tells.  “I will… that… yes…”

_______________________________________

As Winta lumbered over to her own cabin and set Grogu to work watching over the stew, her thoughts turned to Jai - her slightly older sibling… and truly her best friend.

Jai was different from anyone Winta had ever met.  They were unbelievably smart - and yet never once made Winta feel unintelligent.  They were strong and fierce as any good Mandalorian should be - and yet soft-spoken and kind at the very same time.

When Winta first approached Jai about training, she’d almost expected them to laugh in her face.  Winta was meant to be a farmer, not a protector.  She hadn’t nearly the strength or determination of her mother and certainly not that of her adoptive father.

But Jai didn’t laugh.  They responded to her inquiry with complete seriousness, wanting to understand her goals and gauging how they could help.  Winta’s training began that very day, starting with skills so basic that it was nearly embarrassing in front of a fully trained Mandalorian - but Jai would have none of that nonsense.  

“Everyone has to start somewhere, Winta.  When you’ve got the basics down, we’ll go to Din.  He can train you better than anyone.”

“Do you really think I can do this?” she questioned.  “You’re not just humoring me?”

“Of course not,” they responded simply.  “Din was a foundling, and so was I.  We weren’t born into this - we were taught.  And you can be, too.”

Jai, in fact, had taught Winta many things over the years.  When she struggled with the relatively basic mathematics taught to the older children in the village lessons, mostly that relevant to managing the farming ponds and related finances, it was Jai who worked through it with her, never once making Winta feel stupid or inferior.

Winta had been so embarrassed when Jai found her crying over her worksheets, ones that even some of the younger children had finished with ease.  Jai read about things like quantum physics - basic math was nothing to them.  But they insisted on helping, telling her that she just needed a frame of reference.

“It just doesn’t make any logical sense to me, Jai.  Add this, subtract that, carry this… I can’t remember the order… and I don’t see how these random steps lead to an answer…”

“It’s not random,” Jai said calmly, turning the paper over and taking the pencil from Winta’s hand.  “I’ll show you.  Let’s draw it out.”

It had been a brief window into Jai’s way of thinking - and suddenly it did all make perfect sense.  Stars, how Winta had wished that her brain could work like that.

Winta laughed lightly to herself, recalling some of their more recent, long-distance escapades.

She had confided to Jai on a holocall one day when she was feeling particularly low, that despite her and Tov engaging in plenty of baby-making activity over many months, she had been unable to conceive.  All she had ever wanted was to be a mother, and she was starting to worry it would never happen.

Jai couldn’t relate, being averse to sex… and relationships… and babies… 

But they would do just about anything for Winta - the kindest soul in the galaxy and one who had provided unshakeable support through some very awkward teenage years.

Medical resources on Sorgan were severely limited, so in their spare time, Jai had been doing some research on Winta’s behalf.  They suggested natural remedies and timing methods, trying to keep their expression of disgust regarding the ‘frequency’ topic to a minimum.

“Oh, stars…” they started, flipping through a book on natural conception methods while chatting with Winta by holo.  “You owe me for this - I need to wash my eyes out.”

“What is it?” Winta chuckled.

Jai held the book up so that Winta could see.  “Have you tried this position?”

Winta couldn’t help but laugh.  “I haven’t, but we’ll give it a go.”

“Please… don’t tell me about it.”

Winta had not told Jai about her subsequent pregnancy and had asked the rest of the family to keep the secret - the timing of Jai’s visit to Sorgan was perfect for a surprise.

“Hey,” Tov interrupted her daydreaming with an affectionate knock of her shoulder.  “Ship just made landfall.  Ready for the big reveal?”

“Yeah,” Winta nodded, turning toward her husband with a joyful smile.  “Let’s do it.”

_______________________________________

Jai had to wade through nearly the entire village’s population before they managed to reach their waiting family, the small community eager to welcome them home after several years away to continue their studies in the core.

It was surreal to recall that they had once been a newcomer to this place, a terrified and lonely teenager cast out of their tribe, serendipitously falling into the lap of their trusted beroya.  And now they were living the same in-between life as that man - one outside the creed and yet ever devoted to their people.

While Jai’s ultimate path had led them to an academic career in environmental science, their true goal was to support small planets like Sorgan whose sustenance was being affected by climate changes, as well as those which had suffered severe atmospheric damage at the hands of the Empire.  As such, they’d become the official environmental consultant to both of their ‘home’ planets and even held a titled position on Mandalore, awarded by Bo-Katan herself, a valued mentor when it came to the political aspects of implementing their work throughout the Republic.

There was a time, lost and alone in the galaxy as a young Mandalorian, that Jai didn’t imagine they’d even live to see adulthood.  And now they lived a life beyond even their wildest childhood dreams.  How lucky they were that Din had answered the marshall’s call that fateful day.  

Had he not, they would never have found this family, this home, this fulfilled life…

Speaking of the man to whom Jai owed everything, here he was now stepping swiftly toward them, armor impeccable as always despite his tentative retirement.

They met in the middle, more forcefully than intended, embracing fiercely.

“Stars, Jai,” Din said, valiantly fighting back tears in this public setting.  “You’ve been gone way too long.  We’ve missed you, ad’ika.”

“I know, Din,” they replied, subtly sniffling.  “I’m so glad to be back.”

Jai was soon greeted by Grogu, quite literally launching himself into their arms and gripping each side of Jai’s face.

“Missed you, I have.”

“Same, Grogu,” they returned affectionately.  “You’ve grown several inches since the last time I was here.  We’ll spar later, huh?  You can show me what you can do these days.”

Grogu smirked.  “Beat you, I will…”

“I don’t doubt it for a second, vod.”

Omera’s voice took their attention then.

“Jai!”

She’d been wrapped up in a task when word came of Jai’s arrival and was now running toward them as fast as her feet could carry her.

Jai met her in a few long strides, and she immediately looked over their unarmored form, the mother she was, making sure they were well and nourished and fully intact after being away from home for so long.

“Oh, sweetheart.  We have missed you so much…”

Unlike Din, Omera allowed the tears to flow freely as she embraced them in an excessively long hug.

“Omera, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you all.  This trip is long overdue.”

She pulled back to look at them again, holding their shoulders as she puzzled over something.  “You look different…”. Her expression shifted as she suddenly registered what had changed, and she looked up directly into their eyes before adjusting her phrasing.  

“You look good, Jai… you look like you…”

Jai’s eyes threatened to spill with tears - they’d worried so much about this moment.

“Thank you… buir…”

Omera squeezed their shoulders lovingly before stepping aside.  There was one more person Jai needed to greet.

Scratch that - two, apparently.

“Welcome home, Jai,” Tov said with warmth, smiling that boyishly handsome grin of his.

Jai took his forearm in a strong handshake.

“It’s good to see you, Tov.  Where’s Winta?  No offense, but she’s top priority.”

“None taken - she’s waiting for you in the barn,” he laughed.  “And hey, I promised you I’d take good care of her, and I have.  I just want you to know that.”

Jai huffed.  “Unfortunately, I know a bit too much about just how well you’ve taken care of her…”

Tov turned an endearing shade of pink at that.

“Gods, Jai.  Still blunt as ever, huh?  Just go on, now - she’s got a surprise for you.”

Jai clapped him affectionately on the shoulder before heading toward the barn, adding quietly to themself, “Oh, I’ve got a surprise for her, too.”

_______________________________________

Jai couldn’t help but reflect as they walked toward the barn to finally see their beloved sister in person.  They were about to share something big - something that might not have ever happened without Winta’s support and tacit acceptance.

Gender had always felt like a complicated thing for Jai - not so much inwardly, but rather outwardly in their interactions with the world.  But Winta always managed to make it so simple.  She was the only person, perhaps along with Omera, that Jai never had to explain themselves to.  Their gender, or lack thereof, simply was… no questions, no doubt.

Jai remembered the first time it happened like yesterday.  A young child, who certainly didn’t know any better, had approached Jai not long after their arrival on the planet and asked why she always wore her helmet.

Without missing a beat, a then 13 year-old Winta had responded kindly, “This is Jai, Saul.  They wear a helmet because they’re a Mandalorian, just like Din.  Understand?”

“Yeah.  Their armor looks neat.  I like it.”

Winta had never even asked why - just followed Din’s lead in using gender neutral terms, accepting it without further question.

“I’m not a girl,” Jai said softly as the child skipped away.  “Well, technically I am… I guess, but… I’m not…”

“You’re not a girl,” Winta stated simply, shrugging.  There was nothing more to say.

In the following years, puberty had taken its toll, increasing Jai’s discomfort with their own body which had become outwardly much more feminine.

Winta had stumbled upon them crying over their wardrobe one day, and Jai had shared their turmoil.  Women’s clothes fit to their chest far too much, but men’s clothes didn’t look right with their proportions, either.  Even their chest plate didn’t fit properly anymore, but they certainly couldn’t tell Din about it…

That night, for the first and only time, Winta went behind Jai’s back to inform her mother of their struggles, and by the next morning, all of Jai’s shirts had been let out in the chest by Omera’s expert hands.

It seemed Omera had also let it slip to Din that Jai’s armor should be modified to give a bit more breathing room as they continued to grow but perhaps without the typical contours of the female chest plate.  On their next visit to Trask, it was done, no questions asked.

The covert had always been respectful, but this was the kind of quiet, genuine support for which Jai had always longed.

And it helped… at first…  But the truth was that Jai didn’t want this feminine body at all.  Every day they grew more uncomfortable until they finally snapped, unable to tolerate it any longer.

They’d read about chest binding and decided to give it a try one day with some spare fabric they’d found in the storage closet.

They made a fatal error, though, in neglecting to lock the door - nobody ever came out here this early, and on those rare occasions, the intruder would always knock before coming in.  

Well… except Winta…

“Jai…” Winta addressed them in surprise as they stood half-clothed with the fabric wrapped tightly around their chest.  “What are you doing?”  She sounded… appalled…

Jai’s face burned hot with shame, and tears stung their eyes.  What were they thinking?  Now Winta probably thought them perverse. 

But of course not…

“Jai… come on…”  Winta walked toward them and took the free edge of the fabric in her hands.  “You’re going to hurt yourself if you do it this way.  Unwrap this, and we’ll do it properly.”

Jai didn’t even know what to say.  They just watched Winta in wonder as she calmly loosened and laid flat the bindings without a single word of further commentary.

“There,” she said finally as she tucked in the corner.  “Does that feel comfortable?”

“Winta…”

They were still at a loss for words.

“I know, Jai.  It’s okay.  You don’t have to do everything alone.”

From then on, they didn’t.  It was oddly freeing to let go of that stubborn brand of stoicism, ingrained in them from childhood.  But Winta had proved herself a safe space - one where Jai never had to hide.

Jai and Winta shared everything with each other in the coming years as they approached adulthood - every fear, every hope, every conflict, every joy… no matter how strange or awkward.

Well, Jai supposed, they weren’t too old yet for just one more…

_______________________________________

They paused just outside the barn door, taking a single calming breath before unlatching and pushing it open, addressing their sibling in nervous anticipation.

“Winta?”

“Jai…”

Both stopped dead in their tracks as they took in the other’s unexpected appearance, gasping in mild shock.  Jai’s mouth hung open in surprise and delight, while Winta’s hand covered her own, the other resting on her swollen belly.

Their eyes finally met across the small space, happy tears brimming.

Jai moved first, crossing to where Winta was standing, hands hesitantly extending out to hold her stomach.  “Winta… you’re… why didn’t you tell me?” they stammered.

Winta smiled tearfully.  “I wanted to surprise you.”

“Mission accomplished,” they joked, letting out a wet laugh.  “Oh, my stars… Are you happy, vod’ika?”

“I’m so happy, Jai.  And I’m so glad you’ll be here to meet them.  You’re going to be a ba'vodu.”

“I like the sound of that,” they replied, smiling fondly.  “You’re going to be an amazing mother.  I just know it.  And Tov will be a great dad.  You both were meant for this I think.”

“Thank you… but enough about me,” Winta huffed, moving her hands to Jai’s shoulders and looking again over their form.  “You look so… right… Why didn’t you tell me you were getting the surgery?  I would have…”

“You would have dropped everything and come to Coruscant to take care of me…” Jai interrupted, smirking lightly.

“Well… yes…”

“I didn’t want you all to worry.  And Omera would have driven me to insanity with her hovering - you know that’s true.”

“Mama does have that way about her, doesn’t she?”  Winta chuckled.  “But you shouldn’t have had to go through that alone.  You must have needed help while you healed.”

Jai blushed slightly before responding timidly, “I wasn’t alone…”

Winta’s eyes narrowed, sparkling with excitement.  “Oh…?”

“It’s not like that,” Jai huffed, shaking their head slightly.  “It’s platonic.  But… she’s a very… close friend.  We have an understanding.”

Winta nodded approvingly.  “I’m glad you have someone, Jai.  I’ve been so worried that you were isolated out there, but I guess you had company all along.  I hope I can meet her sometime.”

“Definitely.  I think you two will get along very well.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about her while you’re here,” Winta grinned.  “But first… has this made you happy?”

Winta was clearly referring to Jai’s surgery - one leaving them with a blessedly flat chest after years of simmering dysphoria.

Jai smiled broadly.  

“It feels so much better, Winta.  I wish I’d done this sooner.”

“Good.  I’m glad.”

Winta linked her arm through Jai’s, joking as they walked together toward the door.

“Mama’s been on a rampage preparing for your visit.  We’d better get back to the hut before she sends Grogu to levitate us out of here.”

_______________________________________

 Jai had never imagined that a lively family dinner could bring them so much joy, but here they were, and it was wonderful.  They had missed this so much.

They decided right then and there, as they looked around at their growing family eating and chatting around the small table, that this trip would be have to be extended by a few weeks more.

For once, Omera remained at the table, Din insisting that she sit and catch up with Jai while he handled the food and dishes.  After all, he would likely spend many evenings up late with his adult foundling, engrossed as was their custom in a kind of conversation only two kindred souls with a shared upbringing could share.  They would have plenty of time.

Meanwhile, Grogu sat perched on Jai’s shoulder, unwilling to separate from his sorely missed sibling for even a moment, contributing to the conversation here and there.  It was really unbelievable to see how much the small child had really grown up in the last few years.

Winta and Tov watched on with fond and genuine smiles, Winta gently stroking her swollen belly while her husband’s arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.  

Jai was glad to see that Tov had integrated as he had into the family.  Tov’s own parents had succumbed several years ago to illness, leaving him alone in a way, much like Jai themself at one time.  It was in his grief, as Din and Omera had taken responsibility for their young, then just barely adult neighbor’s welfare, that Tov’s relationship with Winta had finally blossomed.  And now he was just as much a member of this clan as any of them.

Din and Omera sure had a knack for collecting children, didn’t they?

“Hey,” Winta whispered across the table to Jai as her mother finally stood to join Din in the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his middle for a moment.  “I think those two need some alone time.  Why don’t we all go sit on the porch?  It’s nice out tonight.  We can stargaze… like old times.”

Well, that sounded lovely.  And Jai definitely didn’t miss the thinly veiled innuendo in regards to ‘alone time’.  “Oh Gods, yes.  Let’s get out of here as quickly as possible.”

Tov couldn’t help but chuckle as he made to help haul Winta out of her seat.  He didn’t really understand Jai’s complete and total aversion to all things carnal, but they were certainly consistent about it.  To be completely honest, it only made him grow to love Jai all the more for everything they’d done to help him and Winta successfully conceive this very much desired child.  To put your loved ones’ happiness above your own discomfort - that was true family, and he felt very fortunate to call himself a member of this one.

_______________________________________

“Alright, Jai,” Winta smirked, leaning back between Tov’s legs where he sat behind her on the porch, lightly massaging her shoulders.  “I believe there’s someone you need to tell us about, vod…”

“No way,” Tov perked up instantly, reaching over to give Jai a playful shove on the shoulder.  “You’ve got yourself a special someone in Coruscant?  Tell us everything.”

Jai was thankful for the darkness as their face burned with embarrassment.  This was an unusual feeling for them.

“Is this how it’s going to be from now on, huh?” Jai asked in mock annoyance trying to draw attention away from their self-consciousness and continuing to gently stroke Grogu’s ears where he dozed in their lap.  “You two ganging up on me?”

Tov raised his eyebrows.  “It sure is…”  But then he smiled fondly.  “I really do want to know.  Genuinely - promise.  I didn’t think you liked people… that way…”

“Well, I don’t.  It’s not like that.”  

“Tell us how it is, then,” Winta prodded.  “Are you simply friends?  Something more?”

Jai took a moment to think about how to explain this.  It wasn’t exactly conventional.  But if anyone would understand, it was their family.

“She is a very good friend,” Jai started.  “But it’s something different from friendship, too.  She feels like a partner in a way… or like family…”

“Do you live together?” Tov asked.

“No… but we have talked about it.  Convenience and all that…”

“Ok, so…” Winta ventured.  “If you were to live together, would you have separate rooms?  Or share a bed?”

Jai smirked.  They knew exactly where Winta was headed with this line of questioning.

“Separate rooms, Winta.  I think you could have guessed that.”

“My wife is beating around the bush here, so I’m just going to rip off the bandage.”  Tov paused for a second, suddenly realizing such a question of Jai might not be such a good idea.  But oh, well - he was committed.  “Are you intimate?  Hug?  Kiss?  Cuddle?  Anything like that?”

“Maker, Tov,” Jai huffed, looking up at the night sky in a small bit of mortification.  They were thankful, though, that he knew better than to ask about anything more.  “There is a level of physical affection… but nothing more than I might do with any of you.”

“That’s significant, Jai,” Winta was very serious now.  “I’ve never seen you comfortable touching anyone outside of this family.”

“Yeah…”  Jai responded, as if they’d not really thought about it before.  “I suppose it is significant…”

“Tell us how you met.”  Tov was serious now, too.  The entire village worried after Jai while they were so far from home, and it was a balm to his own heartache at Jai’s distance to know they weren’t really alone out there.

The three talked and reminisced well into the late hours of the night after putting Grogu to bed in the barn, allowing Din and Omera a full evening alone.  It almost made Jai want to stay here in Sorgan forever.

Almost.

Because their heart now rested in two very different places.  One half with their family here in the outer rim… and the other with both a very special friend and their life’s work in Coruscant.

Maybe a better balance could be attained, though…  Something to consider.

_______________________________________

To be continued…

[rorywritesjunk]

There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

Crocodile brings on a former assistant to manage Buggy and his workload. Buggy realizes he likes it when Taron praises him for the littlest things.

Rating: PG-13 to start. Chapters will be rated depending on content. Warning: Slow burn. AFAB nonbinary character. Buggy is touch starved and a virgin who thrives on praise. He's also a bit of a mess because he's thinking he's going to finally be killed by Crocodile. Set with the Cross Guild but won't be a poly fic (as much as I love that unf). However, mentions of past/somewhat present TaronxCrocodile stuff. Also Buggy is bratty, whining, a little pathetic. He doesn't want to do anything. Word Count: 1,850. A/N: My self indulgent submissive Buggy fic. This came from another fic I wrote for another fandom that I never posted but it was pure self indulgent. I decided to do it with the clown and change it up. Originally thought of making this a dom!Buggy fic but after a poll and how I started writing it, I decided to stick with sub!Buggy.

Title comes from "Take Me To Church" by Hozier.

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7

Chapter 2

The first few mornings were rough. Taron was an early riser, already dressed and ready when they would enter Buggy’s room with a cup of coffee for him before waking him up. They would try shaking him awake before kicking the mattress, and when that didn’t work they’d pull the blankets off, ignore his naked body, and shove him out of bed. Each time he landed face down on his nose, startling him awake. As he screamed threats and obscenities at Taron, they’d open up his wardrobe and start picking out his outfit. That usually helped to get Buggy ready faster as he didn’t trust them to pick out the right clothes.

This was the fifth day. Buggy was sitting at breakfast with a swollen nose from his wake up call. He was already dressed for the day, not looking forward to more paperwork Taron would find for him to deal with. They really were good at their job. They didn’t allow him to get distracted, already threatening to use a sea prism stone on him if he tried to use his powers to get away. 

The reward for a job well done was a piece of candy which Buggy hated to admit but he looked forward to the little treat they’d pull from their pocket and set on the table after he signed ten different forms. One time they even put their hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch, but it was followed by a gentle, “Good job, Buggy.” before they went to get him a refill on his drink.

It… was hard to relax around them. In many ways they reminded Buggy of Crocodile, which as he tried to ask questions about Taron, trying to get to know them, there wasn’t much coming out at first. All he knew was that after dinner, Taron would head to Crocodile’s tent for a few hours before coming back to sleep in their own bed. 

Buggy strummed his pen against the stack of papers, looking across the table at Taron as they filled out a planner of Buggy’s meetings and appointments. It was almost lunch time and Buggy had been at this for hours. Taron did let him get up and stretch his legs, even if he whined and fussed the entire time about sitting for long periods of time, how his back hurt, his hand was covered in ink, everything sucked, but Taron tuned him out, pointing at his chair after he walked around the table a few times.

The day dragged on.

After lunch, Buggy was forcing himself to head back to the table to complete another mountain of paper when Taron stopped him.

“Let’s take a few minutes to get some fresh air, okay?” They suggested. “You’ve been working hard today, Buggy.”

He hated how in just a few days having this stranger give him such simple praise made him yearn for it. Mihawk and Crocodile would never say such words to him, yet Taron said he was doing a good job so kindly he thought he'd lose his mind for a moment.

“It's bright outside.” Buggy whined as the two of them walked along. He was dressed in some of his best clothes, wearing his hat and jacket, looking every bit of what a pirate captain should look like. Taron was just… not as eye-catching as Buggy in their clothes. That bothered him. If they were going to remain his assistant then they needed to have a different look. He side-eyed his assistant, looking them up and down. “Why do you dress like Crocodile?”

“I dress like me.” They replied, hands in their pockets and not looking at him. “Does the way I dress bother you?”

“Yes! You work for me, you should dress to impress!” Buggy insisted as he stomped his foot and glared at them. “Where's the color, where’s the glam? You look too much like Crocodile.”

“I like my clothes.” They told him with a glance in his direction; Buggy thought they looked amused, but it was fleeting. “I'm sorry I don't dress to your standards, but remember, I work for Crocodile to help you out.” They kicked a small rock out of their way. “You don't have a say in my appearance, Buggy.”

“Why?! That's not fair!” He huffed, clenching his fists.

“Life isn't fair.” Taron stopped abruptly as Buggy took a few extra steps ahead of them. “Come on, let's get back to the tent. We need to keep on schedule with the paperwork. I imagine you'll be caught up by the end of the week.”

“Why does it even matter?” Buggy grumbled as he reluctantly turned to follow them. This was so frustrating. He wondered what it would take to have Taron add a little flash to their outfits. It was bad enough that Crocodile hired them without asking Buggy, but the fact they dressed like him was terrible.

It wouldn't be too hard to sneak a sparkly cravat into their wardrobe, right?

~

Taron was off to Crocodile’s tent which for Buggy was the perfect time to sneak some flashy things into their wardrobe. He had Cabaji help him look for items in what Buggy thought to be their size, and if he replaced a shirt for a shirt then they would have to wear it.

Usually Taron was gone for a few hours which gave Buggy plenty of time to get into their clothes and change things around. It was worth the risk. He took their clothes out of their wardrobe, tossing them into piles on their bed while Cabaji removed the hangers, swapping their clothes for the ones Buggy picked out.

“These look like Crocodile's hand-me-downs.” Buggy said as he pulled a dark colored vest out, holding it against himself with a disgusted look on his face. “It's ridiculous.”

“That's because they are his hand-me-downs.”

Buggy froze and looked at Cabaji. He looked terrified, staring in the direction of the door. Swallowing nervously, Buggy turned to face the inevitable. Taron was standing at the door, expressionless, thankfully alone but that didn't help soothe Buggy’s fears. They were back earlier than Buggy expected. Why, why did they return so quickly? Why weren’t they with Crocodile? Were they about to kill Buggy?

“Is there something you need from my wardrobe?” Taron asked as they approached Buggy. They looked him over, reaching out to the vest he still felt, their fingers brushing over the fabric. “This isn't your color, you know.”

Buggy nervously watched as Taron leaned forward, hand reaching out but instead of grabbing Buggy by the throat, they took the garment from him. He slumped against the wardrobe. He didn't know what Taron was capable of, they must be strong, and they were finally here to get rid of him. Their other hand reached out and touched his face, causing him to flinch and jerk away.

“Buggy, I'm disappointed by your actions.” They sighed softly. “No candy for the rest of the week, I'm afraid, which is a pity because the paperwork tomorrow is going to be tedious.”

They stepped back and looked over at Cabaji. “Can you help him with this? I'm going to wash up. My clothes better be back on their hangers and in the wardrobe by the time I come out.”

They ignored the two as they grabbed their robe and headed out of the room. The other two stood still, both holding their breath as they waited to be sure they were gone. This… was a bad idea, going through their things, but Buggy was just so frustrated with the situation. He shoved the hanger back into the wardrobe and slammed the door shut.

~

Buggy kept glancing over at Taron during a meeting. They weren't saying anything yet around their neck was a lavender cravat with a shimmer to it, the one Buggy left with their things. They actually wore it and while he felt proud, he still awaited the inevitable.

Four days after rummaging through their clothes he was still alive so far.

He wasn't really listening to what Mihawk was saying, lost in his own world as he kept a nervous eye on Taron. They were taking notes, glancing up every few minutes at Mihawk as he spoke, nodding along with his words. Buggy swallowed nervously and finally glanced over at the other two members of the Cross Guild. Crocodile was looking over some things, a cigar in his mouth as his eyes darted across the papers in his hands. Mihawk was discussing something about whatever, Buggy had honestly tuned him out a while ago, so he didn’t know what the swordsman was going on about and didn’t really care.

Taron was just taking notes.

When the meeting was over and the two of them were released, Taron followed behind Buggy back to the tent. Crocodile had insisted there were more forms that needed Buggy’s signature and the clown didn’t understand where these were all coming from or what they were for. Taron followed behind Buggy, clutching the forms to their body as Buggy wondered if he could get a break. At least with Mihawk and Crocodile he knew when the punishment was coming, but Taron he couldn’t read. Nothing had happened yet, but Buggy knew it was just a matter of time before Taron would punish him for something.

They arrived back at the tent and to Buggy’s office. Taron placed the stack of forms at his seat before they went to make a fresh pot of coffee. Buggy just stared at the small mountain of papers, wondering how he could get out of it. He took a seat, brain trying to think of something.

He opened his mouth with some kind of excuse ready when Taron came over with a hot cup of coffee for him. They set it down before holding a piece of candy out to him. He tried to take it but they closed their hand and pulled back.

“This is an encouragement for you to start working, Buggy.” They told him as they started to unwrap it for him. “I decided the little rewards really do help you and that withholding them may not be the best choice if I want you to be productive.” They reached over for him, taking hold of him by the chin before pressing the sweet to his lips. “But you need to be good, Buggy, can you do that for me?”

There was that unsuspecting gentle touch that had Buggy gasping in surprise, nodding along with their request as they pushed the treat into his mouth carefully, letting their thumb rest against his bottom lip before releasing him and pulling back. Buggy’s heart was pounding, face flushed, and he tried not to choke on the candy as he watched them as they went to their own chair to work. The strawberry flavor of the candy was mellow, just enough to keep him focused on it as he kept an eye on Taron as he signed the papers.

He wondered what other rewards they would have for him.

[suprsaturatd]

Zweihander…..

I’m completely normal. I have an OC, I draw them with a sword. (Byrd Cordova, they/them.)

more of my art | shop | tip me

Description in alt ID.

[magpie-murder]

girlfriends

elsie belongs to @screaming-owlss

[nejishadow]

Artfight attack for eudaenomics

I forget where I'm going with a pose, and then I just go ham on shading, story of my life

[charlie-ver]

oc redesign shenanigans because I finally got ideas for their kids but first I needed to give her some final design

[king-plutos-typewriter]

Some new OCs I'm working on! Part of a bigger drawing, and it's taking me forever, but I really wanted to share my progress!

This is Trace (they/them) and their stray shadow, Willow!

[necromancy-and-tax-evasion]

The Donnie

[rukashii1]

“The void of space, the stars, and so much else”

hi its summer here and i can barely draw in my own room help in this drawing i depicted these two talking about stuff they like :)

[char4925]

Lower case

The fact that Holt has Dyslexia makes this even funnier for some reason. Btw Holt & Dakota have matching pfps, with the background being their gender and sexuality. Holt is trans & Polysexual while Dakota is Nonbinary & Demipansexual. Yes they do have a crush on each other, but it takes a while for either of them to notice since they’ve known each other forever.

[nonbinairyboi]

Nothing Left - Chapter 1

Fic Summary: You hadn’t spoken in years. Technically, you had the ability to, though as the years wore on, you weren’t so sure. You’d settled in Jackson over a year ago and now it was fall again. You are drawn towards Ellie and her ‘not-dad’, but you had always assumed any relationships deeper than surface level were beyond you at this point.

Chapter Summary: As fall fully starts, you make new connections in Jackson.

Pairing: Joel Miller x nonbinary!Reader/OC (afab, short hair, has multiple nicknames but none are their name)

Word Count: ~2.5k

Series Warnings: This is my first fanfic and I plan to go into some dark stuff including some in-depth discussion of SA that was done to the main character (not by Joel) and the mental impact it has. I am unsure if I will be writing smut as I never have before but I will update the warnings if that changes. There definitely will be allusions to smut if nothing else, so MINORS DNI!

Chapter Warnings: Slight reference to general depression and anxiety? misgendering. Idk guys I’m just working through some stuff.

Read on AO3 here

MAIN MASTERLIST

Chapter 1

It was one of those fall days that taunted you. Your toes froze in your socks as you pulled on your sweater and some boots. You lifted the collar of your shirt above your chin and trapped it there between your lips. The gesture soothed you as you tucked your chin to your chest and braced yourself against the wind that would inevitably hit you as you opened your door. 

Your house sat on the edge of town, beyond the original gated community of Jackson. A small one story house that you often thought would have been billed as a detached condo. You wondered if the previous tenants had glared with envy at the bigger houses nearby, but for you it was perfect. The compactness felt cozy and safe after the time you had spent getting here. The sprawling land had demons lying in wait. From your living room, you had a view of the majority of the place here. Sitting on your couch, facing the small tv, you could see the kitchen to your left and the doors to both bedrooms on your right. The peak of the bathroom at the edge of your vision if you leaned over a bit.

The only room you couldn’t see was the laundry room tucked behind the kitchen with the door to the back. A place you hid when the walls felt too far away, no longer cradling you with their comfort. And when that didn’t work, you pulled down the stairs from the ceiling and crawled into the attic crawlspace, closing the hatch behind you so you could envelop yourself with the only truly dark place in your space. The only place where outside light could not reach. Where no one could accidentally catch a glimpse of you behind a curtain. A place where you could take a break from being perceived. 

But today was not a day to hide. Today was a day to be seen and work until you hit your limit. Early October meant planting winter wheat in large quantities, and with the chill this morning you worried Jackson had started too late this year, that the ground wouldn’t be moist enough. 

With a thermos of hot tea clutched in your hands, you trudged towards the field where you’d be working for the day nodding and turning the corners of your lips up to show your dimples as you passed town residents, keeping your mouth clamped over the hem of your collar.

“Hey!” You heard from behind you. You turned around and smiled genuinely, your lips letting go of the hem of your shirt and letting it fall back in place to your neck. Maria was one of the few people who didn’t call you by your nickname, as if she was holding out hope that your mouth would open one day and your name would come out singing to the tip of your tongue. She was one of your closest friends, but you didn’t know if that counted for much if you never spoke. She most definitely had closer friends than you. Ones who responded to her and kept a conversation going. But you were still grateful for her. For this place.

“I was hoping to catch you before you started.” She smiled at you, warm and comforting. You lifted your head slightly in question. “I encouraged Ellie to come out today and to find you when she did.” Maria informed you.

You nodded, a little puzzled. It must have shown on your face as Maria quickly added “I think it would do her good to have something to occupy her mind. She seems to be withdrawing a bit lately. I know you don’t know her well, but I think she might like working next to you.”

You offered a small smile and nod in return, happy that she had thought highly enough of you to tell Ellie about you. 

When Tommy’s brother had come to Jackson last spring with a reserved girl trailing behind him, it had been the talk of the town. Maria had told you of his short visit in the winter and how it had unsettled her. She would invite you over for tea and confess her anxieties to you. How she was intimidated by the possibility of Joel’s influence over Tommy’s life. How she worried that she had pushed too hard and that Tommy would resent her if Joel never made it back. 

Once he returned, Maria seemed to have settled a bit. Less wary. She had her own things to worry about after all, having given birth a few weeks before they showed up. A beautiful baby boy whose plump cheeks made your heart ache.

You had had limited interaction with Joel and Ellie thus far. Your paths rarely naturally crossed. Nervousness curled in your abdominal muscles. You liked Ellie. She made you smile when you saw her antics from afar. But you hadn’t been around someone that young in a long time, and you worried that you wouldn’t connect. You let out a soft chuckle at the thought that, despite the clickers wandering beyond the walls of Jackson, your biggest stressor was if a 15 year old would think you were cool enough. 

Maria brow pulled together slightly when you chuckled, as if she was trying to see through your forehead to your brain to decipher what had elicited the reaction. She smiled strangely and lifted her hand in a wave as she walked away. You lifted yours in return and headed to the back gate that led to the crops, nodding at the guard who unlocked the gate for you. The newer outer fence that surrounded the farmland glistened in the sun despite the chilling wind.

You let out a slow breath to clear your head and focus on the task at hand, grabbing a garden rake and walking to the farthest edge of the field marked for the planting of the wheat. You had already methodically weeded the area with the help of others over the past week. You set to work working the earth under your rake, warming yourself up with your movement. Right when you were about to consider switching tasks, you heard a voice hesitantly call out your moniker. “Gabby?”

It was always jarring to hear the feminine moniker the town had given you. Without the ability to communicate in-depth concepts, you had mostly just had to grin and bear the assumptions. You still winced every time someone referred to you as ‘she’ but you reminded yourself that you were alive so you should just move on at this point.

You lifted your head and shielded your face with your hand against the sun to see Ellie’s figure tentatively make its way over to you. You tried to put on a welcoming smile and waved with the hand that had been covering your eyes. When she got over to you, she paused, unsure of what to do. “Do I need one of those?” She asked, pointing at your rake. You shrugged. You couldn’t tell if she actually wanted to help or was here out of obligation. For the first time in years, you wished that you could speak up and assure her that she didn’t need to do anything if she didn’t want to. You wouldn’t tell on her. You would just work next to her if she sat against the fence and let her be.

Ellie squinted at you, as if trying to decipher your meaning. “I’ll go get one I guess.” She said after a moment. “Don’t we need seeds too?” She asked. You nodded with a smirk and pointed towards the shed at the other edge of the field, where you could just make out a few figures moving around. She looked back at you and rolled her eyes playfully. “Wish I’d known that before I made my way over here. You couldn’t have left a note or something? Yelled? Waved your arms around to stop me from walking over here?”

You shrugged again and your smirk grew. Just as she was about to turn around, you exaggeratedly waved your arms and pointed frantically at the shed. She looked back and forth between you and the shed slowly before letting out a surprised peal of laughter at your display. “Oh you’re funny. No one said you were funny.” She chuckled again as she turned around, practically skipping away.

You wondered what people did say about you. What assumptions were made about you due to your silence. You looked down at the ground and tried to push it to the back of your mind. 

By the time Ellie made her way back, a few others had started to occupy the area around you, each taking their own space in small plots. You showed Ellie how to sow the seeds and the amount of space to leave between them. In turn, she rambled to you about her life and how stupid it was that she had to attend school.

“I bet YOU would hate it if there were zombies outside and you still had to go to math.” You smirked at her antics as you took a break with your tea. It grounded you to hear about teenager's struggles with boredom. 

Ellie popped up from her spot on the ground. “Can I ask you something? How do people know your name if you don’t talk?”

Your gaze shifted up towards her face. You had been intrigued by Ellie since she arrived. You liked her spirit. You got the sense that she wouldn’t take shit. Staring into her curious eyes, you felt that despite being a little under 40 years younger than you, she might stick up for you and understand you better than most people here.

You were shocked that for the second time that day you wished your body would let you communicate. It had been so long since you ran into frustration with it. You didn’t even feel the motivation most of the time anymore besides the few basic ASL signs that  you had slowly taught the community. You felt your eyes get involuntarily wet and the inside of your nose sting.

Luckily, Eugene had overheard the conversation and came to your rescue.

“That isn’t that one’s name. It’s just a dumb joke really” he stated bluntly. 

Ellie scrunched up her nose. “A joke?”

“You know what the gift of gab means?” Eugene asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ellie’s eyebrows drew together as she tried to think hard. “Is that a euphemism?” She asked after a moment. You coughed in surprise, regretting taking a sip of tea as it shot out your nose, burning in multiple ways.

“Jesus kid, no!” Eugene said quickly. “Someone with the gift of gab speaks all fancy and nice all the time. It was someone’s joke about how much this one talks all the time.”

Ellie  studied you with her eyebrows still together for a moment. “Do you like that?” She asked.

You looked between Eugene and Ellie for a moment before deciding that the best approach was a small smile and shrug. Having two people staring at you with their full attention felt overwhelming.

Eugene broke the silence. “I call that one Charlie cause it made ‘em smile once when I was trying out different names for them.”

Ellie considered it for a second before agreeing, “You seem more like a Charlie.”

Your small smile grew on your face and you glanced gratefully at Eugene.

Eugene may be gruff, but he always made you feel at home in an odd way. He had never tried to get anything out of you. He also consistently used gender neutral language for you, although you couldn’t tell if it was on purpose. 

He had knocked on your door your second week here, when you were more skittish and overwhelmed as people introduced themselves.

When you had opened the door, he had held up a joint and a box of matches to you without speaking. You had ended up on your back steps smoking. He had introduced himself and talked a little after a while, but you had both mostly stared at the stars as you passed the joint back and forth. Ever since, you had had a standing appointment on Thursdays. 

He didn’t treat you differently despite how odd you must seem, and you were eternally grateful for it. 

The rest of the day went smoothly as you finished planting the crops. By the end of it, you wished you had taken off your sweater because you were sweating in the direct sunlight, despite your fingertips feeling frozen solid.

As you finished, you followed Ellie to put back your supplies. Her ‘not-dad’, Joel, was standing just inside the back gate as you re-entered together. His shoulders seemed to relax a bit as he spotted Ellie next to you.

You had always found him striking, in the most basic sense of the word. He had a striking stare, a striking jaw, a striking nose… You blinked hard. Where did that come from? 

What you had found most intriguing had always been the open emotion behind his eyes when he looked at Ellie, contrasted with the hardened expression that his face returned to whenever he caught anyone else’s eye.

“Have you just been waiting there all morning without helping?” Ellie asked incredulously.

“I was at a meetin’ in town with Tommy and thought I should help you home since I know first hand how good your sense of direction is,” Joel quipped back.

“Pffft,” she said, rolling her eyes with her whole head as she turned to you, “Bye Charlie! I’ll see you around. You’re not such bad company, you know.” Ellie exclaimed as she started walking away.

You just smirked as Joel looked at you for a moment before turning and following her.

“I thought her name was Gabby” you heard him mutter to Ellie.

“You don’t know everything then, do you?” Ellie replied, turning left towards town.

“It's right.” Joel replied with a straight face, turning right and leaving Ellie to scramble behind him.

“I know that, I just thought we were grabbing food in town since we both know how much of a cook you are…” Ellie responded as their voices faded down the street.

You stood for a moment, an unknown feeling crawling like tendrils up your body as you considered the events of the morning.

It had felt… different. For the first time in a long time.

You jumped as a hand clapped on your shoulder and you turned and flinched to see Eugene behind you.

He looked at you slightly apologetically after seeing your reaction. “See you tomorrow if you aren’t too popular for me by then.” He said as he continued on his way.

You weren’t sure the last time you had exercised the muscles on your face that much in one day as you smirked again, following him towards where most of the houses were located.

Maybe there was hope. Maybe your mind would be as quiet as your voice tonight.

Next Chapter

[newpathwrites]

Din learns of a struggling, teenaged Mandalorian from his former tribe and steps in to help, showing them a different way.

Or… how Din Djarin built a clan by happy accident.

————————————————————————

Summary: This story takes place after TBOBF and is non-canon moving forward. It was first posted on AO3 in May 2022 under both “A New Creed” and the continuation “How to Build a Clan”.

Jai is a mandalorian OC who is ~15 years-old at the start of the story which will cover several years with large time jumps.

I love the idea of Din and Omera together - I imagine their relationship would be a more mature, cautious kind of romance, knowing that Din may eventually be unable to return at some point. So they just enjoy each others’ company when they can and leave things otherwise a bit undefined, even though they all feel and act like family (along with Grogu and Winta). We’ll see where that takes them.

Din is demisexual/demiromantic in this story, and other queer representation is present throughout which should be self-evident.

Warnings listed by chapter may include implied or threatened child harm, sexual references, and mild non-explicit sexual content.

————————————————————————

I. Lost and Found

II. Sorgan

III. Kindred Spirits (prequel)

IV. Catching Feelings (prequel)

V. Jai’s Decision

VI. Making it Official

VII. Questions

VIII. Epilogue - Part 1

IX. Epilogue - Part 2

[rorywritesjunk]

Be gentle with yourself as you uncover Your best kept secrets yet to be discovered

Buggy meets an infamous pirate who dabbles in magic that everyone seems to be after, but they only have eyes for Buggy. Why is he so special?

Rating: PGish. Warning: None. Buggy is Buggy. A/N: My "Howl's Moving Castle" fic based off the movie because I never read the book. It will have different moments than the movie just to omit some things. This story uses "You" but I couldn't not give the character a name and for some reason "Shore" is what I thought of. And Shore is referred to as they/them, nonbinary, and breaks hearts wherever they go. Buggy is Sophie in this fic, is 22, and not always in a good mood.

Title comes from "Better In The Morning" by Birdtalker.

Taglist: @lostfirefly @fanaticsnail  @youreinthewind 

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Buggy definitely had his work cut out for him as a maintenance man. 

There were creaky stairs, some loose floorboards, a wobbly chair, and shelves falling off the walls left and right. As he fixed one in the main living area, another one would fall somewhere else in the ship. Was Shanks somehow doing this to be obnoxious? Buggy sighed as he hammered in another nail to secure a shelf before giving it a few shakes to make sure it was secured. Why did he say he was a maintenance man? 

The table was… okay. He had enlisted Luffy to help him clear the table first of dishes and other nonsense, but the boy broke one plate the second he picked it up so Buggy just had him get out of his way. He didn’t want to clean up after the boy while cleaning the rest of the ship. 

Buggy spent time cleaning the table off, sanding down any roughened edges, and hammering in any loose nails. In the end, it looked better than when he first walked in though it had still seen many meals at it. There were stains, dents, and scuffs in the wood, but that didn’t bother him that much in the end. 

“Mister Bogey, what’re you doing next?” Luffy asked as he stood there with a broom. He thought he was being helpful by sweeping, but honestly, he was just making a bigger mess by creating dust clouds.

Buggy sighed. “It’s Buggy. And I’m going to hang you outside by your toes if you keep making a mess, kid!”

“I’m helping!” Luffy insisted.

“You’re helping make a bigger mess!” Buggy shot back as he pointed to the stairs. “If you want to sweep then do it out on the deck!”

“But I want to help you!” Luffy insisted, gripping the broom handle tightly in his hands as he pouted at Buggy. That made him pause for a moment. He wanted to help, really? Buggy… wasn’t used to that. Back at the circus he stopped asking for help because the times he did he was met with resistance. Why should he expect help now from a kid? He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes shut tightly as he tried to think of a task Luffy could do that would actually help him.

“Fine. Can… you organize the dirty dishes by what they are?” Buggy asked, knowing he would need to tackle that task sooner rather than later. “Silverware, plates, bowls, cups. Organize them like that.”

Luffy took in what he was asking and nodded before hurrying over to the sink where the dishes were piled up. “I can do that!”

“Carefully!” Buggy ordered. “No more broken plates, kid!”

“Okay Mister Boogie!”

“It’s Buggy!”

~

Buggy replaced a step that had snapped in half that led up to the main deck. He and Luffy weren’t able to get up there without much difficulty, so he had the boy find some scrap wood so he could fix it and Buggy was pleased that the boy came through, finding an old step stool that had seen better days, so Buggy managed to repurpose it into a step. 

He straightened up, rubbing his back as he looked proudly at his finished task. He never thought to add maintenance man to his list of possible jobs after leaving the circus, but so far he felt he was doing alright. Sure, every joint in his body was aching, he had some splinters, he hit his thumb with the hammer a few times already, causing it to bruise and swell, and Luffy only managed to break two plates and a bowl when he organized the dirty dishes for him. So far the day was okay.

“So, Mister Buggy, how did you come to find us all the way out here?” Your voice startled him as you came down the stairs, stopping just above the step he fixed. He looked up nervously, wondering if you could see through his curse or if you even remembered him. He hoped you didn’t. He didn’t want you to see him become a pathetic old man instead of… a pathetic young man who needed rescuing. 

“Oh, well… you see…” He wasn’t sure how to respond. Would you see through any lie he said? Maybe you’d kick him off the ship, fire him from this ‘job’ that he made up on the spot, leave him to die out in the wilderness to be food for scavenging animals. 

You held your hand out to him suddenly and he looked at you in surprise before taking it. Carefully, you placed your right foot onto the newly finished step, then the left, smiling at him as you looked down at him from it. 

“I hope to keep you around to fix things when they break, Mister Buggy.” You smiled as you descended the last few. “Please don’t go away any time soon.”

He hated how warm his face got at that smile, or the way his heart started pounding. Was this his heart giving out in his advancing age? Why were you still holding his hand? 

“What's in your pocket, Mister Buggy?” You suddenly asked, shaking him from his thoughts. He looked down, his free hand reaching into his pocket while his other hand held yours. He dug around for a moment and frowned, pulling out a snail shell and holding it out to you. Smoke started to come from the shell, it felt hot to the touch suddenly and Buggy dropped it, watching it land on the step he just repaired. It fell apart, leaving a sigil scorched into the wood. 

“What is that?!” Buggy asked. “I just fixed that step!”

You crouched down, waving your hand over it and Buggy saw the marks rise up from the wood and into your palm. It was a sight to see and he knew he’d have to get used to seeing magic in motion if he was going to live on this ship. You smiled at Buggy as you straightened up.

“Just a message from an old friend.” You told him, clenching your fist for a moment before opening it to show him your empty palm. “The Witch of the Waste sends her regards.”

Buggy bristled at the mention of Alvida but he didn’t speak, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. You said nothing as you brushed past him, heading over to Shanks and giving him instructions. Buggy only caught a few words, his hearing not what it was just days before as a young man, but he heard you say something about moving the ship elsewhere. Oh, were they stationary this entire time, or did it float around among the clouds freely? Buggy actually wasn’t sure, he hadn’t taken the time to look out.

You suddenly brushed past Buggy to get on the step he just fixed, giving him a smile. “I’m going to wash up. When you have time there’s a broken cabinet in my bathroom, could you fix it when you have time?”

“Uh, yes, of course!” He nodded. “I’m your maintenance man after all! I can fix anything!”

You chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. “I’m glad you joined us then. There’s a lot to fix around here.”

You ascended the stairs after that, leaving Buggy alone at the bottom. You were glad he joined, even if it was a surprise for all of you. It felt nice to hear that but he quickly shook the feeling off, figuring you were just saying that so he’d fix the cabinet sooner. He would get to it next, once you were out of the bathroom. It was just weird to feel appreciated like that but he tried to brush it off. Sooner or later you’d probably kick him off the ship to fend for himself anyway. No one wanted a pathetic maintenance man on their crew.

~

The main living space looked better now that Buggy repaired wall shelves, fixed furniture, and even washed all the dishes. It was a little more like a home now than a chaotic space. He felt proud of his work, though the next thing to do was check the chimney. While Shanks seemed to have no problem burning along, enjoying the stacks of wood Buggy had given him earlier, smoke was getting everywhere, and before Buggy could attempt to clean the soot from the wall, he had to see why the smoke was so bad.

“Can you hear me?” Luffy yelled up to him from the fireplace as Shanks looked up. Buggy had gotten outside onto the main deck, finding the chimney that was near the main mast. Was it safe to have a chimney like this? Wouldn’t sparks light things on fire? Then again, you were a wizard of sorts, so things could be enchanted to prevent that. He had a broom to knock loose any soot that built up. 

“I can, are you able to see anything, kid?” Buggy shouted back from the opening of the chimney. He was ready to shove the broom in bristles first, but he wanted to be sure it was safe to do so. Shanks would be just fine.

“No, I just see Shanks and hear your voice.” Luffy told him. 

“Get out of the way then!” Buggy shoved the broom down the chimney, gripping the handle tightly as he plunged it up and down, trying to knock loose as much of the crud as possible. He fought for a few minutes before it became easier. He must have knocked it all loose, so he looked down the chimney, seeing just a bit of the fireplace but without a fire. “Everything okay down there?”

“Shanks is out!” Luffy sounded panicked which worried Buggy, so he hurried back down as fast as his body allowed. He nearly tripped on the steps going down, but he stopped when he saw you at the fireplace, picking up a small coal surrounded by flame. He watched as you gently blew against it, seeming to breathe life back into it, before setting it down on two fresh logs. When Buggy approached, you looked at him with an amused expression.

“Please be careful with Shanks, we do need him around.” You told him gently as Luffy cheered as Shanks started bemoaning the fact that Buggy just tried to kill him. It was all an accident, really, but you didn’t seem mad at him. Instead you touched his hand gently and he felt the warmth of the fire for a moment before you pulled back and headed for the stairs to leave the ship. You spun a dial beside the door, Buggy watched it spin for a moment before it stopped and you opened the door, stepping outside and leaving the others behind. 

“Why’d you try to kill Shanks, Mister Buffy?” Luffy asked innocently. Buggy huffed in annoyance, scowling at the boy before he went to grab his makeshift tool box he cobbled together.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, and besides, Shanks is fine! A little soot won’t hurt him!” Buggy snapped at him as Luffy went to grab another piece of wood for the fire. “Now, I have work to do in the bedrooms, got it? If you don’t want any of your things thrown out, you better deal with them now, kid.”

Luffy’s eyes widened and he rushed past Buggy and up the stairs. His room was not the cleanest and he wanted to protect his treasures from him. Buggy smirked and looked over at Shanks; the flame was watching him carefully.

“Y’know, if I go out then that’s the end of Shore.” The flame told Buggy. “We’re connected, we can’t live without the other.”

“Well, that’s just dumb.” Buggy grumbled; he couldn’t imagine such a life of having someone to depend on. He depended on himself and that was it. “Try not to go out then, you silly little flame, if Shore needs you that badly.” 

He turned to head up the stairs but glanced back at the flame for a moment, thinking over what he said. Could you really die if Shanks was put out? Buggy didn’t really want to think about it, instead choosing to be more careful next time even if Shanks was annoying. With a sigh, he started up the stairs, wincing as his lower back and hips protested at the movement. Right, he was old. He needed to get used to it since he would likely be this for the rest of his now short life. 

He managed to make it up the stairs to the level where the bathroom and bedrooms were. Oh, right, he would need his own room, wouldn’t he? Though, he could just do with a cot, even if his old bones would protest it. Shaking his head, he headed for the bathroom, opening the door and freezing at the sight before him. Clutter, a cabinet resting on the floor, holes in the wall, and a tub and toilet that looked as though they had never been clean. There were bottles and products scattered all across the floor as well. 

How could two people live like this?

Buggy went to open the window first, wanting to get fresh air in there. Movement below caught his attention and he saw that they were actually moving, sailing over the rocks and terrain as clouds drifted by. Oh, this ship really did sail in a way, didn’t it?

“Shanks, is that you making the ship move?” Buggy shouted down to him.

“Of course it is!” The little flame called back to him. Huh, it was impressive, but Buggy wouldn’t say that.

“Guess you’re good for something then.” Buggy mumbled before he turned his attention back to the bathroom. Okay, it was time to start cleaning.

[diot05]

Happy (oddly ominous) Moth Monday!! Decided to draw my moth child Sam for it :)

[magpie-murder]

my piece for @windowtoworlds autumn!! the zine is available for download for free on itch.io!