#sorry it’s been so long 😭

[blackknight-kai]

Prompt From My Discord Server: Crinkle

Destined One (Wukong version is below this one) can also be read on AO3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63774043/chapters/163516654

AN: This is in terms that Reader is from the future and is helping DO with his journey- Reader can travel between future and past (for short periods of time) and can take him with.

Destined One is named Biff because that’s what I named DO originally when I first played the game. Biff means to hit things really hard….Also, my intention is for reader & DO to be mates 😉

Reader is Gen neutral

A very distinct and familiar sound wakes you suddenly, causing your eyes to snap open with immediate wakefulness. The beautiful night sky you can only truly see here without any light pollution greets your gaze as you lie on your back, the soft bedroll youve been sleeping on for the last several months and blankets a warm comfort.

Your brow furrows with confusion as the familiar sound cuts through the quiet night air again, it’s a sound that shouldn’t bless the wind during this time period. Purposely you dont move, listening. Waiting. A soft crinkle fills the darkness.

Slowly a smirk spreads across your cheeks and you sit up suddenly, causing your bedmate to react almost violently with a shuffle of noises. Turning, you look at Biff, hes on his side facing away from you with his shoulder hunched and body taut. He’s lying eerily still….too still.

“Whatcha got there Biff?” You grin and lean close trying to peer over his tense shoulder in the darkness, only a dying fire giving you enough light to see him properly.

Biff stiffens further and glances at you from the corner of his eye, he shakes his head quickly to say ‘Nothing’.

Narrowing your eyes you sit up fully and sit cross legged. “Come on, I know youre hiding something,” you poke his shoulder but he chirps softly with a shrug and again shakes his head. Biff then makes a show of stretching stiffly and carefully before nuzzling the side of his face against a make shift pillow and closing his eyes, feigning sleep. With a suspicious shrug you lay back down on your back.

You dont fall asleep though, instead you wait patiently. Purposely you slow your breathing after a while knowing he can hear you and your heart rate, wanting to make sure he thinks you’ve fallen for his ‘trick’. It takes some time but eventually there is a small quiet shuffle next to you, a soft faint crinkling fills the air again, this time almost inaudible and you wouldn’t have heard it if you hadnt been waiting for it.

Jolting up suddenly you lunge for Biff, he makes a surprised chirp before scurrying to roll away from you and clearly trying to hide his ‘prize’ from you by rolling to his stomach, a loud sharp crinkling coming from him. The next several moments is a mess of you two wrestling, you trying to get at whatever he’s hiding and him trying to bat your sneaky hands away. Eventually, after struggling and tickling him enough the two of you end up with him on his back holding your devilish hands while you straddle his middle. His tail is wrapped around your waist keeping you still and immobilizing you.

Grinning and panting softly you stare down at him, noting how his cheeks are slightly puffed out. “Biiiiiff,” You call his name teasingly. “What were you eating?”

Biff’s cheeks tint slightly and his brown eyes watch you carefully for any sudden movements. He shakes his head sharply, his calloused hands squeezing yours gently but firmly holding you from ‘attacking’ him.

“You weren’t eating anything? So you dont mind opening your mouth right? Come on, dont be shy.”

Your handsome monkeys brow furrows and his he shakes his head a little unsure, a soft ‘Nuh uh’ sound leaving his throat. He clearly pouts when you laugh down at him and struggle under his hold. You tease him for several moments, remarking on his ‘chipmunk’ cheeks and eye contact avoidance. Eventually, you tell him you can see a sliver of sliver poking out and shining from the corner of his mouth and Biff gives up. He slowly sits up and deposits you on the bed roll in front of him, keeping you close with his tail around your waist.

Carefully he opens his mouth, a soft crinkling coming from it and to your delight you see a small plastic bag unfurling as he lets go of one of your hands to pluck it from his jaws.

Wrinkling your nose at the wet plastic you snicker at the familiar design. “Fruit snacks? Really? You know those aren’t made of real fruit right?”

Biff glowers at your giggling and shrugs with a huff. He smacks his lips and tosses the small packaging on to the ground just at the edge of the bedroll before leaning back, you watch with wide amused eyes as he grabs a few more wrappers from under his pillow.

“Y-you dork!” You cackle at him as he slumps his shoulders sheepishly presenting you with the handful of empty wrappers. “Did you steal those from my pantry when we went back this morning?” The image of him, tail swishing mischievously, sneaking the baggies of fruit snacks into your sack while keeping an ear open for you to walk into your modern day kitchen fills your mind. The two of you had gone back to your time to freshen up your clothes and restock on a few things before continuing on your journey to help him in the past.

The monkey man in front of you, having had enough of your laughing at him, tosses the wrappers to the side with the other one and lunges forward. A startled yelp leaves your throat as he snags you and pushes you down onto the bedding, his heavy body holding you in place as he wraps himself around you in ‘punishment’. You struggle half heartedly while giggling, his arms and body weight simultaneously squishing you as he tries to force you to sit still and ‘sleep’ if the chirps and firm nuzzling he’s doing is anything to go by.

After several moments you both relax and a soft sleepiness falls over you, your shared warmth and closeness lulling you two to sleep.

“You know,” You whisper in the darkness close to his ear, he still hasn’t moved from being mostly on top of you like a cozy weighted blanket. Biff sleepily chuffs softly in response, nuzzling his nose and mouth against your neck. “You cant leave those wrappers lying around, gotta clean them up in the morning or else headlines in the news when I go back home will be running a feature on time traveling fruit snacks and then they might all be sold out, you may never get to eat those delicious treats again,” You tease him and giggle when he nips your jaw in retaliation before settling heavily against you, squeezing you to him pointedly.

Sun Wukong (Gen Neutral Reader)

Once again, reader is from the future and can travel between with Wukong for short periods of time. My intent in a way is that reader hasn’t fully committed to letting go of the future in full YET but is Wukongs mate.

Sweat drips from your brow and you pant softly, carefully watching your opponent for their next strike. The warm sun doesnt do you any favors today especially since there isnt a breeze to be had and the monkey yaoguai in front of you eyes you warily, making sure to keep you in his sights as well for any sudden movements. The both of you are locked into your training, focusing entirely on each other as you trade turns attacking, dodging, or blocking. Occasionally you ‘teacher’ calls out instructions or corrections but he’s been oddly quiet for the last several moments, allowing you to figure your next moves or mistakes out for yourself.

Or so you thought.

You’re vaguely aware of a sudden movement to your left, the boulder where *he* usually sits to monitor your training. But you only have eyes for your opponent, a black furred monkey warrior with a smattering of silver hairs showing off his age. Just as youre about to go in for a strike a strange sound fills the air, startling both you and your sparring partner.

Snapping your head to towards the boulder, something you instinctively know you shouldn’t do and have been told not to do repeatedly. Luckily for you, the black furred monkey does the same, and you both catch a deep meaningful glare from Wukong as he sits lazily on the large rock observing you two, his tail swishing with annoyance at your clear distraction and mistake of looking away from your fight.

Your eyes are drawn to his hands, where hes cupping something and you narrow your eyes in annoyance as you recognize it. The object crinkling familiarly as Wukong dips a clawed hand into it and pulls out a snack, stuffing it into his mouth and chewing on it obnoxiously. The loud crunching sound reaches your ears and you glare back at him while he chews with his mouth open.

“Peaches how many times do I have to tell you don-“

“What do you think you’re eating?” You interrupt him, pointing your wooden training staff at his hands and the small snack bag that crinkles once again as he digs into it.

Wukong pauses and raises his eyebrow at you, looking down at his hands and back up at you he shrugs nonchalantly, sticking another chip into his mouth. “I procured these lovely delicacies from your ‘home’,” The monkey King retorts, the word home almost said in disgust. He’s made no effort to hide the fact that he prefers the idea that his mountain is your home and not the apartment you hold in the distant future.

“Procured-You stole those from my neighbor didnt you?” You stomp up to him, forgetting momentarily about your opponent. The snacks were not something you generally buy for yourself, since they seem a bit like a waste of money and honestly can sometimes be too addicting for their own good. The image of a box of assorted chips and other groceries settled against your neighbors door from earlier that morning when you’d made a quick run to for some supplies flashes in your brain, their weekly grocery delivery. Stopping in front of his rock you notice the small bag of chips in his hand reads ‘Doritos’ and you glare at Wukong, wondering in the back of your mind how he’d snuck that box of assorted chips by you when you both had returned to his time period.

The monkey king, having finished his snack shrugs and tosses the red crinkling bag over his shoulder. “Sharing is caring, isnt that what you told me Peaches?” Wukong replies with a smart ass tone as he picks his teeth with a sharp claw uncaringly.

Your fist tightens its hold on your wooden staff as you glower at him, of course he would use modern phrases like that against you and you mentally note not to teach him anymore for the future sake of your sanity. “Just because they called you unkempt doesnt mean you get to steal from them Wukong,” You sternly tell him, now trying to figure out how the hell youre going to sneak a box of those chips to your neighbor without them knowing it was your partner that had stolen them.

Wukong scoffs, turning his nose up at you. “I dont care what that pigs anus thinks of me, I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about for these treats. Your magic picture box talks about them much too often for them not to be of value and why shouldn’t I get to experience them for myself hmm?”

You know damn well he’s bothered by your neighbor, the guy had taken one look at Wukong in one of your giant hoodies and pulled you aside to tell you how unkempt the monkey king looked, assuming he was just a very hairy man. Wukong and his superior hearing had of course heard the comment and taken it to heart, for hours all you heard from him was bitching and grumbling about how preposterous that comment had been because he grooms his fur daily. You’d had to reassure him he had the most handsome and gorgeous fur, while also keeping him from trying to bust down your neighbors door to beat the poor soul up. You also know that Wukong knows what a tv is and knows what the modern terms for everything are, he just chooses to be dramatic on purpose with the intent to be annoying.

“You know we have to be careful about what we bring here, not a single trace of those can be left Wukong,” You chide him, reminding him of the importance of keeping modern things out of the past as much as possible, the fear of screwing up the future in any way weighs on you heavily. There is always the chance that something you do may lead you to never being able to meet him, and you’d rather not find out about that reality, you’ve told him as much many times.

“Yes Peaches I know,” Wukong’s eyes and voice softens a little before he grins. “Now, dont you have some sparring to do?” Your monkey king looks pointedly between you and your forgotten opponent, trying to remind you that your spar isnt done.

Glaring at Wukong one more time you sigh heavily. Deciding to let it go for now you relax your shoulders and roll your neck before turning back to make your way to your training partner. It takes a few moments to get back into the sparring mindset but fairly soon you’re successfully blocking a quick strike from the black furred monkey.

The match is once again interrupted though by Wukong. An obnoxious ripping and crinkling sound catching the two of you off guard and once again youre forced to look over at the lounging monkey king. Irritation wells up inside you as he has another bag in his hand and is crunching away on another handful of chips.

“Do you really have to do that right now? It’s distracting,” You huff with annoyance.

Wukong grins at you, his eyes filled with amusement. “If youre that distracted by someone eating then you’re failing your training Peaches,” He remarks causing your cheeks to flush a little. “Besides, isnt it a custom from your time to snack when youre watching a show?”

That causes you to roll your eyes and shake your head. Mumbling under your breath you decide to ignore him, which on any given day is either necessary or a really bad thing. Today it’s necessary.

Later, after your spar is over, Wukong of course resuming his ‘teacher’ duties properly and making sure to keep you on your toes, you hold back a knowing grin as Wukong inspects his next ‘treat’. He’d meandered his way towards you several minutes ago after you had sat down on the grass to rest, his knee brushes yours and his tail is curled loosely around your waist. Purposely you dont say a single thing as he opens this new chip bag and greedily snags a few chips, stuffing them into his mouth with a hum.

Wukong’s body freezes momentarily and his nose crinkles, you watch as he quickly swallows and then opens his mouth sucking in gulps of air. Laughter starts spilling out of you as he begins fanning his mouth and turns to glare at you for laughing at his misfortune. Little chirps and whines leave his throat and he scurries to chug some water from his gourd.

“What? Cant handle a little heat?” You tease him, snickering when he tosses the offensive chip bag away from him.

He gives you a betrayed look, his eyes red and watering. “Why is it spicy?” He rasps, looking pitiful with his tongue partly hanging out of his mouth and his fur starting to fluff up.

Smirking you reach for the bag and read the name, jalapeño flavor. Making eye contact with Wukong you reach in and take a few chips out, grinning widely as you put them into your mouth and chew on them without trouble, well…..any trouble that you would show him that is. “Poor thing, I guess thats what you get for being a thief.”

Wukong, ignoring your comment, looks at you with wide eyes as you seemingly eat a few more chips without issue. “I always knew you were a monster,” He whispers dramatically and scoots away from you.

Grinning you lunge for him, tackling him to the ground as he screeches loudly and dramatically with ‘fear’. You both know that if he hadnt wanted to there was no way you would have been able to budge him. But as you two roll around playfully you cant stop the cackles that come out of you as he hoots and chirps, yelling for his black furred warrior to save him from this ‘hellspawn creature’.

The black furred monkey yaoguai rolls his eyes at the dramatic display, getting up from his own resting spot and picking up his staff he walks away from the gross display of flirting from his King and future Kings Consort.

“My own people have forsaken me!”

[soaked-doors]

happy birthday zoro 🎉🍾

[astearisms]

fionna and cake drawings before and after watching the episodes so far. it’s nostalgic and somehow cathartic and poignant and relatable and—it just started

[starscream-is-my-wife]

A bit ago I was looking through the g1 timeline wiki and I saw that Skyfire and Starscream now had a 5 million year old age gap and I was like oh? That makes their dynamic so much more interesting especially how innocent he was portrayed in fire in the sky, I also wanted to share my hc on why Skyfire never brought up Starscream again

[what-am-i-doing-in-this-fandom]

hrrrmmmmm.. I know it isn't halloween BUUT

more vampire/werewolf fiddlestan?? :}

Took me FORever to answer these, you guys don't even want to know the amount of asks I have that I really want to answer with full comics 😭🙏

Anywayy, sorry to keep you, @elishevart waiting for responses to your asks, when you've sent so many, so long ago!!

Comic time 🤞😋

I call this one: Second hand embarrassment and surprise guest: Continuity Error!! ❤️

Previous!!

First!!

[misternibbs]

i'll see you on the moon

SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG AAAA

art trade with @bluestarlett !!! fbfjfjjfjd seraph is SO PRETTY I AM SO HAPPY I ACTUALLY GOT TO DRAW HIM :D !!!!!! DHDNFJFJF this is . rendering wise it's kinda ass but yeah I drew him !! thanks for drawing my guy again this was really fun to do :3333

lineart :3

[oldbooksandnewmusic]

he literally trauma dumps like this I don’t know what else to tell you

[fraternum-momentum]

i call whitney 'whitney houston' in my head

[cutie-lumi]

Cosmic 💐🌟

[sakasakiii]

Every time I see your art it makes my day brighter. Glad to hear you're doing well!

hi hi hello!!!! thanks for checking in, anons, and for the kind words!!! im doing great, though im predicting ill be a bit busy in the weeks to come, so i hope you wont mind me if i slowly slink back into posting less and less OTL I've still got a few proper pieces to be posted per my usual time, but im gonna do my best to answer more asks in-between!! anon 1, i hope your day is even brighter than how you made mine when you sent in that ask <333

here's a quick sketch of tyelpe and annatar as requested :D anon 2, im so sorry for taking so long to get to this but im absolutely flattered to hear you like my art!! most of my gallery is filled with the works of artists i study, but its a foreign concept for me to consider that my art is potentially saved in someone else's?!... im not quite sure how to put it to words.... 😭😭thank you again aaarrghhh;;;;;

its been too long since i drew these two so.... redesigned buffer tyelpe finally gets his own piece :D thank you again anons!!! i hope you both have a wonderful rest of your week! ❤️

[willeminaaa]

Hey, Chuckles.

[gotchibam]

I've opened a couple more slots since my rent is due this weekend and I'm almost done w/ my last year's backlog! 🥹

Added 7 slots here! https://ko-fi.com/gotchibam/commissions

Thank you sm for the support as always!! ;w; <3

[broareweabouttoviberightnow]

Darry's in the kitchen, makin' dinner again since Soda is banned from the stove for the foreseeable future. What compelled the kid to dump half a shaker of pepper into spaghetti, Darry will never know. But he doesn't mind, really. He's got one of their ma's old cookbooks on the counter and is piece mailin' together a casserole both Steve and Two-Bit had raved over last month.

Dallas sits at the table, arms folded and scowlin' hard. Darry had to chase him into the kitchen five separate times before he managed to set the table without driftin' back to the TV to watch a western. Darry's sure they've all seen it three times.

If I go back into that kitchen and those places still aren't set you're gonna be sittin' in there until I'm well 'n done cookin'. Dallas had immediately jumped back up and vanished through the door but Darry was followin' though. Maybe he was a tough hood everywhere else, but inside the Curtis home, he was just another one of Darry's rowdy kid brothers.

To his credit, he hadn't put up too much of a fuss so when he started leanin' to see the movie through the door Darry pretended he didn't notice. He only cleared his throat warningly when he started reachin' fallin' out of his chair levels of tilitin'. Every time Dallas would straighten back up and shoot Darry his meanest glare, proppin' his elbows on the table 'n pickin' at the peelin' paint.

At some point, Pony detangled himself from Soda on the couch and disappeared down the hall, returnin' with a notebook to sit across from Dallas. He glanced up at Darry before he plopped down 'n Darry nodded his approval. Sometimes he'd make them sit alone when they were in trouble, specifically Soda and Two since they were Darry's most rambunctious. Pony would distract Soda but him 'n Dallas enjoyed just sittin' in the quiet. It reminded Darry of how Johnny 'n Pony had been. His heart gives a sharp little ache and he shakes the thought from his head.

Greif had an odd way of sneakin' up on him.

Pony picks up his pencil and Dallas nearly falls out of his chair for how hard he's leanin'. Darry doesn't bother clearin' his throat, just knocks him up the back of his head gently and Dallas scowls hard and leans back.

He's not sure how much time passes, not very long. He finishes the casserole and slides it into the oven to cook. He sighs, listens to Two and Steve as they wrestle in the living room, waitin' to see if they'll knock it off themselves before they break somethin' or not. Apparently, the sigh he lets out it enough for Soda to kick them both in the ribs and they reluctantly separate.

Since Dallas has put up the minimal amount of huffin' 'n moanin' he opts to release him until dinner. Before he can open his mouth he catches a glimpse of a sketch Pony has his nose an inch away from. He's got his brow all furrowed and he's bitin' his lip hard enough to leave marks like he always does when he's focused.

"Holy shit, kiddo." He hadn't meant to comment but even just the edge of the portrait he's workin' on is an utter work of art. Pony jerks up and slams the notebook closed. He always was oddly shy about his work. Darry doesn't push it, he doesn't want Pony to feel like he's pryin'.

Dallas, however, doesn't share Darry's values of privacy. He watches as Steve disappears into his room without askin' 'n thinks maybe none of them do. He rolls his eyes again. Dallas, suddenly payin' attention again, reaches over 'n snatches the notebook out of Pony's hands, openin' it to the page Pony had been workin' in. Whatever smart shit he'd been about to say dies in his throat.

"Holy fuck, Pony." The sketch is nearly finished, clearly set from Pony's view of the kitchen, Dallas framed neatly in the middle, scowlin'. It's so accurate it could have been a photo, one of a spread of Dallas. In all of them, his eyes are bright and angry or dull and aggitated. He's either scowlin' or frownin'. In one particular sketch he's barin' his teeth so his silver one shines lime he does when hes truly hacked off. Darry looks between Dallas 'n the drawin' Pony's just added, notin' how he had lovingly managed to capture the singular fair freckle on Dallas' throat, the way his hair curled against the back of his neck, the set of his eyes as he peered through the door.

When Darry looks back at his kid brother Pony is bright red. Darry snaps out of it first and realizes both he 'n Dallas are just starin' at him.

"Pony, that's amazin'. Really, honey." Pony looks down at the table, still clearly embarrassed.

"It's just a sketch." He scuffs his toe on the tile and runs his hand up his neck in a way Darry knows he picked up from him. "It's not done, yet." Pony wasn't particularly good with praise. He looks up at Dallas who's still just starin' at the page. Dallas runs a finger along the high bones of his face recreated in lead.

"Is... is that how you-"

"Sorry! It's really not that good. I just like to... I dunno... I like to sketch you when you're angry. You just look tuff when you're scowlin' 'n all. That's all. It's not done." He finishes lamely, the flush creepin' down his neck when Dallas doesn't say anythin' else. The silence hangs for a long moment.

"I didn't know I looked like that. When I was mad 'n all." Dallas finally says. He runs a finger over his drawn brow as if he could smooth out the furrow. He shakes his head hard. "Sorry kid, that's tuff as hell. It's a real good drawin'."

Pony ducks his head again 'n Dallas runs the back of his hand over his eyes. "Do you... mind if I keep it?" Pony's eyes go all wide like he wasn't expectin' the question.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. It's you after all." Dallas rips the drawin' carefully out of the book and folds it gently in half, gettin' up and vanishin' down the hall to the room he shares with Pony 'n Soda. He ruffles Pony's hair as he passes, gently squeezin' his shoulder.

The second Dallas is gone Pony drops his forehead to the table. "D'you think I upset him?" Darry presses a kiss to his hair and pats him on the back softly.

"Nah, kiddo. I don't think he's upset." But Darry isn't sure exactly how to read that boy. Not nearly as well as he can read the rest of them. "He just needs a minute."

Dinner is a subdued affair despite Soda and Two's best efforts. As Darry expected, both Two and Steve nearly go to blows over the final servin' 'n only back down once Darry promises to make it again next week. Dallas says next to nothin' which makes Pony squirm around every thirty seconds.

When Two's finished lickin' the bowl, Darry shoos them all out, unsurprised to find Dallas silently startin' to collect up the plates and dump them into the sink. He wasn't like his brother's in that regard. When the other's wanted Darry's attention they would simply ask for it. Dallas refused to bruise his ego. He'd find an excuse to catch Darry as he ran to the grocery store or mowed the lawn or did the dishes. Darry didn't mind waitin' for him to decide to say whatever was on his mind.

"I didn't know the kid saw me as such an... angry person." He dumped another armful of dishes and silently picked up the dish towel as Darry started washin'.

Darry hmm-ed vaguely and handed Dallas a plate. He knew the kid wouldn't listen to him if he denied it, despite knowin' better.

"Pony just likes to capture people's emotions. You remember that time he drew Soda after he'd fallen and broken his wrist? Soda had nearly lost his damn mind at how pathetic he looked in that. He might've jumped Pony if it hadn't been such a good drawin'." Darry chuckles lightly but Dallas just gives a weak smile 'n returns the plate to the cabinet.

"Maybe... yeah." Between the two of them, the sink is empty in fifteen minutes and Dallas disappears down the hall to take a shower. He had a late night chore to run at Buck's, somethin' to do with an upcomin' pony race they had comin' up.

Darry see's Dallas out, extractin' a promise to go straight there 'n back, checkin' to make sure he had his blade though he almost certainly didn't need to. He shoos Two out of his armchair and collapses down, only half payin' attention to whatever's on.

"Darry?" Pony was still bein' more uncharacteristically quiet than usual.

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"Can I go to bed early?" Darry turns his head to get a good look at the kid. He doesn't think Pony has ever asked to bed early a day in his life. Usually, he was the one fit to be tied every night when Darry tried to get them all to bed.

"Sure honey, all ok?" Pony nods his head and Darry crooks a finger. When he's close enough Darry presses a kiss to his forehead. Pony doesn't fight it and leans into Darry's shoulder for a moment.

"Yeah, I'm fine. G'night Darry."

"Night, kiddo."

It doesn't take long for the rest of the gang to decide they're tired. Soda crashes on the sofa against Steve's shoulder and Steve hauls him up and dumps him in bed. Two promised his ma he'd go home and Steve swears he'll be fine at his. Darry reluctantly doesn't put up a fight. He drops kisses to both their heads and reminds them the door is always unlocked.

Once the house is nearly empty he straightens up the few things out of place and drags himself to his room for the night. He's a heavy sleeper and he's exhausted enough to fall asleep right there in the hall but his body won't let him even dream of passin' out before all his brothers are home where they're supposed to be.

He counts on Dallas bein' back in an hour give or take and flips on the bedside light. He cracks the book on the nightstand Ponyboy recommended to him months ago. Pony had read it in one afternoon but Darry was draggin' through it five minutes here 'n there when he had the time.

Half an hour later he hears the door to Pony, Dallas, 'n Soda's room creak open but doesn't think much of it. He hears light steps pad down the hall 'n correctly assumes it to be Pony. Seconds later the door opens 'n closes again.

By the alarm clock beside the bed, it's another forty-five minutes before Dallas comes in. The walls are paper thin, so he can distinctly hear Dally kick his shoes off at the door and continue into the kitchen. He pauses there oddly long but Darry doesn't get up to interrupt.

It takes another ten minutes for Darry to hear the kid in the hall. He sniffs hard and Darry recognizes the sound of him rubbin' the back of his sleeve across his face. It breaks his heart but he leaves him be. Of all of them Dallas was the most fiercely protective over his ego and privacy. If it were anyone else, Darry wouldn't let that stop him from comfortin' him. But he knew the kid would get him if he needed it. He figured Dallas could see the light under the door 'n would know Darry was awake if he decided to come in.

Darry waits another fifteen minutes before he gets up to check on them. When he eases open the door Soda is sprawled out in one bed and Dallas is wrapped tightly around Pony in the other. Darry smiles fondly and goes to shut the door before he catches the paper clutched in Dallas' hand.

Darry slinks quietly across the floor to get a better look. He recognizes Pony's careful, controlled pencil markin'. The drawin' is one of his favorite Polaroids of Dallas, his smile wide and uncontrolled. Darry remembers the exact moment it was taken, his hair blown back from his forehead as Soda had taken a turn far too fast for Darry's likin'. Dallas had howled and stuck his whole head out the window and grinned.

Darry smiles fondly at the memory and catches the corner where Pony's written a note in his neat, loopy hand writin'.

I don't see you as angry. I see you as Dallas. My brother. (who just happens to look tuff when he scowls)

[marimbles]

if ive been at a restaurant cheerfully and enthusiastically waiting for the chicken parm to be served for like 5 hours, am I not allowed to be disappointed that it turned out to be salmon instead. sure salmon is really tasty to some people but what if I just don’t like salmon. why are they serving salmon in the chicken parm restaurant? “it’s such an interesting surprise that the chef brought out salmon! I can’t wait to see what’s for dess—” no. bring me my chicken parm .

anyway that’s how I feel in the miraculous ladybug fandom rn lol

[petrichorium]

I... would like to hear more of your thoughts about Luffy.... if you have any more to spare.....

lil prequel to this

The jungle is hotter than you anticipated.

It's only been an hour and already you're sweating through your linen shirt. It was foolish, really, to assume you'd be prepared, but before setting foot on the beach you might have said you'd last at least the first day before stripping most of your outerclothes.

Luffy, in contrast, seems perfectly unaffected. Of course it’s been nearly a decade since he’d first entered the Grand Line, an infinity of experience compared to you—in fact you might even say he looks more at home amongst the overgrowth and unseen beasts than he did in the bustling urbanism of your home island. He stands taller, you think; doesn’t bother hunching to your height, shoulders rolled back with eager confidence.

He'd picked up a walking stick somewhere along the way, and though he's offered more than once you've resolutely refused to climb onto that broad back if only because just the sight of it before you has your heart beating ever faster.

(And, admittedly, because more than once you've spotted some bug or another that has drawn you astray, and you'd be far too sheepish to ask him to stop and let you off if you saw one from his back.)

Now you lead the way, following the trail of distinctively eaten foliage that you'd first pointed out to a surprisingly keen pirate king who'd crouched to hover over your shoulder as you eagerly gestured to the characteristic patterns. He's carried on following you, an energetic pup at your heels with hands just a bit too willing to reach out and tug you away from the countless dips and valleys you seem determined to fall down.

Such as the one you stumble across now. The ground drops before you, so large that even your poor reflexes can stop you. Your heart drops even faster—once the trees have given way you realize the cliff you’ve run square into has revealed a perfect view of the ship you arrived on, and just how far into the horizon it’s gotten.

“Ahhhh,” Luffy says, a dismayed sort of noise. You flinch as a heavy forearm slams against your shoulder, the man forcing more of his weight than comfortable onto you as he leans forward. “So slow. The Sunny would have been gone by now.”

“What?”

“The Thousand Sunny! My ship!”

You wrinkle your nose. “I know what the Thousand Sunny is—“

“You do?” He’s giddy now, eager as he leans even closer into your personal space. “She’s the best ship ever, right? With the lion at the front, so cool, I'll take you to sit on it when—“

“I don’t know that much.” Your hand finds his face as you shove him away none too gently. He doesn’t budge. “Just the name, the figurehead… the flag.”

What any person in the world would know about the ship that carries the king of the pirates. You don’t bother clarifying such things anymore. Luffy doesn’t tend to listen.

“Shouldn’t you be more concerned by the fact that our ship has sailed off?”

He blinks. “That’s why you brought me along, though.”

The words turn your blood cold. You swallow thickly. “You knew? Did you… did Lyle tell you? Is that why you agreed so quickly?”

Luffy makes a face. When he speaks it’s sour in a distinctly juvenile way. “Don’t talk about him, I don’t like him. And I really don’t like when you talk about him.”

"He's my husband," is all you can think to say in response.

"He wants you dead."

Even more than before, you feel as if you've been doused in freezing water, as if the air has been knocked from your lungs. You knew—of course you knew, obviously you knew, but hearing it aloud is an entirely different territory. Your knees buckle; Luffy’s hands find your waist before you can drop, lifting you with ease to deposit you almost tenderly onto the large outcropping of rock you’d been bracing yourself against.

They rest on either side of your thighs. You try not to think too hard about how warm they feel against you.

Your new perch is high enough that you’re level with him now. It’s a more comfortable feeling, no longer craning your neck to look him in the eye. Except he has other intentions; ones that have your face growing hot as he sighs and lowers his head to rest his cheek against the soft give of your thigh.

He’s always been touchy, moreso than appropriate, but it’s never been anything this bold. When he glances up at you through lidded eyes your breath hitches, a thrill going through you.

“We’ll just wait for my crew, yeah? If I don’t show up in a couple days they’ll follow my vivre card to find us. But you knew all that, didn’t you?”

You squirm a little. Luffy's arm tightens around your legs.

"Stop that. Just lemme—"

He shoves his face into your stomach. You yelp, hand flying to grip his hair none too gently—but that only drags a groan from him as he presses further and inhales deeply. Your abdomen tenses involuntarily.

(Lyle had never touched you so intimately, and certainly never so desperately. It had all been courteous and tasteful during the course of your arranged engagement, and then he'd gone cold after the wedding. Some rebellious part of you wishes he could see you and the king of the pirates now...)

He pulls back only when you finally sink into it. Stomach still fluttering, you push it aside and lean back on your forearm, that hand in his hair relaxing to stroke through the strands absent-mindedly. He eases up, lifting his head to watch you.

“Why?” You say finally. “Why are you so calm? I tricked you into coming here, I lied to you, I manipulated you, and you just went along with it? Now you’re stranded on this island with me for who knows how long until your people finally show up and you’re just okay with that? Why?”

Luffy blinks at you, dark eyes wide as his head tilts and his mouth pulls into a pout that has your heart skipping a beat.

“Well… you’re gonna join my crew, aren’t you?”

[sainz100]

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