#<- there i’ve declared a ship name

[two-hands-toward-the-sun]

Hi! I was thinking Prompt 31 for Calliope/Gault 💕

Hi! Thank you SO much for your patience in waiting for this prompt fill!! 😅 It turned out longer than I thought it would—turns out I had more to say about this ship than I expected. I really hope you like it, and thank you so much for such an interesting pairing!!

*lovingly tosses another femslash rarepair into the pile*

Calliope was still humming as she and Gault walked down the rain-slick street away from the school, Calliope holding an umbrella over the two of them.

“It’s catchy, isn’t it?” Gault said, sounding amused. “Isaac’s dreams have been full of the soundtrack for weeks.”

“I imagine it would be inescapable in the dreams of humans,” said Calliope.

“The Addams Family is hardly the worst of it.” Gault shuddered. “Not a single entity in the Dreaming can stand Hamilton anymore.”

Gault and Calliope had just finished watching a performance at a high school in the United States. They’d worked together to inspire a teenager: a senior who had yearned to audition every year of his high school career but had never worked up the courage until it was his last chance. Gault would take Calliope with her into Isaac’s dreams, and there the two of them would weave dreamscapes imbued with Calliope’s magic and crafted by the touch of Gault’s skillful hands.

This and numerous other collaborations had come about because of a chance encounter at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Valparaíso. Calliope had been looking over who stood near her in the sea of audience members, and her gaze caught on a woman wearing a peacock blue halter top. It could have been a trick of the lights in the amphitheatre but…Calliope could have sworn the woman’s skin glowed.

Calliope had never been queen of the Dreaming, not in the way Oneiros had offered to her. She had her own purview, she’d told him, her own area of expertise. She did not crave another. She had no desire for crowns or titles. But she had still spent considerable time there, and she certainly knew how one of the Dreaming’s residents moved, spoke, held their chin.

So, when the festival concluded, she’d fallen into step beside the woman as the massive crowd funnelled toward the exits. The commotion would hide any indiscreet phrasing. She dipped her head close to the woman’s ear. “You are from the Dreaming, aren’t you?”

The woman’s head twisted sharply in Calliope’s direction, her dark eyes wary. “Who are you?” Immediately Calliope had been struck by the resonance of her voice. From just those three words, she’d wanted to hear more.

“Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you. I am Calliope. One of the Greek Muses.”

The suspicion slid from the woman’s shoulders. “Calliope. Oh, they remember you fondly in the Dreaming,” she said, teeth flashing in a smile. “I didn’t recognise you. I wasn’t created until after your…involvement, with Dream. I’m younger than many of the other Major Arcana.”

Impressed, Calliope said, “You’re one of the Major Arcana?” It was not a title to be bestowed frivolously. The woman seemed to recognise the respect in Calliope’s voice, and her smile grew wider.

“Yes. My name is Gault.” And for a moment, Calliope caught the glimmer of iridescent wings raised behind Gault’s back.

“Gault,” Calliope said, trying out the new name on her tongue. “It is lovely to meet you.”

That had been the beginning of their friendship. Initially, they’d each been curious about how their work could complement the other’s. But after some weeks, they no longer needed a collaboration as an excuse to spend time in each other’s company. They shared meals and stories, discussions and analyses, walks and even a flight or two—Gault with her gleaming butterfly wings, Calliope in the form of a sparrow. Gault had rapidly become very, very dear to Calliope.

“Where do you think you’ll go next?” Gault asked Calliope now. She knew Calliope never stayed too long in one place these days.

“Somewhere with warmer temperatures,” Calliope answered at once, and Gault laughed, bumping Calliope’s shoulder playfully with her own.

“Your poor Mediterranean sensibilities.”

“Gault,” Calliope began firmly, “your body is made entirely of dreamstuff. You have not the slightest idea what it is like to be predisposed toward one climate or another.”

Gault laughed again, head tilting back, and Calliope found her gaze drawn to the apples of her cheeks, the exquisite roundness of her features. “Forgive me, goddess.”

They fell into a companionable silence as the rain pattered down onto Calliope’s umbrella. They were in their own little bubble underneath its shield. Without conversation to divert her, Calliope’s thoughts turned back to the musical. But not the soundtrack, this time. No, what captured Calliope now were thoughts of Gault and Isaac.

By now, Calliope had a reasonably good grasp on the kinds of dreamers that Gault gravitated towards. Isaac, she thought with a squeeze of fondness, was a typical case: a young human who dreamt of being other than what he had always been. He was a reserved, unassuming student, without the resources for voice or dancing training many of his theatre-inclined peers had. He had the drive, quiet but burning within his chest. All he needed was one final push of encouragement to bring himself to audition. And Gault was there to offer it. Gault’s kindness, steadfastness, passion for her dreamers’ futures and their own ability to control those futures: it was all so brilliantly on display as Calliope worked at her side.

Calliope had always seen people’s creations as facets of their own selves, was drawn to people according to the work of their hands and hearts. And Gault created beautiful, powerful things for the dreamers she held so dear.

The two of them were now walking down a street lined with shops. Gault paused to examine the front window of one, an arrangement of art prints, maps, journals, the like. The storefront was well lit, and just as the first time Calliope had seen her, the light found Gault and reflected off of her, and she became utterly luminous.

And staring at Gault now, Calliope knew.

The words escaped her mouth in a low murmur, almost lost in the rain. “I love you.”

Gault half-turned toward Calliope, her attention still mostly on the display window. “Did you say something, Calliope?”

Calliope’s pulse rushed in her ears. She could take it back. It wasn’t too late to shy away.

But it was not in her nature to not speak her mind. In all her years, after all the ways life had bruised her, no blow had ever been able to rob her of that.

So she said again, louder this time, “I love you.”

Gault whipped around. Shock flashed across her face, and then it softened into…Calliope’s fingers tightened around the umbrella’s handle. It looked like—

It looked like—

They were already so close together under the umbrella. Gault’s eyes shone so, so brightly. Calliope read tenderness in them, read affection, read love. “Say it again.”

“I love you,” Calliope whispered. With her free hand, she reached forward and dared to rest it on Gault’s waist. A feather-light touch. If Gault breathed deeply the simple movement alone would dislodge Calliope’s hand. But she didn’t.

“Again.”

“I love you.”

It was so easy, then. For Calliope to dip her head forward, for Gault to meet her halfway. Gault’s mouth moved plush and warm against Calliope’s, and involuntarily Calliope’s fingers dimpled deeper into Gault’s waist, grounding herself. Gault might be a dream, but she still felt so vibrantly real beneath Calliope’s hand, against her lips.

The rain sang down around them.

When they drew apart, Gault was smiling again, and not even her own shimmering skin could compare to that radiance.

[ellecdc]

Hiii, so i got really excited about all the new ships and i wondering if i could request a poly!prongsfoot x female reader where maybe the reader completely matches their energy and its like a college au and the boys bring reader to meet all their friends for the first time and everybody is like… woah… now theres 3 of them. Just some super energetic cutesy fluff if you dont mind, thank you for considering this i really appreciate it!!! Hope your doing amazing🫶🏻

omg so I saw a post the other day and there's another ship name for Sirius x James = starbucks!! How cute? Thanks for your request and your patience - it took me some time to flush this out (I think any new ships likely will take me longer!)

poly!prongsfoot x fem!reader who's just like them

Remus doesn’t think he’s ever seen his two best friends as excited as they currently were, sitting and waiting (rather impatiently) for your arrival. 

Peter, Mary, and Lily were sitting on the booth against the wall, with Remus and Regulus sat together to the right of them, with Sirius and James to their right.

Sirius and James had been talking about this ‘perfect girl’ they met in their psych 101 class last semester, likely since the very day they met you if Remus assumed correctly. 

“She’s so pretty, Moons! I’ve never seen eyes as beautiful as hers.”

“She’s so funny! You should have heard her snarking the frat boys behind us in yesterday’s lecture.”

“She’s brilliant! She helped us study and I got 88% on our last exam!”

And now, a whole semester and a half later, they’d finally convinced you to meet their friends.

Lord knows how two of the most hyperactive and mischievous people Remus has ever had the pleasure of knowing managed to trick another person to put up with them voluntarily, but he did really like seeing them so happy and excited in life; both so deserving for different reasons. 

James deserved all the love that he so openly and willingly shared with others, and Sirius had worked so hard to become the man he is and deserved to be celebrated for it.

So, if what made them happy was a cute girl from their intro to psychology course? Well, Remus couldn’t argue with them. 

“I can’t wait until she gets here; you’re all going to love her.” James declared, shifting closer to Sirius in his excitement who quickly threw his arm over his boyfriend’s shoulders. 

“So, don’t embarrass us, alright? We want to keep her around.” Sirius added, placing a chaste kiss to James' shoulder as James practically vibrated in his seat.

“I assure you, Sirius, you do not need our help embarrassing you.” Regulus drawled, not bothering to look up from the drink’s menu in his hand.

“Oi! You take that back!” Sirius barked as he flicked the menu up into Regulus’ face. 

Remus had to quickly grip his boyfriend’s shoulder to hold him in his seat as he looked like he was about to crawl over the table to strangle his brother.

“Easy, babe.” Remus commented teasingly, “I doubt Pete, Lily, or Mary will bother calling 999 if you kill him, but their new girl may not be as understanding.”

Sirius harrumphed earning him a conciliatory kiss from James as Pete and the girls just snickered. 

Regulus’ muttering was interrupted by a commotion at the door as a group sitting near the entrance cheered at a new arrival.

“Yay! Are you finally joining us for a pub night, Y/N?!” someone shouted, causing both James and Sirius’ head to snap to attention; Remus was sure if they were dogs, their tails would be wagging and their ears would have perked up. 

“God no! I wouldn’t dream of it!” You called back teasingly, pulling away from someone who had stood to give you a hug. 

“Foul!” The person called back as their friend group laughed.

“Next time!” You promised as you moved through the crowd, face lighting up somehow even brighter when you spotted James and Sirius.

James was up on his feet the second you made eye contact with him and he all but carried you over to the group.

“Hi angel! I’m so glad you could make it!” He cheered at you as he kissed your cheek. 

“Of course, Jamie. I was looking forward to it.” You responded as you beamed at Sirius who stood as well to give you a proper hug.

“Hiya, dollface! How was your day?” Sirius asked as he held you to his chest.

“Good! Good, I’m looking forward to a drink, though.” You laughed, shucking your jacket off which James was quick to take from you to hang it on the hook attached to the booth. 

“Everyone; this is Y/N! Y/N, that there is our best mate Remus, that’s his boyfriend and less importantly my brother Regulus,” Sirius introduced, causing Regulus to scowl and Remus to chuckle as he consolingly squeezed Regulus’ knee. “And that there is our other best mate Peter, and these beauties here are Lily and Mary.”

You enthusiastically exchanged handshakes with those you could reach and no less enthusiastic waves with those who you couldn’t.

“It’s so nice to meet you all! I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Which is concerning, considering you guys met in class?” Regulus commented, earning him a booming laugh from you.

“I was doing too well in that class anyways; it’s good to keep your GPA well rounded.” You responded in jest, gently nudging a furiously blushing James with your elbow as Sirius beamed at the two of you from your other side. 

As the group of you spoke, Remus noticed a number of people coming up to clap James or Sirius on the shoulders who knew them from their classes or various extracurriculars., though that wasn’t all that unusual when attending a pub night near campus. What Remus found to be quite phenomenal was how many people happened to come up to you to do the same.

Remus supposed it made sense for his two social and quite popular friends to find a kindred spirit, but he couldn’t believe that there were three of you who appeared to be so universally liked.

Well, Remus was sure some of Sirius’ notoriety was less from his likeability and more for his flirty nature. 

Mary had a lot of fun talking to you about her Instagram feed and your TikTok, which was full of videos of you, Sirius, and James doing trendy dances to various degrees of success. 

You were eager to discuss your latest reads with Remus, Regulus, and Lily, and you all laughed at the furious blush that took over Regulus’ face when the three of you started discussing the erotic books you’d enjoyed recently. 

“I mean, really; is that appropriate to be discussing in such a public setting?” Regulus had muttered as he looked over his shoulder to ensure other patrons hadn’t heard the scandalous books the three of you had read.

“Oh, don’t be such a prude, Reggie. I’ve seen the love bites you’ve left on my mate; you’re no saint.” Sirius had drawled, causing the blush to migrate all the way down Regulus’ neck.

You even joined in with some of Peter's quick-witted jests at the boys' expense.

In the end, it was the way you fell easily into the friendly banter with the group as if you’d been part of it all along that really won Remus over, had his friends’ lovesick smiles not already thoroughly convinced him of your worth. 

“I really like Y/N.” He commented to Regulus as he finished flossing his teeth that night. Regulus scoffed without lifting his head from the book he’d been reading already comfortable in bed.

“You would.”

Remus furrowed his brow as he turned the bathroom light off and climbed into bed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“She’s exactly your type.”

Remus barked a laugh and pulled Regulus (quite rudely, if you’d asked Regulus) into his side, forcing him to lay the book flat on the bed lest he lose his place for good.

“I’d argue that’s not the case, seeing as you’re my type.” He murmured into his boyfriend’s neck.

Regulus rolled his eyes though his face betrayed the fondness he felt for Remus. “That’s not what I meant, tosser.”

“What’d you mean then?” He asked, trailing kisses along Regulus’ collarbone.

“I mean she’s bubbly, she’s bold and outgoing, she’s mischievous, and she seemed to put up with the lot of you quite well.”

Remus lifted his head to look at Regulus bemusedly.

“She’s a carbon copy of two of your best friends, she’s basically Sirius and James.” Regulus clarified, looking smug as Remus’ face fell in understand.

“Oh my God...” Remus whispered in horror. “There’s three of them.” 

[disillusioneddanny]

It’s me, hi I’m the problem is me (dead tired)

The world was ending.

That was the thing Tim had come to accept. Somehow, all of the big bads had made friends and decided to work together to take over the universe and split it amongst themselves. Darkseid, Trigun, Barbatos, they had all gotten together to conquer the universe. Raven was completely drained, The supers three were in the infirmary, and the Lanterns Corp were barely holding them back, losing every second. Hell, even the Justice League Dark were down for the count.

“What are we doing to do?” Nightwing murmured, watching as the Lanterns slowly lost momentum.

“I-I don’t know,” Bruce whispered. Tim’s adoptive father had ripped of his cowl, his hair stood mussed from continuously running his fingers through his hair in stress. Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman stood over all of the contingencies Bruce had ever collected on the three big bads.

Robin stared at the screen that showed the devastation, a frown prominent on his face. “So this is it? We just give up?”

“No,” Red Hood said walking into the room with Arsenal and Starfire in tow. Behind the three stood a young man. He had Lazarus green eyes, snow white hair, slightly blue skin, and pointed ears. His body adorned in black armor, a blue crown floated above his head and a large cape hung from his body with galaxies swirling around. He looked to be Tim’s age, maybe just a little older than him, somewhere between his and Jason’s age.

“Who’s this?”

The being stepped forward, jewelry that hung from his ears tinkled slightly when he did and jeez, he was beautiful.

“My name is Phantom,” the being said with a serene smile. He was otherworldly, unlike anything Tim had ever seen in his life. “I am High King of the Infinite Realms. Jason asked me to come and assist with an issue you are dealing with,” he said, his eyes flicked to the large monitor curiously, tilting his head to the side, the silver that hng from his ears clangled once more. “Ah, those three, how fun.”

“How do you uh, how do you know Jason?” Tim asked, stepping towards the king.

At this, Phantom had an amused smile on his face as he looked back at Jason. “You never told them?”

Jason let out a groan of annoyance, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did. “When I died, Phantom found me in the ghost zone, I never actually moved one when I died. For those six months I just hung out in the ghost zone and became friends with Phantom. Before I came back, he declared me as one of his Fright Knights. And last years he ran into me during one of my missions and brought back my memories from when I died and fixed the pit rage.”

Phantom nodded, a wide grin on his face. “Jason made a lousy ghost. Now, how about I go fix this issue for you all real quick?” He said before he disappeared. Tim went to ask Jason about Phantom only for his father to beat him to the punch.

“Is this why we haven’t been able to get in contact with you?” Bruce asked, furrowing his brow. Jason shrugged.

“Couldn’t find the sword he left me that lets me summon him. Turns out I left it on Kori’s ship so she had to travel to come get me. From there it took a bit for me to remember how to summon him, I’ve never actually done it before so it took a few tries to get it right. And of course Phantom thought it was a social call and he loves to talk so it took a little bit to explain. And on top of that, time works different in the Realms. And Klarion was there so it just took a little longet than I wanted it to but he’s here and he’ll take care of the issue super quick.”

“Klarion?”

“Yeah he’s dating Phantom’s clone, he hates their relationship like a lot but it’s like two little chaos gremlins,” Jason said with a chuckle.

“How old is Phantom?” Tim blurted out.

Jason gave the nineteen year old a confused look but chuckled nonetheless. “He’s twenty.”

“Twenty and he is already a king?” Aquaman said, looking more and more interested in Phantom.

“Been king since he was fourteen,” Jason said, sucking at his teeth before he looked at the monitor and started snickering. Tim followed his gaze and smiled when he saw Phantom grow a third arm and grabbed all three beings by their ears, shrinking them down to his size before he dragged them away from the Lanterns before they disappeared.

Soon after the four reappeared in front of Bruce, Diana and Arthur who all looked on curiously.

“Kneel,” Phantom ordered. The three beings fell harshly to their knees. “I am beyond disappointed in the three of you. Are your realms not enough? What makes you think that you have the right to take over dimensions that do not belong to you?”

“But-” Trigon started.

“No buts from you, Trigon. The only reason you’re even still the ruler of your world is because none of your children want the position,” Phantom said. “Due to your crimes against this realm I hearby sentence you all to a millenia in the Fright Zone. Jason,” he instructed.

Jason grinned and pulled his sword from its sheath and stepped forward. With a quick swipe, all three disappeared from view.

Phantom stepped towards the three heroes and dipped his head in a polite bow. “They should not cause anymore issues. I apologize that I could not get here sooner. While I may be ll power, I am not all seeing and Kronos does not always deem it fit to tell me when my underlings are causing issues,” he said with a polite smile. “Does anyone have any paper or something to write on?”

“I uh, I have a tablet, I can just pull up something,” Tim stammered, stepping forward. Phantom smiled in thanks, taking the tablet from Tim. He drew out a complicated sigil and set it on the large table.

“This is my official line. Next time you are in a situation such as this, please do not hesitate to summon me,” he said before he looked at Tim and looked him up and down, a single fang peeked from under his lip. “As for you, Handsome, feel free to get my personal sigil from your brother and call me anytime.”

Before Tim could say another word, the High King disappeared and Tim immediately turned towards his brother with wide eyes. “ Jason ,” he hissed.

“He’s my fucking friend! I don’t want you dating him,” Jason shouted, running out of the room with Tim following close behind.

[turtletaubwrites]

Numbers Game ~ Part 26

Pairings: Cross Guild x Fem!Reader x Shanks

Numbers Game Masterlist

Word Count: 7279

Ao3 Link

Ongoing Series Playlist: Youtube Music Link | Youtube Link

Extras: Author's Vision of the Party Attire ~ Reader ~ The Boys

Summary: Buggy and Shanks have one more talk before the show, and their memories haunt them both as the big finale stuns the crowd.

Author's Note: !!! EXTRA SPOILER WARNING !!! I'm so sorry! I'm not usually a manga reader, and haven't started to tackle One Piece yet, so I didn't realize that I've been working off of a manga spoiler that I got spoiled on last year while doing Buggy research. It's a very brief flashback from chapter 1082 that reveals the end the argument that Buggy and Shanks had after Roger's execution that we see just a glimpse of back when Shanks met with Whitebeard after Enies Lobby. I've written my own version of that flashback in the first scene. That's not the main thing that caused the rift between them in my story, so you are free to skip over it if you like, and there is plenty more Shuggy content for you in this chapter. I feel like this detail can be inferred from the anime event that I already warn for at the end of the Wano arc, but if you'd like to avoid that specific scene, please skip the first section! It's bracketed with these symbols: ~~~⏰🤡🔴⏰~~~

Alternate POV Symbols:

🌲 ~ Flashbacks from Reader's Past | 🐊 ~ Crocodile | 🗡 ~ Mihawk | 🤡 ~ Buggy | 🔴 ~ Shanks | ⏰ ~ Flashbacks for listed POV | ⚫ ~ Scenes depicting Dark Content listed in Author's Notes

!!! SPOILER WARNING !!! Fic contains spoilers for the end of the Wano arc

Rating/Warnings: Author May Choose to Exclude some Warnings to Avoid Spoilers for Certain Chapters, Explicit Sexual Content, 18+ ONLY, MDNI, AFAB!Reader, She/Her Pronouns for Reader, Reader-Insert, Use of Y/N, Dark Content, Blood & Violence, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Dissociation, Grief, Swearing, Alcohol, Cigars, Smut, Fluff, Angst, Guilt, Drama, Jealousy, Manipulation, Pet Names, Power Imbalance, Cross Guild boys are VILLAINS, Possessive Behavior, Teasing, Threats, Death of a Minor Character, Flirting, Arguments, Blowjobs, Relationship Drama, Inappropriate Use of Akuma no Mi | Devil Fruit Powers, Shameless Shameless Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

| masterlist | about me | rules | ao3 |

~~~⏰🔴🤡⏰~~~

Rain. 

What a strange feeling. 

How long has it been raining?

Has his blood been washed away already?

Buggy paced back and forth through the alley, waiting for his friend, his rival, to show up. Roger’s declaration had sent chaos through the city. Loguetown’s guards were circling, trying desperately to catch every witness before the new age could begin.

Nothing can stop Roger’s dream. Not even death.

Buggy choked on his almost optimistic thought. He couldn’t understand this new reality.

He needed to see Shanks.

~~~

Shanks couldn’t think in words, his tears too heavy for even the rain to wash away. 

Roger. 

The weight of grief and pressure would have paralyzed him, if not for his instincts to survive. The red haired boy flew through the town, his body running from the death of a man that meant family, searching for a blue haired boy that meant home.

~~~

“Shanks, you dumbass,” Buggy scolded, eyes scanning over his friend’s pale face. “What took you so long? It’s not safe–”

“I’m here,” he whispered, pulling Buggy in for a hug. Buggy shook him off to grab him by the shoulders, ignoring the rain that still poured over them both.

“Well, let’s hurry up,” the clown tried to sound positive, trying to push through the pain of losing the man that raised him. He needed to cheer Shanks up, to see his friend shining again. “You made Roger a promise, remember? You’re gonna get a ship, and we’ll go find the One Piece on our own. So let’s go!”

I can’t do it.

“I’ve changed my mind,” Shanks grimaced, trying to stay steady. Trying not to fall apart. “I don’t feel like trying to get there now. But I’ll still be a pirate.”

Buggy stared. He couldn’t be hearing this. Not from Shanks.

I thought he was gonna be the next king. That’s what Roger wanted, wasn't it? Shanks wouldn’t say this. 

The boy in the straw hat couldn’t take the look on his friend's face. 

I can’t, Buggy. Please, just… 

“Come with me, Buggy!”

Everything cracked. Every vision of the future that Buggy had decided he wanted. Every shining image of Shanks that made him believe, made him trust. 

You’re not who I thought you were, Shanks. 

“I’m not gonna work under you, idiot!! You– you COWARD!!”

Shanks broke, yet again. He couldn’t take it. Couldn’t lose everything all at once. He couldn’t speak while Buggy used an old accident against him, leaving him with shame and loneliness that he didn’t know what to do with.

I believed in you, Shanks.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that you lost my treasure map? And I can’t swim because of you! It’s your fault I can’t…” Buggy croaked out, covering his true pain with the only thing he could think of that would get him away from this liar. This false idol. This person that he’d poured all of his own dreams into. “Well, I haven’t forgiven you, Shanks! So until the next time we meet…”

The rain fell harder, as though nature were trying to drown out this moment before it could ruin their lives. 

But it was too late.

“We’re enemies!!”

~~~⏰🔴🤡⏰~~~

~~~~~~

~~~🔴🤡🔴🤡~~~

Fuck. Just breathe. 

Buggy paced in his dressing room after he finished the intro, his hands floating around him so his fingers could walk and tap along his whole body. It wasn’t enough to calm him down. 

I can do this. I won’t fuck it up. They won’t take her again.

That worry was still present, although it was shrinking a bit more each day.

Nope. Can’t think about that.

There wasn’t enough time to unpack why his “executives” were less scary now. They could still hurt them. They could still take her from him.

Showtimeshowtimeshowtime.

Buggy blew a few raspberries while he shook his arms out, about to run through some more vocal warmups when someone knocked on the door.

“Bugs, I’m sorry, but I need to tell you something. Now.”

~~~

“What the fuck, Sha—“

The red haired pirate pushed his way in, losing every word he’d struggled to come up with while he snuck back here again. 

“Get out, dumbass,” Buggy ordered, almost grateful to have someone to yell at. Or he would have been grateful if this new, pathetic version of Shanks wasn’t hurting his brain. 

“It’s about Y/N,” Shanks pleaded. He’d never seen Buggy’s face change the way it did at those words, at the urgency in them.

“Tell me,” Buggy growled, not sure what to do with the tension that had just shot through him. He couldn’t think yet. 

“Her uncle crashed the party. I’m— hold on,” Shanks groaned when Buggy tried to shove past him. The red haired pirate pressed his back against the door, struggling to calm his old friend down. “Crocodile is seating him with me, okay? I told you I’ll look out for her out there. I won’t let you down. I just wanted you to know what’s going on.”

“How is she,” Buggy demanded. His breathing was ragged when he finally stopped trying to tear his way through the other man to get to the door. “Is she okay, did he… Is she okay?”

The urge to run out and find her was overwhelming, but he forced himself to listen.

“She’s still with Crocodile and Mihawk. I didn’t before, but… I think she’s safe with them, Buggy. At least for tonight.”

The clown gaped at him, mind still churning from all of those promises to take her away from danger. 

Shanks felt himself losing his hold, losing his hope for the future he wanted, and it fucking stung. 

She’s more important. I can’t use her for my own goals. Not again. 

Y/N’s sick laughter, and her rage filled demands echoed within him.

“I’m gonna sit with him, Bugs. I'll do everything I can to protect her. I promise.”

“… He doesn’t know you’re our friend, right? Just a guest?”

“I’m just an honored guest,” Shanks laughed, that bitter taste still fresh on his tongue. 

“Don’t let him know,” Buggy ordered, grabbing Shanks by the chin as he glared into his eyes from inches away, “just in case. It’d be good to have someone with an in that he doesn’t think we’re connected to, at least not closely.” 

“Got it, so I—“

“Do that fucking thing you do,” Buggy continued as he started to pace, his fingers snapping, then tapping again. 

Shanks started to question, but the clown talked over him until all he could do was listen. 

“Do that smile everyone loves. Not this weird one,” he scoffed as he gestured toward Shanks’ face. “Do the cheesy one that makes everyone wanna lick your fucking sandals.”

“Excuse me,” Shanks laughed, forgetting. Buggy made him forget it all again, for just a moment.

“I said stop being this miserable, idiot person, and go flirt with that asshole until you get something we can use against him! You could charm a fucking sea beast, Shanks, I know you can—“

Shanks had enough restraint to keep from smearing Buggy’s makeup with a kiss, but he bellowed with laughter as he pulled his friend into a hug. 

“I won’t let you down,” he promised, “I won’t let her down. I’m here for you, Bugs.”

Always.

~~~🔴🤡🔴🤡~~~

~~~~~~

~~~⏰🔴🤡⏰~~~

“Buggy?”

No.

“Gods, Buggy! What’s it been, four, five years now? You look great!”

Buggy wished he could have looked away, wished he could have pretended he was someone else. 

But no one in the world looked like him. 

Shanks gave him no time to process, no space. He just sat beside him at the bar, wrapping an arm around his shoulders before looking back while he called out. 

“Guys, this is Buggy! My friend that I’ve—“

“We know, captain,” chuckled a man with warm brown skin, and dark blonde dreads. Buggy had turned to find the source of the voice, spotting a small, eclectic group at a large booth with him.  

“Fuck, it’s good to see you,” Shanks beamed, his cheeks already starting to hurt. It had been so long. He couldn’t believe Buggy was right here beside him. He held his breath as he pulled his old friend into a darkened, corner booth.

Buggy could breathe a bit easier once they were out of everyone’s line of sight, shaking his head slightly at how out of character that was for him. 

“Shanks…”

“Buggy!”

The red haired pirate scooted close before wrapping his arms around the quiet clown, letting out soft, gasping laughs. He giggled more when Buggy disconnected his hand so he could grab his mug to take a large swig. 

“I missed you, old friend,” Shanks pulled back, his wide eyes darting too fast while he tried to take in every detail. “I love your hair.”

Buggy shivered when Shanks tugged on his blue hair, grown so much longer since they last saw each other. 

Memories of that painful day hit his mind, and he jolted when Shanks touched his hand.

“Sorry, Bugs, I’m just so happy to see you.”

“You’ve got a crew already,” Buggy noted, embarrassment kicking in at how far behind he was, yet again.

“It’s not a lot, but we’re growing,” the red haired pirate grinned toward his small crew that was becoming his new family. His new world. 

And here was his old world, frowning into his mug. 

“We’re staying here tonight, but I can show you my ship tomorrow if you…”

“Sounds good,” Buggy coughed, downing the rest of his bitter drink. He couldn’t afford the sweeter things he liked, but he wanted to seem more impressive anyway. 

“Have you been in this town long,” Shanks asked, gaining control of his excitement enough to notice Buggy’s mood, so he tried to shift his tone. “I bet you know the best lookout spots already. What about the market? You have a con or two going yet?”

“Of course I do,” Buggy grumbled, stealing Shanks’ mug for a sip. His face went hot when his friend’s hand rested on his wrist instead of taking the drink back. Old, strange feelings started flooding through him, and he didn’t know what to do with it all.

“I’ll follow you, then,” Shanks teased, nudging Buggy out of the booth.

~~~

Sunset in this shitty town wasn’t too bad when you had a good roof, a decent bottle of booze, and an old friend that reminded you of better days. 

The young pirates laughed, drank, and shared stories, finally having their own to share instead of their versions of the same tale.

Stars filled the sky, like a million tiny spotlights reaching out just to shine on them. 

Buggy let out a soft gasp, his body tingling when Shanks moved beside him, pulling him down until they laid on their backs with their shoulders and arms pressed against each other. 

And the backs of their hands. Their fingers every time they moved.

Right. This feels right.

What am I doing? I should leave. 

“You know, I think about you, Buggy,” Shanks confessed, tilting his head to gaze at the real star beside him. “I’ve thought about you so many times.”

Fingers flexed, warm and cool skin, barely connecting. Knuckles touched, rubbing together, so very lightly.

Buggy clenched his eyes shut, trying to remember why he thought he shouldn’t be here with Shanks. What was the point? 

He’d been alone for so long.

His breath went strange. The tingling feeling grew. Dizziness hit.

Why are his fingers touching mine like this? Why are my fingers reaching back? 

Shanks felt compelled, his body aching for Buggy’s touch in a way they’d never shared before. He’d known that he missed his friend, but he didn’t realize how desperately until now. Seeing him again made him high, made him reach out. 

Made him hold Buggy’s hand under the stars. 

“I missed you too, Shanks.”

~~~

“Fuck off, Shanks.”

“Okay, okay,” he soothed, holding out his hands to block Buggy’s path when he tried to shove past him, and out of the captain’s cabin. “Why not just stay for a little while then? You don’t need to be a crew member to sail with us to the next island, right? It’ll save you some berry.”

Those soft, brown eyes seemed to be poisonous. The longer Buggy spent falling into them, the weaker he became. 

“Fine, but just until the next island,” Buggy grumbled, gasping when Shanks tackled him in a hug. They breathed each other in, the air vibrating around them by the time they separated. Their hands seemed drawn together like magnets. Shanks trailed his fingers down Buggy’s arms, wrists, hands, holding for just a moment.

“I’m not sleeping in one of those crappy bunks. You really need to get a better ship soon, this one–”

“Sleep with me,” Shanks blurted, his face not going nearly as red as his friend’s. “I mean sleep in here with me, my bed’s pretty big. It’ll be just like old times!”

He skirted around the clown, plopping onto the edge of the mediocre bed before patting the mattress beside him. 

Buggy gaped, not sure why every new conversation with Shanks made him feel like he was falling off the edge of the world.

“I don’t…”

“It’s alright,” Shanks breathed, his heart racing faster than he knew it could. “I can sleep in a cot if you want.”

I’ve never wanted anyone like this. He’s right here, so close to my bed. I need to touch him, need to feel him. 

“Don’t be an idiot,” Buggy scolded, plopping down beside his red haired friend. “I won’t have your crew coming after me for making their captain…”

Shanks laid his hand on Buggy’s thigh, and a high pitched ringing seemed to take all the sounds from the world. 

“Buggy, I– mmn,” Shanks moaned at the firm press of lips against his. Buggy grabbed his face, and the taste of grease paint was deliciously bitter as their first kiss deepened. His clown crawled over him, straddling his lap while Shanks lost himself. 

What am I doing…

Buggy stopped listening to his doubts, stopped caring. Shanks’ warmth, the hungry sounds he was making, and his strong hands gripping his back, his thighs, pulling him even closer, took over every thought, every sensation. He’d never felt anything like this. Couldn’t believe he was doing this.

He couldn’t believe his beautiful friend was letting him. 

“You’re perfect, Bugs,” Shanks hummed, kissing down his friend's throat. “You feel so good.”

The clown made a frustrated noise, kissing that mouth again before it could say anything else. 

“Shut up,” he whispered against smiling lips.

“No,” Shanks declared as he stood, making Buggy yelp when he flipped them around, tossing them both onto the bed. Buggy’s blue hair shined around him like a halo while his teeth scraped over his messy, lower lip. Shanks had caged him in, but kept that aching part of his body from connecting yet, though he wasn’t sure how long he could stand it. 

“I won’t shut up ‘til you believe it,” Shanks teased, leaning down for a soft kiss. “You’re amazing, Buggy! You’re beautiful, and funny, and soo fucking sexy.”

“Sexy,” he whispered, gasping underneath the red haired pirate. It was too much. Too good. 

“Can I prove it to you,” Shanks rasped, low and dangerous while he lost his strength to hold back.

“Go ahead and try, but I don’t– fuck…”

Shanks had grabbed Buggy’s hand, throwing his head back when he wrapped those gloved fingers around his own throbbing cock. He guided Buggy’s hand as he stroked up and down his length through his pants before finding the clown just as painfully needy as he was. 

“Gods, Buggy... You want me too, don’t you, baby?”

Buggy’s body answered for him, his back arching at those tempting words. He couldn’t stop shaking from that incredible touch, but nothing could pry his hand loose, Shanks’ cock twitching in his palm through that thin fabric.

“Shanks, please.”

“Please, what,” Shanks half teased, half begged. “Tell me what you want, and I just might give it to you.”

Buggy almost sobbed when Shanks moved their hands away, blocking his weak attempts to reach for him again. 

“I know you hate listening to me,” Shanks purred, his body pulsing at Buggy’s little sounds when he whispered those words into his ear. He pulled back enough to meet those crystal eyes, almost forgetting his goal. Almost.

“But I wanna make you feel good, Buggy,” he promised. “I want you to—“

“Just do it already,” Buggy groaned as he pulled Shanks onto him, and they both let out desperate noises when their bodies connected. The red haired pirate rolled away, shaking his head while he scolded him.

“Don’t be impatient, Bugs. I wanna take my time with— hey, you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Buggy choked out. He clenched his eyes shut, wanting to jump through the little, round window into the fucking ocean. “I’m fine, sorry.”

“Bugs,” Shanks whispered, wanting to reach out, but not sure if he should. “I’m sorry, we can take things slow, okay? I’m just excited you’re here with me.”

“Ugh,” the clown groaned while he rolled over, his frustrated noise continuing as he breathed it into a pillow. 

“Can I get you anything,” Shanks offered, sitting cross legged while he stared down at that pretty hair. He held his own fingers in his lap to resist trailing them through all of that lovely blue. His friend made an incomprehensible sound that brought the hint of a smile to his lips. “Sorry, I didn’t catch tha—“

“Just kill me,” Buggy grumbled, tilting to squint at Shanks with one eye, hoping that he’d disappeared. 

There he was. Perfect. Saying such wonderful things. The way he’d touched him...

It was too much. Too good to be true. 

Buggy had tried to find someone. Most of the time people wouldn’t take him seriously, but there were some that didn’t mind him being a clown. 

Until they asked him to take off his nose. 

Even those that were open to kissing, to touching such a freak, couldn’t hold it in. There was always a moment. An awkward giggle. A brief look of disgust when they thought he wasn’t paying attention. He should have just gone through with it, just accepted that was how it would always be. 

No one wanted to touch him.

Buggy rolled onto his back to find Shanks waiting, a tiny smile on those lips that were smeared with his paint. The sight tore a bittersweet laugh from the clown’s throat.

“I don’t want your pity,” he confessed and demanded, struggling to keep his voice steady. “You don’t need to touch me. I’m sorry I kissed you.”

“What are you talking about?”

After all these years, those soft brown eyes had looked at him like that. Just the thought of those eyes turning sour hurt more than all of the others that had. He pushed himself up, moving toward the door, needing to escape before that moment could arrive.

“Buggy!”

Their hearts seemed to clash against each other with heavy, frantic beats when Shanks wrapped himself around his friend’s back.

Please, don’t leave again.

“There’s no pity,” he implored, his breath warming the back of Buggy’s neck through all that lovely hair. “I’m glad you kissed me, Bugs. I’d really like it if you did it again, but only if you want to.”

The clown lost all momentum, his painful doubts and fears struggling to stay front of mind with Shanks all around him.

“Just tell me what you need. I’m here for you, Bugs. Always.”

“Shut up, you sap,” Buggy rasped, grabbing onto the hands that gripped his chest. He melted at the hum of relief Shanks let out, and at the breath that moved to the side of his neck, touching his skin.

“Just tell me if you wanna stop.”

“I don’t wanna stop. Just— gods.”

The clown’s gasping moan brought a low growl from Shanks’ throat when he kissed and sucked his neck, pressing his swollen cock against Buggy’s ass. He freed one of his hands to travel down, reaching down, until he dipped his fingers into those teal pants. 

“Can’t believe you were about to walk out that door,” he teased, licking and nibbling at Buggy’s ear. “Not when you’re this fucking hard for me. Mm, you’re shaking, Bugs. Want me to—“

“Shut up,” Buggy laughed this time, pulling away from that wicked hold.

Just right now. It’s okay if it’s only for right now. We can be…

“Oh, fuuck,” Shanks moaned, his own legs shaking as he stared down. Buggy had gone to his knees, turning to face him before tugging at his pants. It didn’t take long before Buggy wrapped gloved fingers around his shaft, frowning at his own accessories while he paused his task.

Shanks held in a laugh at that adorable face, grabbing one of the clown’s hands to kiss those gloved fingers. 

“You don’t need to hide from me, Bugs,” he promised, smiling as he bit down on the fabric. He laughed through his teeth now at Buggy’s new expression while he tore the glove free. 

A soft, little smirk touched Buggy’s lips before he copied his friend, growling when he pulled the other glove off with his teeth.

“You know, I can… I want… Fuck, that feels so good, Buggy. Just like that.”

Part of Buggy was still waiting for the look on Shanks’ face to twist, but all it did was go desperate, a sight he hadn’t known he needed to see. His perfect friend, falling to pieces for him. His taste, his voice, his thick, veiny cock that Buggy was learning how to breathe around. Every word of praise that fell from his friend's lips felt like a standing ovation, and the fingers that twisted into his hair made his eyes roll back in his head. 

Shanks was shocked that he was still on his feet with the way his friend's eyes burned into him like that. 

He’s so beautiful. So fucking good.

The way Buggy had wasted no time in taking him down his throat sent so much pleasure through him, as though his clown was just as desperate for him as he was. 

Buggy’s hands shifted, one stroking along his base, the other massaging his balls until Shanks’ head fell back, almost whimpering.

“You’re so fucking— sooo good, Bugs. Fuck, you’re gonna make me come, baby. I want— wanna make you feel good too…”

Buggy let out a choked laugh, muffled through that throbbing cock, but he couldn’t help it. He had a moment of fear that Shanks would be disgusted, but the needy look on his friend's face pushed him through. 

“Buggy,” Shanks laughed, then moaned at the sight of Buggy’s cock floating up in front of his face, achingly hard, and dripping with precum. 

“Such a good boy for me. Come on, Buggy. Fuck my throat ‘til we both come,” Shanks ordered, fisting that pretty, blue hair, and giving his friend a wicked smirk. “Think you can— mmnf”

Holy shit. This is real. This is Shanks.

Buggy’s here. He’s mine.

Nothing else existed. 

These two long lost friends created their own perfect world made up of their strangled moans, their tingling bodies, and the overwhelming pleasure they drank from each other. 

There was something powerful, almost too real, in the way they looked at each other while they came, until that blissful heat pouring down their throats sent both sets of eyes rolling back. 

The way they looked at each other afterwards stunned them both into silence. Time stood still, until Shanks couldn’t stand anymore. 

He joined Buggy on his knees, awe showing in that crooked smile of his while he brought his hands up to cradle Buggy’s face. 

“I missed you, Bugs,” Shanks breathed against his friend’s lips.

“Of course you did.”

~~~⏰🔴🤡⏰~~~

~~~~~~

~~~🔴🤡🔴🤡~~~

“Get off of me, shithead,” Buggy growled while he pushed Shanks away, frustrated with how much he wanted to let him take over his world again. “Go figure out how to get rid of that asshole. Thinks he can just come in here, and… Why is he here?”

“I don’t know yet.” 

The red haired man’s momentary relief from guilt was withering away, as though his body could feel where the next few words would take them. 

“Well, he’s a fucking moron if he thinks he can just walk in here and take her. Like the fucking Cross Guild is just gonna let someone take our girl? Our— What?”

Y/N’s voice filled Shanks’ mind, her empty eyes branded onto his guilty heart. 

‘I can’t go with you. Please make him happy.’

That’s what she said. She’s gonna leave. Y/N’s gonna leave because I pushed her away. I tore them apart. 

“Why the fuck are you making that face?”

‘Don’t tell anyone.’

Shanks froze. The right thing to do would be to tell, wouldn’t it? He’d hurt her, and he needed to fix it. He had to make sure Buggy didn’t lose his star.

But she’d begged him not to tell. After what he did, the thought of going against his promise made him choke. 

Fuck.

“Shanks?“

“Y/N hasn’t seemed okay since I’ve…” Shanks tried. The near violence in those crystal eyes made him want to beg, to take any punishment, anything to get rid of this fucking guilt. 

“What are you saying?”

“I know you know her better than I do,” he continued softly. Weakly. “But I think she’s hurting. I think what we— what I’ve been doing has made her feel…”

He watched helplessly as Buggy’s face changed, his muscles twitching while flashes of anger, horror, and guilt fought for control. 

“Are you saying she’s gonna leave with him,” the clown whispered, desperate to snatch the words back from the air, as if they alone would make it true. 

Yet the memory of Y/N’s tears dragged the clown too deep, drowning him in fear and shame.

“Are you saying my star's gonna leave because I hurt her,” Buggy breathed, every memory of Shanks touching him in front of her turning to acid now. 

Y/N had kept smiling for him.

Until Mihawk had taken her away. 

I didn’t care. I just kept thinking about Shanks. I used her for him. I ignored her, even when we…

He felt sick.

“I treated her like she was just a joke!”

“Buggy, I—“

Shanks had expected violence, almost craved it, when Buggy grabbed his cloak. Instead, his tortured friend pulled him close, gloved hands trembling against him.

“Help me!"

“Of course,” Shanks promised, hating his greedy urge to kiss that look of pain off of the clown’s face. “I’ll fix this. I’ll make sure she—“

“I can’t lose her,” Buggy murmured, releasing the red haired pirate from his grasp. “Please—“

“I swear. I will do everything in my power to fix what I… I’m so sorry, Buggy.”

The clown stepped back, aching to scream, to rage against the man in front of him, but his own fear and guilt held him back. He needed Shanks. He tried not to think about how much. 

I need Y/N. I need my star.

“It wasn’t just you,” Buggy admitted, opening the dressing room door for his old friend. His old world.

He’s not my only world anymore.

“I’ll fix this,” Shanks breathed, squeezing Buggy’s hand. There were so many more words he wanted to say, but they were running out of time. Selfish words that he had always meant to say, but he knew he didn’t deserve them now. 

Energy flooded his veins as he left Buggy backstage again, this time with his vow holding him steady.

I’ll fix this.

~~~

Please don’t go, star. I’ll do anything. 

Buggy panicked, every moment of pain on her face replaying in his mind like his own perfect torture. 

“I’m a fucking IDIOT! Such a piece of shit! I knew it! I knew I was hurting her, and now she’s gonna…”

Buggy didn’t wait for his feet to catch up while he flew toward the vanity. He dumped out the drawers, tossing everything behind him. All of the colorful contents were scattered across the plush carpet, glitter and greasepaint like fresh wounds left to fester and scar. 

“I can’t let you leave. You’re everything, star. Just talk to me, baby. I’ll listen. You’re not a joke to me, never a joke.”

Buggy tore his dressing room apart, vowing to keep tears from touching her beautiful eyes ever again. 

~~~🔴🤡🔴🤡~~~

~~~~~~

~~~⏰🤡🤡🤡⏰~~~

Buggy was whistling and skipping back to the docks, carrying a smug smile, and very full pockets. The citizens of this island were friendly to street performers, and he’d spent the day being showered with berry and praise instead of scouting for good pickpocketing spots.

Although he had snagged a rather nice watch during one of his sleight of hand tricks. 

He’d even heard stories about another performer that had just left town to head up the coast, and he was hoping they could stay here long enough for him to go see for himself. 

Buggy had always wanted to see a lion tamer’s act up close.

The tavern was fancier than their usual spots, and Buggy had to stop himself from floating when he spotted it down the road. He didn’t want to spook the friendly locals. 

I’ve got enough berry for some good drinks tonight.

The memory of Shanks grimacing at the taste of all the sweet cocktails he’d forced him to try had Buggy chewing on the inside of his lip, fighting a cheesy smile when he stepped into the pleasantly dim tavern. The booths had high, decorated partitions between them, each lit with their own small lanterns. Most of the crew had been taking up the tables in the middle during their stay, but the place was nearly empty besides a couple of residents. 

Buggy caught a glimpse of a sandled foot poking out from one of the booths, and couldn’t resist the urge to sneak up on his red haired friend. 

Not friend. Boyfriend.

Still not used to that word, Buggy moved closer, silent as he could be. 

“Captain, we need to talk about the clown.”

“Buggy’s good, Benn! There’s nothing to talk about.”

The clown froze for a moment before ducking into the booth behind the captain and his first mate. 

It felt wrong. He knew it was wrong, but his heart was stuck in his throat, anxiety rippling under his skin. He clenched his fists, listening.

“You’re not kids anymore. It’s been two years.”

“I know how aging works, old man,” Shanks teased, taking a large swig of his drink, the mug sounding too light when he set it down. 

“You’re a captain, Shanks,” Benn sighed, the pressure in his voice turning Buggy’s stomach. “You need to command respect. Buggy isn’t a member of the crew. He argues with you in front of everyone, even enemies—“

“We’re just playing arou—“ 

“You’re not children,” Benn scolded, his voice going soft quickly after that harsh tone. “A captain needs to be taken seriously. He has to show you respect, Shanks. You need to stop pretending that he’s not a member of the crew just to protect your boyfriend’s feelings.”

Nausea tore through Buggy, humiliation flooding in along with every memory he had with Shanks’ crew. 

They all think I’m pathetic. Just a joke. Just Shanks’— 

“Okay, Benn. I hear you, alright,” Shanks conceded, releasing a heavy breath. Buggy felt a gentle thud against the thin wall between them, as though Shanks had tilted his head back to rest against the wood. 

“I’ll talk to him about it. I just don’t wanna force him,” Shanks paused, and Buggy’s heart paused along with him. “I know it seems silly to pretend for so long, but I want him to be happy.”

“It’s alright, Captain,” Benn soothed, huffing a laugh. “I guess it’s hard not to act silly around a silly clown.”

Buggy was going to be sick. 

“Hey now, Buggy’s not just a silly clown,” Shanks chuckled, his voice piercing right through Buggy’s unpierceable heart. “He’s my silly clown.”

~~~⏰🤡🤡🤡⏰~~~

~~~~~~

~~~⏰🔴🤡⏰~~~

Just a joke. I’m always just a fucking joke.

Buggy didn’t know what he was packing. He didn’t seem to be packing at all, since everything in their cabin carried stupid memories.

Not our cabin. It’s the captain’s cabin. Just the Captain, and his silly clown. 

“Fuck!”

The clown berated himself silently, hating the thought of the crew hearing his pathetic cries, and judging him even more. He swallowed the lump in his throat while he tried to focus on packing, but he got too focused, letting out a yelp when the door opened, and his least favorite red head stepped in with worry on his face.

“Hey, Bugs,” Shanks started, icy fear pouring through his veins at the sight of that half full bag of clothes on the bed. “What’s going on, baby?”

“Baby,” Buggy seethed, unable to hold it in. “Don’t you mean, ‘your silly clown?’ That’s what everyone thinks I am, right?”

Shanks felt his stomach drop, like he was standing at the edge of a cliff. Buggy hadn’t looked this angry since…

“Buggy, please,” he reached out, his boyfriend’s body floating away too fast for him to touch. “It was just a joke.”

Fuck. Why did I say that?

“Just a joke, just like me, huh,” Buggy laughed, sharp and wrong. “Buggy’s just a clown, so silly, so useless! All I’m good for is being YOURS, and I can’t even do that right!”

“No, Bugs,” Shanks begged, his body glued to the spot while he tried to wake up. “It’s nothing, okay? You know Benn, he can be so serious. Don’t let it—“

“Don’t tell me what to do,” the clown spat, stuffing more random items into his bag. “I’m not a member of your crew. I wasn’t pretending about that. What else were you pretending, baby? Was everything a fucking joke to you?”

“Fuck, no! Buggy, please stop,” Shanks pleaded with stinging eyes as he tried to pull the bag away, floating hands dragging it to the corner of the ceiling. “It’s not a big deal, okay? I promise, it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t care what anyone else thinks!”

Buggy felt too many things at once. His body ached to collapse to the floor, to weep, to apologize for being such a stupid piece of shit. He wanted to beg Shanks to forgive him, to let him stay forever.

He wanted to scream, and rage, and tear this whole fucking ship down. To make everyone that thought he was a joke burn, to show them how fucking silly he could be.

Anything to kill the suffocating humiliation that crushed him more with every memory, every moment he stayed on this ugly boat. 

Since he couldn’t do any of those things, Buggy kept packing, trying to close the bag while he ignored the worthless tears ruining his makeup. 

Soft brown eyes trapped him then. Shanks finally caught him by the shoulders, his face blotchy with panic while he begged.

“Bugs, please! Baby, just listen.”

“I will,” Buggy threatened, pulling the rest of his body back together while he shook off Shanks’ hold. “Seems like captains only listen to their first mates, so I’m gonna go find mine.”

“Please, don’t leave me again.”

The clown shouldered past the red haired pirate, but his gloved hand hesitated on the doorknob. He almost stopped. He almost stayed. 

Until it all slammed into him again. 

“You think I’m a fucking joke—“

“Buggy, I never—“

“Don’t underestimate me, Red Hair. Next time we meet, we’re enemies.”

Buggy didn’t turn back, didn’t wait, didn’t think. He just left that boat, setting off to find his first mate. 

He fought every memory, every thought, every burning ache in his chest while he floated along, his feet running behind him in the sand. 

All he could think about was his future. 

Fuck all of them! It’s my time to shine.

Shanks watched his clown leave again. He wanted to scream his name, to run after him, but he couldn’t move.

Couldn’t feel anything but the weight of unsaid words.

None of those other words matter, Buggy. Why didn’t you listen to me?

Why did you leave over a few stupid words? You have to know…

As that blue hair finally floated out of sight, fear won out over everything else at the thought of Buggy all alone out there, yet it planted a disgusting hope inside his heart. 

Shanks let himself look at that twisted hope for just a moment before shoving it down, along with as much of this pain as he could manage.

You’ll come back. I’m here for you, Bugs. Always. You’ll be back. 

I’ll protect you from this cruel world.

~~~⏰🔴🤡⏰~~~

~~~~~~

~~~🔴🤡🔴🤡~~~

Buggy was glowing on that stage, and Shanks had to bring himself back. Remember his mission. 

It’ll be my fault if she leaves, and has to suffer out there all alone. I should have been careful. I should have listened. 

If I’d listened back then, Buggy would have stayed with me. He wouldn’t have gone off all alone, and ended up with these monsters. It’s my fault he’s…

Buggy couldn’t let Y/N leave. Little pieces of her were shining behind her eyes again tonight, spurring him on. He needed to listen to her, to make sure she knew he loved her. 

Guilt and worry tried to take over, but the spotlight always healed all wounds. Even the fears he had about his “executives” seemed like nothing now, and their strange, small smiles felt almost soothing whenever they caught eyes. 

“Care to lend me a hand with the party favors, Mr. President?”

Buggy didn’t look at Shanks when he dropped the papers on his table, grinning at Cedrick Sylvad instead. The red haired emperor snatched up one of the mock posters to have something to think about besides his own guilt, only to be reminded of the ugliness that was happening here. 

Distaste and disgust were followed quickly by shame. He’d known what his lovers were up to. 

I’m being a hypocrite again, aren’t I?

Buggy felt on fire on stage with Crocodile, the feeling of playing the crowd like this had him high, even with everything else going on. Yet he still had to fight to keep his eyes away from that red haired pirate, pretending his old friend was just a guest, even though he was dying to see the look on Shanks' face while he performed. It had always been one of his favorite sights. 

For a split second after Crocodile called for the real party favor, Buggy worried about what Y/N would think, but he shook it off with ease.

My girl’s so smart. She knows who I am, and she loves me anyway. I’ll show her I love her too.

The bound and gagged marine was dripping blood onto the stage. Shanks couldn’t stop himself from glancing back toward his golden eyed lover, still seated at the head table. “The Marine Hunter” scowled down at the stage over his glass of wine, and Shanks looked away quickly before Cedrick could catch him looking toward his niece.

They're gonna execute an unarmed man. This is wrong. I can’t let Buggy…

He hated every piece of himself that felt like he was right. 

Red Haired Shanks’ beliefs had crashed down around him, and his mind was scrambling to build things back up, to figure out what he truly valued, and what had only fed his ego. 

How many marines have I killed? Can I really judge them? Am I just trying to feel superior? 

Even if it’s wrong, I’m the one that hurt Buggy. He wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t pushed him away. 

Or maybe this cursed island has turned me into a monster too...

Questions, justifications, and doubts stormed within him, leaving nothing but acceptance, since he didn’t have enough time for this existential crisis.

Nothing else matters. I can’t let Buggy lose her.

“Guess it's time for the finale,” Crocodile smirked, holding his hook to the marine’s throat.

Shanks looked away from the unarmed man, selfishly choosing to enjoy the sight of his beautiful clown for as long as he could. 

~~~🔴🤡🔴🤡~~~

~~~~~~

Pride warmed your chest when you saw the way your little smile affected the villain on the stage. Crocodile was about to kill someone in front of you, and it should have felt horrible, terrifying. You weren’t reveling in it, so that was something, but your lack of reaction proved that you were either a monster, or you were crazy.

Probably both.

You managed to turn your sick laugh into a polite cough, although Mihawk still turned to you with something almost like fear in those deadly eyes. Shaking your head, you held your breath at the sound of vultures hissing for their next meal.

“Let’s hear what he has to say for himself!”

“Think he’ll apologize for being such a nuisance?”

“Ooh, I’ve always wanted to hear someone’s last words!”

“Why not,” Crocodile shrugged, using his hook to tear the gag from the marine’s mouth.

Buggy stepped closer to the wheel to squeeze the man’s cheeks, blood and drool dripping down from snarling lips. 

“Time for your fifteen minutes of fame,” Buggy announced, leaving his hands to hold the struggling man’s face toward the crowd while he stepped away to show him off. He smirked at the leeches, winking while he gave a mock whisper. “If he lasts that long, anyway.”

The disgust you felt for the guests' bloodlust didn’t carry over to you or your lovers. You loved watching Buggy play them so well. 

Even if the unlucky man had to die.

“Captain Tront, Mr. Extra Special Party Favor! Got any last words for us,” Buggy called out, nodding toward the band for a drum roll to start while the marine spit more blood onto the floor. 

“You think you’ll get away with this,” he choked out, eyeing the esteemed guests. “You’re risking all your wealth, your reputations, on these freaks?”

Buggy and Crocodile chuckled, and the laughter spread through the hall as the vultures watched the desperate man fall apart. 

“You’ll regret this! You’ll all regret throwing yourselves in with these pirate scum! The Cross Guild, and their overpriced whore–”

Little gasps and screams filled the air, just like when the performers had shown off their dangerous acts. Some nervous laughter bubbled up, until applause built, quiet at first, but soon there were leeches on their feet, cheering for your deadly lovers. 

Captain Tront’s lifeless body slumped in his restraints, bright red blood spilling like a fresh coat of paint for the wheel. Buggy had gotten the man first, his floating hands snapping the marine’s neck just before Crocodile’s hook tore out his throat. 

You’d known that they were going to kill this man, but this was different. 

They had killed this man for you. 

Crocodile nodded toward you, and you realized that you weren’t at all surprised by his swift violence.  

Yet, your sweet, lovely clown had snapped that man’s neck in an instant, just for insulting you. That sweet, lovely clown should have been lost in the applause, the spotlight, the praise, but he didn’t seem to notice any of it.

Buggy beamed at you as though you were his standing ovation, his spotlight, his thunderous applause. This wicked, dangerous clown that just murdered a man was smiling at you while the blood was still warm and spreading across the stage.

You smiled back.

~~~~~~

Likes, comments, and reblogs bring me much ✨dopamine✨ thank you!!

Author's Note: Writing this one was extra special to me. I hope that I did Shuggy justice, and that you enjoyed this chapter! I'm including a little Shuggy flashback age timeline below:

Shuggy Flashback Timeline: (Shanks and Buggy are adorably the same age) - Roger's Execution ~ (age 15) - First time meeting after the execution, and Buggy starts sailing with the Red Hair Pirates ~ (age 19) - Flashback smut from Chapter 23 ~ (between 19-21) - Breakup, and Buggy leaving the Red Hair Pirates to start his own crew ~ (age 21) - Present Day ~ (age 39)

Tag List: @shewrites02 | @caniseethefourthsword | @hey-august | @chaoticqueen33 | @destinationmars | @novakitten0901 | @h0n3y-l3m0n05 | @dorky-birdie | @szired | @pinejayy | @laws-wife-things | @jadeddangel | @gingernut1314 | @urlocaltwink | @blue-rae18 | @bontensbabygirl | @bbnbhm | @0-sparkling-lace-0 | @ihearthazuki | @mikisspeak | @djloveyou3000 | @mercymccann | @horse-and-writer97

Part 27

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[red-riot-unbreakable-heart]

BakuDeku Smut: Hooking Up At A Pro Hero Gala

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Ship: Izuku Midoriya x Katsuki Bakugo

Note: This is explicit so A18+ ONLY!!

Genre: Smut, Fluff, Romance, S*xual Tension, Semi-Public Sex

cw: MDNI!, adult Pro-heros, all characters are A20+, blowjobs, slow burn, semi-public sex, hooking up, hair pulling, mentions of drinking and partying, dirty talk, explicit content, romance

The first time Katsuki sucks Izuku’s dick – it’s at one of those stupid press Hero galas.

Katsuki has just hit 15 on the Hero chart – he’s getting so damn close to the top 10 he can almost taste it. Izuku is only a few spots ahead of him at number 13. Despite the constant competition to snatch a top spot on the chart, the two are close as ever. Having put aside their longstanding childhood rivalry, they now run their own Pro Hero Agency together and are rapidly climbing the ranks of hero society as a team.

As usual, after the new hero rankings are released, the annual press night and celebratory gala follow. At age 24, Katsuki has now been to a handful of these events and knows the drill - dress up in a sharp tux, grace the red carpet step and repeat, schmooze with the hero business and support agency staff, etc. He finds the whole affair boring, but knows how important events like these are to his brand and his image in the media. Begrudgingly he has realized that the public’s opinion contributes a lot to his success as a hero.

Katsuki has arrived early at Izuku’s request. The green haired hero is always doing things by the book, and insists that they represent their Agency in the best way possible. So now here they are, seated next to one another at their Hero Agency’s table. Izuku looks sharp and handsome in his tailored forest green tuxedo. His dark bowtie is slightly askew, reminding Katsuki fondly of the way Izuku could never figure out how to properly put on his UA uniform tie. The explosion hero watches Izuku pour himself a glass of water and wishes he could grab his friend by the tie and pull him in for a deep kiss. He lets his fantasies run wild for a moment – he imagines kissing a bare freckled shoulder and hearing Izuku moan his name. He pictures a warm bed and skin that’s rough and sore to the touch after too many hours spent training together. He’s visualizing a life where two best friends can be…something more. Something absolute. He’s pulled from his fantasies as he hears Izuku’s sweet laugh bubbling up to his left.

He turns to see Izuku talking animatedly to a pretty member of their support staff as he butters a dinner role. The staff member is pretty and wearing a form-fitting gown that is a bit too low cut to be appropriate for a work event. She is flirting gratuitously as she tosses her dark brown hair over her shoulders and all but squishes her generous breasts together to put them on display. Izuku blushes faintly and tries to focus on her face, but his eyes keep wandering down to her lavish chest.

“Mr. Midoriya, you’ll need to show me that new move you’re working on!” She gushes, touching his arm. “I’ve heard so much about it!”

“Anytime! You should come to the training gym at the Agency tomorrow and I’ll walk you through it.” Izuku says smoothly, ignoring the woman’s the sexual subtext. “We just renovated the gymnasium floors with AstroTurf so it’s much easier to move around and train now.”

“I’d love to! I’ll clear my schedule – how’s 2pm work?” She swirls a martini high as she rests her pretty face in the palm of her other hand. She gently bats her eyelashes up at Izuku.

“It’s a date!” Izuku declares, taking a bite of his bread.

A fiery tongue of jealousy licks at Katsuki’s belly as he watches the two of them flirt. He crosses his arms and takes a look around the rest of the room – seeing colleges and classmates alike begin to take seats at their various assigned tables. He should spare his feelings by getting up to chat with his friends Kirishima and Sero, who are standing only a dozen feet away by the bar. As he gets up to leave, he hears the big-chested brunette propose another date be added to Izuku’s calendar:

“Actually, why wait until tomorrow? There’s so much we have to discuss, why don’t we grab a drink after the gala? I know a cute little sake bar a few blocks over. We can cozy up at the bar and discuss all of your favorite moves.” She’s laying it on thick, and Katsuki is pissed to see that it’s working on his friend.

Izuku takes a deep swig from his water glass before answering. “That would be great – I’ve been meaning to get out and see more of the town! I’ve been a bit too in the weeds with work and training lately. It would be nice to take a little break from work and enjoy some company.” He flashes the woman his winning Pro Hero smile and she practically swoons.

“Here – let me get your number so I can text you the address. We can meet up after the final photo opp!” She hastily passes her phone – an iPhone covered in bright green and black charms. Katsuki stands up angrily – he’s seen enough.

“Deku, can I talk to you about something? Agency stuff.” Izuku’s head snapped around at the seriousness of Katsuki’s tone. He frowns at Katsuki’s dark expression.

“Yeah – of course.” Izuku gets up from the table and apologizes to the woman, promising to return to their conversation shortly. He leaves her sitting there holding out her phone, a defeated expression lines her pretty features. The jealous demon in Katsuki’s chest purrs at the sight.

Izuku follows Katsuki past their friends and out of the ballroom. They wander the halls for a moment.

When he’s sure they’re far from prying eyes and ears, Katsuki rounds on Izuku. 

“So what – you’re dating her now?!” Katsuki demands, a little more harshly than he had intended.

“W-well she did ask me for a drink after this, and I said yes.” Izuku stutters out, before his eyes turn defiant. “Why do you care? She’s sweet and you said just yesterday that she designs the best support items you’ve used this year.”

“You idiot, you can’t go dating employees!” Katsuki scowls, crossing his arms defensively.

“Kacchan – she’s an independent contractor. She doesn’t report directly into me, you know that. And we’re not getting married or anything – she just asked me to a drink.” His bright green eyes narrow and he leans forward a bit, assessing Katsuki’s dim expression. “What’s this really about Kacchan?”

“I-I…” Katsuki can’t put his feelings into words. He hadn’t planned ahead this far – his hotheadedness had once again taken the reins of his body and mind, leaving little room for logic. He briefly flounders, seeing how he may have majorly messed up here. After all, Izuku was allowed to date whoever he pleased. Katsuki had no right to meddle in his friends’ love affairs unless Izuku straight up asked his opinion. His palms begin to sweat and he breathes deeply to keep himself from activating his quirk. After a moment, he has mastered his temper and feels himself become more level. His palms begin to dry.

Katsuki looks nervously around and spots an empty dressing room to the side of the stage entrance. He hastily shoves Izuku through the door – whatever’s about to be discussed isabsolutely not for the ears of the press and all of the extras lingering about. He shuts it behind them and clicks the lock, ensuring the rest of their conversation will be blessedly private.

“I don’t want you dating that chick. That’s what this is about.” He scowls, dropping himself into the red makeup chair and swiveling to face his best friend. Izuku remains standing.

“Do you have a good reason? Let me guess – she’s some kind of freak villain in disguise and you’re ‘trying to protect me.’ You already used that excuse once, Kacchan, and I was dumb enough to believe you the first time.” Izuku cocks his head to the left, looking up into Katsuki’s dark eyes searchingly. “I appreciate the concern. But just because we’re childhood friends and we spend practically every waking moment together running this agency, that doesn’t mean you get to dictate who I date.” Izuku’s ember eyes burn fiercely.

Their eyes lock as they stare each other down, challenging. Katsuki makes the mistake of glancing down at Izuku’s lips, breaking their tense eye contact.

“Look, Deku. Izuku.” He corrects himself, falling into an almost two decade-old habit of calling his friend by a demeaning nickname. He only uses the Pro Hero name Deku in battle and at press events now, as a sign of respect. Izuku looks up at him questioningly, awaiting an explanation.

Damn it all – there’s only one way to clear this up. It’s something Katsuki has been putting off for a while. He knew eventually it would come to this – and he’s nearly quaking in his designer combat boots as he rises and takes a step towards his friend. He takes a deep - albeit shaky – breath.

“Izuku…this is why I don’t want you dating any of those girls.” And throwing caution to the wind, Katsuki reaches out to grab Izuku’s face and bring it jerkily to his own. Their lips crash together with bruising force and - for once - Izuku shuts up.

They’ve done this a few times – made out. It’s happened maybe 5 times in all across the past 2 years. 3 of these times took place after long tipsy nights out at the bar with their friends, when the alcohol got them both a little horny and antsy to make bad decisions. 1 time was in Izuku’s office after a particularly fierce battle – office door locked, both had still been high on adrenaline and the searing kisses seemed like the perfect release. And the last time…well, that had been a few weeks ago.

It had taken place at Izuku’s 24th birthday and all of Class 1A had gathered to celebrate. The power in Izuku’s spacious apartment had gone out and, grumbling, Katsuki had followed the green-haired hero down to the basement to reset the circuit breaker. The duo had bickered a bit before finally fixing the breaker using Katsuki’s cell phone flashlight. As the lights came back on, Katsuki had realized with a start how close he was to Izuku’s face. Seemingly without thinking, Izuku had closed his eyes and leaned forward to capture Katsuki’s mouth with his own. It was the beginning of the night so they were both stone sober, so this had been first time they had kissed without being inebriated or high on adrenaline. The short kiss had melted Katsuki’s heart in a way he wouldn’t have expected it to. After a gentle moment, Izuku had broken away and whispered “that’s the only birthday present I really wanted.” Then he had turned on his heel to sprint up the basement stairs and to rejoin the party. Katsuki stood there for a few moments, stunned. His tried deep breathing to master his nerves, but it was no use. His head was up in the clouds and his thoughts were wrapped around a glowing image of Izuku Midoriya and his lips. He touched his mouth slowly and thought “Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. My motherfucking goddamn asshole of a heart.” And ever since, he had been hopelessly, head over heals in fucking love with Izuku Midoriya.

Here’s the thing - they have never discussed That Kiss. Some days it seemed like a dirty little secret between them. On other days, when work was slow and Katsuki was relaxed – it felt like an oath. A promise. Their paths had always been intertwined – so of course it would make sense for them to be together in the romantic sense. Bakugo and Midoriya – their fates interlaced and tied in a bow with a pretty red string.

Katsuki had been agonizing over it all since the event – how did one broach the subject of being in love with their best friend and business partner? Had Izuku really meant it? Was it all secretly a dark and twisted prank to trick Katsuki into looking a fool? Katsuki was 99% certain it wasn’t the latter. But, then again, how could he be sure?

Baguko snaps his thoughts back to the present, where a startled Izuku’s lips are pressed against his own. His body feels with warmth as Izuku makes a soft noise in surprise at the kiss. After a moment, he shuts his eyes and surrendering himself over to Katsuki’s body.

Katsuki pulls his friend closer so that their bodies are flush – he can feel every plane of hard, taught muscle beneath the thin fabric of Izuku’s tuxedo. He wants his hands everywhere – on Izuku’s chest, his thighs, the broad expanse of his back – but instead he just holds onto the Hero’s face like he’s a drowning man, and Izuku’s mouth is the sweet kiss of life.

Their lips move together urgently, needy. Katsuki’s fingers grip Izuku’s jaw with an almost-bruising force, and Izuku winds his arms around Katsuki’s neck with just as much gusto. They slide their mouths together comfortably like that for a while. If Izuku has reservations about this arrangement, he doesn’t speak them. He just lets Katsuki kiss down his jawline and alongside his neck as he sighs appreciatively.

They make out like that for a while, but it’s different from all of their other stolen kisses. This time, it carries meaning. Katsuki doesn’t want Izuku dating other people, he wants him all for himself. Izuku’s head spins with the revelation – never in a million years did he think his friend would actually admit that to him. Of course he had sneaking suspicions about Kacchan’s feelings over the years – Katsuki often let his eyes wander freely across Izuku’s body in their shared Agency locker room – but he had never in his wildest dreams expected Kacchan to verbally admit that his need for Izuku went beyond that of friendship. In fact, Izuku was finally starting to move on, tired of pining for Kacchan. He had been trying to go on more dates and to meet other people to see if he could pull his poor heart away from the gorgeously imposing figure that is Katsuki Bakugo.

Izuku’s mind speed runs through each time they’ve kissed, ending at this exact moment. Yeah, the energy is different here. He’s sure of it. He lets his hands run along the thick muscles of Katsuki’s shoulders and his brain fuzzily whispers “Mine, all mine.”

Quite suddenly, Katsuki drops to his knees and quickly starts undoing his friend’s belt.

“W-what are you doing, Kacchan!?” Izuku sputters in alarm, moving to push Katsuki away. But his brain is all wooly and his awkward limbs feel like jelly. All he manages to grab is the collar of Katsuki’s smart tux coat.

“I’m giving you a damn blowjob, idiot. ‘Gotta show you what you can’t get from anyone else.” Damn Kacchan – always going above and beyond in every challenge he takes on. And with that, Katsuki pulls Izuku’s leather belt free in one swift motion. He casts it to the floor before moving to unbutton the green-haired hero’s pants. As soon as he works the button loose, the tailored slacks slide to the floor, revealing a clean black pair of boxers. Izuku swallows hard and makes a stammering noise – but he doesn’t move cover his erection. Katsuki admires it with relish, and maybe a little hunger. He licks his lips like the big bad wolf, about to blow down some shoddily made houses.

“Huh.” Katsuki smiles roguishly, eyeing Izuku’s boxers appreciatively. “Seems like you want me bad.”

Izuku looks down and his already flushed face becomes even redder. His freckles have almost disappeared beneath the full blooming blush that’s dancing across his face. His boner is clearly outlined against his underwear and throbbing desperately for attention. If he weren’t so turned on, he would die from embarrassment.

“Am I making you hard?” Katsuki whispers menacingly, drawing his fingertip lightly up the outline of Izuku’s cock, which twitches longingly at the contact. Katsuki cackles softly, his hands moving up to caress the hard “V” Izuku’s muscles make along his waistline before dipping beneath the thin black fabric. Katsuki moves his fingertip up to his friend’s bellybutton, before tracing it down the delicate happy train that disappears into his boxers. Izuku shivers at the contact, goose bumps appearing across his pale, toned stomach.

Katsuki looks up into Izuku’s shining face and sees that his friend’s pupils are blown wide with desire. The way his freckles are flushed is so ridiculously sexy, and he’s biting his lip in a way that’s practically sinful.

“Kacchan…” he whispers uncertainly, and Katsuki softens.

“Listen, Izuku.” The use of Midoriya’s given name brings them both back to Earth. “I won’t do this if you don’t want to. Just say the word and we can forget this ever happened and go back to that stupid party in the ballroom.”

Izuku gulps, moving to run his fingers through Katsuki’s hair. The blonde leans into the touch, sighing despite himself.

“When I kissed you on my birthday…you never said anything. I thought you didn’t want me like this.”

“Of course I want you.” Katsuki breathes, getting to his feet. “This whole goddamn time.”

Katsuki stands a few inches taller than Izuku. He brings his hand up to caress the side of Izuku’s soft freckled jaw before closing the distance between them to kiss his best friend firmly on the lips.

“Do you think all those times we’ve kissed over the past few years were just because we were drunk or trying to blow off steam? We keep coming back to each other.”

Izuku’s mouth crinkles into a huge grin. He thinks back to the first time they kissed in an alleyway as they walked home from a bar. The feeling of Katsuki’s breath mingling with his own had caused his heart to leap in a way it never had before. Then their second make out session that had occurred a few hours into Mina’s birthday party. Their hands had touched reaching for the same bottle of booze, leading the pair to hide in Denki’s room under the guise of looking for a lost wallet. Katsuki had kissed him so hard and so fiercely that Izuku had been hot and bothered about it for months.

In the present, the Pro Hero steadies his breath, looking up into his friends’ surprisingly earnest face. “Kacchan, you sound so corny…”

“Oh shut up already, dammit.” Katsuki practically growls, dipping back to capture Izuku’s mouth in a more needy kiss. Their lips melt together in a frantic pattern and Katsuki pulls his friend’s body against his own again. They fit together like puzzle pieces, and can feel each other’s arousals plainly. Izuku groans softly when Katsuki rolls his hips. After a moment, Katsuki realizes that despite the locked door, they are still very much in a public place. Izuku’s trousers are awkwardly pooled around his feet. The blonde pulls away and laughs openly at the absurdness of the situation.

“Listen, nerd.” He says, but his voice is laced with affection. “Why don’t we go back to my place and figure all of this out?” The question is soft with warmth.

Izuku looks at him for a moment, his eyes hazy.

“But Kacchan…” Izuku wraps his arms around Katsuki’s shoulders, sliding fingers up the base of his neck and into Katsuki’s thick hair. The explosion hero gets goose bumps at the touch. He never realized how much he likes his hair being touched.

“We really need to fulfill our Pro Hero duties at this party. Our agency depends on it. And if we both leave together…” Izuku trails off.

“…It might look a little suspicious.” Katsuki finishes for him. Damn, the nerd had a point there.

“Ugh, you know I hate these goddamn parties.” Katsuki says harshly. “Sometimes being a Pro feels so fake. We get paraded in front of cameras and it makes me feel like a piece of meat.”

“I know.” Izuku consoles, continuing to stroke Katsuki’s soft hair. The gentle touch feels so good that Katsuki almost shuts his eyes. He never realized how starved he was for touch. He wants Izuku – all of him – so damn much. Screw this party and the press.

“But this is important. You know how important our image is. And how we look in the press doesn’t just impact us – think about all of our employees at the agency. Their jobs are interwoven with our media presence.” Izuku mutters, forever the voice of reason.

Katsuki knew all of this – and of course he wanted to take care of the people at their agency. He wouldn’t often admit it out loud, but he was fond of all of the people they employed on the day to day. Their team was amazing and did one hell of a job supporting their Pro Heros and sidekicks. He sighs.

“I know.” He plants another kiss on Izuku’s mouth. “So…let’s compromise. Here’s how this is gonna go…” Katsuki licks his lips and reaches down to brace his large hands on Izuku’s narrow hips. “I’m going to give you an orgasm that’s going to blow your fucking mind. Then you’re going to clean yourself up, put your pants back on and go out there cancel your goddamn sake date with that chick.”

“Kacchan – oh!”  He knows Izuku is going to admonish him for wanting to do something so dirty in public, so Katsuki starts to kiss and suck at the sensitive spot on the green haired Pro’s neck to shut him up. Izuku moans softly and it’s like music to the explosion hero’s ears.

“You’re such a goodie two shoes.” Katsuki breathes as he rolls his hips into Izuku’s. The shorter hero’s pelvis automatically bucks in response.

“I know.” Izuku practically whines as Katsuki unbuttons his starched shirt and continues to kiss along his shoulder. Once he’s undone a few buttons, the explosion hero dips his hand between them and begins to palm at Izuku’s hard dick over his boxer shorts.

All Izuku can say is “oh!”

Katsuki stops and pulls away, giving his friend a break. “It’s your call. Say the word and we can stop. I think I can manage to wait until after this goddamn party is over.”

Izuku lets out a shaky sigh and brings up his wrist to check his watch. He starts to lapse into his characteristic mutter - “Okay so it’s still happy hour for networking, so dinner and speeches don’t begin for another half hour. That means that as long as we make ourselves presentable by 8pm we should be good. We can even be a few minutes late because the opening remarks typically run over the allotted time so-”

“- So that’s a yes?” Katsuki cuts him off and rolls his eyes as Izuku snaps back to reality.

Izuku smiles up at him. He’s got that fierce look of Pro Hero determination in his eyes and it makes Katsuki’s stomach drop.

“Yeah, Kacchan. It’s a yes.”

And that’s all the answer Katsuki needs. In a flash, he’s back on his knees and his heart is beating double time. The time constraint is making the whole situation even more goddamn hot and Katsuki takes another deep, steadying breath before he moves forward. He counts to ten, and once his mind is a bit clearer he hooks his thumbs into the elastic of Izuku’s boxers. He slides the material fluidly down his friend’s toned, slim hips. Izuku’s hard cock bounces free and stands at attention. His dick is beautiful – about 6 inches in length and just the right amount of thickness around. With how unkempt the hair on top of his head always seems, Katsuki is surprised to see how well groomed Izuku keeps his pelvic area. He’s neatly primed and looking fresh. Izuku blushes an impossibly deeper red as he towers above his friend. You could fry an egg on the Pro’s face.

Katsuki feels his own pants tighten at the sight of Izuku’s fully erect cock. He shifts and reaches down to adjust himself to a more comfortable position. Izuku takes notice and audaciously says “like what you see?”

“Ugh, shut up!” Katsuki feels a blush creeping across his face, and Izuku grins down at him. He reminds himself that now’s not the time to be embarrassed – not when he’s promised a mind-blowing orgasm to his best friend.

Katsuki licks his lips in anticipation for what he’s about to do. He’s never given someone head before, but he’s seen some porn and fantasized about this enough to know the basics. Katsuki smiles to himself – he always prides himself at being the best. Blowjobs are just another skill waiting to be added to his already long roster.

He reaches out and takes Izuku’s cock in his hand. He marvels at how soft it feels, and experimentally gives the thick member a slow pump. Izuku groans at the motion, his hips flexing involuntarily. Katsuki grins wickedly and continues the gesture, reveling in the gentle throb he elicits from his friend’s dick. After a few moments, he stops to spit cleanly into his palm for some lubricant. The resulting glide the hand job gains is not lost on Izuku. The shorter hero moans at the smooth touch.

Katsuki leans forward and runs his tongue around the cock’s tip a few times. Izuku whimpers at the teasing. For a brief moment, Katsuki wonders if Izuku has ever had his dick sucked before. He fleetingly thinks that he is about to knock whatever past sexual experiences Izuku has had out of the park. He is confident whatever he is about to do to his friend will be far superior to any past illicit affairs.

The explosion hero takes his friend’s dick into his mouth slowly, sucking on the head. Izuku groans and Katsuki takes that as encouragement to keep going, sliding the hard member a few more inches into his hot wet mouth.

“Kacchan…this is just…wow.” Izuku stutters out, as Katsuki uses his hand to pump the base of Izuku’s cock. He slides another inch into his mouth before he hollows out his cheeks and sucks, pulling his mouth quickly off of his friend’s cock before sliding back down. He continues the motions, gaining a steady pace and causing Izuku’s breath to become more and more ragged. Even with all of his training, the Pro hero’s legs are shaking, and his knees start to buckle. Katsuki stops what he’s doing to check in with his partner – “You doing alright up there?”

“Yeah.” Izuku says, his voice shaky. He wipes some sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “It’s intense.”

Katsuki grins and hauls himself up to kiss Izuku before pushing the shorter man against the wall.

“I’ll make it a little easier on ya.” He gets back to his knees and with no effort swings one of Izuku’s legs over his shoulder. “I’ve got you.”

Izuku sighs and threads his fingers back into Katsuki’s thick blonde hair. The explosion hero groans as Izuku lightly pulls on a few strands.

This reaction seems to push Izuku over the edge – because when Katsuki finds the right angle to wrap his mouth back around his friend’s cock, the green haired hero is already summiting the peak of pleasure. His hips buck lightly towards Katsuki, and working together they are able to find the perfect rhythm to bring Izuku past the point of no return.

“K-k-Kacchan!” Izuku whispers through gritted teeth, his eyes half closed and rolling back as he reaches orgasm. Katsuki keeps going – he’s holding up Izuku’s toned ass with one hand as he continues to suck with a steady pace. With his free hand, he oscillates between pumping the base of Izuku’s dick and fondling his balls.

Izuku tightens his grip on Katsuki’s head and pulls the blonde’s hair hard. Katsuki almost cums in his pants at the sharp tug. He has never realized how much he likes getting his hair pulled. He had also never in his fantasizes thought that Izuku might be one for hair pulling – but damn does it make sense. As Izuku jerks a lock of his hair again, Katsuki involuntarily lets out a moan. The vibrations from his moaning send a shiver across Izuku’s already over-stimulated body. It seems to be just the thing he needs to climax.

“K-Kacchan…ah!...I-I’m gonna…” Izuku groans out, and attempts to pull his dick away from Katsuki so he can cum. Not a chance. Katsuki remains steadfast, licking and sucking like his life depends on it.

He holds onto Izuku’s bucking hips with a vice grip, and when the Hero cums it’s right into Katsuki’s waiting mouth. Katsuki almost splutters and coughs at the foreign feeling of the sticky fluid flowing down his throat, but he masters himself. Years of training and discipline have given him hard-earned control over his body and mind. After a moment of uncertainty, he’s gulping down the hot liquid greedily. He lets Izuku ride out his high as the green-haired Pro Hero shoots ropes of hot cum down his friend’s throat.

“Kacchan. Oh, God!” Is all Izuku can say as he thrusts into Katsuki’s mouth. His cock slowly looses its vigor and becomes too sensitive. He yelps as Katsuki pulls his mouth off the length with a sharp smack of his lips.

Katsuki smiles smugly as he lowers Izuku back to the ground and wipes off his mouth with the back of his hand. His friend’s legs are wobbly, and with difficulty Izuku pulls on his boxers. Clothed again, he sinks down to sit with his back against the locked door. 

“So?” Katsuki smiles as he reaches down to adjust his cock in his tuxedo pants. He’s so painfully hard, but he still takes the time to gloat. “Best you’ve ever had, right?”

“Y-yeah.” Izuku lets out a shaky laugh. “You were right – definitely blew my mind.”

After a moment of catching his breath, the Pro Hero notices his friend’s discomfort. “Kacchan – come over here.”

Katsuki hadn’t realized that he had been keeping his distance from Izuku just to admire him coming down from his high. Awkwardly, he shuffles to sit next to his agency partner. Izuku’s eyes are heavy and his face is covered in a sexy sheen of sweat. He quickly glances at his watch. “We’ve still got 10 minutes, Kacchan – lose the pants.”

Katsuki doesn’t need telling twice. He lets out a tense breath before hastily undoing his own belt and trouser buttons. Within seconds, he’s sitting in his bright underwear, cursing himself for wearing such an obnoxiously vibrant orange under his dress clothes for the event. But really - how could he have anticipated that he was going to get laid tonight!?

Izuku lazily runs his hand along Katsuki’s clothed length, and once again the explosion hero needs to re-focus his mind to avoid cumming then and there. Izuku’s eyes are large and unfocused; he’s still absolutely undone from his orgasm. He takes his sweet time teasing Katsuki – running his finger lightly along the delicate skin under the boxers’ elastic. Katsuki’s cock twitches beneath the thin fabric of the boxers – begging to be touched.

Without warning, Izuku’s hand makes it’s way beneath Katsuki’s boxers and frees his hard, tense member. Katsuki gasps at the sudden contact, almost disbelieving that Izuku intends to make him cum. Izuku takes a moment to admire his friends’ cock. “You know…I never imagined it would be this big.”

“Shut up, nerd.” Katsuki snaps as Izuku starts to jerk him off at a painfully slow pace. He’s glowing at the compliment despite himself. Before long, Izuki is pumping Katsuki’s thick cock in a way that’s making the explosion Hero see stars.

“Dek-Izuku.” Katsuki breathes, encouraging Izuku to go faster. The green haired hero quirks his mouth into a lazy smile as he obliges, he’s clearly still fuzzy from his own orgasm. Katsuki pants as his heart does zigzags in his chest. He leans back and closes his eyes, focusing on the sensation of his best friend jerking him off.

“You know, Kacchan…” Izuku says mischievously. “I never guessed you would be so into-” With his free hand, Midoriya grabs a fist full of Katsuki’s hair and pulls his head back. “-this.”

Katsuki moans deliciously at the sudden contact, all his toughness and bravado have melted away. He wants more – he wants Midoriya to keep pulling his hair and talking dirty to him. He wants to feel every little sensation his friend is willing to give. As Izuku continues to tease and pull and indulge his friend, Katsuki feels his body tensing up with pleasure. He’s about to tip over the edge of overstimulation when…Izuku’s mouth wraps around him. The noise that comes out of Katsuki’s mouth is a mix between a cry of surprise and a growl.

Izuku pushes his lips slowly down Katsuki’s shaft as he continues to move his hand up and down at the base. Inch by inch, Izuku rolls his mouth down until the entirety of Katsuki’s cock is throbbing against his tongue. He stays there for a moment, letting his partner get used to the sensation of being fully sheathed.

The only sound that can be heard in the dimly lit room are Katsuki’s rasping breaths and the gentle hum of conversation that drifts toward them from the filled ballroom.

After a few tense moments, Katsuki’s hips buck lightly and the tip of his cock hits the back of Izuku’s throat. Izuku breathes through his nose, adjusting to the motion with practiced ease. Katsuki’s heart ricochets even more in his chest – has Deku been a secret master at deep throating this whole time!?

He doesn’t have time to dwell on the question – because suddenly Izuku is sucking Katsuki’s soul out of his body via his dick. The green haired man is slurping and licking and making the sloppiest, sexiest sounds Katsuki has ever heard come from a human body.

“Ah…s-slow down…I’m gonna -” Katsuki groans out in a low voice. He’s never felt anything like this in his life, and he needs to remind himself to keep breathing. Izuku re-threads his hand in Katsuki’s hair again and pulls hard. All of the stimulation has the explosion Pro crying out in both pain and pleasure and without warning his body releases all of it’s pent up energy and he cums – hard and fast.

“Izuku!” He grunts loudly, not caring whom from the gala might hear. When Katsuki cums, Izuku slides his mouth all the way to the top of his cock and licks the impossibly aroused tip. Katsuki watches in bliss as his ejaculate pours down Izuku’s tongue and drips down his chin. Izuku uses his hand to pump the hard dick to completion, before bending back down to lick his friend’s cock clean. Katsuki moans softly at the contact – his cock is twitching and impossibly over stimulated. Nevertheless, Izuku’s mouth feels impossibly good as it moves up and down Katsuki’s sticky shaft.

Bakugo drops his head back against the wall again, catching his breath. Through heavy eyelids he watches Izuku reach for his abandoned tuxedo pants and draw a green handkerchief from the pocket. He wipes his sticky mouth smugly, knowing that Katsuki is still watching him like a hawk.

“Have you done that before?” Katsuki says, a note of jealousy lacing his harsh tone.

Izuku smiles at him, revealing nothing.

 “You cheeky bastard.” Katsuki admonishes, but he still puts an arm around Izuku and pulls their bodies together gently. Izuku drops his pants back to the floor and leans in to give his best friend a long, sloppy kiss. They are both sex-drunk and blissed out and impossibly content as they lean against each other – Izuku in his underwear and Katsuki naked from the waist down.

Katsuki thinks to himself that the image must be comical – two top Pro Heros absolutely wrecked and hiding a few doors down from the biggest party of the year, covered in sweat and cum. A laugh bubbles out of him at the thought. Izuku smiles up at him with those big green doe eyes and starts laughing too. Katsuki can’t decide what’s more hilarious – the position they’re in, or the fact that it took them so many years to do this.

After a moment of laughter, Izuku checks his infamous watch.

“We really should get back, Kacchan.” He reaches for his trousers and awkwardly wiggles back into them, his shaking hands struggling to get the buttons done. Katsuki likewise reaches for his undies and stands to pull them back on. He sighs a simple “yeah.”

He stretches out a hand to pull his friend to his feet before reaching down to re-button Izuku’s pants for him. “Thanks.” Izuku laughs as he tries to pat fresh wrinkles out of his suit.

Katsuki’s legs feel like jelly as he struggles to pull his own pants back on. His heart is still doing a fizzy macarena dance in his muscular chest. He does a few jumps in place, trying to shake all of the buzzing energy out of his body. It’s time to get back to work.

He reaches for the lock on the door, and is surprised when Izuku’s hand reaches out to rest on his own. He looks back at his agency partner with questioning eyes. Katsuki narrows his eyebrows as he says, “Weren’t you the one that said we needed to get back for all of the dumb speeches?”

Izuku ignores the question. “So what do we do now?” He says softly, almost fearfully.

Katsuki removes his hand from the door and turns it so that Izuku’s palm is resting in his own. He interlocks their fingers.

“I figured that was obvious. Or are you too stupid to figure it out?” He ejects – maybe a bit too harshly. Izuku blinks. Dammit, this nerd will be the death of him!

Katsuki continues: “You’re going to walk out there and break off your date with that support chick.” Katsuki pulls Izuku to his chest and leans down to kiss his soft lips. “We’re going to sit through this stupid dinner party. And then we’re taking a cab back to my place to finish what we’ve started.” He kisses the other Pro harder this time, letting their lips melt together. He raises a hand to cup Izuku’s cheek in a gesture that is too intimate for a run-of-the-mill hookup. Izuku understands.

“So we’ll talk about this later. We’ll finally figure out what we are to each other?” Izuku says softly as he breaks the kiss.

“I think we already know what we are, you damn nerd. But if you need me to spell it out for you-” He takes yet another steadying breath. “– we’re together. We’re a thing. Just don’t get all weird about it like you do.” But it’s too late, because Izuku has already shifted into his characteristic babble mode.

“Oh my God! Of course we’re together. I mean, I’ve liked you since school! I always thought that you were just annoyed with me until we became close at the end of our first year. And then all those times we kissed and the other times I caught you looking at me in the Agency locker room – and that time you took Ochako on a date for some reason but we all knew you didn’t give a crap about her romantically. I had a feeling you liked me. But this – this is - ” Izuku is muttering nonstop and Katsuki cuts him off with a smooth, hard kiss.

“Izuku. There’ll be time to talk about all this shit later.” He reaches over to tap his partner’s watch. “We’re running late now, dammit. Come on – let’s get out of here.”

And they do. They go on to the gala in the ballroom where they spend the entirety of the night exchanging conspiratorial glances and soft smiles. And when awards are announced and they win Agency of the Year, the pair practically glows as they straighten their ties and walk up to the stage together.

“This award means the world to us.” Izuku chirps brightly into the microphone, accepting a gold trophy from last year’s Agency of the Year recipient. “To be recognized at such a young age by such a prestigious panel of Pros. Sorry if I get a little emotional – this is a dream come true. Thank you to all of our fans and friends for believing in us and helping us to shape our agency into a true force for good. And to my partner, Katsuki Bakugo, thank you for believing in me and for challenging me to be my best everyday and in every situation.” Katsuki blushes as he picks up on the subtext. Izuku pays him no mind as he finishes off his speech. “There’s no one else I’d rather share this moment with.”

It’s Bakugo’s turn now, and he almost rolls his eyes when he sees how watery Izuku is looking – he’s clutching the trophy as if it’s made of solid gold.

Katsuki leans into the microphone and says “I told you all at the UA Sports Festival my first year – I’m going to be the best. And I did it.” He mean mugs for the camera, an echo of his old self – the angry, hostile teen he once was. After a moment, he lets the look melt off of his face. He’s come so far in the past decade – he’s become a better friend, a better man, and hopefully…hopefully he’s become the kind of person who can be a good romantic partner. But for that role – he’ll need to wait and see.

“In all honesty, this means so much. Thank you to my parents, and to all of our friends from UA for supporting us along the way and for picking me up when I stumbled. Thanks to my mentors Best Jeanist and All Might who saw potential in me even when I was just an angry kid who liked to talk a big game. Thank you to all of the staff at our Agency who make coming to work everyday rewarding. And lastly – I want to thank Deku, who has been with me from the very beginning and helped me to grow into the Pro I am today.” He turns and smiles at Izuku, who beams back at him, teary eyed. “Alright, that’s all the sappiness the press is gonna get out of me today. Move along to the next award.” They exit the stage as Present Mic – the perpetual MC in the Pro Hero world – retakes the podium to announce the winner for “Sidekick of the Year.”

Katsuki and Izuku walk back to the table their sponsored Agency table. They return to handshakes and celebratory pats on the back from their staff. Everyone is cheering and grinning – the award celebrates everyone at the agency’s hard work and dedication. Katsuki feels his heart swell with warmth at the way everyone is beaming and celebrating. He shakes hands and claps the backs of the co-workers around him, basking in everyone’s joy. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the pretty Hero Support independent contractor (who had boldly asked Izuku to drinks) bat her eyelashes at the green-haired Pro. She congratulates Izuku in a bubbly tone as she pulls him into a tight hug that squishes her ample chest against his muscular pecks. Katsuki rolls his eyes as they break apart, noting the light blush on his partner’s face. They all retake their seats as the ceremony continues.

“Don’t get too comfy, extra.” He calls across the table to the independent contractor woman. “Deku and I have a Pro Press tour directly after dinner. So don’t even bother flirting with him.”

The woman, taken aback at Katsuki calling her out, blushes a deep red and excuses herself – making a beeline for the ladies room.

“Kacchan!” Izuku admonishes, looking after the woman with concern. Despite the sharp scolding, Katsuki can tell Izuku is quite pleased at the jealousy the situation has brought out in Katsuki. “That wasn’t nice! Apologize to her when she comes back.”

“Fine!” Katsuki sighs, moving his hand discreetly under the table to rest on the smooth fabric of Izuku’s thigh. The One-For-All wielder almost yelps in surprise, but catches himself. Katsuki lowers his voice, so that only the two of them can hear “I just don’t want her getting her hopes up, when we both know whose bed you’re going to be in tonight.” He continues to move his hand further and further up Izuku’s thigh, lightly squeezing along the way.

“You’re a menace to society, Kacchan.” Izuku sputters out, batting Katsuki’s hand away from his leg and interweaving their fingers instead.

“I know.” Katsuki smiles wickedly and squeezes his lover’s hand beneath the table. “And you love it.”

“I do.” Izuku sighs, rolling his eyes. “For some reason, I really do.”

Big surprise – Izuku ditches the sake date with the hero support woman so he can spend the night at Katsuki’s. They keep each other up well into the night. 💚💥

[whatkindofromance]

Analysing the Soap x Ghost ship 🫡

(looking at the reboot MW2 for this post but might dabble in MW3 & og goap later on…)

Kicking off with my most controversial opinion…The most important quote for this ship is when ghost tells soap:

“Friendship is not in the field manual,Johnny.”

This sentence in itself if a hilarious contradiction. Ghost rejects the formality of using sgt or his callsign and opts for the personal first name usage. I think this serves as a metaphor for their entire relationship where Ghost puts up boundaries and adheres to formality with his colleagues, unless it’s soap. This quote is interpretable as ‘I don’t have personal connections with colleagues, but I will reject that notion for soap.’

Another, far more blatant, show of the bond between these two soldiers is this interaction between soap and Alejandro

A: “I can’t call soap ‘Johnny’…”

S: “don’t. Only Ghost can pull that off.”

I’m sorry…WHAT 😀 I don’t know if this is my personal experience but when someone is given a nickname in a group environment (e.g. sports teams, friend group, in this case military task force) it will always be a nickname for the group. The ONLY times I’ve ever had people say “only ‘…’ can call me that” is when the nickname was given to them by either a family member or a significant other.

BUT… how do we know they’re more than just really close buddies?? I hear the masses ask… Well, as with most ships there is no blatant declaration or concrete evidence for for this paring however what I find sets these two apart from other queer ships is the lack of denial. Soap and Ghost never explicitly state anything regarding either their sexuality or their love interests. The closest thing we get the topic is the light banter discussing Ghost’s appearance/attractiveness.

S: “are you ugly?”

G: “quite the opposite”

This is just one many snippets of dialogue between the pair where the tone of conversation tips from just banter to flirtatious banter. There are to many more examples I could give for that. I know it’s very common for straight men to jokingly flirt with each other (I coach a male sports team they’re insufferable) but as ghost said before, friendship’s not in the field manual.

In addition to this, ghost and particularly soap are shown having close friendships to other characters. It’s mostly Alejandro and Rudy in mw2, and they’re shown exchanging nicknames and banter, but it lacks the same flirtation and closeness shared between soap and ghost.

Ghost is a cold man and throughout gameplay he is shown to be unwavered by his teammates and fellow soldiers deaths. I understand that this is a necessary factor for him doing his job however it contrasts heavily with how he treats soap in the mission Alone. He stays behind endangering his own life to help soap’s escape. There is also a tone of worry evident in his voice when Johnny is shot and when he can’t get a hold of him immediately on the command. He doesn’t express emotion in this way to any other character.

While he trusts the whole 141 and Los Vaqueros with seeing his face, he never treats anyone as if they’re more than a teammate. He conducts himself incredibly professionally in that sense, until he’s talking to soap. I really feel like the character is able to separate the idea of ‘trusting’ a teammate and ‘liking’ a teammate.

I could yap for days about this but these were just some of my more pressing thoughts.

[marlynnofmany]

A Mystery Easily Solved

I’ve got to say, one of the best things about working on a courier spaceship is the downtime. Sure, some deliveries need constant monitoring, and some days we all need to multitask on other moneymaking ventures to make ends meet. But other times we’re doing fine moneywise, and there’s a nice long span of time until we reach our destination.

Today I was spending that time reading in the crew lounge, lying sideways on the couch so I didn’t fall through the tail gap, with Telly the ship’s cat purring against me.

Originally she was The Human’s Animal, restricted to my quarters, but that didn’t last long. Her adorable nature and pestcatching abilities won over everybody, even those of the crew who had exoskeletons that couldn’t properly appreciate how soft her fur was.

I was stroking that mismatched fur with one hand and holding up my reading tablet with the other when Mur walked quietly through.

(I say walk, though really there should be a different word entirely for movement that involves that many tentacles slapping against the floor.)

Anyways, I didn’t really pay attention. I was busy reading, and the lounge was open to anyone. Apparently the rest of the crew had other things to do, which was really their loss.

I didn’t notice when he walked by the first time, but when he came back, he was moving weirdly slowly. I peered around the tablet.

Is he trying to sneak up on somebody out in the hall? I wondered. He wasn’t looking at me, and the expression on his blue-black squid face was one of frowning concentration. I didn’t interrupt.

He moved into the hall, and did indeed have a conversation with someone there, but it was a hushed one that made me even more curious. I lowered the tablet as Mur came back in the company of Paint.

She also looked serious — a mottled orange lizardy person who was colored like the Painted Sunset she was named for, and who was rarely quiet or still. She seemed to be looking for something.

“What’s up?” I whispered. Telly flicked an ear, but only settled in deeper, still purring in a way that said she wasn’t going to give up her comfy spot any time soon. I kept stroking her while I set the tablet on the end table.

“There’s a mystery sound,” Paint whispered back. “Mur said it sounded like an engine problem.”

“We shouldn’t be able to hear any engines in this room, at least not that loud,” Mur said. “Did somebody leave a bit of machinery under a table?”

He seemed honestly baffled, and I hid a smile as it dawned on me what they might be hearing. “Which direction is it coming from?” I asked. “Is it over here?”

They did some careful listening and moved closer.

Mur climbed up on a chair. “Are you doing it??”

I shook my head, grinning and still petting the cat. “No, but you’re close.”

Paint moved in with her head turned sideways for listening. “Oh!”

“Oh what?” Mur demanded.

I shifted position just enough to disturb Telly, who stopped purring and raised her head with a meow of objection.

Paint laughed. “It’s the cat!”

Mur pressed tentacles against his own face. “I can’t believe I forgot they make engine noises.”

“They do,” I said with immense satisfaction, petting Telly again. “And I believe that serves you right for the tentacle-pop noise I couldn’t figure out awhile ago.”

He sighed like a deflating balloon. “Yeah okay, that’s fair.”

“How does she do that?” Paint asked, joining me in running a hand across Telly’s fur. “Oh, she’s so warm!”

Paint’s people are called Heatseekers for a reason. I told her, “She might sit on your lap if you’re still.”

Paint was of course delighted by this idea. Mur threw several tentacles in the air and declared he was off to do something productive with his time.

“Have fun!” I said. “We’ll be here petting the engine noises.”

He grumbled as he left. Telly made more sleepy meows when she was moved from one spot to another, but with two pairs of hands giving her ear scritches and attention, she settled down again.

Her purrs were loud, and Paint’s grin was full of joy.

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come! And I am currently drafting a sequel!

[kiapet2]

I’ve been thinking about the significance of names in GotG 3, and how it plays into the movie’s themes of intelligence and a being’s intrinsic worth.

Each of the test subjects’ names shows a different level of abstract thought:

Floor, seemingly capable of only very basic associations, named herself based on where she was while picking the name

Teefs named himself after a distinctive personal feature, and didn’t quite get the grammar right

Lylla picked a “real” name that she decided fit for her

And Rocket named himself aspirationally, using his name as a metaphor for the kind of person he wants to be

And the great thing is that all of these names were enthusiastically accepted by the group of friends, regardless of the complexity of thought that went into them. Because unlike the High Evolutionary, who places all living things on a spectrum from least to most evolved with only the most developed and “pure” being judged worthy of life, Rocket and his friends loved and valued each other for the beings they were.

This theme is then carried over to another naming scene at the movie’s climax: when Rocket declares himself to the High Evolutionary as “Rocket Raccoon”.

Throughout the series Rocket has taken offense to being referred to as a racoon, not wanting to be seen as “just an animal”. But in the climax he looks at a cage of baby raccoons and sees himself, not as the intelligent creation of the High Evolutionary but as the baby animal he once was, who never deserved what was done to him. And he looks at the other animals (the camera lingers in particular on a rabbit) and sees his friends, who were never as intelligent or “developed” as him but were no less valuable and important in his eyes.

And so he accepts the moniker of “Raccoon” alongside his personal name of “Rocket”, and insists that every creature on the ship be saved, not just the “higher lifeforms” as the other Guardians said. Because the truth he comes to realize is that there is no such thing as a “higher life form”: every living being has value, regardless of how intelligent, “developed”, or “evolved” they are.

While we don’t have sentient raccoons in our world, this is still a message that is so important, and so relevant to issues we face. It has takeaways for environmental stewardship and animal welfare (not as much separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom as we like to think, and it’s important to treat all living things with respect and care), as well as for issues of fascism, eugenics and disability rights (there are no types of people who are inherently superior to others; a person’s intelligence and/or level of functioning has no bearing on their status as a human being deserving of dignity, respect and self-determination).

It’s a lesson I hope we all can learn someday. Bless Guardians of the Galaxy 3 for portraying it in such a clear and meaningful way.

[lovelywritinglady]

Can I request Kaku x fem water 7 civilian reader please?

Flying Man

Kaku x fem!reader

In which you’re a normal civilian that works at a cute cafe who’s totally in love with a marvelous shipwright.

Takes place in water 7. Fluff, Kaku is wonderful. Added some extras.

“Everyone look outside! Kaku is at it again!” Some random customer yelled inside the cafe you worked at.

Everyone including yourself ran outside to get a good look at the “Flying Man” as everyone called him. All of the people in the cafe and people passing by were in awe at the sight of this marvelous man soaring through the sky as if he had wings. However, the show didn’t last long as he descended from the sky and landed right in front of the little cafe. Kaku stood in front of you giving you and the people around him a cute closed eye smile. You froze slightly as you had only ever seen him from afar. But now he was here in the flesh right in front of you and it was almost too much for your poor heart to bear.

“Hey there everyone! Just came by for some lunch!” He exclaimed still smiling as he begin walking into your cafe. “Oh it appears to be empty.” Kaku joked looking at the menu posted on the wall.

“Sorry sir.” You said quickly making your way behind the cash register.

“Ahh, there we are! Say are you new here?” Kaku asked and you blushed at the acknowledgment.

“Yes, I am just started last week. What can I help you with sir.” You asked him

“Ah well..” he trailed off. “I’ll take the grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a cup of black coffee.” He cheerfully spoke looking in your eyes with a smile. “And what’s your name, pretty lady. ” He added

“Oh, my name is y/n, nice to meet you.”you told him feeling slightly nervous to finally be talking to him. Certainly, that’ll be $5.67.” Would you like it for here or to go Kaku?”You asked adding his name.

“Alrighty, and to go please. I’ve got a lot of ships that need repairs today. ” He said paying for his meal.

“It’ll be out in just a sec, please feel free to wait anywhere in the café.” You told him giving him your sweetest smile.

“Thanks! Also, forgive me if this is too straight forward, but I believe you have the prettiest smile in all of water 7.” Kaku complimented giving you a wide smile. Without hearing your response, he turned around and sat himself at a booth near the register.

“Thanks.” You muttered slightly dumbfounded by his sudden compliment.

After a few moments, his order was ready. You took it upon yourself to bag is You walked out and handed him his order as he took it cheerfully.

“Well thank you!” Kaku spoke taking his order. As you face it to him your fingertips touched his. A warm feeling erupted in your chest as your cheeks felt warm. He looked in your eyes and you weren’t sure what it was, but they made you feel so comfortable.

“You’re welcome sir.-Kaku” You muttered. “Please come back anytime.” You added speaking a bit more clearly.

“I think I will, I’ve been here a few time now, but I think I’ll start coming more often now that they have a cute server working here.” Kaku declared giving you a wink.

“Oh, well…thank you.” You blushed feeling excited at the thought of him coming back to the cafe.

For the next couple of weeks Kaku took it upon himself to come to the cafe every day. And everyday since he’s order the same meal. And give you large tip every time. You’ve gotten so use to seeing him that as soon as the clock turned 12, you took it upon yourself to start making his order personally. So, today when he didn’t show up you were confused. His order was ready in the back that had now gotten cold. The clock kept ticking away and you got on with your day by serving other customers. You felt worried for him, so worried in fact that you messed up an order. Thankfully, the customer was kind and could tell that something was up with you. As the day ticked on and turned into night, you decided that it was best to go home considering it was closing time. You left the cafe after locking up and began walking home. You were distressed by the absence of your crush as weren’t paying attention to where you were really walking. You were staring at you felt letting your body move on autopilot when suddenly, you bumped into a large figure.

“Oh shit.” You whined as you fell to the ground.

“Jeeze are you alright y/n?” A familiar voice called out

“Kaku?” You spoke out excitedly with a large grin on your face.

“Yeah, hey there. Let’s get you up.” Kaku greeted helping you as you tools his hands.

“Thank you.” You said still holding on to him.

“You’re quite welcome.” He winked holding squeezing you hand.

The two of you looked at each others eyes for what felt like an eternity before he coughed letting dropping your hands. You let out a sigh, already missing the warmth that his hands gave you.

“Kaku.” You said as he hummed in response. “I’m sorry if this sounds weird, but where were you today?” You asked sheepishly as you hugged yourself finding it slightly difficult to look him in his beautiful eyes. He chucked at your shyness as he grabbed your hands from your body and held them close to him.

“I’m sorry about that. The docs today were extremely hectic. Trust me all I could think about was you today.” He explained pulling you closer.

“You thought about me?” You asked slightly confused.

“Of course I did!” Kaku said like it was obvious.

“W-why?” You asked still not understanding.

“Oh y/n. I guess I should’ve made my intentions clearer.” Kaku told you rubbing your hands with his thumbs. “I like you precious, I really do.” Kaku affirmed. You were stunned but relieved that he felt the same way.

“I like you too, Kaku.” You whispered taking your hands from his and wrapping yourself in is arms. You could tell he was slightly shocked by your confidence but quickly put his arms around you and held you tightly against him. The two of you remained like this for a while feeling each others warmth and comfort. To you it all felt unreal and truly special. To Kaku this was all he truly felt he needed but knew that if the government found out it could potentially mean hell for him. But he didn’t care these past few weeks seeing you and even before that as he watched you from afar, made him feel more alive than anything else. He needed you and he hoped you’d give him the chance to prove that. Soon enough he felt it was important to finally ask the question he’s been dying to. So, he pulled away slightly to allow himself to look at your face as he held onto your body.

“What is it?” You questioned giving him a small smile.

“How would you like to go on a date with me?” Kaku finally asked

“Absolutely I will!” You exclaimed pulling him into a bone crushing hug.

“Haha, I’m so glad.” Kaku replied feeling excited but also worried for the future ahead with the woman that he adores.

Thank you so much for reading💜 And many thanks to the person who requested this fic!!

Click here to see what I’ll write for and HERE for my master list.

Please feel free to like, follow, comment, request, and reblog.

•I do NOT own any characters except y/n•

-L.W.L

[neddea]

Some days ago I made this post with some concept art, so here’s a little bit more info about my No Man’s Land! (Disclaimer about the details below the cut: I’m just an artist and in no way, shape or form a scientist, even less so an astrophysicist, so the chances of some of this info being wrong or dubious are very high lol)

Just as a little bit of context, Kepler-47 is an actual “solar system” with two host stars. We’ve been able to find three planets so far, and the outermost (47c) lies in the habitable zone. All three of them are gas giants (or rather “puffy giants” since they’re surprisingly not very dense and temperate).

I’m not gonna give too many details about the real 47c, I’ll leave that for the long post I’m working on (if I ever get to actually publish it, let’s be honest), but the only thing to keep in mind is that Nomans would be a moon orbiting this planet. Also, I decided that people would shorten “No Man’s Land” to “Nomans” overtime, which is the name I’m gonna be using. The question is: how do we call the people living there? Nomanians?

So here are the main points of my design!

-I’ve given 47c several other moons because I wanted it to match the canon as much as I could, and I think it might even help the stability of the orbits if they’re in a specific resonance? Idk, maybe an actual astrophysicist could give me some advice on this (please do)

-The interesting bit about trying to make it match the canon is that I had to make Nomans tidally locked to 47c just to have an excuse for why we never see the big planet on the sky. The idea would be that most of the Seeds ships crashed into the outer face of the moon, and since the other side, the one that’s always looking at 47c, has more extreme conditions precisely because of the influence of the host planet on it, not many people have ventured too much into these lands. At least until now…

-Speaking of the other moons, which one would be the best candidate for the Fifth Moon incident? (Spoiler alert for Maximum and ‘98: Knives forces Vash to use his Angel Arm and he ends up firing at the fifth moon, which leaves its surface marked with a big crater) We have two options: It could be one of the outer moons (the ones whose orbit is beyond that of Nomans) since those are the ones more likely to be present in the visible sky; or it could be Moon II, whose regolith would be launched into space from the blast and form the rings…

-The surface gravity is almost identical to ours here on Earth, although slightly lighter (9.66 m/s^2 compared to 9.8 m/s^2).

-Nomans is somewhat bigger than Mars but smaller than Earth.

-One day lasts for almost 27 hours, and one year would take almost 270 Nomanian days (I swear this was a coincidence). Also, a fun fact on which I’m basing the calendar system (still working on that): it takes 6.6 days for the two stars to orbit around each other. People probably noticed this and were like “Sure, that’s the seven days of the week if you ask me”, probably so that they didn’t have to figure out everything from scratch (I’d do the same). It would be fun to see different cities and places to develop their own weird and wonderful systems (not me spending several hours yesterday to understand all the Maya calendars and wondering what they would come up with in this alien planet moon…).

-And speaking about time, here’s a visual explanation on how the times of day work on the side facing 47c! I realized the other day that at noon the light would probably be tinted slightly red (or some other color, depending on the elements found on 47c’s atmosphere), just like it happens on our Moon when there’s a lunar eclipse. Please make as if you didn’t know this and let’s move on. Also, as a Spaniard I have the right to declare noon time in this part of the world the Sacred Siesta Period.

(Also, shout out to @norageonlypancakes because my main inspiration for these BGs is Chesley Bonestell, he was The Space Artist™️ of the 20th century and inspired so many people to become space nerds or even scientists!) (Also x2, thank you everyone for the lovely comments and tags on the previous post <3)

[two-hands-toward-the-sun]

thinking about lucienne having white-painted nails and calliope having black-painted nails. and then holding hands. i think i’m gonna make myself pass out

[fanfic-obsessed]

Actual Traitors?

Here’s a new what-if for you, be warned for I have no idea where this might take us. Also, as ever, I’ve barely met canon. So please forgive any contradictions to the actual canon. 

It starts with a question: What if Palpatine’s Grand Plan had been ever so slightly different?

Palpatine wanted more than the utter destruction of the Jedi, he wanted more than for Jedi to be forgotten or made myth. He wanted their name to become poison for a thousand years. And yes declaring the Jedi traitors and Order 66 almost gets you there, but there were too many that remembered the Jedi fondly, or at least specific Jedi fondly, for it to have long term lasting power. Plus, with the Jedi dead ‘Forgotten’ happens way easier than ‘betrayer’. 

So Palpatine changes the plan slightly. The clone wars still happen as before. Dooku still  leads the separatist (though he manages to hide his identity as a Sith) and the Jedi and clones are still sent to fight and die by beings who by and large have no vested interest in lessening the loss of life. There is still no coherent, consistent idea of what winning would look like. All to Palpatine’s design. 

But it is not meant to end in Order 66 this time, no the plan is a little different. The war had two main purposes. The first to entrench Palpatine’s power deep enough that, when the time is right, he can take full control. The second was to make the Jedi love the clones, to make them protective, to make them mourn each clone life lost.  To that end Palpatine, to the extent he is able, ensures that the natborn officers stationed with the Jedi are odious and look down on the Clones as less than sentient.  The missions may be framed differently but Palpatine’s goal is to tie the clones and the Jedi together and begin to become insular. 

Three years in, Dooku surrenders and the war is won.  An armistice is signed and just, just as the combined Jedi/Clone forces begin to relax, begin to believe that that the Clones could be folded into the Order and they could move toward the future, Chancellor Palpatine knocks over the last domino. 

One of his lackeys, carefully not connected to him, brings up a motion. It is timed down to the exact moment for maxim effect. This lackey motions in the rotunda that, now that there is no war, there is no need for a standing army. But…the answer is not to give the clones sentience, it is to decommission all of them on the basis that the droid factories had been shut down. The speech was crafted to be as belittling to the clone sentience as possible, each word worse than the one before. There were also other lackeys strategically positioned through the rotunda to make it seem like the motion had much more support than it actually did (Really any support is too much, but it did not have near enough to pass). 

Palpatine felt the spark of fear shoot through the Coruscant Guard and the horror through the Jedi in the room. A heated debate sparks as the clones and the Jedi slip from the room. That the debate ended with the motion being shouted down doesn’t matter. That it was even entertained enough to be debated did the damage that Palpatine wanted.  Damage he furthered by passing on ‘rumors’ he had heard to Anakin Skywalker. Rumors that made it seem as though there were secret deals going on and the next time the motion was brought up it would pass and the clones would be killed. 

It had the effect that Palpatine wanted. The Jedi, fearing for the lives of the clones, drove themselves from the Republic (taking the clones and the ships with them, of course. Also the temple, which is space worthy), even taking Dooku with them (It should be noted that Anakin, well Anakin did abduct his senator wife and her retinue, and he is not letting them leave or contact the senate-Anakin is wanted for questioning by Coruscant's police force). 

Palpatine was able to spin their leaving as gathering their army and leaving, pointing out that this army was ordered FOR the Jedi.  It is not hard to arrange some incidents that make it appear to the Jedi that the Senate/Republic is hunting them and the clones, backing them into a corner where they have to fight back, while making it look like the Jedi and their army are taking the place of the Separatists. Dooku is with the Jedi, and is rapidly able to worm his way into several council member’s good graces, particularly as it seems like he was right all along about the republic. This throws the Republic back into a conflict, where Palpatine can continue to build his empire.

Here’s the part where Palpatine’s plan falls apart. The Jedi taking the place of the Separatist- lashing out because they are not being allowed to leave and being propagandized as the aggressor- only works as long as the Jedi act like the Separatists and keep acting as the aggressor. Except the Jedi do not react like they were supposed- which was to get so fed up that they decide they must strike first, for safety- instead they continue to retreat. Further and further from the core, and then into Wild Space at the edge of the known galaxy.  

To be clear the Jedi did not intend to leave the galaxy to its own mess, but from their perception they needed to protect the clones and they did honestly think they were escaping just ahead of a purge of the clones. Even Jedi like Pong Krell, because Palpatine’s plan required the Jedi to be exposed to the sentience of the clones as often as possible, so the missions tended to emphasize that.   

Here are some notes from the universe:

There are not actually many habitable planets in Wild Space, but the Agricorps was able to get some Hydroponics bays working on some of the ships, also some of the non habitable planets, and also the temple. So there is no worry about food. Also they figure out how to turn the waste into fuel for the ships. So the Jedi and clones are self-sustaining.

Some Jedi are still called to find Force Sensitives in the Galaxy, though the birthrate of Force Sensitives does drop sharply, outside of the procreation of various Jedi and clones (Please note that genetics has little to do with Force sensitivity). 

Obi Wan Kenobi is not the only Jedi to end up with a haram (or as part Cody’s Haram, no one is truly sure who the rotating group of Jedi, clones, and assorted others actually belong to, but everyone seems happy) but they did take the most scientific and enthusiastic view of experimenting with the Force in sexual situations. There are currently a dozen papers written and waiting to be reviewed, and replicated.  There is a lot of partner sharing. It is, however, not the Kenobi/Cody Polycule that needs to explain to the medics how they found out that Fox is somehow allergic to some highly salacious Force abilities (Quinlan Vos and Ventress were both involved. Fox is on record as saying it was worth the hives and the three day med bay stay, but it was not worth the video of him rambling while high that resulted). 

The Combined Jedi/Clones do end up abducting other sentients from formerly Republic Space. Or at least that is what the Empire Propaganda would tell you. It was less an abduction and more asking. Anakin did end up abducting Padme, her 13 body doubles, and 6 other bodyguards during the mad dash to exit the republic (somewhat forcibly). Over the course of 5 years the Jedi quietly collect the family of those 19, and others. 

Palpatine’s Empire lasted a total of three years before he was overthrown and killed. An Empire existed for another 10 years, with a variety of Emperors (none of which lasted even as long as Palpatine). Then the centralized government collapsed into system governments. It would take another 50 years for a Republic to begin to form again, still sans Jedi.

[zapreportsblog]

Hello, I have a request. Can you write about Shanks meeting his soulmate while walking on an island? He is very popular and many women are in love with him, but this time he encounters a woman who is almost not for him. She is very beautiful and a good fighter. I honestly wonder how Shanks will impress her, maybe he will offer to sail together🙃

❝fire for you❞

✭ pairing : shanks x reader

✭ fandom : one piece

✭ summary : soulmates come in many shapes in forms, the thought of having one intrigues everyone even those who don’t believe in them. shanks is no different, he knows that he is a well desired man, he has the looks, the power and the name after all. But despite all that he is leaving his heart open for only one woman.

✭ authors note : I’ve gotten inspiration from two songs when I wrote this

✭ one piece masterlist

The Red Hair Pirates were renowned throughout the Grand Line, led by none other than their charismatic and popular captain, Shanks. It wasn't just his reputation as a fearsome pirate that drew attention; it was his charm, his red hair, and the twinkle in his eye that captured the hearts of women far and wide. But Shanks, despite his charismatic demeanor, had a principle he never wavered from—he was waiting for his soulmate.

One night, as the crew celebrated on their ship, anchored near a lively coastal town, Shanks found himself in the midst of a sea of admirers. Women from the town had come aboard, eager for a chance to be near the infamous captain. Among them, a local woman sat on his lap, her eyes filled with desire and her voice laden with seduction.

"Why won't you go to bed with me, Shanks?" she pouted, leaning in close to him. Her scent was alluring, her beauty undeniable, but Shanks had his heart set on a different path.

Shanks chuckled, his deep laugh filling the air as he gently removed her from his lap. "Because," he replied, his red hair gleaming in the lantern light, "I know I have a soulmate out there."

The woman, however, misunderstood his words. She thought he was referring to a partner already in his life, not realizing that Shanks was waiting for the one destined to be his soulmate. Frustrated and feeling rejected, she slapped him across the face, her anger evident in her eyes.

“You dog!”

With a good-natured smile, Shanks didn't retaliate. Instead, he watched her storm off, knowing that such encounters were all too common in his life. Many women couldn't accept that his heart was set on someone they couldn't replace.

Returning to the festivities, Shanks continued to enjoy the party with his crew, the memory of the encounter fading amidst laughter, music, and the clinking of tankards. It was just another night in the life of the Red Hair Pirates' captain, who remained steadfast in his search for the one person who held the key to his heart—his soulmate.

As the Red Hair Pirates docked on another island to replenish their wine supply, they were met with a familiar scene. Shanks had a reputation that seemed to precede him, and women on every island they visited couldn't resist the magnetic pull of his charisma. They clamored for his attention, showering him with adoration.

Shanks, ever the friendly captain, entertained their advances with a grin and a friendly word or two. He had always been sociable and approachable, enjoying the company of those who crossed his path.

However, this island was different. It was as if the women were under a spell, drawn to Shanks like moths to a flame. They swarmed around him, their infatuation evident in their eyes and actions.

But just as Shanks found himself immersed in this sea of admirers, a voice rose above the clamor. A woman, who had approached the group of admirers, seemed to possess a presence that commanded attention.

"Back off, you buffoons! One pirate comes to this island, and suddenly you forget you have husbands and partners!" she declared, her voice carrying authority and irritation.

In an instant, the crowd of women parted like the sea, making way for this enigmatic newcomer. Shanks, though accustomed to female attention, was taken aback by her presence. He couldn't see her at first, hidden behind the swarm of women, but her voice had cut through the noise.

And then, he saw her.

Her captivating eyes drew him in, like a sailor bewitched by a siren's song. Her luscious, inviting hair begged to be touched, and Shanks clenched his chest, feeling his heart race at the sight of her. Her skin had a lovely, alluring shade that only added to her allure, and she was dressed in a dark purple kimono with a lavender rope cinched at her waist. A sword at her hip hinted at a fierce determination within her.

Amidst the women who bowed or averted their eyes, asking for forgiveness, this woman stood tall and unyielding. Her presence exuded authority, as if she were the ruler of this island.

Shanks couldn't help but be captivated by her beauty and strength. He took a step forward, his curiosity piqued as he asked, "Who are you?"

Still clenching his shirt where his heart was pounding, he felt compelled to learn more about this intriguing woman. She met his gaze with a confidence that left him utterly spellbound.

"My name is (Y/n) (L/n)," she declared proudly, her eyes never leaving his. "I am the future leader of this here Death Island. Now why have you come to my island.”

Shanks did his best to snap out of the mesmerized state he found himself in. He straightened up, letting his tall and well-built physique speak for him. This was no time to appear vulnerable, especially in front of his crew.

He introduced himself with a firm tone, "My name is Shanks, Captain of the Red Hair Pirates. I've come to restore my wine supply, if you have any on your island that is."

(Y/n) nodded thoughtfully and called over a woman from the crowd. The woman was married to the island's bartender, and she was the one who might have information about the wine supply. She listened as (Y/n) explained the situation, and the woman frowned, shaking her head.

"The supply ship hasn't come in yet," she replied, her voice tinged with disappointment. The prospect of restocking their wine was slim at the moment.

Shanks, ever adaptable, swiftly responded, "Would it be alright for my men and me to rest here until the supply ship comes?"

(Y/n) considered his request for a moment before agreeing, "As long as you cause no trouble to my people, then I mean you no harm."

With that, (Y/n) turned and walked away, leaving Shanks in a state of awe. His thoughts were consumed by the mysterious woman who had captured his attention. She was different, not like the others who had flocked to him in the past. Something about her felt unique, and he couldn't shake the feeling that she might be the one he had been waiting for—the soulmate he had always believed in.

As the Red Hair Pirates docked on the island, Shanks had a determined look in his eyes. He instructed his crew to prepare for a temporary stay, even though one of his crewmates had a different suggestion.

"You know we could just go to another island for wine, right?" the crewmate suggested, clearly perplexed by Shanks' stubbornness.

Shanks, however, was already far too infatuated with the island's leader, (Y/n). He couldn't bear the thought of leaving this island, not when she was here. He looked toward the shore, where (Y/n) was now weaving fisher baskets with her people, including the woman who had married the island's fishermen.

With a smile, Shanks responded to his crewmate, "We could buy them, yes. But she wouldn't be there."

Benn Beckman, one of Shanks' closest friends and crewmates, couldn't help but comment on Shanks' behavior. He chuckled and said, "You're whipped for a lass who barely paid you the time of day."

The rest of the crew joined in the laughter, but Shanks didn't mind. He shook his head with a smile, his gaze still fixed on (Y/n) as she worked on the shores of her island.

"That's my soulmate, I swear by it," Shanks declared, his unwavering belief in their connection shining through his words. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about (Y/n) that had captured his heart, and he was willing to stay on this island as long as it took to win her over.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, orange glow across the island, the people of Death Island had prepared a grand welcome party for Shanks and his crew. The festivities were in full swing, with the aroma of delicious food and the sounds of laughter filling the air.

Tables were laden with a variety of dishes, showcasing the island's culinary delights. Fresh seafood, exotic fruits, and flavorful spices combined to create a feast fit for a pirate crew. The crew members, many of whom had never experienced such a welcoming reception, were delighted by the abundance of food and drink.

While some of the island's inhabitants had gathered to entertain the crew with lively music and dancing, others were busy preparing drinks. The island's specialty was a variety of fruity juices, crafted from the bountiful fruits of the surrounding forest trees. These concoctions were refreshing and sweet, perfect for the tropical atmosphere.

Shanks and his crew mingled with the locals, enjoying the warm hospitality of Death Island. It was a night filled with laughter, camaraderie, and the joy of new friendships. The crew felt a deep appreciation for the island's people, who had welcomed them with open arms despite their initial intentions.

As the night continued, Shanks couldn't help but steal glances at (Y/n), who moved gracefully through the crowd, she was making sure everything was in order before sitting down at another table. Her presence added an air of enchantment to the already magical evening, and Shanks couldn't wait to learn more about the woman who had captured his heart.

Shanks couldn't help but wander his eyes back over to (y/n) taking note that she wasn’t too far from his table, her presence as enchanting as ever. She had changed into a new kimono, this one dark blue with intricate star patterns adorning it. The sight of her in that kimono, surrounded by a group of imposing and formidable men, piqued Shanks' curiosity.

He turned to one of the village women, who had been keeping Shanks' crew company along with her friends. With a friendly smile, he asked, "Who are those men surrounding (Y/n)?"

The woman's expression became more serious as she began to explain. "Those are the Death family," she said. "Their great leader is Abaddon (L/n), and the three formidable men you see are his sons: Hades, Cain, and Anubis."

Shanks raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the names. "And who is (Y/n) to them?" he inquired.

The woman's explanation delved deeper into the mysteries of the (L/n) family. "She is their daughter and the youngest of the family," she revealed. "While her father and brothers' names all carry the meaning of death, (Y/n)'s name is Nerium Oleander, named after a type of flower. It's a beautiful flower, but it's known to be poisonous. In many ways, her name is a reflection of her uniqueness—both enchanting and dangerous."

Shanks couldn't help but be captivated by this new layer of mystery surrounding (Y/n). He had been drawn to her from the moment he saw her, but now he realized there was much more to her story than he had initially thought. As he watched her from a distance, he couldn't help but wonder what other secrets lay hidden behind her enchanting facade.

All of a sudden Cain (L/n) stood tall, his presence commanding the attention of the entire crowd. The musicians halted their tunes, and the dancers froze in place as everyone turned their gaze toward him. With a voice that carried authority, he addressed the gathering.

"Tonight is an important night," Cain declared, his words resonating through the silence. "Not only do we have the honor of hosting visitors, but it is also the night of our blood moon ceremony. However, tonight holds an even more significant purpose. It is the night when my beloved sister, (Y/n), will find her future husband."

The crowd erupted into cheers, excitement and anticipation filling the air. Shanks, seated nearby, leaned over to the woman beside him and whispered, "What does he mean by 'blood moon ceremony'?"

The woman, with a knowing look, responded in a hushed tone, "The blood moon is a secret ceremony celebrated on this island. It marks the coming of age for young men and women of the village. However, for the Death family, it holds a unique tradition. They choose this night to arrange marriages for their young, and it's a tradition that has continued for generations."

But Shanks only caught the first part of her explanation, and without hesitation, he impulsively offered himself up as a potential candidate. His words came out before he fully comprehended the situation. "I'll do it. I'll be (Y/n)'s husband."

The woman's eyes widened, and she hurriedly tried to finish her sentence, but her words fell on deaf ears as Shanks had already made his declaration. She completed her sentence, which was crucial, "...but you must fight her for her hand."

Shanks turned his head back to the woman with a puzzled expression. He had unwittingly committed to a challenge he hadn't fully understood, and the consequences were about to become clear.

Laughter filled the air as the villagers found Shanks' spontaneous declaration amusing. His crew, loyal and protective, quickly came to his defense, shouting, "Don't laugh at our captain!"

Cain (L/n), who had been laughing heartily, suddenly raised a hand, commanding silence among the villagers. He looked at Shanks with a mix of amusement and curiosity. "I am not laughing at the man," Cain explained, "but at his bravery. Tell me, pirate, do you understand what you've just committed yourself to?"

Shanks scratched his head, still somewhat bewildered by the situation. "Marrying your sister?"

This response triggered another round of laughter from the villagers, even (Y/n) couldn't help but giggle behind her hand. Hades, with his tall, lean frame, stood up, his menacing grin stretching from ear to ear. He draped an arm over Cain's shoulder and spoke in a sinister tone, "You've just signed your own death wish."

Abaddon (L/n), the imposing figure among them all, silenced his sons with a stern glance. He walked up to Shanks, his towering eight-foot-tall stature casting a daunting shadow over the pirate captain. Abaddon's voice was deep and commanding as he said, "If that's truly what you desire, then so be it. Prepare him."

Shanks felt a chill run down his spine as he realized the gravity of the challenge he had just accepted. He had unwittingly committed himself to a test of strength and bravery, and there was no turning back now. With determination in his eyes, he nodded and prepared himself for what lay ahead, hoping to prove himself worthy of (Y/n)'s hand in marriage.

Shanks found himself surrounded by the villagers, who were in the process of dressing him in white clothing that symbolized the significance of the upcoming challenge. As they adjusted his attire, the village men offered him words of encouragement and admiration.

"You're a brave one, Captain," one of them said, patting him on the shoulder.

Another chimed in, "I could never challenge the Death family for (Y/n), no matter how beautiful she is."

Shanks, feeling a mix of anticipation and nerves, couldn't help but inquire, "I'm getting married, alright. Don't I have to do some sort of challenge or something?"

The men shared hearty laughter at his question. "You'll see in a few," one of them replied cryptically, clapping Shanks on the back. They wished him luck as he was prepared for the challenge that awaited him.

Shanks' crew was led to a grand arena on Death Island, where the preparations for the challenge were underway. As they entered the area, they were met with a surreal sight. Children from the village were running about, their faces concealed by skull masks made from real human and animal skulls. Their gleeful laughter filled the air as they chanted in unison, "The bloodshed begins! The bloodshed begins!"

The eerie atmosphere was unsettling, and the crew exchanged uncertain glances. It was clear that this was no ordinary ceremony, and the crew couldn't help but wonder what kind of challenge awaited their captain in this macabre setting.

Shanks stood at the center of a vast, volcanic fighting pit, the dark ash staining his face with a symbolic marking that indicated his role as the challenger. The anticipation in the air was palpable as the villagers and Shanks' crew gathered to witness the event. The eerie ambiance from earlier had intensified, making the atmosphere even more ominous.

Shanks glanced around, taking in the surroundings of the desolate arena, before he couldn't help but inquire, "So, who am I challenging for her hand?"

Just as he spoke, a figure emerged from the opposite side of the arena. It was (Y/n), dressed in a striking black kimono, her sword at her side. By her side stood a man who had accompanied her. He respectfully said to her, "Thank you, Princess. I'm glad I could be of service."

In a gruesome turn of events, (Y/n) thanked the man by her side and swiftly slit his throat, causing blood to gush from the wound. The same maid who had assisted Shanks in his marking held a bowl beneath the man's neck, collecting the hot blood as it flowed. The lifeless body was promptly taken away by the guards, leaving an unsettling silence in its wake.

The maid spread the warm blood across (Y/n)'s face, marking her as a participant in the challenge. The crowd watched in anticipation, knowing that this was a critical moment in the ritual.

Once again, Cain (L/n) stepped forward, silencing the cheering villagers. He addressed the crowd with an air of authority, introducing the two participants. He teased Shanks as he spoke, making the audience laugh, but his tone soon turned serious.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," Cain began, his voice carrying through the arena. "On the left-hand side, we have Shanks, a brave yet foolish man. But as I've said, he is indeed brave. On the other side, we have my darling sister, (Y/n). Here, we gather for either the death or union of this pair."

Shanks was taken aback and asked in disbelief, "Wait, what?"

Cain chuckled, teasingly continuing, "You've accepted the challenge for my sister's hand in marriage, my soon-to-be brother-in-law. That was indeed a brave decision. But you were foolish to think it would be that simple. You failed to account for what would come next."

(Y/n) responded with an eerie calmness, her voice devoid of emotion, "When you accepted the challenge, you agreed to challenge me for my hand in marriage. That is how it works here, within the Death Family. You now have a 0.05 percent chance of survival. I only give you that percentage because you are a captain of a crew. If you were a regular village boy, your chances would have been a mere 0.01 percent."

Instantly the villagers begin chanting;

Purify mind and body, hold hands tightly

淨化心身 緊握手心

The vitality returns to its original position and enlightenment returns to the body

元氣歸位 捷悟返身

Purify mind and body, hold hands tightly

淨化心身 緊握手心

The vitality returns to its original position and enlightenment returns to the body

元氣歸位 捷悟返身

Purify mind and body, hold hands tightly

淨化心身 緊握手心

The vitality returns to its original position and enlightenment returns to the body

元氣歸位 捷悟返身

Purify mind and body, hold hands tightly

淨化心身 緊握手心

The vitality returns to its original position and enlightenment returns to the body

元氣歸位 捷悟返身

Purify mind and body

淨化心身

“Now then let the blood moon ceremony begin!”

With startling speed, (Y/n) charged towards Shanks, catching him off guard. He barely had time to react before the clash began. His instincts kicked in, and he tried to block her initial strike with his arms, but the force behind her blows was astonishing.

The crowd cheered wildly, their bloodlust awakened by the sight of the fierce battle unfolding before them. A child in a skull mask enthusiastically chanted, "Let there be blood!"

(Y/n) was relentless, her movements fluid and precise. She expertly evaded Shanks' attempts to counter her attacks. Her sword danced through the air, creating a deadly dance of steel and precision. She struck with ferocity, each blow aimed to disarm or incapacitate her opponent rather than to kill.

Shanks struggled to keep up with her speed and agility. He parried her strikes as best he could, but her skill was undeniable. The fight continued, a thrilling spectacle for the onlookers, as (Y/n) maintained her dominance over the Red-Haired Pirate Captain.

(Y/n) continued her relentless assault on Shanks, her blows precise and powerful. She seemed impervious to his attempts to strike back, effortlessly dodging or blocking every hit he aimed at her. The once-confident pirate captain was now sporting bruises and cuts, his face showing the effects of her relentless barrage.

The crowd watched in awe as she dominated the battle, clearly displaying her superior skill and strength. The villagers whispered among themselves, impressed by her abilities. Even Shanks' crew, who had witnessed their captain's prowess in countless battles, couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Cain, who was overseeing the fight, spoke with a knowing tone. "He has no chance against her, after all, we've trained her to be the best."

Hades, standing beside his brother, was more cautious in his assessment. "You never know, brother," he replied, his eyes never leaving the intense battle unfolding before them.

As (y/n) stood over Shanks, her sword pointed at his neck, she prepared to deal the final blow. Shanks lay defeated on the floor, his once vibrant and powerful presence now reduced to blackened bruises and a broken spirit. But just as (y/n) was about to strike, he uttered something under his breath, causing her to pause.

"What did you say?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity and a hint of hesitation.

Shanks repeated himself, his words barely audible. (Y/n) turned her gaze towards her father, seeking guidance in this unexpected turn of events. Their eyes locked, and in that silent exchange, a wealth of understanding passed between them. Her father's eyes widened, a mix of surprise and realization dawning upon his face.

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, her father jumped down into the arena, his eyes fixed on Shanks. "Show me the mark," he demanded, his voice filled with a mix of urgency and hope.

Weakly, Shanks pulled his white shirt to the side, revealing a stunning mark on his chest. The mark was a flower, elegantly designed, with the letters LD intricately woven into its petals. A sense of awe washed over the crowd as they beheld the mark, realizing its significance.

A wide grin spread across her father's face as he stopped the ongoing fight. "My subjects," he began, his voice carrying a tone of importance, "this is a moment of great significance. Shanks, the captain of the Red Hair Pirates, bears the mark of Lady Death. He is marked as her soulmate and thus worthy of being my daughter's husband."

The crowd erupted in a chorus of "awws" and gasps, their surprise mingled with a sense of awe. The revelation of the mark had brought a profound change to the atmosphere, transforming the battle arena into a place of unexpected love and destiny.

(Y/n) lowered her sword, her heart racing with a mix of emotions. She looked into Shanks' eyes, seeing the truth reflected in their depths. The path before her suddenly shifted, and with it, a newfound understanding of her own destiny.

And so, in that arena, amidst the cheers and gasps of the crowd, a new chapter in their lives began. The mark had brought them together, and together they would face the challenges and adventures that awaited them, bound by a love that was written in the stars.

[ddlcbrainrot]

I love how your mind works so much everything you say is canon now bc I said so.

Since you've done Monisuri, Moniyuri and Natsuri thoughts, do you plan on doing any other ships? Sayonika would be cool/nf

my mind is a cat, a red panda and a raccoon in a trench coat pretending to be human, or so i’ve been told so thank you

if people ask me to, then sure!

sayonika makes my brain go brrrrr and i stop thinking proper thoughts bc i love them so much every time i see them i just go hehehe so this is going to take a while bear with me

m…monika and sayori,… kithes…

ok but srsly, i think the reason i like sayonika so much is bc its a very versatile ship. You want cute best friends to lovers? Side stories are right there. You want angst fest, hurt no comfort with no happy ending? Base game is right there

If we are talking about base game, a lot of questions pop up. Like how did they even get together? (probably some time after the ending, maybe since both have gone through the epiphany they bond over that) Can they even be in a functioning relationship after the events of ddlc? (a functioning one? no lol, but maybe after a lot of work they make something special) Does Sayori ever forgive Monika? (surprisingly, yes after a long time. I actually can see her "forgiving" Monika right away, only for her to build up resentment over time and snap and so she realises that she needs to actually feel and process her feelings of anger and betrayal before she can forgive Monika) Does Monika forgive herself and lets herself be loved? (THERE IS NO WAY LMAO). So yeah, the main headcanon i have for them in base game is that Monika never fully forgives herself, no matter how much Sayori insists she forgives her. Because i love suffering.

Anyway lets step away from the sad sad world of base game and get to the happy stuff of side stories :D

So yeah, bffs that slowly realise they like eachother

I think ive mentioned this before, but they give off first sapphic crush/relationship vibes. if you know you know

Both had a hard time accepting they like each other bc both were like "shes too good for me..." (dumbasses)

Acting like a couple before even being together, im talking hand holding (how lewd...), cuddling, compliments, you name it

And when Natsuki would be like "you guys act so gay for eachother" they'd be like nnNnNoOoOo We're just gals being pals (dumbasses p2)

Who would confess? Probably Sayori. But only in a last resort situation. She'd be expecting to be rejected too. Surprise surprise being the kindest person alive gets people to like you who would have thought

PDA couple.

Sayori's physical affection and Monika's words of affection? You can't be around them without getting diabetes

Im not kidding when i say they would be the worst couple to be around. But like in a sweet way

Sayori steals Monika's clothes

They paint their nails the eye colour of the other person, so like Sayori paints them green and Monika blue

When one is having a bad day, the other gives little notes filled with cheezy puns throughout the school day to cheer them up, and they talk about whats bothering them after (sayori started this and it has become kind of a tradition)

I can keep going but if I do this will end up longer than the declaration of independence

[lostcauses-noregrets]

Hey, Lost hope u doing good, I'm just a like a half-year-old eruri and I love them so much with all my heart canon or not but there has been a thing lately I've come across many people saying eruri is dead even among eruri fandom. Since the end of Aot' final ofc it' not same but as someone who reads eruri a lot, and wants to write too, it's making me lose my enthusiasm. I really would want to keep it going but it weighs on my mind heavily. Would want ur expert opinion, is it really dead?

Hey Anon, welcome to the fandom! Please don’t be put off by people proclaiming that Eruri is dead, people have been saying this ever since Midnight Sun was published in 2016, and yet the fandom is still thriving. We’re still getting official art, we have an astonishing number of amazing artists and the number of Eruri fics on AO3 is increasing every day.  Having said that, all fandoms have peaks and troughs that follow canon media cycles and the Eruri fandom is no different from any other fandom in that respect. It’s to be expected that some people will move on when a beloved character dies, or a series ends, but that doesn’t mean the fandom will die out altogether. Far from it!  It can actually be quite freeing for a fandom when the canon media comes to an end as it gives you free rein with the characters. (Not that transformative works ever have to be bound by canon of course.) 

In terms of the Eruri fandom, many fans did leave when Erwin died, others drifted off during the Marley Arc, and when the manga or the anime ended.  One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that a lot of new fans are coming to the fandom via fanworks rather than the canon media which I think bodes well for the longevity of the fandom, though it can lead to some "interesting" characterisation.

It’s also understandable that fans get attached to “their” fandom; the chapters that were published, the episodes that were airing, the popular artists and writers who were active when they first joined the fandom.  It can be really sad when those people move on, and it can feel a bit as if “your” fandom is dying, even if new fans are discovering the ship all the time.  I’m no different in that respect, I still get nostalgic for the Eruri fandom c. 2016, the intense highs and lows, the outpouring of creativity, the amazing friends I made at that time.  However it really bugs me when I hear people saying things like “the fandom died when X artist or Y writer left” because that does a massive disservice to all other artists and writers who are still active in the fandom. 

I think there’s also something to be said about some fans increasingly treating fandom as content to be consumed, rather than a community to contribute to.  Once they’ve consumed all the “popular” content, they declare the fandom is dead and move on, rather than actually contributing something creative themselves.  Fandoms thrive on collective creativity and their longevity depends on having an active community rather than one or two big name fans, writers and artists. 

Anyway, all this is to say, just ignore the killjoys and enjoy this amazing fandom. Enjoy all the gorgeous fic and art by the incredibly talented writers and artists that have come and gone over the last ten years, and support the new writers and artists who are creating equally amazing work. 

[stillxnunpxidintern]

Ace X Reader - Get Rid Of That Monster

After being a way for over a week on a mission for Pops and having to sleep on whatever he could and not beside you, Ace was just glad to be back on the Moby and able to sleep in his own bed again, not worrying about animals or weather, as a large storm would arrive soon.

That peace was quickly shattered when a piecing scream followed by his name, as well as something smashing. This caused the Fire Logia to slam the door of the cabin and had his fist up ready to use his power.

Hearing his name being screamed again, Ace quickly ran towards the bathroom throwing opening door and looked around and seeing nothing threatening as he turned to you narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

“Why the hell are you screaming?” he asked letting his shoulder slump.

“Kill it, use your damn fire and kill it for for fuck sake” You ordered him.

He gave you a raised eyebrow as you pointed to the bathtub, looking over he could see that there was a large black hairy spider sitting in the middle of the tub.

“Really! It’s just a spider, it will be gone later” he told you with a roll of his eyes at for how dramatic you were over it. 

"Kill it! don't just rid of it, it needs to be dead dead so incinerate" you informed him before looking in the tub to see the furry 8 legged monster move

"I'm not burning the bathroom down to get rid of a spider" he told you

As he went to leave the bathroom you refused to move arms crossed over your chest staring at him. Sighing to himself Ace knew he was going to need to get rid of it, otherwise he was sure you would do something to kill it, that might be overkill and rather not have to explain to Pops why the cabin was destroy and that meant getting no peace.

“Damn it, fine, I’ve get rid it, you pain in my ass” he declared, looking around the bathroom to find something to capture the spider. 

Seeing nothing to use in the bathroom, he went back into the bedroom and grabbed the empty glass that was on the bedside table and went back in to the bathroom then careful caught the spider. He gabbed whatever big enough to the cover the top of the glass with.

Moving toward to the window, you squeaked and almost jumped when he moved towards you with the spider in the hand before giving you a look of exasperation.

“Would you open the window, my hands are a treasure” Ace told you, showing the glass to get his point across.

You looked at him and glass then hesitantly and slowly moved to the window, afraid the spider would jump at you even if was under a glass. So you quickly open the window before scurrying away to the bedroom, trying put as much distance between you and that monster as possible.

Once the spider was thrown from the window, Ace kind of felt sorry for creature and thrown from the window but he just wanted sleep and wouldn't get it it was still in the bathroom. After locking window he went back into the bedroom after placing the items he used down

Ace saw you in the middle of bed with your feet tucked under

“My hero” you beamed at him, as he flapped down on you and the bed, making you give a little groan

“You know you're never more than 6 feet away from a spider, supposedly and given we're on a ship, they're probably even closer space for them” He stated

Instead of laughing at useless fact, you shivered at the thought and poked Ace hard in the side for, he just quietly chuckled as he rolling off you and wrapping an arm around you pulling you close and kissed your forehead.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from these 8 legged monsters...maybe” he chucked before wincing when he got elbow in this side.

“You're asshole” you muttered into his chest, “It's either you get rid of it or you're the getting the blame for a burnt down cabin” yo commented, “So you had better be my hero or you won’t have a cabin anymore” you yawned.

“Don’t worry," Ace chuckled, "I’ve always be your hero if you need me to, plus I like our cabin unburnt and in one piece and I really don't want to have to explain to Pops why we need a new cabin” Ace commented back, "He and the crew wouldn't never let me or us live it down" he finished.

After cuddling for a few moment the both of you moved around into your normal sleeping position before pulling the covers over and falling to sleep quickly.

During the night, you awoke suddenly as the room was illuminated as the sound of rain hitting hard against the windows reached your ears. 

A loud crack echoed a cross the sky, make you jump a little with how close it was and buried yourself into Ace side knowing you were safe and protected there.

Ace woke the booming of thunder and found buried deep in his side with as he realized just how bad it was storming and wrapped his arms around tightly around, more or less pinning you to his chest, pulling the over back over.

"It seems that today, is not your day" he murmured sleepily to you.

First the spider and now a storm that was over raging over the Moby, thank the seas that it was anchored just off one the islands under their protection.

Placing a hand on the back of you head, he moved you around just a little to the centre of his chest so you could hear his heartbeat, and hoped that would drown some of the storm.

When a particularly loud clash of thunder it had you jumping a little more and gave an unhappy noise, keeping your eyes tightly shut.

Ace gently hushed you, his fingers going through your hair while listening to the storm. When the lightning and thunder moved further away till it was just howling winds and heavy rainfall, Ace released you which then allowed you move around and get comfortable again.

Once you got comfortable again this time with your back to Ace, allowing him to pulled you against his chest, as you both fell back to sleep, to the sound of the rain in the background.

----

The following day was bright with clear blue sky as the crew sat on the deck enjoying the warmth of the sun when the peacefulness was broken by Aces name be screamed by you, as you quickly ran out of a door and behind Ace.

"Get rid of it and get rid of Haruta" you told him as you pointed to the door that said commander was coming out with a spider in his hands.

Ace looked at you and then at Haruta who was indeed holding a spider in his hands, it was smaller than the one he had dealt but it wasn't in the cabin do he wasn't gonna do anything.

"It's not in the cabin and it's not attacking you, so I'm not dealing with it, plus it more afraid of you than you are of it" Ace told you, watching as Haruta got closer with it.

That wasn't the answer you wanted to hear, so you smacked the fire logia on the back of the head before running and hiding behind Marco.

"Pops! Marco! tell him to leave me alone, Haruta has been following me with it and you know I hate like spider" you pleaded with Pops and blonde commander .

Pops just watched on waiting to see what chaos happens, while Marco just sighed at his siblings antics and knew something or someone was gonna need repairing or healing if he didn't step in now.

"Haruta get rid of that before you get punched in the face again yoi" Marco informed the commander, who seemed to flinch as a past memory popped up.

The 12th division commander complied and released it into some part of deck.

"Thank you," You beamed, "Best brother" you whispered quietly as you left and headed back over to Ace.

"What happened to being my hero when there's a spider about" you questioned with your arms crossed as glared at him before punching him in arm.

He grabbed your waist and pulled you down on to his lap as he put his chin on your shoulder.

"I'm sorry for not being your hero but I'm not going to kill a spider, just because Haruta was holding it, the spider didn't ask to be held and used to scare you" Ace explained, holding you close.

"Fine, you're forgiven this time" you said with a little huff as you leant back against Ace, " But don't let it happen again"

"I won't treasure" he chuckled.