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inkweaver22-blr · 2 years ago

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Happy Easter!

Here’s the first chapter of my next long-fic project! Don’t worry, I’ll still work on Scattered Cicadas as well. For now, please enjoy this chapter! And leave a comment to let me know what you think!

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Tangerine Fur and Fraying Trust - Chapter One

Cornered in the desert with no way to escape, Tang is forced to break a pact and reveal things about himself in order to protect those he cares about. How will his family, both old and new, react to the secrets he’s been keeping? With enemies pursuing them from all sides, will Tang be able to rekindle the frayed trust in him and overcome the coming darkness? Or will everything be consumed by ice and shadow?

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There were many times over the past year that he could have- should have- interfered. Moments where his skills and expertise would have turned the tide in their favor. Advice he could have shared to smooth out various misunderstandings. Knowledge he should have passed down that would have hastened growth. Anything.

Yet he hadn’t. He had watched MK’s journey to becoming a hero passively. Held back at first by fear of retribution, and then by complacency. After all, the young man seemed to be getting the hang of things. No matter how bad the situation got, MK managed to succeed in the end. All without his help.

So he relaxed. Settled back into the role of the eccentric scholar. Offering help that a human with an interest in stories and a penchant for tricking a free bowl of noodles from his partner would be expected to give. Nothing more and nothing less. It wasn’t even that hard. He had quite grown fond of how freeing it was to just be himself without the weight of expectations and preconceived notions holding him back.

MK could handle himself, he had thought. If he couldn’t, his mentor was someone he still had quite a bit of faith in even all these years later. Surely there would be no obstacle they, along with the rest of MK’s family, would not be able to overcome. Revealing himself was simply not necessary.

Tang clenched his fists.

Oh, what a fool he had been.

The appearance of Lady Bone Demon and her theft of MK’s powers and Wukong’s staff had been a splash of icy water in his face. One that washed away his contentment to go with the flow and forced him to take a long look at himself. What he saw disgusted him. He had become lax. Lazy. Allowed his normally sharp senses and instincts to dull. He had committed his personal gravest sin by being inattentive.

If- no- when the others found out about this, they were going to be furious with him. Not that he deserved anything less.

A roar from Mei snapped Tang back to the present. She was surrounded by her dragon aura, blasting apart the mech Macaque piloted for what seemed like the dozenth time. Tang winced as he realized that this was not the time to be fixated on his failings. He needed to pay attention to what was happening now. Damn this new unhealthy habit of focusing on the wrong things and blocking everything else out!

So much had happened in the past forty-eight hours since they fled from Lady Bone Demon. Macaque tracking them down and the airship crashing into the ocean. Being imprisoned by Ao Guang, the Dragon of the East, and then fleeing once more in the RV Sandy had built as Macaque attacked the underwater palace. Barely making it a few hours into the desert before Macaque found them again.

Tang had been reeling from the shock of his own incompetence that he hadn’t been able to react or help properly. Yet another failure. But no more! He needed to take stock of the situation and act.

The RV was destroyed. That had been Macaque’s first action upon catching up to them. Luckily, they had managed to evacuate before he had crushed it underneath the foot of his mech. With the miles of empty desert sand surrounding them, they had no choice but to stand and fight.

Unfortunately, Wukong had gone into a deep meditative trance not even an hour earlier. Leaving them the dire warning to not interrupt him and with MK’s own powers not working, they were without their two heaviest hitters. Mei stepped up and engaged Macaque’s mech with her dragon aura instead.

She had landed a deciding blow, vaporizing a good chunk of the mech. Their celebration was short lived though as it had just started to regenerate. Even now, Macaque’s laughter filled the air as his mech repaired itself from Mei’s most recent attack.

In short, they were trapped with nowhere to run, facing a seemingly unbeatable enemy, and relying solely on Mei who would not last forever to protect them. It was far past time he did something.

Tang took a step forward, but hesitated when the binding around his neck heated up in warning. Even in his weakened and dulled state, there was no doubt he would be able to defeat Macaque with ease. But what then? The RV was reduced to scrap. He doubted anything of use could be made from it even with vehicle manifestation magics. That left them stranded and exposed for the reprisal that would come for breaking his word.

“This isn’t good,” Pigsy said, distracting Tang from his thoughts. “We’ve got nowhere to go and Mei’s not going to last much longer. We can’t even wake up Monkey King early ‘cause he made it clear only bad things would happen if we did.” He shook his head in despair. “It’s hopeless!”

A jolt ran through Tang as if struck by lightning.

Hope.

He reached beneath his robes and clasped the wooden totem he wore around his neck at all times. There was somewhere they could go. Someplace safe from both Lady Bone Demon and those who would pursue him for revealing himself. They would be intruding and most likely be unwelcome, but Tang would worry about that later. Right now he needed to get his current family to safety and hope things could be worked out.

Tang was sure their host would appreciate that thought at least.

His doubt shattered and resolve coursing through his veins, Tang threw his scarf away and placed a hand to the golden runes etched upon his skin. With a surge of power and a quick tug, the binding was snapped off. He examined the ring of symbols for a moment, squinting at something that didn’t seem quite right. He shook his head and dismissed it for now. He needed to stay focused

Capturing the spell in a stasis field before it could disperse and tucking it away into his robes, Tang steadied himself for what he was about to do. He had already broken the binding, so there was no undoing his decision. There were going to be so many questions from his loved ones that were going to be difficult to answer. He just prayed they would eventually forgive his deceit.

Taking a deep breath, he cleared his thoughts so he could focus on what was in front of him. Determined to go through with it before his resolve wavered, Tang bent down and quickly began unlacing his boots.

“Uh, Tang? What are you doing?” Sandy asked, lightly repositioning the unresponsive Monkey King in his arms and drawing attention to the scholar.

“Getting us out of here,” Tang replied, kicking off his boots and pulling off his socks as well.

“How is taking off your shoes going to help?” Pigsy said skeptically.

“You’ll see.” Tang straightened up and tucked his glasses into a pocket. They were purely cosmetic anyway. He turned and looked each of his companions in the eyes in turn. “No matter what happens, I need you all to trust me.”

“What’s going to happen?” MK’s voice wavered. “Tang?”

“Some pretty weird stuff,” Tang admitted. His stomach twisted at the frightened and confused looks he was receiving. “I’m going to be doing all that I can to get us somewhere safe. So please, just trust me.”

“I-” MK turned to look at where Mei was clashing with Macaque’s mech, her movements noticeably sluggish. He swallowed and looked back to Tang. “O-okay. I trust you.”

“I trust you, little buddy,” Sandy pitched in enthusiastically.

“You better know what you’re doing,” Pigsy huffed, crossing his arms. While his posture seemed annoyed, Tang could see the worry in his eyes. He would have to make it up to him, to them all, later.

“Thank you,” Tang sighed in relief. “Just… Save your questions for later, alright?”

Tang closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It had been some time since he had reverted to his birth form. It wasn’t strictly necessary to activate the key, but his powers and connection to the Earth were stronger when he was. With how lax he had become, he would need the boost to distract Macaque long enough for them to make their escape. He focused and with a pulse of magic, he began to change.

Fur sprouted all over his body. His feet shifted to where he stood primarily on his toes. His skull elongated into a snout. Claws grew from his fingers which shortened in length and developed paw pads. A short fluffy tail grew from the base of his spine and his ears lengthened quite significantly. Tang took a breath once the transformation finished and opened his eyes. The others stared back in astonishment.

“Whoa…” Sandy said, his mouth hanging open.

“You’re a rabbit?!” Pigsy exclaimed, eyes wide and arms having fallen to his side.

“You’re orange?” MK said, scratching his head at Tang’s bright fur color as opposed to his sudden species change.

“I’ll explain later,” Tang promised as he turned towards the mech and flexed his paws. He grinned as he felt his magic flow through him. “Right now we need to get out of here.”

Tang shifted and concentrated, stance firm despite the sand. His magic spread out down into the Earth surrounding them. Once he built up enough, he took a step forward and swung his fists downwards in a straightforward and sturdy motion. He then stepped back, pulling his fists straight up. As he did, solid stone burst out from beneath the sand underneath Macaque’s mech, encasing it up to its neck. Opening his fists, Tang spread his arms out wide and golden chains of magical energy appeared, wrapping around the stone sealing it in place.

“Holy shit!”

“Language, MK!”

“Mei, get over here,” Tang shouted. He straightened up and took a deep breath. That should not have taken that much out of him. He was more out of practice than he thought.

“What happened? Why’s shadow boy locked in stone? Who’s the rabbit dude? Where’s Tang?” Mei fired off several questions as she rejoined the group, looking pretty worn out herself.

“The rabbit is Tang and he’s the one who trapped Macaque,” MK said.

“What?!”

“Later, I promise,” Tang interrupted as he reached beneath his robes and clasped onto the totem. “Everyone grab hold of me!”

Once everyone had done so, he pulsed his magic into the totem. It replied with its own weak pulse, slowly poking out and touching Tang and his companions. As it investigated them, one of the chains sealing Macaque in place shattered.

“Tang…” MK eyed the trembling stone prison warily.

“It’s warming up, give it a second.”

“We might not have a second, Tang,” Pigsy said, flinching as another chain failed. “Hurry it up!”

Tang closed his eyes and blocked out everything, including his rising panic. This needed to work. He needed to get them all to safety.

Snap!

“Tang?”

This would work. He would be able to protect them all this time. He believed this would work.

The totem grew warm to the touch.

Snap! Snap!

“Tang!”

They were all going to be fine. No matter what, he would hold fast to his hope.

A wave of magic flowed from the totem, enveloping them all.

Tang’s eyes snapped open as the final chain shattered and the rock began to crumble.

“Brace yourselves!” He tapped his foot twice against the ground. The sand and earth beneath them gave way, opening into a large hole.

The last thing Tang saw as the group fell in screaming was Macaque breaking free of the stone and charging at them fruitlessly.

The earth closed above them long before he reached where they had been.

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The past week had not been very fun for MK. It had to be in the Top Five of Worst Experiences He’d Had if he were to rate it. Right up there with Spider Queen’s takeover of the city. Or that time in High School when he was sick for a whole week. Having his powers and staff stolen by a creepy and terrifying demon lady then having to go on the run for nearly two days straight was definitely not something he hoped to repeat in his lifetime.

He felt so… Useless. First with Macaque attacking them on the ship, and then when they were imprisoned by Mei’s Great-Great-Great-Many-Times-Great-Grand Uncle. Without his powers he couldn’t do anything. Like he was sure Monkey King had implied before going into his meditation, he would just get in the way and put himself in danger if he tried to fight now.

Standing back and watching Mei take on Macaque’s mech solo had been hard. At first it looked like she had been winning, but then it just kept regenerating over and over. MK could see his best friend starting to get tired after a while. Frustration had started to build within him and he had almost stepped forward to help anyway despite his missing abilities.

But then Tang stepped forward first.

Of everything that had happened so far, what happened next was nowhere near what MK ever expected to happen.

He wasn’t sure what surprised him more. The fact that Tang was actually some sort of rabbit demon, or that he was bright orange in color. Maybe it was the sudden show of some seriously awesome magic as he temporarily sealed Macaque in place. That he was hiding this from them for all this time was up there too.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get long to think about it. A sudden wave of warm magic washed over them all and Tang’s eyes snapped open at the same moment the final chain keeping Macaque in place broke.

“Brace yourselves!” Tang tapped the ground twice with one of his now large furry feet. MK barely had time to react as the earth beneath them opened up into a large hole.

There was quite a lot of screaming as they fell in. They hit something solid yet slippery as they started to slide wildly downwards. It was surprisingly well lit, and MK was soon able to realize they were careening down a tunnel lined with moss. It was… pretty fun actually.

MK’s screams soon turned into shouts of exhilaration alongside Mei’s as they slid down, down, and even further down. The random twists and drops and loops made this better than any slide or roller coaster he had ever been on! He spotted something out of the corner of his vision and his eyes widened.

Tang, who was indeed still a rabbit, wasn’t sliding. He was running along the walls of the tunnels on all fours. He was keeping pace with their frantic descent and hopping over them with precision and grace. He caught MK staring at him and smirked before jumping over the young man as he slid fully around the circumference of the tunnel. He gave MK a wink just as the tunnel dropped out once again and he lost sight of him amongst the rush of green and brown blurring past.

So cool!

Their wild ride ended just as suddenly as it began, the tunnel flattening out and shooting them into a much more open space. As they all came to a stop in an undignified heap, MK couldn’t help but laugh. That had been a blast! He extracted himself from the tangle of limbs and exchanged a high five with Mei.

“That was awesome!” He cheered alongside her, ignoring Sandy’s groans and Pigsy’s muttered cursing.

A sudden breeze caught him off guard. Weren’t they underground? As the excitement began to fade, MK took the time to examine their new surroundings.

“Whoa…” He breathed, almost unbelieving of what he was seeing. “Where are we?”

They were underground as he thought, but he’d be forgiven for expressing his doubts. The cavern they now stood in was massive, with something as bright as the sun high up towards the distant ceiling providing plenty of light. There was vibrant plant life everywhere. Fields of emerald grass and flowers of every color and egg shaped rocks covered in moss. Was that a forest in the distance?!

The breeze returned, and MK took a deep breath. The air was crisp and pleasant and clean. It carried the scent of freshly thawed soil and morning dew on grass and everything else he associated with Spring. He could swear he could hear the sound of running water for just a moment before the wind settled. He would not be surprised if there was a full blown river down here at this point.

This place was special. Unique. Important. Even with his powers on the fritz, MK could practically taste the capital M Magic that infused every inch of the cave. It was deeply connected to Nature and the Earth. It reminded him a lot of Flower Fruit Mountain, actually.

“She’s a beaut, ain’t she?” Tang said, his voice slipping into a strange accent as he looked out across the lush cave as well. He sounded both happy and… sad somehow? Huh?

MK blinked as he had to look up into Tang’s face. He had almost forgotten Tang was a rabbit. A bright orange rabbit. That apparently meant he was taller now. The rabbit part, not the orange part. The altered face shape meant his expression was a bit harder to read, yet MK was surprised that he recognized it. He wasn’t entirely sure what it meant, but it was the one Monkey King would get sometimes when he made those origami figures of the other pilgrims.

MK had so many questions.

“Yeah, it’s amazing, but where are we?” Mei repeated MK’s question.

“We’re somewhere safe,” Tang replied, his accent returning to normal as he stood up straighter. He began scanning the path leading further into the cave that the tunnel had deposited them on with intense focus.

“Somewhere safe?” Sandy said as he made sure Monkey King hadn’t suffered any damage during their wild ride.

“Yes. At least, I hope so…” Tang’s ears and nose twitched occasionally as he vigilantly watched the path. “I… I’m not supposed to bring strangers here without permission. I’m just relieved the key accepted you all and opened for us.”

“Wait, are you saying this might not have worked?!” Pigsy said, incredulous. “And what do you mean you don’t have permission to bring strangers here?”

“Exactly that,” Tang said. “This place belongs to… someone I’ve known for a long time. He doesn’t really like having unexpected guests.”

“But, you’re good friends with this guy, right?” Sandy asked. “That means it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, should it?”

Tang winced. That wasn’t a good sign.

“We’re doomed,” Pigsy groaned, unknowingly agreeing with MK’s thoughts.

“It’s… It’s complicated,” Tang admitted, his ears drooping.

Wow. He looked very sad like that. But in a cute way. MK was sorely tempted to reach out and give Tang a hug. And maybe a pat on the head? Would that be offensive? Surely just because he looked like a soft and cuddly animal Tang wouldn’t appreciate being treated like one.

“We are close,” Tang continued, distracting MK from that line of thought. “But the last time we met was many years ago and we parted in a rather… explosive argument. We haven’t spoken since and he will not be pleased to see me in his home unannounced and with uninvited strangers to boot.”

“Then why did you bring us here?!” Pigsy’s temper was starting to wear thin. MK took a step back to avoid the oncoming outburst. “You said you were bringing us somewhere safe and now you tell us whoever lives here isn’t going to be happy to see us! Plus you aren’t on good terms with him right now! Who’s to say he won’t attack us straight away? That you’ve just led us into another fight?”

“He won’t attack us.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I’ve known him all of my life,” Tang said, voice hard like steel. “Unless we throw the first blow, the worst he will do is eject us back to where we entered.”

“How is that any better?!”

“It won’t happen as long-” Tang began.

“As long as what? You talk to him? Simply explain to this guy who’s been angry at you for years that we need his help for nothing in return?” Pigsy marched over to Tang and scowled up at him. “How can you be sure that will work? Considering how you’ve obviously been hiding things from us this whole time, why should we believe you?”

Tang’s ears went fully flat at that and MK’s heart twinged in sympathy at the hurt on his face. He may have agreed with some of what Pigsy was saying, but he didn’t like throwing accusations around. It made him feel icky whenever he assumed the worst in others. Especially those he cared about. They did need answers, but this wasn’t the way to get them.

“Come on Pigsy,” MK said, trying to ease the tension. “Aren’t you being a little harsh? He did get us away from Macaque.”

“No, MK,” Tang spoke up, catching him off guard. “He’s right. I have been hiding things from you. I can’t fully explain why just yet, we don’t have the time, but I need to start being more honest with you all.”

Tang took a deep breath and looked Pigsy in the eye.

“I know he won’t attack and will at least hear us out because… Because he’s my brother.”

MK’s jaw dropped at that. That… wasn’t what he had been expecting. But considering everything else that had happened so far, he wasn’t sure why he was surprised at all.

“Oh.” Pigsy’s temper deflated as he blinked. “Uh, like, sworn brothers or…?”

“No, full blooded brothers,” Tang corrected as he returned to scanning the path.

“Oh. So is, uh, he also…” Pigsy vaguely gestured at Tang.

“A rabbit?” Tang chuckled. “Technically we aren’t rabbits, but yes, we are the same species.”

“You aren’t rabbits?” Mei sounded as confused as MK felt.

“That’s a long story.” Tang’s ears perked up and his eyes narrowed. “One I can’t get into as we’re out of time.”

The tension in the air immediately returned and MK shifted instinctively into a battle-ready stance.

“Listen, I need you all to trust me again,” Tang said as he stepped up in front of the group, facing away from them.

“What? Why?” MK asked.

“While I can probably get him to hear us out, you were right to not underestimate his anger at me. I can convince him to stop and listen, but it will take some extreme measures.” He half turned to give them an intense stare. “No matter what happens, even if it appears that my life may be in danger, do not interfere. Understand?”

“But…”

“Understand?”

MK swallowed as he shared an uncertain look with the others. Deciding to trust him once more through an unspoken agreement, they all turned and gave Tang shaky nods.

Tang returned the nod and turned back to face the path, standing tall and straight.

Before too long, the sound of something approaching rapidly was heard. A figure could be seen running towards them on all fours at full speed. It was hard to make anything out except a gray blur as it grew closer. MK took a step back as it seemed the figure wasn’t going to stop and might plow straight into Tang.

Had he blinked, he would have missed the way they bounced a quick hop high into the air to shed speed and landed at a dead stop just a few feet in front of Tang. They stood to their full height and MK got his first good look at Tang’s brother.

They were indeed a rabbit, or looked like a rabbit, just like Tang.

They were also almost completely naked.

Save for some forearm guards, a bandolier around his chest, and foot wrappings, they wore no clothing. MK nearly choked at that before he realized that there wasn’t actually anything there to see. That was… odd. A relief for sure, but certainly strange. Once he got past that shock he began to examine them a bit closer.

They had blue-gray fur with a white front, which was strangely normal considering Tang’s bright orange. He had almost expected them to be the same color. There were darker patterns on his forehead, arms, and legs however. They looked almost like natural tattoos that grew in that way. In fact, he had noticed Tang had a similar mark on his forehead as well. Interesting…

Tang’s brother was the taller of the two. If only by an inch or so. Still, they were over six feet tall if he had to guess. Not counting the long ears. Which was more than enough for the gray rabbit to be looking down at them all. Well, maybe not Sandy. Not many people were taller than him.

Their expression was carefully neutral as they examined their group, but MK could see a bit of hardness in their eyes. Eyes that were a startling bright green. They looked almost familiar… MK blinked as he realized where he saw those eyes before. They were the exact same shade as Tang’s. He hadn’t been sure if he’d be able to tell if there was any family resemblance between the two, but that was at least one definite link.

The silence stretched on as Tang’s brother stared them down. MK did his best to avoid fidgeting. The gray rabbit was rather intimidating and he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He swallowed nervously as he resisted the urge to wipe away a bead of sweat. He wished one of them would say something. This suspense was torture!

“Why are you here?” Tang’s brother finally said, voice brusk and cold. MK shivered at the edge in their words. Tang hadn’t been lying about them not being happy to see them.

Tang took a deep breath before lowering himself to one knee. He spread his arms out, palms open and facing forward. He tilted his head back and to the side, presenting his neck while keeping eye contact with his brother.

Then he spoke.

It was unlike any language MK had ever heard. He wasn’t sure how to describe it. It… flowed. Rising and falling in a beautiful way. It was like music, almost. Tang’s brother must not have been expecting it either if the short flicker of surprise in his eyes were any indication.

The hardness quickly returned though once Tang finished whatever he was saying. In response, the gray rabbit reached behind their back and pulled out… curved wooden sticks? No, boomerangs. Boomerangs with some seriously sharp edges now that MK looked closely. Sharp edges which were very quickly placed against Tang’s throat, who did not flinch or look away.

What? MK’s pulse quickened. Tang had been so sure his brother wouldn’t harm him. Had he been wrong? He needed to stop them!

A hand clamped down tightly on his arm. He jerked around to see Mei holding on to him. She shook her head and pulled him back from the half step he had involuntarily taken. MK grit his teeth and stepped back reluctantly. Right, they had promised to not interfere. He felt so useless, again! At least the tight grip Mei had on her sword in her other hand showed he wasn’t alone in his thoughts this time.

Tang’s brother was speaking now. The foreign language was still flowing and beautiful, but there was a strange bit of formality in their cadence. Almost as if they were reciting something. Tang’s initial response had felt that way as well, in hindsight.

The brothers exchanged words for a few minutes. All the while, Tang remained on one knee while his brother held the wooden blades to his neck. MK had no idea what they were saying, but from the way their tones changed, it seemed like Tang was being forced to explain himself. At least, he assumed the shorter, harsher sentences from Tang’s brother were questions. Tang’s answers fluctuated from matter of fact to hesitant to subdued.

Throughout it all, the expression on the gray rabbit’s face never changed. They remained stoic and focused on their brother, not giving away what they thought. MK wished he could see Tang’s face so he could have an idea on what was happening.

The flow of the conversation changed suddenly. Tang’s brother seemed to be reciting several things again to Tang, and Tang would give a short response that sounded like he agreed. Promises? Demands? An oath?

Whatever it was, it made MK’s anxiety ratchet up as he realized the conversation was about to end. However the gray rabbit would respond determined whether they would be safe, or be forced back out into the desert with Macaque. He hoped that whatever Tang had said had been enough. Not just for their sake, but for Tang’s as well. He didn’t have siblings, unless he counted Mei, and it would kill him inside to not be able to speak to her for years at a time.

He hoped this would be a good first step to mend whatever torn feeling the brothers had for each other.

The gray rabbit looked up and met his eyes for just a moment before looking back to Tang.

MK felt a chill up his spine. What was that?! Why had they looked right at him? They weren’t able to read minds, were they? God, he seriously hoped not.

There was another stretch of silence, and MK felt about ready to burst from the tension. Then, Tang’s brother removed the boomerangs from Tang’s throat and took a step back. They said something that sounded like a declaration as he sheathed the wooden blades on his back once more. They then stretched out a hand to Tang, who’s shoulders slumped in obvious relief.

MK let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, hearing similar sighs from the others around him. It worked! They were safe for now.

MK let out a yawn and blinked as his eyes drooped. Wow. He was tired. Exhausted, actually. When was the last time he had a decent night’s sleep? A week ago? Two? It was sometime before he met Lady Bone Demon for the first time underground when she was pretending to be a frightened little girl. Had it really been that short of a time? It felt much longer.

WHACK!

MK jumped a little as Tang’s brother smacked the orange rabbit over the side of the head after helping him up. His heart sped up again. Had he assumed wrong? Were they about to be kicked out?

“Ow, ow, yeah, I deserved that,” Tang moaned as he rubbed the spot he’d been hit.

“Ya deserve a whole lot worse!” Tang’s brother said in a rather strong accent. “Now come here!”

Tang tensed as his brother moved in close again but blinked in surprise as he was pulled into a hug.

“You aren’t forgiven. Not yet. But, dammit, I missed ya a lot, Tangerine.”

MK shook his head. Had he heard that right? The confusion of the last few hours and his sleepiness must be playing tricks on him. Did they just call Tang Tangerine?

“I missed you too,” Tang said as he returned the embrace. He pressed his forehead to his brother’s. “I promise, I’m going to fix all this.”

“Don’t make promises ya might not be able to keep,” the gray rabbit warned softly as he pulled away. He glanced over to the rest of their group and frowned. “I think full introductions and explanations will have to wait til later. Your crew looks dead on their feet.”

MK yawned again as he looked at the others. Like Tang’s brother had said, they all looked terrible. Bags under their eyes, sand in their rumpled clothes, and various scrapes and bruises from the two vehicle crashes they had managed to live through in the same amount of days. There was only one thing on MK’s mind right now and that was sleep.

He really hoped there wouldn’t be any more earth-shattering surprises. He might not be able to take it.

“Alright you lot, let me welcome ya officially to The Warren,” Tang’s brother said. “I’ll get ta know ya after you’ve had some shut eye. For now, you can call me Bunny.”

“Bunny?” Pigsy gaped. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” The gray rabbit smirked mischievously. “But if that bothers you, you can call me by my full title.”

Tang tensed. Uh oh…

“And… That would be?” Sandy asked.

Tang’s brother gave a toothy grin.

“The Easter Bunny.”

MK’s brain officially fizzled out and stopped processing.

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So what did you think? Quite a bit was revealed in a short time. Are your brains fried like MK’s here? ;P

Shout-out to @skellebonez once again for being a wonderful friend and sounding board as I rambled to them about this!

This is actually a re-write of a one shot I wrote some months ago. I liked the idea so much I decided to take a more serious crack at it and turn it into a full fic. I’m super excited for some of the things I have planned.

Unfortunately, I don’t know when the next chapter will be ready. I’ve managed to get a new job that required me to move states. I’m still settling in and getting used to working full time again. Hopefully a routine will settle and I’ll be able to start writing more often.

But for now, stay safe! Care for one another! And never give up on Hope!

Until Next Time!

#Tangerine Fur and Fraying Trust #LEGO Monkie Kid #Monkie Kid #Rise of the Guardians #RotG #TFaFT #Crossover #Tang #Bunny Tang #MK #Pigsy #Mei #Sandy #Sun Wukong #Monkey King #Macaque #Six Eared Macaque #E Aster Bunnymund

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nehswritesstuffs · 2 years ago

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Father Like Son, Mother Like Daughter, Parent Like Child - Part 3 of 4

Now we’re really getting into canon divergence! All the consequences keep piling up lol. This also got really long and idk whether or not I should apologize.

First chapter on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Prior chapter on [tumblr] - [FNN] - [AO3]

Some meetings are fate--they’re bound to happen no matter what is going on around them. When it comes to the future Pirate King, he’s going to have nothing but the best. [10,516 words; AU where Cora-san and Bell-mère raised their six kids in the East Blue and everyone is better-adjusted]

“Huh…? Who is that…?”

Usopp squinted as he attempted to adjust his goggles in order to see what was against the horizon. Luffy suddenly appeared at his side, nearly vibrating in excitement.

“Who is what now?!” the straw-hatted lad gasped. Usopp tried to shove him off while fiddling with lenses.

“There’s someone nearby, but not near enough for me to get a good look,” Usopp explained.

“Any way you can signal them or some shit?” Zoro asked, not even breaking rhythm in his reps.

“Not without sending up a flare,” Usopp replied. He paused and stared for a moment before swallowing hard. “Oh, shit, they’re coming towards us.”

“What’s coming towards us?” Sanji asked, coming out of the galley with a drink-laden tray in-hand. “It better be land—Luffy’s almost eaten through our supplies.”

“It’s another ship, dumbass,” Zoro sniped. Sanji glared at him as he retrieved his drink.

“Watch your mouth, asswipe—I control what you eat.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“Huh… it’s a dinghy… like what you and Zoro were traveling in, but the sail’s busted,” Usopp noted. “It’s got a couple girls our age in it.”

“Ladies?!” Sanji gasped, snapping out of his bickering with the swordsman. Hearts were in his eyes and his steps grew light. “I’ll go ahead and make them some refreshments~!”

“I thought we were running out,” Usopp grumbled. Sanji pretended he did not hear that and twirled into the galley. “Anyhow, it doesn’t look like they’re doing much one way or the other. Think maybe they’re coming here by the current?”

“That’s what you said we’re sailing across, right?”

“Well, yeah…”

“Then probably.” Usopp stared at Zoro; how in the hell did he survive before joining the crew? Then again, how did he and Luffy survive before Sanji and Usopp joined up?

“OI!” Luffy shouted, waving his arms. “What’s going on?! Do you have any meat?!”

“How have you remained unmurdered?” Usopp deadpanned. He then did a doubletake as Luffy stretched his arms to get momentum and launched himself across the water.

Holy shit… what sort of a captain was he with…?

Eventually, the dinghy caught up to the Going Merry and Luffy brought the newcomers aboard. It was indeed a pair of women about their age, one pale with red-orange hair and another tan with blueish hair. They both had tattoos as well—the former with a mikan and a heart on her shoulder, and the latter with a swirled heart design across her arm and neck.

“This is Nami and Nojiko,” Luffy said happily. “They’re sisters. Nami’s gonna be our navigator!”

“I never said I’d agree to that!” Nami snapped. “All I asked for was a tow back to Cocoyasi! It’s not my fault you’re in these waters and don’t know where it is!”

“Welcome to life with Luffy,” Usopp said. He tried to exude an air of confidence, yet his knees still shook. “I’m Captain Usopp, the real brains of this operation. You’re already met Luffy, and this is Zoro…”

“…yo…”

“…and Sanji is our cook.”

“…and where is he?” Nojiko asked. Usopp simply held up three fingers and counted down.

Two… one…

“Oh laaaadieeees~!”

“That’s Sanji.” Usopp kept a straight face as the aforementioned cook came out of the galley, hearts in his eyes and fancy fruity drinks on a tray.

“What a sight for sore eyes,” he crooned, lowering the tray so that the women could both take a drink. They did, which seemed to send him over the moon. “It’s about time we had some civilized company on this ship—even a temporary break from this sausage fest is such a delight!”

“For fuck’s sake; get laid already,” Zoro scoffed. The pair glared daggers at one another while Nami and Nojiko snickered and Luffy complained about wanting a snack.

“So, Cocoyasi was it?” Usopp asked, pretending that chaos wasn’t going on behind him. “Where are you coming from?”

“Cocoyasi,” both women said simultaneously. Nami shook her head when she saw Usopp’s confusion.

“I’m a cartographer by trade, and my sister and I were just using a free day to sail around and get some new details for my maps.”

“She’s a hell of a navigator too,” Nojiko added, “which probably explains Luffy’s enthusiasm.”

“To be fair, he was like that with all of us,” Usopp shrugged. “Once he gets something in his head, there’s no real getting it out of there until he’s either exhausted it himself or he’s kidnapping you with your permission.”

“Yeah, that’s a boy alright,” Nojiko smirked. She watched as the three teens argued, feeling a pang of very specific nostalgia hit her. “Say, why don’t you rest at our place as a thanks for giving us a tow back home? We can even set you up with some mikan trees for the ship.”

“Oh, that would be lovely, Nojiko-chwan~!” Sanji gasped. “Fresh fruits are like gold to seafarers!”

“Yeah, and our parents are killer cooks too,” Nami mentioned. That caught Luffy’s attention, the promise of food sparkling in his eyes.

“Yosh! Let’s go to Coccobashi!”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Bell-mère could hear the newcomers before she could see them.

“Huh… you hear that…?” she frowned, staring down the road into the village. Cora put down the bushel he was holding and shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked.

“I don’t hear anything, but I sure as can feel it,” he admitted. “Raw Haki like you wouldn’t believe… there’s a mast in the harbor with a black flag; do you think there’s someone here?”

“Someone just passing through, or someone supremely stupid,” Bell-mère spat. She was about to climb down the ladder when she suddenly felt a Haki signature come barreling towards them—oh, shit, it was flying towards them! Something whizzed overhead, cackling, and crashed into the far end of the orchard. The couple ran towards the crash, only to find that several trees had been destroyed while some kid got up from the debris.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Bell-mère snapped. “Those trees were older than you!”

“Ooops, sorry!” the kid laughed. “Guess I got carried away. Nami said that her parents are great cooks!” He looked at the couple and smiled softly. “That’s you two, aren’t you?”

Cora had to hold Bell-mère back by her collar, using his Devil Fruit to make her threats silent. “…and what, might I ask, brought our youngest child to tell you that we’re great at cooking?”

“Oh, we ran into her and Nojiko while at sea—their sail ripped and we gave them a tow,” the lad said casually. “She’s gonna be my navigator.”

Bell-mère went limp and she and Cora stared at one another, then at the kid. She was what…?!

“Luffy! You idiot!” Nami and Nojiko appeared, having run there along with three other young men their age. “What part of ‘I’ll bring you there’ don’t you understand?!”

“…but Namiiiii… I’m hungryyyyy…!”

“He said something about finding you two with a ripped sail,” Cora said. “Is that true?”

“Yeah,” Nojiko admitted. “This is Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji; their ship is in the harbor.”

“It will be nice to have a full table again,” Cora beamed. He looked at Bell-mère, who was sourly pointing to her throat. He undid the silencing on her and let her say her piece.

“How the fuck do you kids think you’re going to pay for these?” she growled, gesturing at the felled trees.

The silence she was met with was highly reassuring.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

On that sunny day, years after their first aborted attempt, Arlong the Saw attempted to invade Cocoyasi again. It was deeply personal for him, as he had been unable to find a permanent base since being beaten the first time, not to mention the fact that his ego was still bruised after the time that had passed. He had brought reinforcements, preparing for the rumors that a majority of the brats who had driven them out currently being in the Grand Line to be misleading. One thing was for certain: the rumors were true and the hotshot rookie Heart Pirates currently battering tougher waters were indeed some of the brats from Cocoyasi.

The bad news was: Cocoyasi ended up with backup of their own.

The six young people stood there, tall and proud and ready for a fight, just with a slightly different lineup than eight years prior. Arlong stood there cockily and laughed.

“Shahahahaha… looks like you’re down your best fighters,” he said tauntingly. Three swords? A suit and tie? Shaking knees? That jokes. At least they were down the Mink and Devil Fruit. “What a shame—I was hoping for a true rematch.”

“These people never did anything to you without being provoked,” the boy with the straw hat replied. “You have to leave now.”

“…and what if I don’t…?”

“Then you just asked for an ass-kicking,” the lad grinned. “Hey Nami, wanna do the honors?”

“Sure thing. One…”

It was the same brat that did the countdown as before…

“Two…”

…and she almost looked… smug.

“Three; looks like they asked for it.”

“Then let’s take care of these guys so I don’t have to pay the scary lady for some trees!”

“Right!” the others agreed. The five charged into the crowd of Fish-men, holding their own against what were supposed to be their physical superiors. The girls were unnaturally fast, the boys unnaturally sturdy, and their leader simply stared at Arlong, grinning all the while.

“What loyalty do you have to this place?” Arlong asked. “This is not your hometown.”

“You’re right, it’s not,” the kid with the straw hat shrugged. “But you’re in the way of me getting the best navigator for my crew, and I’m afraid I can’t have that.”

Arlong raised an eyebrow. “Oh…? A measly Human…? The best navigator…?”

“Yup! She asked for help, so we’re giving it to her.” The kid cracked his knuckles and crouched into a fighting stance. “Any last words before I kick your ass?”

“Only that I’m sorry I’m going to have to ruin you.”

“Nah, you can’t do that! I’m gonna be King of the Pirates one day!”

Arlong began to laugh hysterically.

Luffy used the opportunity to strike.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

By the time Cora and Bell-mère made it down to the village, it was a very different scene than they had anticipated. While they didn’t think that their daughters and their new friends were going to be bad at fighting the Arlong Pirates by any means, they didn’t think that they’d already have them unconscious and tied up, ready to be transported to the nearest Marine base.

“You kids sure do good work,” Cora noted.

“I used to fight pirates on the deck of my old man’s restaurant all the time,” Sanji shrugged. “These goons were nothing.”

“Don’t forget I used to be a bounty hunter,” Zoro mentioned. He was sitting on Genzo’s porch, cleaning his swords. “People actually know my name.” The pair began to bicker, which everyone else tuned out.

“I guess it’s time for me to officially meet your dad, Rosi,” Bell-mère frowned. She nudged the comatose Arlong with her foot, her lips curling in a disgusted sneer. “At least we’ll be able to bring him a present to make up for not inviting him to the wedding.”

“We really only need to go as far as Logue Town,” Cora said. “That kid Smoker’s in charge there these days from what I hear.”

“The little shit—he’d detain us until HQ arrives anyhow.” She glanced over at her youngest daughter and cracked a smile. “So, how’s a day sound for a headstart?”

“What…?” Nami tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean: the last time you two fought this asshole alongside four boys, you sobbed like a baby when they left,” Bell-mère scoffed. “Go with them—meet your brothers out there like you promised. You’re already older than half of them were. Nothing’s stopping you.”

Nami stared at her parents, completely taken aback. Go…? Now…? She felt a hand settle on her shoulder and she turned to see Nojiko standing next to her, an assuring smile on her face.

“You ever feel like coming back, then you know exactly where to find me,” Nojiko said. Nami began to silently cry, trapping her elder sister in a hug. Before she knew it, both her parents were hugging them as well, just as they did on the docks with her brothers years ago.

“Hey,” Luffy said, breaking the silence. “I’m hungry. Do you have any meat?”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

In all actuality, Law felt as though he was being generous.

Because, really, when all was said and done, the crew had only docked in order to stretch their legs and gather supplies. It wasn’t their fault that there was a Marine base that was particularly huffy when it came to visitors, let alone pirates, and that they refused to let them be until Law shambled them all into odd bits. Leaving them alive was more than generous, not to mention leagues more humane than what other crews currently sailing would do. He was being the epitome of charitable.

“This is exhausting,” he grumbled at Bepo, who currently had custody of his nodachi. “Mom and Dad never warned us about the fucking tedium that the Grand Line is capable of.”

“Sorry, but… it could be worse,” Bepo replied. The pair looked over the square of screaming, terrified Marine bits, compounded by screaming, terrified locals. Yeah… it could definitely be a lot worse. They began the trudge back to the harbor, knowing that there would definitely be several stragglers who would attempt to exact revenge on them.

Were other rookie pirate crews having this much fun?

“Boy, Mink,” a voice said firmly as they rounded a corner. There was a late-middle-aged shopkeeper standing in the doorway of his store, staring at them cautiously. “What are you…?”

“Pirates; I thought it was obvious,” Law shrugged. The man shook his head.

“No—you have the sounds of many lands in your voices. I’ll ask again: what are you?”

Law and Bepo exchanged glances, silently coming to the same conclusion. The shopkeeper sounded Eastern, but an Easterner on the Grand Line would be someone who would know the difference between a broadly Northern accent and the ones their voices had become. The young man shrugged casually in hopes to add some brevity to the situation.

“Moved around a lot as kids, as you can tell considering my kid brother here’s a bear…”

“…sorry…”

“…so I don’t know what it is you really want to hear.”

The man regarded this for a moment before eventually saying, “I heard that there were Northern pirates in town, but you sound more like you’re from my home sea at times. Does that mean the rumor about you being pirates is false as well?”

“No… we’re Northern, and pirates, but you do sound a lot like our mom,” Law said solemnly, purposefully affecting more of his Flevench tones. It was easy to use his more Eastern patter, but it was even easier to go back further, to the accent that often made grown adults cringe in terror. “She’s stubbornly East Blue—I guess it rubbed off more than we thought.” He then tactfully decided to offer an olive branch. “Where you from? We might have been through there recently; we haven’t been on the Grand Line for long.”

“It’s a place you wouldn’t have been old enough to remember,” the man said. That made Law and Bepo’s eyebrows shoot up. “Have you ever heard of a place called Oykot?”

Bepo wanted to immediately be small enough to hide behind Law, whose nostrils flared and breath hitched. Oykot? The older man saw their reactions and knew… breaking into a grin.

“People still know my homeland? Did they rebuild?”

“No…” Law stated. “The Marines took it over—I don’t know what they did with the land, but it’s government property now.”

“Then how do you know it?”

Law calculated the risks for a moment before answering. “We grew up knowing people from there. They left as refugees after the war. It was always something of a sore topic…”

“Then they were the lucky ones,” the man nodded. “Can I give you something, for next time you see them? They are young like you, correct? Or at least have youngesters of their own?”

“Uh… yeah…?” Bepo said warily.

“Then hold on!” The shopkeeper ducked inside his store for a moment before popping back out with a small trunk that was covered in decorative carvings. “Things from our homeland—they’re difficult to find. Even if they don’t want them, their children might.”

“Wouldn’t your children want them?” Law frowned. The man shook his head.

“I have none, and my wife has long-passed. I’d rather give these to a face than to die wondering if they will be burned by the government in part of their cover-up.” A shout could be heard from around the corner and the three tensed up. “Hurry, run!”

“Do you really trust me?” Law asked. He put his hands on the chest, both men holding it between them.

“Wha…?”

“Do you really trust me?”

Footsteps rounded the corner and fully-functional Marines were in-sight.

“There they are! With a conspirator!”

“Yes,” the shopkeeper whispered.

At that, Law ripped the chest from the man’s hands and knocked him to the ground with a hiss. Bepo accentuated the action with a loud, Electro-accented roar, one that sent shivers down the spines of the Marines and shopkeeper alike, before the brothers went running towards the docks. Law and Bepo swapped their cargo as they made it back to where the Polar Tang was, the former unsheathing his sword as he turned and skid backwards in a crouch, now facing the Marines.

“Finish loading!” he ordered. “Take roll! Make sure everyone’s in!” He put up a Room around them and the Marines hesitated to enter—they did not wish to be trapped again. Once he got the all-clear from Hakugan he went into the Tang himself and they immediately dove under the water. He found the crew in the mess hall, all marveling at the chest that Bepo held.

“Holy shit, Cap—this thing’s gorgeous,” Ikkaku whistled. “Where’d you get this?”

“It’s a gift…” he said idly, “…for my sisters…” He waited until Bepo placed the chest on the table before he opened a Room to begin working on the lock—the only thing the shopkeeper had neglected was giving them a key.

“What could you have possibly gotten for Nojicakes and Gingersnap?” Penguin wondered warily.

“Hey, I’m still reeling over the fact that you four are brothers, let alone that there’s a couple sisters to the set,” Clione snarked. Everyone waited until the lock gave with a soft click, allowing access to its contents.

Lifting the lid carefully, Law saw that the chest was stuffed full of trinkets and mementos from Oykot. There were photos, tiny statues, knickknacks, all wrapped gently in soft clothes made in the Oykotti local standard. He gently pulled a dress from the bottom and let the fabric run over his calloused hands, his brow furrowed in thought.

“Bep said some dude just gave this to you?” Ikkaku said, holding one of the statuettes to the light. “This is the sort of shit the Marines burn in a pile to cover up mass murder.”

“That’s kind of the point,” Law said. “Get caught with it and watch it burn along with you, or give it to someone who can keep you and it alive that much longer.” He set the dress down in the lid and began to look through the photos, a twinge of dread knotting his stomach. The people, the places—few to none of them existed anymore. It was a haunting thing, knowing that the photographs were not that old, yet the children in them were long-dead. “It feels like I’m looking in a mirror.”

“Dramatic, but go on,” Ikkaku said idly. Oh yeah, that’s right—everyone could hear him.

“These really could have come from anywhere,” Law explained poorly. “Bep, I want you to figure out how to get these back home without using the News Coo. This chest is too heavy for them.”

“Aye aye,” his kid brother grinned. “Our sisters are gonna be floored.”

“More than just them, I can assure you.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It didn’t take Nami long to realize she might have been in over her head.

“This is it?” she asked, gesturing at the sad pile of money on the table. “You really are literally some of the brokest pirates I’ve ever seen.”

“It doesn’t help that the captain eats like a vacuum,” Sanji grumbled. Nami just rolled her eyes.

“Any of you know what a budget is?” Both Sanji and Usopp raised their hand; Luffy and Zoro did not. “Well, I’m going to do everyone a favor and take care of finances. I want the two of you who do know what budgeting is to give me a detailed list of what you need and pricing. Those of you who don’t, just remember you have to go through me to get your allowance.”

“Witch,” Zoro growled. “What makes you a money expert?”

“We didn’t have a lot of money when I was very little,” she explained. “Poor people are some of the best with money, because they know what they can stretch and when. Mom was always trying to find new ways to get things to last longer before Dad came into the picture. She still has to make it stretch in the off-season most years—we’re not rolling in money.”

“So, that clumsy guy is rich?” Luffy asked, pinkie finger up his nose. Nami shook her head with a laugh.

“No—he just showed her what paperwork to file in order to get her Marine pension. She’s the one bringing in the money.” Her crewmates all went rigid. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? My parents are both retired Marines. Dad’s dad is apparently still one.”

“…and yet you and your brothers are all pirates,” Usopp noted. “Sounds complicated.”

“It gets way more complicated than that, but that can be a story for another day,” she said. Nami then looked at the money again, counting it up really quick. “Yeah, we’re going to have to get some jobs for a little while in the next island if we want to be able to afford supplies… this is going to be an entire thing, isn’t it?”

The four lads in front of her stared at her—of course it would be. It wouldn’t be her and four guys if there wasn’t at least some resistance.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Cora sat slumped in the chair as Bell-mère paced impatiently up and down the short corridor. They were currently in the Loguetown Marine base, in a holding pattern while their credentials were being checked and the several bountied prisoners they dragged in were being processed. A young woman stepped out of a nearby door and adjusted her glasses, looking at them expectantly.

“Captain Cocoyasi? Commander Donquixote?”

“…and you are…?” Bell-mère scowled.

“I am Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, subordinate to Captain Smoker,” she replied, giving a short bow. “Pardon my saying, but you two are legends in the Academy.”

“You don’t say,” Bell-mère replied. She looked at the shorter woman and raised an eyebrow. “Now where’s our little punk at?”

“Captain Smoker’s currently out, but you can await his return here,” Tashigi offered. “It shouldn’t be more than an hour or two.”

“Darling, I have a business to get back to—a legitimate mikan farm—and I’d like to not be given the run-around.”

“Belle, please, don’t scare the girl,” Cora groaned. “She’s telling the truth, at least to the best of her knowledge.”

Tashigi looked awkwardly between Bell-mère and Cora, not sure what to respond to that with.

“My Haki was always sharper than yours,” Cora added teasingly. Tashigi, used to seeing squabbles and pissing contests between other Marines, blanched at the sight of Bell-mère seemingly wanting to murder Cora.

“Maybe you’d be more comfortable waiting in my office,” Tashigi offered. She gestured towards a door and watched as her guests stared at her, seemingly sizing up her offer.

This was going to be a long afternoon, wasn’t it?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

As it turned out, at hearing word that two former superior officers magically showed up on his doorstep with piratical presents in-tow, Smoker very quickly made the trip back to the base to meet them. Within twenty minutes, in fact. His cigars nearly fell from his mouth as he stared at the ghosts in front of him.

“You’ve done well for yourself,” Bell-mère noticed. “All of Logue Town? That was your goal, wasn’t it? To protect your hometown?”

“One of them,” he admitted. He waved off his subordinates, though used his Devil Fruit ability to close the door in Tashigi’s face while remaining at his desk. “No… you stay. I need confirmation that I’m not dreaming.” She hesitated before returning to her captain’s side.

Time crept slowly as Smoker read the report, outlining a myriad of things from not only just the other day’s attempted invasion, but the one from eight years prior as well. His ever-present scowl simply solidified, letting the others in the room know he wasn’t entirely convinced.

“So… you took down the entire band of pirates by yourselves…? As good as you both were, I find that difficult to believe.”

“It’s probably best for the slags to think it was us,” Bell-mère shrugged. “It was actually our daughters and their friends this time, if you’ll believe that.”

His eyes finally lifted from the report and he closed the folder. “Your daughters…?”

“So… then the rumor was true, Captain Cocoyasi,” Tashigi noted. “No one knew for sure, but the main hearsay was that you left to raise a couple of children. That’s really what you’ve been doing all these years?”

“Six once this one entered the picture, but yeah,” Bell-mère said, gesturing at Cora. She gave the pair before her a shit-eating grin—there was no chance in hell she was going to deny being a mom… especially when bragging about her brats.

“That can’t be it,” Smoker stated. “I remember you taking us younger recruits for practice—neither of you simply woke up one day and decided to find some children to raise. What happened?”

A long silence passed over the office, growing increasingly uncomfortable with each tick of the clock. It wasn’t until Cora cleared his throat did the silence shatter and attention was drawn to him.

“We wanted Justice, plain and simple.”

“Justice is what we dole out as Marines.”

“Except, we know Marine Justice, and it doesn’t give a damn if a kid is alone or lost or scared. That’s our humanity that cares… and humanity won.”

Smoker folded his hands and placed them atop his desk. “I’m listening.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nojiko,

We just got word of what happened at home. There was a small article in the newspaper, but we have been hearing rumors as to otherwise. There’s word that you had help from some kid who thinks he’s going to become the Pirate King, and that he is traveling with a crew that has a crackshot navigator. You know that I am aware of what this means. They’re still so far behind us in the Grand Line—it’s taken a long time for us to get to where we’re at. I don’t even know if there’s the chance for us to meet.

One thing is for certain: I was right. You are the strongest. Out of all eight of us. The rest of us can all keep running, but there’s strength in staying. I think it’s worth holding over our older brothers for a bit.

The goons send their love, sort of; Bepo definitely sends his.

I love you,

Law

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Smoker towered over Luffy, end of his jitte keeping the lad pinned to the floor. Crocodile had already left them to attend to other matters; he did not care if the pirates and Marine man in his care drowned, for it was only that fewer people in his way.

“So… your chasing us here in Alabasta is completely different from when you were trying to capture us in Logue Town,” Usopp realized. He glanced over at his crewmate, impressed. “Man, I didn’t know your parents had friends in such high places, Nami.”

“Neither did I,” she replied. She regarded the man carefully, not entirely sure she wanted to believe his intentions. He was a Marine, after all.

“Think what you will, but I owe Bell-mère and Rosinante much of my early successes, which means I essentially owe them my career. When they speak, I listen.” He lifted the jitte from Luffy and holstered it on his back. “The absolute least I can do is watch out for their children.”

“Hate to break it to you, pal, but pirates don’t get help from Marines,” Nami frowned. Smoker silently gestured to the everything about their situation and she grumbled. “Not often.”

“After talking to your parents, I don’t know what Justice is anymore,” Smoker admitted. “Maybe, through a loose alliance of sorts, I can figure out what it really means.”

“When we get out of here, you should leave us alone and go bother my brothers—they might be able to help you.”

Smoker considered it. “We’ll see. For now, let’s concentrate on getting out.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Mont Blanc Cricket’s hut was modest at best, much to the Straw Hat Pirates’ surprise. They all huddled inside the older man’s home, with him grousing as he recovered from the bends.

“You got a lot of neat stuff!” Luffy marveled. He was staring starry-eyed at all the things that Cricket and the Saruyama Alliance had salvaged. There was all sorts of antiques and glittering treasures for them to look at, though one member of the crew was conspicuously not paying attention. “Nami! You have to look at this!”

“Huh? Oh, that’s nice.” Nami pulled a book from a shelf and opened it up, skimming through the old pages.

“That’s not gonna get you much of anywhere,” Cricket scowled. “Not many read or speak that language anymore. Can’t get rid of the damn thing because it’s taboo. Crew found that abandoning me was a good reason to get rid of it too.”

Nami smoothly read a few sentences of the book aloud, making everyone’s jaw drop but two: Sanji and Robin. The archaeologist turned inward and pensive, a knowing smirk upon her lips, while the cook froze dead in place before turning it completely around.

“Oh, the language sounds so lovely on your tongue, Nami-swan!” he crooned. “I don’t think I’ve heard that language since I was a little boy!”

“What language is that, shit cook?” Zoro scoffed. Sanji glared at him and the two stewed in their shared competition before Nami stepped between them.

“It’s a language from the North, like Sanji-kun is,” she said. “My siblings and I all speak it.”

“How did you manage that, might I ask?” Cricket wondered. “The last sad fuck I met who spoke that was literally dying from disease before my eyes. Poor bastard—just glad I didn’t catch the damn thing that did him in.”

“You couldn’t have,” Nami said firmly, snapping the book shut. “That wasn’t an infectious disease; it was poison that took out the entire country.”

“You know a lot about it for someone from the East Blue, Navigator-san,” Robin noted. “I would assume Cook-san would have heard it at least in passing… but you…”

“Let’s just say we’re all extraordinarily resourceful in my family,” Nami smirked. She then turned to Cricket. “Got any other books written in this language?”

“In the chest—take them,” Cricket said, waving her off. “They’re worth nothing anyhow.”

“They might mean nothing to you, but they seem to mean everything to Navigator-san,” Robin said.

Nami ended up adding over a dozen new books to her collection, which intrigued her roommate immensely. Robin knew what it was like to gravitate towards things from a civilization now passed… though… no… it wasn’t entirely time to reveal that yet.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Oooooh… this is bad…” Nami cringed as everything clicked into place. Zoro glared at her.

“How the fuck is this worse than it already is?!” he griped.

“We’re not dealing with any old Marines, nor any average undercover cell,” she shivered. “We’re dealing with Cipher Pol 9.”

“Fuck,” Paulie spat. Rain and wind whipped at his jacket as he desperately wished the weather would permit him to light a cigar. “How would you know that?”

“Is this because your parents are Marines?” Chopper asked. Nami nodded seriously.

“Mom and Dad taught me a bit of Rokushiki—or the Six Arts—and I’m… okay at them. Not enough to use it in a fight regularly. My sister’s a little better, but even she’s nowhere near Cipher Pol agents, who have to master all six. Cipher Pol 9? The one that shouldn’t exist? They’re deadly with them.”

“Those bastards.” Paulie took the nub of his cigar and threw it downwind in his ire. It flew across the train station, landing in a puddle. “I’m gonna fire them, then I’m gonna kill them.”

“Let’s concentrate on getting Robin back,” Zoro stated. “We know the shit-cook’s on the train, but we can’t leave it to just him.”

“Plus we have to find Luffy!” Chopper squeaked.

“There’s a lot of things that we need to do,” Nami agreed. “Now, we’ve got a Government to defy.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Everyone was recovering quietly on Thriller Bark as the inevitable conversation continuation happened.

“I can understand Sanji having heard Flevench in passing if he is from the North, but you, Nami…? How do you know it?”

Both Sanji and Nami glanced over to Robin from where they were helping Chopper by prepping nutrition-packed food and medical equipment respectively. The cook and navigator gave each other a tense glance, then turned their attention back to the archaeologist. She had given the language its name and that was something they could not ignore.

“I told you: I speak it with my siblings.”

“Are you from Flevance?” Robin wondered. “You would have been very little…”

“Nami was adopted as a baby—you weren’t there when her mom told us,” Sanji replied.

“Yeah; where I’m ultimately from isn’t exactly thriving either, but that’s incidental.” Nami placed the final roll of bandages in the box and frowned. “It doesn’t change that my home is the East.”

“…which makes your knowledge of a moribund North Blue language all the more curious,” Robin admitted. “May I ask: is anyone in your family Northern?”

“Dad,” she shrugged, “most of my dumbass brothers. We’re all adopted though; no one’s blood in our family.” She regarded Robin’s arched eyebrow carefully. “What…? Are we not allowed to know this language?”

“I would say you’re more than allowed, but it’s a fact I wouldn’t allow too many people to know if I were you. Sure, there were pockets of migrants here and there, but when all’s said and done, they still killed the citizens for a reason.”

“To cover up the cost of greed, I know,” Nami shrugged. “I’m more than aware of what happened. How did you hear the language, Sanji-kun? Did someone you know speak it?”

“More like…” he shrugged noncommittally, “I had to learn it, until I didn’t.”

“You learned it?” Nami gaped. “Why did you learn it?”

“The White City was a popular destination right up until the Outbreak. It made sense to learn it, and it made sense when I dropped it.”

“Must have been some teachers you had,” Nami replied. Robin stayed silent, watching the conversation with interest.

“I’d say it would be more impressive if I retained any of it,” he said. “I think all I know is hello, goodbye, counting to ten, and some colors.”

“Still more than a lot of people,” she chuckled. “Maybe when we’ve had a chance to breathe a bit, I can teach everyone some of what I know. It would do a lot of good, I think.”

“Anything for you, Nami-swan~!” Sanji crooned. Hearts were in his eyes as the topic at-hand morphed from their pasts to whatever it was Nami wanted, he would do. Robin took it all in quietly, not broaching the even bigger topic at-hand: what was he hiding?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Tortuga honestly felt like some sort of lurid stereotype.

There were a ton of pirate crews wandering around, making their own merriment and being as debauched and insane as they wanted. From what the Heart Pirates had gathered, there were several islands as such on the Grand Line. Tortuga, Jaya, Sabaody… they were all fairly standard as far as the fairy tales that would be told to children in order to make them behave, or else they’d find themselves fighting for survival on such an island. It was honestly sort of boring, if you asked Law.

“Is this an actual island or is it a theme park?” he scowled, finishing off the rest of his tankard. The bar they were in was just as loud and rowdy as it was outside, which was hardly anything the young man wanted, let alone wanted to tolerate. “Any harder on the aesthetic and the pianist in the corner is going to swap out for someone with a hook hand.”

“No one’s keeping you here,” Ikkaku scoffed. “Tang’s right where we left her.”

“What’s keeping me here is a month’s-long Log Pose,” the captain grumbled. Fuck, this was tedious. “I think I’m going to go… take a walk.”

“Take Bepo,” Penguin requested. “That dude in the corner with the fur collar’s been giving him weird looks.”

Law stood up with a grunt and left, but not before pulling up on the Mink’s shoulder and hauling him out as well. The remaining Heart Pirates let out a collective sigh once the pair were out of sight.

“It’s only been a week,” Clione whined. He looked over at Penguin and Shachi and frowned. “How the fuck do you two do it? How did you do it?”

“What helped was that we could offload Captain Cranky onto the younger three,” Shachi explained with a smirk. “He’d do anything for them. Still will. Well, for us too, but all they’d need to do is look at him and suddenly he’s painting nails or using his powers to debone herring.”

“In that, it makes sense that he’s the captain,” Uni nodded. “He’s always looking after the lot of us.”

“Yeah,” Hakugan agreed. “I thought it was weird at first that the oldest brother wasn’t the captain, but now that we’ve spent so much time together…”

“No matter what has happened or will happen in the future, the thing to remember is: Law cares,” Penguin asserted. “He might not be the best at showing it at times, but hey… neither are our parents.”

“…which is a very interesting admission.”

Penguin and Shachi both froze as a new voice filtered out from the crowd behind them. They turned around to see a tall man—nearly as tall as Bepo—with red hair, a scar on his chin, and way too much leather to be anything but the pirate captain of some sort of kink-themed crew.

Oh… shit.

The man’s eyes slowly dragged over the table’s occupants as he made his assessment of the situation. “Several unbountied members of the Heart Pirates as well as two bountied officers. No one who would be considered a heavy-hitter—that’s reserved for the Mink and the captain.”

“What’s it to you, Gristle McThornbody?” Ikkaku scoffed. She was right—he was, for lack of a better word, beefy.

“You sound Northern,” Shachi realized. “We’ve never run into you before.”

“That’s because I took an alternate route to get to this point in my life,” the man said. He then pointed at the orange-suited men. “You two—a word.” He turned on his heel to head towards a private room, only for Penguin to scoff.

“Buddy, we recognize a trap when we see one.”

The man looked over his shoulder, clearly irritated already, and said something none of the Heart Pirates expected.

„Respect your uncle. Now come along.”

Shit… he spoke Flevench… at least a little of it. Penguin and Shachi looked at each other and nodded before giving the rest of the crew a knowing glance and a discreet hand signal—if they weren’t back soon, evasive action was to be taken.

Cautiously, the brothers followed the mystery man into a corridor, which held a bunch of rooms, one of which they ducked into. Three other men were in there—their leather jackets seemingly indicating that they were all piratical subordinates—and left with a wave of his hand. Once they were out, he checked the place over, confusing his guests.

“Sorry about that,” the man eventually groaned. “I’ve got to be extremely careful these days—not even my own men get a pass.”

“What’s a captain that can’t trust his crew…?” Shachi wondered. Penguin, however, got it immediately.

“A pirate captain that’s not really a pirate,” he said, tapping his fist atop his palm. The mystery man took a Den Den Mushi out of his pocket and activated it, the snail buzzing idly. The man waited silently for the other end to pick up, a deep man’s voice answering.

“Swallow.”

“Crane.”

“Good to hear from you, my boy. How are things?”

“I found them,” the man said. “Two left to wander, and I have two here.”

“You have them?!” There was a third voice, this one distant.

“Don’t you have someone else to bother?!”

“Tsuru kicked me out of her office.”

“…as I was saying,” the man continued, seemingly unbothered. Whomever the interloper was on the other end was a frequent, casual, and trusted occurrence. “I have two members of my absentee brother’s brood in front of me right now in a secure location; thought you’d want to say hello.”

Penguin and Shachi both suddenly felt very ill. Who the fuck was this guy? He looked nothing like Cora-san, so at least they knew it wasn’t the uncle they knew about, though the question still remained. The transponder snail perked up, though with a hint of caution.

“My grandsons…?”

“Wait…” Shachi marveled, pointing at the Den Den. “Who is that…?”

“A very tired old man who is happy at least one of his sons found happiness.” The snail wobbled as the man on the other end seemed to sigh in relief. “Which ones am I speaking to?”

“Shachi… uh… sir…”

“…and I’m Penguin.”

“The eldest two—I wish I could see you and your younger siblings in front of me, but I know that’s likely impossible at this point.” There was a pause, where the interloper sounded like he was making tea across the room. “Is he well?”

“Better than ever,” Penguin said. “We… uh… could get our other brothers…”

“There’s only enough time for one call, I’m afraid,” the snail said. “Maybe, when all this is over, we can be together.”

“Possibly,” Penguin replied. He glanced at the man holding the transponder snail and frowned. “Was this your mission?”

“Ancillary, so yes and no.”

“Trust this man; he is the uncle you should have grown up knowing,” the Den Den gently commanded. “If you ever think about muddling your allegiances in the name of a higher power, find him.”

At that, the call cut.

“Okay, so now the question is: who the fuck are you?” Shachi asked. The man fed the transponder snail and placed it back in his pocket.

“I am X Drake of the Drake Pirates, publicly a former Rear Admiral of the World Government Marines.”

Penguin hesitated at this. “…and privately…?”

Drake’s lips curled into a grin. “I thought you’d never ask.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Nojicakes,

I guess we have an uncle that we didn’t know about…? I know you know about Uncle Doffy, and no, I’m not talking about Uncle Doffy. Ikkaku describes him as both “a slab of meat” and something she’d like to climb. I still think you and her get along too damn well for our own good just via letters, which is why you’re not allowed to meet in-person. Anyhow, I get vibes that he’s the replacement son for the guy who raised Dad after Dad went missing. Dude gets credit for being able to roll with it as well as Nami rolls with being a replacement for Law’s first sister. All of it, I think, is related to the fact no one in the family is wanted “dead or alive”. It’s all “Alive Only”. That’s… that’s a strange power.

We are at a quandary though. Sach and I want to help this guy, but we aren’t entirely sure if we should, or how we should. Please don’t tell Law yet—we want to get this off our chests, but at the same time, we want to think about it before talking to him.

I’m scared, Nojiko. I won’t even tell Shachi this, but, I’m legitimately scared. What the fuck is going on in this sea? I doubt even our parents know that.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sabaody truly was a formidable place, when one came down to it. The Straw Hat Pirates all broke into groups to wander around the mangroves, getting in some shopping and sights while Rayleigh coated the Thousand Sunny. Nami and Usopp broke off together for the time being, the pair taking solace in the fact that they were each in the sole company of a normal person for once. Even with all of the bandits and bounty hunters and strong pirates wandering around, there was something said about being normal, slipping through people’s radars without so much as a blip.

“I do hope that they’re being careful,” Nami sighed. She finished off the end of her ice cream cone by popping it in her mouth, the Bon Chari behind her filled with her varying bits of shopping.

“Hey, if we’re not worried about Robin getting snatched while wandering around all the weird bookstores, then we can figure that Luffy will be alright for a few hours,” Usopp shrugged. His ice cream was long-gone, instead looking about the street for a specific shop. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to look casual as possible. “Besides, he’s got Chopper and Brook with him, and it’s not like Hatchi and Caimie want to do anything too reckless while here.”

“That’s true,” she shrugged. “See the shop?”

“No, but… I think we’re being followed.”

“Who’d be stupid enough to do that?”

“I dunno,” he shivered, “but these guys have been following us for a few streets now. They think they’re being slick, but considering they’ve got a giant bear with them…”

“…a bear…?!” Nami perked up as she looked up and down the street, trying to find their stalkers. Usopp opened his mouth to say something when he saw the bear barreling towards them, arms spread wide.

“Shit! Nami! Stay back!” Usopp gasped. He stepped in front of her and drew his kabuto, knees quaking. “I’ll fend him off!” His crewmate surprised him by shoving him aside and leaping into the bear’s arms, laughing as he spun around in a hug.

Huh… wait a second… the bear’s boiler suit was the same shade of orange as Nami’s hair…

“It’s so great to see you, Gingersnap!” the bear beamed. He then looked over his shoulder at the three men who were running to catch up; two of them were dressed in the same boiler suit, while the third was in spotted jeans, a yellow hooded sweatshirt, and a nodachi resting along his back. “It’s Nami! We found her!”

The two men in boiler suits crashed headlong into them, piling on the hug brightly. The third waited for Nami to disengage from the other three before bringing her in for a hug of his own, only for the others to pile on that as well. Usopp watched curiously, not entirely sure what to say.

“Uh… Nami…?” The five all stared at him. “Uh… what’s going on…?”

“Oh, that’s right.” The tips of her ears turned red as she wriggled out from the hug, effectively breaking it up. “So… you know how my brothers all left Cocoyasi before I did, right…?”

“Yeah…?” Usopp replied warily. Nami grit her teeth and forced a smile while gesturing to the newcomers.

“Meet my brothers.”

A chill ran down Usopp’s spine as the three men and a polar bear glared at him, for no other reason than that he was with Nami. He felt as though the treatment was very much undeserved as he was neither the boorish Zoro nor pervert Sanji.

“Great to finally meet you all,” he said, voice cracking. “Nami’s told the crew so much about you.”

“How many of you are there?” the man with the nodachi asked sternly.

“We’re a crew of nine, myself included,” Nami beamed. “I hope you have a lot of notes, Bepo-nii! I’ve been taking detailed ones of our route that I think you’ll find interesting.”

“Actually, I have,” the bear replied. He and Nami sat down on the ground and pulled out maps from… somewhere… and began comparing them. This left the other three men to menace Usopp, who was ready to cry for mercy.

“How did you and our baby sister meet?” the man with red hair asked.

“Gingersnap is safe on your crew, isn’t she?”

“Answer truthfully, Nose-ya, or we will demonstrate why we became one of the most feared crews in the North Blue.”

“Naaaamiiiii… help…” Usopp sobbed. “They’re acting like I’m your boyfriend or something…”

“Leave him alone, assholes,” Nami said idly, not even looking up from her map. “Usopp’s affections lie with a very specific blonde back in the East. You can’t kill him before we bring him back to her.”

“I mean… we could…”

“I have absolutely no qualms about telling Mom and Dad on you, and then where will you be, Law-nii?”

“You have always been too shrewd for my liking, even when you were little,” the man with the nodachi grumbled. He regarded Usopp and figured he had to play nice. For now. “I’m Law. This is Penguin, and Shachi, and that’s Bepo. We are the Tangerine Hearts, Captain and Officers of the Heart Pirates.”

“I’m Usopp… and I shoot things from great distances.”

“Law-nii, stop scaring him! He’s so terrified he can’t even lie! Lying is his thing!”

“Gingersnap, it’s been seven years since we’ve seen you; don’t think we won’t take full advantage of the fact,” Shachi said. “Is Nojicakes with you?”

“Nojicakes…?” Usopp frowned. “Is that seriously what you call your sister?”

“Noji-nee stayed at Cocoyasi,” Nami said idly. “She’s taking care of things with the mikan grove while Mom and Dad are out.”

“…out…?” Law cringed outwardly. “Fuck… I didn’t think they’d want to leave…”

“They were turning in some pirates that we had beaten,” Usopp offered. “I’m sure they took the bounty money and are back by now.”

“If you think that, then you don’t know our parents, Usopp-kun,” Penguin said, draping his arm consolingly along the other man’s shoulders. “Once they leave the nest, then there’s no bringing them back.”

“Usually people say that about the ones they raise, not who raised them,” Usopp said. Nami shrugged casually at that.

“You met our parents. They’re only, what, eleven? Twelve? Yeah, about that much older than Peng-nii, and he’s the eldest. The fact none of us are axe-murderers with a host of issues is kind of impressive.”

“Jury’s still out,” Usopp mumbled. He then got an idea, which he thought was pretty sneaky. “Say, you guys want to come meet the rest of the crew? We’re using a local bar as a hangout.”

“Using a table to compare maps would be nice!” Bepo beamed. “Come on! Let’s go!”

Unable to tell their cute baby brother no, Law, Penguin, and Shachi allowed Nami and Usopp to lead them back to Grove Thirteen, where they walked into a bar situated atop the mangrove roots. The rest of the Straw Hats were there, eating, drinking, and relaxing in their own ways.

“There you two are,” smiled the lady behind the counter. A cigarette dangled from her lips as she looked the extra guests over. “You brought guests, I see.”

“Go easy on them, Shakky,” Nami snickered. “They’re a bit out of sorts right now.”

“Neat!” Luffy gasped from his chair at the bar. “Where’d you find a polar bear?!”

“I’m sorry,” Bepo said, bowing politely. Luffy, Chopper, and Brook all gasped.

“HE TALKS?!”

“You’re a Mink, aren’t you?” The brothers noticed an octopus Fish-man sitting in the corner, pausing a game of cards he had been playing with a starfish and a mermaid. A moment and something in his brain clicked. “You’re that Mink! You’re from Cocoyasi, aren’t you?”

“What’s it to you?” Penguin sneered. He, Shachi, and Law readied for a fight, only for the Fish-man to bow himself.

“I’m sorry for the trouble I caused those years ago. I was part of the Arlong Pirates when he tried to invade Cocoyasi the first time and… well… you can see I gave that up a long time ago.”

“Hatchi was there, and he is genuinely sorry,” Nami confirmed. She pulled Bepo towards a table and put down some maps. “Everyone, meet my brothers!”

“This is interesting,” Shakky chuckled. The Straw Hats, however, were mostly taken aback. These guys? Nami’s brothers? They looked like a mismatched bunch of thugs, though their captain…

“Oh, you’re Nami’s brothers?” Luffy tilted his head curiously at the four before a grin brightened his face. “That makes you allies! Hi! I’m Monkey D. Luffy, and I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!”

“That makes you the punk that stole our sister,” Shachi threatened. Luffy, completely unperturbed, simply frowned.

“…but, ‘siblings of crewmates are extra-bonus-ally-friends’,” he stated, as though it was clear as day. “Well… unless you’re evil, but you’re not evil!”

“How can you tell, Strawhat-ya?” Law scoffed. “We leave a path of destruction in our wake. I’m a Supernova like you. Bountied not much lower you. There’s a lot of people who would consider us to be evil.”

“Nah—if you’re Nami’s older brothers, then there’s no way you’re evil,” Luffy chuckled. “I mean, older brothers are some of the best!”

“He’s right, you know,” Sanji frowned sourly at his captain. “Just because someone’s an older brother does not mean that they’re necessarily good.”

“Well, yeah, but they’re Nami’s brothers, and hey, you met Ace!”

“We are not ‘extra-bonus-ally-friends’ to anyone,” Law warned. “We are our own men, and we will not hesitate to take our sister and leave you to sink if we think it’s to our benefit, Strawhat-ya.”

“Watch it,” Penguin warned. “The last time one of us declared we were our own men, we got forcibly adopted and shuttled to an entirely different Blue. It’s a dangerous phrase.”

“For you two, maybe,” Law scoffed. Penguin and Shachi both shrugged casually—it wasn’t like they didn’t warn him.

“Alliances can be something that only genuinely come into play months and years after they’re formed,” Shakky smirked. “I wouldn’t pass up this opportunity, Trafalgar-chan. What better natural alliance than with a crewmate’s siblings? A sibling’s crew? It’s worth more than you realize.”

“Shishishi! She’s right!” Luffy hugged Law, which caused his siblings and the rest of the Straw Hats to stifle their laughter. “You’re our friends now!”

“He’s not really good with people, Luffy,” Nami warned from her table. Law looked over to see that her attention was on a map Bepo had drawn—this must have been a common occurrence.

“You saying Luff should go easy on him?” Zoro asked. Nami scoffed at that.

“As though he’d listen; I actually expect him to double-down, honestly.”

Fucking seas… he needed to escape.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Are you sure she’s going to show up?” Ikkaku asked. The majority of the Heart Pirates were beginning their packing, restocking, and fueling before they made the trip down into the ocean depths. They had just finished hearing about what had tied up their captain and officers for so long, as it had taken a while for them to shake Luffy.

“Gingersnap said she’d show up before we leave, so she will,” Shachi said. He looked over his shoulder at Law and grinned. “She is coming, right?”

“Knowing our sister, she shall,” he replied idly. He was currently ticking off a list of their supplies from a clipboard as they were loaded onto the Tang.

“Who knows when we’ll see her again,” Penguin chuckled as he picked up a box. “We’ll probably end up running into her again in the New World.”

“With the way things are? Most likely.” Law kept marking supplies as the crew continued loading. They were about halfway when Uni and Clione came running towards the Tang. “You’re late.”

“Sorry, Captain, but we were avoiding a ruckus,” Clione said.

“Yeah—it looks like the Marines brought out the big guns for two other Supernovas,” Uni added. “Bad enough there’s an admiral, but I wouldn’t want to be the Straw Hats right now, fighting a bunch of Pacifistas.”

“…they’re what?!” Law stared at Uni and Clione, who seemed nervous at the fact they were even telling him the very crucial intel they had just received. Everyone else was attempting to load up the Polar Tang for the next leg of their journey

“The Straw Hats are being targeted by an Admiral and several Pacifistas,” Uni repeated. He watched as his captain grow pale, which was unnerving given his usual calm demeanor. “Uh… captain…?”

“Bepo! Shachi! Penguin!” Law shouted. “Gingersnap’s in trouble!”

“How much trouble could that brat get into?” Penguin scoffed.

“It’s the fucking Pacifistas!”

“Shit!” Penguin and Shachi swore in unison. Bepo simply squeaked in terror.

“What’s going on?” Hakugan asked. Shachi paused in his panic just long enough to get out a set of breathy instructions.

“Prep the Tang to dive immediately upon our return; expect,” he counted quickly on his hands, “nine more people. Make sure the medbay’s set.”

“Nine?!” Ikkaku gaped. “What the fuck are you going to do?!”

“Explain when we get back bye!” Shachi ran off, trying to catch up to his brothers, leaving the rest of the crew scratching their heads.

“After we warned her about there being more of those things!” Law growled. “I’m gonna kill that captain of hers!”

“If the Pacifistas don’t get to him first!” Penguin added.

“Oh, no, I’ll make sure he stays alive long enough so I can torture his rubber ass.” They headed straight for the grove Clione said they were on, getting there just in time to watch the Straw Hat as he lunged toward their sister, the real Bartholomew Kuma looming over her.

“Luffy! Help!”

With a pop, she was gone.

The four simply went still, watching as Luffy crashed into a wall before trying to go to the large reindeer-esque creature, then Robin, before Bepo snapped out of his trance with a horrified realization.

“Oh, no, the Admiral’s still here,” he said. Sure enough, Kizaru was still standing on the sidelines, watching as everything came to pass. “We gotta get out of here before he notices us!”

“Then come on; let’s go,” Penguin agreed. He and Shachi both turned on their heels, yet Law stayed perfectly still. “Law, you heard the bear!”

Except, he couldn’t move. Law was frozen in horror, his little sister having disappeared before his eyes once again. His eyes were wet and wide, his lips slightly parted.

He lost another sister, and there was nothing he could do.

Swearing under their breath, Shachi and Penguin each took a side and began to drag Law along as they ran back to the Tang. They were about halfway there when their captain began to struggle, trying to return to the fray. Bepo apologized and picked him up with one fluid motion, carrying him on his shoulder, not even dropping him with the rest of their crew in sight.

“Go! Go! Go! Prep to emergency dive!” Shachi ordered.

“What about your extra people?!” Ikkaku fired back.

“Questions later!” Penguin interrupted. They all tumbled into the Tang and immediately began to dive down towards Fish-Man Island. Once the ship was fully underwater, Law began to break down into tears in Bepo’s arms. The bear gently stroked his older brother’s hair, while sharing a look with the elder two that was a mixture of concerned and terrified.

“What is going on?” Jean Bart wondered. He did not push further, instead patiently waiting for a reply. The sight of Law sobbing seemed to unnerve everyone else just as much as it was unnerving him, and he didn’t like it.

“We just watched the Straw Hats get demolished by Bartholomew Kuma,” Penguin said gravely. His voice was weak, as though he didn’t even believe it entirely himself. “Our baby sister was their navigator.”

The mess hall was eerily silent, save for Law. Bepo decided that the right thing was to give him some privacy, so he picked his brother up in his arms—gentler this time—and carried him over towards his cabin. The rest of the Hearts all looked to Penguin and Shachi, both of whom looked deflated and sort of lost.

“I didn’t think there was anyone from the North Blue on the Straw Hat’s crew,” Clione noted.

“We moved with our dad to the East for a bit,” Shachi explained. “That’s where we met our mom and two sisters… all three of them were from there to start.”

“We, uh, moved back to the North when we started to make a name for ourselves as pirates,” Penguin added. “Didn’t want to attract any Marines to where our family was, not with our sisters being thirteen and eleven, and our dad having never officially resigned his post…”

“Your dad’s a Marine…?” Hakugan marveled.

“So’s our mom. They, uh, met as officer cadets.”

“Your family gets weirder and weirder the more we learn about it,” Ikkaku said. Yeah, there was no refuting that. “Why’s Law so much more shook up than you other three?”

“Well…” Shachi tried to figure out how to put it into words without exposing too much. The entire crew knew such a hodgepodge of information that it was difficult to discern what even needed saying. “You remember where he was born, right…?”

“Yeah…?”

“He’s been an older brother before.”

There were a few gasps and sharp inhales between the rest of the crew, this new bit of information completely recontextualizing the entire dynamic of their captain and officers. Only Jean Bart stood there puzzled.

“Where is the captain from?” he wondered. Oh yeah, that’s right—he’d only been a member of the team for a few hours.

“Then let us tell you,” Penguin said, “about a little country in the North that was called Flevance.”

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sanjisprincesswifey · 11 months ago

Text

pros and cons

summary: the good, the bad, the ugly, perfectly curated into a pros and cons list

♡: reupload (but better now), some nsfw content is listed; MDNI, includes all characters with indications of a female reader!

black leg sanji

pros:

constantly wants to color coordinate your outfits together

let’s you pick meals at minimum once a week

very good kisser (he practiced with his pillow a lot before your first date)

he wants you to walk him like a dog

sanji never lets you forget how much you mean to him

always remembers important dates, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

remembers the little things and notices your absence (will often go to try and find you)

adapts to whatever love language you respond to

cons:

the nicotine smell embeds into your sheets and clothes and is a pain in the ass to get out

yells for any minor inconvenience

occasionally too handsy

always finishes before you

major jealousy issues

is constantly horny

says he’s fine but he’s dying inside

doesn’t understand the concept of alone time and takes it personally if you ask to be by yourself

roronoa zoro

pros:

the best napping partner

protective

is a softie but only with you

very emotionally intelligent

gym trainer boyfriend

let’s you take the relationship at your own pace because he can’t be bothered

loves to mark you and give you hickies

always makes sure you finish first

cons:

stinky (bro smells like sweat and steel)

does not have a single romantic bone in his body; you’ll literally have to teach him how to be a boyfriend

is extremely blunt

snores super loud

might fall asleep while you’re talking

you can no longer be friends with sanji

doesn’t ask you to date him, just assumes you are together

gets upset when you can’t keep up with his drinking

monkey d luffy

pros:

the best hugger

extremely loyal to you

hides midnight snacks for both of you

lets you sit on the ship’s figurehead with him

king of silly sentimental gifts (hand-picked flower, cool rock, pretty seashell, that sort of thing)

always makes sure you’re included in conversations

shares his favorite foods with you

can always make you feel better

cons:

doesn’t know how to be quiet or whisper

never lets you win arguments

throws himself at you with no regard to his strength

no concept of personal space

rubs his boogers on you

accidentally makes fun of the noises you make during sex

will steal blankets from you while you’re asleep

points out your pimples or zits

usopp

pros:

always finds a way to make you laugh

grows flowers for you

comforts you if you’re insecure

handmade gifts!!!!!!

brags about you to everyone

loves to show you off and tell stories about your adventures together

names special attacks after you

always lets you in on the pranks he pulls

cons:

is insecure

would sacrifice you to an enemy to protect himself

shows you bugs even if you’re afraid of them

incredibly awkward with all your firsts

clammy hands

make jokes during arguments (it makes you madder and the cycle continues)

never tops

sometimes pranks you too

cyborg franky

pros:

is always telling you how hot you are

can literally build/make you anything you desire

romantic (can be corny sometimes though)

so flirty with you

human refrigerator; occasionally lets you store things in there

introduces you like this: “and this is my super smokin’ hot girlfriend, OW” to anyone who will listen

protects you during fights

king of reassurance

cons:

messy

never wears pants

slaps your ass too hard since he’s half metal

dad jokes 24/7

you can’t compliment him without him doing a montage of poses

difficult to cuddle with (again he’s made of parts)

always busy fixing something on the ship

is constantly asking you if he can make you a cyborg too

nami

pros:

lets you take a few of her tangerines

immune to her reprimanding when something bad happens (most times)

extremely thoughtful gift giver

shares her money with you

cares deeply about you (don’t point it out though because then she’ll stop)

is always telling you how pretty you are

very good in bed

is more lenient with your allowance

cons:

pawns gifts you get her

bad communicator

critiques everything about you

can and will distance herself from you

charges you if you piss her off

talks about vivi way too much for having a whole other girlfriend

doesn’t apologize after fights even if she caused them

bullies you (with love)

nico robin

pros:

leaves you notes in books to find later

the voice of reason in your relationship

notices and compliments you on every little change you make (haircuts, style change, etc.)

extremely good listener

literally a human search engine; so smart you can ask her almost any question and she knows the answer

passionate lover; treats you like a god in bed

soft lips

spoils you in every way that she can

cons:

can make you feel dumb with her endless knowledge

will never say ‘i love you’ first

always tops (a possible pro depending on your preferences tbh)

has nightmares almost every night ):

closed off in the beginning of your relationship

franky hits on her (and you) all the time

rather be reading than with you

takes your relationship extremely slow

portgas d ace

pros:

can heat food up for you at any time day or night

loves pda

plans fun dates

probably says ‘i love you’ a million times a day

into body worship (both ways)

kills bugs for you

walk him like a dog, sis !

never says no to you

cons:

sweaty and greasy in the summer

farts and gives you a dutch oven

doesn’t take anything seriously

adhd moments

mommy AND daddy issues

likes to lay on top of you even though he’s huge and basically crushes you

talks with his mouth full

is loud in bed (because he enjoys it so much) and everyone can hear when you two have sex

sabo

pros:

another body worshipper

dragon claw fist. need i say more?

the best secret keeper

praises you

would actually bow down to you

very respectful, asked you to kiss on your first date

awkward but sensual lover

a loyal puppy

cons:

loves being right

sore winner & loser

cocky ass mf

talks about luffy and ace 24/7

never on time

bad temper

might catch on fire if he’s mad

loves to tease you (again, could be a pro depending on your preferences)

shanks

pros:

buys you anything you could ever want

good kisser

always showing you off

treats you like a queen

calls you his wife

very affectionate in public

another worshipper; does that thing where his kisses lead up from your hand to your shoulder

when he gets drunk and you try to kiss him, he pushes you away and says “get off me, i have a wife”

cons:

gets you riled up during the day

teases you all the time

can be unreliable

bad at flirting

drunk all the time

still makes jokes about his arm even though it’s been YEARS

lingering alcohol smell

pervert

trafalgar law

pros:

rarely cooks but always does for you when you’re sick

smells amazing all of the time

lets you do this eyeliner in the morning (based off this fanart)

is a victim of the ‘she fell first, he fell harder’ trope

gives you sound solutions to your problems

literally becomes addicted to you and can’t live without you

flusters easily, very shy

would shave his facial hair if you asked him to (please tell him to shave off that godforsaken beard)

cons:

very blunt

never talks about his feelings

grammar police

a virgin; he doesn’t know what to do but fakes confidence like he does (it makes your first time a bit awkward but just talk him through it, babe)

humbles you without meaning to

over explains if you broach a subject he likes

sassy

just stares at you when you try to flirt with him

eustass kid

pros:

scary boyfriend privilege

an absolute beast in bed

insanely good kisser

raspy morning voice

you get to use his boobies as a pillow

is very smart but kinda dumb

eats pussy like a starved man

will always save you some food (it’s how he shows he cares)

cons:

dramatic

hangs out with killer more than you

will put the milk carton back in the fridge even if it’s empty

you can never be mad at him or make him mad because he’s the biggest asshole ever

ignores you if you’re fighting

zones out while you’re talking

if you send him a long, thoughtful text, he’ll respond back with ‘k’

what’s his is his and what’s yours is his

donquixote rosinante

pros:

walk. him. like. a. dog.

possessive over you, especially around his brother

would protect you with his last dying breath

absolute romantic

probably writes you poems

gentle giant, is so careful and soft with you

amazing cook despite accidentally setting himself on fire

has the patience of a god, once again, because of his brother

cons:

clumsy

you have to keep a fire extinguisher with you at all times

you can’t get the smoke smell out of his clothes

he’s so tall you can’t kiss normally, he has to pick you up

whiny

silent treatment

covers up his farts with his devil fruit and you don’t realize it until it stinks

has really bad resting bitch face (literally goes from :| to :) in .03 seconds)

likes, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated (✿◠‿◠)

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2millu2 · 6 months ago

Text

Forbidden Sweet - Monkey. D Luffy

ఌ Ft. Luffy x crewmate/ bestfriend fem reader

WC: 2.5k

Warnings: Smut, PwP, aphrodisiac ,oral (male receiving), Penetration, Luffy begin Luffy ,Needy Luffy ,Riding, fem reader,

Luffy's messy black hair was tousled by the warm sea breeze as the Thousand Sunny sailed across the rolling waves of the Grand Line. He stood at the bow of the ship, rubber body leaning forward with an adventurous grin stretched across his face as always. Even after all this time, the thrill of exploring new islands and seeking the ultimate freedom as the Pirate King still filled him with unbridled excitement.

From the galley, the aroma of Sanji's latest culinary masterpiece wafted through the air, causing Luffy's stomach to growl hungrily. As the captain made his way over, he saw Nami emerging onto the deck. The navigator's slender figure was accentuated by her tight shirt and short skirt as her long, tangerine hair cascaded over her shoulders. Luffy felt his heartbeat quicken slightly as their eyes met.

"Nami!" Luffy called with a wave, that infectious smile creeping across his lips. "What's for dinner? I'm starving!"

The young woman rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling back at her simple but endearing captain. "Patience, Luffy. Sanji's still putting the finishing touches on the meal."

:::Time Skip:::

Luffy wandered into the galley kitchen, stomach rumbling loudly as usual. Sanji had kicked him out earlier while preparing the main meal, so the raven-haired captain was searching for a snack to tide him over. His dark eyes scanned the shelves as he let himself into the pantry area.

At the very back, tucked away, Luffy spotted a bar of fancy-looking dark chocolate. Chocolate was one of his favorite treats, so he snatched it up eagerly. As he turned the bar over in his hands, he noticed the wrapper said "Aphrodisiac" printed on it. Luffy furrowed his brow in confusion at the unfamiliar word but shrugged it off. Chocolate was chocolate in his book!

He tore into the rich bar, quickly devouring it with his usual voracious appetite. Not satisfied, he kept rummaging and quickly fin off any other snacks he could find stashed away - cakes, pies, baskets of fruit, and his favorite meat. Patting his now bulging belly contentedly, Luffy gave a loud burp and was about to head back outside.

That's when he felt it - a strange, tingling warmth spreading through his body. His heart started pounding harder as he broke out into a sweat. Looking down, Luffy's eyes widened as he noticed the prominent tent rising in the front of his red shorts. He had gotten random erections before but they usually went away quickly. This time felt...different, more intense.

Luffy squeezed his eyes shut, feeling his face flush bright red as confusing waves of arousal washed over him. He couldn't control the instinctive urge to reach down and palm himself through his shorts, soft groans escaping his lips. What was happening to him?

He felt off and was going to look for Chopper. When suddenly, the reality of his situation dawned on Luffy - he was the only one left on board the Sunny! The rest of the crew had gone to explore the nearby island's forests in search of some legendary treasure. His best friend, you, were the only other person still on the ship. If there was anyone who could help, it was you.

Luffy quickly pulled open the door to the kitchen, stumbling out as he tried to keep one hand discreetly pressed against the throbbing bulge between his legs. With his free hand, he fanned at the beads of sweat dappling his forehead as he staggered toward your quarters, tongue lolling slightly.

You had just woken up from a nap and were startled by the loud knocking at your door. As you pulled it open, you were greeted by the sight of your dear captain - panting heavily with flushed cheeks, a glazed look in his eyes as he stared at you desperately.

"(Y/N)...need...help..." Luffy gasped out between ragged breaths. He his hand squeezed his bulge as another shudder ran through his body.

You felt your own face heating up in a blush. "L-Luffy? What's wrong?!"

The dark-haired boy swallowed hard before finally groaning, "I ate...this weird...chocolate. Now I feel...really weird..." He trailed off as another wave of arousal hit, causing him to involuntarily grind his hips forward.

Realization slowly dawned on you as you noticed him not-so-discreetly palming the huge tent stretching his red shorts. The snacks he ate must have been laced with aphrodisiacs! You opened your mouth to tell him you needed to go find Chopper right away.

But before you could speak, Luffy cut you off with a desperate whine, "I...I can't wait anymore!" In one quick motion, he shoved his shorts down over his straining erection, finally allowing his long, throbbing cock to spring free. Your eyes widened at the sight of his impressive size, the flushed head already dribbling streams of sticky pre-cum.

"Please..." Luffy's chest heaved as he gazed at you pleadingly, one hand wrapped around his thick shaft to slowly stroke himself. "You gotta help me..."

You felt your throat go dry as you stared back at his sinfully erotic cock before you. Finally finding your voice, you managed to choke out, "W-What...do you need me to do?"

You swallowed hard, unable to tear your eyes away from the lewd sight of Luffy feverishly stroking his m cock right there in the hallway of the Sunny. A thin sheen of sweat glistened over his toned, tanned torso as he panted hotly through parted lips. Even in this compromising state, his penetrating gaze still radiated that same sense of earnestness and trust.

"Please...Touch me," Luffy half-whispered, half-whined. The ache in his throbbing shaft had reached an unbearable peak, his body trembling with unfulfilled need. "It won't stop...throbbing. I don't know what to do."

Watching a string of pre-cum trail down the side of his flushed erection, you felt an unmistakable pulse of arousal between your own legs. How could you possibly resist your captain's pleas when he looked at you with those desperate, needy eyes? You were the only one who could provide him relief.

Decision made, you stepped forward and gently took Luffy's hand to guide him back into your quarters. The rubber boy followed obediently. As soon as the door clicked shut behind you, Luffy eagerly crowded into your personal space - the heated musk of his arousal enveloping you in heady waves.

"L-Luffy..." you breathed, suddenly very aware of his powerful, chiseled physique looming over your smaller frame. Your throat felt tight with desire as his gaze roamed hungrily over the curves of your body. Tentatively, you reached out to wrap your fingers around the thick base of his thick length. An impatient moan tumbled from Luffy's lips at the new contact.

"yes...please..." he whimpered unabashedly, surrendering himself to your touch. "Make it feel better..."

Giving his thick cock a few, slow experimental strokes, you marveled at the sleek heat and impressive girth pulsing against your palm. Precum continued to steadily bead out of the flushed, swollen tip - creating a deliciously lewd sound with each stroke of your hand.

Fueled by Luffy's shameless moans of approval, you gradually increased your pace - twisting your wrist with more conviction on every upstroke. His fingers sank into your hair, not guiding but just grasping as tremors of ecstasy wracked his frame.

"Ah! (Y/N)...!" Luffy cried out, completely lost in rapture as his hips stuttered forward to meet your strokes. His breath came in ragged pants - almost pained in their intensity. "Don't...stop...!"

With your free hand cupping his heavy sac, you could feel his heavy balls tightening in anticipation of release even as they continued to churn out ropes of fresh arousal. Luffy's broken whimpers had dissolved into a mantra of curses and moans that could undoubtedly be heard echoing down the ship's hallways.

Luffy's breath came in shallow, ragged pants - lips parted wantonly as his hips snapped forward in frantic thrusts to meet your steadily pumping fist. His thick cock felt achingly hard in your palm, veins throbbing as his arousal reached a feverish peak.

"I can't...!" The string of curses dissolved into a guttural groan as Luffy's spine arched rigidly. His nails dug into your shoulders as hot ropes of sticky release began spurting from his swollen tip - rope after rope of thick, seed splattering across your hand, wrist and even streaking up towards your face and heaving chest.

A litany of filthy grunts and whimpers spilled from Luffy's slack jaw as he surrendered to the throes of climax, hips jerking erratically until the last few weak spurts dribbled down your fingers. Panting harshly, the raven-haired captain slowly dragged his glazed eyes back up to meet your own heated gaze, a dazed look of bliss painted across his features.

Amazingly, even after such a powerful orgasm, his erection barely flagged - still achingly stiff and flushed with arousal. Luffy groaned in a mixture of relief and renewed desperation as you continued to sensually stroke him, your slick palm effortlessly gliding up and down his impressive length.

“(Y/N)..." he whimpered brokenly. "It's still not enough...I need more..."

You felt a dizzying rush of heat between your own thighs at his shameless confession. Reluctantly releasing your grip on Luffy's thick shaft, you gazed up at him through hooded lids. "Get on the bed," you uttered in a breathy tone that was half-command, half-request.

Without hesitation, the rubber captain eagerly complied - climbing onto your mattress and splaying himself out with blatant, lust-fueled abandon. He shamelessly spread his legs, putting his glistening cock on full display while fixing you with a hungry look.

You felt your cheeks flush hotly, suddenly self-conscious as you slowly shed your own clothes, revealing your naked form to Luffy's raking gaze. His throat bobbed visibly as his piercing eyes drank in every soft curve and dusky swell of your body. Once fully bared, you tentatively crawled up to straddle Luffy - hovering your slick entrance just an inch above his swollen tip.

Glancing down at his thick cock, throbbing and flushed with need, you felt a fresh wave of arousal pool between your thighs. With a steadying breath, you reached between your bodies to grasp his heated length, guiding the swollen head to nudge against your wet folds.

Luffy's breath hitched sharply at the initial contact, his raw expression one of naked longing and impatience. He held himself tantalizingly still, fully putting his trust in your movements as you gradually sank down - inch by delicious inch - until your combined gasps melted into twin moans of satisfaction.

"Ahh...L-Luffy..." you shuddered as you felt him stretching and filling your slick walls to the hilt. It was all you could do to still your shaking thighs as your body slowly adjusted to his incredible size.

"(Y/N)..." The captain's voice was a strangled groan as you gradually lifted your hips, nearly pulling his thick cock free before sinking back down in one smooth thrust. A violent shudder ripped through his frame as he instinctively bucked his hips to meet your sensual rhythm. "More...!"

Biting your lip, you gradually increased your steady pace - turning your hips in tight circles as you rode his throbbing length with fervor. Your breasts bounced heavily as Luffy's hands flew up to grasp your sides, his fingers digging into your hips as he encouraged your movements.

Each time you impaled yourself on his cock it sent sparks cascading across your nerves, dragging Luffy's girth against your silken walls with deliciously lewd noises. You felt almost delirious with pleasure, a sheen of sweat blossoming over your flushed skin. Still, it somehow wasn't enough to sate the aching need coiling low in your core.

Luffy seemed to sense your desperation for more as a familiar, feral glint flashed across his lust-darkened gaze. With a low, possessive growl rumbling in his throat, he suddenly surged upright - wrapping his stretchy arms around your lower back. Effortlessly reversing your position, Luffy pinned you beneath his frame, situating himself between your spread thighs as he loomed over you with that wild, ravenous look.

"My turn," he grunted before capturing your lips in a searing, needful kiss. His hips drew back, his thick cock leaving a deliciously empty ache in its wake...only to slam back into your cunt a second later with bruising force! You cried out into Luffy's mouth - partly from pain, but mostly from the dizzying wave of euphoria that crashed over your senses.

Luffy's hips snapped forward relentlessly - burying himself to the hilt with each frenzied thrust as he chased his feverish need for release. The lewd sound of skin slapping against skin filled the cabin, punctuated by your intermingled cries of ecstasy.

With his hand fisted in your hair and face buried in the crook of your neck, Luffy took you with wild, almost feral desperation. His harsh grunts and the rigid tension in his body spoke of the single-minded intensity fueling his motions.

You could do little but cling to his sweaty back, nails raking heated lines down his tanned skin as Luffy's swollen arousal stretched and filled you to the brink. Each punishing slam of his hips stoked the flickering flames of your own impending orgasm higher.

"L-Luffy!" you cried out, back arching as you teetered just on the edge. "I'm...I can't...!"

As if sensing your desperation, a low, groan rumbled in Luffy's broad chest. Your hand abruptly snaked down between your writhing bodies to urgently stroke the bundle of nerves nestled between your folds. That final spike of stimulation was all it took to plunge you over the dizzying precipice.

Your release crashed over you in shattering waves as you arched against Luffy inner walls fluttering and pulsing around his thick cock in rhythmic spasms. White-hot pleasure danced across every nerve, temporarily blinding you to everything except the lingering ghost of Luffy's name on your lips.

Even as the world slowly bled back into focus, you felt Luffy's own harsh pantings ghosting against the skin of your neck as his tempo reached a feverish pace. His hips snapped forward in tight, erratic jolts - burying to the hilt with each punishing grind.

With a hoarse, animalistic groan muffled against your throat, Luffy stiffened above you - his cock twitching and pulsing as he finally found his own shattering release. You moaned softly at the feeling of his thick seed spilling in heavy spurts, painting your fluttering walls white with each spurts.

For several minutes, the only sounds were your harsh, rasping breaths slowly calming as you clung to each other in the hazy aftermath. Luffy eventually stirred enough to prop himself up on one elbow, gazing down at your thoroughly spent form through a sweaty fringe of raven hair with unmistakable gratitude and adoration.

"Thank you, (Y/N)," he whispered with uncharacteristic tenderness, leaning in to brush his lips gently against your own, "I needed that..."

You mustered a weary, but deeply contented smile in return as you reached up to toy with the mess of tangled hair. "Anytime, Luffy...anytime."

You both fall asleep laying on your bed until you both heard the sound of Sanji yelling

“LUFFY YOU ATE ALL THE FOOD” Sanji yelled through the Sunny as he must had found the empty pantry Luffy let out a loud laugh and you giggle beside him knowing him all to well.

#one piece luffy #one piece x y/n #op luffy #one piece x reader #one piece smut #op smut #luffy x reader #luffy smut #one piece #millu works

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attaboylew · 9 months ago

Text

tag game

rules: pick a song for every letter of your url and tag that many people.

thanks for the tag @sugarcoated-lame

a: ancient dreams in a modern land - marina

t: tangerine - glass animals

t: the world’s first ever monster truck front flip - arctic monkeys

a: alaska - banks

b: boys - atta boy

o: overlap - catfish and the bottlemen

y: yuk foo - wolf alice

l: lightning - charli xcx

e: e.v.o.l - marina

w: wtf love Is - tove lo

no pressure tag: @rxgirlie, @sailor-aviator, @catb-fics, @icouldntfindquiet, @icarus-star, @angelsanarchy, @vanmccannsfridge and @lostinthefandoms11

#tag game

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rotblut · 1 year ago

Text

ONE PIECE ☠ 1.07 "The Girl with the Sawfish Tattoo"

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thebunnednun · 4 months ago

Text

Sweet dreams!~ Trafalgar D. Law x Wife! Reader (Modern Au)

Prompt: Hear me out, Law with a girlfriend who has Narcolepsy. Ya know, just like Ace who keeps sleeping randomly.

Dearest, @orange-milky

You ask, you shall receive! I made a few changes with it. I hope you don't mind.

Another request for Follower Fridays! If you have a fic request go ahead and send it to me to see it pop on Friday!

Art was found here.

On with the show!!~

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some quick college major headcanons:

Monkey D. Luffy - Sports Science or Physical Education Roronoa Zoro - Martial Arts or Kinesiology Nami - Meteorology or Economics with a minor in Business Marketing

Brook - Music or Performing Arts

Usopp - Engineering or Fine Arts Sanji - Culinary Arts

Tony Tony Chopper - Medicine or Veterinary Science Nico Robin - Archaeology or History Franky - Mechanical Engineering Jinbei- Marine Biologist or Environmental/Human rights activist

Trafalgar D. Water Law - Medicine

Bepo - Environmental Science or Zoology Shachi - Marine Biology

Penguin - Engineering or Naval Architecture

Ikkaku - Pharmacy or Chemistry

—------------------------------------

You and Law didn’t meet in the most conventional way.

—-------

Law stood at the entrance of the bustling campus cafeteria, scanning the area for a place to grab a quick lunch. Amid the crowd, he noticed a girl passionately discussing a book with a group of friends. Her energy and enthusiasm were captivating, and for a moment, Law found himself intrigued.

As he watched, she suddenly stopped mid-sentence and began to sway. Her friends reached out, but before they could react, she collapsed onto a nearby bench, sound asleep. Law's curiosity piqued. He approached her friends, who seemed unfazed by the incident.

"Is she okay?" Law asked, his voice carrying a hint of concern.

One of her friends, a short-ish guy with fluffy black hair, turned to him and smiled. "Yeah, she's fine. She has narcolepsy. It happens sometimes." He tried to swipe her pizza before a tangerine haired girl slapped his hand away.

Law nodded, filing away this new information. He glanced back at the girl, now peacefully napping, and felt a strange pull to learn more about her.

—--------

A few days later, Law found himself in the library, buried in research. He noticed the same girl from the cafeteria asleep at a nearby table, a stack of books around her. He approached quietly, debating whether to wake her.

Just then, her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at him, slightly disoriented, but quickly recovered.

“The fuck-”

"Hi, I'm sorry I startled you."

You reached for your purse as he placed an unopened gatorade on the table and motioned to the chair across from you. Remembering him from your biology class, you nodded and decided to let him sit, hand still on your pink stun gun.

"Law," he introduced himself, taking a seat across from you. "I saw you pass out in the cafeteria the other day."

You chuckled softly. "Yeah, that happens a lot. It's part of having narcolepsy."

Law nodded, his curiosity deepening. "Must be challenging."

"It can be," you admitted. "But you learn to manage. And my friends help out a lot!"

“I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t feel comfortable seeing you alone and asleep.”

'Awe, okay maybe he’s a gentleman.'

You smiled, a mischievous glint in your eye. "Well, at least if I get kidnapped, I'll be well-rested for the ransom negotiations."

Law took a sip of his coffee and immediately choked, nearly spraying it everywhere. He coughed, trying to regain his composure. "Okay, that's... that's one way to look at it," he said, laughing and wiping his mouth. "I guess I'll have to stick around to make sure they demand top dollar for you."

You giggled before hushing yourself when you saw the librarian round the corner. “So sweet to drive up the asking price." You saw a genuine smile flick across Law’s lips and decided to let him stick around.

As they continued to talk, Law found himself drawn to your resilience and positive outlook. You had an infectious zest for life that Law couldn't ignore. So, over the next few weeks, you and Law grew closer.

Turns out you had the same major and classes!

He made it a point to learn more about narcolepsy, wanting to support you as best as he could. You spent time studying together, going to coffee shops, and exploring the campus.

—----------

Park Bench:

One afternoon, Law was walking through the campus park when he noticed a familiar figure sprawled on a bench. He chuckled, recognizing you immediately. You had a book resting on your chest, your peaceful expression illuminated by the dappled sunlight.

"Dreamer," he called softly, sitting beside you. He gently removed the book and adjusted your position to make you more comfortable.

Just then, Luffy and his friends passed by, noticing the scene. Luffy grinned, giving Law a thumbs up. "Taking good care of [Name], Law?"

Law rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his smile. "Yeah, Luffy. Always."

Eating:

During lunch, you and Law sat with a group of his friends. Mid-conversation, you suddenly slumped forward, asleep on the table. Law sighed, used to the sight, and gently lifted your head, placing a folded jacket under it as a makeshift pillow.

Penguin and Shachi, who were sitting across from you, exchanged amused glances. "Hands full?" Penguin questioned with a chuckle.

Law smirked. "You have no idea."

Drive-Through:

One evening, Law decided to take you out for a quick dinner. As he pulled up to the drive-through, he started to place the order when he felt a small weight hit his shoulder. Glancing over, he saw you had fallen asleep, your head resting against him.

He sighed but smiled fondly. "Yeah, can I get two cheeseburgers, one with extra pickles, and a large fries with an apple pie?" he said, already knowing your order by heart.

TA’ing a Classroom:

During one of your lectures, Law received an urgent text from Professor Garp. He hurried to the classroom, finding you asleep at your desk. Your student’s were giggling quietly, but Law's concern was evident.

"Dreamer," he whispered, gently shaking you awake. "Time to go."

You blinked up at him, embarrassed. "Sorry, Law."

"It's okay," he said softly, helping you gather your things. "Let's get you somewhere comfortable."

He picked you up like a small teddy bear and shuffled you out of the door. You gazed up at him, your eyes soft and affectionate. "I must really trust you if I keep falling asleep around you," you said, your voice barely above a whisper before sleep pulled you back under.

Coffee Shop:

You and Law were enjoying a quiet afternoon in your favorite coffee shop. As he was engrossed in a medical journal, he suddenly felt your head against his shoulder. You had fallen asleep, your coffee cup still half-full.

The barista, Sanji, who knew you both well, smiled and whispered to Law, "She’s out again, huh?"

Law nodded, carefully shifting you into his lap. "Yeah, she is."

Later that evening, while watching a movie in Law's apartment, you fell asleep with your head on his shoulder. Law softly adjusted your position, making sure you were comfortable. He watched you sleep, admiring the lovely girl he hadn't expected to drop into his life.

The next day, You woke up in Law's room, covered with a blanket. ‘He must’ve taken the couch.’ You smiled, feeling a warmth in your chest. The first rays of morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow on the room. Law knocked before walking in, holding a cup of coffee. His hair was slightly tousled, and his eyes softened as he saw you awake.

"Morning," he said, handing you a warm mug. The steam rose gently, carrying the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. You sat up fully and pushed yourself against the headboard, your fingers brushing against his as he steadied the mug.

"Thanks," you said, taking a sip. The warmth spread through you, both from the coffee and the gesture. "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," Law said simply, his voice low and sincere. "I care about you."

Your eyes softened as you looked at him, a gentle smile spreading across your face. "I care about you too, Law. Thanks for understanding."

Law smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

"Get used to it. I'm not going anywhere."

—-

It had been a few months and you were now dating. One day, during a particularly stressful exam period, you expressed your frustration. "I feel like such a burden sometimes."

Law looked at you, his eyes serious. "You're not a burden, [Name]. You're important to me. Your condition doesn't change that." He abandoned his book and moved closer, cupping your face in his hands. His touch was gentle yet firm, grounding you.

Law's gaze softened as he rested his forehead against yours. "You're strong, and you're doing your best. We'll get through this together," he murmured, his thumbs gently stroking your cheeks. Law leaned in and placed several soft kisses along the apples of your cheeks, each one filled with reassurance and love.

The heat rose up in your chest and flood through you. "Thank you, Law,” you whispered, your voice trembling slightly. Instead of speaking more, you reached up and gently squeezed Law's hands, your eyes meeting his with a look that conveyed everything you couldn't put into words.

You closed your eyes, feeling the tension slowly melt away. In that moment, the stress of exams and the challenges of your condition seemed more manageable with Law by your side. As you both held each other close, the room filled with a comforting silence, punctuated only by the soft sounds of your breathing.

—------------------------ Moving in together!

Dating Law had always been an adventure. From the intense late-night study sessions to the countless study dates where you'd find each other engrossed in medical journals, dedication was something you both admired deeply. But it wasn’t long before you noticed the dark circles under his eyes, the way his movements grew sluggish as the night wore on, and how he often seemed distant, lost in his thoughts.

One particularly late evening, you found him in his apartment, staring at the ceiling, his eyes wide open despite the exhaustion etched into his features. It was then you realized: Law had insomnia. He never mentioned it, brushing off your concerns with a quick smile and a change of subject, but the signs were undeniable.

That little fucker!

"Law," you said softly, sitting beside him on the bed. "How long have you been dealing with this?"

He sighed, turning to face you. "A while," he admitted. "It's just part of who I am."

You frowned, brushing a hand through his hair. "But it doesn't have to be. You help me so I’m gonna help you. We can figure this out together."

It was that moment that solidified your decision to move in together. If you were going to help each other through medical school and residency, you needed to be there for one another, especially during the tough times.

Moving in together was a significant step, but it felt natural. You found comfort in the rhythm of shared routines and small domestic rituals. Mornings began with sleepy kisses and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, while evenings often ended with both of you sprawled on the couch, medical textbooks spread around, discussing cases and treatments.

Helping Law with his insomnia became part of your routine the way he helped you with your narcolepsy was part of his. You started by creating a calming nighttime environment: dim lights, soft music, and sometimes even a warm bath. But it was the nights when you held him close, your fingers running through his hair, whispering soothing words, that made the most difference.

On nights when sleep seemed to be closing in on you, you’d tackle his big goofy ass into the bed and koala him, creating a cocoon of warmth and safety. "Just breathe," you'd murmur, your voice a gentle anchor in the dark. "I've got you."

He’d relax against you, the tension slowly easing from his body as your fingers traced soothing patterns on his scalp. Sometimes, you’d hum softly, a melody you both loved, letting the music lull him into a sense of peace.

There were still nights when he'd find you asleep first, your body sprawled in the most inconvenient places — fully on top of the kitchen table, upside down on the couch, curled up in the tub (scared the literal shit outta him) or even mid-sentence on your shared bed. He'd just chuckle softly, scooping you up and carrying you to bed, placing a soft kiss on your forehead before tucking you in.

Living together was pretty lit. You learned to navigate each other’s quirks and habits, finding joy in the little things. Your bodies weird sleep patterns weren't a burden but more of a shared challenge, one you faced together. And through it all, the love between you grew stronger, built on a foundation of mutual support and understanding.

Despite the long hours and the relentless demands of your budding medical careers, you found peace in each other’s presence. The moments of rest, however fleeting, were treasured. In the quiet hours of the night, with Law’s head resting on your chest, you’d find yourself smiling, knowing that no matter how tough things got, you’d always have each other to come home to.

Your shared friends played a vital role in this journey as well. They rallied around you and Law, each offering their unique brand of support. Luffy, with his infectious energy, would drag Law into spontaneous campus adventures, exhausting him just enough to help him sleep better. There was a time when Luffy insisted on a late-night beach bonfire, where the sound of the waves and the warmth of the fire finally lulled Law into a deep sleep.

Zoro, in his own quiet way, introduced Law to meditation and breathing exercises, often practicing together in the early mornings before the day’s chaos began. Sanji would cook up hearty meals designed to promote sleep (for you energy), slipping herbal teas into your nightly routine.

"Chamomile for the win," he'd say with a wink, handing Law a steaming cup.

Nami and Robin took a more research-based approach, scouring medical journals and holistic remedies to find anything that might help. They'd often have evenings where they'd share their findings, creating a comprehensive plan that combined traditional and alternative methods.

Chopper, being a doctor prodigy himself, was a great ally. He frequently checked on Law’s progress, suggesting adjustments to his routine or medication.

And then there was Usopp and Franky, who used their engineering skills to design a customized, noise-canceling sleep mask and a comfortable, ergonomic bed that helped reduce stress and promote better sleep. Even Brook, with his calming violin melodies, would sometimes play soothing lullabies, his skeletal fingers dancing over the strings.

Law's friends, initially unsure about your condition, quickly adapted. Bepo, a tall dark skinned man with the best hugs anyone could ever give, and one of Law's closest friends, would carry You to a comfortable spot whenever you fell asleep in odd places. Penguin and Shachi would create makeshift beds with their hats whenever they saw you clock out at the study table. Ikkaku didn’t play about your safety either. If you fell asleep at the pub then she was keeping her arm around you at all times until Law could take you home.

Damn you loved everybody!!~

Living together, surrounded by such a supportive group of friends, made the journey easier. The nights were no longer something to dread but moments of bonding and care. You and Law found a balance, each learning to lean on the other, and the support of your shared friends only strengthened your resolve.

—---------

At Home:

Law arrived home first, pacing the living room as he waited for you. Today he wasn’t able to drive you both due to him being on call. Hearing your car pull up, he stepped outside, just in time to see you struggling to stay awake. Opening the car door for you, he teased, "I'm surprised you didn't fall asleep again."

You smiled sheepishly. "I tried my best." You threw him your keys and decided to leave the bags in the car.

He lifted you effortlessly, carrying you inside. "You need to be more careful, sweetheart. I worry about you."

"You always worry," you replied, resting your head against his shoulder.

"And I'll never stop," he said softly, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead.

Inside, Law set you down on the couch, handing you a glass of water. You looked up at him, eyes filled with gratitude and affection. He sat beside you, taking your hand. "I'll always take care of you, Dreamer. Just promise me you'll try to be more careful."

"I promise," you said, squeezing his hand.

—--------

Office Couch:

One late evening, you finished your shift at the hospital and decided to check on Law in his office. Opening the door quietly, you found him slumped over his desk, fast asleep. His dark circles and the clutter of medical journals around him told you he hadn't been sleeping well.

Smiling softly, you walked over and gently shook his shoulder. "Babe, you need to sleep properly."

He groaned, barely awake. "I'm fine, my love."

"No, you're not," you insisted, helping him up. You led him to the couch in his office, coaxing him to lie down. Once he was settled, you snuggled up beside him, your warmth and presence easing him into a deeper sleep.

Living Room:

One night, you woke up to find the bed empty. Knowing Law's struggle with insomnia, you got up and found him on the couch, wide awake and staring at the ceiling.

"Law," you whispered, sitting beside him. "Can't sleep again?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "No."

Without a word, you laid down beside him, making yourself the big spoon. You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him close. "You know, I don't mind being your personal pillow," you murmured, your fingers gently playing with his hair.

He relaxed against you, his tense muscles slowly unwinding. Your soothing voice and gentle touch worked their magic, and before long, he drifted off to sleep in your embrace.

University Library:

During a late-night study session in the library, you found Law fast asleep amidst a pile of books. You knew he had been pushing himself too hard, so you carefully moved the books aside and slid in next to him.

"Couldn't stay awake without me, huh?"

You wrapped an arm around him, nuzzling your head against his shoulder like a cat. The warmth of your body and the steady rhythm of your breathing provided him with a sense of comfort. Even in his sleep, he instinctively pulled you closer, just loving your presence.

Bedroom:

One particularly rough night, you woke to Law pacing the hallway, unable to settle down. You got out of bed and approached him, wrapping your arms around his waist from behind.

"Come back to bed, Baby," you whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his back.

He sighed, leaning into your touch. "I can't sleep," he found your hands and raised them to his lips to plant kisses on the back of them. You booped his nose before kissing his shoulder blades. “C’mon,”

You pulled backwards to guide him to the bed and fell backwards, making yourself the big spoon. As you held him close, you began to talk softly, recounting your day and telling him stories. Your fingers threaded through his hair, your voice soothing and rhythmic.

Gradually, you felt his breathing even out, his body relaxing completely. You stayed like that, holding him until you were sure he was deeply asleep, knowing that your presence was his anchor.

Kitchen:

Early one morning, you found Law asleep at the kitchen table, his head resting on his folded arms. He had clearly been up all night, working on something.

You sighed softly, shaking your head with a fond smile. "Oh, babe."

Carefully, you lifted him from the chair, supporting his weight as you guided him to the bedroom. Once he was settled in bed, you climbed in beside him, snuggling close.

"I've got you," you whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. He mumbled something incoherent, suddenly wrapping an arm around your hips as he drifted deeper into slumber.

You stayed with him, knowing that even in his dreams, he needed the reassurance of your presence.

After graduation—----

Years had passed since your days as a medical student, and now you were a fully-fledged doctor, training young residents alongside Law. The hospital environment was a bustling hub of activity, and your relationship with Law had to be kept under wraps from the higher-ups. Despite the secrecy, your students couldn't help but notice the chemistry between you two.

"I swear, the Trafalgar’s are such an adorable couple," one of your residents whispered to another during a break.

"Totally! He's all grumpy and she's like his sunshine! They're like hospital mom and dad," the other replied with a grin.

Unbeknownst to them, their playful shipping was not far from the truth. Law's stern demeanor contrasted with your warm, approachable nature, creating a dynamic that both baffled and endeared your students. They would often turn to you for guidance, seeing you as a nurturing figure, while Law's gruff exterior masked his deep care for his residents and patients.

(Freaking softy~)

Despite the progress in managing your narcolepsy, there were still moments when it caught up with you. It never happened during lectures or patient interactions, but sometimes during lunch, in your car, or in the privacy of your office, you would fall into a deep sleep, impossible to wake up from.

One afternoon, after a particularly exhausting morning, you found yourself nodding off during lunch. Your residents, familiar with your condition, quickly alerted Law with a series of beeps. He arrived shortly after, a mix of concern and affection in his eyes as he gently lifted you into his arms.

"You've got to be more careful, Dreamer," he whispered, carrying you to his office where you could sleep undisturbed.

He placed you on the couch, covering you with a soft blanket. Your peaceful expression as you slept brought a smile to his face, even as he sighed at the thought of how hard you pushed yourself.

In the Car:

One evening, after a long shift, you decided to take a moment to rest in your car before heading home. Law was finishing up some paperwork when one of your residents knocked on his door, slightly panicked.

"Dr. Trafalgar? Dr. Trafalgar fell asleep in her car. We can't wake her up."

Law's expression softened as he nodded. "I'll take care of it."

He found you in your car, head resting against the window, completely out cold. Carefully, he opened the door and gently lifted you out, carrying you back to his office.

"Dreamer," he murmured, settling you on the couch once more. "You really need to take it easy."

In Your Office:

During a rare moment of downtime, you had decided to catch up on some paperwork in your office. The next thing you knew, you were waking up to the feeling of Law's arms around you, lifting you from your chair.

"Can't resist taking a nap just to be in my arms?" he teased, carefully carrying you to his office.

You mumbled something incoherent, still barely unconscious, but snuggled closer to him. Law chuckled softly, his heart swelling with affection.

—-----

Law glanced at his phone, the familiar chime indicating a new message. It was from one of the medical students.

"Dr. Trafalgar, she fell asleep in the common room again."

He sighed, a mix of exasperation and fondness crossing his features. Quickly gathering his things, he made his way to the common room. As he entered, he saw you slumped over a pile of textbooks, softly snoring. The sight of you asleep, with your hair slightly tousled and your face relaxed, made him smile despite his concern.

"Dreamer," he murmured, gently shaking your shoulder.

You stirred, blinking sleepily up at him. "Law...?"

"Couldn't wait to fall into my arms, huh?" he smirked, squatting down to your height to plant a kiss on your sleepy head.

He gently lifted you into his arms, feeling your head nestled against his shoulder. Your soft breaths tickled his neck, reminding him of how much he adored these moments, even though he wished they didn't happen under such circumstances. As he carried you through the corridors, fellow doctors and nurses exchanged knowing smiles and whispered comments about the devoted couple.

Arriving at his office, Law gently placed you on the couch he had designated for moments like these. He covered you with a warm, soft blanket and brushed a stray hair from your face. You looked so peaceful, so vulnerable, and it tugged at his heartstrings.

"You're lucky I found you," he said, his tone lighter. "Guess who's getting extra assignments as punishment?"

You pouted, still half-asleep. " 'S not fair..."

"Life's not fair," he replied, smirking. "Ah, you're so cute. Don't even remember we're doctors now."

You mumbled something incoherent, your eyes half-closed, but a playful thought crossed your mind. "No, but I know who I married!~"

Law's eyes widened in realization, a grin spreading across his face. "Oh, look who's not really asleep!"

Before you could respond, he unleashed a tickle attack, making you squirm and squeal uncontrollably. The light of his office caught your wedding rings, making them shine brightly. You tried to fend him off, but your laughter and sleepiness weakened your defenses.

"Law! Stop!" you giggled, trying to catch your breath.

With a mischievous glint in your eye, you decided to turn the tables. You reached up and bit his collarbone, catching him off guard, before you began to tickle him back. Law's deep chuckles filled the room as he tried to evade your wiggly fingers, but you were relentless.

"Don’t you dare!" he managed between laughs, his usual stoic expression replaced with one of pure joy.

The two of you ended up rolling around on the couch, tickling and laughing until you were both breathless and tangled in the blanket. You finally stopped, both of you lying there, panting and grinning at each other.

"Okay, okay, truce," Law said, holding up his hands in surrender.

You snuggled closer to him, resting your head on his chest. "Truce," you agreed, your eyes closing as you felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Law wrapped his arms around you, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. "Get some rest, my wife. I've got you."

As you drifted back to sleep, the warmth of the blanket and Law's presence lulling you into a peaceful slumber, Law watched over you, his heart full of love and admiration for his wife.

His wife!

The two of you had made it through college, med school, residency, board exams, your shitty sleep schedules and really made it out the other end.

The sight of you nestled comfortably, your hair fanned out on the pillow, brought a sense of worship over him. He gently adjusted the blanket around you again, ensuring you were snug and warm. As he settled back into his chair to work, the sound of your soft, steady breathing was the sweetest music to his ears. It filled the room with a sense of calm, a gentle reminder of the love and life you shared.

Law often found himself pausing in his work to steal glances at you, his heart pounding against his ribs. Your presence grounded him, reminded him of what truly mattered. The stresses of the day faded into the background, replaced by the serene comfort of your love.

He marveled at your resilience, your unwavering spirit, and the way you faced each day with a smile, despite the challenges your condition brought. And then you had to go in and save him, too. With your warmth, the gentle touches and those little kisses you ghosted over him while he slept. All those nights he couldn’t sleep he was shakey and on the verge of tears and you’d bathe him and calm him down. You let him into your life and he was going to thank you every day for it.

With you, even the mundane felt extraordinary. And as he sat there, watching over you, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Blessed for your love, your partnership, and the beautiful journey you were on together. Life, with all its unpredictability and challenges, was perfect because he had you to share it with.

Despite the casual chaos of your busy lives, this moment reminded him of why he cherished you so deeply. Life, with all its demands and pressures, was brighter with you by his side. And as he worked, the sound of your soft, steady breathing was the sweetest music to his ears.

“I love you.”

______________________________________________________________

Taglist: @orange-milky @xxsliverwolfxx @mochiclouds @m0rona @thealtofvalleyxdoodles

I own none of the art or characters!!

Posted on the ao3 account soon.

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I promise I bite~

See you soon my loves!!

(｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡ And thank you guys again for 100 followers!!

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