#but this shanks looks more like the one we met in the beginning

[kai-teaa]

SHANKS LOOKS SO GOOD

[bimb0fy]

perfect girlfriend; monkey d luffy

pairings; monkey d luffy x shank!reader

warning(s); mentions of scars, kinda suggestive at the end.

summary; luffy always had your name in his mouth, his girlfriend this! his girlfriend that! the crew never knew if you had actually existed considering the fact that your name didn't ring any bells or that well, they haven't met you yet. when luffy proposed a visit they all agreed to put an end to this little charade.

word count: 1,071 words

ᵐᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡⁱˢᵗ!! | ⁿᵃᵛⁱᵍᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ!!

— Luffy smiled as he ran over the deck, perfecting everything that looked slightly unpleasing. He hadn't seen you in months, going back to his old village meant seeing you again and he wanted it to be perfect. You both kept in touch by sending letters and after a while, ended up buying phones to reach each other faster.

Nami sat on a crate, her legs crossed as Sanji and Zoro stood beside her. Ussop was attempting to stop Luffy from falling overboard. She looked over at the two boys who rolled their eyes. "Not one bit huh?" Nami asked the two who nodded.

Sanji had faith in the beginning, believing the boy since well, he has a heart of gold, but after a while of hearing stories that sound like tales out of a naive boys mouth is well, unbelievable. Yes, it was possible for him to have a girlfriend, yet she can't be great in everything.

She can't be a fantastic with swords and a genius in the medical field, she can't be the best cook, better then Sanji Luffy might say, and have a hand for crafts. Maybe he was simply overcompensating about his love.

"Luffy, the ship looks great, I'm sure your girl will love it." Sanji smiled at the boy as both Nami and Zoro let out stiffled laughs.

"Whats so funny?" Luffy asked the group who looked at eachother. Luffy grew more concerned as he took his hat off, sliding them onto his shoulders.

"It's just that we uh." Nami started as she tried to figure out a way to frame it in a decent way.

"We don't think she exists." Zoro answered as Nami turned to the boy, her eyes wide as he shrugged. "What, it's better then lying."

"Y/n is real, why don't you guys believe me?" Luffy asked the crew who stayed quiet. He looked among them as he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "She's real, shes a pirate too, well, was a pirate."

"Yeah, and a doctor, and a cook, and a writer. She seems perfect, no one is." Zoro looked at the boy who scoffed.

"Well, she is, and look, we're here so you'll see for yourself!" Luffy said as he ran towards the front. Nami sighed as she stopped the ship, Luffy instantly jumping down, running towards a trap door. He opened it, jumping down for the group to follow him.

They were placed in an old basement, filled with materials and a section with belongings. "What is this place, it's so, rusty." Sanji said as he pinched his nose due to the horrid smell of fish guts.

"It's my home, well, was my home." Luffy smiled at the group as he walked over to his old bed, he opened a chest, taking out a satchel with his old belongings before climbing back up. "C'mon, I got my stuff, let's go meet Y/n!"

"Yeah, cause that's totally not stalling." Nami said as she climbed out, helping Zoro up as she ran after the boy who ran towards a bar.

"Luffy! My god we missed you!" The bartender smiled at the boy who hugged her. He turned back to his crew, looking around for another person.

"Hey Makino I got the broom." You said as you entered the room, you looked up to find Luffy who stood in shock. You dropped the broom as you ran towards the boy, jumping at him as he caught you, spinning you around.

You kissed his lips as he smiled, he set you down, wrapping his arms around you as he turned back to his crew who stood shocked. "Wait, she's actually real?" Zoro asked as he turned to Nami. She shrugged as he turned back to you.

"Guys, this is my very real girlfriend, Y/n." Luffy introduced you as you laughed. You waved at the group who waved back, Sanji with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"What a nice young lady you are-." Sanji's sentence was cut off by Luffy who had punched the boy, you covered your mouth before turning back to Luffy who looked serious.

"Luffy!" You yelled as he turned back to you, his expression softening.

"What?" He answered as you fliched his hat, he smiled as he held onto it, kissing your cheek before carrying you up, spinning you around one more time.

"Cmon now, I wanna show you my ship!" Luffy smiled as he held your hand, running towards the dock where the going merry happened to be. He skipped up the ramp as you looked in awe at the ship.

Luffy leaned onto the railings, smiling at the girl who stood on shock. "This is your ship? This is yours?" You asked the boy who nodded. He seemed proud of himself, you knew he had a ship but never expected a huge ship with an actual flag.

"C'mon, I'll show you my room, our room." Luffy smiled at the girl who scrunched her face in confusion. Luffy jumped down, holding your hand as he stared into your eyes. "Y/n, I want you to join my crew, we need someone like you, you know what you're doing, your perfect, your kind and smart."

"I left that life behind." You sighed as he looked away, you could tell her was upset. You hated being apart, he hated it more. Luffy was always an affectionate person, being away from his loved one hurt more then anyone could ever imagine. "I suppose you do need help to find the one piece."

Luffys face brightened up as he looked at you, smiling before carrying you up to the ship. You giggled as he set you down in the Captains quarters. The place was surrounded in pictures and souvenirs from adventures they had gone through. A desk filled with books and paper, probably stories written by him. You turned to the bed that seemed big enough for two people.

"You planned this, didn't you?" You turned to the boy who smiled, raising his eyebrows. You laughed before setting down on the bed. "I'll go get lunch ready?"

"No need, Sanji 'll do it." He smirked as he placed his hands on your waist, you smiled as you looked back at the boy, he traced your scar on your left cheek with his fingertips in such a loving way. "Now, let me show you how much I missed you my love."

[aimbutmiss]

It didn't take Mihawk long to catch up to whatever was going on between Shanks and Buggy.

And no, it wasn't because he used to listen to Shanks sob about the clown at dirty bars on random nights back in the day. His previous knowledge of their relationship was not needed with how obvious the red head was being at the moment.

Shanks watched Buggy's every move, listened to his every word as if they were sacred—as if he'd be punished by God if he missed a single thing.

His eyes moved down, to the red lips.

He licked his own in hunger.

He looked away, biting his lips.

So, Mihawk was no genius, but you didn't need to be one to see the desperate need and want in the man's every move.

Buggy saw it too, he was certain—but he ignored it like his life depended on it. He went out of his way to act like everything was normal between them, as much as he could. But the clown's phenomenal act had its limits too. You could see it crack in the way his breath hitched when their eyes accidentally locked, or when their knees bumped under the table. The recovery was fast after those single seconds, but Mihawk's eyes were faster. He watched, he saw, he knew.

The meeting was (thankfully) over, and Buggy was the first one to rush away despite Shanks' proposal to share a drink, leaving them behind. The man in front of him was clearly down in the dumps, but Mihawk had no intention of consoling him. He had done that on many nights in their youth with nothing in return, so he had learned his lesson the hard way. It was better to let the man drink away his worries on his own, as he usually did.

He was more worried about Crocodile, who had looked on the verge of killing Red Hair the entirety of the meeting. And even now, after everything was over, he was still fuming in the seat beside his. The two men didn't like each other, that was another obvious take away from the night. This meeting was a stupid idea from the beginning—Mihawk was surprised Crocodile agreed in the first place. Maybe it was curiosity that pushed him towards that decision, maybe something else—the man was certainly harder to read than the other two. But now, on his cigar number-God-knows-what, Crocodile probably regretted that decision.

He gently laid a hand on the man's thigh in reassurance, shifting his focus away from Shanks. "We should go home now. Let's not keep Buggy waiting."

Crocodile slowly came to his senses, calming down. He put out his cigar with a smirk, staring at Shanks head on. "You're right." He wasn't acknowledging what Mihawk said, but what he meant. No matter what the red head did it was them who got to go home to Buggy, not him. The frustration was unnecessary.

"It's always nice seeing you, Red Hair." Not necessarily a lie, but said to console Shanks nonetheless. He ended up doing it again... He still did have a soft spot for the sad man after all. With that, Mihawk got up to leave and walked side by side with his "business partner" to where Buggy was waiting for them. He was probably gonna be a lot more silent than usual, lost in his thoughts of the past, but that was okay. He wasn't alone— Mihawk would make sure of that. Because, unlike with Shanks, when he consoled the clown he actually got love in return. It felt nice, being loved after loving your whole life. He was glad he met Buggy, and ended up where they are somehow.

Mihawk was a man who didn't like leaving things to luck, but when it came to this—to them, he was grateful for it.

[iamnot-crazy]

Stowaway Chapter 6

Trafalgar Law x Fem!Reader

Info: This is my first time posting a story on Tumblr and my first time writing a x reader.

Summary:

The reader is a slave to a nobleman due to her devil's fruit ability which allows her to control the emotions of the people around her. She flees to bump into Trafalgar Law and boards his ship.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

The day you get to meet the Straw Hat captain came much sooner than you expected as Law returned to the ship after watching the battle unfold at Marine Fort and demanded they set sail. Law's jaw was clenched as the sub sped its way to the battlefield. Everyone was on high alert while cannons were fired at the sub as soon as it emerged. Law ordered half the crew to prepare for surgery while he ran to the deck to collect the Straw Hat captain. You stayed on the bridge with Jean Bart watching the sub's status and preparing for a quick escape. With Straw Hat and the former warlord Jimbi on the sub and rushed to the surgical room you start the ship moving as fast as it could to get away from the war.

Bepo came running into the Bridge complaining that Law wouldn't close the door to the deck. You ran over to the door with Bepo to see Law sitting with the door open looking at the new ship that arrived. One of the four emperors of the sea red hair shanks ship had arrived.

Bepo begged for Law to close the door but he didn't move. You walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder and he sighed, "Something just doesn't feel right. Like we are forgetting something." he admitted. As he does so a scream can be heard from the shore and the pirate clown throws a hat toward the sub. As soon as the hat landed in Law's grips he nodded as if he understood what felt missing.

Bepo immediately freaked out begging for the two of you to close the door which you did. You began running down the hallway and Law passed you the hat, "Take care of this while I begin surgery." you nodded as he ran in the direction of the surgical room while you ran to the bridge. Bart had already begun the descent and was pushing the sub to the max as it sped away from the scene. You look out the back window to see ice coming for the sub and shout at Bart to go faster.

Bepo's screams from the surgical room echoed to the bridge. You and Bart do everything you can in the bridge to get the ship to go faster underwater and deeper. Finally, you were free and were in calm waters you announced this to the captain who just responded good work before continuing with the surgery.

While Law and the crew who understand medical practice worked on the injured Bepo whined just outside the bridge begging to resurface. Shachi and Penguin grew tired of his complaints and went to beg Law to resurface. See how they have been fleeing the war at full speed for a while Law agreed.

Once you resurfaced Bepo ran to the deck only to be met with a snake. Soon one of the Warlords jumped aboard the ship from the marine ship that sailed beside your sub. Quickly you ran into the surgical room and alerted your captain and the two of you approached the deck while Law washed his hands.

On the deck, the warlord Boa Hancock stood demanding to see Luffy. Law informs her that Luffy is stable and that he has done everything he could but he is more concerned about his mental state. That is when you pipped up, "Which we have our ways of dealing with." you stood proudly as Law yanked his head toward you in concern.

"I won't ask you to do that." he hissed and you shook your head grabbing his hands.

"I want to." was all you said looking into his eyes as yours glowed purple. He just nodded knowing your determination.

Boa Hancock didn't notice you until now and became defensive. "I will not have another woman lay her hands on my beloved!" she shouted angrily and pointed a disapproving finger at you which caused Law to glare at the woman and step in front of you to shield you.

"If you want Straw Hat to survive I suggest you let my crew do whatever they can to do so." he snarled which took her aback slightly as her priority was to see Straw Hat alive.

She put her finger down but her eyes never left you. "You have a very powerful Haki," she states now approaching you. "You're a devil fruit user?" she questioned as she circled you. "But your observation Haki is extremely powerful."

You pull away from her, "I don't know what you are referring to." you admit but she just hums and walks away.

You all make a plan to follow the empress to her island Amazon Lily where only women are allowed to step foot. There Law and Jimbi agreed to dock at the bay just outside the island so Hancock could keep Luffy safe while still trusting him in your ship's care. The boys on your ship were jealous wishing they could speak to the Amazon ladies and enter their land.

After a few days, Boa Hancock requested your presence at the castle. You mocked the boys as you left with the Amazon ladies entering their land while they cried wishing they would be summoned to the castle too.

Boa Hancock first wanted information on Luffy which you informed her he was still in his coma. After you answered that she began to pry into your devil fruit ability.

You remove your gloves and tell her how your powers work and how you will use them to keep Luffy calm when he awakes.

"But your powers are more than transferring emotion?" she asked knowingly and you nodded informing her that you can also feel people's emotions.

"that isn't your powers dear that is your observation haki which is quite strong and is amplified by that devil fruit." an old lady spoke appearing from behind a pillar. "it's rare for people to be born with your level of Haki but in comparison to people who have trained their Haki it is still quite weak." she pointed out circling you. "I presume that you can constantly feel the emotions of the people around you?" she asked poking your ungloved hand.

You pulled your hand away, "yes. I wear these gloves lined with sea prism to avoid it."

The old lady nodded. "Sea prism can only do so much against Haki especially as yours grows stronger. If you train your haki you can use it for more than just feeling other emotions and be able to control when it is active."

"And how do I do that?" you asked now curious.

"you can train here with us until Luffy recovers." The empress offers. "But you will need to be rid of that hideous outfit." she pointed to your jumpsuit with your ship's Jolly Roger.

The empress provides you with the very revealing outfit of the Amazons which you get made fun of wearing by your crew when you return.

Over the next week, you trained with the Amazons to hone your Haki which left Law alone with his crew missing you. He spent his time reading up on Haki to better support you and to start growing his own.

One day the empress was training you when she noticed a slight shimmer of scaring on your hip. It is really hard for someone to notice your scarring where your tattoo was and even harder to make out the shape but if you knew what the marking was like Hancock did it would send shivers down your spine.

When the empress realized what was on your hip she demanded that everyone stop training and that she was going to take a bath resulting in the place shutting down. The empress pulled you into the bathing room with her and her sister and sat you down. Your thoughts were swimming wondering what you did wrong and what she was going to do to you.

"How did you hide your mark?!" The empress demanded now approaching your hip and touching the scarring. You quickly pulled back and covered the spot where your mark was.

"How.... How do you know?" you stammer. The sister of the empress now saw the mark and understood why their sister had dragged you into the bath.

"You can hide a mark but the scarring will always remain and the scarring on your past will remain as well." she started now using her observation Haki to see the full outline of the tattoo.

You looked into her eyes and used your ability to read her emotions to feel a sense of familiarity and horror. "You were once a slave?" you spoke out loud.

The empress immediately shouted at you to never say that word out loud. After calming down she nodded, "Both my sister and I escaped 19 years ago. This is the biggest secret of this island and can never be spoken about. The only other person who knows is Luffy who bravely kept this secret." she turned her back and revealed her mark.

You took a deep breath, "The only people who know my secret are Law and Bart. Law rescued me around a year ago now when I was running away from my master a celestial dragon. When Law saw my mark he offered to use his powers to remove the ink from my skin but I guess I still have some scarring." tears formed in your eyes, "I fear that my master now knows I am with the heart pirates and will be coming after me soon." you admit.

The empress now with her shirt back on placed a hand on your shoulder, "You can stay here on this island. Here no man will ever hurt you again."

You shook your head, "As great as that offer sounds I would like to stay with Law. I.. I love him." your eyes shifted to pink and the empress nodded in understanding feeling the same way toward her Luffy. If she wasn't running this island and had that responsibility she would never leave his side.

"very well. If at any point you need a safe place to hide you are always welcome here," she spoke and gestured for her permission to leave. You bowed your head before running off.

When you returned to the bay the Heart Pirates you ignored the snickering the crew gave at your outfit as you pushed past heading straight to the office. There Law sat at his desk with the paper keeping track of what the news said about Luffy. "You're back early." He commented as you collapsed on your bean bag.

"The empress saw my mark." you groaned solving your face into the fabric of the bean bag.

Law's eyes widen, "How?" He questioned in concern turning toward you. You shifted showing your side the tattoo laid and the scars shimmered ever so slightly only someone who knows what they are looking for would know what was there. "Are you okay?" He asked leaving his seat to join you on the floor and rubbing where the mark was.

You nodded your head watching his hand rub your side. "Can you do me a favor?" You asked.

The next day you walked off the ship with a new mark on your hip a black heart that matched the one on Law's chest it covered the entirety of your right side and strategically covered the scars.

***

Over the next week, you continued to train with the empress but the day Luffy awoke you could feel his strong emotions from all the way across the island. You paused your training feeling the Straw Hat anguish so powerfully through your bones. The Amazon lady you were training with watched in confusion as you sprinted towards the bay. As you ran toward the bay you felt a pull deeper into the forest where you changed direction.

When you finally reached the young captain he was shouting for his brother and destroying everything he passed. Jinbe was running quickly behind him. You get hit with an overwhelming amount of emotions the pirate is releasing and fall to your knees tears filling your eyes. But you took a deep breath and pulled yourself up.

You know you can't get close to the pirate or you might be injured by accident so you close your eyes and focus on making an emotional mist to reach him. He wasn't too far in front of you but he would need the full effect of your powers to pass his willpower. A cloud of grey started to form out of your hands and float towards him. The cloud surrounded him as he tried to fan it away screaming. You pushed more mist out of your hands using all your might to subdue the rampaging pirate.

The pirate fan away more of the mist before laying his cold dead eyes on you. Fear engulfed you as you cut off the stream of mist and the pirate charged at you.

"LOOK OUT!"

You got shoved out of the way of the pirate's path by the Fishman Jinbe. Where you stood Luffy now stood his fist on the ground where you were huffing. You took this chance to reach your arm out to grab his ankle and push a calm emotion through the pirate.

His anguish was so strong and overpowering that you screamed as you pushed more of your energy into him. He screamed as well but it slowly decreased as your powers began to sink in. Finally, life came back into the boy's eyes and he fell onto the ground with tears streaming down his face. He was still sad but at least he was no longer a raging monster.

You sigh in relief before lying on the ground breathing heavily. Jinbe lifts the two of you into his arms easily and carries you to a tree where you both can rest. "thank you y/n" he said and you nodded in response.

He then bent down and started to speak to Luffy to encourage him to continue without his brother.

It didn't take much longer until you felt Law's blue room cover the area. You smirked before just you were shambled back to the bay. You landed right in Law's arms who stood just outside the cloth fence that surrounded the island.

Law just laughed, "How'd I know you would find yourself there." he turned back to the ship carrying you away. You smiled happy to have helped in some way. "I'm glad you did though he could have easily reopened his wounds if he didn't calm down." Law looked over at the forest where Jinbe and Luffy remained.

"I did the most I can but grief still must play its course." You say as the forest shakes with Luffy screaming his brother's name.

After the last scream, Luffy seemed to calm down as the ruckus he was making died down. You never got a chance to meet the famous Straw Hat pirate before an old man arrived who everyone claimed was the right hand to the past pirate king. Law and the old man spoke before Law ordered everyone to set sail. But before you boarded the ship you ran up to the old man, "Please can you tell the empress and the amazons the y/n appreciates everything they did for me?" You asked

His eyes lingered searching your figure.. no your aura his eyes landed on your hip before he raced back to your eyes and gave you the softest smile, "I will be sure to." You smile before running off where Law waited for you holding the door open.

"Do you think I'll ever get to meet Luffy again in a much better state?" You asked smiling and the two of you walked down the hall.

Law smiled, "I am sure you will. He is another D after all."

***

Your confidence had reached an all-time high now being able to control your observation Haki you rarely wore your gloves. The other crew members quickly learned what your real devil fruit power was as you began to use it more confidently in battle and just around the ship.

Your crew landed on an interesting and beautiful deserted island with flowers that towered above everything at least 20 feet up but some reach 60 feet. The crew and yourself were memorized and you deboarded. Law walked out of the sub last and stood on the deck to give orders to the crew while everyone stood on the beach, "We need to stalk up on provisions as it will be a while before we reach the next island with civilization. Split off into teams and see what you can find."

Ikkuka ran up to you and grabbed your arm, "y/n, can we please team up together It has been so long since we did anything together." She whined.

You looked up at Law who nodded in approval before turning back to Ikkuka with a smile. "Of course!" The two of you ran off into the forest of flowers to search for anything useful.

After not that long of a hike you found a beautiful fresh water waterfall into a small pond. Ikkuka smirked at you before removing her uniform revealing a swimsuit she wore underneath. She ran to jump in splashing you in the process. Seeing how the water is fresh it doesn't seem to affect you in any way. You smiled peeling off your uniform as well glad you chose to wear a sports bra today and you jumped in.

Being a devil fruit user means you don't get the pleasure of swimming very often as the sea always tends to find you and pull you down but the pond is shallow enough for you to stand if anything does occur. The two of you laugh playing in the pond until Penguin and Shachi find you too and insist that you get back to work. The two of you laugh splashing them and encouraging them to join your fun and they quickly give in to the two beautiful girls who flutter their eyes begging them to join and not tell the captain.

You started to feel fatigued the longer you stayed in the water and were the first to hop out. As you pulled on your suit you felt a sharp sting at the back of your neck. You slapped it away but instantly began to lose vision.

"y/n," Ikkaku laughed stepping out of the pond, "We should bounce now that the boys crashed the party." She approached where your stuff was to find just your uniform no longer folded neatly on the rock but fallen on the ground. "y/n?" She began to look around but you were nowhere in sight. "y/n?"

"Ikkaku what's wrong?!" Shachi shouted from the pond swimming closer to the edge.

Ikkaku turned around, "I can't find y/n!" She was holding your uniform beginning to panic.

Shachi gestured for Penguin to follow him out before turning back to Ikkaku, "Calm down she probably just wandered off."

"Or wandered back to the captain." Penguin snickered now jumping out of the pond. Ikkaku nodded but couldn't help her worry. The three decided to split up in search of you calling your name as they went.

Shachi was the first to find his way back to the ship to find Law who stood on the deck looking curiously at Shachi who just come out of the forest calling your name. "Shachi, what is wrong?" Law demanded jumping off the deck and onto the beach.

Shachi looked nervously at the captain, "We can't seem to find y/n." he informed taking a step back from the captain, "We were goofing off in the pond and y/n was the first to leave but then she just disappeared." Shachi pointed towards the pond and the two of them started running meeting back up with Penguin who found no traces of you.

Ikkaku came running to the pond out of breath, "There is another ship that way!" She shouts pointing in the direction she just came from.

Law gestures for Shachi and Penguin to follow him as he dashes across the forest. He quickly reaches the beach Ikkaku was referring to only to see a ship sailing away and is at least a mile off by now too far for Law's powers to reach. "Damn it!" He yelled looking closer at the flag on the ship to see none other than a world government flag and his blood began to boil. "Get everyone back to the ship NOW!!" Law shouted angrily as he began his sprint to the ship. He can still catch you he knew it.

Shachi and Penguin quickly began running through the forest yelling for everyone to get on board before meeting Law back on the ship. Half the crew was able to make it back on the ship before Law decided he couldn't wait any longer and ordered a submerge. The other half of the crew remained on the island confused.

The sub was much faster than the world government sailboat once underneath the ship Law shambled his way to the deck slicing anything that crossed his path. The entire boat was covered in his room as debri hovered over the ship leaving a path of destruction. Most of the navy who was aboard the ship was thrown overboard and the stern was now detached from the boat threateningly looming over the ship.

"WHERE IS SHE!" Law shouts angrily at the captain of the ship who fell to the floor terrified.

"I I... I don't... Kk..know who you mean.." The man studdered hiding from the surgeon of death.

Law sliced the man in half before looking up deeper into the sea where he spotted a much smaller ship with a bounty hunter flag. Narrowing his eyes Law could see the deck was a man holding you down on your knees and holding your chin to watch the terror Law inflected on the ship he believed you to be on. "DAMN IT!!" Law shouted again before jumping up and slicing the ship in half beneath him where the Polar Tang raised through catching Law before he hit the water. Law pulled out his transponder snail to communicate to the bridge while he stood on top of the sub.

"GO AFTER THAT SHIP!" He ordered into the snail and the sub began to move at full speed after the small ship.

You were held down by a bounty hunter hired by your master to retrieve you. He mocked you as you watched Law destroy the world government ship, "Awe it looks like he got the wrong ship. I wonder if he'll be able to catch us now." He laughed holding your face to force you to watch. "Oh look. I think he spotted us!" The man laughed again as you made eye contact with Law before you watched him split the ship in half and ride the sub toward you.

The sub picks up speed but the man holds his arm outwards and the ship begins to slow much to Law's anger as he begins beating the sub yelling for the crew to move. The man holding you down laughed using some sort of ability to push the sub back.

Law angrily threw the transponder snail as far as he could before shambling himself in its place in the air. "Oh wow, he must be desperate." The bounty hunter laughed watching Law grab something out of his pocket throw it closer to the ship and transport himself. Law teleported right above you holding his sword out in the air as he fell towards the ship. Law had the scariest look you have ever seen as he drove his sword straight through the bounty hunter not even bothering to use his powers to lessen the blow.

Before you knew it you were sitting on the cold medical table in the polar tang. You watched as Law buzzed around the room over-analyzing every mark on your body. You just sat there feeling guilty.

Law used a cotton swab to clean out the smallest mark the hunter made when injecting the solution that made you pass out. You let out a big sigh, "He knows." you say causing the captain to pause. "He knows I am a part of your crew and he is just going to keep sending more hunters."

Law paused to think before returning to cleaning your cut, "So what. He is just a noble, all he can do is send cheap ass hunters and when they continue to fail he'll give up. I won't let another one lay a hand on you again." he finished cleaning to his standards before placing a bandage on it and gripping your shoulder with his promise.

You shake your head, "It's not him I am worried about. It's who he works with." your eyes dart to the corner of the room. Law quickly took note and slowly moved in front of you and grabbed your hand causing you to look into his eyes.

"It doesn't matter who he sends or who he knows I will protect you I promise," he spoke sternly. You nodded your has full of tears before digging into his shoulder to release your tears. Law just rubbed your back blinking away his tears as your hands made contact with his back.

You sniffled, "But he is some kind of warlord." you explained wiping your tears away, "Do... Dofl."

"Doflamingo" he spoke coldly finishing your words, you just nodded. Law froze his blood ran cold a the mention of that monster.

You look at the captain's curiosity as he refuses to meet your eyes while his head spins. "Law are you.." you begin but are cut off by his yanking his head up and flashing you the biggest smile.

"you have nothing to worry about." he jumped up and kissed you on the forehead. "I'll protect you." he smiled gently before heading to the door a swiftly leaving.

You sat alone in the medical room but as much as Law could try and mask his emotions he could never hide his true emotions from you. His fear overwhelmed you and left you frozen.

Over the next few weeks, you felt Law's slight anxiety every time he looked at you before he quickly masked his emotions the best he could. You tried your best to ignore it but you couldn't help but feel guilty for his emotions. 

Whenever you docked at a new island Law would keep you locked in the office until he staked out the island and deemed it safe for you. Once he had done so he would allow you to come out as long as he stood by your side the entire time much to Ikkuka's guilt.

The few times a hunter was on an island they backed off after seeing you next to your captain and were followed by Bart, Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin. But it wasn't just the hunters who fled but everyone else as well. Store owners quickly closed their stores feeling the intimidating aura of the 5 pirates released with every glare.

You began feeling like a burden and trapped. You stopped joining the crew on island visits and resided in the office staring out the window and watching the rest of the crew run free.

One day your mind continued to wander when you sat on the bridge alone and laid your eyes on the transponder snail.

***

Law returned to his office holding a stack of new books in his arms, "Y/N. I bought some new books I thought you would enjoy." he spoke as soon as he entered the office while you sat by the window in response. Law sighed seeing you still in your gloomy mood. "why don't you go out tomorrow and stretch your legs?" he suggested but you still didn't respond. "I can tell Bart and them to stay back and it can just be the two of us." You look toward your captain but still don't respond.

He sighed placing the books down before heading over to you and sitting down next to you. "I'm sorry I've been a little overprotective lately." You laid your head onto his shoulder for comfort and he reached his hand up to pet your head.

"I called Hancock," you admit which causes Law to pause. "I am going to Amazon Lily until my master gives up." This time Law was the one not responding. "They sent a ship that will meet me at the next island in 3 days. I already talked to Bepo about how I can get there in time for the randevu." You refuse to look at law while you explain. 

Law pulled away from you causing you to fall slightly no longer having his body holding your weight. You waited for him to say something but he just stood up and stayed there his thoughts swimming. You waited as you feel his emotions shift around unable to settle on one. You reached your hand out grabbing his arm. "This will be for the best. Next the marines are going to join the hunt"

"SO WHAT!" He finally snapped, "I am already being hunted by the marines they can't do anything." He turned to face you with sadness in his eyes.

"And when Doflamingo joins." You said causing Law to freeze and look at you painfully, "I know he scares you which is why I need to leave until we ar both strong enough to face him." 

Laws jaw grinded as you spoke and he thought about the man who has taken the one good thing is his life away once doing it again. 

"I don't know what he has done to you but I can feel the effects even mentioning his name has done to you. Law I love you." You spoke standing up to look him in his eyes. This was the first time you said that word to him. Law looked down at you the tears in his eyes began to fall silently down his face which you carefully brushed away and smiling softly "I will be safe on Amazon Lily and we will be together again one day." He finally nodded and rested his face in your hand.

"I Love you too."

***

Next Chapter

[wizardnuke]

this is a short essay response of a meta this is batshit insane. im still on my shadowgast honeypot meta. this makes no sense. i have. citations.

also i wholeheartedly believe that up until the nicodranas incident, caleb was never fully himself around essek because 1) his latent spy training alarm bells went off as soon as he met him 2) caleb is an ex-volstrucker in an "enemy country" where he knows there's an empire mole and knew that essek was hiding something. he didn't know what. i don't believe that he thought it was All That. but caleb is extremely paranoid. right are we following. meanwhile he and the rest of the m9 were getting into essek's head bc essek had thee distinct disadvantage of being 1) alone 2) very nervous all the time 3) juggling contact with the bright queen and da'leth and just like, having a Bad Time, and the m9 popped in and he realized "ohh some people don't spend their lives in social espionage hell" and proceeded to, not at first but eventually, also assume that caleb was included in that statement (dairon implied that someone, likely the empire mole, had to have given that volstrucker the shank, and it's not confirmed that essek did but like. he did. and then he got over that paranoia a little bit because caleb is a good actor) and anyway my point is. i don't think essek really saw caleb outside of that double honeypotting scheme (which was beginning to devolve into a one-sided honeypot, with caleb still on the job while essek was slipping) and half-made plans to get caleb killed, and probably the false security of working with him (and veth) to make that spell, My Point Is. essek slipped. essek fell for it. he didn't fall in love with caleb, but he liked him and saw him as a peer and a friend.

and then the first really barefaced, honest thing that caleb ever said to him was "yes, friend, what are you doing?" echoing essek's mention of having friends to da'leth, and then following that with "i would love for you to see the sunrise, so if there is a reasonable explanation, we would love to hear it" anyway the first time that essek really saw caleb as who he is- an actor stepping away from a role, a spy, a grim counterpart to jester's concern and compassion ("what are you doing?"/"do you want to sit down?"/"i hold his hand")- and someone who still despite all that wanted to think the best for essek because he had more or less up until that point fully duped the m9! caleb didn't suspect a thing, he was just being paranoid!

the. the first time that caleb dropped some of the act- he went from honeypotting him to handling a crisis, the crisis being "essek is freaking the fuck out and we don't have time for this, we are actively in peace talks and essek could blow everything up if he slips, so im going to say what he needs to hear", paraphrased from a talks machina that's probably off yt and i don't really care to look up, but he wasn't lying to him. he wasn't telling him that it was all okay, because it wasn't, but "the difference between you and i is thinner than a razor" is caleb recognizing what essek is and saying that he's barely any different, both in terms of atrocities committed (whether that's true or not is another story but my point is that caleb believes it) and in terms of the game they were playing - essek lost that game. bad. he lost it real bad.

essek sees caleb for the first time when he's been caught and the person that he thought of as a friend sits in front of him and flatly tells him "i am going to kill you unless you give me a reason not to, right now". that's caleb. that's Caleb Widogast™. that's the guy that made a deal with beau and fjord that they would keep each other on the right path. that's the caleb that wants to get rid of ikithon. that's the caleb who misses his parents. that's the caleb who has hope for astrid and wulf. he wants to have hope for essek too- "you were not born with venom in your veins, you learned it". he's not lying about having hope for essek, he's lying about how much hope he has. and he's trying, desperately, to instill some of that hope in essek. and isn't that. like. thee caleb thesis. determination, despite a lack of hope. "you and i are both damned, but we can choose to do something and leave it better than it was before".

[hankwritten]

they say, “no one’s going to save you, better make it on your own”

Day 4: TIL’ DEATH DO US PART (Bomb Voyage) warning for mentions of hate crimes

Tavish is dying.

He is lying in the alley behind the bar, and the blood is coming out of him too fast to even make a proper metaphor about it. There’s the sound of feet running, and of violence, but he doesn’t absorb it with all the pain in his abdomen.

Just as the encroaching dark is about to overtake him, a different and altogether sudden pain stabs him. His last thought before blackness is that he swears someone just pinched him on the neck.

***

He wakes in an apartment he doesn’t recognize.

“Ach…Jesus I feel terrible,” he says, trying to prop himself up on an elbow.

“I should think so. You’ve just been dead.”

There’s someone else with him. He whips his attention to the left, giving himself a headache in the process but now aware of the sharply dressed man in the corner of the room. Tall, dark, and handsome doesn’t even begin to cover it—the man is ungodly attractive, and familiar to boot.

Shit, Tavish really isn’t in a place to be ruminating on random men. Not when he still feels like he’s about to empty the contents of his stomach.

“Dead?” he asks. “What the bloody hell do you mean I’ve been dead?”

“Technically you still are, though more of the undead variety. I apologize, you were bleeding out, and it was either this or…let nature take its course. I made a snap decision.”

He’s holding his cigarette awkwardly, and Tavish has the strangest intuition that this man really doesn’t apologize lightly. Underneath the stiff formality, he does seem genuinely sorry.

“Though,” he goes on, “if you truly rather I hadn’t, a stake through the heart is still an option.”

“I…know you.”

“Somewhat.”

“A bunch of men tried to shank us?”

“Indeed.”

“Why can’t I remember anything else from last night?”

He shrugs. “Trauma related memory suppression, the copious alcohol you’d consumed beforehand; take your pick. Not to mention a recent Turning has its own host of symptoms.”

It’s all starting to come together. Tavish’s hand fumbles up to his neck, where a locus of pain that has been thrumming since his arrival at consciousness now makes itself unignorable. He lurches to his feet, finding the apartment’s bathroom quickly and slumping in front of the mirror.

His skin has taken on a grayish pallor. There’s a rip in his shirt, and his flitting memories from last night inform him that he was very much stabbed, but the skin underneath the tear is smooth and unscarred. What is not unscarred is the mark on his throat; two pinpricks of inky blackness, raised where he runs his fingers over them. The veins around them are pulsating with ichor, radiating out into his body.

“Bloody hell,” he whispers. “You turned me into a bloody vampire.”

“As I said,” the man agrees. The note of defensiveness is back.

Tavish turns on him. “How do we know each other?”

Clearly, the stranger has not been looking forward to this conversation.

“We met last night at the bar,” he begins.

Tavish remembers. Vaguely. Seeing him across it, paying for a few drinks…

“Then we went out back to…further our acquaintanceship.”

Thinking that the stranger was maddeningly good looking, that he’d let himself slip just this once. Tasting the other man’s gin on the insides of his mouth.

Tavish groans. “Fuck. No wonder they tried to kill us.”

The stranger flinches.

“This,” Tavish stammers. “This can’t be happening. I need to go home, I need to-”

“You absolutely cannot go home,” the vampire cuts him off.

Vampire. So many things make sense now. The fact that while he was exploring the other man with his tongue he swore he felt unnaturally sharp canines.

“Why not?” Tavish huffs.

“Do you have anyone at home? Or any friends that would come to check on you?”

“I live with me mum, aye.”

“And when you lose control of yourself, as all young Turned eventually do—when you cave to base cravings, is your mother strong enough to hold you off? Would she be able to kill you before you killed her? That is the best case scenario, the one where you don’t have the blood of those you love most on your hands.”

Another memory, of when the group of men attacked. After Tavish had taken the first hit, he’d been able to see the fallout, of the vampire fighting back. Was able to get a front row seat to the sheer speed at which he tore through the humans, splattering viscera on the wall as he went. Tavish imagines himself like that. Imagines his poor, fragile mother hounded by a nightmare version of himself.

He shudders.

“You see,” the vampire goes on. “Anyway, I must be heading off.”

“Wait,” Tavish sputters. “What? Why?”

“It is…inappropriate for a young Turned and their Originator to be around each other during this delicate transitional process. I’ve found it breeds feelings of resentment. Call me up in a decade or so, and I’m sure we’ll be able to form a much healthier bond.”

“But…”

The vampire swings on his coat.

“There’s blood bags in the fridge. I recommend staying out of polite society for the next two to three weeks, until the worst of your bloodlust has worn off. Keep the apartment if you like. I have plenty. Adios.”

And just like that, he’s gone.

Tavish spends the next several hours walking the apartment: agonizing over calling his mother, agonizing over his fate, trying to ignore a deep hunger that seems to be building inside him. He wouldn’t go blood crazy. He wouldn’t.

Would he? It’s not like he’s been good at mastering his drinking habits the past thirty-five years of his life.

He sighs, and puts the phone back on the receiver for the fifth time. He paces. He tries to eat one of the bags in the fridge and gets it all over his shirt and the intoxicating smell makes him black out for half an hour. Maybe it’s good he’s staying inside.

But as the night comes in and Tavish finds himself sitting on the toilet seat concentrating really hard about turning into a bat, he admits he can’t do this on his own. What right does that bastard have to turn him into a vampire and then just run? Tavish should confront him, make him help him through all this. At the very least squeeze him for more instructions than just “eat my fridge full of blood.”

The only lead Tavish has is the bar they met at, so he scoops the apartment keys off the hook by the door and heads out into the city.

He really hopes the vampire hasn’t skipped town already. As Tavish orders a drink, he wonders how he’s going to find him. Maybe this place was a vampire hotspot all along, and Tavish just didn’t realize? If there were more vamps around, someone might know his mystery man, and be able to point him in the right direction. He’d been scouting this place before, evaluating individuals on completely different criteria, but if it’d accidently lead him to a vampire once maybe it’d happen again?

His judgment pulls him to a lone, lanky man leaned at one of the standing tables. Tavish can’t tell why; intuition maybe. A gut feeling. But something pulls him towards the man with the five o’clock shadow and the glasses hiding his eyes.

“Er…” Tavish begins. “I’m looking for someone. You wouldn’t happen to know a man wearing a suit, comes by here every now and again, would you?”

Jesus this is terrible. He’s been less awkward when he’s scouted a man for a hookup.

Sunglasses doesn’t react though, just raises an eyebrow.

Tavish goes on, “Tall, slicked back hair, good cheekbones.” Cautiously, he adds, “He’s er…of the supernatural variety.”

Sunglasses snorts.

“Got some balls on you for going out and saying it, but yeah, I know ‘im.”

“Oh good, good. So you’re er…” Tavish gestures an around motion. “Part of the club then? How do you know him? Do you know his name? Did he, you know,” Tavish mimes biting, “you too?”

“No,” Sunglasses says slowly, evaluating Tavish hesitantly. “That’s…not how we know each other.”

Even behind the glasses, it seems like his eyes flick to Tavish’s neck.

The stranger continues, “He goes by Marcel, at least ‘round here he does. My name’s Mick.” Mick puts out a hand.

“Tavish.” Tavish shakes it.

“I may know where our mutual friend has gone, if you don’t mind a bit of a walk.”

“Of course not,” Tavish says, relief in his voice. “Anything just to get a bit of help around here. I’m new at this you know.”

“New?” Mick asks lazily.

They’re already making short time toward the door, Mick moving as soon as Tavish agreed. Within a few seconds they’re outside, and though objectively Tavish knows it’s a chilly night he just can’t quite feel it.

“New new,” he says. “As in just last night.”

“Mm. That have anything to do with those bodies that were found in the alley?”

Tavish winces. “Right. Those. I assume word got around?”

“Nah, night really. Got cleaned up pretty quickly, but I have my own channels for hearing about suspicious activity.”

“It wasn’t what you think! That lot were trying to kill us, and Marcel…he well, saved me.”

Mick hesitates. They’ve stopped in a part of the city Tavish doesn’t recognize—Mick was right, wherever they’re going it really is a walk. Would be damn nice if Tavish could figure out the bat trick.

“Saved you?” Mick raises his brow.

“Aye. I was still human, remember?”

It takes a moment. So long that Tavish is about to ask if they’re still going to see Marcel when Mick says, “Right,” and keeps walking.

They really have been going for a while now, and Tavish’s nerves have gotten the better of him, leading him to blabber on randomly but Mick doesn’t acknowledge anything’s amiss. There’s hardly any people about now, and Tavish really should have asked where they were going-

A blur shoots out of the dark.

Tavish flinches, searching desperately for his new vampiric reaction speed that doesn’t seem to be there, and pathetically puts his arms in front of his face. But it’s Mick who’s struck down by the sudden figure. The man goes sprawling further into the alleyway, and the person in front of Tavish has his back to him with one arm thrown protectively his way.

“Don’t you dare touch him,” Marcel hisses at the prone form.

“I wasn’t going to hurt your baby bat,” Mick scoffs. After being hurled twenty feet across the ground, he’s struggling to an upright state. “He was just bait.”

Tavish looks between the two. “Ach, I guess it was bad to assume all vamps got along…”

“Vamp?” Marcel glances at him, his fangs bared. “That man is not a vampire. That is a hunter. Be glad he didn’t gut you as soon as he found out what you were.”

“Relax Spook.”

Mick is on his feet now. Tavish thinks he should have realized it sooner: the supernatural speed of a vampire isn’t there in the way he adjusts himself, or how he responded when Marcel appeared. Also, there’s definitely something that looks like stakes strapped to the inside of his vest.

Still, his posture isn’t threatening. “I’m not here to gut him, and I probably won’t gut you either.”

“Probably?” Marcel raises an eyebrow.

“Nah. Was just making sure you had a soft spot after all these years. Seems like you do.”

Marcel grits his teeth. “The real reason, bushman.”

Mick laughs.

“He vouched for your character.”

Marcel glances back at him. If there were blood still moving through Tavish’s veins, he’s sure he would have blushed.

“The Administrator wants you gone,” Mick admits. “Thought I might at least have a chat with you again before picking up the contract.”

“How touching. But now that we have established that we are still no threat to one another, we can go back to our peaceful arrangement of staying a continent apart at all times, no?”

“Works for me. But,” he glances at Tavish, “try to take better care of your people, Spook. Can’t just keep cutting and running every time.”

Marcel says nothing as the hunter makes it his intent to be swallowed by the city.

“…Thanks for that,” Tavish says.

“You apparently were not in any danger.”

“Well, thanks for that and. You know. My life, earlier.”

“…I regret taking the choice out of your hands. I couldn’t exactly ask for your permission.”

“I know. And it’s not a great situation, but I am glad I’m alive. Just wish you wouldn’t’ve have disappeared on me.”

“Really?” Marcel asks. “Most people I know…would rather I was gone.”

“I don’t,” Tavish says, taking his hand. “I need to work through this either way, and it’ll be easier with your help. Come back with me?”

Slowly, like a startled cat that’s been too long on the street, Marcel says, “Very well.”

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Edge of the Limelight: Okiku’s Saga

We’ve had some fun ruminating on the edges, but we’re at a good point in the main story to recap the fil rouge. Also hit 900 posts so neat! Need a good milestone. This all fell into place around a simple observation at the 3/4 mark of Wano. Yamato’s flashback was the trigger. I’d seen it enough times; you kept undercutting this whole “I wanna be your nakama” bit, you’re clearly building an organic bond with Momo, and it wasn’t exactly subtle you & Kiku are mirror opposites. What’s the opposite of Yamato’s arc? It hit me like a brick, time & theatre. An unassuming young woman out of time who went from Poster Girl to Samurai like it was nothing. I rushed back to re-read, most of the basic idea fell into place before Usopp slides into this tale.

Kiku’s story is told in an order that makes it almost impossible to fully get on a single pass because she’s such a proper guarded Wano lady who’s instinct is to downplay herself. You’re regressing into an old role that was not healthy for you, that time with Tsuru allowed you to grow into a confident young woman who can fend for herself. My 90s Shoujo-loving ass just felt stupid for needing that long. Kiku wasn’t actually a particular favorite until that fateful re-read. I liked her but she got lost in the noise. And that’s the point! You’re the real star, a little prodigy fate is finally handing a second chance, but accidents of birth won’t allow you to make the most of it in this country. The Lady and The Samurai are both masks. Underneath both the real personality leaks out. She’s an actress, a bit of a diva even. Even from that point, that re-read it clicked. If you keep your eye on the unassuming waitress, get her story is sometimes about the notes you don’t play, Kiku’s the keel holding it all together. 

Mind you, she’s not exactly a slouch on the surface read to begin with. None of this is harder than people who could pick out the clues she was trans early. She’s not the type to show her scars, but the “play” she’s only fated to be a small part of is an ensemble of people grappling with what she bore 20 years ago. Sort of an Everything, Everywhere, All at Once vibe. So many faces showing who she was, who she’s becoming, who she could have been, who she’s expected to be. Most just one accident of birth away. Yeah yeah...she didn’t feel that important. That’s the bit! She’s nothing but a footnote in this sweeping historical epic. But Luffy met her first and really, really liked her. She’s not in the limelight a whole lot, but makes good use of the time she’s there and is at least on stage more than anyone. The most consistent thread. Winnow it down to just her story and Wano still works, but goddamn when you actually look at just her story through the spectacle does it start to look like a familiar pattern. The tenth has a story that goes unspoken because at this point you shouldn’t need it spelled out. That’s why it makes sense to me. 

I still can’t shake how well a fussy big sister type with a military background suits a Quartermaster role. How well being introduced shoving a hand over Luffy’s mouth and getting the two most reckless doofs on the crew to actually take stock and pay attention, the jack-of-all-trades angle, being the baby sister of the group and taking on the emotional toll of dealing with the traitor all suit that. How well that pairs with Izo all those years ago trying in vain to talk down Ace. That was all there at 1024. Gotta take it on faith I guess, but I and the couple of friends I filled in the gaps with agreed on two things to look out for at that point. Something that “flips” Kiku & Yamato back in the conclusion, and a “how we got here” flashback building on Kiku’s deep well of moments we know you spent time with the Straw Hats we didn’t see. Not to mention a potential big one with Shanks. We saw the first part with Ryokugyu and was it even that subtle?  

If you’ve been around a while you know I’m just scratching the surface. Even then, I was ready to move on when the other shoe didn’t drop, but offered a rough outline for how Egghead could bend around and still make the other half happen. Beauty of the type of twist. We’ve stuck to that and it’s getting weird by this point. Enough I somehow have more confidence in the idea there’s at least value in entertaining this thread at 1084 than I did 1064. And that was after Law had boobies. We’ll have fun with Egghead in general tomorrow.

[jabberingdragon]

So, this past January, I was down in Florida. For the first time in my life on earth for 26 years, I was able to encounter the ocean.

Her beauty left me absolutely thunderstruck. The first time I stood at the sandy shore, I was agasht of the fine grain of softness the sand was on my feet. I'm used to sand be coarse and harsh, but not here. The sandy beach traced the emerald green shoreline as far as I could see, such a pure ivory white that glowed beneath the sun, yet somehow, was soft on the eyes, unlike snow when it reflects sunlight. I watched the ocean roll, observed the absolute vastness of it, I listened to it, took in the smell of the air. Yankee candle has tried to capture the smell of ocean air in the past, but it pales in comparison to the real thing. Aromatic, pleasantly salty, with a note of sweet. Someone may call me crazy, but I swear the fragrance was a pleasant savory aroma, not one that induces hunger, but melts away your worries. Just by taking a deep breath, you can tell the air is alive. A candle company can never replicate the air itself, for they miss one key ingredient: Life. the first time, I allowed the sultry waves to overwash my bare feet, it connected me to a special kind of energy that surged over me and took me to a state of mind I've never felt before, at least, not to this degree. I remember feeling my eyes begin to swell and tears fighting to drip over my widened eyes as the waves crashed like thunder and rolled gently over my feet. I could never imagine how beautiful my first time was, and I am glad to have experienced it.

As the week went by, I encountered some lovely creatures, chatted with some friendly locals, and even met an internet friend who was just as lovely as they always are when we converse.

May I add, I adore how cheeky pelicans are. They're hilarious looking, and surprisingly large in person, but this particular fella I photographed was pretty used to people, of course did a light hiss and polite beak-snap if he felt you were too close, and to my surprise, he was quite intelligent. He definitely impressed me when he was using his long beak to point us to the food dispenser machine to feed him, but sadly, it was broken. He may not have gotten his free lunch, but he did win my heart. Nothing like the hardcore Canada Geese encounter, who will definitely not hesitate to shank me in the deepest darkest alleyways if I so much as look at them funny. Don't worry, I still love my foul fowls.

As for the cat? This lovely lady is Atticus, and she's a beloved Pier Cat that frequents the restaurant I happened to be by. She was stunning, and extremely friendly!

Now swimming in the ocean? I didn't get to do until near the end, as the riptide was rough during the week. The surf was a touch rough, but I didn't mind. I gotta admit, it was definitely intimidating. The ocean is absolutely nothing like the great lakes. There's a power to it that makes the ocean terrifyingly beautiful. What really left me speechless was the absolute vastness. No matter how far you look out into the sea underwater, you're staring down towards an infinite space that holds so many secrets that man has yet to even discover, let alone fathom. It's terrifying, but humbling. It made me realize how small my problems are....and understand and appreciate my roots as a multicellular organism, thinking about how far I have come to be into the existence I live in now VS my long since dead single-celled, archiac ancestors that lived in the primordial sea billions of years prior to me. In a way, it makes me proud of how far I've come in life, and reminds me of how little my problems are, because there is greater, more magnificent things out there that are worth my time and energy to ponder and engage with.

As much as I regret never experiencing the ocean at a young age, I am glad I did now as a fledged adult, because I wouldn't be able to string together words to perfectly illustrate to you my first hand experience, and how it made me feel.

[rockyspotwrites]

When Shanks and Luffy had been gone for well over an hour, Ace and Sabo knew something was up, and Makino did too. Granted, Makino seemed to know something was up before they even left, so she probably knows something that they don't.

Which is... Really frustrating, to say the least. How come she gets to know something important when they don't and they live with him?

With each passing minute that neither of their uncles showed back up, the more impatient they would get, looking between each other and scowling at any of Shanks' crewmates who would come a little too close. "What do you think they're up to?" Ace grumbled, clearly becoming more and more agitated. "A normal talk shouldn't take this long, should it? 'Specially not with Lu. He don't have the attention span for this long."

Sabo let out a thoughtful hum, leaning backwards on the stool. "I dunno. I don't think it should've took this long." He agreed, pulling himself forward as he tipped a bit too far back. "Wanna go sneak on the ship an' see what's takin' so long?"

Looking at his brother, he was met with a grin and an enthusiastic nod. "I thought you'd never ask!" Hopping down and beelining for the door with Sabo on his heels, they ignored Makino's calls to figure out where they were going.

With as many times as they had greeted the pirates as they docked, they had no trouble finding their ship, nor did they have any trouble climbing aboard it. The hard part was finding Luffy and Shanks, considering they'd never properly boarded the Red Force, and there was no sign of where they'd went as they looked around the deck. Looking at each other, they slowly began making their way to one of the doors and opening it to see a stairway leading deeper into the ship.

It was beginning to feel less like a good idea to come and search the ship themselves with every passing moment, but they continued onwards, keeping their footsteps as quiet as they could as they kept their eyes and ears out for any sign of their uncles. Peeking into every open room they passed, they mostly saw storage rooms and what looked to be the navigation room, but no meeting rooms or bedrooms. Sabo looked over to Ace to see him glaring in the last room they looked into, and he found himself silently agreeing - this wasn't going as well as they hoped. It really didn't seem like they were going to find either of them at the rate they were going.

Continuing onwards a bit more, they finally seemed to find a bedroom; a lamp was still burning and the room was a mess, but most notably were the two familiar pairs sandals left by themselves beside the bed. It didn't look like there had been a physical fight aside from ruffled bedsheets, but both of the brothers felt a great deal of unease at knowing that neither of them had taken the time to slip their shoes back on before taking off to who-knows-where.

"Should we... Leave?" Sabo asked, quietly, hesitant to break the silence as they both stood alone in the unfamiliar place.

Ace shrugged before knocking his knuckles together, eyebrows knitted together. "Well, they clearly ain't here," he said, a bit more forcefully than he meant to, "so I don't know why we should stay. But I dunno where they would've went, so - so I dunno what to do after this."

"Maybe one of 'em made it back to the bar? Or Lu mighta went home?" Sabo suggested, taking a step back towards the door and waiting to see what Ace would do. Still knocking his knuckles together, the freckled boy finally nodded, if reluctantly. He looked at the two pairs of sandals left on the ground and began charging his way out, Sabo following at a slightly less angry pace as they left the ship much quicker than they had boarded it.

Stomping back into the bar, they were met by soft conversation and Makino sounding as if her patience was running out. "You actually thought that anything about that was going to go well?" She asked, and when they pushed through to see who she was speaking to, it wasn't much of a surprise that it was a bare-footed Shanks. "Even I know that you can't go springing at him like that and expect him to keep a cool head, whether you were just worried for him or not."

"Listen, I know that, I jus', do you know where he mighta went? That's all I wanted to know!" The captain was holding his hands together and hitting the heel of one foot on the top of his other, anxiety practically oozing off of him. "I lost him an' I wanna go apologize -"

Hearing the last bit was enough to set Ace off, his face scrunching up as he stomped over and tugged on Shanks' pant leg; the moment he turned enough, a small but powerful fist smashed his jewels without giving him a chance to get a word in. "What didja do to Lu?" Ace snarled as Shanks' hands shot down and he doubled over partway. "You said you was jus' gonna talk to him, how the hell'd you screw up so bad!"

Content to let Ace get his frustration out and reasoning that they did still have Luffy's permission to hit Shanks, Sabo stood behind him, glaring at their uncle as he struggled to regain his composure. Makino looked less surprised and more resigned at the events playing out before her, as well as a bit worried. For Shanks' ability to ever procreate or for Luffy, it wasn't clear.

Flipping off the kids as he muttered curse after curse under his breath, Shanks finally seemed to get his head back onto his shoulders. "I didn't mean to do shit y' li'l crotch goblin!" He hissed through still-clenched teeth as he slowly began the rise to standing up straight, showing misty eyes and furrowed brows. "Good Lords, you couldn't've held back a bit? If you wanna talk to someone, y' don't try to break their dick!"

"Well, you did somethin', so you needed to be hit." Ace said matter-of-factly, arms crossed and fidgety as he glared up at Shanks.

"Lu did tell us we could hit you in the balls a bit back, so we were jus' a little slow takin' up the offer." Sabo added unhelpfully, getting flipped off again, though he gave it right back.

"If I didn't care 'bout you two so much I'd beat the piss outta you," Shanks said, finally at his regular height, even though his legs were a bit bent. A few of his crew let out muffled laughs over it, but they were paid no mind. "Why do y'all have to choose violence every time?"

Ace rolled his eyes, hugging himself tighter. "You deserved it an' you still haven't said what you did to make Lu run off." He spat, literally, making Shanks cringe at the feeling of spit hitting his foot. "'Cause he don't get upset easy an' he don't like leavin' shit un-fixed even if he sucks at fixin' shit, so you had to've done somethin' big."

That seemed to kick something into place in Shanks' mind, if nothing else, and he went back to looking distressed as he glanced between them and Makino. "Okay, okay, I yelled at him an' he yelled at me an' then he ran out and now I don't have any clue where to even start lookin' for him," he said quickly, clearly repeating what he said before they'd arrived, "and I needed help figurin' out where he goes when he gets mad'r upset?"

"Considering this is the first time that I've seen that he's gotten angry enough to storm off instead of trying to clear things up, I'm not going to be any help." Makino said, a silent 'so figure it out yourself' tacked onto the end.

Sabo noticed Ace taking deep breaths to try not to hit Shanks again, so he stepped forward a bit and bumped their shoulders. "Yeah, he usually stays to understand why the person he was arguin' with said what they did, so you screwed up big time, uncle." He tried putting a bit of disappointment in his voice like Luffy would when they break one of the few rules he'd placed. "C'mon, Ace, let's go take a nap at the house an' see if he shows up by the time we get back up, and if he hasn't, we'll go checkin' the forest."

He gently pulled his brother by the arm and was met by some resistance, but not enough to keep him from getting him away from the situation. When they were back out into the night air for a few minutes and the quiet seemed to work its magic, Ace let out a loud yell and started shaking his hands rapidly. Sabo watched to make sure he wouldn't hurt himself in his stimming like Luffy would, but didn't interrupt Ace as he tried to do his breathing exercises along with them.

Sabo did guide him so he'd be sitting on the ground after it didn't seem to help after a little while, and just sat with him as he slowly grounded himself. He knew better than to touch him while he was as overwhelmed as he was, even if he wanted to at least try to give him physical comfort.

It took a while longer for Ace to start calming down enough to speak again, but Sabo didn't mind waiting. He wasn't going to be like the Outlooks, making him get better on their time instead of his, so he was patient and calm with him. Maybe he wouldn't have been a year ago, before Luffy had showed him that kindness works better than impatience, but he knew better now. He was better now. He was always better than the Outlooks, even if he couldn't get himself to believe so.

"'M sorry." Ace mumbled, still seeming to be a bit overstimulated and not up for talking. That was fine, though, and Sabo shook his head.

"Don't be dumb, you don't have to apologize for anythin'." He said sternly, resisting the urge to flick Ace's forehead. "You up for heading home for a nap or do you still need a couple minutes?"

Ace didn't move for a couple seconds, thinking it over; finally, he nodded, and shakily got to his feet. Sabo let him set the pace as they finally made the rest of their way home, opening the door to a dark and quiet house. Both of them scrunched their faces up at how dead it was in comparison to when Luffy was there, but they just headed to their bedroom without speaking a word, as if just one would shatter the world they'd stepped into.

They climbed into their respective beds, but both laid awake for quite a while. The silence was heavy and uncomfortable, and even though both were exhausted, it was a fight to get the rest they needed.

[nejibaby]

Oblivious

Pairings: Shanks x Reader, Portgas D. Ace x Reader

Word count: 2.4k

Summary: You owe Shanks a lot for protecting you, and Ace owes Shanks for bringing him to you.

Shanks promised you long ago not to tell a single soul about your devil fruit power. And while you used to be wary of this little promise (considering he’s a pirate and all), he still hasn’t broken his vow until now.

In fact, he has gone so far as to relocate you into one of his territories to keep you safe. And surprisingly enough, he hasn’t asked anything in return nor does he ask you to use your abilities for his own personal benefit.

You suppose despite his devil-may-care attitude, he actually has a good head on his shoulder. And it’s quite reassuring, really, to have one of the most powerful men in the New World look after you. After all, your power is fairly important and highly coveted that it would have people coming after you once they find out about it.

It’s slightly startling though, how he seems to have immediately recognized your devil fruit power on the day you first met him. Or rather, on the day he literally stumbled upon you as you regrew the violets that have withered away on some random spot of the village you used to live at. He was drunk then, but at the sight of you using your abilities, he sobered up fairly quickly.

You remember being taken aback when he approached you that day. He’s one of the Four Emperors, after all, and you’ve heard a whole lot of stories about how terrifyingly powerful they are. But he’s actually very pleasant.

In the beginning, he was just making small talk, skirting around the topic and thinking of how he could bring up your devil fruit powers. Eventually though, the conversation became more serious and that was when he mentioned that he saw you regrowing the withered violets.

Truth be told, Shanks talking about this topic upset you. Because in a village outside the Grand Line, devil fruits are myths, and if you happen to be a user, then you’re shunned away or sometimes even be called weird for it. It’s typical, at the end of the day people are afraid of what they don’t understand. So you worked really hard on concealing your power.

But then Shanks also referred to it as “Regeneration” and it oddly made you feel happy. Because, well, imagine among millions of people on the planet, only you have this wonderful ability. He kind of ignited something within you — a sense of pride, perhaps — regardless, it made you feel a little less downhearted about having powers.

However, this revelation brought in more things to unpack, more bad than good, seeing that with great power comes great responsibility. Although you didn’t quite understand why it was such a big deal at that time.

He warned you about how there were a lot of bad people who’d be coming for you if they knew the extent of your abilities.

“How would I know you aren’t one of them?” You remember blurting out. You could even recall how horrified you felt after the words left your mouth. While you do have the power to stimulate plant cells to divide and promote growth, it wasn’t exactly something that could fight with, especially against a Yonko.

But Shanks only chuckled lightheartedly. “You have a point there. You shouldn’t easily trust a stranger.”

There’s a pregnant pause.

You weren’t sure what to say, and Shanks seemed to be on the same boat as you. It’s a pity, you did like the flow of the conversation before he brought up this topic, so for it to end this way made you a tad bit sad.

Just as you were preparing your speech on taking your leave, Shanks interrupted your thoughts by grinning and saying, “Why don’t we become friends then? I’m Shanks. I personally think I’m not a bad person. There’s this brat who actually looks up to me so I think I’m pretty decent.”

That was an awful introduction, and you tried not to let out a grimace. But apparently, you didn’t try hard enough.

“That was terrible, wasn’t it?” Shanks laughed, holding a hand to his stomach.

You hummed. “Kids are pretty gullible, so I don’t think I could trust their opinion on you.”

Despite your comment, he was still beaming.

“That’s alright! I—” but he cut himself short and shifted his vision momentarily to something else. “Looks like I have to go. Be careful, okay? Don’t go using your power in public, even when a Marine is around,” he said, whispering the last sentence.

You could only nod in response, confused not only by his actions but his words as well.

It was a weird encounter, but that was the first of many more encounters with the man.

After that fateful day, he comes by your hometown again, and again, and again — not too many times, but it’s as frequent as a visit from a pirate could get, accounting for his travel back and forth the Grand Line and all that.

Naturally, he gained your trust, and you became close enough that he had given you a means to communicate with him. He would actually call you to check up on you, although you never called him yourself.

But when you did, it was for an emergency.

Some rookie pirate crew wanted to mess with Shanks and found out that some time ago the Red Hair pirates stopped by your hometown. And while the pirates had no idea who or what they’re looking for, the villagers knew of your friendly relations with Shanks. And, well, intimidation by pirates could loosen up the tongues of the powerless.

Thankfully, the Red Hair pirates hadn’t reached the Reverse mountain yet so they were able to get back quickly. And due to that scare, Shanks had taken you with them into their territory in the New World.

There’s a part of you that wondered why Shanks would go through such lengths to protect you, but that was only up until you awakened your abilities.

Because apparently, not only can you regrow plants, you could also regrow limbs as well as organs alike, and of course, heal wounds too. But more importantly, you can revive the dead.

It’s a power too good to be true, but real nonetheless. And if it gets into the wrong hands, then the delicate balance of the world will be in danger.

You know you should be worried about being used by Shanks, but you also know that he isn’t all too bad. He’s shown you time and time again that he has morals to uphold. And if he wanted to benefit from you, then he would have started by asking you to regenerate his arm long ago.

All that, and the fact that he saved your life more times than you can count. He’s even sustained injuries from protecting you, but he never once asked you to heal him in return.

Shanks is a good man, you know that by heart.

One day, he picked you up and asked you to accompany him. You complied easily even when he didn’t give you a reason, knowing full well Shanks would always ascertain your safety.

Days later he worriedly revealed that he was bringing you to Marineford — to the Paramount war. It was easy to tell that this was weighing heavy on his mind, there was guilt plaguing his face for dragging you into this mess.

You didn’t mind, however. You knew that he had good intentions and that he wouldn’t have resorted to bringing you there and compromising your safety if he didn’t have to.

To this day he feels the guilt and to this day you continue to assure him that it’s okay. For all the things he’s done for you, this is the least you can do.

This is the only time he wants your help. And it isn’t even for him or his crew. It’s for the Fire Fist Ace guy you keep reading about in the newspaper.

You don’t know what his relationship is with the younger pirate or what kind of guy Ace is, but you don’t ask Shanks, although it would be a lie if you said you aren’t curious. Regardless, Shanks has a good judgment on people, and that’s enough for you.

From the broadcast of the Ace guy in Marineford, you understand why Shanks is strongly against the execution of the young pirate. Even you could tell that the World Government’s verdict on him isn’t just. Because even if he’s the son of the Pirate King himself, he isn’t responsible for the acts of his father. Unlike treasures, sins aren’t inherited.

So when you’ve been given access to Ace, you don’t have to be told twice what to do. You just did what you think is best. After all, no one should be given the right to take away someone else’s life. 

But the damages with Ace are severe. You’re unable to leave his side, too afraid that you’d accidentally cause permanent injury if you did. Because even if you do have the ability to heal, there’s still a probability that some cells could grow incorrectly from your stimulation; scarring or fibrosis isn’t exactly something you can fix and if that happens to internal organs then that’s problematic.

Thankfully you aren’t alone in handling this responsibility. Shanks visits the room you have occupied with Ace everyday, not only for the younger pirate, but also for you— to make sure you eat and rest as much as possible.

Marco, the First Division Commander of the disbanded Whitebeard pirates, also comes by frequently to help. And frankly, it’s reassuring when he’s around, seeing as he’s a doctor and that he actually has healing powers as well. What you can’t do and can’t fix, he does.

Needless to say, Marco becomes another close friend. And even if he doesn’t have to, he indulges you with stories about Ace. After all, nobody in the Red Hair crew knows that much about Ace than he does. You suppose he sensed your curiosity, he does seem like a guy who’s very observant.

For three months Marco does this, he provides you with stories about Ace, and because of that it honestly feels like you’ve known him for a greater portion of your life, despite not having been able to interact with him at all. You get to know what food he likes (which is basically almost anything that is edible), who his brothers are, what types of pranks he likes to pull. He sounds like a decent and extremely funny guy. And so you find yourself wishing he’d wake up sooner.

By the fourth month, you and Marco have finally been able to fix all his injuries, and the only thing left for you is to trigger his organs to function, or well, in Shanks’ words, to tap him back to life.

The moment Ace reawakens feels like your life paused. It’s a surreal feeling, to be able to do a miracle such as this. 

Marco hugs Ace and Shanks wraps an arm around you. You watch Marco and Ace interact with a smile, but when you hear a small “Thanks” from the man beside you, you shift your gaze to him.

When you face Shanks, he says it again, “Thank you” with a pat on your head. And you grin at him, happy to have been of service.

You’re both interrupted when you hear Marco raise his voice. He’s done with the tears and the hugs and now he’s scolding Ace.

It’s quite an amusing sight. And to a bystander like you, you could see their brotherly bond. You try to block out what Marco is saying, seeing as you aren’t exactly part of the conversation and you want to give them a sense of privacy. And so when Marco suddenly points a finger to your direction you almost jolt in your place.

And when you make eye contact with Ace, your breath hitches, and for whatever reason, everything seems to come to a halt.

You barely perceive the way his eyes widen at the sight of you and the way he flushes red.

You didn’t even notice the look of curiosity that Marco presents as he looks between you and Ace, or that he spares a look at Shanks.

Ace clears his throat. “Th-thank you,” he says, wincing at his stutter.

You give him a small smile. “You’re welcome, Ace.”

He straightens up upon hearing his name and a sheepish look crosses his face. And as if reading his mind, you hold out a hand and introduce yourself to him.

He hesitates to place his hands on yours, but when he finally does, you feel yourself heating up and suddenly all you can hear is the pounding of your heart.

And when he lets go, you instinctively place your hand against your chest. “Ah, it was Shanks who brought you to me,” you say without thinking.

Marco raises a brow at your choice of words, but you’re too deep in a trance that you don’t understand its implications.

Ace shifts his focus on Shanks and thanks him as well.

Without his attention on you, you release a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Ace seems to be… an interesting guy. At least for you, and this thought brings another smile to your face.

Marco walks towards you as Ace and Shanks continue to talk. The look on his face alone tells you that he’s aching to say something.

But before he can open his mouth, you tease him by saying, “Don’t think about thanking me again. You’ve already said that a thousand times.”

That’s not what I wanted to say, the words lie on the tip of his tongue, but he bites it back down. What he wanted to address was your interaction with Ace, but he spares you this time. He owes you one, after all. So instead, he laughs and tells you, “You’ve caught me red-handed then.”

You end up teasing each other for quite some time until Shanks announces that you and him should get going to give Ace some time to rest.

You skip towards Shanks, offering a grin. And in exchange he gives you a fond smile.

When you bid your goodbyes and turn towards the door, you miss the way Ace eyes soften upon placing his gaze back on you.

“So what do you think of him?” Shanks asks as he walks you towards your designated cabin.

You place your forefinger to your chin and hum, thinking of how to answer the question. It does seem like Ace is a nice guy, and he’s extremely polite too. You’d like to believe you’d get along with him well.

“I think I like him.”

And even then you’re oblivious to the way Shanks had missed a step upon hearing your answer.

a/n: i miss ace so much i just had to write for him!!! i used to like writing this long but now i get anxiety when i reach 2k words lmAO because i feel like i’m being boring??? but idk it’s a me thing ig. anyway, reblogs and feedback are appreciated <3

[gossip-girl-of-middleearth]

Speak my Language (Fellowship x Hurt! Reader)

Synopsis: After being ambushed by orcs, you are left alone at your isolated camp to bleed out. However, your loyal friend, a “tyger” from Far Harad, has other plans in mind—tracking down another camp nearby, comprised of nine warriors, in search of aid for you.

Pairings: a bit of Legolas x Reader. I’m a simp for him, okay?

Warnings: blood, mentions of an attack, hurt/comfort

The attack came too fast and too swiftly. Orcs weren’t supposed to reside in this area of the forest, or so you thought. It was almost as if something were driving them to your location, like dolphins chasing down fish to the shores of oceans.

Whatever may be the case, and whoever the fish in this scenario were, you were the one left severely injured.

It started with a flickering of your tyger’s ear. Comrade, as you named him, was an exotic breed of big cat, from the furthermost southern jungles of Far Harad, where the likes of oliphaunts also roamed.

You had met the large orange, striped cat on a mission to spring all kinds of animals free on the southern shores of Middle-earth. The Haradrim were responsible for this illegal smuggling trade, though you knew someone far larger was behind it.

A mystery was unfolding in Middle-earth before your eyes. Orcs in odd locations, secret illicit activities in dark harbours, and a growing disbalance in the ecosystem.

Setting the stampeding oliphaunts loose, the wooden crates on the foggy harbour soon burst into chaos. Men ran everywhere, both trying to save themselves and their jobs.

As ropes and hooks were cast into the grey flesh of the loudly trumpeting beasts, you snuck out. However, on your escape route, a rabid, hissing animal caught your attention.

You had never seen a cat like him before, and knew instantly he was out of sorts amongst the scenery of Middle-earth. What on earth would he need stripes to blend in with? You figured he was more used to tall savannahs, if anything.

Tentatively, and knowing all could go wrong for yourself, you unlatched the lock containing your soon-to-be friend.

He leapt out and crouched lowly before you, arching his back and sizing up your neck. His teeth were large and yellow at the gums, as he flashed them viciously.

However, making the first move, you slowly showed him your empty hands, and kneeled down. A slight change in his attitude was present, as his hisses ceased and his ears unpinned themselves.

And when a Haradrim man came at you, well, all that was left were ribbons of flesh and a new partner for you.

Ever your noble protector, Comrade lifted his head from your lap, where you were running your hands through his now twitching ears.

“What is it, boy?” you cooed, tracing the black stripes on his head.

A low growl had begun to form at the back of his throat, and you stilled your hand. Though a level of trust had been formed between you both throughout the three years you walked alongside him, he was still a wild animal at the end of the day.

You took into account the twitching of his tail, and your heart stopped. You always feared Comrade might one day turn around and attack you like he did to those Haradrim. Small housecats were bad enough with mood-swings as it was.

Eyeing up his large paws, where claws the size of small shanks appeared, you grew clammy. However, a distant snapping of a branch beyond the dark trees both settled and rose your nerves.

Glancing up from Comrade, you followed his keen line of sight past your little campfire. You stared for what felt like minutes, until another branch snapping sounded the alarms.

Comrade immediately lifted himself from your lap, and stood tall. The power in his sudden movement scared you, and you found yourself jolting to your own feet.

All you had on you was a small dagger, for you liked to think of yourself as a “wise pacifist”.

You drew it in front of yourself, and scared breaths racked your chest. Comrade was pacing the dirt in front of you, eyes forever trained on the forest, tail swishing.

And then, the attack came.

A slaughter occurred between the trees and before the fire, and though you managed to assist with many kills, Comrade in the end was the clear victor.

However, one tyger against ten orcs was not entirely fair.

In the aftermath, you found yourself with your back rested against a tree—your hand clutching a dagger in your abdomen.

Orcs bodies lay strewn around, some missing heads, others with their intestines spilled on the upturned dirt. Most, however, had their jugulars torn out.

Comrade had just put to rest his last orc, and turned his panting, blood-soaked snout back to you at the sound of a small whimper. The previously feral glint in his eyes subsided, as he observed your mewling state.

Your hand clutched the pommel of the dagger, as you struggled to not look at it—favouring to keep your eyes screwed shut instead, and your chin lifted high.

He immediately thudded one paw in front of the other, as he came to stand beside you. He sniffed the dagger, and made a small sound reminiscent of chuffing to your face. He nudged his nose with your cheek, willing you to look at him.

When you did, you found amber eyes, brimming with concern, looking back at you.

“I wasn’t fast enough,” you tried with a small smile, but mewled again through the pain of speaking.

He chuffed once more, and tried to inspect the dagger. You gently pushed his head away, knowing there wasn’t much he could do.

Understanding the severity of your state, he lifted his neck and stood tall. Flickering his ears in all directions, Comrade scoped out the forest. He could hear the sounds of night for many miles—owls hooting, mice rustling, squirrels climbing and…men chatting lowly around a crackling fire.

They did not sound like orcs, and turning his nose to the air above, Comrade knew instantly they were not. Instead, the scent of men and elves lingered in the breeze, and something new he hadn’t encountered before.

Without glancing back at you, he took off running through the woods.

Watching him leave in confusion, you knitted your brows. However, the throbbing split in your stomach soon burned away again, and you were left crying alone through bared teeth.

On the other side of the forest, just a few miles away, the Fellowship’s camp resided. The loss of Gandalf still rippled through the colleagues and friends like an unsettled lake, and not much was found beyond quiet chatter.

The topic, primarily, was of Lothlorien—the beautiful kingdom they had just reluctantly left.

Sat on a log, and grimacing as he ate rabbit meat off of a bone—quite different from the prepared salads with small chunks of chicken he had grown up with—Legolas watched the fire.

His fingers were sticky, and his nose was scrunched, as he attempted to eat said meat.

Next, Gimli’s chuckles filled the air.

The laughter silenced everyone, for it was the first time anyone had laughed since Moria.

Lifting his eyes, Legolas found Gimli laughing at him. “What is it?”

“A bit out of your comfort zone, aren’t we?” Gimli chuckled back, motioning to the prince’s fingers.

Legolas’ lips fell into a sarcastic frown. “That’s because I was actually raised with the idea of comfort to begin with.”

Gimli dismissively waved his hand. “All I’m hearing is pretty excuses.”

Legolas placed a sticky hand over his chest, and batted his lashes. “You think I’m pretty?”

A smirk grew on Gimli’s lips, as he pointed at the faint outline of grease on Legolas’ Lothlorien tunic.

Losing his own smirk, Legolas looked down at the clothing and sneered upon realizing his mistake.

Laughter rippled through the camp, and a few added on their own taunts in an effort to keep the happy atmosphere alive, even if at the prince’s expense.

However, Legolas had since tuned out. His head was over his shoulder, his pointed ears twitching, as he eyed off the forest behind. Distantly, snapping twigs and thudding paws could be heard.

“Don’t you think, Legolas?” Boromir laughed, slowly reeling the elf’s concerned attention back in to him. “Legolas? I said, don’t you—”

“Shh!” Legolas cut him off, whipping his head over his shoulder again.

Aragorn was the first to cease his relaxed nature, as he knew the cautious elf well-enough.

“Someone’s a bit of a soft—” Gimli had gone to say, before Legolas shushed him again.

Snapping his eyes to his friends, Legolas hastily whispered, “Do you not hear that?”

“We don’t have your—”

“Hush, let him speak,” Aragorn interjected, earning the obedience of the camp. “What is it, Legolas?”

“Something large and ambitious approaches from behind,” Legolas answered, scanning his eyes over his shoulder again.

Just as the elf did, the Fellowship dragged their sights along the trees. Slowly, following Legolas’ words and now actions, the entire camp rose to their feet and clutched their weapons.

The hobbits all nervously eyed one another, as the four stronger warriors stood in front. They each all watched the trees, and their hearts pounded faster, for they, too, could now hear what Legolas was explaining.

Loud thumps reached their ears, as did beastly panting. Legolas drew an arrow, and aimed it in preparation.

And then, Comrade burst into the camp.

The hobbits screamed in shock—in fact, both Gimli and Boromir shouted, too.

The tyger paced before them all, chuffing loudly in communication. Legolas, understanding all living things, heard the tyger speak.

Please! I need your help! My friend, she’s hurt—wounded by orcs!

Legolas lowered his arrow, much to the horror of the others.

“What are you doing?” Boromir screeched. “Shoot it down! It’s rabid! Look at the blood coating its mouth!”

“It is orc blood,” Legolas slowly drew out, knitting his brows in the direction of the tyger. “And he says he needs our help?”

Aragorn glanced at Legolas wide-eyed, and they shared a look—one dripping in superior knowledge.

Legolas made a show of disarming himself of his bow, and spoke back to the tyger in a way only elves could.

Take us to her.

The tyger turned around instantly, and began running into the woods. Aragorn and Legolas followed.

“Wait,” Pippin exclaimed in confusion, as everyone left him behind. “Has he always been able to speak with animals?! Did everyone else know this but me?!”

“Hurry up, Pippin!”

Comrade had left you twenty minutes ago, and you felt an uncontrollable shiver run through your body. It was a shiver that, despite being close to the fire, was continuous.

Your teeth chattered, and your stomach coiled at the blood soaking you. It was all over the front of your tunic, and continuing to spread. You hadn’t removed the dagger as of yet—too afraid of both the consequences and the pain simultaneously.

You felt both dizzy and tired, and only wanted a nap. Just as you were beginning to close your eyes, frantic thudding in the distance could be heard.

Weakly, you turned your eyes to the trees Comrade had left through, and waited for either your friend or more orcs to appear.

However, what you were not expecting, was a blonde elf to burst through the dark with your tyger.

The tall elf skidded to a stop a few yards before you, and gasped sharply. His widened eyes raked over your paling, clammy body in alarm.

“Oh my goodness!” he cussed, before throwing his eyes over his shoulder. “Aragorn! Come quickly!”

Next, a man burst into view. Behind him, another man, dwarf and four hobbits followed. Though, for all you knew, they were children.

White dots filled your vision, and you soon felt very delirious, as if in a dream.

The elf rushed forwards, and fell to his knees beside you. He brushed your hair out of your face to observe your half-lidded eyes, where he then spoke.

“Y/n? Y/n, are you all right? Your friend, Comrade, told me of you. Can you hear me?”

All you could make out of his face were two brilliantly blue eyes. A white, angelic light encompassed him otherwise, and the blonde hair certainly didn’t help.

You garnered a sort of dazed smile, as you scanned his blinding face. “You’re an angel, aren’t you? Sent from above? Oh thank goodness—I thought I was going to go alone.”

Listening to your soft voice, the brunette man with greasy hair dropped beside the elf.

“Her strength fails and her light fades,” Aragorn commented. He scanned his eyes over your wound. “I shall use athelas to treat the bleeding, but…this may be beyond us.”

Legolas looked at Aragorn in horror, before looking down at you again. Two deaths on his hands in such a short amount of time? The immortal elf couldn’t—wouldn’t—process it.

“We are not yet too far from Lothlorien,” Legolas pointed out, studying your tired face. “We can turn around and leave her in the hands of Galadriel and her kin. They will heal her.”

“We haven’t time to double-back and risk the orcs,” Boromir pointed out.

Next, Legolas gestured at all the strewn bodies of the camp. “It appears our fault she dies in the first place. She felt safe enough to camp in these woods, and rightfully so, but we brought the orcs with us. We must help her. She’s our duty now.”

“Legolas is right,” Aragorn agreed, crushing athelas in his hands with water from his pouch. “The orcs are only in these woods because they track us. Legolas, you are the fastest here and know these trees second-best to me. You will take her back to Lothlorien and then take the journey three times faster to catch up with us.”

Legolas nodded his head in understanding, and felt your hand. It was cold, shivering and sweaty. He swallowed his nerves.

“You might want to hold her further,” Aragorn quietly pointed out to Legolas, gesturing to your hand.

The elf noticed the prepared athelas paste, and the ranger’s hand hovering over the intruding dagger’s pommel. Next, Aragorn spoke to you.

“Y/n, my name is Aragorn. I am going to help heal you, and then Legolas here will rush you back to Lothlorien. I am going to remove the dagger to decrease further injury. It will hurt for a moment. Do you understand?”

“Legolas?” you repeated in confusion, looking up at the aforementioned prince. “Oh, yes—him. He’s an angel.”

Aragorn smiled briefly, especially at the creeping blush on his friend’s pointed ears, until you looked back at him and took into account his dirty presentation. “You, on the other hand, are not an angel.”

Comrade, having been pacing the dirt on your free side, came to lay beside you, recognising what was about to happen next.

Aragorn politely curled his lips at your delirious insult, and quickly tore the dagger from your abdomen.

As if supporting a woman through birth, Legolas’ mewls were louder than your own, for the hand of yours he held clenched tightly.

Aragorn got to work quickly, and began applying the athelas to your now bleeding wound. You cried softly, as you felt the pain both grow and lessen.

Finding comfort through your dizzy haze in the thumbpad stroking your knuckles, you squeezed the same hand again, and were pleasantly surprised to find it squeezing back.

Gimli, Boromir and the hobbits watched on—nervously observing both the tyger lying beside you, and your hurt form.

“Lothlorien is a night’s run behind us. She needs a different tunic to reduce the risk of infection,” said Aragorn, using a makeshift cloth to wipe the blood away from you.

Legolas pressed his lips into a thin line, and nodded. He briefly let go of your hand, much to your vocal discomfort, and grabbed the bottom hems of his tunic. He lifted the green material over his head, and was left with nothing but a long-sleeved, white undershirt.

As Aragorn wrapped your chest with what he could find on him that’d temporarily work as a bind, Legolas patiently waited.

After your wound was tended to, Aragorn leant over to speak with you. “Your wound is dressed, Y/n. Legolas will now take care of you until Lothlorien. You are in good, capable hands. I promise.”

You mustered the strength to nod back, despite white dots still filling your vision.

Aragorn clasped Legolas’ shoulder and nodded, to which he nodded back. Then, the ranger turned and told the rest of the Fellowship to head back to camp.

Having ensured everyone was out of sight, Legolas looked down at you again.

“May I please change your tunic? I will close my eyes, but it has to be done—the blood will lead to infection if not dealt with.”

However, you stilled gazed up at him with a silly smile. Considering all he wore was now white, you believed your suspicions of him being an angel correct.

After a moment, his words finally drifted through your mind, like a lone leaf on a lazy river, and you nodded.

Legolas raised a hand to the hem of your tunic, and hooked his fingers underneath, but was halted by the sudden growling and standing of Comrade.

You dare touch her in such a state? I sought you out for help!

I am an elven prince, mellon. Trust me when I say; it is not even remotely possible in my genetic nature to do such a thing.

Well, trust me when I say; it is most definitely in my genetic nature to go for the jugular—always.

Understood, but you must let me help her. Have we not done so already? Let me complete assisting her, and then you shall follow me to Lothlorien.

The snarling lips of the tyger curled for a minute, as he stared across at the determined elf over your body—face to face.

Slowly, his growls died.

Fine. Just know, however, I am watching you every step of the way.

Well, that makes one of us.

As he promised, Legolas closed his eyes. He carefully, but swiftly lifted your blood-soaked tunic and tossed it aside.

Fumbling for a few minutes, as he did so blind, Legolas dressed you in his own green tunic. It was large on you, more like a short dress, but did the job of concealing your wounded form.

At some point, you had nearly drifted off to sleep, but a gentle cooing of Legolas brought you back.

“Hey, you must stay awake for now, all right? I am going to carry you to a lovely kingdom, and you will be taken care of. All I ask in return is that you keep me company with conversation the whole way. Can you please do that for me?”

Exhaling past your nose through your fatigue, you fluttered your hazy eyes open again.

Searching Legolas’ own, you nodded.

“Okay,” you promised.

“Good girl,” Legolas replied. He then gently scooped you into his arms like a bride, and checked in with Comrade.

Are you a fast runner?

Is that even a question?

To further his point, Comrade sprinted off into the trees, leaving Legolas jogging behind him. And, just as you promised, you spoke softly to him the whole way—mostly of his “angelic eyes”—and he delivered on his promise, of quite literally delivering you to Lothlórien.

Surprising Legolas most, however, was the new promise you made after healing by the aid of Galadriel’s hand, just a few days after your arrival. 

Upon learning of what exactly was disturbing your ecosystem in Middle-earth, you told Legolas he would not be making the journey back to his friends alone, for he had gained two new ones. 

[gladerscake]

No One Better

(Gally x Reader)

Hope you have some time, because this one’s large and in charge (of the feels, that is). Huge thanks to all the lovely people who encourage me to keep writing. Enjoy!

A few beads of sweat rolled down your temple, your bottom lip beginning to sting from how hard you were biting down on it, your brows furrowed in intense concentration, all while you were struggling to finally saw through this one stupid chunk of wood. It was a particularly thick one - you’ve been at it for almost ten minutes, with frustratingly minimal results. The muscles of your right arm were positively aching, pleading for you to drop the shucking saw and just ask somebody for help.

However, your resolve was stronger than your protesting muscles. You could do this. You didn’t need help.

You gave yourself a minute to rest before drawing in a deep, determined breath, and getting right back to it. You couldn’t believe it - will all this effort, you’d only managed to saw through half of it, thus far. Gally always made it look so easy...

“Having a bit of trouble there, baby?”

Your mouth immediately curled in a little grin at the deep sound of his voice. Gally’s voice. As if on cue, just when you were beginning to think about him.

The Keeper of the Builders, who you now proudly called your boyfriend, seemed to have a sixth sense for those things. To anything that had to do with you, really.

It’s been a bit over a week, since you two had made the fateful transition from close friends to something much, much more thrilling. And even though it hasn’t been that long since the change of your relationship’s nature, you could say, without question or a shadow of a doubt, that you’ve never felt happier.

The way Gally treated you on the daily, with such gentleness, care, and endless affection, made your heart bloom with delight at his mere presence. You couldn’t say you had been shocked by his manner - he’s always been kind to you, since the moment you two have met. But seeing this side of him, the loving and warm side, the one nobody else but you got to see, was a gift in itself. You believed you were immensely lucky that Gally returned your feelings and wanted you by his side, and you couldn’t wish for someone better. To you, there was no one better - simple as that.

As of this moment, you chose to bite back a cheeky remark in response to Gally’s slightly teasing question. Instead, you straightened out your posture, allowing your grin to grow as you loosened your death-grip on the saw handle and turned to face him.

“Me? Not at all! What gave you that impression?” You chirped as Gally chuckled, deeply, taking a big step closer to you. His striking bluish-green eyes peered down at your delicate features, an amused grin playing at the corners of his mouth. God, you could never get used to how attractive he was to you...

“You’re kidding, right? I could hear your grunts all the way from the Deadheads.” He glanced at the saw in your hand, trailing his gaze to the chunk of wood and your underwhelming progress, and swiftly figured out what was causing his girl such distress.

You playfully rolled your eyes at his comment “Well, not everyone is a big hunk of muscle like you, my Keeper.”

Gally tried to control the blush he instantly knew was about to paint his cheeks. ‘My Keeper’. You’ve been calling him that often since you two became a couple, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t absolutely love it. It almost always distracted him from whatever he was doing or talking about, but he didn’t mind. He definitely didn’t want you to stop.

Nonetheless, he kept his composure and cleared his throat, grinning down at you “You flatter me, baby. But you’re not wrong.”

You released a light-hearted laugh as he quickly scooted behind you. “Here, let me help.”

You felt a familiar warmth spreading through your body and circling your abdomen as Gally reached around you, his powerful torso nearly pressing against your back, his calloused hand enclosing around your smaller fingers on the handle, in order to guide your movements. Your pulse was already beginning to quicken, your face gradually getting hotter, as you struggled to ignore the effect his closeness was having on you.

“T-Thanks...”

Gally pressed a sweet peck to your cheek as he tightened his grip “Mm-hm. Now, shoulder up...” He instructed, softly, his breath slightly tickling your ear. You did as told. “Yep, just like that. Now lock your elbow. Your arm’s a little wobbly - that’s why it’s taking so much out of you.” Again, you did as he said, doing your earnest to focus on the task at hand, and not on your boyfriend’s low, breathy voice in your ear, or the heat of his strong body, or the way his arms felt around you...

“Like that?” You inquired, timidly, glancing up at his freckled face.

“Exactly. Now, drag it back and forth, and don’t squeeze the handle too hard - you’re just wasting energy that way.”

You took a deep breath and proceeded sawing through the wood, with Gally’s help, as he kept a firm grip on your hand. To your surprise and relief, it really did feel a lot easier, now that you were no longer straining your muscles in all the wrong ways, and in a matter of minutes, the sawed-off piece fell to the ground with a soundly “thump”.

You let out a victorious laugh, causing Gally to chuckle at your reaction. He thought it was entirely too cute.

“Finally! I did it!” You beamed at your boyfriend as he pried the handle out of your hand, placing the saw on the work table before interlacing his fingers with your own.

“You sure did. Next time, if you’re struggling with something, just come get me, okay? There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.” He smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

You closed your eyes, blissfully, giving him a short nod of agreement. “Fine, fine, if you insist...” You mumbled, the urge to kiss him coating your senses and pulling you closer into him. You didn’t fight it. Standing up on your tippy-toes, your linked your arms around his neck and leaned in, pressing your soft lips against his, your ears basking in Gally’s deep hum of satisfaction. His hands wasted no time gripping your waist as he kissed you deeper, his lips moving so seamlessly and tantalizingly against your own, your mind beginning to swim at the sensation.

Despite not wanting to break the kiss, the distant sounds of other gladers working and chattering forced you to stay aware of your surroundings as you reluctantly pulled away from Gally’s lips with a sweet final peck. The builder grinned, giving your waist a languid squeeze before delivering you a wink that almost made your knees buckle.

“As much as it kills me, I gotta get back to work, baby.” He feigned a sneer as you chuckled, nodding in compliance and unwinding your arms from around his neck. You stepped back, already missing his closeness and warmth.

“Same here. Meet you at dinner?”

“You’d better!” Gally smiled, genuinely, before turning on his heels and departing to his task of fixing the Med Hut’s leaky roof.

-later that day-

“Alright, boys, let’s wrap this up. We’ll get back to it first thing tomorrow.” Gally clapped a couple of his builders on their backs - his way of letting them know they had done a good job without actually having to say it. He wasn’t big on dishing out praise and compliments, unless it came to you.

“Whatever you say, boss!” Scott, one of his most capable builders, quipped as he climbed down from the roof, fist-bumping a couple of his friends while they stretched their sore muscles.

Gally huffed to himself before going to pick up his instruments, his tall form disappearing from the guys’ line of vision.

As soon as the Keeper appeared to be gone, Scott’s expression promptly melted from cool to sour, a hint of spite flashing through his eyes.

“Looks like someone’s in a hurry to get back to his girlfriend.” He deliberately over enunciated the last word, frowning, as if just the thought of it was too ridiculous to occur.

Another builder, Jack, cocked a questioning brow at his friend “Oh? Jealous much?”

Scott rolled his eyes in response “I just don’t get it! How did that even happen? Why him? She had like forty shanks to choose from, and she went for him?”

Jack had to snicker at the guy’s plain and obvious jealousy, the sight of it being thoroughly entertaining. “Hey, easy, man! Clearly she sees something we can’t. She’s made her choice - deal with it.”

“Yeah, but did she have to pick the ugliest one? I mean, honestly, if it were someone like Minho, or Ben, or hell, even Newt, I’d sort of get it, but...”

Gally scoffed, bitterly, rejecting the idea of listening to the rest of that lovely conversation. Did they really think he couldn’t hear them? He’s only been a few feet away this whole time, for shuck’s sake. His features darkened, his hands clenching into fists. He knew it was stupid to let something like that get to him - obviously it was nothing more than jealous ramblings of some dumb shank, who would most likely wet himself if he knew Gally had heard him.

Still, as much as he despised to admit it... It stung, hearing that. Mostly because, deep down, some obnoxiously self-deprecating part of him, agreed with Scott’s words.

Gally had never really given much thought to his looks. That is, until you came along. As his feelings for you grew, so did his insecurity. He knew he wasn’t conventionally “hot”. True, he was one of the tallest guys in the glade, and he assumed he had a nice body, thanks to his job as a builder, so he at least had that going for him. His face, however... Gally didn’t believe it was anything to be considered “handsome”. As opposed to you, who he thought was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever laid eyes on.

He hated this, hated feeling like he didn’t deserve you, hated knowing that you could probably do so much better than him, especially when you weren’t there to reassure him, to tell him otherwise and kiss away his every troubled thought.

Gally growled, internally, his jaw tensing and his knuckles turning white. No, he needed to snap out of it. What the hell? You wanted him. You chose him, you were with him, you were his. He couldn’t let his faith in your devotion to him crumble, just because some dumbass had opened his big resentful mouth.

With an exasperated grunt, Gally stalked off to meet you for dinner, as promised. He was sure that as soon he saw your face, he would forget all about what had just happened. He hoped gazing into your glimmering eyes would be enough to hush every last unwelcome thought. Yet, as hopeful as he was for that, the tension in his broad shoulders remained, as if something heavy was weighing down on him, with very little he could do about it.

-later-

Something deep within you was telling you something wasn’t right. You felt a nagging sting of worry pinching at your heart as you made your way back to Gally’s hut, that you and him now shared.

You couldn’t help but sense that Gally had seemed a bit... off, all throughout dinner. The soft smiles he’d sent your way didn’t reach his eyes. His usually bright bluish-green eyes had been tinged with an underlying bleakness, and you had no clue where it was coming from. You’d tried to ask him about it, but the only response you got was a mumbled “It’s nothing” and a hurried kiss on your cheek.

You didn’t like it. You knew Gally so well by now - you could tell when something was bothering him. You cared about him, deeply, and so, seeing him so obviously anxious about something and not telling you what it was, put you in a bothered state as well.

Whatever it was, you needed to get it out of him. Gally was your boyfriend, and a pretty amazing one at that. If there was anything at all that you could do to help him deal with what was plaguing mind, you would do it, over and over again, if you had to.

You pushed the door open and entered the hut, a loving smile curling your lips as your eyes fell upon Gally. The builder was sitting on the bed, busily scribbling something in his journal, his knit brows and slightly clenched jaw painting his face with a look of pure concentration. Probably sketching in some alterations for the Med Hut expansion. You released a muted giggle, thinking his expression was entirely cute.

Gally immediately looked up at the sound that escaped you, his smile reflecting your own, his deeply focused gaze softening the second it landed on you “Almost bed time, huh?”

“Yes, indeed.” You delivered a little grin as you shut the door behind you and approached him, your delicate hands landing on his shoulders with a pleasant squeeze “And you’re still not done working?” You eyed the journal in Gally’s hands.

He responded with a scratchy chuckle “Perks of being a keeper, baby - I’m never done.” He feigned a deep sigh that made you giggle once more, but nonetheless, placed the journal aside, wanting to give you his full attention.

The only instances where you two got to be truly alone with one another were early in the morning and right before bed, so Gally cherished these moments with you. He would spend every second of every day alone with you if he could, but for the time being, he’d take what ever little scraps of time he could get.

“Well, I’m here now, so... Maybe you’re done, after all?” You smiled, your hands kneading his shoulders in a relaxing manner, feeling his firm muscles slowly release built-up tension under your touch.

Gally grunted, deep in his throat, as his own hands took a hold of your waist, pulling you closer in a not-so subtle motion.

“I sure as hell am, now...” The deep, slightly raspy tone of his voice made you weak in ways you hadn’t imagined before, but you were far from complaining.

With a playful smirk, Gally suddenly fell back on the bed, and you yelped in surprise as with one simple, yet effective tug, he brought you down with, causing you to topple onto him.

“Gally!” You attempted to scold, lightly slapping his chest, but the laughter bubbling from within you, as well as the rising pink hue to your cheeks, let him know how you truly felt about it.

“Aww! Sorry, is this too much?” He asked, almost rhetorically, a cheeky glint dancing in his eyes.

The blush adorning your cheeks only grew as you gazed down at him in pure fascination. Sometimes you still couldn’t believe Gally was yours, that you got to see the side of him everyone else was blind to. You shook your head, leaning down to plant an amorous kiss on his plump lips, as he took no time melting into it with a low-pitched hum. His large hands, warm and eager, gripped your waist tighter as he shifted you both up the bed, until the back of his head almost knocked against the makeshift wooden frame. You whimpered, softly, against his mouth before breaking the kiss. You witnessed, with a tinge on satisfaction, that his freckle-littered cheeks were now even redder than your own, his breath escaping through his parted lips as he stared at you like you were something out of this world.

Gally felt like he could never get enough of you. Your closeness had his heart nearly beating out of his chest, and the intoxicating sensation of your lips on his sent him reeling with more need than he knew what to do with. However, as he gazed at you, taking in every detail of your breathtaking features, his mind involuntarily called back to his inner turmoil, a couple hours prior. The spark in his eyes dulled, the corner of his lips twitching with a barely-noticeable frown as he was pulled back into that loathsome state of self-doubt he’d tried so hard to fight against.

The rapid change in his expression, as minimal as it was, did not evade your notice. In a blink of an eye, your dream-like state morphed to concern as you reached up a hand to cup his warm cheek “Hey... Gally, what’s wrong?”

He huffed a light puff of air, tilting his head to nuzzle his face into your cupped hand, the small gesture nearly making you swoon.

“It’s nothing. Stupid. Don’t worry about it, baby.” Gally mumbled, the response identical to the one you’d received at dinner.

Well, that wasn’t going to be good enough this time. You frowned in sympathy “Yeah, that’s what you said earlier, too. I didn’t believe it then, and I don’t believe it now.”

Gally relinquished a hushed groan, evidently reluctant to share what was on his mind, but all you wanted was for him to know that there was nothing in the world he couldn’t talk to you about. You leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the exasperated crease on his forehead, momentarily feeling it smoothen out under your lips.

“Come on... please? I can’t go to sleep if I know something’s bothering you.”

Gally sighed, deeply, his intent gaze meeting your own, and once again you were met with the somber pool of dejection that you had been so quick to spot.

To say he was hesitant to discuss it would be an understatement, but the plea in your gaze and soft voice was impossible for him to ignore. There probably wasn’t a single thing you couldn’t get out of him.

With a defeated grunt, Gally reached a hand up to carefully thread his calloused fingers through your silky hair, his voice dipping an octave lower as he finally spoke “Sometimes it just doesn’t feel like I’m good enough for you, Y/N.”

Your breath hitched at the mere sound of those words leaving his mouth. You felt a ferocious urge to stop him right then and there, yet... you didn’t. No, you couldn’t interrupt. You asked for this, for his honesty, so now he was giving you exactly that. You had to let him finish.

“I mean... You could’ve had anyone. Absolutely shuckin’ anyone, but for a reason I still don’t fully understand, you’ve picked me.” Gally bit the inside of his cheek, his rough fingertips turning cold as he let the words fall from his mouth. “I know what people are thinking. ‘What the hell is an amazing, sweet, funny, beautiful girl like you, doing with one of the ugliest shanks here?’. And you know what? I hate it, but they’re not wrong.”

Every sentence shot an icy pain through your heart as you had to bite your bottom lip to physically restrain yourself from shutting him up. You couldn’t stand that Gally was so critical of himself, especially when you saw him as the best thing that’s ever happened to you.

“And please don’t take this the wrong way - I’m not doubting your... feelings for me, and I’m so lucky that they’re even there, it’s just...” He trailed off, briefly, wanting to choose his next words carefully. “It’s a bit of a struggle to understand. Because you deserve the best, and I’m... well, hardly that.”

A short pause. Finally, it sounded like he was finished, and now it was your time to let him know precisely how you felt about all of it.

With a preparatory intake of air, you cupped his face in both hands, making him look nowhere else but at you, your eyes shining with determined empathy. “Gally... I chose you, because it’s always been you. Forty shanks here, and not one of them ever made me feel even a fraction of what you make me feel. I can’t explain why, because it’s not something that has an explanation - I don’t have an alphabetised list of reasons why I fell for you! I just... did. Because of who you are - that’s everything about you. And I don’t know who you’re calling ‘ugly’, because it sure as hell isn’t my boyfriend.” You paused, watching his eyes as he stared at you, mesmerized, without blinking, his mouth falling slightly agape as you could practically hear his heartbeat drumming in his chest. “So... Yeah, I can confidently say, without question, that I’m pretty happy with what I chose.”

After a few seconds of wired silence, Gally finally broke out of his entranced stupor, his voice nearly quivering as he traced a finger down the soft curve of your jaw.

“And what is it, that you chose?”

His touch made the loving warmth within you spread like wildfire, soothing your throbbing heart and coaxing a delicate grin to etch your lips “The best.”

At that, Gally released a short, incredulous huff, but couldn’t find it in himself to question it any further. You were truly a gift to him, a gift he had no idea what he’d done to deserve. In that moment, all the worries he’d had were effectively silenced, pushed away into the farthest, deepest crevices of his mind, not to be heard from again in a long time, if ever. Not a minute more would be wasted caring about anyone else’s opinion on your relationship with him. The only one that mattered was yours, and that’s the one he would hold into, for as long as you’d allow it. For as long as you’d want him.

Gally’s muscular arms wrapped around your frame, pulling you into him, tightly and protectively, as he buried his face in your hair, trying to get you as close as humanly possible, and still feeling like it wasn’t enough.

You responded by nuzzling into the warm crook of his neck, your lips pressing the gentlest of kisses to his sun-kissed skin, the heat of his strong chest soaking into you and shrouding you in an impenetrable sense of comfort and love. His love. The type nothing else could compare to or dare to challenge.

“You know, the day you change your mind will definitely be the most devastating of my life...” Gally whispered, almost inaudibly, the consuming safety of his embrace clouding your senses.

All you could do was breathe a soft chuckle, holding onto him tighter as your lips murmured against his neck “I guess it’s a good thing that day isn’t coming.”

Because in your mind, with all the uncertainties and uneasiness that surrounded the glade, that was the one thing you didn’t have a single doubt about. It was him. Gally. And there was no one better.

Thank you for reading!

Tags: @seldomabsent @obsessivelycapricious @ultraintrovertedgryffindor @maraudersimp @lattsgocaps @magnoliabloomfield @sherbertscarrothead-2 @the-marvel-meme-emporium @abundantxadorations @izzymultifan @willseyebrows @annoyinglythoughtfuldestiny

[fnf-amateur-writing]

Hey! It’s Fox again! How are you doing? I just started school back up today, so I’ve been busy Xp.

Think you would be cool with writing some Pico with an s/o who is a writer, and tends to ask him about things like “hey, how long does it take someone to bleed out” or other things like that?

I understand if you don’t feel like it, and I hope you’re having fun 😊

🦊

Hello again Fox, I'm doing quite well rn. I'm cool with your prompt, especially since I need more writing material anyways.

Took me a while, because I didn't want to do a hc, but rather come up with a oneshot with a little twist to the style. Well, hope it works well.

Good luck with school, mate!

TW: Mentions of violence, swearing, slight sexual reference, and crime.

Pico with a writer S/O who asks him strange questions

Prologue:

On a chilly autumn morning, you were sitting out on your patio with a laptop and a mug of your favourite beverage next to you. Whenever you looked up, you could see the warm coloured leaves fall as the breeze accompanied you. The whole scene was an aesthetic.

When your boyfriend, Pico, came outside to see this, he knew that the nice environment you surrounded yourself with meant one thing. "You're back in your writing space already. Heh, with that bestseller you published, I thought you were comfy taking a break." You simply smiled and said, "can't waste the inspiration rush I got right now."

Pico had a good point though, with your rising popularity as an author, you were near set to retire before turning fourty. But you wish you weren't given all of the credit, since your boyfriend's stories of his dodgy job has occasionally sparked some ideas for your stories. However the books you wrote in the past were usually meant for the young adult and had few mature themes. This time, you thought maybe it's time to garner extra inspiration from those stories.

You were met with some disappointment when you realised that your mug was empty, only a drop entering your mouth. "Here, babe, I'll ya some more," Pico said, taking your mug and walking inside. "Quick question," you stopped him. "Yeah?"

"What would be the best place for a murder cemetery?"

"... What?"

Chapter 1:

"So you're doing some story about the police hunting down a mass murderer?"

"Pretty much."

"And to think you were gonna write Pixar's next script. Aight' I respect that." Pico takes a seat next to you with a refill of your drink placed next to your favourite writing laptop. "Thanks, Pico. But yeah, I want to branch out to something edgier, and I think you can help too."

"Let me show you what I've got so far." You showed him some of your notes in a little notepad document, detailing the story thus far and your current plans for this chapter. "Oh, that's it? Just looks like boring police preparation mainly," Pico commented. "Yeah, it's not much right now. But it'll get juicy later." "And bloody?" "And bloody."

"Welp, I'm gonna head back in," Pico got up, "let me know if you need anything." He head back inside, closing the door, but then opened it almost immediately afterwards. Pico stuck his head out, "by the way, the guy should use some strong alcohol or something to throw off those sniffer dogs."

Chapter 2:

"And then, because they used a silencer, the police don't immediately notice the--"

"Nope! I'm calling bullshit (Y/N)!" Pico had suddenly interrupted your explanation of the scene you were currently working on. "Silencers can help prevent some hearing loss, sure, but they're not magic."

"Alright," you reply, "no silencer, but the killer still has to kill in a way to not get blood on them, so I thought shooting and killing them from a distance would work." "Well, they're alone. Instead, have the guy get shanked in the neck or something, and have the killer use a plastic bag as a glove. It saved my ass one time."

"Woah!" you exclaimed with a giggle, "you used a knife once? What happened to my trigger happy boyfriend, huh? That's pretty sus."

"I forgot to reload the Uzis, alright?"

"What an impostor would say."

Chapter 3:

"What would be the best way to muffle the scream of someone you kidnapped?"

You two were sitting on the couch together watching a show. You didn't have your laptop on you, so Pico didn't expect you to still be thinking about that book. "I can't say from experience, really," he said as he paused the show. "However, shove a rag in their mouth and duct tape it in, and you should be good."

"Thanks Pico, also one more thing." "Yeah?" "What if our killer also wanted to..." God, this one was gonna be awkward, but you had to say it or else no help. "You know, cut off this victim's willy. How would you do that?"

"Wai-wha-uh-ga," Pico started fumbling his words like never before. He stopped, then took a deep breath. "YO, WHAT THE FUCK?!" "It'll make sense in the story later, I promise!" You watch Pico begin to lose it, breaking into laughter. "Ladies, gentlemen, and others," Pico dramatically stood up, pulling a little Showcaster impression and directing his arms towards you, "my famous 'young' adult novelist partner!"

Chapter 4:

It was in the dead of night, but you awoke to Pico on his phone. His vpn was on and Tor was up. As per usual, he was checking up on his little hitman service, where others could request for a certain someone's guts to fly if they paid him a hefty sum first. Though tired, you ound this to be the best time to ask him some more questions.

"Pico, how do those sites work?"

"Oh, you're awake," Pico blankly stated, sleepy too. But he still answered you. "Basically, some anonymous rich guys in the area give me money and a target, then I just do the thing and send a mission accomplished email." "Do they pay you in person?" "Nah, we use always use Bitcoin. It's a lot harder to trace than real money."

"Thanks Pico. Goodnight," you wish him, yawning and going back to sleep. "You too... So this guy is a hit man too?" "Hush. Tomorrow." "Okay." Pico puts his phone away, leaving it on a nightstand. You then spoon the night away, peacefully thinking of murder as you drifted off.

Chapter 5:

On a morning similar to before, you two sat on the patio with your drinks and laptop at the ready. Pico watched rather awkwardly as you typed away, wondering why you haven't entertained him with another question yet.

"You gonna ask anything else?" "What? Oh, nah," you plainly state. Inevitable, sure, but he was kind of saddened. He liked being able to share his messed up wisdom. "So, you're done?" "Almost." You turn to look at him, "want the spoilers?" Pico smiled, "sure thing."

In the novella you and Pico crafted together, the main character is a cop who hunts down a killer. They eventually notice that there would be two murders at a time for unknown reasons. Well, it was unknown until one victim had left up a dark web hit man for hire site. They that the hit man not only kills the target, but the client as a hidden price for the service.

And any request will be fulfilled, according to the hit man's site.

"Do they catch 'em?" Pico asked. "Well, ANY request is granted. So, if our hero were to... hire him to kill himself..."

"No way!"

"He did. They find both of their bodies in his bedroom."

Pico was a bit impressed with the ending you came up with, but then he remembered something. "Why did that guy get his thing cut off?" "Lol, I forgot," you giggled. "He sent a message to the hit man, saying he wishes the target would choke on his dick."

"That's my favourite part."

Epilogue:

After everything was finished up, you sent the book off to your editor. After the initial joy of knowing how the story ended, you saw that Pico was still in thought. "What's up with you?" "Oh nothing, well it's just... I'm probably just biased, being that I'm a bit of a hitman myself, but it's kind of sad to see the guy go."

"Then I should spoil the epilogue I came up with." Rather than being excited, Pico nervously asked, "what's an epilogue?" He didn't get an answer, only you staring at him. "Sorry, school held too many bad memories for me to pay attention."

"Anyways," you continue, "the rest of the police gang did some background checks, and find that our killer was a normal guy with no criminal history."

"Penilian?"

"No. But I did decide to take a more supernatural approach here. Somewhere across the country, another string of double homicides occur and that site is active once more. And the story kind of repeats itself."

"Penilian."

"You joker," you give him a playful little kiss on the cheek, one that definitely caught him off guard. "So is it canon?" Pico smirked. "Nah, just thanking you for being my cute little co-author." "Oh," Pico started, "so we're flirtin' now, huh. Come here babe!" He tackled you onto the ground, giving you several kisses in exchange.

"Actually, I think we call that 'making out'," you chuckle out, flustered. "But that doesn't mean I said stop'!" You pull him in for more, accidentally bonking your heads together rather painfully. "Nice double kill there, (Y/N)."

[cherryblossom-chopper]

Hihi♡ Can I please have an angst scenario for Benn Beckman where he had an argument with his fem S/O and said something rude then the S/O gets off at an island and is captured; and he finds her tortured and stuff. Sorry if it's too much hehe,, I've been soo deprived of angst lately. And if you don't write for Benn, can you do it for Ace or Shanks instead? Tysm in advance😘 love your writing btw😌 Keep up the amazing work honey💕

Hi dearest, I’m sorry for taking so long to get this up but here it is. I hope you enjoy it. Also, you may have seen this but here's something kind of similar I did awhile ago with Shanks. Love you!

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 1,243

Faith

Benn flung open the cellar door. The musky smell of dust and rot floated past the pirate. He wrinkled his nose, and he took his first steps down into the cellar. The stone steps were crumbling under his feet as if they hadn't been touched in years. The unsettling cold of the near-empty cellar clung to his skin. Benn had to crouch to protect his head from hitting the ceiling. The farther he traveled from the steps, the meaner the chill became, and the smell of mildew became stronger. Benn let out a long low whistle; the sound bounced off the walls and into darkness. He listened keenly for his responses. His heart jumped into his throat as a broken-sounding whistle replied. It was broken, but it was her whistle. They continued their game of Marco-Polo until (Name) finally came into view.

Benn knelt in front of her. In the darkness, he cupped (Name) 's face and whispered, "Hey Sugarcane, are you with me?"

(Name) nodded her head yes before whispering in a hoarse voice, "I think I'm hurt."

Benn sucked in a breath, "Where? Where are you hurt, (Name)?" His hands gently began trailing down her skin. His warm fingers soothed the goosebumps for a moment. In response to her silence, Benn draped his coat over her shoulders as he began trying to find her wounds. His lips pursed as his fingers felt the rusted metal on the cuffs clamped far too tight on (Name) 's wrists. Benn struggled to pry them apart, then began investigating the chains attached to the wall. He was sure he looked pretty foolish at the moment; if a light turned on at the moment, it would certainly look as if Benn was the feral beast keeping (Name) captive.

He pulled his gun from his waist and began bashing the butt of the weapon against the chains. Benn desperately pulled on the chains, and the wall the chains were attached to began to give. With more furious beating against the cracks and then a final pull on the chains, the first one popped out of place.

(Name) watched with a tired but relieved expression as Benn began to work on the second chain. She couldn't help but reach out to him while working on getting the next chain free. She managed to grasp the hem of Benn's dark shirt before whispering, "What if they catch us?"

Benn looked over his shoulder with a sly grin on his face, but it's not like (Name) could see it. "Do you really think it was just me coming for you?" he chuckled, "I'm not the only one who loves you, Sugarcane." 

(Name) couldn't help but smile back at Benn. "The captain is coming?" she asked as Benn pulled the final chain free.

"Of course he is. Shanks is probably tearing the town upside down as we speak in search of you," Benn pulled (Name) to his chest, "Can you walk at all?"

In her stubbornness (Name) did make an attempt to walk. She managed to take a few awkward steps before her legs couldn't move anymore.

Benn did his best to hold (Name) as he moved through the tight cellar. "Damn, I'm sure you're the only one who fits down here, Shortie," Benn swore as he awkwardly moved about.

When they finally reached the steps, Benn sighed in relief. Not only could he stand up straight now, but the sunlight poured in from the surface. He held her close to his chest and hurried up the steps; there was no time to waste now that he could move properly.

(Name) squinted and groaned at the light and hid her face in Benn's chest. "It's so bright," she murmured.

Benn smiled a little before jostling her in his arms, "Let me get a better look at you now that I can see." His breath caught in his throat when he saw (Name) 's face clearly. Blood caked on the side of her face. It was beginning to crust at the edges. Part of her hairline was sticky, and her scalp was stained red. Her face and arms had been sliced and bruised. Benn couldn’t bear to imagine what other horrors were hidden beneath his cloak.

Benn's entire body started to tremble as he looked at her bloody and beaten face. "(Name) I'm so sorry," his mouth was dry, and he looked sick, "Gods, (Name). I'm so sorry, if I had known this would happen, I would've never…" Benn trailed off as she tried to turn away from him. He swallowed hard, then began heading towards the docks. As they left, Benn was murmuring apologies between stern reminders. "I know you're angry with me, but keep your eyes on me," he kept saying.

Benn managed to fish his handheld responder snail out of his pocket. He called his captain and confirmed that (Name) was alive but badly injured. She managed to croak out a hello to the captain as well. In which the Shanks-like face became upset at the state of his fellow crew member.

Once Benn got on deck, he was met with a serious-faced captain. Shanks’ face was dark with concern, and followed a very silent Benn toward the ship's infirmary. The captain watched Benn bring (Name) inside the infirmary and promptly get kicked out.

Benn tapped his foot impatiently and watched the door waiting for the doctor to let him back in. He was so focused on his thought that he jumped when Shanks patted his back.

"You can unclench your jaw now," Shanks said with a hint of a smile on his face, "She'll be just fine."

"Liar," Benn muttered, "She was trapped in a warehouse cellar." Benn began to fidget and pulled out a cigarette. After lighting it, he took a long drag from it and tilted his head away from Shakes.

"You can't wait out here forever, Beckman," Shanks sighed before turning to leave, "Have faith in your crewmates, won't you?"

And Benn did have faith. He waited and waited, and his faith rewarded him. He nearly collapsed with relief when the physician said (Name) would be alright. They asked him if he wanted to see her, and Benn said yes, but saying and doing are very different. The guilt began to bubble up in his mind and effectively make his stomach ache. If only he hadn't had shouted at her, maybe things would be different.

He took a deep breath and stepped inside the recovery room. Benn grit his teeth at the sight of his partner curled up on the bed. In a low voice, he called her name, the cowardly part of him hoping she'd be asleep. That part of him was overjoyed to hear the soft snore come out of (Name). The part of himself made of sheer grit and grease was agitated. Not with her, not really. Benn just wanted to kiss and make up.

Benn sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh. "You need to get better soon (Name). I need to apologize to you properly. Besides, if you leave me without at least getting the apology you deserve, I'll have to be grumpy for the rest of my life. And I'm far too scary as it is to win the heart of anyone else, so unless I'm destined to be a crotchety bachelor, you gotta get better. Please, have faith in me to do the right thing."

[heliads]

Into Thin Air

Newt doesn’t know what to think after Y/N disappears one night in the Scorch. She’s nowhere to be found, until a few weeks later she shows up with the girls from Group B. The only problem is that she can’t remember who Newt is, and all Newt can remember is how much he loves her.

masterlist

Newt sits alone, staring out at the desolate desert before him. He’s hidden from view, sheltered by a craggy outcropping, but the protection does little to settle the turmoil of thoughts lurking inside his head. The sound of footsteps approaches behind him, but Newt doesn’t have to turn his head to recognize his friend.

Minho stoops and sits down a few feet away. Newt glances at him. It’s strange- all of Newt’s memories of his life before the Maze have been stripped away, leaving behind only his time trapped within those walls. Minho is his best friend, but Newt can’t help but wonder if he had other friends, before all of this started. Before he was imprisoned in the Maze, before they escaped WICKED and stuck themselves in the desert. Did he have friends before that? Would it really matter if he did, anyway? If they’re not dead by now, they will be soon.

But he has Minho, and that’s enough. Minho’s been his friend for a long time. Newt hasn’t really known anyone for that long, or grown that close, except maybe Alby. Even the thought of the guy makes Newt’s throat burn. He’d known the guy forever, even been his second in command for all that time in the Maze. Newt can still picture Alby’s face in the back of his mind, that look of determination just before the Griever snatched him away. They’ve lost so many people. Alby, and Chuck, and Winston, and-

Newt can’t quite bring himself to finish the sentence.

Distantly, Newt realizes that Minho is still there, and staring out over the same horizon Newt had been studying a few minutes ago. At last, the other boy speaks. “We’re going to find her, you know? There’s no way we won’t.” Newt sighs. “We don’t know if she’s out there anymore. Or if she’s even somewhere we can find.” 

Minho shakes his head, resolute. “She has to be somewhere. They wouldn’t take her just to kill her when nobody is watching.” Newt opens his mouth to argue, but Minho holds up a hand and continues speaking. “WICKED had to have taken her. She would never have left any of us, and definitely not you. Besides, we went to sleep with her right next to us, and woke up to her gone. No footprints, no tracks, no nothing. If she had left on her own accord, we would have seen a trail leading away, but there was just blank sand. It’s like she never even existed. Does that sound like some girl who’s sick of us and wanted to leave, or like WICKED wanted to send a message?”

Newt’s heard Minho’s attempt to soothe his worries a couple of times now, but he still plays along. “What message would WICKED want to send instead of just taking all of us? If they have the ability to get her, what’s stopping them from completing the job and getting all of us back?” Minho jabs a finger in the air, ready to prove his point. “They want to scare us, make us think that WICKED’s way more powerful than we’ll ever be. If they pick us off one by one, they’re hoping that we’ll come back to them easily instead of them having to chase us down. Less damage to the subjects if they return of their own free will, right?”

Newt chuckles quietly. “If they were interested in keeping their subjects in the best condition they wouldn’t have put us through the bloody Maze in the first place. They would have stuck to inkblots and blood tests like any other reasonable doctor.” Minho grins. “Hey, who said they were reasonable? They just don’t want us killed off before they get the chance to do it themselves.”

In spite of himself, Newt feels a smile growing on his face. “Alright, alright. I’ll stop moping. Are we heading out soon?” Minho stands, clapping his friend on the back as he leaves the outcropping. “In a few minutes. Thomas thinks the Right Arm reinforcements should be in the mountains just a mile or so down. We’re almost there.”

The Right Arm. Thomas seems convinced that the people of the Right Arm can help them, and save the Gladers from inevitable deaths at the hands of WICKED. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense- use a shadowy, mysterious organization to escape another mysterious organization? At least the Right Arm isn’t known for running death tests on teenagers. That’s already a bonus.

The path to the mountains is dangerous, but to be honest, what part of their journey hasn’t been dangerous? Newt thinks it’s going fine, that although the terrain isn’t the best they’re at least making progress, and then the bullets start to ring out. Instantly, everyone panics and starts to hurtle toward whatever cover they can scrounge up in the desert, cowering as gunfire rains down around them. From the corner of his eye, Newt sees a couple of figures emerge from the mountains, faces hidden and weapons drawn.

Newt shoves Thomas and Minho to get their attention, and they start to come out with their hands drawn. Three figures stand before them, weapons pointed at them. Newt scans their faces, but he doesn’t recognize the first one, or the next. It’s only when his gaze falls upon the last of the three, on the figure standing farthest away, that he feels his heart freeze in his chest.

It’s not her. It couldn’t possibly be her. But yet-

Before he even knows what he’s doing, Newt is stepping away from the protective cover of the car, away from his friends, and towards the third figure. He can see Thomas and Minho extending their arms to pull him back, but they’re moving slowly, as if coming from far away. All that matters now is the girl before him, the girl with those all-too-familiar eyes that are now glaring at him in fear.

Newt’s voice comes cracked and quiet in the space at the foot of the mountains. “Y/N?” The girl levels her gun at him. “Who are you, and how do you know my name?” Newt stumbles, thrown by less by her threatening tone of voice and more the words that she’s just said. “Y/N? Why don’t you-” Hie voice breaks off into silence. Minho and Thomas are next to him now, and all Newt can do is stare at the girl in front of him. “Why doesn’t she know who I am?”

The other two figures are by Y/N’s side in an instant, the two pairs of three staring at each other. The tension builds and builds until finally the first of the figures glances away, at the other boy walking up to them. “Aris?” Suddenly, the hostility vanishes, and the figures are pulling away their face coverings to reveal the smiling faces of two girls. Aris turns back to them, clearly happy to see the girls. “This is Harriet and Sonya. They’re from Group B.” He addresses the Group B girls now: “They’re with me. They’re friends. They helped me escape from WICKED.”

Harriet and Sonya nod, but Newt just watches as the third girl hesitantly removes her own coverings. Sure enough, it’s Y/N. Harriet notices Newt’s stare and turns to his former friend. “Y/N, do you know these guys?” Y/N shakes her head. “I have no idea who they are, or how they know who I am.” Newt’s heart seems to drop in his chest. “What are you talking about? Y/N, I’ve known you for about a year, ever since you came into the Maze.”

Y/N’s eyes hold no recognition, no laughter, no light. She seems to have no idea who Newt is. “All I know is that I showed up one day alongside the Group B girls. They’ve been my family ever since.” She walks away, presumably to tell the people with guns to stand down. Newt is left alone with the words dying on his tongue: We were your family first.

Newt watches from a distance as his friends talk and laugh around him. They’re happy to have the Group B girls, who went through the Maze just like the Gladers did, and they’re relieved to have the protection of the Right Arm. Newt should be out there too, finally allowing himself to relax or at least have a good time, but he can’t quite muster up the energy to fake the smiles. Y/N doesn’t recognize him. That’s the only thing he has room to think about right now.

As if just thinking about the girl was a summoning, Newt turns to see a familiar figure walking away from the fire and coming to stand next to him. This picture, the two of them standing so close together, away from everyone else, is so painfully familiar that it hurts to know that she isn’t thinking of the connection they once shared. All Newt can think about is that he’s stood by her a hundred times, but all she can think about is that the boy next to her is a stranger, someone she’s never even seen before.

Y/N is the first to speak. “Is it true? Did you really- did you really know who I was?” Newt nods hollowly. “We first met when you arrived in the Maze. We were friends for a while, and-” He cuts himself off. He can’t talk about that, not right now. “And then we escaped, and you disappeared.” Y/N looks at the ground, at the fire, at her friends. Anywhere but him. “I have this strange feeling like I know who you are. Or I should, at least. But I can’t remember a single thing about you.” Newt stands silently, not trusting himself to speak.

Y/N turns to him at last, eyes burning into his own. He’s missed that look, that focus brushing across her brow. “Can you tell me what I was like? You know, in your Maze?” Newt sighs. “I’m not sure we could fit it into one night. You were there almost as long as I was, bordering on two years.” Y/N’s gaze is unrelenting. “Can you try?” Newt could never say no to her. Not in the Maze, and not now, when it’s just the two of them and he’s missed her so much. He clears his throat, and begins to speak.

“We were friends at first. Probably since the moment you showed up. You had this way of getting people to listen to you, even when the shanks were seconds away from tearing each other apart. There were only a few of us in the Maze, or at least at the beginning. You, me, Alby, and Minho. We were like a little family. I thought our friendship would last forever, and then other boys started showing up.”

Y/N frowns. “Did we fight or something?” Newt laughs ruefully. “No, we just- Well, I was kind of a shucking idiot myself. This one boy showed up, and he used to make me so angry. You’d be doing your job, not focusing on anything else, and then he’d come up and start talking to you. I didn’t know why it was bothering me so much, that he would be there for just a few seconds and the two of you would be laughing like you’d known each other all your lives, and then I realized after a while that it wasn’t him that annoyed me, it was that I was just jealous. Stupid, but jealous all along.”

“I kept it to myself, didn’t want to bother you. I didn’t realize you loved me until later.” Y/N looks up at him, mouth slightly tilted down into a frown. “But then what happened with you?” Newt smiles to himself. “I’d loved you all along. Don’t think I had much choice in the matter. Anyways, it took me a while to get up the courage, but I told you how I felt one night at the bonfire. I was nervous about it, but you just looked at me with this smile and I knew everything was going to be alright.”

Y/N’s smiling now. It’s strange, thinking of that night with this new Y/N next to him. She’s got the same expression on her face as the night Newt told her he loved her, and it cuts away at Newt that she could smile at him like that without remembering that night at all. Newt realizes he’s been staring too long, because Y/N gently nudges his arm. “Go on.” Newt looks away, fighting the shyness that suddenly overwhelmed him.

“We were happy, for a long time. We had months of uneventful life. Well, as uneventful as the Maze can be. Then Thomas and Teresa showed up, and the Maze doors didn’t close, and the Grievers attacked us all.” Newt’s eyes flicker shut as he remembers that night, remembering the tongues of flame spiraling over the buildings and the horrified looks of his friends. He can still hear the screaming, smell the coppery tang of blood like the scene was still being played out around him.

“We managed to escape. Not quite sure how. I don’t think I was scared for myself, more that you were going to die and I was going to have to live without you. When we first showed up at Janson’s building, I thought we were finally out and in the clear. We were so excited to have escaped and have a new life, one where we could actually relax and be just teenagers.” Newt’s voice twists into something bitter as he remembers how hopeful they’d been, and how quickly that hope had fallen apart, just like everything else that seemed to come their way.

“Then Janson turned out to be with WICKED, so we escaped. Took a while and a lot of running, but we made it out.” Newt falls silent, and Y/N tilts her head expectantly. “And then what?” Newt swallows unevenly, still feeling the pain and overwhelming heartache of that one specific night. “And then we were alone in the desert, all of us from the Glade who’d made it out plus Aris. We went down to sleep, late at night. You were right next to me. When I opened my eyes, you were gone.”

Newt looks away, fighting back the hot prick of tears threatening to appear at the corners of his eyes. “That was the worst part. You were right there, so close. There was no way you could have left without waking me. I knew you wouldn’t leave, so it had to be WICKED, but it still hurt. I was so worried that you’d died, or that they had dragged you back to their facilities and were experimenting on you-”

Newt can’t finish. Y/N nods, understanding. “And then you showed up to the mountains, and I had no idea who you were.” “Exactly.” Y/N sighs, leaning up against the rocky crag behind her. “I don’t know what to say. It all sounds familiar, but it just doesn’t sound like me. Are you sure that you’ve got the right girl?”

Newt nods. He’d know Y/N in a heartbeat, across the darkest night, anywhere. This girl is the one he loves, right down to that slight crease in her brow that she gets whenever she can’t figure something out. “I don’t know how to explain it. You are you, Y/N, and you’re the same girl I’ve been in love with since the Maze. You’re the same girl who always had a smile, even when things got dark, who yelled at the Builders but made friends with all the Greenies, who helped everyone survive the Maze because that’s just who you were.” Newt draws a ragged breath. “You’re the same Y/N who made me fall in love with you, and I’m not going to let any trick from WICKED convince me to let you go.”

Newt’s staring off into the darkness of the desert, but he turns with a start when he hears a slight noise from Y/N. He stares at her. She’s almost bent double in pain, hands clutching her head. He rushes over to her, helping her to the ground. “Y/N! Are you alright? What happened?” She just shakes her head, gritting her teeth through the pain. “I don’t know. You started talking, and I felt like I recognized something, and then my head started feeling like it was about to crack in two.”

She squeezes her eyes shut in agony, and her shoulders tense up in a spasm of anguish but then suddenly fall still. She lies on the ground, silent. Newt feels like his heart is in his throat. “Y/N? Can you hear me?” Her eyes open slowly, eyelashes fluttering in a dark frame around her eyes. She looks at him for a moment, then two, as if drinking in the sight of him. She reaches out a shaking hand to him, lightly touching his cheek. “Newt?” Her voice is quiet, as if she’s doubting herself, and then she breaks into a grin.

“Newt. Yes. I remember you.” All of Newt’s worries leave him in a rush, and he wraps his arms around her, pulling her close. “Y/N?” She nods, laughing slightly. “I remember everything. The Maze, the Gladers, you, everything.” She pulls back, smiling, so she can look in his eyes. “I don’t remember the part about you being in love with me from the start. You should have told me that earlier.” Newt chuckles, helping her stand. “I was trying to help you get your memories back. I’m sure it was just a dramatized detail.”

She flashes him a beaming glare. “I’m sure it was.” Newt can’t take his eyes off of her. “I was so worried, you know that? I was so worried that you’d left.” Y/N shakes her head. “I could never leave you. Not in a million years.” Newt lets himself smile again, and reaches out to lock his hand around hers. Y/N remembers him. The girl he loves is finally back once more.

[namiikawaii]

Luffy x Nami: A thread Part 1

Disclaimer: This is very long so be prepared to take some time & also if you haven't watched/read One Piece at all then don't read this if you don't want to read spoilers. Firstly I'd like to adress all the people who dont believe in a love romance in One Piece aswell as those who are against this ship or do ship Luffy and Nami with different characters: Please read the thread thoughoutly and don't jump to conclusions before you read everything. I will try to mention all of the issues that are underlying in regards to general things like love romance in One Piece and I want to consider counter arguments and create hypotheses in sight of other pairings like Luffy x Boa and Sanji x Nami (which I think are the other main ships when it comes to Luffy and Nami).   So it is important to be a little patient through all of this thread.

Let's start off with the question about love romance in One Piece... ''D: Doesn't anyone on Luffy's crew fall in love? Will there never be a tale of on-board romance? (Sanji is an exception in this case) I'm just wondering. -From Naoko- O: But they do... They're all in love...WITH ADVENTURE. (← good one)'' This is exactly the part of the SBS where Oda answered the question about romantic love in the Strawhat Crew. Firstly, this is obviously meant as a silly statement. It is definetly no confirmation but to see this as a serious statement is overexagerrating. Secondly, Oda wanted to answer this question by dodging it without nullifying it. What does that mean? He could have just simply said, there is no romance in One Piece and there never will be (this wouldn't be the first time that he would have answered a question in a direct and serious way). But no, he wanted to make sure that the audience understands that there is a difference between romantic love and romance (in an adventure) and that the Strawhats are on a journey of a romantic adventure which has nothing to do with loving each other in a romantic way. There are two reasons for that: -One Piece is a pure shonen/action Manga and it's target audience are teenage boys (at least this was the case when he made that statement, i don't know how that might have changed by now maybe) -For the other reason just imagine One Piece if there was active love romance going on...we wouldn't be near the story that we are now. Let's just say it would add so much more complications, to put it very simple (I don't want to go into that deep now). But now here comes the clue: All of this doesn't mean that Oda completely lefts love romance out. Because despite of all the points that I just mentioned there are pairings and there is also subtle (no explicite) love romance. Lets just look at the pairings, these are all pairings that I think the majorty of people wouldn't question: -Kaya and Usopp -Sabo and Koala -Shanks and Makino -Shakky and Rayleigh -Roger and Rouge -Oden and Toki

And yes none of these cases showed the love story between those people (maybe Kaya and Usopp if you really want) but THAT IS THE POINT! Only because Oda doesn't let the characters speak out ''i love you'' or makes them kiss all of the time doesn't mean there isn't any kind of romantic love connection between characters in One Piece (the kiss on WCI was an exeption though). This also doesn't mean that there is no possibilty of romance between the Strawhats. I get it that people see them as a familiy, and they truly are one. If there was romance between two of them during the story of One Piece the dynamic wouldn't be the same anymore, especially if there was a canon relationship between Luffy as the captain/ main protagonist and another crewmember. I mean we don't want to see Luffy prefering one nakama over the other. If he calls for his friends, he calls for everyone and not firstly for the person he's in love with. They are all equally as important as the others. But you have to remeber that they aren't blood-related and it wouldn't be weird at all if some of them are ending up together after the adventure of the One Piece. That's the reason why the hints that are given by Oda are really hints, not just merely coincidence.

And i wouldn't be here if Oda didn't hint Luffy and Nami in the past and he will hint them in the future or even more. Let's beginn chronologically with the bond-forming between Luffy and Nami and why their relationship is special EAST BLUE SAGA -Nami was intended as a crew-member from the very beginning, even before One Piece was existing. That's the reason why Luffy and Nami saw each other in the first episode of One Piece. It was to pay hommage to Silk/Ann the heroines of the Romance Dawn Manga. (Just read into it if you want to know more) But what's important is that they were the inspiration for Nami as a character/ as the heroine.

-Orange Town: Luffy and Nami meet for the first time in the Manga Nami reveals her goal to Luffy - which is ''to buy a certain village'' (keep this in mind) Luffy tells Nami why the strawhat is so dear to him - he won't be telling anyone afterwards these details again -Nami tricks Luffy. Buggy captures him but when Nami is forced to fire a canon ball at Luffy she refuses, starts a fight against all the Buggy-Pirates and finally at the risk of her own life she burns her hands facing the pirates with her back in order to prevent the canonball to blow up Luffy (she does quite much for this pirate guy she just met) - you see that at this point Luffy did touch something in Nami's heart because when they have to escape she literally instantly fires the canonball at Buggy without hesitation. -Nami sewing Luffy's damaged hat. Since then it's always her who takes care of it if it takes any damage/ if there is something to sew in it like Ace's Vivre Card. Now I want to put in here my first hypothetical compairison for the LuBoa and SaNa shippers. Just imaging now this same situation happening between Luffy and Boa. Luffys hat is ripped apart - maybe she knows that Luffys hat is his treasure maybe not but lets imagine she does know. She will of course sew it, would probably blush and say something romantic about her doing this for him. And as a shipper this would be the most romantic thing for you wouldn't it? In reality it is Nami who precisely watches Luffy and understands the importance of his hat to him, she goes up to him and fixes his strawhat, with the only difference that it is just more natural and less lovey-dovey from Nami's part (because of course she would never act like that if she was in love with someone). I am already asking you now, which lovestory sounds more believable? -Syrupp Village: There are a few cute moments (Nami catches Luffy and cheers on him and so on...) but i wanted to especially point out that these two are are sitting/lying on the ground after the fight and Nami playes with the Strawhat, Luffy is of course unbothered. But this already shows how comfortable these two are at this point, they know each other only for a few days now. And also this image of them two talking and sitting together is a theme that continues throughout One Piece. -Namis leaves with the Going Merry, looking devestated that she has to leave ''Luffy and the others'', and Luffys reaction after Zoro says to just leave her: ''I want her to by our navigator no matter what'' (These words are enough, no comment needed and also look at Zoro's face as Luffy is stating these words) -Kokoyashi Village: Luffy already trusts and knows Nami so well that he is enraged to hear that she allegedly killed Usopp - the others are sure that she did it but Luffy insists, and even when Nami confirmes to him that she indeed sent Usopp to the ocean's ground Luffy refuses to accept it and immediatly goes to sleep. (I'm sure it's because he knew that something was wrong but he knew he had to wait for Nami to come up to him)

-The famous moment hits different (for shippers and non-shippers): Luffy giving Nami his precious strawhat! He wants to show her how much she is dear to him, his gives her his treasure because now she's his treasure too (and you can see this in a romantic way or in a platonic way but just remember that Luffy never did this ever to anybody in the past or in the future) Now i want to mention something that i said earlier: people often say that Luffy didn't care about Namis story but let me tell you something different. Luffy already knew what Nami's obejectif was (to buy a certain village) now Luffy also knows that there is a pirate called Arlong and when Nami is stabbing herself she shouts his name in devastion. Luffy is not dumb, he understood already some parts of Nami's history - later when he is in Nami's room he understands the impact even more. It is so far from truth that Luffy doesn't know Namis story, he may not know some details, but he could conntect enough points to understand Nami's pain. And my personal theory is that he didn't wanted to hear Nojikto telling Nami's story because maybe Nami wouldn't have wanted him to hear it and it could certainly be that he knew that maybe he couldn't hold himself back and intervene before Nami asked him to do so and finally rely on him! -Genzo and Luffy's conversation: just read/watch it - it is a father to boyfriend conversation (i thought so even before i shipped LuNa) So far these are the most important moments for the East Blue Saga, and of course there are other things you could mention but i just wanted to point out the key moments that really built their relationship and created the whole fundament. Since I don't know when I can continue writing on this, I am just going to show some colourspreads which contain hints in my opinion. (Like Nami being represented as a queen, or Nami holding and wearing Luffy’s hat)