#anyway. sorry. i went off on a whole rant no one asked for there lol

[padfootastic]

I follow some wolfstar people, but I am real selective about them, they love Sirius as much as I do. Other than that, I’m mostly just hanging out in my own little corner

no but same. i follow a few r/s authors that i can wholeheartedly trust with my boys and that’s it. i’m so, so happy w this little community and everyday, i sit there, fingers crossed & touching wood, that it doesn’t become…more than this.

[lemotmo]

Ask box opened! I wanted to copy the question because I think it's a good indicator as to a lot of that fandoms thinking but it was way too long. Basically they were asking about chemistry differences between O/L and O/R. And what the show wants being different from what Oliver and Ryan want. Anyway, enjoy!

A. Hello anon, haha I know, we will see how long I last with it open. There were several parts to your question so I will try to hit everything but forgive me if I don't. First of all the show already tried less Buddie and it backfired spectacularly on them. The beginning of season 6 was very minimal for Buddie scenes, by far the fewest they've had. And the audience hated it. Complained loudly and often about it. It's what I mean when I say they are an audience favorite. That's not an exaggeration. The audience complained after every single episode. The ratings went down. They're a real thing. They have many, many fans that are not part of Tumblr/Twitter fandom. Less Buddie is not an option for the show and the show knows that. Tim definitely knows that. It's why he doubled down on them this season. It's why ABC used them as basically the entire marketing campaign for the entire season and every episode. And look at the results. 911 is the network's number one show. 911 is number one in their timeslot against every other network. Those are unarguable facts. Kristen was well aware of all of this as well, btw, but she's an incompetent brat who used separating them as part of her temper tantrum throwing that was season 6 as a whole. And why she absolutely should no longer have a job anywhere near the show. She purposely hurt the show by actively going against what she knew the audience wanted. Knowing it would hurt the show and doing it anyway should have absolutely gotten her fired (sorry for my mini rant, lol, but I hate her).

I don't know anyone who is saying they hate Lou because he doesn't have the same chemistry with Oliver that Ryan does. That's not what people are saying. Chemistry is tricky. It's either there or it's not. Yes, sometimes when it doesn't exist naturally it can be manufactured, but that's difficult to do, and, no offense to you, Lou's not a good enough actor to pull off manufactured chemistry (it's fine he admitted himself action is his preferred thing). And frankly the show isn't invested in Tommy enough to help him learn how to do it. But what's insane is that somewhere along the way anyone pointing out that their chemistry is off a bit somehow meant you all had the right to blame Ryan for that. That Ryan, along with Oliver were somehow sabotaging Lou. Listen when I say, there are several voices, loud voices in your fandom you all have got to stop taking direction from. The nonsense of going from ask box to ask box pointing out that Oliver and Ryan had a falling out at one point was childish. Yes, Ryan said a stupid, hurtful, ignorant thing and was, rightly, called out for it. But he publicly owned the mistake. He worked on himself, got out of a particular relationship, and seems to be a better person for it. That's called human growth. It's what you should want someone to do. He and Oliver made up. They're friends. They don't owe you an apology or explanation for that. Also, sorry to point this out, but Oliver basically has the man tattooed on his body (gunshot arc crawling rescue). They're close. Get over it. Oliver and Lou aren't required to be friends. It's fine. You don't need to belittle other friendships to make you feel better about that.

Asking if Oliver and Ryan have maybe backed the show into a corner they don't appreciate is I think deliberately naive. Yes I think by now it's pretty obvious what direction they think things should be going. And yes, I think their natural chemistry adds to the scenes, but scripts come with stage directions. They're told how close to stand. They're told what the mood of the scene should be. Now I do think Oliver and Ryan probably add their own spin on certain things, but not enough to change whatever the meaning of the scene is intended to be. For instance I think the thumb to the neck with the gentle rub is one hundred percent an Oliver and Ryan addition. It's been in too many scenes now, and no way in hell is a writer like Kristen capable of coming up with a touch like that, and working it into her scripts. So I think that's their thing. But again it doesn't change a scene overall, it's just their addition to the scene. The show knows what it's doing. If the way Oliver and Ryan were acting was not what they wanted they wouldn't use the scene. They would make them redo it in a different way. It's that simple. And the show is definitely not showing signs of doubling down on Tommy. I have no idea where you all are getting this. If the show meant for the audience to root for Tommy as far as Buck goes, they would not have released that deleted scene. That clip did Tommy zero favors. And your fandoms reaction to that clip proves how poorly he came across in it. You all just can't decide who to blame for it. My favorite are the ones blaming Aisha. I mean there's twisting yourself into knots to not acknowledge the writing meant for it to come across as a bad look, and then there's whatever the hell you have to do to arrive at it's Aisha's fault. I'm going to say something and I genuinely don't want it to come across as mean because I never want to purposely hurt anyone's feelings. The reality is if Buddie goes canon 95% of your fandom will become, or revert back to, Buddie shippers. That's the basic truth. The chemistry is there. The history is there. The two actors the show cares about are there. The majority of their audience is there. The hard-line remaining 5% are the hardcore Lou shippers, and, again not to sound mean, the show doesn't care about that 5%. The true numbers size of your fandom, when you take out repeat comments from the same blogs and duplicate accounts from the same people, seems to be in the mid thousands. That is tiny. That's not even enough to move a neilson rating. It just feels bigger on here because you're all on Tumblr, but many of you have admitted that you run multiple accounts so even mid thousands may be too generous a guestimation. And the majority of the fandom would be soft shippers, meaning they'll follow the relationship that is canon. The hard liners are Lou shippers and the show doesn't care about Lou shippers. I'm sorry anon but unless the show does something in CANON to show a shift somewhere Tommy is a plot point. I'm not going to pretend he's anything else.

Well...

I have just one thing to add here:

Thank you for putting this in my ask box Nonny. It's appreciated!

Remember, no hate in comments or reblogs. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of the anonymous OP’s posts, you can find all of their posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[drgngutz]

10 - Coast - Luffy x f!soulmate!reader

Chapter 10

Taglist: @mystic60 , @louisechec , @pinksh1t , @violetmatcha , @urbisexualfriend

Masterlist!

Sorry in advance... This part is like a whole book lol. After this chapter the rest get a lot shorter, it took FOREVER to write this one.

Enjoy <3

It's past nightfall, and the crew and I have made ourselves at home in the half-house of Mont Blanc Cricket. He had initially attacked us, thinking we were thieves coming to steal his golden treasures, before fainting suddenly from a diving disease. When he came to, after Dr. Chopper's treatment, he was entirely apologetic. 

Words and motivations are exchanged, apologies are shared, and he comes to the decision that he would help us make it to sky island on something called the knock-up stream; a dangerous way of traveling to be sure, and I wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of being thrust into the sky, just to possibly fall back down and become fish food. 

I had been subtly keeping an eye on Luffy throughout the ordeal, on edge after he came back from Mocktown where he, Nami and Zoro went out for information...

A dull pain spreads across my skin; spots on my face, arms and torso seem to burn without a source. It was weird, looking down at the untouched surface, but feeling like I was covered in cuts and bruises all the same. 

"Luffy, Zoro!" Usopp calls, sounding extremely concerned. I look up from where we’re working on the ship; My brows furrow at the blood staining their clothes. 

"W-What happened? Why are you bleeding?" Usopp prods further. They don’t give him an answer. 

I scan Luffy head to toe, noting the marred skin on all the same spots where I could feel the pain resonating; that answered the question, another factor of the soulmate link I suppose, but it didn't make me any less worried. They had gone into town to find some answers about sky island, not to get into fights and cause trouble. 

"Luffy, what-- Are you okay?" I met him halfway as they made their way back to the boat. My hands are itching to reach out and brush the blood from his face as we stand in front of each other, but I hold back the feeling, holding them at my sides hesitantly. 

"What are you so worried about?" He laughs, and my shoulders slouch. 

"I'm fine. Let's go." And he walks past without another word. At the moment, it feels like he's brushed me off. Maybe he didn't like me fretting over him? 

Nami is quick to unknowingly distract me as I walk up to her and ask if she's okay; delving straight into a rant about how the two men were being 'idiotic' and how she was publicly humiliated for asking about sky island. 

“They all laughed at me! And those two morons just stood there and did nothing–” 

At the time, I'm too busy appeasing Nami and letting her vent her sorrows, I don’t notice the eyes zeroing in on the back of my head as he grins. 

Now he was fine, of course. He never was phased by many of his wounds, from what I could tell. In fact, he was parading around with the monkey brothers, rough housing, dancing, shouting, eating-- You get the picture.

To be honest, it seemed like the events from earlier today seemed totally forgotten in general. Everyone was partying now, munching on Sanji's snacks and drinking to their hearts delight. Music plays softly in the background. I try my best to ease into the atmosphere and forget about before, too. 

"Here, have some!" Nami holds the wooden tankard toward me, offering me the sickly-sweet smelling drink. Her cheeks are flushed. 

"I'm good, thanks though." I smile, lifting my own cup of juice to show I already had a drink. I wasn't interested in alcohol, anyways. 

"Hey, why don't you girls come sit next to me, huh?" Cricket's face is an even darker shade of red, covering his cheeks, nose, forehead, and ears as the bottle of wine sloshes in his hand. I smile at him bashfully, and lean into Nami, who giggles and leans back. Sanji is quick to cover for us, though I knew the older man didn’t mean much harm. 

"Woah-- You're about a hundred years too old to be hitting on Nami; and (Y/n)'s taken, anyway." His foot is planted on the older man's face, holding him back from leaning too close to us. I'm amazed that he's able to keep holding the plates of food as he does this, expertly laying some down in front of us. 

I take a bite of some sort of fish sashimi, and my spirits lift at the flavor. 

"This is amazing, Sanji!" I compliment him, going for another piece. 

"Oh, (Y/n)! I feel I may go to heaven when an angel like you speaks to me like that!" He spins, hearts in his eyes as he nearly whacks Luffy in the face with his foot. It looks like he's completely forgotten his own words from earlier, when emphasizing that I was taken.

"I always compliment your cooking..." I trail off with a little giggle, finally feeling the effects of the good mood begin to rub off on me. 

"'The skulls right eye!'" 

Cricket says in a haunting tone from across the room. How did he get there so quickly, you ask? I have no idea. 

"'That's where I saw the gold.'" He quotes from 'Noland the Liars' log book, which lies in Robin's hands. Noland was Cricket's ancestor, so I wasn't surprised if he might've memorized the documents; despite his insistence on hating his predecessor. 

"Those words, smeared with tears, were the last ones Noland wrote in his logbook. 'The skulls right eye, that's where I saw the gold.'" Everyone in the room stops, enraptured in the exhilaration of his words. And, frankly, so am I. To imagine the possibility of an entire city of gold, of an island in the sky; that was stuff that people could only dream of in the modern world. It was enough to make something as amazing as Time’s Square look bland.

"Noland was executed the same day." There's a heavy silence as nobody speaks, on the edge of their seat, waiting for him to continue. 

"Even after coming to Jaya, I still don't know what he meant by that. Is it referring to the name of a city, or an old landmark that used to reside on the island? Was it just a poetic allusion to his own impending death? The blank pages that follow give us no clue..." Luffy has begun eating again at this point, moaning happily at the taste of the food through Cricket's storytelling. 

"That's why we keep diving to the bottom of the ocean; We have a dream, and it’s on the seafloor!" The crew, Masira and Shoujou let out a 'hurrah' at the end of Cricket's speech. 

Dreams. It was a topic that came up time and time again in our travels. An important topic to everyone I had met so far. The crew, Zenny, Henzo, Cricket, and I; we all had dreams that we wanted to fulfill. There were places we wanted to go, people we wanted to see, mysteries to solve, people to find...

I looked at Luffy, who was still happily chewing away, before looking back down at the food before us and finding my own snack to munch on. 

I guess I had already found my own dream, right?

"'The day I arrived on Jaya. Entry for May 21st, 1122. Upon landing on the island, we heard strange bird calls and the sound of a very large bell coming from the forest. The sound of that huge golden bell resonated far and wide, almost as if showing off the prosperity of a city long past! We thought we knew everything after living for a few decades... but experiencing the transience of this civilization that flourished for a long time on the wide open sea left us speechless! The sound of the bell had us stopped in our tracks!'" Cricket ended the quote with an enigmatic roar, which the trio of monkey boys echoed just as enthusiastically. 

"I just love stories with bells in them, especially gold ones!" Nami cheered, and I rolled my eyes with a laugh.

“Nami, you love anything that’s shiny and has a price tag.” She playfully slapped my shoulder, and I shied away jokingly. 

Right after Nami said it, Cricket produced that exact object from a large crate in the corner of the room; three golden bells. The girl, proving my point, practically jumped on them. 

"Huh... Doesn't seem too enormous to me." Usopp observed with a hand on his chin. Nami was cuddling one of the objects with Berry signs in her eyes. 

"These aren't that bell. They're bell-shaped golden ingots we found on the ocean floor." Cricket responded with a close-eyed smile. 

"No way. So there really is a city of gold!" Luffy cried, finally done eating. 

"It's still not proof, though! You could find golden relics like that lying around in any old ruins." Shoujou yells at him, trying not to let his anticipation get too high (a futile effort with Luffy). 

"Maybe so," Robin begins, and I know she's about to give us some historically-accurate-based-hope that would reinforce their belief in the mythical city; "But it does suggest that there was a civilization here sometime in the past. Ingots are made to divide gold into standardized units of weight. And that would indicate an advanced trading society."

"Exactly," Cricket affirms, "And remember that peculiar bird call he said they heard when they landed? Show it to 'em, Masira." 

Masira is moving before Cricket finishes his sentence, unveiling another, much larger, artifact composed completely out of gold. The creature that it depicts looks like a morphed version of a toucan, with a large beak and small body. Everyone is awed at the way it glistens in the candlelight. 

"Golden bells and birds, huh? Do you think they might be symbols of some ancient Jayan civilization?" Sanji asked, and I had to agree with the topic of the question; so far, all signs were pointing to that being the case. 

"I really couldn't say for certain, but I'm pretty sure all these pieces were a part of the same casting. This creature here is called the South Bird, and they still exist on this island today." Cricket pulled it closer to himself, inspecting the golden exterior for scuffs. Luffy follows it eagerly. 

"Wow, so they have a peculiar call?" The curious boy asks, still staring down at the remnant in wonder. 

"Uh-huh," Cricket confirms, "Just like in the log book." 

"Sailors have used South birds on ships since ancient times, so that--" Masira chokes on the words before he can finish speaking, and the two monkey brothers gasp in realization, looking at each other nervously. I furrow my brow, concerned, before hearing Cricket make the same noise. 

"Oh, crap!" The three of them emit, jumping to a stand in the middle of the room, a newfound urgency in what was once a laid back stance. 

"What's wrong?" The crew responds with equal importance. 

"This is really bad," Cricket spits, "You guys gotta' get to the forest on the South side of the island right away!" 

"Huh? Are you crazy, old guy?" Luffy looks at Cricket with a deadpan, not sure what he was talking about. I wasn’t sure what the problem was either. 

"Don't waste a minute! You gotta' capture one of these birds, and quickly!" Cricket chastised his question, before continuing swiftly.

"Now, listen carefully," he didn't waste another moment, "Tomorrow you're gonna' sail for the knock up stream; it lies directly South of here. How are you going to get there?" 

"We just sail the ship due South, of course." Luffy grunts, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed as if the conversation was beginning to aggravate him. 

"Have you forgotten this is The Grand Line?! You're heading for the open sea, you won't be able to get your bearings!" Cricket shouts. 

"Wait, he's right. Without an island to lock onto, the log pose will be useless and there will be no way to navigate!" Nami exclaimed, looking anxious at the idea. 

"Oh." I said out loud, the cause of all this commotion clicking together in my head. They all turned to look at me. 

"W-Well," I started after noticing they were waiting for me to elaborate, "We need a South bird, and we need to go South... I'm just guessing, but does the South bird help us get there somehow?" 

The crew all looked at me like I was crazy. 

"I-I dunno,' maybe it like… migrates, or something." I finish nervously, before Cricket huffs out a puff of smoke from his cigarette. 

"She's right; you can use the South bird in order to get there. Certain animals are known to have a very accurate internal sense of direction, as if they're born with a natural compass." Cricket finalizes, and Usopp pats my shoulder apologetically for not believing me. I give him a look. 

"That makes Zoro dumber than an animal!" Luffy chortles. 

"Yeah, right, like you're one to talk!" 

"The South bird is a perfect example of this," Cricket ignores them, "their bodies always point in the same direction. Basically, if you don't get to that forest and catch one of those birds right now, you'll kiss your only chance to get to sky island goodbye!" 

Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp all screech in horror at the idea, before assuming a desperate scramble to get going. The rest of the crew follows, and we begin to rush out like a bunch of clowns in a tiny car. Despite Usopp's annoyance at the ordeal, Cricket hands out a few nets to aid in the capture. 

"The three of us are gonna' get started on the repairs to your broken-down ship." The monkeys are waving goodbye from behind Cricket, and I take that as our cue to leave. As soon as I turn though, I'm met with Zoro. 

"I think you should stay here," He gruffs, "since you've been working on the ship with Usopp, you can tell them about all the broken parts. We'll find the bird." 

I'm taken aback, speechless. I glance between his stern eyes, then at the gazes of the crew behind him, who seem to genuinely consider his statement. Sure, I wasn't the strongest in the group, but did he really think I couldn't help them find the South bird? Was I really that useless to them? 

I didn't get to ask him why, before Cricket interrupted. 

"Actually, yeah. That would be pretty helpful, so we don’t miss anything." 

"Are... you sure?" I finally spoke up, "You don't want my help?"

"Nah!" Luffy joyfully replies, "Zoro’s right, we're good. You should help Cricket out, anyways!" 

"Oh." I say softly, not even sure if they could hear me. As the group heads towards the forest, the only one who has a semblance of recognition for me getting left behind is Usopp, who begs to stay with me out of fear. Zoro gives me a nod, before following the rest of the group.

My chest hurts. I wanted to go with them.  

"We'll be back, okay?" Nami calls, "See you soon!"

I stand there, holding my marked arm in my hand. Their figures disappear into the darkness, before Cricket comes over and places a hand on my shoulder. I look up at him wearily. 

"Come on, there's no time to waste." I nod in response, trudging after him to the beat-up vessel. 

—

I do my best to identify and list each problem that the ship has over the next hour that passes, entirely off of my memory. The past few weeks of helping Usopp with its repairs were coming in handy. Still, it’s hard to stay focused when you have a realization that your crew might not actually value you as a member yet, despite your efforts, and still only sees you as some free-loader who can't really contribute; because you’re a weakling-weirdo who came here from another world a few weeks ago, and your soulmate still doesn't really give a damn about you at all. 

I wish I wasn't so useless. 

"Alright, that's the mast finished. What's next, short stack?" Masira hollers, and I take a look at the sides of the ship which are a patch-work of boards. I'm doing my best to get rid of the nauseous feeling in my stomach. 

"Well, the sides of the ship need work, and the hull does too... Some of the floorboards still need to be replaced, and..." I trail off, trying to organize my thoughts. 

"I'm guessing you're not too familiar with this line of work, kid." Cricket observes, and I shrink. 

"Sorry." I mumble, averting my eyes to The Merry's figure head. It looks back at me, silent and judging. 

"Don't be sorry," the older man continued, "I was just gonna' say that might've been the reason they left you behind." 

Something pinches in my chest. 

"Right... yeah, probably." I deflated, before moving to grab one of the boards they were using for the repairs. 

"Don't take it in a negative way, kid." He stops me in my tracks, and I turn to look at him. What positive way was there to think about this? 

"You're soulmates with Luffy, right?" I nod, "Then it's probably because of your lack of experience that they left you here; it's much safer here with us than it is out in the dark, in those woods. Try not to be so down about it." 

I blink, wrapping my head around the words, before slowly nodding again. He had a point, I suppose… But, why hadn’t they just said that in the first place? If they were worried about keeping me safe, they could’ve just said so. 

"Hey, Old Timer!" Shoujou shouts, his green hair flowing in the wind as the two of us look up at him. 

"We've got some company!" He points at a ship that's nearly ready to dock at the side of the island, not too far from where we stood in front of Cricket's home. None of us had managed to notice it until that point. 

"Who is that?" Cricket asks out loud, and I shake my head, stumped. 

"I dunno.'" I say quietly, before the two monkey brothers have made their way over. 

The boat, a dull brown with pink and gray accents, lowers the bridge for the crew to dock. Their jolly-roger waves in the brisk wind, showcasing a stuck-out tongue and lips over crossed bones. A small crowd of twelve people begins to filter out, led by a blonde man with a pink shirt and a blue-and-gold-adorned coat over his shoulders. His sinister smile matches the one on the figure head, crossed out with a half-slash. Cricket pushes me behind him before they get too close. I lose most of my visibility. 

"Mont Blanc Cricket!" He shouts from across the landscape, a wild edge to his tone. 

"Rumor in town says you've fished up quite the sum of gold recently... I'd like to have it for myself!" Pirates, I think, and not the good kind. 

"Now, now, little boy," Shoujou starts, voice carrying over the whipping wind, "You don't really wanna' go and make us angry, do you?" 

"It's not nice to show up in the middle of the night and demand gold from someone, now get lost! We've got a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it." Masira backs him up, chuckling as he cracks his knuckles. 

The man from before, whom I assume is the Captain, begins to cackle in a way that reminds me of a hyena. 

"You must be the bodyguards, and the old man must be the ex-pirate named Cricket... I heard the sad story of the Mont Blancs family, back at the pub. It moved me to tears." He taunted, and I could hear the teasing edge of his voice… He was mocking them.

"But stealing another man's treasure moves me even more; I'm a pirate, after all!” He grunts, and I hear the rustling of fabric as he removes his coat. 

"Maybe you'd like to know what people call me before I take your whole life's work. The Hyena!" Fitting. 

He chortles in a high pitch, true to his name; I can feel the tension thicken in the air, sticking uncomfortably to my skin, just as it always does right before a fight ensues. It seems they haven’t noticed me yet, and I'm thankful for Cricket allowing me to use him as a human shield.

"If you're looking for a fight, you've come to the right place!" Shoujou responds heartedly. 

"You're gonna regret mockin' the Saruyama alliance!" Masira is in a fighting stance, looking ready for whatever was inevitably coming our way. 

And it comes quickly. The crewmates charge with a rambunctious shout, throwing fists and words as they do it. I move back into the house as Cricket joins the skirmish, not looking to get myself involved. 

"Hand over the gold, Old Man! Do it quickly, and we may even let you live!" Another man with light blue hair, donned with a fur coat, gold chain, and striped gloves shouts as Cricket dodges. 

"You forgot to say 'please!'" He thrusts out his leg and kicks the guy in the chin after effectively blocking all of his punches; the blue haired man flips backward from the force of it. 

The Monkey brothers are holding their own just as well, effectively slamming away four or five other crewmates that had joined in on the action. 

Their captain, 'The Hyena,' stands with arms crossed and an excited smile. The sight makes my skin crawl. What the hell was he up to? 

"Looks like the boys might actually need a hand…" The blonde licks his lips, eyes wide. 

"Guess I'd better show 'em how it's done!" 

The others are too focused on the fight to realize what's happening, but I'm not. 

I watch the blonde's legs as they morph into springs. He crouches down, springs coiling; looking ready to pounce, and aiming for Masira. 

There isn’t a chance to warn him of what's coming, since the captain has already shot himself across the way, straight into Masira's back. 

The monkey-man groans, dropping the man in his hold as his back bends, and his eyes roll back. His body awkwardly molds into a ‘C’ shape, all due to the spring-man's punch.

Before he can recover, the blonde grabs Masira and launches himself off of the monkey's face, effectively punching Shoujou while simultaneously knocking his brother behind him. 

Next, he springs for Cricket, who dodges in the nick of time; however, the blonde is quick to rebound, landing on the Going Merry and propelling off of it with enough force to snap the hull in two. 

Cricket must've been too shocked to retaliate. The captain had punched him dead in the face within the next second, maintaining terrifying accuracy and speed. I watched the blood spill from the old man's lips in horror as he ragdolled onto the dirt. 

"Way to go, Bellamy!" One of the women of his crew acts as a cheerleader for the massacre, overjoyed by her captains brutality. 

"Cricket!" I cry out, pushing myself past the doorway and rushing to his side. He was laying so still, he looked like he was dead. I was anxious about him taking such a beating with his condition, since Chopper was so serious about it earlier. What if this pushed him past his limit? 

I don't make it very far, before I'm shoved in the shoulder and to the ground by the man with light-blue hair. 

"Look, Bellamy; they've got a girl!" He grins, and points his double-edged sword so that it rests under my chin. His Captain howls with laughter. 

"Well, well, well! Looks like Cricket might still have that pirate's spirit in him, after all!" He uncrosses his arms, reaching for his coat on the ground. 

I shiver as the cold steel brushes against my skin, not taking my eyes off the blade, even as it reflects the brightness of the moon into my eyes and blinds me. 

I’m too scared to swallow or breathe wrong. Any slight movement and he could have my neck sliced wide open. 

"Why don't we take you with us, huh?" The man removes the weapon from my jugular, finally, and I feel my limbs tremble. 

"How about it, we can pay you real nice in return..." He suggests. I feel like I could puke at his insinuation. 

"Enough!" Shouts Bellamy, "Grab her, and clean up this trash. Get the gold and take care of them."

Wordlessly, the blue-haired man reaches down and picks me up like a sack of potatoes, moving toward the massive ship. 

"No--" I grunt, trying to pry his arm off of me, "Lemme' go! I don't want to--" 

I kick and struggle the whole way, trying to get him to put me back down, but he doesn’t even acknowledge me. No matter how many times I punch or slap, my strikes are weak. 

The rest of their crew rushes past and begins to beat whatever life is left out of the Saruyama Alliance. They smash, jab, slash; all while they're still lying on the ground, stiff and unmoving. And they still don't stop, even as their blood begins absorbing into the grass. 

"Stop it!" I cry desperately, voice grating as tears run down my face, "Please, stop! Cricket, Masira, Shoujou!" 

"So much for your Saruyama Alliance," Bellamy chuckles, "Just an old man and a couple of overgrown apes!" 

"Just take the gold and go!" I yelp, getting closer and closer to their boat. 

"Haven't you done enough? Leave them alone!" 

"Shut her up, Sarquiss. I've had enough of her yowling." 

"Will do, Captain Bellamy." The gag is tied tightly around my head when they wrangle me onto the ship, inevitably rendering me unable to speak. They bind my hands and feet, before leaving me in the ship's corner, where I can still see the island.

As the crew begins to cast off, bag of Crickets gold in tow, I stare longingly over the rails; sobbing into the rag as I watch the limp forms of the Saruyama Alliance get farther and farther away. 

Quaking in my corner, no longer being able to worry about the Saruyama Alliance, I glanced around at the horrible smirking faces of Bellamy’s crew. In my haste to help Cricket, I had forgotten about my own safety. 

Where were they taking me? What if they were leaving the island? 

They couldn’t just take me, could they? But, then… How would the crew ever find me again? 

I hadn’t thought this through. 

I closed my eyes tightly. The tears squeezed out, anyway. 

--- 

"Hey, old guy! We caught one of those birds!" Luffy's voice echoes across the now-destroyed scene. Footsteps echo across the land, not yet seeing it, and blindly making their way through the dark. 

The crew stops short, finally seeing the wreck before them; a few of them gape in horror, the others stare in shock. 

Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou were laying in heaps; unresponsive. The ship was in pieces. Cricket's home was in ruins, ransacked and empty; scattered all over the grass as if it had exploded. 

Luffy raced over to the old man, whose eyes were cinched over closed eyes, bleeding and in pain. His tanned knees were stained with the bloody-mud around the dilapidated figure.

"Pops, what happened?" He hunched over the man's form. Cricket still didn't respond. 

"Masira!" Usopp called, and again there was nothing. 

"Shoujou!" Sanji found him lying face-up in the ocean, but the monkey didn’t utter a word. 

"What the... What happened here?" Nami whispered, baffled. 

"I've got a better question, who did this?" voiced Sanji as he was dragging Shoujou's body through the water.

"Wait," Robin started, and for the first time, the crew could hear alarm in her usually unchanged voice:

"Where's (Y/n)?" 

Nobody said a word. All of them looked at Robin in dread, realizing the weight of her words. 

Immediately, everyone began to search every nook and cranny, high and low; Usopp, Nami and Chopper were calling your name, Zoro and Luffy scoured the house and its remains, Robin searched in the surrounding forest, and Sanji even dove back into the ocean in case you might've fallen in... but, you were gone.

Once they reconvened, Zoro looked uncharacteristically beside himself. 

"We checked the house... she wasn't there. Cricket's gold isn't, either." His jaw was clenched with guilt. 

"Where... Where could she have..." Nami choked out tearfully, Chopper looking just about ready to cry as well. 

"Sorry... kid." Cricket rasped from the ground, and the reindeer was at his side in an instant. The man was looking at Luffy. 

"I... I'm truly sorry, kid," He gasped before trying to sit up, despite Chopper's fussing, "We did everything we could to stop them... but it wasn't enough." 

"What happened?" Luffy, who hadn't said anything during the search for his soulmate, asks in a dull tone. 

It's the same dull tone that the crew doesn't hear him use very often; it was like a switch must’ve gone off. 

"She's... She's gone. They took her." 

Nami covered her mouth to stop any noise from coming out, while Usopp and Chopper sniffled. Zoro turned and walked silently back towards Cricket's home. 

Luffy was quiet. Too quiet. He stood stock still and stared at Cricket with a look he couldn't decipher. Not one that blamed him for what happened, no. But it was a look that made his hair stand on edge, despite his seasoned age. 

It was a serious look; a dangerous one. 

"Hey, Luffy..." Zoro beckoned, and the boy turned slowly. 

Scrawled on the boards, the ones that served as a false-overlay to Crickets home, was the familiar mark of a jolly-roger: A smiling face with a slash in the middle. 

Nami recognized it, too. 

"That's Bellamy's..." She trails off with a gasp, before her face morphs into a snarl and she wipes her tears away aggressively.

"I told you, didn't I?" She seethed at the two men, "I told you, you should've beat those guys to a pulp and been done with it!" 

For the first time in a while, Luffy was angry; but there was no expression on his face to show it. 

He turned to look at Robin, ignoring Nami’s rage. Though, Robin couldn't see his eyes beneath the rim of his hat, brimmed with shadow. 

"If I follow the coast, will that take me all the way back to Mocktown?" He asked in a hushed, grave voice. 

"Yes, I believe it will." She confirmed, and that's all he needed to hear before he turned in the same direction. 

"We only have three hours," Sanji urged, "You better hurry and go get your soulmate, before it’s too late." 

Luffy said nothing, but they could all hear the bones in his hands popping as he sprinted away. 

---

It's been hours, and there was still no sign of anyone. 

I was starting to lose hope, forced into being cooped up with the drunken barbarians who had just beaten the tar out of my friends. And there wasn’t an escape in sight. We only had so much time before the crew would have to leave to catch the knock up stream in order to make it to sky island... Would they leave me here? Like they did when they went hunting for the South bird? 

No. Luffy would never. He might not pay much attention to me, but we were still soulmates. He wouldn't just leave me, and if not him, then Nami definitely wouldn’t... 

Right?

"Those apes were hilarious!" Giggled Sarquiss from beside me, "All bloody, with tears and snot running down their faces!" 

He flung an arm over my shoulder, leaning in close where I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Gagging, I squirmed away and out from under his arm, but bumped into another one of Bellamy's crew in the process. He grunted, irritated, before shoving me back to Sarquiss. 

My lungs clenched desperately in my chest for air, shrinking in my seat as if it would make me invisible. It was way too crowded, surrounded by a bunch of rugged thieves and murderers, I had learned from their stories. 

At least I was still on the same island.

My hands shook beneath the table. 

"Oh, come on babe," He went to do it again, and I dodged, "Wasn't that the funniest thing you've ever seen?" 

A chorus of agreements and whistling popped up around the table, all of them directed at me and attempting to coax me into a conversation, eyes shining in a hungry way that made my skin crawl. 

I couldn’t believe that they were laughing at the fact that they had probably beaten my friends to death; and now they wanted me to join in on the ‘fun.’ 

Another man went to grab at my waist, and I shimmied away; finally having enough and standing up, despite the glare I received from Sarquiss. 

"G-Get off of me!” I yelped apprehensively.

“I already told you, I have a soulmate!" I tried to put my foot down time-and-time again with this same statement, but none of them would bother to listen. 

"Yeah, okay, babe. Heard it so many times before," The drunken random from the crew tugged me back down, gripping hard at the soulmate mark as I winced. 

"And this is your ‘mark.’ Yeah, right-- Huh?" He was bewildered to have actually seen the mark on my arm for the first time that night, since nobody other than him had bothered to check if I was telling the truth. I honestly doubted that they would care, either way. 

"You're soulmates with that Luffy kid?" I yanked my arm back to myself, clutching at the mark like it was my anchor in this troubling situation.

"Yes, I am.” I tried to retaliate confidently, despite the waiver in my voice, “So leave me alone already, you--" 

"Bad news!" A man with a tall hat and scruffy face came barging into the room, effectively silencing everyone in the vicinity. Even the music stopped.

"This better be good..." Somebody from the table closest to me muttered. 

"Those guys-- The ones that were here this afternoon, they--" He slurred, before finding the person in the room that he was looking for, then gasping. 

"Bellamy! What are you still doin' here?! You... You've gotta' get outta' here, you're in terrible danger!" 

"What are you talking about? How am I in danger?" Bellamy scoffed with a frown, the veins in his forehead popping out of aggravation. 

"That-- That kid, from earlier, he's--" He groaned, seemingly unable to form the proper words, before decidedly fishing out a piece of paper and unfurling it to show the room. 

It was a wanted poster with Luffy's smiling face plastered on it; as well as Zoro's. As soon as he showed them, a few of the crewmates stopped muttering, and a few more dropped their tankards to the floor; some of which shattered. 

Everyone in the room seemed stun-locked. 

I didn't understand what was so important about it; after all, I knew that Luffy had a bounty, but it was only thirty million. The crew had told me a while back that it wasn't a very high amount for a well-known pirate, so what was their deal all of a sudden? 

"One hundred million?" Somebody whispered. 

"Sixty million?" Others added. 

Oh. I guess I missed the fact that their bounties had been raised. 

"Those two together are worth one-hundred-and-sixty-million! Their bounties are higher than yours, Bellamy. Do you know what that means?" He gasped, out of air and gaping like a fish. 

"You're dead meat!" 

So, it was a big number; And a deserving one, since Luffy had defeated one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. He was, I assumed, a strong pirate.  

But, still… After seeing Bellamy completely dismantle the ship and knock-out the trio, I was nervous. Even if Luffy had that high of a bounty now, would he be able to defeat Bellamy? How high was Bellamy’s bounty?

Now I was wondering if I even wanted him to rescue me; Not if it meant he was going to be hurt in the process. I didn’t want to see him lying on the ground like Cricket was. 

This was all becoming very overwhelming very fast. 

Bellamy's crew begins to panic, all squandering reasons to leave, shouting at each other in disagreement on whether or not Bellamy could take on Luffy. With their booze forgotten and chairs pushed back, I try my best to move toward the door in the commotion. 

If I could leave on my own, then nobody would have to get hurt. 

"Hey, hey, hey! All it takes to scare you ‘big tough guys’ are some little scraps of paper!" Bellamy cackles, and everybody shuts up. 

"What, do you all have empty sockets for eyes? You saw that scrawny leader! This is nothing but a sham.” The men looked unconvinced. I kept moving. 

“I'll explain it to you morons. There are pirates like these losers who fake their own wanted posters to make a name for themselves. The fakers win fights without throwing a single punch... Their enemies would take one look at their bogus bounties, turn tail, and run. Just like you sorry excuses are doing right now!" He lifts his hand up, waving it around to exaggerate certain parts of his explanation. 

"B-But, Bellamy, are you sure...?" The same man holding the posters speaks up once again, and Bellamy rolls his eyes in disappointment. 

"Fine. Why don't I show you how weak that brat really is?" He grunts, coming to a stand, before beginning to march over in my direction; I had made it halfway to the door at this point, but now I was frozen. 

"After all," He gives me a maniacal grin, looking down at me with wide eyes as he stops in front of me, and I wonder if he can hear my heart thumping in my chest;

"We have his soulmate right here, don't we?" 

His hand comes up and latches itself to the hair on my scalp, before continuing on his way to the saloon doors. 

My scalp is on fire as he wrenches me along, and I let out a cry. Then, using the same hand, he jerks his arm harshly; throwing me through the doors. 

A few of the crew, still inside, laugh at the sight as I roll down the stairs. Landing roughly on my stomach, I cough against the dusty ground, whining at the feeling of the bruises forming on my skin. 

As I'm pushing myself to my knees, arms wobbling, I hear the doors open behind me. Bellamy's boot-clad feet are stomping ever-closer, and my pulse races.

I whip around to look at him, not wanting to be grabbed or tossed again. Instead, I see the barrel of a gun in my face. 

My blood freezes in my veins. 

Staring down the cylinder, my heartbeat’s in my ears, looking in the face of death. 

My face must’ve gone pale. He sniggers from behind the gun. 

"Let's see what he's going to do if she's in danger, huh?" He taunts, pushing the barrel right to my forehead where I flinch, and clench my eyes in terror. 

The tears come then, fueled by the heightened feeling of the metal pressing harshly, combined with the sound of the pistol being cocked; reverberating through the object and into my skull. They spill down my face, and I bite my lip as it trembles. 

"Awe, you're just as pathetic as that soulmate of yours, aren't you!" He roars with laughter, and I grow stiff from every movement. My eyes peek open, vision blurred, but still able to make out his finger on the trigger. 

"Go on," He nods his head once, once he sees me open my eyes, "Call him."

The sob forces its way out of my throat as I close my eyes again, shaking. 

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. 

"Call him." Bellamy says with less patience, tone tinged with the darkness of a man who had killed once before, and who would do it again; 

"So that we can see what lover-boy will do, yeah?" 

No.

I had only just got here, only just found Luffy; and now I was going to die.

Was this some sort of cruel fate? 

“I’m running out of patience, you brat–” 

"I'm right here." 

My eyes snap open, and the gun is forgotten in an instant, left as a forethought in momentary shock. 

I turn my head to look, and I think I might melt into the boards below when I see him. 

The first thing I notice is his hat; it's hanging from his neck, not on his head like it always is. His hair is whipping wildly in the wind, untamed.

The second thing I notice is the look on his face. He's frowning, brows creased over a determined gaze that doesn't leave mine. It registers; I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look at me like this before. 

He completely ignores the black tendrils that brush over his sight. There's an intensity in the way he's looking at me. Tiny, rapid movements of his pupils tell me he's scanning my own face, searching for something; it seems desperate, concerned. 

It's relieving. It's comforting. 

I bite my lip, not bothering to mask the sob that comes out of my throat as we stare at each other. He had come to save me.

“Luffy–” Bellamy hoists me up by my collar, cutting me off and pushing me into another crew member behind him, who grabs me in response. I hadn’t noticed that the others had begun to make their way outside, now.  

Luffy's stare hardens into a glare when Bellamy is placed in his line of sight, all sense of care gone. 

"Give 'em back," He grunts out, "My soulmate and Pop's gold. I want 'em both." 

"Finally!" Bellamy jeers, crouching into a stance similar to the one I had seen during the fight from earlier, and alarm bells go off. Luffy can’t end up the same. I writhe in the man's grip, and he jostles me to stand still as I whine softly, hiccuping. 

"You want 'em? Come and get 'em, kid!" Despite his words, he moves first. 

"Don't worry, this won't take long," And he pounces, "Spring Sniper!" 

The memory of blood bursting from Crickets lips flashes in my mind, Bellamy's fist connecting with his cheek; and I picture Luffy in his spot. 

The breath leaves my chest in relief as Luffy dodges, jumping up and managing to land on the roof of a house nearby. He stumbles as he does. 

Bellamy doesn't let it slide. 

"You got lucky!" The older of the two grits out, before pursuing the younger a second time. 

The boy dodges narrowly this time, flipping over the siding and gripping at the roof's edge. His arms stretch for a moment, naturally bobbing his body up and down due to his rubber qualities, but he looks okay. 

"Does that kid actually think he has a chance here?" Sarquiss laughs from somewhere next to me. I don't care enough to look at him, eyes locked on my soulmate as he hangs precariously from a rooftop. 

"If nothing else, this should be entertaining. Bellamy always puts on a good show." Another man with blonde hair and glasses states, one of Bellamy’s lackeys. 

"He talked all big, but now he's just running away!" 

The two are at a standstill on top of their respective buildings, now. Luffy effortlessly pulled himself back into a better position, almost like hanging from the building didn't even put a dent in his stamina. In fact, he didn't look tired at all. 

Bellamy shouts something indiscernible at him, looking smug, before shooting toward him a third time. 

He misses once more as Luffy scarcely avoids the attack, but this time he falls. 

Watching how languidly he falls, arms flailing in the air, I wonder if maybe he actually did get hit. My chest constricts, breath caught in my throat.  

"You're nothing but a little boy who still believes in dreams! You disgrace the rest of us by calling yourself a pirate. It's time to stop this foolish dreaming and grow up!" Bellamy is getting more and more frustrated, likely due to Luffy’s evasion. It's listless in his form as he comes to a crouch near the crowd.

Luffy still says nothing, he doesn't make a peep even as he keeps falling. 

Was he knocked out? Was he okay?

"Now, let's end this!" Bellamy roars as he fires himself once more at Luffy, this time hitting his target. 

He nails him, and Luffy lets out a surprised yelp, not expecting the attack in midair. I listen to his uneven scream as he spins his way down to the ground; aimed directly at the crowd in front of the tavern. 

The onlookers flee as he collides with an explosion of dust. 

His scream cuts short, and I can feel the sudden spreading of pain across my back and shoulders. I scan desperately over the rubble with piercing eyes, trying to blink away the tears so I can see better. 

Just barely, beneath the cloud of dust, I can make out the bright-red of his vest. He’s not showing any signs of moving.

"Luffy!" I screech. The man from behind gives a harsh 'shut up,' clasping a hand over my mouth as Bellamy begins another speech. 

"See? There's no escape!" He exclaims from the top of another building. 

"I've eaten a devil fruit, so you don't stand a chance against me!" 

I stop, the topic of devil fruits triggering a realization. I trace back through the entirety of the fight in my mind, just to make sure I wasn’t crazy; but I knew I was right. 

But why?

This whole time, Luffy hadn't bothered to make a move on Bellamy. 

In fact, he had spent the whole time dodging when he otherwise would have been fighting; just like he did with all the marines we ran into. Luffy had his devil fruit too, so why wasn't he using it?

Something was off. 

"Looks like your dreams are at an end." Bellamy smiles wickedly from his lofty position. 

The dust clears, showcasing Luffy's body submerged in a mess of broken-wooden-planks, crumpled and hunched. But, I’m not crying anymore. There’s something weird; whatever the feeling is, it’s assuring me that he’s fine.

Then, as soon as they stop jeering, Luffy begins to move. He pushes to his feet without much of a struggle, and I watch, unblinking, as he barely seems affected. 

There isn't a hint of discomfort in his posture, standing straight and staring dead at Bellamy; unwavering, even as Bellamy mocks him from the tower in the night sky. 

Luffy... wasn't hurt. 

"You don't know when to quit, do you? Fine, have it your way, we're just getting to the good part!" Bellamy bends down at his knees again. But this time, as he releases the tension in his legs, he doesn't stop at one spot. 

He springs from the floor, to the side of a building, to another one, and then back to the floor again. It's not a strict pattern, though. He’s mixing it up, and increasing speed as he does it. 

It's a mesh of high-pitched noise as he bounces from one place to another. Soon, he becomes almost impossible to see. 

If Luffy got hit by that, then he--

"So, you want your soulmate back? You think you're man enough to keep a woman happy, even though you're busy chasing dreams like a child?!" Bellamy shouts. 

"And you want the gold back because the old-man's your friend? Wake up! He's nothing but a decrepit fool who spends all his time chasing after a four-hundred year old lie. But that's probably what you like about him, right?" Luffy's face begins to morph into one of aggravation, the look grows with each of Bellamy's harsh words. I can only watch in trepidation. 

"You like to call yourselves pirates, but you know nothing! There's no 'city of gold,' no island in the sky; just oceans and ships and the men who sail them!" 

"You asked if I know how to throw a punch." The boy with the straw hat finally speaks up, after not saying a word the entire fight. 

He lifts an arm at his side, the muscles tense as he flexes his fingers. Here, in the dim night-light of the tavern reflecting off of his tanned skin, his usually-skinny arms show definition. Faintly, I hear the popping of bones, and I wonder if it's his knuckles cracking. 

Bellamy's crewmates cheer and holler for him to finish the fight, for him to do away with Luffy and 'get it over with.' 

All my fear dissipates. 

Maybe it's the look on his face, or the confidence in his pose; or maybe it's the anger and the resolution I can feel reverberate within me, even though it's not my own...

Whatever it was, I knew he was going to win. 

"So long, Straw Hat!" Bellamy chants, practically a missile that's focused straight at Luffy’s torso.  

Luffy's dark eyes lock-on, his pupils dilate, and the yellow of the lamp light shines in their center; a target of his own. 

With a bellowing cry of anger, Luffy slams his fist directly onto Bellamy's face. 

The sound is like a gun-shot, echoing over Mocktown. 

It's followed shortly after by the creak-and-snap of the wood as Bellamy's body creates a man-sized crater, his legs flailing up behind him.

The blonde captain coughs up blood, a fist imprinted on his cheek, before he lies still. 

Nobody moves. 

The wind brushes softly overhead. 

Luffy had beaten Bellamy. 

He reaches behind him for his hat, knuckles dripping with blood, before placing it on his head. I wondered if it was his blood, or if it was Bellamy’s. 

"H-Hey," Sarquiss stutters, "Quit messing around Bellamy. G-Get up, already." 

The Captain doesn't move. Everyone around begins to murmur, perplexed. 

"S-See!" The drunk from before urges, now panicking even more, "I told you so!" 

Luffy finally turns from glaring at Bellamy's unconscious form, gaze directing every ounce of its fury in my direction; and it’s targeting the man behind me, still holding me captive. 

I can feel his hands tremble and loosen, an iron grip turned to feathers. With a pitiful whimper, he removes his hand from over my lips, and backs away. 

I stand there like a statue, though, not sure what to think. Even as Luffy takes a step toward me, and I hear the majority of Bellamy's crew turn-tail and run, I still don't move. 

There were a lot of things I still didn't know about this place. But I knew some things. I knew about The One Piece, I knew about Devil-fruits, and I knew that Luffy and the crew were strong…

But, to knock out a man in one punch? A punch with enough force to cause a crater in the ground? I never imagined it, not from somebody who was as smiley and happy as he was. Sure, he was a little rough around the edges, but...

Just how strong was Luffy?

Once he's made his way over, he stops, wordless. He’s still frowning.

“Hey.” He finally greets, softly, and I blink at him, puffy eyes feeling stiff after crying. His frown deepens. 

"Did they hurt you?" The question is quiet, a stark contrast from his usual demeanor, always exuberant and excited. It's strangely reassuring, in a way, to see this side of him. 

I shake my head wordlessly, knowing that whatever they might've hurt me with, he was hurt a hundred times worse. He hums, eyes catching the rope burn on my wrists, as well as the fingerprints on my arms. I move to shakily rub at the tender skin. 

"C'mon," He grabs my hand in his, our palms tightly clasped together, like he doesn’t want to let go. 

"I'll have Chopper fix you up when we get back." 

I follow after him on shaky legs as he gently pulls us in the direction of the tavern, going to look for Cricket's gold. My heart is doing backflips in my chest, pleasant shivers running down my spine at the contact; my face is definitely pink, but I’m still sniffling down leftover tears. 

It takes a bit to actually find the sack of gold that's mixed within the mess of booze bottles and food, but when we do, Luffy has helped himself to at least five of the non-empty plates on each of the tables. He's finally looking more like his usual self, grinning in triumph when we finally find what we're looking for. He only lets go of my hand for a moment as he slings the hefty weight over his shoulders, before snatching it up again and moving towards the door. 

"That wasn't too hard to find!" He giggles as we leave the tavern, and turns to look at me, "Let's go back to the ship!" 

"Okay." The word is soft as I nod, and I've found myself able to speak again, glancing at intertwined hands with a buzz in my head.  

The shock must've worn off, but when we pass by the traces of Bellamy’s crew, I still cower and attempt to use Luffy's body as a shield; They're all huddled over his body, still in disbelief. I didn’t want to attract any more of their attention than I already had that night. 

"Hey, you, come back here! We won't be beaten by some pretend pirates!" I flinch at Sarquiss's high-pitched shout, stepping closer to Luffy, who doesn't seem bothered; flicking his eyes over to my own and smiling wider. 

"You hear me, you stupid runt! I'm talking to you!" Luffy continues to march along happily, and I try to look forward and do the same, despite the angry aura emanating from behind us. 

"I'll show you a real punch, where are you going?!" Finally, Luffy stops, and the emotions drop from his face, so I can't tell what he's thinking. 

"Where am I going?" He gruffs, raising the same blood-soaked fist as before.

There's a fleeting moment where I think he's actually going to punch the sore-loser, and Sarquiss thinks the same as he falls over in terror. Then, he points a single finger upwards. 

"The sky." He says simply, and I feel my shoulders slouch in relief. I'd had enough fighting for today. 

“How far is the–” I stumble when Luffy pulls me to his front, suddenly. Before I know what’s happening, he's bent down and looped his arms beneath my back and knees, scooped up in a bridal-carry that makes me feel weightless. 

All the blood in my body rushes to my face as I clutch at his vest with a hand, my head going fuzzy. 

"U-Um, uh-- Luffy, I-I can walk, you don't have to--" I squeak out, and he laughs, adjusting me for a better holding position. 

"It's fine, don't wanna' lose you again anyways," He chuckles, and I look at him in disbelief.

"Why are you so worried? I like holdin' you." I pause, giving him a vacant stare as the words register. His chest bubbles with laughter, cackling at the look on my face. 

I like holdin' you. It echoes in my head like a mantra. 

"Oh. O-Okay." He makes it hard to argue with his fingers grazing over my skin like that; he was surprisingly gentle. 

"Alright, let's go!" He shouts with glee, before racing off toward the coast line. 

"We gotta' get back to the ship soon, or else we won't make it to sky island!" I nod to his delighted words, but he probably can't see me as I wrap my arms around his shoulders for stability; practically being tossed around as we traversed the rugged edge of the forest. 

The sun begins to peak above the ocean as he reaches a full-on sprint. 

---

About twenty minutes pass, before the excited boy begins to ramble about their adventure in the woods while they were trying to catch the bird, since I ‘missed out and he felt bad.’ 

"Me and Chopper were chased by all these weird bugs– and I even caught an Atlas Beetle! I can't wait to get back and add him to my collection." We leap over a few rocks and I hold on tight when he lands in a crouched position with an 'oof,’ before cackling happily, despite nearly dropping me. 

I blink as I notice something flit by in the darkness, still clutching at his collar. 

"Like that one?" I point at the insect as it lands on a nearby tree, and he screeches to a halt, gasping loudly. 

"No way," His eyes shine, "That's a Hercules Beetle! I can't believe you found one, we gotta catch it! Right now!" 

"But, what about the knock-up--"

"Don’t worry, it'll be quick!" 

[neptunescore]

Kinda off topic, but do you think that people forget that F1 is BOTH a drivers championship and constructors? People complain that certain drivers are washed and if they had a different car they wouldn’t be as successful. I saw Zak Brown (I hate him sm, I don’t even have a valid reason I just do LOL) say how Max is great but he wouldn’t win championships without RedBull dominance. But isn’t that the point? Almost every championship was won by a championship level car. That’s how dominance happens BECAUSE it’s whichever team is the best at the regulations. It’s literally why FIA always changes the regulations, people expect we’ll see a drivers true form when they are in a different car. Also he said how Lando would match Max in a straight fight and… I’m sorry to say but their grids when they began were two different worlds. I respect Lando as a driver and person (I did question his comment on the Orange but it is whatever, no one knows if it was for PR or out of his own mouth) but we have literal past champions and experts talking about the driver’s expertise. I’ll admit the car is a huge play (maybe like 70%) but the driver is who makes the difference. A good example is Lewis. I love him but everyone knows Mercedes downfall. He showed how much the car plays a role but also how good the driver has to be. We’ve seen him in China sprint be able to get second place because of good setup from the team and because he was able to make that difference. You can argue for many drivers such as Seb, Kimi, hell maybe add Max when he didn’t have the best car on the grid, they all won races even without the best car. Even if those wins were through safety cars or just plain strategy, which is something some teams really struggle in. McLauren happened to be the best car in Miami and had a good start (dare I say luck too) but you can also see from the other teams that everyone was struggling. No one improved their times Q3, a lot of complaints about the cars not being right. This is turning into a Zak Brown hate speech now but I think it’s important that he realizes for Lando to matchup with top drivers like Max or Lewis he needs consistency. Something that drivers such as Charles is good at. He’s still young and he has time but currently? He doesn’t stand a chance in equal machinery, different from what Zak previously stated.

Sorry for my rant!! I went off topic myself but I just think a lot of people in the media (cough twitter) forget how many teams care about the constructors championship more than the driver’s one. No one is a car merchant because there is no way you can make the car’s equal in all fields. Even if the driver isn’t the most important bit their expertise is what makes the difference!

...heyyy (im so sorry it took me so long to answer this ask anon😭, I swear I would've done sooner but at that point all of my asks were just hate crimes and I was NOT feeling the vibe. I'm back now!!!❤️🤗)

But anyway, YOURE SO RIGHT NONNIE. Ugh and this is smthng that acc makes me so irritated sometimes, bc in the end, f1 is more business than it is sport and teams NEED sponsors. I feel like alot of ppl forget that, like the drivers and teams literally DO have to pay to remain in the sport.

This means that the whole point of a team is to build the absolute best of a car they can, especially for teams at the top (rbr, ferrari, mclaren, mercedes), bc that's what the sponsors want. That's what the drivers WANT. They WANT a dominating car. They WANT a car that's 1 second ahead of the wholeass grid. They WANT that. And if top teams don't deliver that then yes, they ARE gonna lose both drivers and sponsors.

I feel like so many fans forget that f1 is literally the MOST competitive sport. No driver wants to be out there in equal machinery. They just want to WIN. Sponsors don't care how competing cars have been beaten, they just want the team they've picked to be ON TOP.

Now, away from all the money talk, fans who put EVERYTHING a driver achieves on to the 'car' just piss me off. You literally cannot be saying that. You cannot be saying max's dominance is only bc of the car when this man has a 20 SECOND GAP to the next car, while his teammate is literally fighting to make it to q3. Like please. Go look in the mirror and think abt ur comments bfr they leave your mouth😭. Monaco also proves that so well, the redbull car was absolute SHIT there, and max still managed to put it up in p6.

Who is not a Zak brown hater in this economy nonnie😌✊🏽, dw I completely get u. Literally no points to add to that bc everything uve said is so right. I feel like Zak just puts lando on a pedestal that lando has NOT achieved. There's still a long way for lando to go, and while I am happy for him and his first race win – Zak brown immediately saying lando is a championship competitor right after it is just hilarious to me😭. Like slow down bro, chill.

All in all, consistency is KEY. And literally not one driver wants to be in a car that's the same as their competitors.🤗

Edit: also nonnie, can I ask who ur fave team/ driver is?? I just like the way you talk and I wanna know so bad now.

[ubehalayas-blog]

Kyle w fake s/o that has a crush on him (?) 

saying sorry in advance lol

Kyle’s and your gambit actually went on for months, it’s like that game gay chicken

https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/eeawja/i_once_played_a_game_of_gay_chicken/

Wendy actually realized that you and Kyle were just putting up a front for everyone, honestly all of it got too stressful for you and Wendy seemed like the only person you can talk to about it. She was clueless to why you agreed but listened to your rants and vents nonetheless (best girl fr)

Stan also found out– Wendy is great at keeping secrets but let’s be honest, I feel like Stan and Wendy are the type to gossip about people but not to worry, Stendy kept it a secret that they knew about you two fake dating. 

This actually benefits you, Stan and Wendy having a good friendship with each other, you start to hang out with them most of the time, leaving Kyle because he’s a killjoy who always studies :( honestly at first he doesn’t care but as time goes he feels a bit left out.

Stendy helped you try to drop hints to Kyle that you like him, he’s a bit dense here. Since you two fake dates when you drop hints he thinks that you were just acting (?) even if it’s just the two of you in the room (?? dumbass kyle) honestly, it would be like: 

You were lying down on Kyle’s bed, looking at the ceiling as he was studying by his table, and your lips let out a sigh as you glanced at him. “Ky” you mumble. It was the only nickname Kyle approved of, and you already got used to calling him that, “yeah?” he responds, his eyes not leaving the computer. “Do you actually like someone?” You ask, sitting up as you look at him. This made him stop on his track, his eyebrow raised as he turned to face you, “why?” he asked. “Just curious” you spoke as you shrugged your shoulders. “Um, okay…?” he mumbled before turning back to his computer. Silence filled the room for a second before he sighed, finally coming up with an answer. “I– I do… I think, maybe” he stammered, which you thought was weird, your eyebrow raised as you listened to him. “Then, why didn’t you.. Ask them to be your fake partner?” you asked, flopping back to the bed, feeling a bit bummed out and jealous by his answer. You heard Kyle mumble something under his breath, but you really couldn’t get what he meant, “what was that?” you asked, curious about what he said, “nothing, I said shut up” he sighed, you found his attitude a bit off so your eyes landed on him and you saw his ears and neck was red.

Basically you are dense too. (not really you dropping hint but you get it)

Wendy recommended like, laughing at his dumb jokes to which you took offence of because his jokes really were funny (not really) and complimenting him, she says that boys love that shit and pretends to use Stan as an example, he was a blushing mess after. 

Since you always hung out around Stan and Wendy, Kyle came to the conclusion that you either liked both of them or one of them. He tried not to mind it because you two were never a thing, he shouldn’t meddle in your business if you liked them anyways. 

Since he got a bit fed up with you hanging out constantly with Stan and Wendy, he started to avoid you more than usual and the whole school made a big deal out of it, saying that you two already broke up. 

The whole situation made you rethink your steps, trying to figure out why Kyle was maybe mad at your or why he was avoiding you although it only resulted in you burning out, Wendy stepped in and suggested to just talk it out with Kyle, as much as you wanted to you felt like you couldn’t really visit him. 

Stendy felt a bit bad for you and Kyle, so Wendy persuaded Stan to have a talk with Kyle while she consoles you so he did… it kinda went down like:

Stan knocked on Kyle’s door, feeling like he shouldn’t have gotten caught up between you and Kyle’s drama, nonetheless, he wanted to help. The door opened and he was greeted by Kyle, the redhead was looking like he hadn’t had a good sleep for ages, “Jesus, Kyle…” Stan hisses as he frowned at the appearance of his best friend. 

“Do you even sleep?” Stan asked, pushing through his best friend, and guided him to the couch. “I do sleep,” Kyle retaliated, sighing as he let the latter drag him. “Good, you sure don’t look like it” Stan mumbles, sitting Kyle down. He sat down beside Kyle, letting out a sigh as he sank down to the couch, stealing glances from his best friend. “I heard... You haven’t been talking to y/n” Stan started.

“Yeah, and does it even matter to you?” Kyle sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“You and y/n are my friends, you know? So naturally, I care about both of you… and Wendy pushed me to talk to you,” he placed a hand on Kyle’s back. “Dude… I am honestly concerned. You look like shit, so just tell me what’s wrong? Why are you avoiding y/n?” he continued. 

“I– it just felt right…” he trailed off, taking a breath before continuing to speak, “we were just fake dating, Stan… we—” he paused, taking another breath, “we actually are not together” He admitted, looking at Stan for some kind of reaction.

Stan let out an exaggerated gasp, covering his mouth as he acted surprise in front of Kyle, the latter’s face twisted. His eyebrows furrow at Stan’s reaction.

“What?” He murmured before realizing, “no— you knew?”

“Well…” He paused, shrugging as he continues “yeah, y/n told Wendy… And Wendy told me” Stan mumbles, averting his eyes from Kyle’s gaze.

“Ah…” he nodded before looking at Stan again, his eyes wide, “huh?! they told Wendy? Is that why you all have been hanging out more?” he asked.

“Well... kind of? Yeah, why?” 

“I thought– I thought, maybe y/n liked you–” he was cut off by Stan’s laugh.

“y/n like me? What a big joke– they actually like–” he immediately covered his mouth. His eyes darted to Kyle. “Um... I didn’t say anything” he mumbles.

“y/n likes who? Stan?” Kyle asked, his voice stern.

“I dunno man, ask them, I am not going in the middle of ya’ll shit again so just talk to them and clear this misunderstanding alright?” Stan cringes at his word, “Oh god, man, you made me sound like an old person” he sighed, shaking his head.

Kyle chuckles a bit and nods, “you kind of do” he agreed, which earned him a nudge on the shoulder.

“Shut up and just do what I told you to. I swear to you, it will make your life easier” he sighed, rolling his eyes at his best friend.

“I know…” he mumbles, scratching his nape, “but don’t you think that y/n would be a bit— maybe not even a bit…” he mumbles, letting out a sigh before continuing, “like y/n would be mad at me for avoiding them?” 

Stan chuckles and nods, “oh hell yeah, for sure, but if you want to at least keep being friends with them just... say what you feel” he cringed again, sighing as he rubbed his nose bridge. “Did I actually say those words?” He whispered to himself.

“Yeah, that was gay” Kyle laughs softly, sighing as he lets himself sink on the couch, “You know... I think— I think I like y/n” he admitted. 

Stan looked at him, his eyebrows raised as he sank back to the couch, “Wow, nice solve, Sherlock,” he mocked, chuckling slightly.

“Shut up. I’m being for real, Stan” he murmured, covering his eyes with his arm, “I- I was jealous when… y/n started to hang out with you guys, I legit thought that she either liked you or Wendy,” he let out a sigh.

“y/n doesn’t like me or Wendy.” Stan sighed and turned to look at his friend, “was that why you avoided y/n?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at Kyle.

“Yeah… Well, kind of, I was just jealous. I thought it would be better for me to stay away from her until…” he took a breath, “until I sort out my own feelings because I really couldn’t face her, I thought I might lose my temper if I see her with you and Wendy…” He dragged a sigh, running his finger through his hair. “I just- I never actually intended for this to happen, I just wanted to get my parents off of my back… then next thing I know the whole town knew about it” he grumbled, “I mean- I don’t regret it, I did end up liking y/n even though we made a rule that we won’t fall for one another” he mumbles.

The last sentence made Stan look at Kyle, “you made house rules? No one should fall for each other?” he asked, sighing as his hands hit his face, “no... fucking wonder”

“Yeah,” Kyle mumbled, “Thanks, Stan, for coming here,” his lips tugged as he looked at Stan.

found this kind of dumb

(yall couldn’t tell I got carried away by the dialogue right?) I’m so sorry... I didn’t like this too :( maybe they’ll talk? maybe they won’t? 

[kim-ruzek]

It pisses me off that people are mad at Matt because he went to see the young girl for Sylvie and saying Matt didn't do enough for Gabby. Even making it personal saying they're glad Monica stayed away.

One, Monica left the show. It was her decision. I'm sorry if you're mad that your ship didn't end up how you wanted but you have to understand it was because of the decision of the actor, this storyline happened because she left.

Secondly, Matt is at a different point in his life. He probably wasn't ready then but he's ready now. He was also there for Gabby in every way he could and loved her so much that he didn't want to see her die. She was the one who didn't want an adoption.

With Sylvie, she welcomes the help that anyone wants to provide.

I don't see how that fandom can differentiate that Matt loved/loves these two women differently and that he is going to support them anyway he can.

I really need to stay away from the bird app or else my blood pressure is going to go through the roof with some of these takes I'm reading.

LITERALLY it is so fucking maddening to see!

It already just drives me mad when people don't ever seem to respect the fact that these actors leave, because they wanted to, so it's to be expected that the end of that storyline will be a little shit. Like you can forever be sad d*wsey isn't canonically together anymore and that Matt moved on, because if d*wsey is The Ship for you that is sad but at the end of the day, the actress wanted out and the show continued.

I also hate the argument that he didn't do enough for Gabby... Because he did. He did so so much. She was the problem, she didn't want the help he gave her. That's fine, in some ways I get that attitude and it's fine to see it that way, but lord you cannot say he didn't try.

And it's not like Brettsey was rushed. It's been built up. It's been shown again and again that they love each other, how that is shown. And they've grown together. Also Matt has seen the whole development of this arc really, from helping Sylvie with Julia and then Amelia and all that and to now the decision to adopt baby Julia, he's the most qualified to speak on the matter honestly because he's seen all that.

I would generally recommend staying away from twitter atm at least. I am currently too lol. My blood pressure definitely couldn't handle it.

I'm just so fucking done with all the people who one) keep dragging Monica into this, like damn the woman left l can guarantee you the only thoughts she has is pride for her former co workers and two) people just needlessly hating on brettsey.

Idk if it's because I'm also having to deal with the same sort of idiocy when it comes to u*stead stans on twitter (which already is laughable to me bc the stans tend to be the same people as the d*wsey stans) so I'm already pretty damn tired of people not getting things and mixing up not personally liking a storyline direction Vs bad writing.

It's also tiring to see the hypocrisy (like adoption is Valid when d*wsey does it but not Sylvie or that Sigan is a brilliant writer/show runner until upstead has to be broken down because the actor left of his own choice 🙄) and like. Just ship and let ship. And if the show choices upset you... You don't need to watch. That's fine. But attacking other ships is just not on.

Ugh I'll stop now before this turns into a full on rant. I could bitch for days about d*wsey stans but especially as you only sent the ask about brettsey I should stop because I'll just also rant about u*stead and idk how you feel about them lol.

Thank you for asking!! 💖

[cherrytimemachine]

Soooooo....How was earthspark, my friend? 😬

I know this has been sitting in my inbox for like two weeks, sorry bro.

Season 2 was... a lot. I have a lot of things I wanted to say about this, so I'll try my damn hardest to keep this as short as possible without it becoming an essay rant.

First off, it felt like they weren't really sure how to start the next season. They skipped through a whole year of potential plot. It felt like I the plot started midway through the season. I wanted to see the aftermath of the battle with Mandroid, the fallout between the Autobots and the Decepticons, the characters grappling with being under mind control. Dammit, I wanted Megatron angst.

Speaking of which, he wasn't in there enough. In the first season he was there all the time, but he was only in two episodes. I see this a lot with shows or movie sequels where they try to introduce new characters to keep the story interesting and fresh, but what happens is that they push the main characters into the background and essentially replace them. And they made everyone dumb for some reason. Like in the second episode when Mo's parents didn't even notice how weird she was being, like, what was that ?? I know it's a kids show, but good grief, at least try to make it more sneaky.

The Chaos Terrans were meh. They felt more like unnecessary additions if you ask me. I wasn't much of a fan of Aftermath, and Spitfire (who's name I kept forgetting for some reason) was interesting in the beginning, but her character arc went way off the rails really fast. How did she go from "angry competitive person who will do whatever it takes to win" to "murder is ok and fun actually"? That feels like a real leap in logic.

I think they're trying to pull that same plotline from Cyberverse with Shockwave, where his spark was just "made evil", leaving no room for depth or development with his character arc. I already made my thoughts on that very clear when I watched Cyberverse two years ago. I was really mad when I wrote that lol.

This season also has a major problem with the thematic elements being discarded from season 1. The story felt bland and flimsy, the characters were more like two dimensional caricatures of themselves, and the ending was beyond rushed.

I did have a few things I liked about it though. I liked the filler episode with the carnival magician, it's probably my favorite episode this season. The Quintessons looked cool as hell, and I hope we get more of them at some point. I also liked Terratronus a lot, and I wish they had done more with her. I'm glad this show is tackling the idea that the Primes weren't perfect, and they had flaws in their ideology. Mo actually questioned Quintus's decisions of making these new races to support his own and then abandoning them, and Terratronus defended his authority and ignored her questions, which I thought was well done showing how Terratronus has been trained to be loyal to her creator and refuses to question his choices.

The Starscream thing was ridiculous though. His potential was left in the dust. I was so ready for him and Megatron to have another fight where they address their hatred for each other, but that didn't happen. For most of the season, he was just kinda there being a no nonsense leader guy lacking in his own personality. He only got his time to shine towards the end, and he wasn't written very well. There was only one interaction between him and Hashtag, and there was no emotion behind it at all. Then he rips the sparks out the sparks of the Chaos Terrans, which I thought was excessive but cool anyway, and then he takes over Terratronus. Starscream's defeat happened way too quickly and they didn't even really explore what he was going to do when he got control of the titan. We didn't get to see much of his point of view on how he was going to transform Earth into their new home, we just knew that was his goal. I do wish they added more of the rift between Shockwave's ideas and Starscream's as well, it would've made their retreat much more impactful.

That's all I have to say for now. I could go more in depth with it (and the lack of Prowl and Tarantulas, don't think I didn't notice that), but much like the writing team, I don't have any ideas right now.

[cellsshapedlikestars]

Great chapter, as always!

Jon really sucks at picking up clues and he is really concerned about what Robb might think about him and Sansa dating. The man didn't pick up the clues that Sansa might want something more with him, although Sansa could also have told him more directly.

It seems that after the summer party, she decided to move from Jon and started dating Harry. The interaction between them at the holiday party was great and it seems that Jon is still thickheaded to not realise that Sansa wanted something serious with him. He was so in his head about her being way out of his league, that he missed the signs that she was really interested in him. It was also interesting to see that Margaery knew about him; I'm guessing that Sansa told her, right? I am curious to see how will things end between Harry and Sansa.

Will Jon and Sansa have an actual, direct conversation about their feelings and the relationship between them and what they would want from each other?

I'm going to assume the second ask is because of a very similar comment I got on the chapter lol.

The fic is not focused on their individual lives and so we aren't going to get much of that at all. But I also think people are making Jon a bit more kicked puppy than he actually is. He's aware of the class differences but he also isn't lamenting it on the whole. He thinks about it once in a negative way in regards to Harry. And yes, he picked his major for practicality, but he doesn't express any passion that he had to give up, because he doesn't really have one. I got my degree in Finance because I'm good at math and knew I needed a degree, which is exactly what I wrote Jon doing. What is that degree doing? I dunno, it's somewhere, I'm certainly not using it. I found a job that I really enjoy and am passionate about without that finance degree. And you know what? I work with a girl who went to college for something she was passionate about, and we both ended up at the same job that has nothing to do with either of our degrees. Both of us are perfectly happy here. A college degree does not define someone's life or happiness and I think people lose sight of that. Jon will be perfectly fine with or without Sansa.

Sorry, you got the rant bc that ao3 comment slightly annoyed me when I got it tbh. Not for commenting that they hope Jon has personal happiness without Sansa, it was just the tone of the comment. Yours did not bother me lol. I'm glad you could at least get the subtext in the chapter. I have a comment or two from people that seem to fall into POV traps reallyyyyy easily and I never really know how to respond to that. I have people commenting that Sansa is using Jon & rubbing Harry in Jon's face and treating him bad and I'm like... did you read the chapter? Where Jon is the one dismissing them as just hooking up? Where he literally calls her, to her face, "Robb's little sister" right after they hook up? Of course she thinks it's just sex for him.

You hit the nail on the head that Jon is oblivious and Sansa isn't saying what she really wants. Other commenters also got it right that she is not as confident/sure of herself as she presents.

Anyway, I've rambled long enough I think. I haven't been responding to comments on this story bc it takes some pressure off, but now I feel like I have to respond to some. But then I feel bad not responding to all???

[hearteyes-wheeler]

here’s my thing tho and it’s something that i don’t see a lot of in the st/byler tags. el is not stupid. we know this, the characters know this, hell even the duffers know this considering they’ve literally put that exact line in the show. so if she has been aware that will had been working on a painting for someone that she thinks he likes and hasn’t really been working on anything else, and mike comes up to her and mentions something about a painting that will gave him that was supposedly commissioned from her, then why the Fuck would she ask “what painting”. she would know exactly what painting that is and she would absolutely cover for will’s ass in the moment and ask him about it later in private. i would find it Very Very hard to believe that she doesn’t catch on immediately. i find it slightly more easy to believe that mike doesn’t catch on as fast despite knowing these two facts because he doesn’t know whether or not will had been working on multiple paintings considering they didn’t talk at all, but i do think he would also eventually piece it together bc he’s not stupid either. anyway that is all sorry for the rant lmao

wait you're so right. ok now i like the idea of el covering for will more than el being confused about what the hell mike is talking about lol

i have a feeling she already knows there's Something going on between mike and will. there're just so many scenes where she gives them the i know what you are dog look 😭 and i think that maybe mike showing her the painting and asking about it will confirm it for her. like a little yup these bitches gay moment jfksndks

i would really like to see a scene with will coming out to el. i think it would be really sweet. another accepting sibling moment like with jonathan but this time with el 🥹 i remember reading in a fic this one scene where something like this happens and will is like crying because he's different and el is just really comforting like i'm different too :D there's nothing wrong with you and her telling him he's her brother and she loves him and ahhhhhhh

as for mike i'm SO convinced he figured out what will was trying to say in the van. that boy did NOT look like he thought it was actually from el lol he either has rocks in his head and his only thought was wow will's pretty 🥰 and he didn't hear shit of what will was saying or he Knew and that's why he looks like That. i personally think he knew. but then i think that he had a moment of oh i read this all wrong, those were actually el's words not will's when will was pushing him to tell el he loved her at the pizza place. my boy looked DEVASTATED :((

anyways i went off a bit but yeah. i'm really excited to see how this whole painting will play out :) thank you for the ask!! 🫶🏼 hopefully my thoughts made sense lol

[what-if-nct]

hiiii is it ok if i ask for some advice? im sorry im gonna sound rambly but uhhh i'm 14 and starting high school next year (which i alrdy dont feel too good abt haha) and my (overbearing asian) parents are going to send me to this private lutheran hs instead of the public one i was supposed to go to bc its more upper class and smart (?). tbh i was genuinely surprised that i liked the school, academic-wise, and i rlly liked that i had the space in my schedule to take more fine arts classes (i dont have any in my hs) but like the first thing the principal said to me was that i "needed to learn to be a good christian". a whole hour each week is dedicated to jesus and i just know my atheist ass is going to be uncomfortable asf. first, one of my best friends has a thing for jesus (he says jesus is too hot to be straight 😭) and i cant tell if hes joking anymore, and second, i dont have a problem with people who are religious, but i do when they are flat out hateful and harrassing people from communities they "dont agree with", and i just know the people preaching at this school are the latter.

also rn i am the *only* poc in my entire school, and i noticed there were a lot more asian students and students of color, so hopefully there'll be less kids pulling at their eyes or calling me slurs :D

anyways i not a fan of the fact that "homosexual behavior on or off campus" warranted for expulsion, since i am a *very* queer and bisexual individual. at my current school, i dont really need to hide my gayness bc no one cares, and my teachers are accepting (my homeroom teachers a lesbian lol <33). i dont think i can handle having to hide such a big part of my identity at home *and* at school :( too add to that i really suck at making friends, so being somewhere without people i'm comfortable with, my anxiety gets really bad, and i just shut down completely.

my hs is p rundown (like most public highschools are) and the classes are average at best, so idk man, im torn :( i dont know if i should suck it up and go to lutheran school bc their good academics, or ✨be myself✨ and go to p shitty school :/

i dont know what to do (or if i can even do anything) abt it i just dont feel too good about this :( you've mentioned you went to a christian school, so do you have any advice? even if you dont, thank you so so much for listening to me rant for a moment there <33 i really treasure you and your blog, atp you feel like the big sister i've never had. i love youuuu <333

That is such a sticky situation. Cause maybe you can try to persuade your parents especially since they'll be paying for the private school on top of college tuition in the future, it can be a huge selling point. I know that's how I won in the decision of beauty school over college it's cheaper. And christian and catholic schools are heavily based in religion like it's a huge part of it so if you don't believe in it it can be absolutely mind numbing. I actually didn't go to Christian school, actually wasn't forced to go to church as a child, I was like 11 and for some reason told grandma Christianity is responsible for all the bad things that happened in the world. Which is wild that I even was able to come to that conclusion as a child she just brushed me off. But I did go to church summer camp to be with my friends which my friend and I got scolded for holding hands but she was just leading me through the crowd of people. So that's still unfortunately a huge part of christian beliefs

the thing that really caught me off guard is the homosexual activity off campus can lead to expulsion. On campus like sucks but is expected of a christian school sadly. But off campus in your day to day life is like your actions off campus shouldn't be judged by the school. Like I can't wrap my mind around that. I think since you have a whole summer maybe look for more schools you can attend I remember doing this in middle school because my home high school was an F school so you could choose any high school within a certain range. You'd be really surprised with how many schools are around you I'm assuming you're in the us but I'm sure everywhere has a ton of schools. And look for a school that holds some of what your parents want and also your own values and needs for your education. And maybe your parents seeing you take initiative might be an extra point.

If your parents are deadset on it. I think try to make the best out of it as much as you can usually there's a group of people in the same boat you're in where their parents forced them to be there. Trust me no matter where you go you will always be drawn to those like you every single time. But if you do get the choice of going to the original public school firstly screw every single racist little bitch who does that to you that is horrid I am so sorry you have to endure that. People suck. But you can also learn extra independently I always did that cause I was a bit ahead of my class. But I really think researching more schools in your area would help you find the perfect school for you. I personally was in love with Waldorf schools they're more creative led schools and freer, I wanted to go to one so badly. So figure out the exact kind of education you want like a magnet school, charter school it doesn't hurt to see how receptive your parents will be to it.

I really hope this helped at all and I hope it works out well for you. And Awwww it's so sweet you see me as a big sister, I gladly be your big sister, love you too🌸🌸🌸

[postive-rainworld-anarchy-conf]

As someone who mods for the popular rw confession blog on this site (least I assume its the most popular? Idk), my confession is that im sorry that pro-Az people are mad that their ask where they said Emily is a gross pedo that should kill themselves didn't make it through the anti-harassment rule. Its not our fault that Pro-Emily people know how to format their confessions to not be name-dropping dogshit and make it through. Most of the 'Vauge Az asks" got through because they were talking about how scared the situation made them feel, or about the side of the fandom they didn't like as a whole, which is not harassment or name-dropping. Sorry you read everything like its about your friend group, but someone saying they feel scared about teenagers harassing others in the fandom isn't automatically about just one guy believe it or not. Im not saying which side im on cuz it doesn't matter (and thats against our rules anyway), im just saying no one on the pro-az side knows how to silently say they dislike someone without being it being obvious and a huge dick.

We got rid of the 'You can talk about drama' rules weeks before the doc even came out, and asks from the time it was dropped haven't even posted yet (our queue is still submitting posts from July 10th.) Ya'll can stop whining in our inbox about how we post nothing but anti-Az asks, the last drama ask was posted months after the org drama ended and weeks before it started again.

Half tempted to @ your blog so people will stop trying to get their drama asks through /j. Your doing gods work on this blog and sorry for posting a huge rant in your inbox lol (also before anyone tries playing detective, im one of the quiet mods on the blog who never talks. Good luck)

"oh fuck I sure do wonder why I have 8 messages in my blog" looks inside how the fuck did anyone even find me. I literally just dusted off the blog to laugh at a really really bad document for a bit, guess uuuuuuh...... ok! (I did not, as they say expect the unexpected.)

I don't really know how to respond honestly. I mean the no harassment rule does fall apart after long enough and enough bullshit happening.

really hard to not harass people when those people are infuriating as all hell.

this isn't like, a "you should answer those asks" it's a "wow alot sure did happen, and it sucks that you have to sift through this stuff to pick out the stuff you can actually post."

and it really sucks that the pro-emily side is often the one that just, better follows the rules, I may be 100% on emily's side but like, a confessions blog is a confessions blog and I know how much it sucks to be shoved out of their without your ask ever getting answered.

but like, those rules have a reason. is it a good reason? yeah? also good on you for adding a 'no drama' rule, this shit is fucking toxic.

also I'd say you can edit the asks to make the fit the rules and repost them as anon but like...

that's alot of work! and I don't expect anyone to do that honestly. I wouldn't even do that. and I'm, actually insane.

---

onto the next ask...

oh god people not understanding what you mean, the blog this one is based off of (whom I'm not going to say because while I dislike them, they did say they didn't want to be affiliated with this blog so yeah lol) did that so, so much. but I get it, it's scary when someone has an opinion you don't like and says that their blog is based off of yours

honestly I think your blog is the gold standard for confession blogs, literally. it's always fun to scroll through and see what dumb shit people say just because they can, without worrying about the repercussions.

when I learned about your blog I instantly went "why the fuck am I doing this, this is already done, but better and more popular"

though I guess I've come to realize that I'm filling a different part of the niche. especially since you aren't really wanting to answer drama related asks, probably a good decision honestly.

I wish you luck with running the blog. it's a tedious process, especially when everyone just instantly went insane when they saw the document.

also Post Script;

that would be really hilarious if you @ my blog being just like "heeey, this fuck WILL answer your asks." and I'd be fine with doing it, especially if it makes wading through your inbox easier over time. though I completely understand not wanting to do that.

people read "this blog follows the harkness test" and think "oh, you must be a zoophile" when in reality, I'm an ao3 user and this shit is fucking lame compared to the stuff I've seen.

and your already getting a ton of angry people at your door for the crime of... having rules... and... following those rules...?

Post Post Script;

can I just say how fucking insane it is that I've gotten asks from both emily AND the real rainworld confessions???

90% of my asks used to be me just saying shit. I guess this is the thing that happens when you do this kind of thing.

Post Post Post Script;

seven red suns pronouns are 7/8/9 duh.

anyways, hope your having a fine day, this was an interesting way to start mine! and don't worry, you did post both of these with anon, I thankfully didn't have to gaze upon the true form of that which wishes to stay unknown.

[lystring]

sry long rant abt dumb dreams below I just needed to get it down

so I managed to fall asleep after that. and during those two hours I remember two dreams:

so night between wed n thu I slept for 11 hours and had another long ass dream about my ex (which is mostly just annoying cus sure we were together for 6 years but we've been broken up for almost as long and it was an amicable breakup that should've happened much sooner im not sure what my brain feels the need to process still about that bt whatever) and I thought to myself Again? like why cant i dream about some made up lover or maybe at leeast my last situationship that Im still a bit hung up on (last one kinda sarcastically bt also not cus I miss him lol) but apparently my brain decided to listen to me for the first time ever, but also in ofc the worst way ever.

because last night I barely slept at all, and the first part of the night I slipped in n out of sleep and a Super Fucked Up nightmare that was basically just beat for beat a literal horror movie where me and some guy were trapped on a small island outside the coast of Finland that we both had travelled to alone independently. and we were being held prisoners in a rundown house by a coven of witches or some other supernatural beings, like three super creepy pale blonde old women that were like forcing us to be a part of their "family" wearing the same clothes and eating "dinner" with us every evening and sleeping in childrens beds and the whole dream was me and this guy developing this really close emotional bond out of survival instinct and trauma. there was like this one point where he went into a part of the house that they told us not to go into and as punishment he just started growing painful mushrooms put of his skin on his face and I like. the fucking irl anxiety and fear I had waking up briefly for that was just fucking surreal. we managed to get them off and I literally told him to "please use my face wash" to avoid this problem. like ok funny girl haha. anyway we finally managed to escape and im not gonna go through every detail but honestly it would make a good horror movie that id be too afraid to watch. also it was so fucking uncomfortable for me that I had to get up and have a cigarette because I didn't wanna fall into the same nightmare loop that I'd been in for the last 4 hours or so.

one semi-realistic attempt at being cathartic about my last situationship (sorry to use that word but not sure what else to call it like we were dating we were never a Couple u know) where like. I was in very intimate but ofc dream absurd moments with him but I also got to say everything that I have been feeling and have been wanting to say to him. and in the dream our meeting is sparked by me drunkenly texting him from our work phone, which he responded to even tho he hasn't responded to my last irl (also in dream) texts from my own phone. and. like it was ofc surreal and confusing but also. it makes me wanna try one last time. which is dumb i know but. idk. like I said I kinda not kind jokingly asked my brain for this dream and it sure delivered thanks.

the last dream was a full on surreal chaotic fantasy stress dream where I had to juggle both work at a hotel in a dystopian world and at the same time a relationship with a woman I'm pretty sure is an amalgamation of all the straight women I've ever had hopeless crushes on but this time she was into me so ;) it was also right before I had to get up for work so it was way too short thanks brain fuck off

[webslingingslasher]

I feel like crying right now 🫠. I had a rlly bad week and it involved me having a mental breakdown and having to pretend like I wasn't crying when my parents came in my room. Not trying to trauma dump but I was js stressed over school assignments bc I usually never have trouble doing it and my room was very dirty and I had laundry to do and I'm sick and my parents think somethings going on with me because I was late to school three days in a row??? My dad literally said "What's going on with you lately?" While he was dropping me off and I started tearing up so I js got out of the car before I started bawling. My very best friend is ignoring me for some reason??? It usually only lasts like a few hours but this has been going on since Thursday and we still have not said a word to each other.

We're a trio w another girl but the other girl (let's call her v) has other friends and her main friends were a year older but they graduated so now we're a trio. I kind of didn't like her bc I let her rant to me when we were becoming friends but then she got too used to it and I became her therapist which I would be fine with bc I love her but she would never listen to me when I was talking and then when asked she would js giggle and say it's bc of her 'adhd' but then she would say she didn't have adhd too?? Like girl make up ur mind. But then I wouldn't let myself be walked over so I confronted her and she said ok I'll try to be better. Lately she has gotten a lot better and she's becoming a very important person in my life but it's usually always been me and my bsf right? Sorry to go off topic I forget what I'm talking ab and I js keep talking 😭 but uhhh anyways I told v aby bsf ignoring me and she basically told me that I should ignore her back bc she always does it to me and I'm always the one apologizing even tho I don't know what I did wrong most of the time. I send her a long paragraph and she js responds w lol and we move on.

So v told me that I don't deserve that, so I should wait for her to talk to me, and after a while, I was like, "Yk what? Youre right" and she told me "ik this sounds cringy but I'm so proud of you" I was alr kind of crying before that bc I always care more ab ppl then they do ab me and bc of the shitty week I had been having so when I read that I immediately started crying and I was muffling the sounds in my spiderman plushie (I'm so cool ik😎) and I was like that for ab an hour and I haven't talked to my bsf since. We had school the next day, and she ignored me, so I went to my other friends bc I have more of them in my classes than she does, and I had a pretty good day apart from her.

Anyways I forgot what my point was again 😭, but oh yeah today I woke up early to go see the eclipse w my cousins and when I came home I went to get starbucks w my dad and then showered (I had not showered in a while, stinky ik 😪((tbh I think it was the dirty room and clothes that was depressing me)) ) and then I cleaned my room and moved things around. (It was a deep clean day) and I went to go do laundry at my aunties. (I had to put two loads in bc I had a lot of clothes 😭) anyways it is currently 8:30 pm where I am and I js got home bc I had to walk home w my bin.

I come home to my little ipad kid cousins in my room on my bed (I didn't have bedsheets on bc I washed them) they had dirty bare feet and they were jumping on my bed and I had left a drawing on my bed and they crumpled it all up. My aunt js leaves them to do whatever they want bc the older one has autism so that's an excuse apparently??? (Don't come at me she's not a very good mom in that department)((wow that sounded judgy)) also I can't tell them to go away or not jump on my bed because then my parents are gonna make it seem like I'm being dramatic in front of my whole family (my aunts and uncles are here) also I'm Mexican btw so it's a very big deal. Also if I tell my aunt she's gonna be rlly sorry and make me feel guilty ab it and in the end they're gonna end up on my bed either way. Also ik my cousin is also having a bad week so ik small things will provoke him. So yeah 😁 I also have a class tmr at 6:30 pm for two hours and it affects me a lot bc then I feel out of it when I have to come home and get ready for school on Monday.

Anyways sorry for dumping all of this on you and if you made it to the end congrats and thank you 🫶🏽 also feel free to ignore this I js needed to tell someone🧍🏽‍♀️

- 🎧

seems like v is a good friend. and it sounds like you need a good friend right now.

i hope these next few weeks get better, i'm sending a big fat virtual hug your way!

[i-am-the-avatar-of-idiocy]

MC falls for another demon

this isn’t the best and I’m not happy with these but I’m posting them anyway because I can’t think of anything better, sorry! Angst with a happy ending(?), Barbs and Dia have OC demons

DIAVOLO

He saw you drop your books in the hallway, while many demons walked past you, he went to help you

Then he saw a demon with neon blue hair falling over red eyes that seem to glisten

Damien , part of the envy ring. He’s beautiful and seems genuinely concerned for you 

He thinks it’s good you’ve made another friend in the Devildom. Especially considering he didn’t want you here originally, youve made progress. Yay!

He is happy and is planning to ask you out at your weekly tea this Saturday 

Then you seem giddy as you visit him for tea and announce you and Damien are going on a date together! 

‘Wow, MC. That’s… great’

He smiles through the pain and maintains his usual facade of joy

At least you are happy! Hell support you through it all

Hell be your shoulder to cry on, someone to rant to, he is your ultimate support unit

He will always be there for you

When you break up

He holds you in a warm embrace as you sob ‘you thought he was the one’ 

Turns out the scumbag was cheating on you, and it broke you

As much as Diavolo wants to say ‘I told you so’ he can’t bring himself to it. He doesn’t want to make you worse

He will make Damien’s life awful. The brothers will know and will show their true demonic colours to him. 

By the end of the week, the entirety of RAD is against him. 

Diavolo decides it’s not enough, and under charges of ‘damaging worldly relations’ he imprisons him. He is doing it out of jealousy. 

Then after a while, when he’s sure you are ready for another relationship, he asks you out

When you say yes, he asks before pressing his lips to yours passionately, holding you tight against him in a silent promise he will never break you in the way Damien did

He loves you, and will never let you forget it!

Barbatos

When Barbatos saw Antonio approach you, he watched fearfully

After all, Antonio was a pretty face, hiding a sharp, cruel tongue 

His hair was a deep jet black, with hair that glistens a sky blue

He makes you laugh and holds out a flower to you. 

He confessed first. 

He advances further and hears you say ‘Of course! I cannot believe someone like you is interested in me!’ 

Before he makes a comment on that he thought that.

Then he listens to your joyful voice ramble about the date he took you on. He could listen to you reading an instruction manual and find it riveting 

He wishes he could be the one taking you to these enchanting places, but he was too scared to tell you his feelings

One day as you walk together you hear his smooth voice ring out ‘They just eat up the compliments, I never thought the human would be so stupid to believe I love it’

You run off, a choked sob escaping you as Barbatos scowls. 

He slaps Antonio flat across the face and the sound is sharp

He scolds him as the others run. 

No one has seen Antonio in days, but some swear they can hear him begging for mercy from mercy from the demon king’s dungeons. 

When Barbatos finally asks you out, he takes your hand softly and traces shapes on it as you sit together. 

Your head lols on his shoulder and looks up in shock as you hear his confession cut through the air. You lean up and capture his lips in a kiss, leaving him flustered 

He is so better than Antonio could ever be. 

He loves you more than anyone else can. No one can replace him 

Simeon

When he saw Lucifer kiss you, he felt his breath hitch. 

He felt… sad, angry, disappointed and a whole swirl of emotion

He is Angel, he shouldn’t resent Lucifer for being with the one he holds dear. 

As long as you are happy, so is he. Or at least, he tells himself that

But he seemingly glows less, but he won’t let you see the effect

After all, Lucifer is, was, like a brother to him. 

And he still sees him as such

He helps you plan romantic gestures

Eventually, you and Lucifer decide you aren’t right for each other

Simeon cheers you up

That’s when you ask him out, leaving him flustered

He says ‘Yes’ a little bit too quickly, making you giggle

A beautiful relationship blossoms between you

Lucifer supports it too. In fact he is pulling a Simeon and helping you in this relationship, as they both know more about each other than you. 

Simeon makes you feel special and beautiful and amazing and ways you’ve never felt before

Solomon

When it came out you were dating Lucifer he was even more disappointed than he would be with the other brothers, they would be easier to break

He is enraged, if he had Lucifer’s pact, he would sink as low as to command him to break your heart

But he can’t. 

He sits in silence, noticeably colder to the others, and more forward with you 

More time spent with you and flirtatious remarks,more lingering touches

You don’t mind, after all you are close friends

He loves you so much, that after a month or so, he avidly supports your relationship, while wishing it was him

When you break up, he doesn’t ask why, all he knows is you are crying and need him

He asks if you need him to curse Lucifer, making you giggle and say it was not a bad reason you broke up

Then, as he comforts you he thinks of how you can rely on him. He even managed to teach himself to cook for you

When he comes over a few months later, you confess to him, and make it clear you expect rejection and he is CONFUSED

He hasn’t made his feelings obvious????

Him freezing makes you smile sadly and begin to walk away, ‘Wait! Uhh… I really love you too!’ 

You run into his arms and let the scene of his cologne fill your nose and smile into his chest. 

[potter-imagines]

Left Waiting at The Three Broomsticks (Fred Weasley x Read)

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader

Request: Hi! I was wondering if I could have a Fred Weasley imagine where he pisses off his gf somehow and so she gives him the silent treatment and only talks to literally everyone (including George) but him so he gets all jealous and pouty lol. Eventually he gets her to start talking to him again and then it’s all fluff etc. Hopefully this wasn’t a confusing request! Thank you!! :)

Warning: Tiny bit of sexual content towards the end, little bit of swearing, kinda angst at the beginning ?? and a lil towards the end ?? I think that's all, a lot of fluff scattered about

Word Count: 9.5k (I am so sorry I got carried away)

Two hours. Y/n had spent two hours waiting for him. Two stupid hours on a Saturday night that she could have spent elsewhere making something productive of her day but no. The last two hours Y/n had been seated in a small booth in the corner of The Three Broomsticks waiting patiently for her boyfriend, Fred Weasley.

The thing that infuriated her the most was that it was his idea in the first place! Originally, the couple had planned a stay-in date in her dorm room for the night before, Friday, but other plans came up. Fred got tangled up in a prank with George that had landed him in detention with Snape for the night. Yes, it annoyed her but what could she do? It wasn’t like Snape would excuse Fred because she tells him they have a date. If anything, Snape would hold him back longer.

When Fred and George were finally dismissed, it was nearly eleven at night and Fred was sprinting down through the dungeons to the common room. Their arrangement was for eight and he was praying to anyone listening above that she was still awake, but not furious at him.

Skipping up the transporting stairs, Fred basically shouted the secret password at the Fat Lady making her narrow her eyes at him. She swung open, not without muttering about how rude he was, and Fred jumped inside. Ten or so students were scattered around the common room, chatting amongst themselves. Hermione, Ron and Harry sat around the couch near the grand fireplace. They sent Fred a wave, which he frantically returned. The golden trio watched in curiosity as Fred darted up the stairs of the girl’s dormitory.

Hermione looked back to the group and asked,

“Wonder what that’s about- he seemed in a hurry.”

“Heard him and George got detention. They put stink-bombs in the Slytherin common room! Heard it stained some of the furniture maroon!” Ron chuckled at his brother’s antics then resumed his debate with Harry over their thoughts on the Quidditch World Cup happening every four years. Harry tried to explain the concept of the Olympics to Ron, but Ron was too focused on how amazing it would be for the World Cup to happen each year. Hermione went back to her studies, blocking out the mindless bickering of the boys.

Above the common room, Fred Weasley was scurrying to his girlfriend’s dorm room. He hoped Angelina and Alicia were out so he could be alone with her. Their time spent together had been oddly less than usual the last few weeks. Fred had no change of heart- actually, he found himself falling more in love with her every day, but their final year at Hogwarts was creeping up from the woods and he was working on a dream career behind the scenes with George that was eating up his time with her. He had shared this idea with her before- but it was just an idea then. Fred and George planned on putting their dreams to action once they finished up the next year. He wanted her to come- George did as well, but he didn’t want to mention it until it was a reality.

Reaching his destination Fred took a second to compose himself. A thin line of sweat was forming near his forehead. This was the first chance he had to take a breather since detention ended. Fixing his dark robes Fred knocked against the door, quiet enough not to startle her but loud enough to hear.

“Y/n… Y/n… love, are you awake? It’s Fred-“

Abruptly, the heavy wooden door cracked open and a weary looking girl poked her head out into the quietness.

“Darling, did I wake you up? I’m so sorry.” Fred stepped forward and wrapped the girl in a tight embrace. Y/n’s head fell against his chest out of instincts. His arms fastened around her waist as he invited himself in the room, slowly walking her back.

“Here, go back to bed, love. You look exhausted.” Fred led the sluggish girl to her familiar bed. Throwing back the covers, he readjusted her pillows so there would be room for him to fit as well. Fred then walked back to Y/n and took her hand softly. Kissing the back of her hand, Fred helped Y/n get into bed then slipped in beside her. His arms snaked around her body without thought. The naturalness of holding her in his arms made Fred feel confident in his dreams of starting a future with her. All the tension in his body collapsed when she leaned into his frame. Fred held her close and kissed the side of her cheek lovingly.

“I’m sorry about detention tonight but I promise I’ll take you out Saturday, alright? We can have a date at Hogsmeade and spend the night together, does that sound nice?”

The sleepy witch gave a tired mumble and nodded her head. She was cuddled under a stack of blankets, wearing Fred’s sweatshirt which made him smile. He’d usually crack a joke at this and tease her but, she was already asleep when he looked back to her. Fred couldn’t help but stare at her for a while. There was never a moment that went by where Fred didn’t think of Y/n as anything other than beautiful but in these moments, she looked ethereal.

Moonlight poured in from the open window and splashed across her s/c cheeks. Her hair was sprawled against the white pillowcase. Fred smiled at the sound of her light snores. Fred wouldn’t leave until he was sure she was deep asleep. It was their thing. She hated going to bed without him there.

“Okay, I love you, Y/n. Get some sleep, angel.” Fred whispered.

He pecked her forehead, then kissed her lips gently. Removing the covers, Fred tucked them back into Y/n so she could keep warm. He closed the open window then tip toed out of the room. Instead of rejoining his friends, Fred decided to head to his room. He felt too guilty for missing out on their plans to go have his own fun. Anyways he did have a Potions paper coming up and if he was going to spend the day with you Saturday, he surely wouldn’t be doing any homework.

So, the plan was confirmed the next morning, Friday. Y/n ran into Fred on her way to breakfast and they discussed where they’d meet and a time. They ate breakfast together, walked to class, then headed in different directions when six rolled around. Fred had a Quidditch match and she had a group project, so they didn’t cross paths for the rest of the night. Even though he refused to admit it, Fred absolutely hated when Y/n missed one of his games. His favorite thing to do was search for her in the stands during each game and it made him sad not to see her smiling face standing out in the crowd. Y/n entered the common room around midnight and went straight for her bed. Gryffindor had lost so there wasn’t a single housemate sitting in the common room. She could only imagine how upset Fred must be, she’d be hearing about it tomorrow. Y/n giggled to herself at the recollection of Fred’s angry rants about his teammates to you in private. She basically crawled to her bed, dreaming about the handsome, goofy, witty twin that had captured her heart.

Which would bring us to Saturday night. Fred and Y/n had made specific plans; they were to meet at The Three Broomsticks at seven then hangout for a while and spend the rest of their night sneaking around the castle with the help of The Marauder’s Map. Fred had practice at six so he was planning on meeting up with the girl at the pub. Y/n expected him to be running late- it wouldn’t be Fred if he didn’t show up a good twenty minutes late.

Only Fred never showed up at seven thirty, not at eight, and by the time nine neared, he was still nowhere in sight. The Three Broomsticks would stay open for a few more hours but the thought of sitting there alone for any longer, jumping at the sound of the door every time it opened, it made Y/n feel less than sane.

Throwing a handful of coins on the table, Y/n thanked her server then exited through the front doors. The walk back to the castle wasn’t long but being with Fred made it a lot more amusing. He’d pick her flowers, give her piggy back rides, play games, race, and hold her hand the whole walk back.

This time, Y/n walked alone hugging the material of her raincoat to her chest. A light drizzle had been pouring on and off for most of the day. Earlier, it was perfectly bearable- hardly noticeable. Although the weather had only worsened as the night grew darker. Hard rain drops crashed against Y/n coat, cascading down her covered arms and bouncing to the wet ground. Her black boots were soaked. She could feel the water rising to her socks, one of her biggest hatreds. Wet socks.

The hood of her jacket only helped so much before the pelting raindrops started to seep to her hair. Typically, Y/n loved the rain. If Fred was here, they’d be dancing right now. But he wasn’t, she had no clue where he was and that was exactly what Y/n was headed to find out.

By the time Y/n made it back to the castle and up to the Gryffindor common room, it was past ten.

Much as Y/n had expected, the common room was lively with energy and conversations. Katie, Alicia, and Angelina were all sitting in a circle with Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Seamus, and Dean. A dark bottle of Dragon Barrel brandy and Daisyroot Draught were being passed amongst them. Y/n watched as Fred leaned into his brother’s side, obviously tipsy and slurring his words while he practically shouted to their friends who were only sitting feet away.

His frame twitched with every small hiccup he let out. The whole group was smiling, they were happy. Y/n wondered to herself if Fred even noticed that she wasn’t there. She wondered if he liked it more when she wasn’t there, they were having fun and although the group was also her friends, no one was interested enough to invite her. Biting on the tender skin of her bottom lip, Y/n bundled her fist to her sides. The anger refused to simmer, only continued to boil. Her dripping clothes weren’t helpful to her sour mood.

It wasn’t the fault of her friends, no, but they were bound to get caught in the crossfires. Fred was the one who left her waiting for hours on end. Her chest was tight- livid yet sad all at once. It was an aggravating feel, unfamiliar. Y/n hated the suffocation entering her drying throat. More than anything she longed to handle situations like these in an aloof fashion. The last thing wanted was to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she couldn’t help it. Her head screamed ‘just go to bed, ignore him’ but her heart wanted to scream at him and let him know just how bad he had hurt her. Her breathing quickened, each inhale received a choppy exhale.

For the first time, Y/n decided not to join her friends or to even say a word to Fred about how he stood her up. She was sick of it- completely exhausted and drained from his lack of care and presences in their relationship the last few weeks. If he wanted her as bad as he claimed, he’d find a way to show it. And leaving her sitting alone in a noisy pub while he partied and drank with their friends, showed her the exact opposite of his words.

Diverting her leer from the inebriated group and studied the rest of the room, hearing voices near the sitting area. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were all staring at Y/n in mixed judgement. Harry, Ron and Neville looked concerned by the appearance of Y/n. Hermione on the other hand, she was absolutely flabbergasted, Y/n could see the pity written on her face. You had mentioned having a date night with Fred in Hogsmeade to the four the night before. Harry had invited Y/n to hangout with them and visit Hagrid, but she politely declined and informed them about the special night Fred had planned for them.

Harry and Hermione stood up at the same time ready to comfort the teary-eyed girl. They motioned her over but just as she started towards them, Angelina Johnson noticed her friend who had been absent for most of the night. Setting the bottle of brandy down, Angelina wobbled up to her feet and smiled giddily,

“Y/n! Come- come drink with us! I was wondering where you- why… why’re you all wet?”

As the words fell from her mouth, a crowd of eyes planted on Y/n. Her fists clenched, bone white knuckles visible, at her sides. Angelina scurried over to her friend and wrapped her in a tender hug. If the scenario had been different, she’d gladly join in the fun but there wasn’t an ounce in her body that desired a drink.

Y/n’s eyes found their way to the boy she had been longing for all night. Her lips quivered, the anger and sadness reaching it’s overpour. He looked so handsome, so happy, but it meant nothing to her.

Pulling back, Angelina squinted in confusion at Y/n. The lack of embrace given back had thrown her off. The group had been awaiting her arrival, no one was quite sure where she’d gone off to. Angelina scanned Y/n’s reddening face, noticing the emotions bubbling under the surface.

Moving away, the dark-skinned girl turned to her friends. No one else seemed to notice the offset of Y/n’s attitude.

“Angel, where have you been? I missed you!” Fred’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. Quickly standing up, he held his hand out to his girlfriend. Y/n shot a dangerous look to his outreach, then up to his face. Usually she’d find his toothy grin and childlike state loveable but for obvious reasons, it made her irate.

Stepping back, Y/n sternly scowled at Fred,

“Missed me? You’re the one who left me waiting all goddamn night, Fred Weasley.”

A part of Y/n felt guilty for forcing her friends to witness their unpleasant exchange. George was now to his feet standing behind Fred, just as lost as the group he had been sitting with. Despite the alcohol running in his veins, George could sense an argument budding by the second.

“Not like any of you really seemed to care where I was.” Y/n kicked herself for this cold statement.

Her friends weren’t at fault- not in the slightest. But everyone was at risk of becoming a victim to her fiery wrath. In actuality, it did hurt her a little that no one had gone searching for her. It had been hours! Tears welled in her eyes as she took in the reactions of the group. George took his arm off Alicia and nudged his twin.

“What- I don’t know what you’re talking ‘bout, love. I think you should have a drink and loosen up-“

Y/n couldn’t take it. She just couldn’t take it anymore. Scrunching her face, she used every bit of strength to force her salty tears to hide at bay. Although her emotions screamed to be heard and saw right through her façade. Sweeping her hand across her cheek, Y/n caught the stray tears that rolled down her rosy cheeks. Huffing all her emotions out at once, Y/n shook Fred away from her and hurried towards her room.

Fred stood appearing dumbfounded. He could only gawk in perplexity. Blame it on the alcohol, but Fred’s mind was drawing a blank when surveying her words. For most of the night, he was the one thinking she was leaving him waiting. No one else had a clue as to where she’d gone off to, so he assumed she was in the library or wanted some space.

“You’re an idiot, Fred.” Hermione’s sharp voice cut through the thick air. The happiness and drunken laughter was extinct. The girl’s shared an exchange, all confused as to what just happened. The glass bottles didn’t help clear their judgement. Dean and Seamus took small sips from the Daisyroot Draught. The tension was unbearable, it felt wrong for their friends to be a part of it.

George set a hand on Fred’s shoulder, pulling him back slightly. Leaning forward, George whispered to his twin,

“I reckon it’s best if we turn it in for the night.” Fred gave a tug of protest. His intoxicated fought against him though he knew he did something wrong and needed to find Y/n. In spite of his desire to chase after the girl, George couldn’t let him do that. It was obvious Fred had forgotten something and Y/n was more than upset. Sending his brother up to drunkenly apologize to his hurting girlfriend for a reason he can’t even recall, that was a recipe for disaster and would only cause a bigger mess.

“Fred, you’re going to bed. You’re too drunk to talk to Y/n right now, okay? We’re going up the boy’s stairs, not the girls, okay? You two can talk in the morning, maybe you’ll remember where you fucked up tonight by then.”

Suddenly, Fred stop moving and let out a low groan,

“Oh shit… merlin’s sake, I fucked up, George. Oh my god- Hogsmeade… shit! I told her we’d meet at Hogsmeade and I forgot-“Fred whipped around in his discombobulated state. Everything clicked at once. Fred had been so concentrated on Quidditch that once practice had wrapped up, his exhausted body dragged him back to the common room out of muscle memory. It was his typical routine; Quidditch practice, head back to his dorm, shower, change, eat, work on some possible products with George, then hangout with his friends. How could he be so neglectful?

George sent his brother a comforting look then grabbed him by the shoulders, helping aid him up the winding staircase. It came as a shock to him that Fred had forgotten about their date. All he spoke about was Y/n, it was a rare occurrence for the couple to

“So that’s where she’s been all night?” George pushed open the door to their room, looking to his twin sternly. Fred had most of his weight piled on George, trying his hardest to remain upright. Lee had decided to stay back, allowing the brothers a chance to talk.

George helped his frantic twin in the dark room, then gave him a light push towards his bed. Fred plopped down, burying his face in the fluffy pillow. Pulling off his jumper, George threw the large maroon comforter over Fred’s tall frame while he wailed,

“I’m a terrible boyfriend. I planned the bloody date too! I left her-“

“How ‘bout you get some rest? You can find her in the morning and apologize to her and… hope for the best. It’ll give you more time to think of a way to make it up to her. You’re just a rambling mess right now.” The alcohol was not wearing George down. He had been on an adrenaline high since his second shot. This was the first moment of the night where he had stepped back. His tiresome hands rubbed against his face as he made his way to his bed and collapsed on it.

Fred was still moaning on, the sound of his drunken voice making it harder for George to fight back the urge to sleep,

“She’s gonna dump my sorry ass-“

“Go to bed, Fred. It’ll be okay.”

George let out a sigh of exhaustion. The twins had been best friends with Y/n since they were just children, new to Hogwarts and unfamiliar with the power of magic. It pained him to see his brother hurt, but it also hurt to see Y/n upset. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Turning his head, George let out a breathy chuckle at the sight of his twin passed out cold. The worry that dripped from his voice was now gone as he eased into his dreamland.

George wanted to scold him, knock him upside the head for skipping out on Y/n again. He cared a lot about her, she was basically a sister, a triplet to him. If Fred was gonna win her back, it wasn’t going to be easy, George knew this. Y/n was stubborn, and the twins had witnessed this first hand for years, it was a trait they loved, when not directed towards either of them.

As George’s head hit the pillow, all he could do was pray to Godrick that the morning would bring good news.

Sunday morning arrived much faster than Y/n had hoped. A bright, loud, light interrupted her sleep as the gears in her head started to turn. Her mind was groggy, the events of last night were foggy. Warm sunlight broke through the glass stained windows. Y/n wiped her eyes and slowly sat up. Her mouth was dry, screaming for a drink of water.

For a minute, she felt calm- happy almost. The room was half empty; Angelina’s bed was bare and Alicia laid in a star-fish position, a snore sounding from her mouth. The image made Y/n laugh.

Standing up, Y/n’s hands flew above her head as she stretched. She cracked her back, a morning ritual for the girl. Just as she reached for the knob of her dresser, a wave of recollection nearly knocked her off her feet.

Fred had stood her up, of course, how could she forget? The irritated skin under her eyes and nose suddenly made sense. Leaning against the wooden cabinet, Y/n huffed. It was times like these she wished she could crawl into bed and stay there for eternity. Nothing would get better though if she didn’t at least try to fix it.

As quick as the thought came, it had evaporated once more. Why did she have to be the one to put forth the effort to fix things? There was no use in fixing their relationship if Fred wasn’t willing to try too. More than try, Y/n thought. It took a piece of her when she came back to the castle just to see him drinking with their friends, not thinking a thought of her. She needed to see that he cared. His words held no value to her anymore, not until he could prove he meant what he said.

Y/n went through her morning routine like a snail, wanting to drag out her time. Eventually, she was fully dressed and ready for the day. She liked to take advantage of the days her school robes weren’t required. The cooling weather led her to a fuzzy black sweater, and light washed jeans. Sliding her delicate wand into her back pocket, Y/n exited the room and took the stairs down to the common room.

Approaching the bottom of the steps, Y/n could hear familiar voices exchanging hush words. She stepped into the room and was surprised to see the lack of students. The only ones present were sat one the long leather couch on the left half of the massive room. All of their gazes fell on Y/n.

Fred, George, Ron, Angelina, Harry and Hermione were all relaxing- well all of them except Fred. He on the other hand was frantic- disheveled. His knee bounced in anticipation. The clock was sneaking

“Oh, uh, hey Y/n!” Ron Weasley moved his hand side to side, waving to Y/n. The temptation to admire the handsome boy at his side leaped into her heart. Using every ounce of strength, Y/n trained her eyes on Ron, not allowing a single peek at Fred.

“Hey, Y/n/n!” The voice of Angelina brought a perk to Y/n’s head.

“Hi.” She greeted the younger Weasley and her close friend back, then headed for the portrait. Before she could make it half the distance, the tall figure of her boyfriend appeared.

“Angel, how did you sleep?” Fred was by her side in an instant. He was desperately trying to read her expression, testing the waters to see her mood. He had hardly slept, he spent most of the night thinking about this exact moment, when he’d have the chance to apologize and make it up to the girl he loved. “Can we please talk? I’m really sorry for last night, honestly, I am so so sorry, darling.”

Y/n stared at him, or rather, through him. It was like she didn’t see the tall wizard in front of her.

“I’m gonna go study, I’ll meet you with you guys later.”

“Y/n, love-“ His warm hand took hold of her of her own, an action she’d typically love. The familiar grasp sent a burst of comfort in her stomach, but she ignored it.

Wiggling out of his grip, the girl shot him a look of displeasure then rushed off. Hermione chased after her, no one else brave enough to step in. Besides, Hermione was one of her closest friends. Watching the younger girl follow after her roommate, Angelina walked after them. Fred stomped like a toddler having a tantrum as the portrait swung open then closed. He knew he had to do something- anything to get her to talk to him again, and that was his plan.

For a Sunday evening, the school library was relatively empty. A majority of the students occupying the tables were studying away for their O.W.L.S. The exams weren’t for another two months but hardly anyone dared to procrastinate until the last week before opening their books. The stress of the exams was enormous, but the students still had other classes to keep in mind.

Y/n Y/n/l and George Weasley were sitting across from on another at a study table. Three hefty textbooks were open as the two discussed their Potions paper. Y/n had been stuck on hers and George had yet to start so they decided to head to the library together and get it done.

Fred was usually right by their side, his hand wrapped around Y/n’s shoulders, but she neglected an invite for him. About an hour after their exchange in the common room, Y/n had apologized to each friend she had snapped on the night prior. They were understanding, clearly seeing where her frustrations had come for. They also felt bad as she was right, no one had even checked to see where she’d gone, and George especially felt terrible for not searching for his friend.

At least three hours had passed since the two Gryffindors started their study session. Y/n was sneaking up on her last two pages while George still had three left. They collaborated every few minutes, then returned to tranquil silence, scribbling away.

Y/n was in the middle of sharing her idea for the last section of her paper when George’s eyes brighten and he interrupted her,

“Fred, how nice of you to join us.”

Turning in her chair, Y/n found her boyfriend standing behind her with a nervous smile. She hated how perfect he looked, even in the poor lighting of the library. He still managed to make her breath hitch in the back of her throat.

“Hi, Y/n. You look beautiful as always.” Fred announced himself softly. George scoffed teasingly, muttering a ‘hello’ to himself to make up for his brother ignoring him. Freds words were genuine though didn’t make much of a difference. Y/n was still hurt and a compliment wasn’t going to mend that. She needed to feel it, to see him truly show that he cared- that she meant something to him. That she was deserving of his time. Sweet comments didn’t not add up to that feeling.

George closed his textbook, then glanced up at his twin,

“Should I leave?”

Before Fred could answer, Y/n slammed her hand on top of George’s Potions book. Wide eyed and frightened, the boy gaped in shock. Even Fred was taken aback by her unexpecting movement. Leering at her friend Y/n replied,

“No. I want you to stay, we were in the middle of a conversation.”

Fred’s heart dropped at her words. It was heartbreaking to have the girl of his dreams now shunning him- brushing him off with ease. It was driving him mad. All he wanted was for her to acknowledge him, give him a little hope that he can earn his way back in her heart. He loved her, every bit of him loved her.

All he wanted was to make it up to her for his mistakes the night before. He couldn’t stop thinking about the look on her face when she saw him sitting with their friends. She was miles exceeded hurt- more devastated at his negligence than hurt alone.

Maybe it was the fear of meeting the reality that losing Y/n was a possibility, but Fred experienced a new sort of emotion when his girlfriend asked for his brother to stay. Yes, they’re friends, all three of them are. Fred had to remind himself of this like a record on repeat. He couldn’t fight the envy off though.

It made his heart twist as she stared at George. Never did he think he’d be jealous of his own twin, but Fred was livid. The seething stream of covetousness overtook his veins. Fred wanted to be the one you ran to for comfort, not his brother. His entire life he had shared everything with George, Y/n was far too meaningful to Fred for her to be shared.

Now it does take two for a turn of events like that to happen. Fred knew, clear as day, that George had no romantic feelings for Y/n and she had none for George. This was true, but for some reason, it didn’t help tame Fred’s envy.

He knew causing a jealous scene would do no good for anyone, so Fred realigned his train of thought and asked,

“Could I steal you from that conversation, please love? I really need to apologize to you.”

Fred allowed his hands to reveal themselves from their previous position hiding behind his back. When he moved them, a full bouquet of colorful flowers and small green plants of different shapes and sizes. The flowers were a display of fuchsia, pink, orange, red, and yellow. They were beautiful, so beautiful, Y/n thought to herself. She couldn’t help the gasp that slipped past her lips.

Fred had gotten her flowers their first-year dating but since the last month or so, she hadn’t received many of his heartwarming gifts. It wasn’t the monocle value of a present but the thought and attention to care that captured Y/n’s heart. Fred had always been the best at creating meaningful gifts on a tight budget. Whether it was flowers he stole from school grounds, or necklaces he made out of stones she found around the Great Lake. He’d make her perfume- proving rather excellent in the Potions department. He also asked Molly to teach him how to knit in order to make Y/n a sweater. This of course delighted Molly over the moon.

George bit on the skin of his knuckles to keep for laughing at his brother. He recognized the flowers, as did Y/n. Fred had picked them from the garden outside the castle- something that had earned him a detention before. George decided not to comment on his observation, Fred was sure to murder him in his sleep if he put his apology in any jeopardy.

Fred extended the bouquet to his flustered girlfriend. He felt a sense of accomplishment while watching her reaction. It was small to most, but for as stubborn as she was, it was big in his eyes. The girl reached forward, accepting the gift with a tiny smile rising to her lips, one she didn’t force down.

For the first time since the night before, Y/n fully saw Fred. She peered directly at him silently. George glanced between the two, stuck between a dual. Without speaking, Fred took some steps forward and pulled the chair next to Y/n out. He slipped into the seat, the couple still staring at each other. Y/n studied his demeanor, he didn’t push her anymore, but he wouldn’t leave her side. Not that she would tell him but, she was happy he joined in. She didn’t want him to leave, she had missed being around him. Tearing herself away, Y/n focused herself back on the other twin.

“As I was saying, George…”

Fred drowned out the words but accepted the fact that Y/n didn’t reject him from sitting down. She also didn’t set the flowers down for the rest of their study session. The remained clutched in her hands, resting in her lap the whole time.

Monday night came in the blink of an eye. Classes had resumed and the castle was bustling in stress. When the end of the year neared, the time spent sitting through lectures was an eternity, while the weekends flew by. Fred had always hated summer break, actually, that’s not entirely true. His dismissive of break budded around the same time his relationship with Y/n became official.

Their first two years, she would spend the holiday back home in London with her family. She loved her family but once she experienced her first holiday at the Burrow, she never wanted to miss another. Her family was a bit distant, not the warm and welcoming pure-bloods like the Weasley’s, but not as cold as the Malfoy’s. Y/n’s family had no issues with her spending breaks at the Burrow, as long as she had Molly and Arthur Weasley’s approval. Molly insisted each time that there was no need for her to even ask to stay. They accepted her with open arms, ecstatic to see Fred had found such a lovely girl.

The end of the school term was coming up and Fred needed to fix things with Y/n before that happened. She planned to spend the break at his family’s home and he feared she’d take her agreement back if things weren’t improved between them. Spending almost two days stuck in the anger of his love was two days too many. Fred was going to fix this and he planned the best idea he could think of, good thing he had their friends happily available to help.

Unbeknownst to Y/n, while she was resting up from her illness Harry, Ron, Lee and George were helping Fred create his masterplan. Hermione helped in her own way by remaining near Y/n’s dorm, sitting in as the lookout. It gave her an excuse to get her school work done so she didn’t protest.

Alicia and Angelina stayed in the room. Once Y/n started to feel better, thanks to Madam Pomfrey, the girl’s altered Hermione who passed the news along to Harry as the chain continued until it reached Fred. At the confirmation, his plan was set into action. Ron was sent to retrieve the girl after Alicia and Angelina convinced her to get some food from the dining hall.

She walked through the common room then down the moving staircase, when her redheaded friend popped up. Ron scared the girl, making her stumble back, her hand placed over her chest.

“Y/n! I’m so glad I ran into you! No one has seen you all day- Angelina said you were feeling ill this morning.” Ron rambled at a fast pace. Y/n, still surprised by his sudden arrival, took a deep inhale, nodding to the boy,

“Yeah, I saw Madam Pomfrey this morning when classes started. I just had a stomach bug and she said I’d have to wait it out but the medicine she gave me seems to be doing the trick.” Y/n gave Ron a kind smile. Ron was two years younger than her but they had always been great friends. Y/n would travel to the Burrow as a guest of the twins during the holiday breaks, so Ron and her had spent a lot of time hanging out together. It was sweet of him to ask how she was doing, but he didn’t seem that her health was the reason for their conversation.

“That’s good to hear. You wouldn’t happen to be heading anywhere, are you?”

“Just to get some food. I’m starving-“ Ron nodded eagerly, cutting his friend off in the process.

“That’s great! I mean, not great, just… well… uh, follow me please!” Scrambling like a mess, Ron clasped his hand over Y/n’s wrist and abruptly dragged her down the stone corridor. She couldn’t find the words to question him and allowed Ron to lead the way. Her curiosity was far too big to ignore his odd request.

Ron carried on for another five minutes then took a sharp turn, heading for the courtyard. Two figures ran off around the side of the castle in the darkness. Y/n swore she recognized the pair as George and Lee. What were they up to? Snapping her head to the younger boy, Y/n waited for him to fill her in on why he had dragged her halfway across the castle to the freezing courtyard.

“Okay! We’re here- I’m just gonna… head out. See ya, Y/n!” Ron rushed his farewell then ran off towards the direction George and Lee had escaped to. What in the world is going on? Left by herself without any explanation, Y/n threw her hand up in annoyance.

“What?”

Alone in the cold, Y/n wrapped the opening of her fuzzy cardigan against her body, attempting to keep warm. Although warmth entered her vein as a pair of arms snaked around her waist, snatching her backwards into a firm surface. She gasped, thrown off by her attacker and tried to turn in retaliation, but their grasp was far too firm. The familiarity of the hold made her body ease up. As much time as the spent together, she could recognize his touch anywhere. Fred.

His touch released a swarm of butterflies through the girl. She could feel the anger washing away as she leaned her body into his chest, having pined for his arms for two too many days than she was accustomed to.

The tall Gryffindor held her tightly. Moving forward, Fred pressed his lips against the shell of Y/n’s ear. The heat of his breath causing her to shudder as he whispered,

“I’m so happy you came, darling.”

Y/n smirked, looking up at him. The concurrent willfulness of her nature could only carry on for so long until her headstrong demeanor crumbled. A pang of chagrin still grumbled in her stomach but the sight in front of her certainly was a runner in her change of heart.

Soaking in her surroundings, Y/n realized they were just a few hundred feet outside Hargid’s hut. This explained the garden full of massive orange pumpkins. In the middle of the path was a small gazebo decorated in fairy lights and sunflowers. A small table set for two was tucked inside. Small teacup white candles line the path, creating a runway of sorts. Another candle, larger and purple, sat flickering in the breeze in the center of the neat table.

Y/n stood motionless absorbing the creation her boyfriend made- all for her. Speechlessness was not common for Y/n so Fred undoubtably began to second guess if his efforts were good enough. His fears were stomped in a matter of moments when Y/n harshly yanked at the material of his collar and placed a brisk, short kiss to his lips. Fred was startled, losing the opportunity to kiss her back but Y/n didn’t want him to. It gave her a sense of control- they still had issues they needed to work out, but she loved him nonetheless. Besides, avoiding and staying mad at Fred forever? Impossible. In two days, Y/n had to stop herself a million different times from approaching Fred and sharing a laugh with him, or kissing him, or holding his hand and giving him a hug. She didn’t want to fight off the urge anymore- and Fred couldn’t handle the distance spaced between them. Thus, being the motivation for his grand, heartfelt, date.

“I’ll assume that means you like it. I won’t take all the credit- it was my idea, but our friends are the main reason I was able to pull this off. I feel really bad and… I need to do something special for you- I don’t do that enough lately. I forget sometimes to remind you how important you are in my life and how much I love you.” Fred sheepishly smiled, nervously awaiting her reaction.

The small table was set, a new bundle of crimson red roses placed on her seat. To the side of her plate was a small box with a beautifully wrapped ribbon tied to the top. Fred had a special way of showing his love and adoration for his girlfriend, but even this was new to her. Never before had he gone so over the top to prove his feelings to her.

Y/n lifted her hand and intertwined it with Fred’s, smiling up at him,

“It’s gorgeous, Freddie.” The bashful smile made Fred’s heart melt on sight. He had prepared himself for the repetitive rejection she had been sending, so when she whispered those sweet words, his chest tightened, and his pace stopped.

Fred almost fainted in shock at the sound of her voice. He squeezed her light hand and drew it back, forcing her body into his own. Y/n couldn’t help the laugh that fell from her lips. She missed his playful ways. With the foreheads pressed against each other, Fred grinned,

“I’ve missed your voice, love.”

Although his words made her heart take flight, the reality of her hurt was still roaming. Y/n detached herself from his grasp and rested her hand on the black metal table. Her fingertips fumbled with the white cloth, it served as a distraction only for a short period of time. Fred sent her a sorrowful look. Her shift in moods was confusing to him, he only wanted to make things better.

Y/n sighed and ran her hand through her h/c locks. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply then asked,

“Why don’t you have time for me anymore, Fred?” The question of the night- or rather month. His date was beautiful, absolutely stunning. As riveting as it was, it couldn’t erase the hurt she had been experiencing.

Fred shook his head frantically, dismissing the accusation. He knew why she would think that way, he understood. It wasn’t true, though. Actions speak louder than words and Fred despised the fact that recently, his feelings for Y/n weren’t lining up with his actions. His words could only do so much. But he also knew soon, things would be different. Missing the Hogsmeade date was his fault, and he paid for it. Two days might seem minute to most, but when you spend essentially everyday attached to someone’s hip, two days of them purposely ignoring you and speaking to every soul expect you, it can feel like a lifetime. He realized a few things in this time.

Fred remembered how fun it was to act as if he was still trying to win her over. Gifts, no matter their cost, always brought a gleam to her face which never failed to make Fred grin. However, it was much more entertaining when she wasn’t upset with him and would throw the flirtatious comments right back at him. He was also reminded of how lucky he was to be with Y/n. While she ignored him, Fred found himself envious of every living being Y/n spoke to, as they were not him. When he started engulfing himself in his plans for the joke shop, his effort in his relationship had decreased and this was something he vowed to never let happen again.

“I’ll always have time for you, darling. And if I don’t, I’ll make some. I truly am sorry about this weekend- you don’t deserve that.”

“It just seems like you’re distracted, like you don’t care anymore.” Y/n batted her reddening eyes, finally throwing her worries to the air.

“No, no, Y/n, not at all. I’m so sorry I made you feel that way, love. I’m a terrible excuse of a boyfriend, I never meant to create this mess. I love you so much.” Fred’s head bowed down. It tore him up to know the way his actions made her feel, the only girl he loved.

“I love you too, Freddie. I really do but I can’t feel alone in this relationship. I let our date Friday slide, even though I was annoyed, but Saturday night? I feel like it broke me. Just knowing you forgot about me-“ Y/n fought back the burning sensation in her eyes as the tears began to brim.

The anxiety blooming inside her was clear to Fred. Suppose that was the downside to dating your best friend, they can always tell when somethings wrong. Before a tear could hit the floor, he whisked her to the iron garden chair, then kneels before her, his hands holding her face as if it was a priceless, dainty piece of china.

“I didn’t forget about you, darling, that’s impossible to do. I’ve been… well I’ve been working on something with George for when we leave school next year. It’s real important to me and I wanted to share it with you but I was scared that it might not happen but… if I have your support and you with us, I know it’ll happen.”

“What’re you rambling on about, Fred?”

“Remember how I told you that George and I wanted to open a joke shop? Well, it’s happening… I think. We’re really close, we just gotta make it through next year then we’re free! We’ll have our own joke shop and get to sell our own products and start our future.”

A silence overtook the atmosphere. Y/n’s lips were stuck open in a small ‘o’ shape, eyes glued to the floor. Was he really going to leave her all alone next year? Would they have to break up? Surely, he wouldn’t want to be in a long-distance relationship.

She was snapped from her own mind when her skin registered the touch of Fred’s lips as they traced her knuckles, kissing each finger as he did. His eyes then peered up to meet her own. She could tell he was serious by the feeling of his stare. Then he continued, making Y/n perk up,

“But none of that can happen without you… Y/n I want you to come with me. Move in with George and I, start a future with me. We want you to be a part of the shop. I want you there. You’re the only girl I want, for the rest of my life.”

Her once open mouth clamped shut in a swift motion. Ever since she met the twins, Y/n wanted a future with Fred. Everyone saw it as a childhood crush, but she always knew it was more. She never stopped loving him- never could. Even when his pranks took a step too far over the line. They always found their way back to each other and would work through it. Fights such as the most recent were rare- but Fred’s admission filled in a lot of empty spaces that had left Y/n sleepless for days. Finally, the crushing weight was lifted from her chest as she choked out a shaky breath.

Leaping forward from the chair, Y/n threw her body into her boyfriend’s body and clamped him in a koloa like hold. Fred chuckled in amusement, falling onto the near ground at her jump.

“Why do you have to be so lovable? I hate it. I should be angry with you, but I just love you too much. Besides, I think you did enough suffering.” She giggled as she pinched his round cheeks in her hands. Fred poked his tongue out at her and grabbed at her sides. Y/n swatted his hands away, giving him a stern glare saying, ‘don’t push it’.

Slowly, she leaned down and brushed her lips against Fred’s, smirking down at him. It was a change in roles. In their more adult situations, Fred was typically the one on top with Y/n pinned below him, but that’s a story for another time.

A small, almost whimper, sound came from Fred. He hated being teased- that was his job. Dragging out the moment, Y/n tugged on the skin of his bottom lip with her teeth, earning a groan of approval from Fred. She grazed over his mouth one last time before dipping her head down to meet his and interlocking their lips, still straddling his waist. Fred’s hips pushed towards her core out of instinct. Not ready to give in quite yet, Y/n lifted her body and shifted forward, entrapping Fred even more so in the heated kiss.

They parted for seconds to sneak a bit of air, then continued their needed make out. It had been a while since they proved their love to each other in this way. For the last month, it had been small kisses here and there when the couple had a chance to see each other. Y/n needed his touch- she needed him. Fred longed to have under him, pleasuring her. He desperately wanted to sink his head between her legs and really show her just how much he loved her.

The coldness of his fingertips hit Y/n’s skin as his fingers dug into the sides of her waist. As much as she longed to keep the exchange going, the last thing either of them needed was a detention.

Y/n plucked herself away, a small pout lining Fred’s lips. His hands remained tied up in her own, lying them on his stomach. The weight of his question seeped in like molasses. Opportunities like this presented themselves once in a lifetime, there was no way Y/n was going to let it slip by.

Rolling off his lap, Y/n plopped down on the ground to the side of Fred. Their heads turned simultaneously towards each other, Fred winking to Y/n.

This is what she wanted. To see him care for her, show his love. His attention. It was the one thing she had been striving for but now that the cat, or rather joke shop, was out of the bag, Fred didn’t feel the need to hide anything from her anymore and keep his work to himself. He was over the moon with excitement to have her join George and himself. It was everything he could hope for.

Coyly averting her peer, Y/n asked,

“Do you really mean it, Fred? You really want me to come with you and George?”

Kindly, Fred swiped his thumb under her chin and raised her head up so their eyes were level.

“I wouldn’t want you anywhere else in the world then with me.” The serenity in his voice didn’t go unnoticed. Y/n propped herself up to her elbows and brought Fred in a bone crushing hug. Heavy chuckles croaked from Fred as she smothered him lovingly. He managed to sneak in a tiny peck to her check and she hugged him. Placing her head on his shoulder, Y/n poked the side of Fred’s cheek, commenting,

“You’re gonna be stuck with me forever, Fred, I love it!”

Throwing his arm around the elated girl, Fred just smirked.

“Duh, that’s kind the whole point of you moving in with me.” He replied in a matter-of-fact tone. The night was growing darker and the steady wind was escalating. In an hour, two if they were lucky, Filch would be surveying the grounds in search of students, mainly Fred and George, out past curfew. It was a sport to him, catching students breaking rules and getting to turn them in. It was part of his job, yes, but Y/n hated that he never took it easy on anything for the Gryffindors like he did the Slytherins. Fred looked at the scenery around them and remarked,

“Y’know, angel, as much as I’d love to spend the rest of the night laying with you in my arms, we can do that in my dorm room tonight… in an actual bed instead of dirt. I mean, we didn’t set up this whole thing for nothing! If I knew laying in the dirt would win you back, you should’ve told me!” His sarcastic words were received with a light slap.

“Smart ass.” Y/n rolled her eyes teasingly and started to sit up. Before she could get to her feet, a pair of hands planted themselves at her waist and lifted her. Fred had his moments, but he was always a gentleman to her. His teasing ways were comforting to Y/n, reminding her that they were good now, in comparison to the recent downfalls.

Fred helped Y/n to her seat, then jogged over to his own. He presented the girl with a cake he made for her. Hermione brought him to the kitchens and taught him how to make one. It took about three hours, he burnt the first, put too many eggs in the second, then forgot to add eggs to the third. Finally, on the fourth attempt, Fred created a passable cake. Hermione had no desire to spend any more time in the kitchen, so she quickly frosted it for him, not wanting him to ruin it this far in, then covered it and locked it in the fridge. Much to Y/n’s surprise, it was one of the best homemade cakes she’d ever had. Her teeth were practically chattering from the intense amount of sugar, but she had to keep in mind it was Fred who baked it.

After eating, Fred and Y/n took their sweet time strolling around the castle. Fred swung his hand back and forth, causing the same effect to Y/n’s. They laughed feverishly as Fred chased Y/n up the moving stairs as they raced to the common room. When they entered the room, they sprinted straight for Fred’s, still in a chase. Hermione, Ron, Harry, George, Angelina, and Lee all watched in amusement as the couple seemed to be reunited.

“Wonder if they’re back together. You guys think the date worked?”

Everyone shared glances at the obliviousness of Ron. There were times when social cues and context clues just didn’t exist to Ron. George scoffed at his little brother and shook his head. The rest of the group roared with laughter as Ron’s face scrunched in irritation.

“Not sure, Ron. Why don’t you go out to our room and ask them?” George smirked mischievously causing Ron to turn white as a ghost in realization. A faint ‘oh’, tumbled out of his lips and his eyes went wide.

Despite their assumption, up in the top room in the Gryffindor boy’s dormitory, Fred Weasley laid snoring in his large mattress, still in his school robes. Squished against his chest by his arms, Y/n was sound asleep, similarly dressed. The two didn’t care what they looked like or who came in, as long as they were together, that’s all that mattered.

[boobchuy]

i was at the washers (sane) and just started thinking about aus to pass the time (insane) and had the thought of making an au where after everything anne gets sent back to earth w no memory of anything related to amphibia whatsoever. she has a backpack. and the music box. and a missing arm (for spice, and a physical reminder that whatever happened happened)

she is alone, w no memory of what happened, just minor tugs of deja vu and what have you, and an impending sense of loneliness that she doesnt ever really understand. she doesnt know what happened to her, her head is literally just empty 😔

anoother crucial thing is how she doesnt remember sasha and marcy. not even memories of them from before amphibia.

its a mix of feelings, to be told that you were best friends with two people you dont recognize, and moreover, that you apparently disappeared with them, and youre the only one who came back. so, (essentially) they are dead. and the last memories of them that the world seems to think should be with you, doesnt (has never) exist in the first place. and it feels like a massive weight on the shoulders. to feel guilty, to be asked where are they? and you cant say anything, bc you dont have an answer. you dont know anything. and it feels like a year went by and you were just asleep the whole time

im figuring out whether the other cast that knows about amphibia should remember anything.... im tinkering w the possibilities... but lets just say that no one tells her about talking frogs. at least, not for a while. :)

haha sorry for rambling. just wanted to get this au out BECAUSE. i like putting anne in situations where, in the most basic of explanations, she is ‘alone’, or cut off/ forcibly separated from people she cares about. (do NOT talk to me abt the au i mentioned a few months ago where post true colors she gets stuck in amphibia while the plantars and marcy and sasha get sent back to earth. trust me. i already know 🙄) i also wanna write this. which is. aha. certainly a project. lol. if something pops up in ao3 one day that seems eerily like this rant. thats probably me o(-(

anyways thats all. goodbye hahahhahahhahhahah