There was something eerie and scary about your husband with the way he switches his personnas. One moment he is a delightful golden retriever, the next moment he is an angry mountain lion. There is also a majestic aura in his clan head costume that makes you love playing along with him too.
âLooking so beautiful.â You hummed, watching him wear those kimonos. They are tied with a velvety purple band, his hair down. Eyes so unimpressed you wouldnât believe this same man, ten minutes ago, was whining while laying his face between the swell of your breasts about how he hates the clan & the clan meetings.
You wouldnât believe this same man cried last night holding you, because you had a nightmare where you lost him⌠again. Promising heâs right here, heâs never going anywhere. Never leaving.
âI love you.â Is all he responds, reverent, unhinged and suffocatingly true.
âI love you too.â You look into his eyes through the mirror.
âIâll get some chocolate pastries⌠with salted caramel.â You purred, meeting his gaze like youâre doing foreplay. âAnd when, my Toru comes back, we will dip that shit in hot chocolate & have it together, Iâll dress in a robe.â
His attention is so fixated you almost feel dizzy. âHmm?â
âJust a robe.â
A wicked grin plasters on his face when he realizes what youâre doing. Youâre trying to lift up his mood. Part of him feels bad that it grows on you, too. His mood⌠he has never felt this way. Never felt so loved, so matched in his devotion that the worries of his mind are unweeded by you. Over and over and over again.
âYou know, little star of mineâŚâ he walks closer, almost leisurely so. Tilting your chin up as he encapsulates your very soul, every breath with his tongue in your throat. Letting you helplessly gag on it. Feel how much he holds back. He always⌠makes you feel how much he holds back. Itâs a peacocking of itâs own.
I could destroy you⌠but I worship you instead.
And then there are times when he just cannot hold back. And he does destroy you, but you love it. You love how he spends hours and days after it, mending you in ways that are more than physical. More than emotional.
He leans back, smiling softly like a vulnerable dog again. âIf you want to lift my mood, you can just let me eat you out.â
You roll your eyes, pushing him away gently.
âMmm.. maybe I will.â You tease, watching his smirk grow fonder.
âMaybe I will squeeze you till you pop.â He grunts, pouting. He has innate cuteness aggression when it comes to his wife.
And just like that, Satoru becomes a little less insufferable in clan meetings after his marriage. đ¤
Snake hybrid!Geto who never thought heâd be the type to mate. No snake hybrid or half-hybrid the reservation has brought him had ever excited himâŚuntil he set his eyes on you. Snake hybrid!Geto who starts following around the cute lilâ human keeper- youâre there to make sure his environment is optimal, check the temperature, and see if he needs medical attention. Not to- flirt. Snake hybrids could flirt?! Snake hybrid!Geto who wraps himself âround you tight like a viceâbut you know he doesnât mean any harm. Heâd be purring Iike a cat if he could, and heâs hissing. âYâknow sssssnakes have two di-â âI know.â
kageyama perks up from the way he's sitting on the picnic mat. furrowing his brows, he observes the curl of your lips as you continue to tease him.
"super awkward, even," you chuckle, placing your hand on top of his that, for some reason, kept on fidgeting ever since he finished setting up the picnic.
it's a beautiful, sunny day outside. you checked the weather app and took the opportunity to go out. your boyfriend, on the other hand, suggested to go to the park to have a cute picnic date with you. you're quite surprised at how he's the one suggesting for your date today, as you're used to telling him places to go to.
so you put your best flowy sundress on that matches his comfy vest over white shirt and corduroy pants combo. you stare at the mirror with him beside you.
you don't notice the bulk in his pocket.
"am i not like that all the time?" kageyama scoffs, then opens the blueberry cheesecake for the both of you to share.
if you haven't realized yet, he's clearly distracting himself.
from what it is? you have no idea.
he scoops a bite of the cake and brings it to your mouth. he smiles at how content you look, basking in the fresh air, the way the ingredients of the dessert marinating on your tongue, and the familiar warmth he brings around you.
"i like it here," you blurt out, looking at the moving tree branches dancing with the wind. "so calm and pretty, we should do this more often."
"hm," kageyama ponders. "this will be the last time this happens on our circumstances now, though."
you tilt your head and furrow your brows.
he brings the cheesecake down and pulls himself closer in front of you, hand reaching out for yours, caressing your cheek.
"you know.." he looks to his side, evident nervousness oozing from his voice. he turns to look at you, pupils dilated. "i've been planning this for a really long time."
"are you breaking up with me?"
"will you please let me finish what i have to say."
you laugh at your joke and at how he's all grumpy now. "okay, tobio, tell me."
kageyama chuckles, and he's quite relieved you're making him laugh right now. he reaches for his pocket and brings out a delicate, red box.
you gasp, and you feel a puddle of tears already forming at the sides of your eyes.
"i've been waiting for the right time for this, you know? i knew from the start that i wanted to be with you for the rest of my life. we're doing so well in everything, but i really want this stability right now. i love you, and i can't wait to call you my wife."
you can't even hear everything he's saying right now, you hold your mouth as tears stream down your face.
kageyama opens the box, and the sun perfectly hits the big, sparkling stone on top of the ring.
"i already know what you're gonna say but i'll ask you anyway. my love, will you marry me?"
ÂŠď¸ TOBIO-RS - do not copy, translate, or repost
keishin ukai finds a cure to his nicotine addiction /swf
keishin who comes back one day after practice with the karasuno kids only to find a stranger in his store. not a costumer, noâ a girl, happily restocking shelves under his motherâs watchful gaze.
what. the fuck.
as soon as he walks in, his mother sees the million questions in his eyes, and immediately pulls him to the side to prevent him saying something mean. heâs got to admit, she knows him too well.
âshe said she just moved into town, and sheâs so so lovely, keishin,â she murmured reassuringly. âso put away that grumpy face and be nice, okay?â
he was going to drop it when he was sure you werenât a threat. so until then, he would test you.
heâs never mean, per se, but he does load up on his teasing, making sure he points out when you leave even a speck of dust on a surface, or put a product in the wrong spot (it was empty, and you had no idea what was supposed to go there. keishin didnât tell you).
one day youâre going to break, heâs so sure of itâ but you never do. you greet him with a wide smile even in the early morning, watering the plants out front that he forgot to water the night before. you donât bother him unless itâs strictly necessary, and listen intently when he purposefully gives you a half-assed answer.
youâŚreally are nice. too nice. in a way that keishin isnât exactly ready to come to terms with just yet. but he does loosen up eventually, even if just a little, just enough to start getting flustered by you.
it feels like the situation is slipping out of his control. he shouldnât feel his cheeks warm up when he sees you in that floral dress youâve worn numerous times already, shouldnât feel an irrationally angry twist in his gut when you laugh at a joke one of the karasuno kids makes as they chat outside the store after practice.
in keishinâs mind, the only logical way to deal with this was to make you flustered. totally not because he developed a disgustingly huge crush on you.
you notice the change in his attitude, his tone shifting from condescending to teasing, how he becomes significantly more talkative. was he always such a show-off?
you donât mind, of course, because you were no stranger to keishinâs charm, even if he was a bitâŚodd. but you were happy heâd warmed up to you anyway, even if you didnât really know the reason.
âwatch the front for me, iâll be back in five.â
you halt mid-action through dusting a shelf to look over your shoulder. âsmoking again, keishin? itâs only eleven.â
he turns to look at you, a cigarette already dangling between his lips. you narrow your eyes at him. âhow many have you smoked already?â you ask, your tone mildly accusatory. âonly the ones since opening the store? or since i woke up this morning?â
you can only sigh, shaking your head as you go back to your chore. âi know itâs not my place to talk, and iâm sure youâve heard this many times before, but i think thereâs plenty other things that are better than a cigââ
âyeah? like what?â
you gasp, heart leaping out of your chest as heâs suddenly standing behind you, chocolate eyes peering down at you as he cocks his head. âwell, for one, not give me a heart attack!â you squeak, hitting his apron-covered chest with the cloth you were using.
he chuckles, and your heart does another kind of leap when his fingers wrap around your wrist, keeping your hand on him. âi think i have a better one,â is all he whispers before closing the distance between your lips.
itâs nothing grand, just a peck that lasts long enough to leave you dazed, eyes wide like saucers when he pulls back, sporting the most unfairly handsome shit-eating grin youâve ever seen.
âi wonât go out for a smoke, but only if i can do this instead. that okay with you?â
youâre still a bit stunned, but manage to nod your head. ây-yeahâŚtotally cool for me,â you say a bit out of breath.
if you were going to react like that every time, quitting cigarettes was going to be easy as pie for him.
ââa/n. i was held at gunpoint by @jeanmarcosno1 to write this i am scared. never wrote for hq be nice.
Summary: There are battles even the strongest swordsman canât win with a blade. Sometimes, all Zoro can do is stay by your side and hope the people he trusts make it back in time.
Request: Hi! I was wondering if you could make a Zoro x reader, and reader is sick because she was poisoned and the rest of the Strawhats go find the cure but Zoro an Chopper stay wirh reader (they're kind of a found family inside the strawhats, chopper is the son and reader the mom and Zoro the dad) Zoro and reader are dating. Please and thankyouđ¸
Word count: about 9k+
Contains: hurt/comfort, established relationship, protective Zoro, devoted Zoro, lovesick Zoro, vulnerable Zoro, caretaker Zoro, Chopper being the sweetest little doctor, Straw Hat Pirates friendship, found family, poison, antidote hunt, emotional comfort, hand holding, gentle touches, sleepless nights, quiet confessions, recovery, happy ending.
Warnings: fem!reader, use of y/n a few times, poisoning, serious illness, fever, delirium, blood, injury, medical treatment, emotional distress, temporary discussions of death, no major character death.
On the churning, overcast sea, the Going Merry cut through the waves with difficulty, carrying a crew that had only just come within a hair's breadth of suffering a far crueler fate.
A vicious pirate crew had seized control of an island. That, in itself, was hardly a problem for the Straw Hats, who had once again brought freedom to another helpless town. Still, victory had been anything but easy.
Chopper was still tending to everyoneâs injuries, especially Sanjiâs, after one of the scoundrels had ambushed him from behind and driven a blade deep into the side of his abdomen.
There hadnât even been time to celebrate or properly recover before the Marines had inevitably appeared, as they so often did, arriving only after the fighting was over and there was no need for their so-called heroics. Besides, the Log Pose had already settled on its next destination, making it painfully obvious that setting sail immediately was the smartest option.
Compared to the others, you would have said youâd gotten off rather lightly. Your only injury was a shallow slash across your side, left by the enemy swordsmanâs massive blade after it barely grazed you.
Of course, that had been more than enough to earn him Zoroâs wrath.
Not only had the coward avoided facing a fellow swordsman in a honorable duel, heâd committed the one offense Zoro considered utterly unforgivable.
He had laid a hand on the woman he loved.
The seas would run dry and mountains would split of their own accord before the green-haired swordsman allowed something like that to happen. Least of all without consequences.
He hadnât been thrilled when youâd stubbornly insisted there was no need for your sweet little reindeer doctor to examine you afterward, brushing the wound off as nothing.
Still, he knew better than to argue.
After all, he wasn't exactly any better when it came to accepting treatment himself.
And, truth be told, you genuinely looked perfectly fine.
You were still full of energy, and aside from the cut itself, there wasnât so much as a bruise on your face, arms, or anywhere else anyone could easily see.
Maybe he'd simply grown soft since you'd become part of his life.
Or maybe spending so much time around that infuriating lovestruck cook had started rubbing off on him.
Whatever the reason, the mere thought of you losing so much as a single hair was enough to fill him with a level of unease and fury heâd never experienced before. Somewhere along the way, your safety had quietly become the foremost objective of every battle he fought.
Looking back, perhaps the first warning sign should have been when you sat with Luffy and Usopp, listening to yet another one of the sniper's wildly exaggerated adventure tale.
Normally, stories like those had you doubled over with laughter.
This time, they earned nothing more than a faint, tired smile through half-lidded eyes.
Then againâŚ
Who wouldnât get tired of those two idiots eventually?
Maybe today was simply one of those days.
The next odd thing came when you turned down Sanjiâs chocolate soufflĂŠ with vanilla ice cream, which heâd enthusiastically prepared the moment Chopper finally released him from his worried little hooves, a fresh bandages still wrapped around his stomach.
You had an infamous sweet tooth.
It was rare for you to refuse dessert of any kind.
Still, you insisted your stomach was simply unsettled after the excitement of the battle and promised youâd indulge a little later, thanking the blond cook with your usual warmth that even he couldn't bring himself to argue.
Once the Merry finally reached calmer waters, and after youâd finished helping Nami with navigation, it was even stranger that you declined her invitation to lounge on deck with Robin, reading and chatting over drinks while Sanji eagerly fussed over the three of you.
You claimed you were simply exhausted.
Youâd taken the night watch before dawn, your eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and if you lay down now, youâd fall asleep instantly.
You didnât want that.
You wanted to wake yourself up instead.
To accomplish that, you'd decided to train with your boyfriend.
Had anyone been worried before, that alone would've been enough to dismiss every suspicion. It was practically unheard of for you and the green-haired swordsman to go more than a day or two without training together.
Although your fighting styles differed considerably, that was precisely what made your sessions so valuable. Where one lacked experience, the other compensated.
A grin tugged at Zoro's lips as he launched into his usual Oni Giri stance, only for you to slip past him with practiced ease, darting around him as though you'd vanished altogether.
There.
That was more like it.
You stumbled ever so slightly.
Still, you recovered quickly enough to throw a counterpunch, only to arrive a fraction of a second too late.
Your mosshead deflected it effortlessly with a familiar click of his tongue.
âTch. Youâre slow,â he said, studying you carefully as he swung again. âFocus. I wonât go easy on you. And neither will anyone else."
You knocked the attack aside and immediately answered with one of your own, rolling your eyes as you did.
âWouldnât dream of asking you to.â
Finding the opening youâd been waiting for, you drove your fist forward and knocked him off balance.
âI wonât go easy on you either.â
He smirked.
For a moment, pride and competitive excitement lit his face.
Then they vanished, replaced by unmistakable concern.
ââŚY/N?â
You looked unusually pale.
And were youâŚ
Swaying?
He was on his feet in an instant, closing the distance between you before resting one rough, calloused hand against your forehead.
His eyes widened.
You were freezing.
Not merely cool to the touch, but so cold that it almost burned against his skin, while tiny beads of sweat gathered and stuck hairs plastered to your forehead with a contradiction that made no sense at all.
You caught his wrist and gently pushed his hand away.
âItâs nothing,â you murmured. âGuess the rain from this morning got into my bones.â
Taking a nearby towel, you lowered yourself onto the floor.
The room spun for a fleeting moment.
Something you would never, under any circumstances, admit to your caring overly protective boyfriend disguised as a grumpy brute.
âTch. Howâs that ânothingâ when youâre shaking like someone tossed you into the freezing depths around Drum Island?â
He tossed his swords aside and sat beside you.
âCome on. Weâre going to Chopper.â
He reached for your hand, intending to pull you to your feet, but you stubbornly refused to budge.
âIf Iâm not feeling better later, weâll go. I donât want to worry him over something so silly. The poor kidâs been through enough today.â
You reached up with icy fingers and gently stroked his cheek.
Typical.
Absolutely typical.
Part of him was annoyed.
The rest of him was, rather inconveniently, softened by that stubborn kindness of yours.
That was just like you.
Whenever things became chaoticâand with the Straw Hats, chaotic days were hardly uncommonâsimply because, as you always put it, you didn't want to "be a burden."
He studied you once more, lingering on those impossibly kind eyes, eyes so deep that he'd always been able to glimpse the quiet strength hidden behind them.
Lightly flicking your forehead, he pulled you firmly into his chest instead.
His warm, solid body wrapped around your trembling one, and without thinking, you melted into your grumpy swordsman in a silent attempt to steal as much of his warmth as you possibly could.
It always felt safe in his arms.
Now more than ever.
"If you're not feeling better in twenty minutes," he muttered, burying his face in your hair, "I'm dragging you to Chopper myself, and I don't care how much you beg, argue, or threaten to curse me."
Several quiet minutes passed before he reluctantly decided that a warm cup of tea might do you some good.
The moment he shifted, trying to unwrap his arms from around you, you protested immediately, nestling even closer and pulling them right back around yourself before he could get very far.
"Tch. Easy there, woman," he grumbled, unable to stop the corner of his mouth from twitching upward despite himself. "I'll be back in a minute."
Ignoring your sleepy little complaints, he reluctantly pried himself free.
âIâll be back,â he repeated, casting one last worried glance your way.
He looked over his shoulder one last time.
Youâd already curled into yourself, trying to preserve what little warmth remained.
Sighing, fully aware there was no point telling you to go lie down in the girlsâ quarters because heâd almost certainly end up carrying you there anyway, he headed for the kitchen.
Fortunately, it was empty.
He immediately began rummaging through the neatly arranged cabinet.
What kind of tea do you even make for someone like this?
Rosehip?
Green tea?
Mint?
Chamomile?
Maybe sage?
Or ladyâs mantle?
He was still squinting at the labels when the most irritating voice on the entire ship rang out behind him.
âGet your filthy paws off my perfectly organized cabinet!â
Curly Brows practically hissed the words.
âWhat do you want?â
Zoro shot him an irritated glance and grabbed the first tea packet he could reach.
âNone of your business, cook.â
He waited for the kettle to finish boiling.
That only deepened the blond's disbelief.
"I'm sorry... what?"
He eyed the teabag in Zoro's hand with open suspicion.
âWhat does a clumsy gorilla like you need tea for? Or is this just a distraction while you raid my sake stash again?â
Zoro slammed a fist onto the counter, splashing boiling water over the rim of the mug.
âWould you shut up? I can drink whatever the hell I want.â
Snatching the mug, he stormed out, leaving Sanji grumbling behind him as he wiped up the spilled water.
When he returned to the Crow's Nest, where the two of you had been training, you immediately tried to stand the moment you heard him come in.
One eyebrow lifted as he took in your face.
Your cheeks had regained a faint flush.
âWhat're you getting up for?â
He awkwardly held the steaming mug toward you.
âHere.â
You accepted it with shaky hands, smiling despite yourself.
âThank you, sweetheart.â
Taking a careful sip of the warm herbal tea, you couldn't help smiling a little wider. The fact that your rough, soft-hearted swordsman had brewed it himself was obvious enough from the tea being completely plainâno honey, no lemon, nothing Sanji ever would've allowed to leave his kitchenâyet somehow that only made it sweeter.
âIâm already feeling much better.â
A faint blush dusted Zoroâs cheeks at the nickname, but he kept watching you closely.
Your lips were still unnaturally pale.
Even holding the mug seemed to take effort.
He stepped toward you, reaching for your hand, only to pause the instant your skin met his.
Moments ago, it had been ice cold.
His brows drew together as he tightened his grip ever so slightly before placing the back of his hand against your forehead, his eyes widening in genuine alarm.
Only minutes ago you'd been cold enough to make his fingertips ache.
Now you were scorching, your skin hot as the steel upon which Wado Ichimonji itself had once been forged.
"Woman..."
His voice came out lower than he'd intended.
âYouâre burning hot.â
You laughed weakly.
âNow isnât really the time for compliments.â
He clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes in a way that barely concealed his relief that you still had enough energy left to tease him.
âCome on. We're going.â
He tugged gently at your arm.
"No," you protested with the same stubbornness that always managed to test the limits of his patience. "I don't feel sick at all. I'm just tired."
Enough was enough.
This is for your own good.
He was already preparing to scoop you into his arms and carry you to the infirmary himself.
He never got the chance.
The rapid clatter of tiny hooves echoed across the wooden floor before a small pair of antlers poked through the doorway.
âY/N!â
Chopper beamed, a book tucked carefully beneath one arm.
âI brought the book weâre reading before bed tonight. I think itâs the one you mentionedââ
The smile vanished from his face almost instantly.
He hurried over.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âSheâs not feelââ
âItâs okay, dear Chopper,â you interrupted brightly before Zoro could finish, already pushing yourself to your feet. âI think I just caught a little cold.â
You smiled as though nothing whatsoever was out of the ordinary.
âZoroâs making a fuss, you know how he is. Hypocrite. As if heâd ever let you examine him over something this small.â
You lifted the mug ever so slightly.
âSee? I'm perfectly fiââ
You took one step.
Then another.
Tiny green specks suddenly danced across your vision as darkness began closing in around them, spreading slowly from the edges until it swallowed everything before your eyes.
It felt as though something impossibly heavy had wrapped itself around your body and pulled you downward like a stone, while the mug slipped from your fingers, striking the wooden floor before rolling away, its warm contents spilling across the planks.
For one strange, suspended moment, it felt less like falling and more like flying.
Like drifting through a dream where the ground never came.
In reality, strong arms caught you before you ever hit the floor, pulling you tightly against a broad chest while voices called your name somewhere in the distance, their words swallowed beneath the persistent ringing in your ears.
You couldn't make out anything beyond that dull buzzing and those muffled voices, only the strange sensation that you were moving farther and farther away, as though you were no longer standing on solid ground at all, but floating gently downstream, wherever the current chose to carry you.
The tiny infirmary was filled with a chaotic chorus of voices, some calm and collected, others bordering on outright panic.
âLay her down like this.â
âIâll get the thermometer!â
âRobin, cold water!â
âNami, grab some towels.â
âEveryone, back up a little. She needs air.â
âSanji-kun, panicking isnât helping right now! Go prepare the herbal stimulant mixture for me. Itâs on the shelf in the left corner, second-to-last bottle.â
Everyone rushed about in a frenzy.
Everyone except Zoro.
He still held you tightly against his chest, barely registering the commotion around him until Chopper called his name several times.
âZoro⌠Zoro!â
âI canât examine Y/N properly unless you let her go.â
Only then did the green-haired swordsman realize how fiercely heâd been holding you, as though loosening his grip would somehow make you slip away.
Unsure of what else to do, he reluctantly did as Chopper asked.
He stepped back, lowered himself onto a stool in the corner of the room, and buried his face in his hands.
He felt useless.
His mind replayed the entire day over and over, tormenting him with every missed warning sign.
Heâd noticed every little hint that something wasnât right.
Every single one.
And yet heâd still let you convince him it was nothing.
She sparred with me⌠I knew she looked paleâŚ
I shouldâve made her come here sooner.
Nami hurried back with everything Chopper had asked for and looked down at you anxiously.
âShe probably just pushed herself too hard,â she murmured, unable to tear her eyes away from your pale, sleeping face. âSheâs been overworking herself lately.â
Sanji appeared beside the bed almost instantly, handing Chopper the strange herbal concoction heâd prepared.
âExactly, Nami-san! Our hardworking, wonderful Y/N has completely exhausted her poor little body! Sheâs been fighting nonstop this past week, insisted on taking night watch, and then this heartless marimo made her train on top of all that!â He glanced toward Zoro. âIs that why you came looking for tea?â
Zoro didnât answer.
He simply stared at the floor.
ââŚNo.â
Chopperâs voice was quiet as he checked your pulse.
His expression changed instantly.
He counted again and his face paled.
âThis isnât good.â
He gently lifted one of your eyelids and shone a small light into your pupil.
âHer pulse is much slower than it should be⌠And her breathingâs labored. This isnât exhaustion.â
Silence swallowed the room.
Even Luffy, how ever unusual it may be, had nothing to say.
Carefully, Chopper lifted the hem of your shirt to examine the cut on your side.
Then he froze.
The wound looked nothing like it had only a few hours ago.
If it had been healing normally, a thin scab should already have started forming.
InsteadâŚ
The skin surrounding it had turned an unnatural shade.
So dark it was almost purple.
Tiny blood vessels had burst beneath the surface, spiderwebbing around the wound.
Medical books were scattered across the infirmary floor.
Stacks of them surrounded Chopper, while Robin knelt beside him, helping him flip frantically through page after page.
With tears welling in his eyes, the little doctor desperately searched for any poison whose symptoms matched yours.
Dozens of books laterâŚ
Nothing.
Heâd ordered everyone else to keep you awake, terrified that if you drifted off to sleep, your pulse might slow even further.
Nami quietly replaced the cold compress on your forehead.
Sanji hovered nearby, fussing over you even more than usual, trying to coax you into taking soup, broth, vitamin tonics⌠anything that might bring even a little color back to your face.
Usopp enthusiastically launched into one ridiculous story after another, while Luffy, partly out of habit and partly in an earnest attempt to keep you awake, repeatedly patted the mattress or nudged your shoulder.
Each attempt earned him an immediate chorus of horrified protests.
âEasy!â
Sanji barked, promptly introducing the captainâs face to the floor with the sole of his foot.
Throughout it all, Zoro remained silent.
Motionless.
Sitting beside your bed, he held your cold hand in both of his, absentmindedly stroking your wrist every so often, never once taking his eyes off your barely-open ones.
âDamn it!â
Chopperâs small voice cracked.
A heavy book slammed into a shelf.
Then another rustle.
In equal parts fear and frustration, Chopper hurled yet another useless medical text aside. It struck one of the shelves, knocking loose a massive old encyclopedia.
The worn leather cover had been rubbed so smooth that even its title had long since disappeared.
Robin picked it up first.
ââŚChopper.â
â...I know this.â
Together they quickly realized it wasnât a medical encyclopedia at all.
It was a collection of records describing the unique flora, fauna, and natural characteristics of various islands in this region of the Grand Line.
Tucked away within one small section was a passage describing a rare toxin extracted from a plant found only in the forests of the very island theyâd just left.
Long ago, the islandâs warriors had coated their weapons with it.
The poison was infamous because even the smallest scratch was enough.
The victim would appear perfectly fine at first.
Days later, horrifying symptoms would begin to emerge, ending in certain death if left untreated.
âQuick! I need a sample!â
Chopper bolted toward your bedside, ushering everyone out of the infirmary.
He hesitated only briefly before allowing Zoro to stay.
The little reindeer hurriedly prepared his instruments before carefully moving toward the wound.
âIâm sorry, Y/NâŚâ
His voice trembled.
âThis is going to hurt. But weâll save you.â
ââŚDo you hear me?â
Tears blurred his vision as he searched your half-lidded eyes for any sign that you could still hear him.
Almost imperceptibly⌠you smiled.
Then gave the faintest little nod.
Without a word, Zoro tightened his grip around your hand.
By the time the anchor was dropped off the neighboring island and the sails had been lowered, the Straw Hats had already worked out a plan.
Chopper had compiled a list of every herb they would need, complete with careful sketches to help identify them.
âYou have to be as fast as possible.â His voice wavered despite his best efforts to steady it. âRobin, Sanji, youâre looking for the Frostveil Bellflower. It looks like an ordinary daffodil, only slightly larger, but we need its root. Youâre also searching for the Veinshadow Nightbloom. It resembles a dark violet, except its leaves and petals are shaped like aloe. Youâll find both deeper in the forest.â
He turned to the others.
âLuffy, Nami, Usopp, search the open fields and ask the locals if theyâve seen either the Cryofern Rose or the Venomspire Lily.â
His little hoof tapped anxiously against the floor.
âDonât lose the drawings. We have to be absolutely certain.â
He looked down at the papers scattered across the desk.
âThe best outcome would be finding all of themâŚâ
His voice cracked.
ââŚbut even one of these plants could make all the difference. Every minute matters.â
As he began folding the sketches with trembling hooves, Robin rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Sheâd already memorized every single plant.
Not only the ones assigned to her and Sanji, but the others as well.
Just in case.
âWeâll bring back everything we find,â she said gently, her voice calm and unwavering. âAs quickly as we can.â
Luffy adjusted his straw hat and gave a thoughtful nod before flashing the bright grin everyone needed.
âSheâll be okay before you know it! âŚRight?â
He walked over to your bed and cheerfully smacked a hand against your knee.
âCaptain!â
A chorus of horrified voices immediately filled the infirmary once again, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of Zoroâs swords shifting ever so slightly in warning.
Your eyelids fluttered open just a fraction, enough for Luffy's grin to widen even further.
âWeâre gonna be even faster than ya think! So hang in there, okay? Youâd better be there to welcome us back!â
âI will,â you whispered, your voice rough and barely audible.
A tiny smile found its way onto your lips.
Your caring crew hurried to prepare for departure.
Usopp busied himself checking his ammunition, stuffing his arsenal of gadgets and improvised weapons into his satchel.
Nami spread a map across the table, carefully marking routes and possible search areas while assigning responsibilities.
Despite the obvious fear in his eyes, Usopp straightened his back and bravely declared that he'd question every local they came across if he had to.
At one point Sanji slipped out without a word.
When he returned several minutes later, he was carrying two wicker baskets and a backpack slung over one shoulder.
Nami frowned.
ââŚWhatâs all that?â
âOur supplies,â he replied, patting the backpack, though that much hardly needed explaining.
âAnd theseâŚâ He carefully placed the baskets on Chopper's reading desk. ââŚare for these two idiots.â
He nodded toward Zoro and the the reindeer.
âThey'd forget to eat altogether if we left them to their own devices. This way they'll have everything within arm's reach.â
Only then did he turn to Chopper.
His voice softened immediately.
âIâve already made enough soup to last our dear Y/N-swan three days. There are vitamin drinks in the refrigerator.â
It was his quiet way of lifting at least one burden from the shoulders of an overwhelmed doctor and a devastated swordsman.
At least they wouldnât have to worry about cooking.
Sanji stepped over to your bedside and carefully tucked the blanket more securely around your shoulders, as though a little extra warmth could somehow chase the illness away.
âDonât you worry, dear Y/N-swan. Youâll be back on your feet before you know it. Weâll make sure of it.â
His eyes drifted to Zoro, who had remained seated beside your bed all this time, rooted to the floor, the conversations around him barely reaching his ears.
Sanji rested a hand on his shoulder and gave it a brief, sympathetic squeeze.
âCome on, mosshead. Snap out of it. She's tough. We'll find everything and be back before you know it.â
The green-haired swordsman gave the faintest grunt.
It was his own peculiar way of acknowledging both the words and the gesture.
Heâd memorized every herb himself, despite having no intention of leaving the ship.
Someone had to protect Chopper.
Someone had to protect the Merry.
Most importantlyâŚ
Someone had to stay with you.
He hated how utterly useless he felt.
Yet the thought of leaving your sideâeven for five minutesânot knowing whether he'd ever see you again, was unbearable. Worse than any agony he had endured, worse than every wound that had ever carved itself into his body.
His rough fingertips absentmindedly traced the delicate bones of your hand, gently rubbing his thumb over your fingertips as he silently blamed himself for everything.
Most of all for the fact that this wasnât something he could simply cut down.
He wouldâve carved a path through every forest on the Grand Line.
He wouldâve burned the world itself, from the depths of hell to the highest heavens if it meant finding even one cure that could save you.
âI canât go after it.â
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Even saying the words left a bitter taste in his mouth.
âSo Iâm doing the only thing I can. Iâm keeping you here until they bring it back.â
He swallowed hard against the lump tightening his throat.
âYou hear me?â
His fingers closed around yours a little more firmly.
âYou donât leave before they get back.â
One by one, the crew turned toward the exit.
Each of them had spoken to you before leaving, offering encouragement, reassurance, hope.
Whether you could truly hear them or not didnât matter.
They wanted you to know theyâd do everything they could.
âWeâll be back soon!â Luffy called as he reached the door.
Then, for the first time since this nightmare had begun, another voice cut through the room.
âBring back everything,â Zoro said without taking his worry-clouded eyes off you. âEven if youâre not sure itâs the right plant.â
The crew paused.
Nobody needed him to explain.
If there was even the slightest chance a plant could helpâŚ
Chopper would figure it out.
âAye, aye!â
And with that, they broke into a run, disappearing from the deck into the islandâs forests, leaving behind the quiet infirmary and the dear, weathered little ship thatâfor what felt like the first time everâhad fallen unnaturally silent.
No laughter.
No shouting or bickering.
No clatter from the kitchen.
No footsteps racing across the deck.
The Merry felt impossibly still.
Almost mournful.
As though even its little sheep figurehead had drawn its wooden mouth into a sorrowful frown and quietly wept alongside the crew.
Tiny hooves worked diligently, cleaning your wound as carefully as possible, trying to remove every trace of the poison before replacing the blood-soaked bandages with fresh ones.
The moment the white gauze came away, what little color remained in Chopperâs face vanished.
The strange discoloration had spread farther, while the darkened veins branching from it had only grown more pronounced.
At first glance, someone might have thought the wound was improving. It bled less than before.
But the wound itself told a far different story.
Barely conscious, you watched the little reindeer through heavy eyelids as he apologized every single time he had to touch the injury, knowing full well how much it hurt.
At Zoroâs insistence, Chopper hurriedly showed him exactly how to clean and redress it.
The swordsman was determined to do something.
Anything.
Even through the haze clouding your mind, you somehow found the strength to lift your hand and rest it atop the fluffy doctorâs hat.
That little reindeerâŚ
You remembered the story he'd once told youâthe loneliness, the rejection, the years he had spent believing he had no place in the worldâand the moment you'd heard it, you'd known that if he ever chose to join your crew, you would do everything in your power to protect him.
Just as you had.
Your fingers weakly patted the top of his reddish-pink hat.
ââŚYou always apologize. You donât have to.â
Your gaze drifted toward the small window in the infirmary door.
Darkness had swallowed the sky.
Had you really slept through the entire day?
ââŚDid you two eat?â
A familiar click of the tongue answered you before words ever did.
Zoro carefully lifted a glass of water to your dry lips.
âDo you ever stop, woman?â
His calloused hands tilted the glass with surprising care, though not quite enough to keep a few stray drops from slipping down your chin.
You looked up at him.
Something about him feltâŚ
Wrong.
Lost.
Youâd never seen him look like that before.
âSo... you didnât.â
âWe did.â
His answer came immediately.
âYou wouldn't know. You were asleep.â
Brushing the damp strands of hair away from your face, he let the back of his fingers linger against your forehead long enough to check your temperature while Chopper quietly slid the thermometer into place once more.
âThink about yourself for a change. Tch. Just rest.â
He adjusted your pillow before settling back into the chair beside your bed.
Whether it was the gentle rocking of the Merry or simply the exhaustion weighing down every inch of your body, you couldnât tell.
Warm, heavy drowsiness slowly settled over you once again, drawing you back into sleep's embrace.
When the thermometer finally chimed and displayed yet another disappointing number, neither of your boys said a word.
They merely let out quiet, weary sighs, and Chopper rested his head beside your legs.
The quiet scrape of wood against the floor broke the silence.
He looked up just in time to see Zoro opening one of the baskets Sanji had prepared before pushing it toward him.
âIâm not hungry,â Chopper murmured, barely audible.
His forehead still rested against the edge of your bed.
âYou are.â
No answer.
âChopper.â
Only the steady rhythm of waves against the hull.
âEat.â
Zoro pulled out a sandwich and all but shoved it into the little doctorâs hooves.
âOr Iâll feed you myself.â
A pause.
âYou know sheâd be worried sick if she found out.â
Only after Chopper reluctantly took it did Zoro grab one for himself.
âTch. Unbelievable. Even now sheâs still nagging us about eating.â
His voice faded into little more than a whisper.
Iâd sooner let the fires of hell swallow me wholeâŚ
Be forgotten by the worldâŚ
Lose every battle Iâd ever fightâŚ
âŚthan never hear that nagging again.
It was the dead of night.
The hour sailors called the witching hour, when even the sea itself seemed to be asleep.
Zoro jolted awake from a dream he hadnât even realized heâd fallen into, his heart still racing.
Heâd been running as fast as his legs would carry him, chasing that damned pirate just as the bastard lunged toward you with his blade once again. He had been close enough to stop himâclose enough that one more step would have done itâbut the instant he swung, all three of his swords shattered into countless pieces, scattering across the ground before he could reach you..
He took a slow breath, forcing his pulse to settle, and looked up.
You were still there and breathing.
Reality, mercifully, had turned out kinder than the nightmare.
His hand still rested around yours.
Something else, however, weighed across his lap.
Warm.
Tiny.
Soft.
Blinking the last remnants of sleep away, he looked down.
Chopper had somehow curled up against him, fast asleep, his hat lying forgotten near Zoroâs feet.
âŚHow did this even happen?
He honestly couldnât remember.
Carefully rolling the stiffness from his neck, Zoro slid one arm beneath the little doctor and gently lifted him.
He froze for a moment when Chopper stirred.
But the reindeer only mumbled something unintelligible before settling again.
Zoro tucked him into the spare bed in the infirmary before quietly returning to your side.
He brought your cold hand to his lips, holding it just tightly enough to remind himself you were still there.
âYou still owe me that rematch.â
His fingers slowly combed through your tangled hair.
âYou cheated. You counted that punch after I told you it didnât.â
He enclosed your hand between both of his, warming it with his own breath as though the two of you were stranded somewhere in the snow.
Idiot.
âDonât you dare think I forgot.â
The bitter, slightly sour taste of another vitamin tonic still lingered on your tongue.
You could barely keep your thoughts together, though the clumsy way your green-haired brute of a boyfriend and your tiny, fluffy son fussed over you almost made you smile.
The moment you weakly gestured that you wanted water, they both jumped to their feet at the exact same time.
Before either of them reached itâŚ
The Den Den Mushi rang.
Zoro picked up the receiver while Chopper hurried to bring you a fresh glass.
âAny luck?â Zoro asked quietly.
Static crackled.
âNot yet.â
âKeep looking.â
He hung up without another word before gently replacing the cold compress on your forehead.
The deep furrow between his brows hadnât left in days.
Neither had sleep.
Chopper looked just as exhausted, dark circles settling beneath his small eyes.
ââŚSorryâŚâ
Both of them leaned toward you instantly.
âWhat?â
ââŚTroubleâŚâ
Chopper broke first.
He buried his face against Zoroâs leg as quiet sobs shook his tiny body.
Zoro simply closed his eyes.
Absolutely typical.
Even now, you were apologizing.
The mountains in your chest rose with trembling effort before sinking again, as though each breath was saying its own reluctant farewell.
After setting aside the bowl of soup that had ended up spilled across the blankets far more than itâd ended up inside you, Chopper quietly sat beside your bed and watched your frail figure..
Life had become so much brighter after joining the Straw Hats.
After meeting you.
He had found safety beneath the wings of his new family, but most of all in your embrace, and against Zoro's broad chestâor, more often, behind his legs whenever danger appeared and instinct sent him running toward the strongest place he knew.
You read bedtime stories to him.
Made cookies together after persuading Sanji to let you take over the kitchen.
Prepared hot chocolate.
Patched up the little injuries he brushed off after training.
Comforted him after difficult days.
Wandered flower fields and collected medicinal herbs beside him.
Played with him until sunset.
Made him go to bed when he got lost in his studies.
NowâŚ
He was the one caring for you.
Changing your bandages.
Replacing the cold compresses.
Counting every heartbeat.
Heâd even tried reading the very book heâd brought the day you collapsed, hoping some part of you could still hear him.
The words never made it halfway down the first page.
His voice gave out.
His little body shook with tears.
âOi.â
Zoro was beside him immediately.
âWhat happened?â
âI-I-if Iâd n-noticed the cut sooner⌠We wouldâve had hours... hours more to hel her. I f-f-failed herâŚâ
âDonât.â
The word came sharp.
Firm.
âNo.â
Zoro blamed himself enough already.
There was nothing the kid could have done.
âWeâll make it.â
It sounded less like reassuranceâŚ
âŚand more like a prayer offered to whoever might still be willing to listen.
They hadnât heard from the others by the time a storm rolled in.
Not that it mattered much. Shut away inside the infirmary, they barely noticed the rain hammering against the ship.
What frightened them far more was that, like the sea outside, you too had become restless.
You tossed restlessly beneath the blankets as beads of sweat rolled endlessly down your temples. Your body burned with fever, yet shivered uncontrollably, but that wasnât the worst part.
What truly terrified them was when you began talking to people who werenât there.
Reliving memories no one else could see.
Sometimes your voice turned bright.
Almost joyful.
You smiled with innocent happiness, speaking as though you were once again leading Chopper through a field of spring flowers on some long-forgotten island.
"Come on," you laughed softly, reaching into empty air. "Give me your hoof. Let's race to that tree over there."
Your hand missed him entirely as you tried to sit up, only for your boyfriend's strong arms to ease you gently back against the pillows.
Then, without warning...
...the dream became a nightmare.
âNo⌠Please⌠Let him go!â
You shook your head frantically as tears streamed down your face.
Zoro and Chopper kept calling your name, trying to pull you back, but nothing reached you.
âIâll do anything⌠Just let him go⌠NoâŚâ
Chopper couldnât bear it anymore.
He broke down crying too.
Meanwhile Zoro stroked your arm, calling your name over and over, trying to gently shake you awake, speaking in a voice so impossibly soft that even he hadn't known he possessed it.
He had no idea how much time had passed while he held you against his chest, rocking you with slow, instinctive motions as Chopper clung silently to his leg.
Only after your breathing finally settled did he notice how violently his own hands were trembling.
Some time later, you drifted back to yourself just long enough to weakly beckon the little doctor closer.
âYouâll take care of everyone for me⌠right?â
Before Chopper could even react...
Zoro answered. Firmly and immediately.
âYou arenât going anywhere. So stop talking like that.â
He took your hand again, replacing the cold compress on your forehead with the other.
âSave your strength. Especially if youâre just going to keep saying crap like that.â
Afterward, he muttered a quiet apology under his breath before leaving to make yet another cup of tea from the herbs Chopper kept in the infirmary.
Maybe this one will help.
The storm inside his chest only grew fiercer.
Helplessness.
Fear.
Guilt.
Rage so fierce it barely fit inside him.
They had cornered him from every direction.
Before heading toward the galley, he stopped beside the ship's railing and drove his fist into the wood with all the strength he had.
The impact echoed through the empty deck.
It hurt.
But not nearly enough.
The little reindeerâs fluffy head had quite literally fallen into one of the medical books, finally defeated by the relentless pull of exhaustion.
The poor kid had done everything he possibly could. Every medicine had been administered on schedule, every bandage changed, every vitamin tonic and herbal remedy coaxed into you. Your fever had finally, stubbornly, come down a little, and your pulse had stabilized enough for him to breathe.
For what felt like the hundredth time, strong arms carefully lifted him from where heâd fallen asleep and carried him to the spare bed, tucking the blanket around him with all the clumsy care of someone terrified of waking him.
âHe wore himself out,â your voice rasped quietly through the silence. âBoth of you did.â
Zoro returned to his place beside you, lowering himself to one knee next to the bed as his calloused fingers brushed through your hair before tracing the increasingly pronounced curve of your cheekbone.
âDonât talk nonsense.â
Gathering what little strength remained, you lifted a trembling hand and cupped his cheek.
ââŚAre you scared?â
âNo.â
The answer came through gritted teeth.
ââŚLiar.â
A faint smile tugged at your lips.
âAs if thereâd be anything to fear. Those idiots will come barging back with the cure any minute now.â
âZoro⌠ifâŚâ
âNo.â
He cut you off immediately, refusing to hear whatever was coming next.
âIf somethingâŚâ
You tried again.
Two fingers came to rest lightly over your lipsânot harshly, but with quiet resolve.
âDonât waste your strength on things that arenât happening.â
He drew in a slow breath, his gaze drifting upward for the briefest moment before returning to yours.
âYou made me a promise. No backing out now.â
Across the room, Chopper stirred in his sleep.
His half-asleep ears twitched at the sound of your voices.
He didnât dare move.
Didnât dare make a sound.
ââŚI donât know how to do this without you,â Zoro admitted quietly.
âYou donât get toâŚâ
His voice faltered.
âWeâre supposed to chase our dreams together. You promised all of us... You promised me... and the kid.â
The little reindeerâs ears slowly drooped against the pillow.
He squeezed his eyes shut, pretending to remain asleep so he wouldnât interrupt.
Silence settled between the two of you.
Long enough that Chopper thought the conversation had ended.
ââŚSome protector.â
Zoro rested his forehead against the edge of your mattress.
âI always thoughtâŚâ he murmured at last, lifting his head just enough for his eyes to settle on your intertwined fingers, holding them as though loosening his grip for even a heartbeat might somehow make you disappear, ââŚI always thought my job was to stand in front of the blade. The bullet. To take the hit instead of you.â
A bitter laugh escaped him.
âAnd it turns out I never even noticed the thing that was killing you while it was right in front of me.â
He closed his eyes.
âIâll never forgive myself for that.â
Zoro had never been afraid of blood.
Heâd spent years drenched in his own.
But yoursâŚ
Yours made something inside him seize.
Every bruise blooming beneath your skin, every tremor running through your body, every ragged breath you struggled to draw⌠he felt each of them as though the poison had chosen the wrong victim.
It should have been him.
It didnât matter that fever had left your skin slick with sweat, or that you were too weak to lift your own head.
You were no less beautiful to him.
No less precious.
If anything, seeing you stripped of every defense only made the ache to protect you grow sharper.
When he finally looked up, there was nothing left in his eyes but unguarded truth.
âThere isnât a single thing this poison can do to you that would make me turn away.â
His voice remained low.
Steady.
âIf you canât walk, Iâll carry you. If you canât eat, Iâll feed you. If youâre afraidâŚâ his thumb brushed slowly across your knuckles, âthen youâll have someone to be scared with. If the fever makes you yell at me⌠if it makes you hate me⌠Iâll wait until it passes. And if you look at me and donât remember who I amâŚâ
He swallowed.
ââŚIâll introduce myself all over again.â
Now he took both of your hands in his own, holding them with the desperation of a man who felt as though he were pleading with fate itself.
âListen to me. I donât care how much this hurts. I donât care if youâre afraid. I donât care if youâre tired.â
He slowly shook his head.
âJust hold on a little longer... Just a little longer, okay?â
His eyes wandered across your face as though trying to memorize every feature.
The thought angered him the instant it crossed his mind.
No.
He wouldnât have to remember.
You were going to be here.
âYou canât leave now.â
The words came out softer than heâd intended.
âNot before they get back. Not before Chopper gives you the cure.â
He took another slow breath.
âAfter thatâŚâ
A tiny smile ghosted across the corner of his mouth before disappearing just as quickly.
âAfter that, you can yell at me for forcing all those disgusting medicines down your throat. You can tell me my tea tasted awful. You can tell me I panicked over nothing. Iâll even admit you were right about that one argument.â
His voice caught.
âAnd then⌠Weâll pick up right where we left off.â
He watched you for a long moment.
âIâm not finished with you yet. Weâve still got too much left to do. We still have stupid things to argue about. You still have to convince Chopper to take your side against me again. You still have to get on my nerves.â
His grip around your hand tightened.
âYou still have to grow old with me.â
Only then did he realize what heâd said.
Yet there was no room left for embarrassment.
It was simply the truth.
The truth heâd needed you to hear.
His eyes lowered once more.
âSoâŚâ
He searched for the words for a long time.
ââŚdonât take that away from me.â
Dawn had yet to fully break over the bleak sea when the rest of the crew finally returned to the Merry, exhausted and desperate.
Zoro wasnât sure exactly when the endless darkness of night had given way to the soft lilac hues that came just before sunrise, but the hurried pounding of feet against the wooden deck snapped him from his thoughts. Voices echoed through the ship, calling names, accompanied by a faint whistling sound that grew louder with every passing second.
Then the infirmary doors flew open as your filthy captain practically launched himself through them.
âChopper!! We did it!â
He landed squarely on top of the little reindeer, knocking him onto the floor before Zoro could even react. A heartbeat later, the swordsman was already hauling Luffy back by the collar, ready to scold him for causing such a commotion and nearly flattening the very doctor you all depended on.
âHave you completely lost your damn mind?!â Sanji shouted as he rushed in right behind him, somehow managing to be just as loud despite yelling at Luffy to be quiet. âYou canât charge into an infirmary like that, you reckless idiot!â
The cook looked as exhausted as everyone else. His blond hair was full of leaves and tangled from pushing through the forest, dirt streaked across his clothes, but the moment he reached your bedside, all of that seemed to disappear.
âHowâs our dear Y/N-swan holding up?â he asked quietly.
Zoro simply gave a small nod.
Youâd held on.
Long enough for them to make it back.
One by one, the rest of the crew crowded into the room, each in varying states of disarray. Robinâs clothes had been snagged and torn by branches and thorns, Nami stood there breathing hard with windswept hair, while Usopp was practically covered in mud from head to toe.
âNo time to waste!â Chopper cried, hurrying over to them, his eyes shining with hope. âWhat did you find?â
Robin and Nami immediately set two large sacks filled with herbs and flowers onto the table.
âWe gathered everything that resembled the illustrations,â Nami explained. âAnd the locals suggested a few other plants they thought might help, so we brought those too. Everything we could find.â
Chopper didnât wait another second.
His little hooves dove straight into the bags.
âWhereâs the Bellflower? âŚGood. You brought the roots too? Excellent.â He looked up so suddenly that everyone nearly jumped.
âJUST TELL ME YOU DIDNâT WASH THEM!â
Robin calmly stepped beside him, instantly becoming his second pair of hands.
âThese three belong together,â she said, sorting the plants with practiced precision. âThe roots for these were separated⌠and Cook-san wrapped the Veinshadow Nightbloom individually. We barely managed to find this one. Apparently itâs out of season.â
Her steady presence settled the frantic atmosphere threatening to overwhelm the room almost immediately.
Meanwhile, Sanji had already thrown himself into preparing everything else.
After hastily washing the dirt from his hands, he placed a glass of water beside Chopper before rushing into the galley to boil water for sterilizing the knives and instruments. Bowls, mortar and pestle, cloths, every tool that might be needed for preparing the medicine was arranged within easy reach before anyone even thought to ask.
Nami quietly leaned toward Chopper.
ââŚIs it enough?â
The little doctor ran his hooves across leaves, examined roots, smelled flowers, compared every petal to the illustrations spread across the table.
Nobody dared speak.
Every pair of eyes remained fixed on him.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, his little ears lifted.
His eyes lit up.
A tiny smile spread across his face.
There was hope.
ââŚThis is it.â
Usopp let out a laugh that sounded as though it had used the last of his strength before collapsing flat onto the floor with his arms behind his head.
âSee?! I told you Iâd find everything! It wasnât easy, butâŚâ
âYES!â Luffy cheered. âSheâs saved! Sanji! Get the meat ready! Thatâll cheer her up right away!â
For the first time in days, laughter almost found the room.
Almost.
Through it all, Zoro never left your side.
Your hand remained clasped securely in his as he silently waited for instructions.
At the worktable, Chopper had already begun.
He grated roots with painstaking precision, mixed resins and plant extracts together, heated them to exact temperatures inside tiny glass tubes before cooling them again, measuring every drop, every change in color, every shift in consistency. Robin silently passed him each instrument before he could ask, while Sanji adjusted the flame without ever interrupting the process.
Everyone wanted to help.
No one dared interfere.
Silence settled over the infirmary.
Glass gently clicked against glass.
Only short instructions broke the stillness.
âMortar.â
âKnife.â
âMore water.â
âNot that one.â
As Chopper carefully drew the finished medicine into a syringe, his hooves began to tremble.
The entire crew held its breath.
This was it.
If this didnât workâŚ
Sensing the little doctorâs fear, Zoro carefully supported you exactly as instructed before placing one steady hand on Chopperâs shoulder.
A silent promise.
Iâm here.
Swallowing hard, Chopper uncovered the wound once moreâdarker now than ever beforeâand gently drove the needle beneath your skin.
NowâŚ
All they could do was wait.
One minute passed.
Nothing.
Five.
Still nothing.
All the while, Zoro held your lifeless hand inside both of his, offering silent prayers he would never have admitted aloud.
Take anything from me.
Anything butâ
ThenâŚ
Was thatâŚ
A pulse?
Or had he imagined it because he wanted it so desperately?
His head snapped upward, studying your face before his gaze dropped back to your joined hands.
One finger twitched.
Barely.
The slightest pressure against his palm.
His breath caught so sharply it almost hurt.
Warmth spread through his chest, melting away days of fear and guilt all at once.
He didn't think he'd ever known happiness that felt quite like this, nor gratitude so profound. Strange as it was, he found himself thankful even for the anguish that had brought him here, because without it, he might never have understood how precious this moment truly was.
Even the ache in his chest felt like something to treasure.
It was a feeling he'd never been good at expressing, yet one he suddenly never wanted to lose.
ââŚChopper.â
His quiet voice drew every eye in the room toward him.
ââŚShe's squeezing my hand.â
The sun finally rose over the Merry as she continued rocking gently upon the waves.
From somewhere on deck came a very familiar voice.
âYEAH!! TIME TO CELEBRATE! SANJI! BRING OUT THE MEAT!â
You were still asleep, but your temperature had finally stabilized, and the dark veins surrounding your wound had begun to recede.
That alone was enough for your exhausted crew to celebrate.
The ship gradually came back to life.
Everyone bustled about the deck and through the halls, tidying things, preparing food, talking louder than they had in days.
Only Zoro remained rooted beside your bed.
And Chopper, who constantly hurried between Robin and Sanji before rushing back to check on you again, unable to stop himself from making sure you were still breathing⌠still sleeping⌠still there.
Your green-haired swordsman waited for only one thing.
To see your eyes again.
To look into their familiar warmth one more time.
Only then would the weight crushing his chest finally lift.
He understood that the poison had drained every ounce of strength from your body and that you needed sleep more than anything.
StillâŚ
He couldnât help being impatient.
Just one look.
One smile.
Then maybe he could finally allow himself to sleep too.
His thumb absentmindedly stroked your hand, which was growing warmer by the hour.
He felt your fingers move.
âYouâll complain later that your backâs gone stiff,â you murmured, your voice rough with sleep though unmistakably brighter than before. âYou should go lie down.â
A little color had finally returned to your cheeks.
Zoro was on his feet before he even realized heâd moved, still refusing to let go of your hand.
You couldnât help laughing at how utterly lost he looked.
He finally collected himself before rolling his eyes.
âYou scared the hell out of us, idiot.â
He knelt beside the bed again, gently placing your hand against his broad chest.
Only nowâŚ
Only now could he breathe again.
âIâm sorry.â
You smiled sheepishly.
âI didnât even know what was happening.â
He clicked his tongue.
âDonât apologize,â he muttered.
Your thumb traced absentmindedly over the thickened scar across his chest.
âFrom now on,â he said firmly, âyouâre getting examined after every fight. I donât care.â
âDeal.â
You smiled and then looked at him with quiet understanding.
âYou were really worried, werenât you?â
âTch.â
His eyes wandered toward the chair across the room.
âOhâŚâ
You added almost casually.
âI accept., by the wayâ
âHuh?â
âThe rematch.â
A teasing smile tugged at your lips.
âI still think that punch counted⌠but if you want another chance that badly, Iâll beat you again as soon as Iâm out of bed.â
A quiet snort escaped him.
âYeah? I'd like to see you try, idiot.â
You were teasing him again.
That alone was enough to convince him everything would be all right.
In that rare moment of privacy, relief washing over him now that everything had finally turned out all right, he lifted your hand to his lips and kissed it, lingering where your pulse beat beneath your skin, simply to feel that wonderful proof of life one more time.
âI missed yâŚâ
Rapid little hooves pattered across the floor before the sentence could leave his mouth.
âY/N-san!â
Chopper practically launched himself onto the bed, wrapping both little arms around yours and nuzzling against it with a relieved sob.
âIâm so happy youâre okay!â
Tears streamed freely down his cheeks.
âI-I-I was s-so scaredâŚâ
You gently wiped his face, smiling as you wrapped your free arm around him.
âIâm not going anywhere.â
That only made him cry harder.
âZ-Zoro didnât sleep for t-three whole days⌠I thoughtâŚâ
âY/N-SWAAAN!! AN ANGEL HAS DESCENDED FROM THE HEAVENS! THE LIGHT OF THE GRAND LINE HAS RETURNED!â
Sanji burst through the door carrying your favorite dessert along with a beautifully arranged platter of fresh fruit, several pieces meticulously carved into little hearts.
With his free hand he shoved Luffy away, who was already reaching for one.
âI knew youâd be fine! I brought meat too!â Luffy beamed, triumphantly holding up an enormous drumstick while chewing on another.
You laughed again as Chopper pushed your captain away with both little hooves.
âShe canât have that yet! Itâll make her sick. She hasnât eaten properly in days!â
âTHATâS EXACTLY WHY SHE NEEDS IT!â
Nami and Robin squeezed in beside you from Chopperâs side, effortlessly pushing Luffy even farther away.
âDONâT EVER SCARE US LIKE THAT AGAIN!â Nami snapped, eyes suspiciously bright despite the stern expression she was trying to maintain.
Robin simply smiled softly before patting your knee.
âYouâre precious to all of us. Weâll have to take even better care of you from now on.â
âGood thing we made it back in time,â Usopp declared proudly, puffing out his chest.
âAll thanks to Captain Usopp! Every local we met fell to their knees, offering rare medicinal plants to honor my unmatched bravery!â
âOh, please. Give me a break.â
âThen I ventured deep into a deadly jungle, defeating every terrifying beast that dared stand in my wayâŚâ
â...There were only rabbits in that forest.â
The room gradually filled with louder laughter, overlapping voices, playful arguments, and the warmth of life returning exactly where it belonged.
You smiled wider and wider, overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible people surrounding you.
Your family.
Turning your head, you gently squeezed the hand your green-haired swordsman still refused to release.
His eyes were already drifting shut.
With his free arm, he carefully lifted Chopper, who had fallen asleep sitting beside the bed, settling the tiny doctor comfortably against his lap.
A tired smile crossed his face.
He pressed one last kiss against the back of your hand before leaning his head back.
Sleep claimed him almost instantly.
Still smiling, you reached for a nearby blanket and quietly draped it over both of your boys.
Then you settled back against your pillow, listening to the colorful chatter filling the room, every now and then glancing toward the two sleeping figures at your right.
Nanami Kento deserves all the love â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Ahhhh its already the last day of Nanami week đ I will miss this. I had a lot of fun as well as stressing out about the prompts lol. Participating in an event like this after a long time and I am glad I still got it! đĽšđ
summary: after the guards of dragonstone discovers a barely breathing girl passed out on the shore of the seas, the targaryens took no time to welcome her into their home as to aid her back to health. But the longer she lurks within the walls of dragonstone, the more maddened prince jacaerys becomes with her existelllnce and the questions of her peculiarities and inconsistencies in her stories.
warnings: blood, mentions of murder and human remains, mentions of drowning, readers described as being pale (lifeless pale, not skin color wise), jace wants that cookie but can he handle all that?
dt: my girl alina for still gaf abt my jace ficsđđđ thank u for relieving in me when i didnt believe in myselfđâ¤ď¸âđŠšđŚ
a/n: was making fake blood for a movie shooting the other day and got inspired. figured its great timing to break my hiatus too w the new season, hope u guys like it, im kinda rusty haha <3
°°°°
Something in the castle had shifted that night you were brought in.
With your lifeless pale skin, and wet lashes fluttering about as you fought to stay conscious. At first glance you had seemed like any other girl. Ordinary and dismissible.
But the moment your eyes had shot open and found Jacaerys' own gaze. It was unmistakable, something in the air of Dragonstone had been changed for good.
He felt the hairs on his skin rising just from that brief moment. A feeling deep within his heart that he could not put into words even if he wanted to. And as the days went, it had bloomed into a sense of impending doom playing with the variables of carnal longing that hid itself behind the disguise of curiosity.
He had tried to brush off the uneasiness in the first few days of your stay, which was surprisingly hard to do even with you mostly out of sights at all times. And once he decided to accept the calling and let himself be lured into your presence, he had found his first proper impression of you to be unhelpful in putting his mind to ease.
You were respectful to his titles and of both his family's lineage and generosity, but your casualness in the way you addresses him was odd.
You would speak as if he was an old friend instead of a stranger prince you should be more aware of. And the vagueness in how you answered his questions made it worse.
At one point he was starting to question if you were simply trying to see just how much you could run circles around a topic before giving him a proper answer that isn't paired with dry humor and eerie gaps of silence between your sentences.
Prince Jacaerys wasn't fearful of you, and neither was he stupid. He had noticed the way your true emotions would slip away from your mask for a split second before sliding back into motion, a calculated sincerity and politeness.
The way you knew exactly the right things to say, questions to ask, and emotions to convey to be able to unlock anyone's vulnerability. Easily making yourself a trusted lady in waiting for his mother. A notion she had never cared much for before.
What he couldn't understand was why exactly you were playing this game of calculated measures for. The leverages you've earned and the mysterious nature that quickly built yourself a reputation of suspicion in his eyes.
You're not a spy, of that he's sure of. Your lack of care for the politics confirmed it. And yet there wasn't much else to cross off on his list when it came to your motives besides a girl starving to climb the social ladder in all means necessary. You must want something.
The perfect backstory of a poor farmer's daughter who was kidnapped and forced into the life of slavery and prostitution who had stupidly tried to escape with a broken raft on a wild thunderous night.
And yet, even social functions do not phase you. You've attend a small number of them under the queen's invitation, but had never tried to present yourself in a way that invited attention.
If anything, you seem to view it as beneath you. And that aside, you seem to prefer your own company by day, closed off in your room with your books, saving the night for walks by the garden or the shore, soaking in the moon's glow.
Like tonight.
Jace didn't know why he was doing what he's doing. Watching you from his window, glaring into your shadowy figure gallavanting near the waters.
His breath hitches when your footsteps came into a sudden halt and felt his blood run cold as he watches your the back of your head turning to face the castle, right before it lifts up to look straight into his own.
You seemed calm and expectant as a small smile slowly etched itself on your face. And Jace, confused to what he should do, simply lurches back from his tall windows at the sight of your unflinching expression.
And after a few seconds to think, he makes way to the exit of his bedchambers with you as his main destination.
His pace was unrelenting as he moves through the darkly lit ling corridors of his home, and by the time he's made it to the very spot you were just standing at outside of the castle walls, you were nowhere to be found.
Jace frowned deeply as the cold brutish wind blows harshly against him, making a mess of his hair as it flies into a dance with the air. He looked around for any signs of you as he slowly kept walking, his heart sinking for the disappointment of your absences.
Though he soon finds his sulking ended earlier than expected as he feels your undeniable presence immediately. No sounds of footsteps or weight of being, and yet he could sense you like time itself stops when you're around him.
"Your habit of watching ladies by your window is unbecoming of a prince." You spoke firmly, a touch of humor in your tone.
Jacaerys smiled despite himself. "I wasn't watching you. I was trying to enjoy the fresh air, watch the moon. You were simply just there."
Whatever anxiety tearing him up before slowly evaporated as he turned to meet your gaze. a slow, vaporizing intoxication replaces it now.
The two of you stood face to face, your warm breathing mingles with his as you let out a rare scoff. "And what of right now?" You raise a brow. "You've come to conquer whatever freshness of air the night allows you to have, still?
Jace shrugged. "That. And maybe, I wanted to see you."
You raised a brow, unimpressed. "Worried I might get eaten by the wind? Nothing but a cold vessel for you to walk onto?"
His smile drops at your words, not taking them lightly at all. "Do not jest about that. These vanishings, murders...tis' not something to laugh about."
You remain unnafected by his scolding. Turning away from the insistent calling of his eyes to the full moon hanging above your heads.
"No, it's not. I simply wonder if you're worried about the wrong person is all."
Your words managed to evoke a boyish pout from the wild haired heir.
"I am a prince, skilled swordsman, and dragonrider. I assure you that no harm might reach me."
You hummed in thought at that, eyes closed with your face still facing upwards. "Blood staining the corners of your palace, dried corpses underneath staircases. Those were all things you were also once sure would never happen up until now, no?"
He says nothing, entranced by how lost you get in the night breeze.
"Danger may be closer than you think, my prince. Practice caution."
He could feel the sincerity in your voice. Your advices are often given without further elaboration. Like puzzle pieces you enjoy watching him put together.
"What?" He blurts out.
The corners of your eyes crinkle as you watch him with a glimmer of wonder and amusement
"Go to sleep, Jacaerys."
---
He dreamt of you that night. A peculiar dream it was, one that felt like a distant memory forcing itself to be recalled.
He saw you as glimpses as he slumbered. A rare and eerie smile carved on your lips that he's sure he's witnessed before for a thousand lifetimes. Familiarity all through the jarring and jagged pieces of your face in his dream.
He felt that the dream version of you has little difference to the real one he's grown accustomed to. You are just as ominous and unsettling in real life as you are in his subconscious. There is aura of death and black smoke surrounding you, and it's as if he's the only one who can see it.
"Jacaerys-" Rhaenyra's voice pierces through his chambers s she storms in while he sleeps.
Jace jolts awake, his hand immediately stretching forward to grab the sword by his bedside in an impulse.
"Get up." Rhaenyra whisper-shouts. "Another murder has occured." His mother's face was pale, her hands trembling in distress as she attempts to hold herself together.
The corpse has been bled dry this time. A kitchen servant. And how exactly the murderer had managed to suck this womans blood off dry without causing a bloody mess was astounding.
"Do you hear me? Take Vermax and search the surroundings of our castle for the murderer. and I will handle this situation before the whole castle hears of it, go."
His mind was still not fully there as he takes in his mother's words, but his response came quick. "Thats
That's not necessary."
Jacaerys finds himself floating away while watching as two maids gather around the corpse, quick to cleanup in however way they could.
This had happened too near to his chambers. And the fact that this had managed to happen without even a squeak of noise beimg heard or any suspicions seen by anybody felt unreal.
His mother wants this recent disaster to be kept as secret as possible, convinced that the killer must be amongst them. And there was naught that Jace can say or do to relieve her of her worries for he too believes it to be true.
What is hard for him to grasp is the motive. He had turned and twisted it all over his head but it just felt impossible to decipher. Everytime a body is found, it almost always seems like an animalistic attack, nothing of the natural sort. And yet something of that kind should leave more evidence to be proven.
No signs of wild animals or sounds of the victims screaming are ever noticed. The pattern of these murders also happen ereatically between weeks and sometimes moons instead of consistently. No one is ever prepared for it to repeat until it does.
The only thing he can be sure of is that these monstrous attacks had only began after you arrived at court.
Could it be that you had brought with you a bad luck of sort when you arrived? An omen that would haunt all around you?
"The killer is within us." He mumbled to himself.
Rhaenyra pauses.
"It's not an outsider, and they're not afraid. Because they are within us, within these walls. Just like she told me."
"She?" Genuine concern fills his mother. "Who told you that?"
Jace snaps out of the conversation like cold water has just been splashed on his face. "Where is she? I need- I need to make sure she's safe-"
He didnt give his mother even a second to think before he bolts off from the crime scene,
He appears in front of your chambers soon enough without any delay, like a call he was summoned to receive. And as he forgets himself in moment of tragedy, Jacaerys lacks the propriety of announcing his presence, letting himself into your sacred space.
The darkness envelopes him quickly. His eyes struggles to adapt to the changes as he searches for your figure in the absolute nothingness.
He catches your gaze after a moment. They stare straight into his. The sight of you sitting up straight on your bed as you carefully eyed him had turned his bones cold. There was something chilling about you in this light- or for better words, the lack of it.
"I- I apologize." He stutters. Only then realizing how inappropriate he'd been for appearing unannounced in your chambers in the witching hour.
You deny him a response, urging him to continue.
"There has been another incident. Another attack." He clarifies. "I admit, I might still be delirious and shaken from it all. I just wanted to see if you were alright." He felt thst he should've said more, but your silence pulls at his heart, he could not say more even if he wanted to.
Just then, A small smile formed on your lips, just as it was in his dream he had just woken up from.
"And am I? Alright?" You spoke finally, your voice smooth.
He shakes his head slowly. "I don't know."
You are unharmed, that is obvious. But your reaction, Gods. It is unearthly. All parts of it.
"You must stay with me then, until you are sure." A command so soft he had no choice but to oblige.
Jacaerys walked gently to your side before sliding himself onto the bed, his arms finding the curve of your shoulders with no hesitation.
Up close, the terror slowly ceased to haint your features. With a hand on his chest, pushing him down onto the comfort of your silk pillow, Jace relaxes under your touch, letting you find your place in the crook of his neck.
"Close your eyes, and sleep. This will all be but a headache once the sun rises." You whispered in his ear. And like compulsion from a sorceress, his body goes limp and his mind detaches from all thoughts.
toph beifong as your gf headcanons .á.á wlwâ¸â¸ some 18+ nsfw
masterlist â soft toph headcanons â modern toph headcanons
⎠gf!toph beifong gets jealous so fast. when she gets jealous, you have to run. seriously. petty remarks, constant eyerolling, arms always crossed, pouty, and grumpy. if she's upset, she's going to make it everyone else's problem.
"toph, can you please stop being childish and talk to me?" you'd protest weakly. and instead of being a mature adult about it, she'd scoff out a laugh and say, "me? being a child? look who's talking! with the way you're flaunting yourself in front of other people." "toph, if you're jealous, just say that." "yeah, you fucking wish."
⎠gf!toph beifong who shows her soft side in the most simple ways. after long days of training where you haven't seen her all day, and she knows you're at home waiting for her, she'll come home with all your favorite foods. pork buns to go with a cup of your favorite tea. "toph? you brought this home for me?" "yeah, yeah, whatever. eat it now before it gets cold."
⎠gf!toph beifong secretly loves it when you pull her hair. she'll be completely dominant in bed, having you bent in the craziest positions, crying out her name like a prayer. but the minute you tug on those long, black strands? you're cooked. she'll growl deep in her throat and spin you around, burying your face into the pillows. "you shouldn't have done that."
⎠gf!toph beifong loves putting her fingers in your mouth. she doesn't know how to explain it. maybe because of how wet and warm it is and it gets you to stop talking?
⎠gf!toph beifong is actually a little spoon. big, strong arms wrapped around your waist while her face is tucked against your breasts. her legs are tangled tightly with yours, keeping them completely still. when you try to shift around to get comfortable, she'll only pull you closer. "don't go," she'd mumble tiredly.
⎠gf!toph beifong is a nacho reheater i'm sorry. you'll say something funny to her one day and she'll barely chuckle with a "that was pretty good babe." but then she'll re-use that same joke with the gaang without giving you credit.
⎠gf!toph beifong always needs to be touching you in one way or another. whether it's clinging to your arm in a crowded place, or her knee constantly brushing yours. if you so much as say, "i'm going to the bathroom, be right backâ" she's already sticking to you like a loyal puppy. "i'm coming with you."
⎠gf!toph beifong says "i love you" more in her sleep than she does when she's awake.
I remember someone saying âwhen I die, plant catnip on my grave. I want to be visited by lots and lots of catsâ and that changes the way I see my own future death entirely
Twenty-one years after the second Great Sorrow, the Sky People descend upon Pandora. And this time, with a family seven strong, Jake Sully has far more to lose.
This story begins very shortly following the end of Avatar 1. Inspired by the work of just-another-idk. Go check out their series, âThe Eldest!âÂ
Polished Fangs Masterlist
I am considering starting a Patreon. I have a couple ideas for what you guys would receive from said Patreon if you chose to subscribe, but I do want to know what you guys would like to see from me should I create one! Tell me your thoughts and enjoy the chapter!
The pink ikran did not hold back.
She was faster than either of Tarsemâs parentsâ ikran, and it didnât seem to be because theyâd withheld too much. No; this beast was simply, genuinely, more quick. And the way she moved was strange, too. Instead of just snapping with her teeth when she lunged, she swiped at him with her wings, her singular grappling claw at the end of her wing so sharp it almost cut through Tarsemâs skin even though he ducked back just in the knick of time. Saliva dripped from her maw as she hissed, her eyes unblinking and pupils fully dilated as she attacked again and again. She didnât give Tarsem any openings to do much beyond retreating as fast as possible.
The pink ikran did not hold back.
And Tarsem loved it.
In fact, he probably would have been offended if this magnificent creature didnât go all out. He was a young manâor, at least, he would be once the iknimaya was complete. He needed to prove to his family, to this ikran, to the clan, to himself, that he deserved to make that step forward.
And so he didnât falter once as he stepped back and swerved to the sides. The other ikran were quick to get out of the way and so he had no real problems with running into them while trying to escape the pink ikranâs attacks. He sidestepped before her teeth could break the skin of his leg. He leapt up when her wing swept the ground at his feet. He ducked back quickly to avoid a roar straight to the face to disorient him.
Dance with them, his parents had advised. Light on your feet.
And so he did. He bounced on his toes, never staying still, keeping his heels up high. He didnât let his full weight down on the stones, careful to stay agile and move almost like a fluid, carefully avoiding the pink ikranâs attacks, trying to put significant distance between them. If he got far enough from her, he could start attacking in his own right.
The first retreat gave him eight feet of space. It wasnât nearly enough, and the pink ikran moved across those three feet so fast he might as well have not earned them at all.
The second and third retreats afforded him almost eleven and nineteen feet. Still not enough.Â
It was the eighth retreat that Tarsem managed to secure an entire fifty feet worth of distance between himself and the beast. She had used a significant amount of energy upfront, it seemed, and was moving just a touch slower than before.
Fifty feet gave him options.
His parentsâ teachings rang clearly in his head; to treat this as a dance. To move back and forth, allowing the ikran to tire herself out.Â
Move close to them.Â
He could start feigning attacks in retaliation.
Move away just as easily.
He was doing just fine with that already.
Stay close but far enough to not get killed.
He was succeeding thus far.
And then jump when they snap.
That part gave him the greatest unease. The pink ikran was clearly growing slightly more tired with each lunge in his direction for he was able now to put greater amounts of space between them. That space was the only reason he was able to even consider his options.
But jump when they snap frightened him still.Â
An ikran bit down hard. Their bite strength was more than enough to shatter bone. But opening their mouths again was where the trouble came in. They typically struggled there.
Typically.
That was the operative word.
And it didnât appear to apply to the pink ikran as she lashed out again. She was slowing down, absolutely; but she didnât seem to face any difficulties in re-opening her maw. She snapped her mouth open and shut, fangs gnashing mere hairs away from Tarsemâs skin with each attack, more than ready to kill him if he failed to prove his worth to her. He was on thin ice, he could tell.
He could begin lunging at her now. Start feigning attacks.
Or he could try to do something new. Something unique. Though what that unique thing would be, he hadnât the faintest clue just yet. And he wasnât exactly being given hours to formulate a new course of action to apply specifically to the pink ikran.Â
She rushed him again, and this time Tarsem didnât manage to create any distance in time.
For he tripped over a stalagmite on the floor.
His mother was too far away now. He didnât hear Koâay suck in a terrified gasp. He couldnât see her eyes widen with fear or how her hands flew up to her mouth.Â
All Tarsem could see or hear was the pink ikran as she towered over him. Her eyes glittered with barely concealed malice, and even without a bond to decipher the exact meaning of every sound and microexpression, Tarsem understood her clearly:
You are unworthy. I will enjoy killing you.
Then she lunged, jaw unhinged, fangs dripping with saliva as she darted for Tarsemâs throat.
Just as Y/N assumed, she fit perfectly upon Kaâotaâs spine.
Each curve in her body slid comfortably in each divot along his back. And with the slow, sluggish pace Kaâota marched in so that the cubs could keep up easily, she didnât even need to hold on. Instead, her arms lay limply at her sides, and Kitan kept leaping as high as she could into the air to try and snap at Y/Nâs hands.
They arrived at the banks of the stream where Y/N was found, where she washed the cubs clean of their bloody birth, where Y/N had gone multiple times before but had never gone beyond out of⌠fear? Anxiety? Something like that and yet nothing like that at all. It wasnât that Y/N was worried that something would attack her whenever she glanced at the land beyond the stream. But it wasnât as though she wasnât worried at all. Something about the grass on the other side of the stream was awfully unnerving to her, like all the land up till the stream was her territory that she knew like the back of her hand and everything beyond the stream was entirely uncharted and nonexistent in her mind.
Kaâota, however, seemed to have no such anxieties. He was able to cross the stream in only two stepsâthough he chose to stop halfway, all six feet in the water, as the cubs excitedly splashed about for a moment. Droplets of water were tossed into the air by wildly wagging tails and thrashing bodies. The three palulukan cubs chirped and shrieked with joy, kicking up little waves and attacking each other with the water.
Y/N, for the first time since the rookery exploded with noise, noise she couldnât hear as well anymore, smiled.
Would you like to join them, my sweet cub? Kaâota prompted. The water is cold. It is refreshing. Andâhe nodded at the farther end of the body of waterâI can smell fish there. You can show them to catch it.
Kitan yowled at her father. Kaâota snorted.
No, my love, Kaâota told her. You donât know how to hunt yet. Vakor must have complained as well, for Kaâota continued, There is nothing wrong with that, my dear. You have not been taught. How are you to know otherwise?
Y/N swallowed the lump in her throat. âI have not been taught, either.â
Kaâota turned his head to glance back at her.
âI know how to catch fish with a bow,â Y/N whispered. âI was taught. I was good at it. But I donât have a bow anymore. And I donât think I have ever caught a fish with my bare hands.âÂ
Her mind flashed back to the memories of her father and her at the riverbank; to the way he gently repositioned her arms.
âYouâve got this, babygirl,â heâd said.
But then the memory was tainted by the nightmare. By the way her fatherâs face had simply not existed and the way his voice darkened.
âY/N te Suli Neytiriâite!â Jake had yelled, shoving her by the shoulder, hard. âWhat do you see?â
Y/N swallowed the lump in her throat. She refused to close her eyes for fear of the nightmare taking shape in her mindâs eye. She reached up towards her face and carefully tucked a braid behind her ears, cautiously avoiding the blades at the tips. âI donât think I can teach them.â
Kaâota hummed. That is just fine. I shall teach all of you, then.
Y/N blinked at him. âKaâota. You donât have hands like me.â
No. He bared his fangs. But you have teeth like us. Donât you?
Instinctively, Y/Nâs tongue went to slide over the front of her teeth, the jagged edges of her fangs faintly scratching the pink muscle. Not a single tooth was square and smooth. Every single one bore a sharp point. None of them had been smoothed down with bark in what mustâve been years now.
âIââ She swallowed. âI do.â
Then you can learn the palulukan way, Kaâota declared simply. Come, sweet cub. Climb down.Â
He nodded his head at the far end of the stream, where the fish splashed comfortably, blissfully unaware of their fates to come.
Let us hunt.
Tarsemâs hands were bleeding.
Red dripped down from the backs of his hands, trickling down the length of his forearms and then diverging into two paths, one to follow the curve of his biceps, the other traveling to his triceps and then shoulders and finally pooling on the stone floor beneath him. A bead of saliva dripped from the maw of the pink ikran and onto his forehead, dribbling into his black braids. Above him, the beast shrieked. Her jaw remained wide, one of her upper fangs embedded in Tarsemâs left hand, one of her lower fangs having impaled Tarsemâs right. The points broke through the skin, protruding enough through the other side to cause blood to escape the body.
If Tarsem was lucky, neither of her teeth pierced a particularly important tendon or something.Â
He wasnât sure he was all that lucky, though. Not when he was flat on the ground, the pink ikranâs fangs embedded in his hands as he desperately mustered the strength to hold her in place above him, barely preventing her from closing her jaw on his throat and killing him.
His arms burned with the strain. His palms were practically lit aflame from the pain.
But he couldnât give in.
For if he gave in, he would surely die.
Push through this! he commanded himself. Push, push, push! Donât falter!Â
But it was farâfarâeasier said than done. And even then, he couldnât really say it aloud either, for if he opened his mouth right now he knew the only sounds that would come out would be cries of agony. The pink ikranâs teeth had impaled his hands and now he was using every last bit of strength he had left to keep her only a few inches away from his neck.Â
And the worst part was that he had no clue how to get out of this.
He didnât have the strength to shove her off. He knew she wasnât going to just release him and give him the time to catch his breath before attacking. She was assessing his value to her. If she gave him the luxury to steady himself, sheâd be giving him an unfair advantage in his attempts to prove his worthiness to sit upon her back and use her wings. She wasnât going to let him survive. She had no reason to.
Tarsem tried to square his shoulders but he was pressed so firmly against the stone floor beneath him that he could feel himself sliding across it slowly, the force of the pink ikranâs weight moving him across the ground. He didnât risk turning his head to see where they were going. He just hoped that she wasnât slowly shoving him towards the edge.
For a painful split second, Tarsem wondered if this was how Y/N had died.
Then the pink ikran screeched with outrage and he was pulled out of his thoughts.
Come on, Tarsem! He grit his teeth. His arms were trembling now. Think! How do we get out of this?
He wanted to scoff at himself.
We donât get out of this. We die. Or, at best, she pushes us off and Saânok or Sempu catches us. We donâtâ
His shoulder hit a rock and he hissed in pain, tilting slightly to the side.
The ikran twisted with him, barely listing to the right.
And Tarsemâs pupils dilated.
Turn. Turn! TURN!
The plan couldnât be put into real words. He didnât have the mental capacity for it; not when he was shaking like a leaf and on the verge of sobbing as ikran teeth impaled his hands and blood trailed down his arms like red rivers. But he had an inkling of an idea, a feeling.Â
And he could follow a feeling.
Tarsem lifted his shoulder, mustering every ounce of strength in his left arm to push it up enough. The weight of the pink beast slid him further until his left shoulder was right under the jagged rock. It cut at his shoulder blade but he couldnât afford to care.
With a roar, he shoved himself to the side, using the rock beneath his left side to turn to the right.
The pink ikran shrieked as she, too, tilted, the fang embedded in Tarsemâs left palm slipping out with a sickening wet sound. Blood exploded from the gaping wound. It throbbed like mad, burning pain searing out from the edges of the wound and down the nerves in Tarsemâs arm until it reached his brain faster than lightning. His left side erupted in brutal agony.
But his hand was free. One of his hands was free.
And he only needed one hand to grab hold of his rope.
The pink beast hissed in pain. Being twisted had left a terrible crick in her neck and she thrashed wildly, trying to reduce the strain.
Tarsem didnât even need to think the words coherently to know:
This was his one chance.
If he didnât take full advantage of this momentâif he didnât pounce while the opportunity was thereâhe would never get the chance again. He would be killed.
He pushed himself onto his feet, wincing so hard his eyes nearly shut tight, the world spinning and dotted with black spots as he stood. The shrieks of the other ikran were faded and faraway, like his ears were full of water. The boiling taste of bile threatened to spread past the back of his throat.
Come on.
His bleeding, shaking hands wrapped weakly around his rope. The fibers were cold against the hot blood.
Come on.
The ikran twisted her head from side to side, desperately trying to loosen the knot that had formed in her neck muscles. Any moment now, she would succeed. Any moment now, she would rush him again.
Come on.
Tarsem groaned quietly as he tightened his grip. His fingers barely had any strength in them but he grasped the rope as firmly as his impaled hands could. He braced his feet shoulder-width apart.Â
Come on!
He wanted to take a deep breath. He wanted to breathe in and let the air flood his lungs and soothe his racing heart. That rapid thumping was the only thing he could hear clearly. Darkness clouded the edges of his vision, little whisps of black dancing at his peripherals.Â
Comeâ
A loud pop! rang through the air. The pink ikranâs neck had returned to its normal, safe position. She shuddered, easing the residual tension.
And then she turned to Tarsem and screamed. Spittle flew everywhere. Scalding breath flooded from her maw. Her teeth were bathed in blood.
She snapped her mouth shut to take a breath.
That was all that Tarsem needed.
In a split second, he pushed through the agony, through the dizziness, through the nausea. He was at her side in a blink of an eye. In one smooth motion, he unfurled his rope from over his head and shoulders and lashed out, the momentum of the circular motion causing the end to wrap on its own around the beastâs jaw.
Tarsem grabbed the other end of the rope before the ikran could react. The fibers dug into the gaping wounds in his palms and he shouted in pain, tugging hard.
The pink ikranâs eyes went wide. They focused on Tarsem with unconcealed rage and she thrashed, but he refused to release her.
Come on!
If he let go, he would die.
If he let go, even for a second, he would die.
She would maul him to death.
Donât let go. Donât let go. Climb on and donât let go!
He grit his teeth and twisted his hands, securing the ends of the rope around his palms. He could always jump up on his own; but with the way his vision was blurring, he doubted he could muster much strength anywhere but his hands right now. How could he get on?Â
And then he saw it as the pink ikran tried to yank her head freeâher kuru. It had come untucked behind her skull in the chaos and it hung just feet away.
My braid, Tarsem realized in a daze. If I can swing my braid up to her kuru, if I can get them to connect, I can distract her with the bond and climb on!
But that would only work if he, too, wasnât taken aback. And he knew he would be equally overwhelmed if not more. Who knew if the pink ikran had already tried to bond with another? That could be why she was so furious with Tarsem now.
The point was that he doubted heâd be able to climb on if he connected kurus. That would have to come last.
But then how would heâ?
She twisted her neck and Tarsem was yanked up in the air. If he hadnât kept his grip on the rope, he would have been tossed right off.
Yes! he almost screamed, eyes widening in realization. If she throws me again, I canâ
His thought didnât finish. He didnât have to finish it.
Because just as he suspected, the pink ikran was so enraged with the fact that the first throw didnât work that she tried once more.
And this time, Tarsem was ready.
He twisted mid-air, his arms screaming in protest, but Tarsem still did not release his grip from his rope. His legs collided with the spine of the pink ikran and he wrapped them around her neck, tightening his grip.
But now he had no choice. If he didnât let go of the rope, he couldnât connect his kuru with hers. And if he didnât connect their kurus, this would all be for naught.
And when he let go of the rope, he would need to be fast. The neck of an ikran was long. If she wanted toâwhich she absolutely would want toâshe could twist her face back and rip his leg off with her fangs.
He needed to be fast.
And that was not his strong suit right now.Â
But he couldnât afford to falter. Not now. Not when he was so close he could taste the feeling of the bond, of the first flight, of all the flights that were yet to come.Â
He was so close.
So Tarsem released the rope.
The fish can feel our shadows before they see them.
Y/N crouched at the edge of the riverbank, eyeing said fish down in the water below. They swam leisurely, occasionally slowing to nibble at the pebbles at the bottom of the water body, scrounging for whatever it was they ate; perhaps smaller fish, maybe underwater bugs, maybe any weeds or whatnot. They were at peace, enjoying whatever warmth the sunlight provided.
Then Kitan leaned out too far and her shadow cast a dark shape of cool. The fish darted out of it.
Kitan promptly leaned back and yowled up at her father in distaste.
I did warn you, my love, he said back to her.
Avak crouched at the edge beside Y/N. Even pressed against the dirt, she reached Y/Nâs seated height easily.Â
Exactly, my heart, Kaâota told her. We have to act very, very fast to catch the fish.Â
âSo we watch the fish we want to catch,â Y/N elaborated slowly, âand then, once we sort of understand its movements, we attack?â
Precisely, my sweet cub, the palulukan confirmed. Was it the same with a bow?
âSort of,â she agreed. âBut itâs easier to strike fast with a bow thanâŚâ She trailed off and gestured to her teeth.Â
Kaâota agreed in a low hum. It would be. But practice makes perfect. And you, my beautiful cubs, are all perfect.Â
Vakor chittered happily. Kitan promptly made to swat at him, but Y/N put her hand in the way and got thwacked in the wrist instead.
âNo,â she told her palulukan sister calmly.
Kitan snapped, clearly threatening to bite her hand.Â
Y/N leveled her with an unimpressed stare. Part of her might have even been daring Kitan to try, she realized. What more harm could be done to her hands, after all?Â
Well. A lot.
But that wasnât the point.
The point was that a violent adult pink ikran had tossed her from the rookery. And before that, sheâd chopped her very own fingers off.
Kitanâs fake bites did not scare her.
So Kitan backed off with an unhappy huff.
Sweet cub.
Y/N turned away from Kitan. Kaâotaâs gaze was right on her, warm and gentle yet at the same time commanding, and Y/N knew without a shadow of a doubt what the next thing Kaâota would say would be.
âDo I have to?â she complained with a pout.
Kaâota blinked in confirmation. You do not trust yourself.Â
âOf course I donât. Iâve never used these for hunting.â She gestured to her teeth again. âItâs not the Naâvi way. I never learned.â
But you say you do not feel fully Naâvi at times, do you not? Kaâota pointed out kindly. That is because you are not just a Quiet One. You are one of us as well. You are part of our family pride, my sweet cub.
He gestured to the water.
And you are my eldest. You will go first, with me to guide you.
Y/N swallowed thickly and peered down at the fish splashing about. They had returned to the spots Kitan had blotted out with her shadow a bit ago. They recovered quickly.
And so did Y/N.
With a hefty sigh, she slipped into the water.
The fish instantly scrambled away at the intrusion, but they stayed relatively close by.
âNow what?â she prompted, glancing at Kaâota.
Now, he told her, we exercise patience. You have cast a shadow. They feel the chill of it. They need to adjust to it before they come to you again. Then he added, Because you are not confident in your speed, sit down now. Sit and jostle the water again and then stay very still after.
âSo the fish acclimate to me,â she noted. âSo they get used to me being here until they donât pay attention to me again.â
I am grown, Kaâota reminded her. And I am very large. I can catch many in one bite and be done with it. But you, my cubs, are small and still young. Start small.
Avak yelped as Kitan almost pushed her into the water. Vakor quickly ducked away from his sisters as they brawled. Kaâota watched with an air of detached interest but it was clear he had split his attention between Y/N and the girls just in case they began to truly get violent. After a minute, his tail went in to separate them.
By that point, the fish had returned to their usual business. They trickled in closer to Y/Nâs body, still cautiously approaching the shadow she cast, not yet touching her body. They were adjusting quickly.
Make no sounds, Kaâota instructed. Breathe slowly. Allow them to think you are part of the river. Allow them to lower their guard.
Y/N soaked in his words like a sponge. She didnât move a muscle, allowing herself to relax into the water and smooth stones underfoot like she belonged in the river just as much as those stones did, like she was just a part of the environment, a natural structure in the water. The sunlight was warm on her back and she could feel the gazes of her palulukan family as she waited for the fish to bridge the gap.
The first fish to risk closeness was beautiful and thin and sleek and, if not for the fact it was almost eel-like in length, it would have fed not a single one of them. On its own, it could probably sate a single belly.
The only thing that gave Y/N pause was the fact that this creatureâs scales were a soft, shimmering pink color.
She swallowed thickly.
That one is nice, Kaâota decided. Let it come closer to you.
Y/N was frozen anyway. She didnât move. The screams of the ikran were quiet here and yet suddenly they seemed to swell in her head. She remembered the bite, the fall.
She didnât want to remember it.
âI canât kill it.â
Kaâota paused. Look at it, sweet cub.
âI canâtââ
You absolutely can, he promised. Look at it. Really look at it. What do you see?
Y/N grit her teeth. She watched the pink fish as it ventured even closer, its little lips prodding at her ankles to determine if she was food or rock or something else.
âA fish,â she whispered.
Just a fish, Kaâota agreed. A small, weak fish that can do you no harm. You can kill it. You can eat it. You need only wait until you are ready to strike.
Y/N licked her lips. âAnd if Iâm never ready?â
Then you will never grow.
She sighed miserably. Kaâota was right and she knew he was right and she knew that he knew that she knew he was right. But she wasnât sure she could do it.Â
The pink fish stopped trying to eat her. It had made up its mind that she was just a strange rock formation or something like that. The color of its glistening scales taunted her regardless.
Y/N took a slow, deep breath.
âItâs just a fish,â she whispered, more so to herself than to the palulukan. âJust a fish. Nothing more. It canât hurt me.â
The fish jerked then, tail thwacking against her shin. It was about to swim off.
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