shina

4 + 4

[itonashi]

itonashi © // don't repost, discredit, copy or plagiarized my works

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ABOUT ME ✧

name : shina

status : i quit for good

FANDOMS ✧

blue lock, genshin impact, honkai impact 3rd, manhwa (etc), black clover, honkai star rail, my hero academia, mashle.

please do know this is my main fandom that im currently active with!

REQUEST ✧

[ closed for good. ]

[vellatrelle]

L*real paris smooth and shine and crusty

[wintermoonkisses]

𝐔𝐍𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂

☆ sneak peak of my new yandere shanks x reader fanfic! You can find it published on my Quotev and Ao3 if you're interested. All new stories' premises will be posted on my Tumblr. Thank you all again for supporting my stories. ☆ links to the story: Quotev, Ao3

[𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞!𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫] She was the warmth that cut through the cold waves. Except life wasn’t fair. She thought their paths crossing by was simply based on a whim.  He didn’t.  Years later, an unfortunate reunion would pry those wounds open once more.  For him, those wounds never healed. 

If she could turn back time, she wished she would never have met him that day. 

“Pirates! Pirates are here!”

Those cries from the local villagers still plagued her mind. She was in the middle of picking her mother’s ripe peaches when she heard those cries pierce through the skies. 

In a second, her mother reached for her and ushered her back, clouding her from the chaos whom they all were dreading. 

“Don’t go outside.” Her mother instructed her firmly, her eyes focused on her face, “Stay hidden until I come back.”

There she was, shrouded by her mother’s protection as she stayed hidden in her humble home. The fruits that had grown from the garden’s trees swayed violently, as if they could feel the looming doom coming upon them.

Occasionally, her (e/c) eyes would peer outside the window to see what kind of ruckus was happening to her home. 

Nothing out of the ordinary came before her eyes but that didn’t stop her heart from pounding a million beats. 

Hours seemed to have passed and when the fifth one went by, her fear for her mother’s life soon nerved her and she grabbed a lone knife and rushed out the door.

If only she didn’t.

Her heart raced and her breath shortened as she rushed down the only path, the feeble knife held tightly in her hands. 

“Do not come here!” Her mother’s voice was heard as she came closer, “I told you so many times there is nothing worth venturing beyond here!”

“Well, my good lady, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look, will it?” An unfamiliar voice sounded, “Your attitude seems very unpleasant compared to your fellow neighbours.”

“Why you—“

She stopped in her tracks as she stumbled upon her mother talking to a red-haired man. He was tall and wore a long black cape that hid his frame perfectly. 

His eyes were obscured by his bloodstained hair and behind him were numerous men holding all sorts of weapons. With how ruthless and intimidating they looked, she expected her home to be burned down by now.

Her mother and the red-haired man continued to argue, as none of the men had noticed the young woman standing in the distance watching them. 

It was in fact the monkey who noticed her first and a squawk from the animal made the two conversing people stop.

“(Name)!”

Her mother’s head whipped towards her daughter’s figure and she rushed over there in a hurry, trying her best to obscure her child as best as she could.

But it was already too late.

The red-haired man had fully taken in her form and he stared at her almost too intently. That was when she noticed the three scars lingering upon one eye as his silver irises swallowed her form as if she was the greatest treasure he had ever encountered.

“What are you doing here?” Her mother asked her frantically, her voice laced with worry and fear, “I told you to stay home!”

Her mother’s rough hand — hardened by years of gardening, grabbed her arm and she yanked her away. 

She stumbled and the only thing she could do was follow her mother as she felt his gaze linger at the back of her head.

She expected him to stop them and continue nagging them about whatever topic he was at but he didn’t.

He only stood still in place and watched the two women disappear down the path.

That was the first time they met.

Everyone expected the Red-Hair pirates to never come back after that. Despite their surprisingly peaceful arrival, there was nothing valuable the villagers could offer them. 

Except three days later, the Red Force had docked on the island once more. 

Unbeknownst to everyone, it was the enchanting girl by the fruity garden that made the captain turn his ship here once more.

And again.

And again.

And again

Again.

She didn’t really pay much attention to the strangers as all she heard was they were good folks despite being one of the most fearsome crews of the seas. 

Occasionally, she would hear the laughter and joyous sounds of her fellow villagers and she presumed they were partying with the familiar band of pirates. She never once ventured too far from her home, instead staying inside or tending the gardens and fruits.

Her mother stayed in less and less but she knew better than to ask her old mother what she was doing out at night. 

This place was her safe haven and her mother wanted nothing more than to protect and preserve her innocence from despicable men.

Except she could only do so much as an emperor’s yearning will eventually bleed into the nest.

She was in the middle of tending the latest red tomatoes when her tranquil bubble finally burst. 

Her home was famous for selling fresh fruits and vegetables as customers would frequently stop by to purchase some goods. Even the pirates’ arrival didn’t stop the business from going down. 

She watered the tomatoes as she hummed a small tune when a shadow suddenly enveloped her.

Her entire body froze and she slowly looked up, her eyes locking in with the red-haired man.

Her eyes widened at the sight of him and she felt a drop in her stomach. 

“Hiya!” He greeted her warmly, “I was hoping to get the chance to meet you. Your mother is a fickle woman I may say, took a while for me to sneak over here.”

In an instant, she jumped and backed away out of instinct. 

His eyes widened at the sight of her fear and he quickly waved his hand in an attempt to calm her down.

“Wait! I didn’t mean to scare you!” He promised, “I mean no harm.”

Her boots caught upon her fallen water can and she went tumbling onto the ground.

He jumped over the fence and made his way over to the young lady, bending down so he could help her.

“Here.”

He offered his hand and that’s when she noticed he was missing an arm.

With one strong pull, he lifted her up easily, making sure to be careful. His hand steadied her as she tried to catch her breath, her body still affected by her fall.

“You’re hurt.” He noted.

Her knees had been scraped badly by the fall as tiny blood clots littered around her teared skin.

“My apologies, it’s all my fault.” He guided her to sit down gently.

For a big pirate like himself, he sure was gentle. 

“Allow me to fetch my doctor to care for it.” He told her softly.

“It’s fine.” She finally spoke to him.

Her voice would continue to haunt and destroy him years to come.

“I can take care of it.” She explained, “No need to get your doctor.”

“You’re bleeding.” He stated the obvious, “And it’s my fault.”

“I’ll be fine.” She stated back, “I fell from my own clumsiness.”

He didn’t look convinced.

“I promise.” She added.

Many thoughts would swirl in his mind as he stared at this female in front of him. 

She opened a basket that was laid out for the gardens and took out a first-aid kit. She patched herself up smoothly, her hands working efficiently. 

Before he would even know it, she was the mortal danger to him. She is beautiful without knowing it and possesses charms that she’s not even aware of.

“Can I help you?” She asked him, her eyes seeming brighter under the sunlight, “Are you here to purchase something?”

“No I’m not.” He answered.

He sat down next to her, his very movement working with extra caution as he didn’t want to scare her off.

Now that she had a good look at him, she noted he was very handsome.

His tanned skin glowed under the sun, his ruby red-hair was messy yet it framed his face perfectly, and his entire structure seemed inhuman despite missing an arm.

“I actually wanted to talk to you.” He confessed truthfully, “That day where I saw you in the distance, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Her heart dropped.

“I thought of you everyday and I hated myself for not stopping you when your mother took you away.” He continued.

His eyes seemed soft as they looked into the distance. The way his cheeks seem to flush just a tiny bit and his dimples deepened every time he talked about her.

It was the same look as a man in love.

“When we left that day, I knew I had to come back.” He continued, “I needed to talk to you and hear your voice. That feeling was worse than being stranded in the sea.”

He looked at her and she couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine.

“Your mother is very protective of you.” He observed.

“She just wants the best for me.” She replied, “I’m all she has.”

He didn’t say anything.

The way he was looking at her made it seem he was studying her — learning all of her habits, patterns… secrets.

“My crew will have a party tonight at the local bar.” He stated, “It would honour me greatly to have a beautiful woman like yourself be my guest.”

“I’m sure there are plenty of other beautiful women for you to invite.” She shot at him, standing up.

She was about to go when she froze as he suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Trust me, my dear.” He lowered his face so they were eye-to-eye, "I know a beautiful woman when I see one.”

He looked hurt, as if her words about herself greatly offended him. 

“I promise to bring you home before midnight.” He added sincerely.

His eyes were so intense, she felt as if he could read her like a book.

Her mouth opened and a part of her wanted to venture out and see what the world of pirates were but the other part of her craved for the warm embrace of her humbly home.

She was about to answer when her mother’s voice called.

“(Name)!”

She stiffened and she looked to see her mother standing by the house’s back door, staring at her as if she committed the biggest sin in the world.

“I have to go.” She said quickly.

He didn’t answer as she brushed past him. Before she could go, his hand shot up and grabbed her arm, his grip tighter and more unyielding compared to before.

“Shanks.” He whispered his name, “That’s my name.”

“Remember it.”

How could she forget a man like that?

If there was one word she could describe Shanks, it would be stubborn.

She awoke in the middle of the night to a soft tapping by her window. She groggily mumbled in her sleepy state, as she dragged her body towards the window, ready to scare off that annoying bird.

Except, that bird was a red-haired man.

Shanks stood below her window as he waved his hand at her. She narrowed her eyes and wiped them, before they widened at the fact that he intruded in her own home.

He didn’t say anything as his hand beckoned her to join him.

Feeling frustrated and tired, she lifted her window and scolded him.

“What are you doing here?” She whispered frantically, “My mother will kill you if she finds out!”

He only smiled as he found her fuming self adorable.

“Your mother is asleep so we’re fine. Unless she could sleep-walk.” He joked.

She was not amused.

“Remember earlier today? When I invited you out?” Shanks looked at her tenderly, “The offer still stands, sweetheart.”

“I’m a man of my word.”

She hesitated.

“It’s once in a lifetime.” Shanks winked at her.

“My mother will wake up if I go down the stairs.” She babbled out, hoping he’ll go away with this reason.

His smile widened.

“Then jump down.” He suggested it casually.

Her heart stopped.

“I’ll catch you.” 

His words were full of promise and warmth. His eyes showed nothing but sincerity as he moved closer until he was right beneath her window.

Knowing he wouldn’t leave, she slowly lifted her leg over the window railing until she stood on the very edge.

The night wind blew against her frame and praying to every god she knew, she closed her eyes and jumped.

The harsh ground never met her as a strong arm caught her firmly around her waist.

Her head was buried in his neck as she gasped out from the adrenaline, her hands clutching his black cape as if it was her lifeline.

She was his lifeline.

“See?” He whispered into her ear, “I told you I’ll catch you.”

Her bare feet touched the ground as she couldn’t believe she just snuck out of her own house behind her mother’s back.

“I need to be home before dawn.” She scolded him.

“Right, right, of course.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, “No need to ruin the fun so quickly. We barely started at anything.”

His hand reached out to her as he awaited for her to take it.

Her heart raced but not from the nerves, but the excitement for what’s to come. 

She spent her whole life sheltered by her frantic mother and with Shanks’ arrival, her protected shell was slowly crumbling. She already jumped down from the window and there was no going back now.

Twenty years from now, she will be disappointed by the things she didn’t do.

Her hand slipped right into his.

The rest of the night was an entire blur.

She had never danced, sung, and lost herself so freely before.

The Red-Hair pirates were a combination of thrill and unity, as she never laughed so much before.

As she felt the burning feel of alcohol go down her throat, she couldn’t help but think this one night was more whole than her entire life combined. 

As she swayed around the campfire to the rhythm of the pirates’ applause, she failed to notice how one red-haired pirate stared at her.

He swallowed her whole with his greedy gaze and for the first time, he felt complete. Her presence was the warmth he didn’t know he needed and he would never let the cold seawaters burn out his angelic flame.

Her eyes met his and she saw the way he was looking at her.

Whether or not it was because of the alcohol or the current pleasure state she was in, she failed to notice the unraveling desire stirring in his gaze.

The night will linger on for just a few hours as Shanks guides her around the forest.

The crew was all passed out and drunk so the emperor took this chance.

“The seawater gets dangerous at this time.” She called out quietly beside him.

“Dangerous?” He repeated, “You really don’t trust me to protect you?”

“You told me to jump down a window.” She noted.

He let out a heartfelt laugh and she looked up at him.

He grinned at her as he gave her hand a squeeze.

The sea moved with tremendous force, washing and swirling against the shore, as if waiting for its next victim to step in.

Shanks’ sandals walked alongside the shore and slowly, the tides began to calm down.

He let go of her hand and allowed her to wander in front of him. Her feet touched the cold waters and she felt how pleasant the sensation was.

A sudden splash behind her caught her attention and she failed to see Shanks. 

His last footprints were smeared, heading straight to the waters.

Did he slip?

She couldn’t imagine him swimming with one arm and his crew were all past out miles away.

“Shanks?” She whispered his name with worry.

She peered over the shoreline, into the dark depths of the sea. She was about to dive in when the waters rippled and out shot a hand and grabbed her arm.

It happened so fast as before she could even scream, she was pulled into the water.

The currents hit her body heavily as she scrambled relentlessly around. Her hand reached for the surface and she pulled herself up, gasping for air.

His laughter was heard behind her and she glared at him, while he basked in own enjoyment of teasing her.

“Shanks! You jerk!” She snapped him.

“Aww, look at you…” He cooed, “So you do care about me.”

He leaned closer as his red hair was stuck to his face. Her hand reached up and she removed some strands so their eyes met.

His eyes glanced at her lips for a mere second.

She cupped his face and pulled him close.

“Shut up.” She hissed at him.

She pushed him back into the water, his body landing into the currents with a splash.

Was this what a childhood looked like?

She wondered as she splashed and frolicked around with the red-haired man, her lungs burning from both laughter and seawater. 

The sun was slowly beginning to take over when they had finished their little play fight, as they sat side by side on the shore.

“I have to get back.” She spoke, breaking the silence, “Mother will be awake soon.”

Disappointment flooded his body but he knew if he were to act on his feelings, he would push her away.

“Right, let’s get you back home.” 

His voice was cold.

The walk back was more awkward and tense compared to their previous stroll. She wanted to say something but at the same time, she didn’t know what to say.

Her home finally came into view and to her relief, the kitchen light was not on yet. 

“Thank you for everything, Shanks.” She turned to look at him, “I hope you have a safe journey out at sea.”

He didn’t say anything.

He looked at her with some sort of friction and intensity that made her feel small. 

He reached out to cup her cheek, his thumb caressing her skin tenderly. Her own eyes widened and she felt her heart racing as he bent down.

“You must be some sort of magician, right?” He asked her in an accusing tone, “What have you done to me?”

“I didn’t do anything.” She replied quickly.

His entire demeanour was different from before. He was now cold, stern, calculating… terrifying.

“I think it’s fate we met each other.” Shanks told her.

Fate? 

“How do you know it’s fate?” She looked at him with confusion.

He was about to answer when the door finally opened. Her eyes widened and she pushed him away, his warmth still lingering upon her face.

“(Name)?” Her mother blinked with confusion and shock from the door.

“Coming!” She called, “Just an early customer!”

Shanks watched as she piled some fresh fruits into a box and handed it to him. 

“Have a good day.” She smiled at him, thankful her mother came just in time.

He watched as she bid him farewell before she headed back inside. 

Like the first day, he watched from a distance, feeling the wall between them reappear once more.

He despised this feeling.

She was in reach, yet she was unobtainable.  

She knew Shanks wouldn’t leave her alone after that. He continued to seek her out but each time, she made sure to be out in the public or with her mother.

He was joyful, teasing, and full of laughter like always but she saw the dark glint in his eyes. 

News finally broke around the town that the Red-Hair pirates were going to leave.

Relief poured into her as she knew Shanks might not come back and the interaction with her was simply a small dent in his life.

He was an emperor, a king of the seas, and she was probably a local woman he sought out to entertain himself with.

So imagine her shock when her mother came into her room and told her Shanks wanted to speak to her one last time.

He stood there, mighty and proud as his red hair danced in the blue sky. 

She approached him, this time with no tension since it was the last.

“Shanks, you wanted to see me?” She asked him.

He looked at her with soft eyes.

“Join my crew.” He suddenly said,

The air left her lungs.

“W-what?” She blurted out.

“Come join my crew and sail the seas with me.” He stepped closer to her, “We’ll go on all kinds of adventures and conquer the world together.”

He emphasized “together” greatly.

She looked uncertain.

“I will protect you.” He added, “My men too. My word is absolute and if anything comes in your way, I’ll make sure whoever it is faces the consequences.”

“I-I need to talk to my mother.” She replied quickly.

Shanks watched as she headed back inside without looking at him. He could use his Haki to see the future, yet he was afraid of what it would show him.

The moment she entered the house, her mother grabbed her shoulders.

“Listen to me, (Name).” She eyed her seriously, “You must not go with that man.”

“I’ve lived longer than you and I know how a man thinks and what they want when they have a certain look in their eye.” She continued.

“He’ll want and desire you but once he’s done with you, he’ll discard you like the rest.” She spat, “I don’t even want to know how many poor women he’s destroyed.”

“Mother, what are you saying?” She looked terrified.

“He’s a womanizer. Do not go with him, you will regret it.” Her mother hissed, “You will fall from grace and be corrupted.”

“You’ll never be the same again.”

She stood still as she took in her mother’s words. Silently, she brushed off her mother’s hands and headed out to where Shanks was waiting patiently. He was just meters away and each step she took made her heart thump with anguish.

He watched her come closer as she gave him a weak smile.

“I can’t go with you, Shanks.” She declared sadly, “I can’t leave my mother alone.”

He did not answer her.

“I truly am thankful I met you. I’ve had the most fullest and memorable night with you and your crew and I hold it deeply in my heart.” She began gently.

“But I’m not made for the seas — I’m meant to stay here. You’ll resume your adventure and pretty soon, you’ll forget about me.”

“I’ll simply be a distant memory.”

She expected him to lash out at her or possibly command his crew to destroy her home but he didn’t.

That somehow made it worse. 

The gaze in his eyes showed her he wasn’t going to leave unless she got on his ship. Her heart thumped with dread and anxiety as her mind thought of any possible way to get him going.

“I promise we’ll see each other again.” She suddenly spoke.

The Emperor eyed her intensely as she took a brave step forward. She continued to approach him until their chests were touching. He didn’t reject her advances nor did he proceed with any action, as he instead awaited to see what she was going to do.

Her hands reached up to cup his face and she tiptoed until she felt his husk breath hit her face. 

In one gesture, she closed the distance and kissed him softly on the lips.

Almost as if he was in a trance, he leaned in and accepted her tender kiss, his own head tilting so he could deepen it. His lone hand reached out and he brought her closer as his warm mouth moved against hers.

“How can I leave now?” He whispered against her lips.

“You have to.” She breathed out, “You know you belong on the seas.”

He simply grunted and kissed her once more, savouring her taste, flesh, and body against his own as he knew time was coming out.

The interior of the house sounded and just when her mother opened the door, Shanks’ hand had left her body. 

“Soon.” He promised her quietly, his voice dropping octaves lower.

His hand squeezed her own softly before he let go, his fingers lingering upon her skin for as long as he could.

With that, his black cloak turned and the red-haired pirate bid her farewell until they met again.

Except they didn’t.

Only a week had passed when the Emperor couldn’t bear the distance anymore and the Red Force docked on the shore once more. 

Instead of coming to the vibrant garden with the beautiful lady waiting for him, all that greeted him was an empty and abandoned home that once lost its light.

He never saw her again.

TWO YEARS LATER…

(Name) watched the waves and scenery in front of her, while she held the straw hat in her hands. The Sunny drifted gently along the ways, the blue lights from the sea glimmering brighter than ever from the sunlight. 

Her hair danced with the wind as the Sunny carried her and her friends to their next adventure that’s awaiting for them.

Her eyes closed and she blissfully enjoyed the cool breeze against her body until a familiar loud and boisterous voice caught her attention.

“(Name)!”

Turning her head, she was met with the bright young man staring at her excitedly like a puppy. 

Luffy’s voice hollered from above, his arms waving faster than one can blink.

“Sanji said lunch is ready!” He called out to her, “Hurry, hurry! Sanji said he won’t let me eat unless all of us are seated together!”

A smile formed on her face.

“Coming, captain.”

"I like it when a romantic partner continues to exist as a kind of curse." - Fujimoto

You can find "Unhinged Manic" published on both my Quotev and Ao3 accounts: Quotev: Unhinged Manic Ao3: Unhinged Manic

[stuckinmymind22]

Getaway | Chapter II: The Light of Freedom

"It was the great escape, the prison break The light of freedom on my face"

shanks x f! reader | chapter 1 | read on ao3

wc: 4.2k

For years you had been running one con after another, using your charms and your good looks to con bands of pirates out of their money. It was the only life you knew how to live, the only lifestyle you had held since going out on your own. The rush was always exhilarating as you fled from your victims, that night in Lougetown was just like any other, until you ran into him. The first time you met Red Haired Shanks, you didn't know who he was and you had no idea of the ways in which he, and his crew, would come to change your life. But could you outrun years of instinct or were you doomed to repeat the same pattern you always did.

important: idk if i made it clear last part but this takes place shortly after Shanks looses his arm, when the crew re-enters the Grand Line so they are all younger than their modern-day counterparts and reader is a few years younger than shanks

also if ur name is molly, pls pretend it isn't x

You had no idea what a stowaway was the first time you felt the great sway of the seas underneath your feet. The first time you became one.

Adrenaline ran wild through your veins your entire way to the Red Port— you were almost free — the only step left was to find a ship. The task of finding a ship to board had seemed simple enough in your mind, but in practice it was harder than you had anticipated. Buying passage occurred to you, but it was too early to give up your position now.

In the low-light of the dead of night you looked for a merchant ship, one without the gaudiness of a celestial dragon nor the insignia of the world government. You chose the first one you found. Quickly and quietly, you hid before the crew boarded and made yourself at home in the belly of the ship. You were going to stay out of sight and only take what was necessary to survive. Relegated to the shadows, you missed the crew hoist a black flag on the masts once the Red Line disappeared from the horizon.

It was only when the ship docked and the crew had left that you found the flag. You stumbled back, in shock or terror, you weren’t sure, but it sent you back to the depths of the ship, where you remained for hours. Eventually, with the crew still gone, you departed the ship. Nearby you found a market and sold off some of the jewels you had taken from your family vault. You used that money to buy yourself some proper clothing and a place to stay for the night.

The next morning, feeling better with a proper bath you entered the town and the start of your new life……only you weren’t sure what to do or where to go. Looking at the port, you saw the flag that had sent you into hiding the day before. The answer felt clear. You returned to the only other place you had ever known.

With a lifetime of practice avoiding prying eyes, you had managed to stay hidden for months, through multiple islands. Each port would be a rinse and repeat of the first stop, always choosing the familiar over the unknown. The routine was comfortable.

Out on the waters, you would take some provisions when your supply ran low. On shore you would restock, constantly left in awe at how far a few measly jewels got you. You would pass the time exploring the ship, careful to never move anything from its place. At one port you had bought yourself a book whose pages quickly wore thin.

Eventually, you learned the voices and personalities of the members of the crew. The deep rich honey voice of the captain. The calm, even, feminine voice of who you thought was the first mate. Your perception of pirates changed as you got snippets of the crew from the places you hid.

You felt safe there, with them, but they didn’t know about you. It would only take one mistake, one mess up to blow your cover and put your safety at risk. That mistake came out on calm waters as the sun was setting one evening.

The weather had been unbearably hot, so you’d tucked yourself away at the highest point you felt comfortable, just to get some fresh(er) air. A gentle breeze had entered through the grated hatch above you, cooling you off. The sail air lulled you off to sleep. Then, a large rat ran across your body, waking you from your nap with a scream. Your hands flew to your mouth, but it was too late. The deck above you had gone still. Footsteps approached and you tried to strategize how to talk your way out of this.

The hatch above you creaked as it opened, you were frozen in place. Sunlight backlit a crouching silhouette, you blinked the figures into view. A man with dark hair, lively eyes, and the most charming smile you had ever seen looked down at you. “Looks like our little stowaway wasn’t a mouser after all.”

"Would you like some dinner, Miss?" A voice snapped you out of your memories and redirected your attention from the hypnotizing waves to reality. You turned to find a tall, rotund man with a beaming smile at your side.

As if on cue, your stomach growled and the man somehow smiled wider. "Come on, let's get some food in ya," the man said, slinging an arm around your shoulder and leading you off. "My name’s Lucky, or Lucky Roux if you wanna be fancy. I'm the cook on this ship, so let me know about any allergies or restrictions, okay?"

You nodded and let the man lead the way. As you approached the mess hall, sounds of laughter and conversation grew louder and louder. The noise quieted as you made your entrance.

"Oh great! We were just talking about you!" A man with a bandana that read "Yasopp" across his forehead exclaimed, his voice slightly slurred. The man promptly received a smack upside the person sitting next to him; a man with his blond hair in a topknot.

"All good things, of course," the captain clarified, before making room next to him and patting the opened spot. The amber light of the galley made his hair appear more orange and more like a fire. "Come, have a seat, meet the crew."

After a moment's hesitation, you take the seat next to him. Immediately, you are handed a plate with food piled high. A large glass of something with the smell of alcohol was pushed your way. To your relief, the pirates didn't all descend upon you asking questions. Hell, the promised introductions didn't even start right away. Instead, they let you eat your food in peace, returning to their previous conversation, explaining how you had met.

"You shoulda seen how she jumped from the roof! More agile than a tomcat, this one," the redhead grinned over at you. "Maybe that's what we'll call you, Tomcat," he said turning towards you. "Or do you prefer Little Stray?"

"Not a tomcat," you dismissed with a mouthful of food, leaving the question of the other nickname unanswered (you weren't about to admit liking that one). You swallowed and continued, "Besides, isn't that supposed to be your name, captain? Or are you more Captain Bleeding Heart?"

"I like Tomcat more, it matches," the man grinned toothily, for a moment you almost forgot that you were surrounded by pirates.

"If you're gonna flirt go do it somewhere else," one of them also slurred. You felt your face heat up as a blush painted your face and ears. Instead of giving any sort on response, you went back to eating your food.

"That's no way to treat our guest," the captain scolded him before returning to look at you. "Sorry, I thought I have them more house trained than that," he apologized. You snorted and he looked like you'd made his day with that single sound. "For pirates, they seem rather well behaved," you assured the captain.

"I'll take that as a compliment," the man with a bandanna, who you assumed was named Yasopp, responded. "Good, it was supposed to be," you informed him with a smile, picking up more food on your fork and bringing it to your mouth.

"Back to the matter at hand," the redhead said, reclaiming your attention. "Did ya think of something you wanted the crew to call you? I already got Little Stray and I'm not keen on sharing."

You paused for a beat, grateful to still be chewing as you thought of a new alias. Unlike normal, you had yet to think of a new identity. Truthfully, you had been planning on staying with the previous crew at least until you reached the Grand Line, but they had started testing your boundaries and needed to be put in their place, so you took their money and ran. "Molly," you said after a swallow, picking the female counterpart of a tomcat (at least one without kittens).

A man with a long black pony tail, cracked a small smile. It seemed that he knew what you'd done, but kept that knowledge to himself. The red haired one also recognized a lie when he saw it, but he didn't press it.

"Hold on," the man in the bandana said, horror entering his voice. "It sounds like you don't even know each other's names." You laughed at his concern. The redhead lit up with a playful expression.

"Well, we waited for the crew to make any introductions," the captain said, gently elbowing your arm as he spoke. You snorted. "We would've hated for you to feel left out," you joined in.

"That's beside the point!" The man in the Yasopp bandana said. "Do you even know who he is?"

"Nope, but don't worry, he did make sure that I wouldn't murder any of you in your sleep," you assured the man, almost gleefully. Several eyes went wide. The man in the black pony pinched his nose, like he dealt with these kinds of antics all too often. He must be the first mate, you mused.

The one who asked you the question practically threw his head in his hands. "...and you let her get on the ship...Oh, Captain," the man continued as if he didn't hear your response.

"It's not him we're worried about lass," a man with glasses and dragon tattoos told you at the same time. An amused, almost flattered smile graced your face.

"That's sweet," you started, waiting for the man to give you his name. "Building Snake," he said. "That's sweet Building Snake, but I can hold my own. Besides, life's more fun with a bit of mystery," you continued, wiggling your shoulders as if to make a point. The red haired man next to you laughed boisterously.

"You're gonna fit in just fine," the one with the black ponytail muttered, pulling out a cigarette with a sigh, one that was promptly knocked from his hand by the blond one with the top knot. You gave the ponytail man a strange look, you wondered if he knew that you were only seeking passage, but you shook that feeling off.

"But, I'd love to hear the rest of your names if you want to share," you proposed. And so, introductions began.

Beckman, or Beck, the man with the long ponytail was the first mate just as you had suspected.

Lucky, the cook, you had met before and had already decided that you liked him.

Yasopp introduced himself as if his name wasn't written across his forehead — jury was still out on if you liked him.

Hongo was the blond one with the top knot. He was the man who whacked Yasopp earlier and knocked the cigarette from Beck's hand. Apparently he was the doctor too.

Building Snake, or Snake, was apparently the navigator and he had tattoos of dragons covering each of his biceps.

Limejuice was another blond man, but he hid his starkly pale hair underneath a beret. You would remember his name, for it was rather...unique.

Bonk Punch, an imposing man who liked eyeliner, had an even more interesting name. His companion, a monkey named Monster, was cute, in a child-pretending-to-be-a-hardened-adult kind of way.

Howling Gab had a name that just seemed to fit his appearance, although his higher pitched voice did not. Right away you could tell he was a sweet man, almost certainly fitting into the "gentle giant" archetype.

The whole crew was apparently called the Red Haired Pirates, which rang a bell, but you weren't sure which one. Overall the crew seemed very nice. They spent the evening proving you to be correct — mostly. There were some comments about chemistry thrown around, but you brushed them off.

You wouldn't find out the captain's name until the next day.

Waking up mid morning, you found your way back to the galley, praying that they had coffee, a luxury out of the water. The smell promising the dark liquid greeted you as you entered. The cook, Lucky, gestured for you to have your fill and you smiled at him gratefully.

With a mug in hand, you made your way up to the main deck, taking a seat across from Beckman, who had discarded some pages from the World Economic Journal on the table. You picked up one of the discarded sections as the redheaded captain came to join your table.

Opening the paper, several bounty posters fell out, but only one of them caught your eye. A swath of bright red hair a few pages down in the stack, you pulled it from the pile. On it, underneath the large text that said "WANTED" was a picture of the man across from you. He was wearing a straw hat, which was missing from his current attire, but the rest was undeniably him. You hold up the poster for a comparison.

Both men stilled, awaiting your reaction. Beck slowly lowered his paper as if sudden movements would scare you. Shanks had frozen with his own mug of coffee inches from his lips. They were waiting for the other shoe to drop, only it never did. You didn't panic, instead you did quite the opposite. Your eyes flitted back and forth between the man and the poster, there was no denying that they were the same. You took a small sip of coffee and the men started to relax.

"Red Haired Shanks," you read, looking the man in the eyes. The name felt new but familiar on your tongue. "It fits you," you told him, taking another sip of your drink. You didn't see the way his cheeks tinted red at the comment, because you looked back at the poster and found the number on his head.

1.04 BILLION BERRIES.

Both men tensed once more when your eyes bugged out, they knew what you had just seen. Rather unexpectedly you relaxed — truly relaxed, not just as a facade — almost instantly and the men at the table breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Shanks," you said, trying out the name once more. "Tomcat's off the menu I fear, that's a much better name."

Neither Shanks nor Beckman were doing a good job hiding how shocked they were by your indifference to the bounty.

"Has anyone ever told you you photograph well?" you questioned Shanks in earnest.

The redhead across from you stammered, trying and failing to get out an answer.

"Does he act like this often?" You questioned Beck, who appeared to be enjoying his captain's reaction more than you were.

"Never," he replied. Shanks looked at his first mate like he'd been betrayed. Beckman, willing to stoke the flames more, continued. "Pretty women don't typically have him tripping over his words like that."

"Hmmm, that does wonders for my confidence," you hummed, pausing to look Shanks up and down, "To make a man like that act like this." You licked your lips.

"Can't say I blame ya," Beckman said, picking up his paper and you followed in suit.

Nothing like that morning happened again, or at least not for a few more days.

After four days at sea and four days of feeling like you weren't getting any closer to the Grand Line, you confronted Shanks. You found the man at the helm with Building Snake, right where you wanted him to be.

"I've got a question," you said, approaching the men with a clementine in hand. "Ahh, Little Stray. Was wondering when you'd find me," Shanks said with a warm smile, clearly not minding you interrupting the conversation he was having with his navigator.

"You make it sound like I've been avoiding you, or worse—you've been avoiding me," you said, tossing the fruit in the air. "Nonsense," Shanks dismissed, "Ask away."

"Is this ship like...extra slow or something?" You questioned, acting innocent and peeling your fruit. Shanks's smile dropped and he looked offended, so did Snake. "No," Shanks said with a furrowed brow and a slight edge. Men never did like it when you insulted their ship, but you never did like being led astray.

"Huh," you said sitting down on a nearby crate, removing the last of the peel. "Then why has it been four days with no sight of Reverse Mountain?" You popped a slice of the clementine into your mouth, waiting an answer.

"Ah," Shanks said with clarity. The tension the two men had held had dropped and Shanks's easy smile had returned to his face. "We've been taking the scenic route. Besides, look straight ahead."

You followed his advice and in the distance was the imposing, and rather fast approaching, Reverse mountain. The winds had picked up, like even they were insulted at your dig on the ship. Shanks grinned like a madman, "Better hold on tight, it looks like we're in for a ride."

Shanks was not wrong. Soon enough, you were in the throes of a storm, and not just any storm, but a storm at the mouth of reverse mountain. You were far from a landlubber, having braved the seas many times before, but this kind of turbulence was unlike anything you had seen before.

Rain came in never ending sheets and the waves themselves were violent as if the sea wanted you off of her back. Wind howled all around you as the band of pirates shouted to each other, they seemed to move in sync in ways that you hadn't often seen. Not since your first (and only) crew... You shook your head to get rid of the memories and searched for a place to bunker down in.

You weren't fast enough.

A wave from port side came and swept you off your feet. With nothing nearby to grab onto, you were fighting the waves and gravity in your effort to stand up. Almost standing, a harsh gale came and brought along another wave. You were sent toward the railing, which rather inconveniently, was missing a baluster, making it easy for you to slip out.

Shanks heard your cry before he saw anything. Instinct worked faster than mind and he dropped the rigging he was working on. With the practice of a lifetime on sea, he crossed the sloped ship dropping to a slide to grab you. His arm wrapped around your midsection and he reached his left arm out to realize that it wasn't there.

"Oh shit," he said. You heard the edge of panic in his voice and recognized the same thing he did. You wanted to laugh, but it was hardly the time. Your nails clawed at the deck, grasping for purchase on something, anything. A large part of you was hoping Shanks would let you go and save himself, but he didn't. If you were going down, he was going down with you.

Adrenaline kicked into overdrive. It was do or die time. Another wave pushed the two of you to the edge of the ship and by some miracle, you caught the railing by the tips of your fingers. Your grip held firm as you fought to stay tethered to the only sense of safety nearby.

Shanks was saying something behind you, but your ears were filled with water and you failed to hear it properly. A sudden upwards jolt, probably from him kicking off of something, gave you what you needed to secure both hands on the ship. With his help you managed to pull your bodies up on deck. That feat alone took over half your energy. A wave came crashed into the starboard side and leveled out the ship while pushing you to its center.

Shanks, who had somehow gotten up, grabbed you by your bicep and pulled you to your feet. The ship shifted once again and you found yourself stumbling into his chest, your hand reaching out just in time to stop you from breaking your nose.

"Come on," he said. The entrances to the lower decks were too far to guarantee there wouldn't be a repeat of what had just happened, but there were several crates secured firmly on the deck by the stairs, a perfect alcove for some sense of shelter. Shanks pulled you along to the small space. At least you didn't feel at risk of sliding off the ship and disappearing into the dark waters entirely.

"Are you okay?" Shanks shouted, water dripping down every surface so much so that he had to spit out what his nose had brought to his mouth. "Peachy," you shouted back in a similar manner.

The ship jolted again, this time Shanks was the one sent into you. He caught himself on the staircase behind you right before your heads could collide. The eye contact you made spoke volumes. He stayed there longer than he needed to.

Outside of the little alcove, the crew moved, continuing to deal with the storm along with the tumultuous waters of Reverse Mountain, but the two of you stayed in your own world, eyes locked.

The ship moved sharply once more. Shanks's elbow bent from the movement and his mouth collided with yours. Unable to do anything else, at the last moment you had tilted your head so at least your noses didn't smash together. Still, your lips touched. Accidental, sure but your heart still skipped a beat.

The rain died out and soon the only challenge at hand was just the mountain itself. Shanks took a step back from you. Both of you tried to pretend what had just happened had no effect on you.

Shanks used his already soaking wet shirt to try and dry his face, while you opted to physically push the water off. After some coughing, when your breathing became even enough, you asked him the question in the back of your mind the whole time.

"Why didn't you just let go? I mean when you realized you couldn't hold me and save yourself," you questioned, genuinely concerned for his sense of self-preservation. He just grinned at you.

"I promised you safe passage. It would be rather unbecoming of me if I were to let you drown," Shanks responded. "You could have died," you reminded him. "We would've figured something out," he shrugged. "You sound so confident, I almost believe you," you told him. He looked at you with a gaze that spoke volumes, only this time in a language you didn't understand. "One thing you ought to learn is that you should never doubt me," Shanks said with a boyish grin.

"In my experience, you should doubt every man," you grumbled, doing your best to wring your hair out. Shanks did not like the other experiences you spoke of.

"Maybe I'm not like other men," he said.

"I guess not," you confirmed, unable to deny that something between you two had shifted.

"Why don't ya go dry off and get changed, it'll be smooth sailing from here," Shanks said.

"We literally sailing up a mountain to plunge down the other side," you said, almost concerned for him.

“Nothing we haven't done before. Don't worry Little Stray. Didn't I say not to doubt me?"

You gave no comment nor rebuttal as you left for your temporary cabin.

Your entry into the Grand Line had been successful, now, all that was left was to pick a course. It wasn't until the log posse had been set that it was realized your next two islands were largely uninhabited and no place to leave you behind. So, your journey with the Red Hair Pirates continued. You didn't mind the detours and that was the scary part.

As the days passed you found yourself enjoying life upon the Red Force. After finding out that the meandering journey to the Line was to evade the marines, you found yourself more open to trusting them. The crew helped their cause along as well, always including and joking around with you.

Then there was Shanks. Ever since the storm he had started to look at you different in a way you couldn't explain. You weren't sure you were innocent of that yourself. There was no denying he was an attractive man, but you had been down that road before once and weren't eager to return. Yet, you were still drawn to him, often nearby because that was what felt right.

Night would fall and the men would collect in the galley, oftentimes before making their way to the top decks. There, the festivities would begin. You would be hard pressed to recall a time where you consistently had this much fun.

When the band of pirates loudly cheered at cheap card tricks and acrobatic displays, or when they fought for who you got to sit by during at dinner, you could almost trick yourself into believing that you belonged. That was dangerous. From then on you followed a new rule: Do not get attached, but that was always easier said than done.

a/n: yipee another one done!!!

now ik i said i had this mostly planned out and written (and i do), but i just looked at chapter three and it just said "GIRL WRITE THIS" so uhhh it might be a bit 😭

[ruruumin]

unexpected ally.

˚₊‧꒰ა spiderman!phainon x venom!gn!reader

​⤷ perhaps its not so complicated if you think of yourselves as exes.

“if it isn’t the friendly neighborhood spiderman.” phainon’s head flicks upwards. the tickling sensation that was used to sense danger had dulled significantly, replaced only with the feeling of dread he feels in his human stomach. beneath his red mask, his pupil’s shake in disbelief. standing at the top of the fire escape, a black-cladded figure looms over him, a transparent slick running down their long tongue.  as they open their mouth, he can see the many rows of teeth that decorate the inside. they were a foreign entity. driven to this planet for the sole purpose of destruction and hunger. he remembers vividly the day he cast this monster aside, ripping away the symbiote that plagued his mind with the terrors of starvation and blood. he was supposed to be the protector of the city. a symbol of good. the day he saw himself in the mirror, dressed in all black with a white spider logo on his chest, he knew it was wrong.  unfortunately for him, what he couldn’t handle was given to someone else; a person whose hatred for spiderman had given them a reason to continue moving forward. 

⤷ you thought you were the happiest person alive when phainon, otherwise known as spiderman, confessed he loved you. you reminisce the redness on his face, the nervous flicker in his eyes and the crooked smile he gave. his lips were sweet and tender. his embarrassment to show himself the first time led to your first kiss being under the tree, with him hanging upside down from a branch.

⤷ you weren’t the kind to jump into relationships so easily. if anything, it took months of persuasion and flowers at your window to convince you to finally give the white-haired man a chance. he seemed nice enough. quite strong too, with the way he held you in his arms, swinging from building to building, all for the chance to show you the view of the sunset.

⤷ the most humiliating moment of your life is believing it was going to last forever. phainon didn’t even give you the courtesy of a proper break up. he only stood in front of you, scratching the back of his neck, still in his spiderman costume. he didn’t even have the heart to take off the mask (though he fears its was because he didn’t want you to see the tears swell in his eyes). he promised that this was the only way to keep you safe.

you dragged your feet against the floor, eyes turned downwards. the sky crackled with rain. the cold seeped into your bone. wrapping your arms around yourself, your body runs on autopilot mode, trying to find any secluded area to sob. your apartment was no longer the same. not after he defiled it with his false love. you couldn’t lay in your bed without thinking of him, hoping that he would come back to hold you once more.  as you turned the corner, you’re shoved deeper into the alleyway. a gasp is ripped from your throat the moment you lay eyes on a mysterious figure. a lowly street thug. he raises a glass panel to your abdomen, whispering into your ear a vile thing. your throat hitches and it becomes harder to breathe the second he presses his hand on your back.  right before you could even scream his name, you bite down on your tongue. you muffle the cry of blood that sprays out. instead of reducing yourself to a pitiful damsel, begging for your former love to save you, ego burns through your veins. it tears through your muscle and gives you the fuel to shove the assaulter away. despite this momentary rush of adrenaline, you think you will still die on the cold floor. black sludge jumps out from the darkness, latching onto the man’s face like a scene out of alien. it envelopes around his body, taking the glass shard and holding it against the base of his neck. you squeeze your eyes shut before a gargled scream could escape. a loud thud echos in the empty alleyway. carefully, you pry open your lids, watching as this entity travels towards you. it stops only a few inches away from your hand. if it had a head, you would have thought it was looking up at you. this thing saved you. looking back at the man’s unmoving body, a flicker of satisfaction creeps onto your face.  when you reach your hand out, the first thing you feel is warmth.

⤷ living with a symbiote didn’t seem so bad. you learned quickly that the one you’ve bonded with was named venom, and he shares the same hatred for spiderman as you. comforting. strange, but still comforting nonetheless. it felt nice knowing you had another pair of ears (if he even had any) listening to your woes. 

⤷ one thing you had to get used to was the involuntary control of your body in the morning. even when you’re half asleep, eyes threatening to close, you’re forced to watch as venom digs through your cabinet. he attempts to create an edible monstrosity to feed your human stomach. its endearing but so terribly gross—you had to hold yourself back from vomiting when you saw venom mix vanilla bean protein powder with mayonnaise. 

⤷ on days you weren’t robbing rogue street criminals for their brains, you’d stay perched on buildings, carefully examining the way phainon went on with his day. he still attended the same college as you. went to his classes as usual. smiled brightly as if nothing bothered him. despite venom’s insistence on striking him, you wanted to control your ego. killing him outside of his suit would mean nothing to you. it was a low blow that even you wouldn’t stoop down to. 

⤷ venom had many mixed views. your self restraint and morals, even under the face of danger, reminded him of a previous partner. you were strong and level headed. proud and most of all, kind-hearted. perhaps that is why he didn’t mind the ache in his stomach when he yearned for food. you’d still feed him, albeit under strict guidelines, but you treated him more as a friend than a monstrous parasite. you’d take him out to bowling, watch the stars from the observatory’s roof—you even took him to the beach to swim amongst corals and fish (you pray he doesn’t transform midway back when you’re in the middle of the ocean). all of this accumulated into a relationship that made him feel alive.

⤷ despite your nature, it didn’t stop the two of you from terrorizing spiderman. your bitter resentment for phainon has left you battling across the city, crashing into buildings and kicking him into the wall with enough force to shatter bricks. when you raise your fist, you’re not remotely surprised by a sticky substance wrapping around your wrist, immobilizing you. phainon has made it apparent he doesn’t want to fight you—not when he is blinking away tears in his eyes, heaving slightly with every breath. 

⤷ of course he still has feelings for you. that hasn’t changed once. but with the looming threat of the multiverse and other supernatural villains, the only choice he had was to let you go. he would have never expected in a hundred years, you would be bonded to someone he cast aside. venom was a monster. a creature that feasted upon his fears and threatened the city. it was impossible to fight back when he knew inside the lump of black sludge, was the person he loved most.

⤷ this game of cat and mouse continues—with you chasing after spiderman, hunting him down with the nose of a dog, crashing into buildings in the hopes you’ll find him in the rubble. even though you knew deep down this was your only pathetic way of contact with phainon, you couldn’t stop yourself from wanting to give him a proper beating for breaking your heart. 

⤷ perhaps one day, you would give phainon the chance to say: i’m sorry, and i love you.

[xxue-hua]

Headcanon

𐔌 ﹒Qifrey x dragon! reader

You are a dragon with strong mana able to change forms as you wish, unique and from another island.

You wanted to see other island when you came across Zozoah Peninsula and when you were just flying around in your big majestic dragon form only to find yourself in unfavorable situation leaving you with a wound and a broken wing.

The first time you meet Qifrey wasn't in a friendly way. You crash on the forest near his atelier and you weren't in a good mood after what transpired.

You almost bite his head off when he got close to you and even unleash a stream of fire to him that he was able to block.

When he was distracted you were able to tackle him down with your claws and even when you were about to unleash an inferno to his face the first thing he say was that you are beautiful and how your teeth look so healthy something that stop you in your track.

After that you have concluded that he was a weird hairless, scaleless being with soft skin because who compliment someone when they are about to kill you?

Qifrey was fanboying that a big dragon he never seen on books was right in front of him. Maybe he could study about you?

To you this scaleless creature was a creep when ever he get to close. You just wanted to leave but the way he was looking at you with adoration was doing something to your heart. Dragons are very proud creatures of how they look and this hairless tiny creature is feeding your ego.

When he try to be amiable with you he brought fish with him, luckily for him he brought your favorites kind and you gobble all of them. Seen that he didn't even eaten one you decided that maybe you can trust him after all you did heal you (or try to), try to give your space and now even feed you so maybe you to will share that same kindness.

And you regurgitated a half eaten fish as a peace offering.

It was silent for some minutes and you were feeling a little agitated that this human wasn't even accepting your token of friendship, You even give him a small piece of your favorite fish which you never share.

Although Qifrey knew what this symbolize, he was a little gross out but you were staring at him with such intensity, your lovely slighted eyes that Qifrey wouldn't mind getting lost in ehem, anyway he of course eat a small piece after all this was progrss to get on your good side.

Days after days he comes back and always with more food, you begin to see him as your food supplier.

Both of you got more amiable as the days continue until there was a day he didn't came back, or the next, and next.

You begin to get really worry which surprise you, you are a dragon for god sake, you are strong, prideful creature that never need someone and yet this soft skin human, who talk with so much kindness and even eat your half fish you give him, made such a big impact on you that it almost feel humiliating like a mutt waiting for their owner.

But you are no pet and certainly a sorry excuse and soggy low creature…you decided to look for him just to be sure not like you are worry and miss him certainly.

Qifrey got sick a couple of days ago, maybe after he push himself to the limit. He was suppose to meet up with you at you clearing but Olruggio and the girls wouldn't let him go out.

As he try to sleep, he look at his bed window coming face to face with a familiar scale cover face with slighted eyes of a dragon looking back at him. He almost die that afternoon.

You both talk of course you decline ever been worry about him not coming on his agree time but he saw through you calling you stubborn.

Seen your frail little human you did something you are teach as a dragon to never do, changing your form in the presence of humans. You change your size to be small so you could to sneak under to cover and cuddle him emanating some of your mana to be warm so he wouldn't get cold.

Qifrey was surprise at this but he was really glade of you guys process of now close proximity.

Olruggio was a little confuse when he came back from the kitchen to see a now small dragon have somehow sneak to Qifrey room and now laying with him.

That day was a lot of explaining to do. Of course you were in deniable of what transpire the nigh before and say that you just didn't want to lose your free food supplier.

The girls surround your small form with curiosity and amazement.Seen their adoring look at you just fill you ego, you were proud of your well keep scale and look after all, any dragon would.

After that fateful day you decided to live with them, and now the atelier have a dragon on their home. Olruggio is worry that they are going to have no room as Qifrey continue adopting(?) more and more people.

Days at the atelier was curious almost exciting in a way, there was never a day where it wasn't interesting. You guess you could get uses to this little creatures especially this group.

It not till a couple of day when you decided to get a nightly walk with Qifrey that the shouting of dragon hunters broke the air.

It was illegal to be hunting dragons but does that ever stop humans no. Qifrey try to hide you as the hunters get closer and closer.

Because of the danger you decided to blend in and by blending in you decided to transform to the weakness creature in your vocabulary…a human form. Of course it surprise Qifrey but at least it got those pesky hunter away when they see that there was just humans in the dark premise.

The hunter didn't see much, because you both were hiding behind some tree and Qifrey was able to drive them away.

Oh yeah you are also naked, dragons don't have clothes when transforming because they never see the benefit of it since they never transform to a human before. Qifrey almost die the second time that day. He cover you with his cape and both of you made the trek back to the atelier,

Now at the safety of his atelier he could now see your human form on the warm light.

patches of scale on your arms and face especially under your eyes, slighted eyes that represent your dragon form, a tail peaking from his cape and on top of your head are your horns. Oh dear is he going to explain this to Olruggio and the girls now without it coming as forbidden magic?

Qifrey try to convince you to hide it of course you say no.Even in this frail form you never got rid of your dragon aspect because how could you, You are a prideful dragon who love their form and you will never get rid of it. That night it was now a problem for tomorrow because he was tired.

Olruggio and the girls where confuse of the mysterious person that just appear one night, it wasn't until they notice how you speak was the same as the small dragon that live in the atelier. Of course there was a lot of questions ans pointed look (from Olruggio) pointed at Qifrey.

But of course they accepted that now you are a human, dragon? dragon shifter.

You use Qifrey clothes because there was no other choice until they go to Kalhm to buy some.

There was a lot of things you never understood of humans but now that you have taken a human form maybe you could learn some things about them.

There was also something they had to get use to you beside you now been human. Your stare/eyes can sometimes be scary especially at night. One of the girls find out when they went to the kitchen for a cup of water and stumble upon a pair of glowing eyes at the corridor. You got a scolding from Qifrey the next day for making one of the girls cry.

You can also eat raw meat, Qifrey was the one to stumble upon that when he was going to cook and saw you with a big piece of meat on your hold and about to be eaten. That day he teach you that humans cannot eat raw meat and even if you could to not do that in front of others because that will only make more questions.

Brushbuddy is scared of you after they saw your sharp teeth.

At night Qifrey still was curious about you and always ask questions such as your horns, your wings can you still summon them, claws hand and much more. You answer but after some time it get tiring and you drag him to his room before telling him to close his eyes and sleep.

As Qifrey sleep you couldn't help but feel a warmness in your heart and a strong feeling for this small human. Your human.

──── 𐙚 ────

Uh oh a new serie just appear

[flowercanopy]

best friend alhaitham who somehow has become your designated "will this guy be a good boyfriend or not" detector. except he keeps rejecting every single one of the candidates you brought up to him with the most ridiculous but logical reasons that you can't really refute.

"you've reiterated that you wanted a man who wouldn't prioritize his career over family, and he has confessed that his dream is to become the akademiya's grand sage. continuing to see him would merely expend meaningless energy on your part."

"he dislikes your favorite color and is allergic to cats. your future living arrangements are bleak."

it's when you've finally had enough, when you yell in frustration for him why don't you just pick someone who would make a good boyfriend for me, then!ー he finally stares at you, snaps his book close, and declares with the utmost confidence: "objectively speaking, that would be me."

[babachira]

nagumo's chosen you as his personal doctor. you can't really get away from him.

nagumo yoichi x doctor!reader

── ⟢

+ having graduated with an assassination-medical major, a very small sub-department in the JCC where only the skilled in human science are found, you're technically a licensed doctor for any regular citizen who wants a simple check-up. you have a job in the clinic near sakamoto's store during the day, but during your assassination hours, you deal with injuries ranging from critical to a scratch. you took four years of apprenticeship under granny miya, so you tend to follow her ideology of 'the patient can be healed as long as they're not dead'.

+ your graduation was a special case. the JCC considered scrapping your department due to the lack of applications, but you excelled in combining the assets of poisons and weapons, making equipment like a portable bandaid or even discovering the smallest of pressure points that could enhance someone's strength, which floored their views. after witnessing a presentation of your projects, they decided to keep it up and running just to see what you were capable of, and thank god they did, otherwise, you would've had nowhere to go.

+ you met the famous trio during their prime when you were all 16, and you were fully aware of the fact that if they had no interest in someone, it would be drastically clear. you thought this was the case for you too since no one really appreciated your work because it wasn't 'strong' like the assassination majors, but when you received a personal congrats from them, it took you by surprse.

+ hell, when you saw them enter your lab without a word, you quirked your brows, pausing from pulling the trigger of your flamethrower. upon request from your weapons department friends, you were in the middle of melting a large batch of energy-fuelling pills. you slowly put the flamethrower down on your desk. "if i knew i was having such esteemed guests, i would've cleaned the place up a bit. to what do i owe the pleasure?"

+ but before they could answer, the three of them were hovering over your pile of books, empty beakers and box of surgical equipment. rion plucked a grey glass bottle from your top shelf, which you reserved for your most expensive creations, before popping the lid off.

+ she sniffed the top of it and gave a "hm!" of approval before taking a swig. "wow, this is actually pretty good," rion said, smacking her lips together and offering some to sakamoto, who only took the bottle from her hands, "what's this one for? my stomach feels like it's doing backflips."

+ you folded your arms. "that's because it's for serious internal bleeding. you're only really meant to take it when, you know, you're only puking an alarming amount of blood." rion nodded in acknowledgement and dangled the empty bottle with a grin. "ah, gotcha. no internal bleeding for me now!"

+ "mmm, i prefer this flavour." your eyes flit over to nagumo yoichi, the insufferable student that had all the girls swooning in seconds, swiping four potions from your shelf and stuffing them in his pocket. "i'll come back again to try more!"

+ "wait, you just came here to take my stuff?" you asked, stopping the three in their tracks. sure, it's . . . fine that they stole your things without permission, but your lab was usually off-limits for those who didn't belong in your department. well, now that you think about it, when did these three ever follow rules?

+ rion waved her hand. "we'd love to talk, babes, but we gotta dash. will use these potions well, though!"

+ and nagumo added with a more enthusiastic wave, "keep a separate shelf just for me!"

+ and they left, leaving you to finish your work of delivering pills to the weapons department. they were a funny bunch, you always thought as you sometimes passed by them in the hallway. rion would always strike a conversation whenever you bumped into each other. she was always so sweet to you. sakamoto occasionally asked how your projects were going since it was a season of missions being carried out more often than ever, so you were ever-so-busy with surgeries. nagumo had the biggest grin on his face as he bombarded you with requests like a strawberry and lemon flavoured potion for his fatigue. they were strange but fun all the same.

+ since then, they made a common appearance, sometimes it was just rion who wanted to have a chat. you got along well, getting to know her likes and dislikes, laughing along when she verbally tore sakamoto and nagumo apart like they were shreds of paper. other times, it was nagumo alone and when it was just him, it was like a spitfire of insults after insults.

+ when nagumo is fiddling with one of your brain-relaxing equipments that you made just a week ago, he realises that you're a lot quieter when it's just him, when rion and sakamoto aren't present. "hm? why is it when akao and sakamoto are here, you have so much to say, but you're silent when it's me?" and honestly, it felt like a big slap to the face because wow, it was true.

+ ". . . shut up," you said, earning a chuckle from him. "the whole building will be able to hear you yapping."

+ today, a few years after their first intrusion in your lab, nagumo is taller and different at the age of 19. he wasn't more mature per se, but he definitely carried a more confident wittier aura that you didn't recognise from before. you, at 19 were renowned for your fantastic creations. one of your best moments was when you received a commission from an order member albeit a small one. your efforts were so well-recognised that applications for your department were growing much to your pleasure. rion congratulated you a lot, sakamoto actually used your creations and nagumo had never broken his streak of making sure to visit you almost everyday.

+ and you don't know when you started to feel this way, but whenever nagumo entered the room, time seemed to go painfully slower as though he was staying in your lab for longer than you thought. your equations for perfecting brain damage potions seemed harder than normal and you just couldn't seem to find that one blueprint that was always in its same place. even nagumo went, "it's this one, no? it was right under your hands" much to your embarrassment. your brain was scattered whenever he was near you and you really hated it.

+ and what was worse is that he noticed all this and was enjoying it.

+ "is my (name) . . . a little distracted?"

+ yes, yes. infuriatingly so, you think as you watch nagumo bounce over to where you stand in the far corner of your lab. he has that mischevious grin, the one that you want to melt off his annoyingly-handsome face. did it never occur to him that you couldn't work at your best whenever his talkative ass was in the room? is he really that stupid that you have to say, "nagumo, i need to do my work," then deal with those big eyes of his begging to stay? if he was a little less insufferable, maybe you would've─

+ you freeze. wait, he said 'my?'

+ and nagumo, his face creased with laughter, sees the cogs whir in your brain as you finally realise that he really just indirectly labelled you as his.

+ "don't tell me you've been ignoring me for that long."

+ and much to your dismay, it hits you that yeah, he's always been there. "wow! my (name) seems to like today's lunch! i don't see you here that often!" he once commented when you sat with him at the cafeteria. "the food's not always so great, but today seems ok."

+ or the other time when you had a first-year student schedule an appointment with you because he wanted advice for his weapons. nagumo saw him waiting outside your lab. "hmm, my (name) is a bit busy today! why don't you come back later?" he said while he was opening the door to waltz in, "ah! my (name) i've come to bother you!" he sang before slamming the door. you didn't manage to see the poor kid because nagumo took up your entire evening.

+ and you really did find yourself making a separate cabinet just for nagumo. even to this day, at the ripe age of 27, you made soothing creams for burns, motion sickness pills and gums for him to chew on for whenever osaragi would drive. his placement as an order member made him busier but never enough to keep him away from you. whenever you're at the clinic for your day-job, nagumo made frequent appearances. he'd lean on the front desk and request for his usual "lovely, lovely and beautifully perfected doctor," even when you're literally standing there, typing away at the computer. "yoichi, you're really doing this on my shift." it would never stop him. "i am your shift!"

+ he's surprisingly romantic for someone with little dating history. he's had a few girlfriends in the past but because of his occupation, they obviously don't last long. with you though? though not a fully-fledged assassin yourself, you're part of that world, his world, so you understand the burden and pressure that comes with it. just like nagumo is tasked with completing his missions with no mistakes, you're equally expected to never fail a surgery, always finish on time and come up with new ideas. it's a cycle where you both have each other backs.

+ like, as much as he jokes, he's very proud of your achievements. as an order member himself, he'd probably commission you a lot and if anyone needs surgical assistance or high-tech weapons, he'd be quick to mention your name. of course, he hesitates just a little because he doesn't want to share, but for the better of your work, he puts your name out there.

+ he doesn't get heavily injured because he's scarily skilled. his 'gold assassin's license' that he boasts about keeps him protected, but just to rile you up, he'd limp in through your clinic or house, crying for the kiss of the doctor that he's come to adore. if you're at the clinic, you need to appear more professional because you have people you see everyday watching you care for this grown ass man wailing his guts out. if you're at home, you're much more relaxed and honestly, so's nagumo as he leans into your delicate touch.

+ generally, he's so proud and whipped about the fact that you're a doctor and are so capable of doing what you do. he has extensive knowledge on poisons, so he tries to add his recommendations from time to time and he's grateful whenever you take it. on the rare case that you don't, he acts hurt, "oh . . . my (name) doesn't like my idea," and he'd jokingly mope until you kiss his ego better. anything can solve this man's problems if you silence him with a kiss.

+ sakamoto's like ". . . please tell me you did not get with nagumo," and nagumo finds this hilarious. he's like, "i have an idea! let's go on double dates with you, me, aoi and (name)!" to which sakamoto rejects. he doesn't mind the idea of you being friends with his wife, of course, but he doesn't want to take nagumo anywhere.

+ sometimes, he'd disguise himself as you and nonchalantly act as if he's doing chores in your house until you come back home. so when he sees you, he points and goes, "an imposter!" and at this point, you play along, "there's my doppelganger. can you give me back my boyfriend, please." and as soon as you say that, he transforms back and grabs you.

+ life with this mf is a wild ride, but honestly, you signed up for it, so good luck. once his eyes are set on someone, he goes all in and is not about to give it up. especially when he knows how serious you are about him and he is for you. a match made in heaven!

[itonashi]

hi. it's me. like im not back though. it's crazy low-key seeing people still reblogging my post even though i won't continue it especially the aqua x reader.

[delulu4anime]

Show Me Where The Delicate Stops

Pairings ❥ ꜰᴀᴋᴇ ʙꜰ!ꜱʜɪɴɪᴄʜɪʀᴏ ꜱᴀɴᴏ x ꜰᴀᴋᴇ ɢꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Summary ❥ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ ᴘʟᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴍɪᴋᴇʏ’ꜱ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ. ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴏ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜰᴀᴋᴇ ᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʜɪꜱ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ…ʀɪɢʜᴛ?

Trigger Warnings ❥ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ꜱᴏᴏɴ

Word Count ❥ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ꜱᴏᴏɴ

Author’s Note ❥ 🔞ᴍɪɴᴏʀꜱ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛ! ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴇʟʟʏꜰɪꜱʜ ꜱᴛɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʟᴇᴛʜᴀʟ. ᴇxɪᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇxʜɪʙɪᴛ ɴᴏᴡ🔞-ᴀꜱ ᴏꜰ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴡɪᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ꜱᴛᴀʏ ᴀ ᴡɪᴘ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ɪ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴛɪᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜ ɪᴛ. ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ. ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!

Show me those pretty white jaws, show me where the delicate stops/Show me what you've lost, and why you're always taking it slow/Show me what wounds you've got, and show me love

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴜꜱʜʀᴏᴏᴍ ᴊᴇʟʟʏꜰɪꜱʜ ᴇxʜɪʙɪᴛ

©ᴅᴇʟᴜʟᴜ4ᴀɴɪᴍᴇ 2025 ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛꜱ ʀᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

[mifvyfilms]

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ໒꒱ how the strawhats find out zoro has a lover

content ⸝⸝ roronoa zoro x fem ! reader , modern au , fluff

಄ the contact id ft. nami + brook

─── “you’re staying with zoro?” nami’s eyes darted around the apartment she found herself in. the space was small but warm, filled with zoro’s belongings.

brook strummed a lively tune on his guitar, his fingers dancing over the strings. “yohohoho!” he chimed. “only for this week, ‘cause of my tour!” he explained, already preparing to perform one of his signature songs for nami. he had invited her over since she happened to be in the same area, and given their close friendship, it felt only natural to share some music and catch up.

nami perched on the edge of zoro’s bed. across from her, brook settled onto a beanbag, his posture relaxed as he tuned his instrument. “so, where is zoro, anyway?” she asked, her eyes landing on the device still resting on his nightstand. “he left his phone here. did he say where he was going?”

brook paused mid-strum, his brow furrowing in thought. “he didn’t tell me anything! yohoho—he might just be out!” he declared, waving a hand as if dismissing the mystery. “now, let’s sing—!”

ding!

the sudden notification from zoro’s phone cut brook off mid-performance. nami couldn’t resist leaning over to glance at the screen. who could be messaging him?

mine ❤︎ : zoroooo are you here yet? mine ❤︎ : don’t make me wait so long 😔😔

nami’s eyes widened, her curiosity piqued. “who is ‘mine’?” she blurted out, her voice filled with surprise and intrigue.

brook set his guitar down carefully and leaned in to glance at the notification himself. “this is unbelievable!” he gasped, shocked. but before he could say another word, the apartment door swung open abruptly, revealing zoro, who looked like he was in a hurry.

nami and brook quickly averted their attention, scrambling back to their original spots as if they had never even glanced at the phone. they busied themselves—nami by casually adjusting her shirt, brook by pretending to retune his guitar—though their eyes kept darting toward zoro.

“hi, zoro.” nami greeted, waving with a forced casualness.

zoro raised a brow at her. “what are you doing here?”

“brook wanted me to hear one of his songs.” she replied smoothly. “you seem to be in a rush. where are you going?” she added, watching as he snatched his phone off the nightstand and run back to the door.

“somewhere.” was all he said, his tone clipped. the vague answer only deepened nami’s and brook’s suspicion. nami rubbed her chin, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried to piece together the mystery of the notification.

a thought swirled in her mind. she voiced the question more to herself than to brook. “a heart emoji with the name of ‘mine’… does zoro have a girlfriend he hasn’t told us about?”

brook gasped again, his eyes wide with disbelief. “no way! he couldn’t possibly keep a secret from us!”

nami deadpanned at her friend, unimpressed. “he definitely would. hmm. zoro doesn’t talk to many girls.”

“could it be robin?” brook watched as nami pulled out her phone, already scrolling through her contacts.

“i’m not sure,” she admitted. “but there’s only one way to find out.”

nami: hey robin, when was the last time you texted zoro?

robin: 8 days ago. did something happen?

nami: no i was just wondering 😅 nami: and thank you!

robin: no problem 😊

nami sighed, “i think it’s someone we don’t know.”

಄ the bookstore ft. nico robin

─── nico robin found herself at the bookstore. it was a place where she felt at ease. she had even grown fond of the other regulars and the librarians, exchanging pleasantries and recommendations with them over time. her fingers glided across the spines of the books, pausing only when her eyes landed on one she hadn’t yet explored.

she pulled it out, flipping open to the first page, when a familiar voice cut through her focus.

“zoro, should i get this one or this one?”

“zoro?” robin paused, she peeked through the small gap on the side of the bookshelf. there, standing on the other side, was zoro—his presence unmistakable even from a distance. beside him was someone she had never seen before. his arm was stretched up, reaching for a book on the top shelf.

he held it down for the unfamiliar girl standing next to him, their interaction more intimate than casual. robin’s eyes narrowed slightly as she observed them. when they both turned around, she quickly ducked back, ensuring they wouldn’t spot her through the gap.

“is that zoro’s friend?” she wondered, slowly standing back up to get a better view. she saw their shoulders brushing against each other, their postures relaxed.

“or girlfriend, perhaps?” the thought crossed her mind, though she couldn’t be sure. yet the way they stood so close, so comfortable with each other, made her wonder.

robin: sorry for this weird question nami, but do you know any girls with [hair color] [hair type] hair and [eye color] eyes?

nami: nopeeeee nami: what happened?

robin: i see zoro at the library i visit every week.

nami: …right now?

robin: yes. he’s with a woman i’ve never seen

nami: can you try taking a picture? i wanna see

robin: [ image.of.zoro.holding.books.and.the.girls.hand. ]

nami: HE REALLY DOES HAVE A GIRLFRIEND

robin: figured. they’re quite cute ☺️

nami: they are 😖😖 nami: should we tell the gc? nami: only us and brook know about it at the moment

robin: no, i think it’s best for them to figure it out themselves ;)

robin kept her gaze fixed on zoro, her curiosity lingering.

“what are you doing, robin?”

she spun around abruptly at the sound of the familiar voice. “saul!” she greeted, recognizing him instantly. “i’m looking for more books about ancient history.” she explained, her fingers still clutching the spine of the book she had pulled earlier.

“dereshishishi!” he chuckled, shaking his head. “you’ve practically checked them all out already!” he teased. “the girl who just left took the ones you most likely haven’t checked out yet.”

robin raised her brows in surprise. “oh? do you know her name?”

saul rubbed his temples, thinking. “it’s [first name] [last name]. she comes here pretty often as well.”

“can you text me when the books are available again?” robin asked, her voice polite but urgent.

"of course!" saul nodded.

“thank you so much.” she flashed him a warm smile and bowed slightly before turning toward the checkout counter.

robin: her name is [first name] [last name]

nami: YOU ALREADY FOUND OUT??????

಄ the hickeys ft. usopp

─── “it’s been a while since we drank, zoro! how have you been?” usopp giggled as he poured the mosshead a generous glass of sake. the liquid sloshed slightly as their glasses clinked together. they each took a small sip, the warmth of the alcohol spreading through them.

zoro rested his elbows on the wooden table, his expression unreadable. “i’ve been fine." he said, his voice low. “what about you? are you still participating in that slingshot contest?”

“yep!” usopp grinned, patting his biceps proudly. “luffy’s counting on me to win that unlimited meat stash. i can’t let him down!”

zoro didn’t waste a second. he picked up his glass again and chugged the rest of the sake down in one go, leaving usopp barely able to take his second sip. “that’s nice to hear.” he said, patting usopp’s shoulder. “if luffy’s counting on you, then i will too.” he flashed usopp a quick grin and motioned for him to refill his glass.

“so, what about you?” usopp asked, as he took his second sip. “what have you been up to lately?”

before usopp could even finish his sentence, zoro went ahead and downed his second glass in another swift motion. at this point, usopp wasn’t worried—it was normal for zoro to drink like a fish when he let loose.

the green-haired male pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on the wooden table between them. “nothing much.” he finally said. “just… boxing.”

usopp’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “you box now?” he exclaimed. “that’s so cool! no wonder i noticed your build’s gotten bigger!” unfortunately for usopp, he hadn’t realized his dear friend wasn’t technically telling the entire truth—yet.

“yeah." zoro continued, his tone casual. “it’s pretty fun once you get the hang of it—”

“wait, is that bruise on your neck from boxing?” usopp questioned, leaning in slightly to get a better look at the mark. “did someone hit there, trying to aim for your face?”

zoro’s hand shot up, clamping over the mark as he looked away, his expression suddenly guarded. “uh, yeah…” he muttered, finishing off his drink in one last gulp. “i have to go now. thanks for all this.”

“wait, what?” usopp protested, his eyes widening. “you just got here!”

usopp: NAMI !!!! ZORO WAS BEING WEIRD

nami: WHAT HAPPENED

usopp: i asked him if the bruise on his neck was from boxing and he said yes usopp: but when i leaned in to get a better look he started looking defensive and then left??? usopp: WE JUST STARTED DRINKING 💔☹️

nami: USOPP. THAT'S NOT JUST A BRUISE.

usopp: it's not???? then what is it???????

nami: a hickey. zoro has a girlfriend.

usopp: WHAT !?!?!?!?!?

಄ the amusement park ft. franky + chopper

─── “here you go, chopper!” franky bent down with a grin and handed chopper the fluffy pink cloud of cotton candy he had just bought from a vendor at the bustling amusement park. chopper’s eyes lit up as he clutched the stick, his small hooves barely able to wrap around it.

“thank you, franky!” he cheered, taking tiny bites as they strolled past the rows of rides that didn’t catch their interest.

then, chopper’s gaze locked onto something far more thrilling—a towering rollercoaster twisting through the air with multiple loops. he gasped, pointing with one hoove. “franky! i wanna go on that one!” he exclaimed.

franky adjusted his sunglasses, sliding them up to rest on his forehead as he surveyed the ride. “are you sure you can handle that?” he teased, raising an eyebrow. “it’s pretty high for someone small like you.”

chopper didn’t let his height—or the daunting drops—deter him. “i don’t mind! it looks like so much fun!” he declared, already darting toward the entrance of the line. the two of them took their place among the other visitors, waiting for the current riders to finish.

“hey, hey, franky…” chopper tugged at franky’s pants. “isn’t that zoro?” he craned his neck upward, spotting a familiar head of bright green hair near the front of the line.

franky whipped his head in that direction, squinting against the sunlight. “oh, yeah. you’re right.” he murmured. “who’s that girl he’s with?”

unable to contain his excitement, chopper started jumping up and down. “zoro! zoro!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, waving his cotton candy stick wildly. zoro instinctively turned at the sound of his name, and for a split second, chopper grinned triumphantly—until zoro’s eyes widened in panic. without a word, he yanked the girl’s arm and bolted, disappearing into the crowd in a flash.

chopper tilted his head. “huh? why didn’t he say hi back to us?” he wondered aloud, his voice tinged with confusion. zoro had vanished so quickly, it was like he’d never been there at all.

franky blinked. “was he on a date?”

“dunno.” chopper replied, shrugging as he took the last bite of his cotton candy. “but they were holding hands.” he tossed the empty stick over his shoulder—only for it to bonk a random guy standing behind them.

robin: hope you're having fun! robin: how's chopper? ^_^

franky: superrrrrr as always franky: we just saw zoro

robin: oh? was he with anyone?

franky: some girl with [hair color] hair franky: i've never seen her around

robin: ah, i see robin: just know that zoro started his romance story

franky: hahahaaa we're the background characters then

franky tucked his phone into his pocket and rubbed his chin with his free hand. “i guess zoro has a girlfriend now.” he mused.

಄ the restaurant ft. monkey d. luffy + jinbe

─── since ace was out of town visiting yamato, luffy and jinbe decided to try a restaurant ace had recommended before his trip. jinbe had gently reminded luffy to keep his usual boisterous energy in check, just to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. but, as always, luffy couldn’t resist being himself—the moment the waiter led them to their table, he giggled loudly, his excitement bubbling over as his eyes locked onto the meat section of the menu.

“meat, meat, meat, meat!” he chanted with joy. (boy 😳)

jinbe chuckled, shaking his head. “more meat? even after usopp won you that unlimited meat supply?”

“it’s meat!” luffy reasoned, his hands clasped together like he was praying. “i want every piece on the menu!”

content to simply watch, jinbe didn’t bother ordering anything for himself. he leaned back in his seat as luffy chattered excitedly about random topics, his attention drifting between the menu and the tv screens above them, which were broadcasting sports matches.

the waiter approached, standing politely at the end of their table. “what would you like to order?”

“everything that has meat!” luffy declared instantly, not even pausing to consider the waiter’s stunned reaction.

jinbe glanced up at the waiter, signaling that he was fine with just water. as the waiter left, luffy’s eyes darted to the tv screens. unlike him, jinbe noticed the people sitting at the table next to them. “is that you, zoro?”

luffy’s ears perked up at the name. “zoro? where?” he asked, his head swiveling left and right in search of his friend.

“right there.” jinbe said, subtly pointing.

luffy’s eyebrows shot up, his face lighting up with excitement. “zoro! what are you doing here? i haven’t seen you in ages! wanna combine tables?”

finally spotted by his two longtime friends, zoro dropped his hands, which had been doing a poor job of hiding his face. “hi. luffy.” he grumbled, his voice tinged with resignation.

“you go to this place and never told me?!”

“well—”

“how’ve you been? man, we really need to catch up!”

“uh—”

“and who’s that girl you’re with?”

“…”

zoro’s silence spoke volumes. he sighed, glancing at jinbe with a pleading look—basically begging him to intervene and calm luffy down. jinbe nodded, stepping in. “luffy, zoro is on a date and needs to focus—”

zoro’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and he quickly reached for his wallet to pay the bill.

“a date?!” luffy’s jaw dropped.

zoro grabbed the girl’s hand and bolted for the exit. jinbe and luffy blinked at each other, watching zoro’s retreating figure disappear out the door.

“did we do something wrong?” luffy asked, his voice small.

“we interrupted his date."

಄ the group chat ft. sanji vinsmoke

─── as zoro’s self-proclaimed ‘frenemy’, sanji was the last one to find out about the relationship zoro had somehow gotten himself into. the crew had made a silent pact—no one dared utter a single word about it to sanji, knowing full well how he’d react. they believe it was best for sanji to uncover the truth on his own.

and, of course, he did find out—eventually.

all thanks to luffy.

luffy: who wants to hangout!

usopp: mememememeee!!!

robin: sounds lovely robin: i'm down

nami: YES! nami: i haven't seen you guys in ages! 🥺🥺🥺

franky: superrrrr awesome idea

brook: yohohoho! when i get back in town!

jinbe: 👍

chopper: YIPPEEE

zoro: ok

luffy: hey zoro! why dont you bring that girl jinbe and nami and franky and chopper and robin and usopp said was your girlfriendddddd

sanji: WHAT sanji: THAT THING HAS A GIRLFRIEND????? sanji: the hangout is tomorrow.

𑣲₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ how long it took the strawhats to find out about zoro’s ‘secret’ relationship

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ໒꒱ team detectives: 15 days nami , brook , nico robin

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ໒꒱ team clueless: 21 days usopp

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ໒꒱ team cotton candy: 32 days franky , chopper

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ໒꒱ team portgas d. ace is my goat: 40 days monkey d. luffy , jinbe

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ໒꒱ team mosshead hater: 62 days sanji vinsmoke 💢

authors note. 2.7k words... if you see a spelling/grammar error shhh no you don’t 🤫🤫🤫 ARE WE SEEING THE NEW OP CHAPTER???? 💔💔💔💔 *SPOILERS* ⬇️⬇️⬇️‼️‼️‼️⚠️⚠️⚠️

© MIFVYFILMS please do not copy, repost as your own, or translate MASTER-LIST.

[bird-butch-moved]

being doomed by the narrative is cool and all but i like when a character is doomed just by being a fucking idiot. sorry that happened to you but it is entirely your own fault and you could have just chosen to not do all that

[yuzukombucha]

Corrupted order

Qifrey X Knights Moralis gn!reader

This is my first time writing a fanfic, so tips and corrections are appreciated! <3

English isn’t my first language, so apologies for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Not proofread!

“There have been reports about a suspicious white haired witch.. Inspect his atelier and find out what the hell he is up to again.”

Cw: Sexual tension?.. maybe. Half serious/half not Uhh is Easthies a warning himself or? (Nahh jk I love this man so expect Easthies fics). No smut, will be in part 2 :P Probably Ooc apologies XD.

==================================

The tall windows in your office ratter from the storm rummaging through the vast sea surrounding the great hall, the sound awakening you from your supposedly “short“ nap. Debating if sleeping a few more minutes will get you in trouble, your thoughts are interrupted by furious knocking on the door. You don’t even bother to see who’s barging in, it’s always the same idiot, Easthies.

“Lieutenant! This is the nth time you’ve been sleeping on the job!“ Easthies exclaims loudly in an annoyed tone.

Slowly rising from your oh so comfy chair, you walk towards the tall windows and turn towards Easthies

“I don’t see an issue with it, anything rarely happens, hm?“ You retort back.

Easthies sighs loudly and places a stack of reports on your desk, muttering something about a white haired witch..

“There’s no point in continuing this debate. A few reports have mentioned suspicious activity in an atelier located outside the great hall.“ Easthies mentions while walking toward the door.

“Suspicious activity?“ You repeat in a skeptical tone.

Easthies stops at the doorway and turns to look at you with deadpan expression.

“Yes, that damn witch is always up to something, Perform an inspection and figure what the hell he’s done this time.“

You walk towards your desk and scan the report, spotting a familiar name, Qifrey..

“Perform an inspection.. right..“ Standing outside the atelier, you straighten the jacket of your Knights Moralis uniform. You ponder for a bit which door is the main one.. Quite interesting house layout. Finally gathering up the courage to knock, a young green haired girl answers the door. The girl is absolutely terrified after seeing you, you can’t be that scary can you?

“Hello, is Qifrey here?“ You ask and try to smile, but that seems to scare the girl even more.

Not even having a chance to say anything else, a white haired man appears at the door.

“Hm? What brings the Knights Moralis here? The man asks in a monotone voice.

Qifrey, the man you last saw when you both were kids, you quickly scan him from head to toe and furrow your brows. God he’s tall..

“I was ordered to perform an inspection on your atelier.“ You respond while eyeing him with no shame, he’s quite an eye candy…

‘’An inspection, for what reason?” He chuckles nervously and eyes you for a mere second. You’re sure that you saw a tiny smirk.

“We received reports stating suspicious activity was noticed in your atelier. It was anonymous, so I can’t state anything else.”

Qifrey hesitantly lets you in and follows you like a mosquito, while you scan the rooms for anything out of the ordinary. He really does remind you of a mosquito, whining into your ear about everything you inspect or do. “No don’t touch that!” “Be careful with that, it’s a rare find!” Or “Do you really have you rummage through everything?”

While inspecting a pile of books, his hand accidentally brushes against yours. You jolt and look towards him. The tips of his ears turn pink and you swear you saw him gulp. Occupying himself with something, you make your way upstairs. He quickly rushes to follow you like a damn lost puppy.

You sigh after he forbids you from entering supposedly his room, you try to push past but no avail as he stands like a rock at the door.

“For god’s sake, do not interfere with my job, it’s just a mere inspection.” You complain in an annoyed tone and cross your arms.

“How is it even legal for a Knight of Moralis to rummage through someone’s home like that?! Qifrey exclaims frustrated while staring straight into your soul with those ice like eyes.

“I have every right for it, if any suspicion is expressed, it has to be investigated. Now please get out of my way and obey, or you will get written up.” You furrow your brows and shove him out of the way.

Finally stepping inside his room, you scan the room and immediately notice a plethora of complex spells drawn into a notebook. You pick up the notebook and try to inspect it before it suddenly gets snatched away from you.

“Give that back right this instant!” You say loudly and go after Qifrey who’s slowly backing up to the door.

“This is absurd! You have no right to go through my personal belongings!” Qifrey complains and holds the notebook up high.

“Personal belongings? That definitely isn’t a personal diary!? A notebook full of on the verge of legal spells!” You corner him towards his desk and try to snatch the book back. Your attempt fails and you crash on top of Qifrey, the two of you knock ink bottles and stack of books to the floor. You attempt to rise, but you’re instead flipped around and pinned to the desk.

“Wha- what are you doing?!” You stutter and huff at the pose you’re in.

“Retrieving my personal diary back.” Qifrey exclaims, you can basically hear the smirk in his tone. You grab his chin and press your thumb against his lips to wipe that damn smirk of his face.

“Obey my commands or get written up, which is it hm?” You try to act nonchalant, even though your heart is beating out of your chest. Qifrey’s glasses are a bit fogged up and his hair is sticking to his face, what a sight.. Your gawking is interrupted by a knock at the door, you both quickly scramble off each other.

“Master Qifrey! Tetia came across a stray cat and took it home!” Qifrey sighs and quickly rushes downstairs, leaving you alone is his room. Searching his room you find nothing suspicious, except the drawings of course. You take your notepad and write up “Suspicion was false.”

Leaning against your chair, you ponder and gaze at the vast sea surrounding the great hall. That blue color reminds you of that witch, who intrigues you quite much.

==================================

Thank you for reading! Reblogs, comments and likes appropriated! <3

Using my works for training AI or anything related to AI is strictly prohibited

[cas-ad-astra]

Hii! I heard you take requests

So like, imagine qifrey and fem!reader as children. Reader is Beldaruit’s daughter but didn’t study under her father because she didn’t want to be accused of nepotism or something, so she studied under another atelier. But her master was a predator and stuff and she was sa’d, and was always stuck in the atelier—never really knowing what freedom felt. Now imagine if she and Qifrey met (thanks to Beldaruit) and they grew closer and reader confessing that Qifrey made her realize what freedom really is 🥹 honestly it’s basically a love confession at this point

I HOPE ITS UNDERSTANDABLE 🙏 If you don’t like this request or uncomfortable with the topic, then you can just ignore this :)) it’s just something I made up in a whim hehe. I really love you work sm!🫶

〈 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 〉

╰┈➤ Thank you so much for your request! I'll preface this by confessing this turned out to be lengthier than originally planned! I mostly glossed over the idea of a phyisically assaulted character, theres a passage that is suggestive ("Your first master tried to do unspeakable things to you") as I want my work to be as accessible as possible, the written behavior is easily explained by being isolated and held to unachievable expectations! Still, I sincerely hope you will enjoy my take on your request as I had an immensely good time getting lost in the story! ♡ Perhaps you could give a little feedback if the read was fun! ♡ (PS I'm also inclined to write a smutty follow-up if this is something anyone would enjoy.. ♡)

◍ synopsis: “You only ever see imperfections.” A breathy whisper placed on your lips. “I see all the pieces you think make you underserving of love and I promise to cherish each and every one of them.” ✎ word count: 2610 ♡ characters: qifrey • reader ⟡ tags: hurt/comfort • romance • love confessions • touch-starved • reader insert

A year. Twelve months. Fifty-two weeks. Three hundred and sixty-five days. Eight thousand seven hundred and sixty hours. Five hundred twenty-five thousand and six hundred minutes. Numbers marking your new beginnings, a blank canvas, a fresh start you dreamt of in your darkest hours.

The daughter of the sage of teaching – a title that came and still comes with many expectations. u had been determined to study under anyone but your father. Looking back, though, you often found yourself wishing you had simply remained his little girl. That you had never grown up. Never experienced what followed.

Your first master tried to do unspeakable things to you which rewarded him with a fate far crueler than being stripped of memories and shipped off to a distant land. What he left behind was a girl who would spend years wondering whether she could ever truly trust again.

Your second master had the highest, almost unachievable expectations of upon hearing you were Beldaruits offspring, and yet you could never truly fulfill any of them. He demanded perfection and each failure resulted in failing to live up to your father’s name. Years that should’ve been spent gathering practical experience or traversing the outdoors in search of adventures were spent in the great hall. The library was your only approved destination.

On visits to your father, you simply lied. You spoke enthusiastically about your teacher and your progression as a witch. Anything to prevent being the root of the slightest hint of concern on your father’s mind, especially regarding your experience with your first apprenticeship.

Your current master was an exceptional witch, but his lessons rarely ventured beyond anything other than theory with practical classes being held in the great hall along with the same peers, each and every time. You didn’t spend time with any of them outside of your studies, you didn’t see the need or want of building lasting relationships. It was unfortunate but nothing could be done and your first experience shaped you into someone closed off, distrustful and distant.

Even after passing your second and third test, the wall around you remained the same – inside and outside. You were stuck looking at fish and handed another stack of books.

It’s taken a whole hour upon finally graduating from your teacher’s side for you to gather your belongings packed in advance and flee the great hall. Leaving behind everything you’ve ever known with your head in the clouds of becoming a teacher yourself, one your students would love studying under.

Your father was truly ecstatic when you confided in him. A broad smile lingering on his lips, a proud one. He suggested you stay with his former student who achieved the very goal you set for yourself. You were intrigued, his name – Qifrey – echoed through the entirety of the great hall laced with rumors and ill-will. With a combination of skepticism and the refreshing enthusiasm of new beginning you agreed.

And now it’s already been a full year of being with Qifrey. And what a year it has been.

He never cared about your familiar relations and status; he let you discover parts of yourself without any hint of prejudice.

As you lie beneath the stars you feel a lightness traveling throughout your body, dread mingling with fascination. A combination of realizing the vastness of our universe and the sheer limitless opportunities to discover; the universe, the earth, the seas, the mountains, the land, the dunes – discover yourself. Since the very second you arrived and set a step outside in the wide outdoors of what would be Qifreys atelier you felt entirely grounded, a contentless you hadn’t experienced ever before spread inside you.

Qifrey encouraged you finding a magic that is entirely you, a magic only you could create. He never pressured you, ever so patient. You passed the fourth test, prepared for the second, shared the same birth year; you weren’t his apprentice but at times you still felt like you learnt more in a year than in all the years studying under your master.

Knowing a vast number of spells is important, flexibility is given. So many hours spent studying all kinds of spells, history and controlling the elements, you knew quite a lot of everything but perfecting one branch wasn’t in your cards until then. You simply weren’t allowed to truly find yourself. A jack of trades, master of none – better than master of one; it never applied to you. You felt stuck in a magic being taught and not felt.

In retrospect you never truly felt yourself, never got to discover what makes you whole. You had a title to your name and traumatic past; your personality was assumed without an exchange of words. A child prodigy laced with unvoiced loathing. Yet, Qifrey let yourself be discovered by himself.

Relying on him was a difficult task, you lost your basic sense of trust decades ago. Through his continuous acts of kindness, reassurance and unconditional acceptance you found progressively more faith in him. Each word and every action led you right to this point.

You spent countless hours lying under the ancient canopies sprawling out above you but for the first time you shared this moment with Qifrey. The blanket you brought outside with you barely fits the two of you, yet you strangely don’t mind. You always kept your safe distance, until now. Perhaps it’s the way he asked you for permission to lie on his blanket, in his garden; to be close to you. Always asking, never questioning.

Your shoulders almost touch while you keep glancing over, your inner debate of whether you want this to happen or not is ever so present. Sorting your emotions is a difficult task and your uneasiness is clearly visible in your confession. Qfrey noticed, too. He sits up, body turned to you as he looks you straight in the eyes. He left his glasses inside, it’s the first thing you notice, the second being how mesmerizing he looks with the soft moonlight hitting his waxen skin. The latter is followed by an alarming realization spreading in your abdomen. You stare at him in disbelief, as you’ve only ever read about this sensation in books and you truly didn’t believe it to be true.

“Is everything alright?” Concern clear in his voice. You nod. “Was I too close? Did I accidentally touch you? I can lea-“ Qifreys ramblings were cut short with you shaking your head timidly.

A minute passed gazing into each other’s eyes, neither wanting to break the silence or finding the right words. You can’t bear the stillness; it creates a dreading and suspenseful feeling.

As you consider pushing yourself from the ground in a sitting position, desperately wanting to flee the situation creating progressively more emotions you have experienced in the past two decades, a timid whisper echoes through the night. “May I hold your hand?”

The world stops for a moment before spinning out of control, the lightheadedness inside you spreading. Not knowing how to react, you focus solely on him. Qifrey has averted his gaze, seemingly ashamed and nervous altogether while you keep watching him motionless in time.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t... I shouldn’t have asked. I should’ve known bett-“ You interrupt him for the second time tonight, with a hand placed on his. You press your eyes shut, it’s been years since deliberately touching someone else, as you avoided all kinds of physical touch even shaking hands.

A burning sensation lingers on the skin of your fingers, still he feels cold. You feel flushed and agitated, the hint of confidence from a moment ago gone. Still, you gather what little courage is left and open your eyes, just to peek. What awaits you is an equally nervous Qifrey, skin glowing in an equal blush of pink, the faintest smile on his lips.

“Tell me if you want me to stop and be honest, please.” The emphasized lying on the plea strengthens your trust in him as you let him take your hand in his. Albeit all the hard work around the atelier and garden on top of spellwork and assisting Olly, his fingers feel incredibly soft, tips forever tainted by light hues of ink. The hands creating magic you feel deeply connected to, the kind of spells leaving you in awe because of their sincerity. The hands of the one and only witch making you fall in love with spellcrafting in whole new ways.

You certainly don’t want him to stop holding your hand. The newfound closeness creating a strange feeling of comfort you haven’t felt until this very moment.

Growing a little bolder you move just a few inches closer resulting in your shoulders touching. Your blush creeping to frame your cheeks and ears in an entirely new shade of red.

“Thank you for trusting me.” A whisper told an inch too close to your ear. It sends shivers down your spine in all the right ways, the uneasy feeling in your stomach changing into a far more pleasant than you expected. It feels nice but you aren’t sure you even earned this feeling. Praise has always been something that came along with the addition of still needing to be better, faster, stronger – study harder. Nothing you ever did was ever quite enough but with Qifrey it was entirely different. He often showered you with praise and handled you with grace.

He never broke a single boundary. Always asking, never questioning.

Time taught you to trust him. Which is precisely why you dare to take another step. You roll on your side facing Qifrey. The night sky stretches far and wide while you lie beneath the stars in the cold late summer air. He mimics your movement, never letting go of your hand. He moves them to rest just below the height of your necks. When he intertwines his fingers with you a new wave of emotions hit you creating a nervous smile on your lips.

Qifrey frees your fingers from his own and a quiet sound of disappointment follows but is quickly met by consolation in form of his lips placed on the back of your hand. Until now you didn’t realize just how little space is left between your bodies. His lips touching the skin of your hand feel incredibly soft. Your vision is focused on his mouth while he never averts his focus from you, always searching for a single hint of discomfort.  

A lingering smile as he takes a few moments for you to sort your thoughts. You don’t show any signs of panic or recoil because right now there is only space for pure, unfiltered joy – one you didn’t feel in forever. A realization hitting you – this is freedom.

Freedom is lying underneath the stars on a random Tuesday, holding hands with the witch you are unbelievably infatuated with.

A second realization hitting you. This is love. The one you read about in books you hid underneath your bed because fiction was deemed unworthy under your master. You used to daydream about a starring role in romance. You often thought about being capable of experiencing a positive emotion as heavy and yet, here you are.

You wonder if Qifrey feels the same, perhaps it’s entirely platonic. An answer followed promptly with kisses to each fingertip starting with the smallest. He takes his time, savoring every fleeting moment.

“These fingers are meant to create wonders, not doubt in yourself.” He presses a lingering kiss to the center of your palm. “These hands possess the power to change your fate.” His lips brush against the inside of your wrist, just moments long enough to feel the quickening of your pulse beneath his touch. A gentle smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “Magic flows through these very veins.” The faintest whisper escaping him, his thumb tracing the delicate lines of your hand. “I long for the day you see yourself through my eyes.”

You stare in disbelief, processing the content of the spoken confessions until you feel an unfamiliar burning sensation in your eyes. Tears forming, tears you didn’t think you could emit. “May I?”

Always asking, never questioning.

Qifreys thumb glides across your cheeks to catch the ones escaping your eyes. He hushes you, whispers the softest words of encouragement, only intensifying the sensation. Decades of emotions stashed under a façade progressively crumbling and now they are bursting at the seams, each and every single suppressed feeling surfacing at once. It feels nothing short of overwhelming.

It’s a reflex, it has to be – another explanation isn’t realistic. You closed the distance between your bodies and buried your face in his chest. It feels neither right, nor wrong. Qifrey is certainly as surprised as you seem about your own actions, still his hands find their way on your back resting their motionless, contemplating permission.

You let yourself be held while your tears fell flawlessly wetting his shirt while apologizing profusely in between heart wrenching sobs. “Promise me you’ll stop apologizing for openly showing your feelings.” A stuttering exhale followed by seeking eye contact is what marks another new beginning. Qifreys words echo in your mind creating yet another glimmer of hope.

Being held is astonishing, a warm and comforting sensation creating a fuzzy feeling in your stomach. You don’t remember hugs feeling this safe and soothing. Qifreys arms around you are the calm after the tempest within yourself. He truly feels like the peace you always dreamt of. You never thought you’d find freedom in a person and still, he’s right here arms wrapped around you while silent tears keep falling.

For once in your life, you don’t feel like hiding yourself, you want to be seen by him. Stripped of each and every layer you built, peeled until there is only you left. Vulnerable. Your eyes never leave his while Qifrey face leaves a hint of hesitation in his expression which is only amplified by his sharp inhale.

Your lips meet for just a fleeting moment.

Qifrey looks seemingly distressed about his sudden action, clearly despising himself for acting impulsively. You can’t take the horrified expression on his face especially when his concerns are unfounded. After all, you both spent three hundred sixty-five days together, never missing a single one. You both learned about each other’s mannerisms, learned to interpret your body language and speech patterns. How you truly felt beneath simple words was obvious to you.

A scorching hot sensation tucked in your ribcage, expressing elation to the point of bursting.

Leaning back in to lock your lips with his. A lingering kiss fading the world around you. Jolts of lightning surging through your body, an enchanting feeling you’ve never felt as intensely as of right now.

Your key to freedom isn’t finding yourself, it’s losing yourself to him; rebuilding and reconstructing you in the process. Insecurity and paranoia will be a constant companion as you move forward. Until now every delight led to despair, every elation was met with humiliation.

Trying to avoid the feelings of negativity tainting your thoughts, the kiss turns more desperate only breaking apart to catch your breath. Qifreys lips feel contradicting, intoxicating and addicting but also comforting and hopeful. Vulnerable, a feeling you have explored countless times, yet you were only met with malice.

Your past experiences with human connections left you feeling inadequate, inferior and unworthy of even an ounce of affection. When you’ve only ever been shown shame and disgrace it slowly becomes your personality; and change is difficult. Still, you dare to hope.

“You only ever see imperfections.” A breathy whisper placed on your lips.

“I see all the pieces you think make you underserving of love and I promise to cherish each and every one of them.”

[mydearlybeloathed]

── 𝐀 𝐅𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: law makes the mistake of rescuing a strange woman from kidnappers. now, his crew is one person too many. it doesn't help that she won't tell him why she was kidnapped.

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: law x mermaid!reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 12k

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: mermaid!reader, law maaaay be ooc at times? no sure, reader likes her men unhinged

𝐚/𝐧: hello, lynn here :) it's been a min, college is taking me out

You met him by chance, as most meetings begin. Really, it should’ve ended like that too. A chance encounter between a sailor and a mermaid—but this wasn’t any sailor, and it wasn’t any mermaid.

It happened as his submarine docked for supplies, his crew fanning out through the alleys and markets of a bustling city each with their assigned grocery list. Trafalgar Law himself walked purposefully through the streets, moving further from the water as he weaved in and out of the crowd.

He knew where to go. He and Bepo had marked this island specifically for one item in particular. A good supply of antiseptic was vital to any pirate crew constantly getting maimed and skewered, and as a doctor, it was just common sense to keep it around. Running out wasn’t exactly an end-all, but Law would rather have too much than risk his crew’s health.

The store should be on the next street, right on the corner if his directions were right. Law thought he could see the sign for the drugstore swinging in the midday wind just up ahead, but something shiny caught his eye. His eyes snapped to the right automatically, just slow enough that he didn’t catch it, so he kept on walking without a care in the world.

You, however, were not so fortunate. The ropes binding your wrists burned from how you’d been fighting against them. Your captors just tightened the ropes every time you made progress, making sure the blindfold was still covering your eyes, the cloth tied around your mouth still keeping you quiet. As if it mattered if you were bound, those sick bastards kept tossing water on you every time your scales tried to sink into your skin and reveal two human legs.

And to think all you’d wanted was to try an apple. You’d only parted from your guard for a moment, and boom. Kidnapped. Your father was right. Men were dicks.

The gag choked your words, but not the feral growls you released from the pit of your chest, and despite the blindfold you could feel the way the wagon they carted you in rattled across the cobblestone ground. If anyone looked close enough they might’ve seen the end of your shiny scales peeking out from underneath the sackcloth, just like the doctor nearly had, his eyes catching the pearly gleam before he tripped on a loose cobblestone and the cart rolled out of sight.

The fear was starting to close in.

A kick to your side shut you up momentarily. A sharp, ugly voice hissed down at you, “Pipe down, fishy.”

If anything your snarl deepened. You waited for another blow, but all you received was a humorous scoff, like he thought you were funny. Anger coiled tightly round your heart and crawled its way into your head. If only you could get free… they would learn why mermaids grew to have fangs.

The cart came to a stop, the chatter of the market softer, further away now. Your heart pounded in your chest as your captors shuffled around, removing the sackcloth in a swoop. Your skin crawled as their hands closed in on you, picking you up like a sack of potatoes, tossing you over a boney shoulder that dug into your side.

You managed to force the gag over your lips and slide it over your chin, yet right as you prepared to scream, your brother’s voice came to you. As fascinated as you are, humans are fascinated by you dangerously more. You had thought him foolish, that he was intimidated. Now you saw he was right. There must be good humans out there, there were too many odds to say they didn’t exist… but you couldn’t risk that. Not now.

So you sank your teeth into the man’s shoulder as deep as they could go, as hard as you could bite. He nearly threw you to the ground, shouting a curse you didn’t understand, but then his grip tightened as something hard hit the back of your head.

“Shit,” the voice snarled. “The money better be worth it.”

“It will,” said another. “Mer-mies ‘re rare. Folks pay a pretty penny for ‘em.”

The way they talked, the way they handled you like a commodity. It sickened you. 

“You’re animals,” you hissed, soft yet sharp enough to be caught. The two men closest burst into an insulting amount of laughter. A hand patted your back. They didn’t dignify you with a response. 

The sound of a door opening. Voices you didn’t care to decipher from one another. The door shutting, locking. Every sound blended together now, your brain exhausted, your body close to giving up. Perhaps your family would be free of the worry you caused them now, worry you now knew was not in vain. 

You winced as your scales retreated into your skin, the transformation protecting your tail from drying out. The painful separation into two human legs went unhindered. Maybe your captors didn’t care to keep you lame anymore—maybe they could tell you’d given up.

The room was silent save for the deep mouth-breathing of the maybe four men who had brought you there. Another presence made himself known with a slow breath in and a heavy exhale, the scent of smoke soon curling up your nostrils. Footsteps drew closer until a coarse hand gripped your chin, tilting your head left and right, pulling down your lip to glimpse your fangs. You jerked to bite him, but all he did was whip away and laugh.

“Tempestuous,” he mused softly. “Like the sea. Never thought I’d see one in person. You normally stick to the depths.”

It took you too long to realize he’d spoken to you, your eyes widening behind the blindfold. You seized the chance to converse after so many hours of neglect, recalling something a sailor once said to his superior in a fury. “Fuck you.”

Chuckles erupted all around the room, your face burning in embarrassment despite the fire in your gut.

“Get ‘er some clothes,” the man, assumedly the leader, snapped. “We shouldn’t leave a lady in undress.”

The blindfold slid down your face when a shirt was pulled over your head, your untied hands shoved through the sleeves, a pair of trousers then tightened round your waist. You blinked fast, the light casting a dark film over your sight as your eyes adjusted. The room was long but thin, probably squeezed into a row of shops. The floor was dusted with sand and dirt, the tables littered with crates and boxes of assorted goods. 

Pretty crystals, shiny goblets, jars of scales you’d rather not think about too deeply. All of this and more took up most of the room, but peculiarly, one table housed rows of vials containing various liquids. Syringes sat crystal-clean beside them, swabs and bandages too. Your line of sight was blocked suddenly by a man more lanky than the rest, his proportions less balanced than most humans you’d seen. His eyes seemed too small for his face.

His face twisted into a sneer. “Shut up!” 

Oops. Had you said that out loud? He scoffed and shoved you down onto a crate near the back of the room where they could watch you carefully. “Just sit there an’ look pretty, eh?”

You rolled your eyes as far as they could go, looking anywhere but his growing smirk. Running your mouth would only get you so far. You wouldn’t last long surrounded by these traders, your fate uncertain. A thought tugged at your brain, luring you closer to a resolve the more it festered. 

You could always sing. The least they could do was kill you. The most you could do was kill them. Worst case… You huffed. You were already there. Yet, you’d never done anything of that sort before. Your mother hadn’t really taught you how to lure men to their deaths. She was one of those forward-thinkers who called it a dead practice. Your clan was pretty much the same. You could start singing and nothing would happen and they’d all laugh in your face. 

The bell at the front of the shop jingled pleasantly. Every man stiffened instantly, their eyes darting to their leader. He was the picture of confidence as he smoothed out his jacket and shot his right hand man a grin. “He must be early. Make sure our guest stays put.”

He? Your heart quickened as the man disappeared into the front room. Casting the remaining men a scathing glance, you decided that any consequence was better than doing nothing. 

So you took a deep breath.

જ ⁀ ➴

Law shoved the door open and stepped out of the sun quickly, shifting his leopard print hat to relieve the sweat building on his neck. His eyes adjusted to the room slowly. The shop was humble, dimly lit by three lanterns just enough to illuminate the counter and the shelves lining every wall. Humble and dirty too. 

He examined a row of bottles, all unlabeled, all similar in pale color. How exactly did these people organize? Law picked one up and swirled it around, squinting to try to identify it. He knew this shop had it. Bepo had called to make sure. He sighed and set the bottle back. This meant one thing: he would have to talk to the clerk.

A man clad in clothes screaming faux-wealth swiftly came to greet him, his face shining as he set his hands on the wooden countertop. 

“Greetings,” he simpered. “How was your arrival?”

His brow rose just slightly. “Fine. Listen, I called on the den-den earlier. I’m here for—”

“No need to, uh, mention the product, sir.” The man nodded to himself, folding his arms. “I run a tight ship here and tight lips are my sails.”  He leaned in conspiratorially with a sly grin. “But I’m sure you do as well, Mr. Calloway.”

Law blinked slowly and came to a decision. This idiot was obviously doing some shady shit, and he thought Law was yet another idiot. He could scoff and ask for what he needed, pay, then get the hell out.

Or… he could be curious.

“I do,” Law grunted. “Do me a favor, though. Don’t interrupt me again.”

The man in front of him buffered, his shoulders falling as if he was trying to look smaller in the face of Law’s intimidating stature. The surgeon’s ego only increased a little bit.

“S–Sorry, sir. ‘Was only trying to joke,” his laugh faded quickly, his smile strained. “I was rather stressed until now. My men were cutting it close with the transport from our barge. But! They came through, as always.”

He spoke with the air of a man who knew what he was doing, however much of a rat he smelled like. Whatever product this was, he knew the gravity of his business. Law nodded stiffly and cast another look around the room. “Hmm. Throw in some antiseptic while you’re at it. Some of my group got injured on the journey. Wanna stay prepared.”

The “clerk” didn’t even question it, his face lighting up. He scurried from behind the counter to grab three bottles from the highest shelf, returning with a giddy smile. “I completely understand. On the house.”

Law accepted bottles a bit too greedily, a grin sliding up his face. “I couldn’t.”

“You’ve lined my pockets enough, Mr. Calloway,” the man laughed. “Why don’t we just step into the back? The boys—”

The sudden sound of a crash followed by a booming voice shouting expletives did nothing but spike Law’s concern. The man at his side scoffed beneath his breath and started forward with an exasperated,  “What now…”

Law had what he needed. He had a perfect out. No need to dirty his hands. No need to get into unnecessary fights. Nicely wrapped up. He was halfway out the door when he heard another voice—sharper, wounded.

His feet moved before his head, carrying him forcefully into the back of the shop, the curtain dividing the two rooms swept out of his way. A figure lay collapsed on the ground, hands braced on the dirt floor, their eyes wild, fierce, afraid. 

You shot up onto your knees, teeth bared in something like a hiss, fingernails clawing at the dirt. A man gripped the back of your head and pulled at your hair, ignoring how you jerked away like you didn’t care about the sting on your scalp.

“You stupid fish!” He laughed in your face, shooting his boss a look of hilarity. “She tried singin’, charmin’ us.” With a shove you were back on your side. “Useless wench couldn’t even pull it off. Just a small tingle in the head. Ha!”

Fire lit in your chest, you lunged out, legs propelling you upward. Your hands gripped the man’s neck sharply, dragging him down, your nails breaking skin as your teeth sank down on his shoulder. He yowled underneath you, kicking your chest and flipping you over his head. Back hitting the ground, you heaved for air, just about to lick the blood from your fangs when another man reeled back to drive his boot into your chest. You didn’t have a chance to think before you were enveloped in warm light.

“Room.”

And suddenly, you’re safe, you think. 

The broad back of yet another stranger loomed in front of you, his hand outstretched powerfully. A sword rested on his hip. A dark scowl contorted his face. All you could do was stare at what you could see of his profile, how his jaw set perfectly, his hair peeking out from under a silly hat…

He was the type of human you’d dreamed of. Beautiful, strong-willed, a wall between you and danger. Unlike these kidnappers in every sense.

“M–Mr. Calloway!” The leader-man floundered for words. “What is the meaning—”

“Your operation’s being shut down,” the funny-hat man said, his voice a low timber that made your pupils soften. “And the name’s Trafalgar. You never really asked, did you?”

If possible, the man’s face paled even more. “You—Trafalgar D. Law?! T–The pirate?”

This Law scoffed in reply. “Don’t be a broken record.” His hand settled on the hilt of his sword almost imperceptibly, his chin tilted toward you. He barely glanced at you when he murmured, “Get out of here.”

Why, it was the only thing you could think. This glowing angel of a man who came out of nowhere and stood with such power… It was a chance. A very lucky chance.

And damn you if you refused to take it.

You backed away tentatively at first, as if you didn’t trust him to actually let you go. Your eyes found the leader suddenly, his face gaining back its color in a horrible angry pink. 

“What is this?!” he shouted, his hand inching toward his pistol. “You can’t—Do you have any idea how much I have riding on her?! How much she’s worth? How much money—”

The last thing you saw and heard was the shing of your hero’s sword coming out of its sheath, the sick smirk on his face, and his voice clear as day, “Sorry. I don’t really care.”

You turned tail before you could catch the aftermath. Your hands came up over your head as a gunshot rang out. You burst through the doors and bolted out onto the street, narrowly missing a mule pulling a wagon as you scrambled away as fast as you could go.

Your brother, you think. You had to find him. He would know what to do. He promised he would always find you, no matter how stupidly lost you got yourself. Surely that hadn’t changed in the two weeks you’d gone missing. Surely he would have gone after you. It was only a matter of how you made yourself easy to find.

Although… the longer you searched the streets… and the further into the bay you swam… you realized more and more that you’d been taken much farther than you thought. You were so far that the dolphins had a different dialect. You could barely understand them when they croaked out the name of the island.

Only then did the panic truly set in. The only thing that quelled the rising fear was the sight of a silly looking hat passing by the barrels you took to hiding behind—a silly hat attached to a silly man carrying a bottle and a smug grin.

જ ⁀ ➴

Law was being followed. 

Whoever was dumb enough to trail him was good; he gave them that. The signs were almost imperceptible—almost. Maybe it was a straggler from the shop. Whoever it was, he was ready to be rid of them.

He made a turn into a deep alley wall between two shops, just a few feet short of the docks, went around another corner in the maze of back roads, and waited. The patter of soft footsteps met his ears, his jaw tightening. The moment the person stepped around the next corner his sword was at their throat, only close enough to scare them. And scare them he did.

A shrill scream made him lose focus, his head whipping to the side just as a young woman stumbled backward, comically so, and landed on her back in the dust. Law, for all his confidence, faltered instantly. 

“Don’t kill me!” she pleaded, eyes wide, hand held up defensively, and God, if that didn’t make Law feel like a dick. 

His sword hung limply at his side now, his lips curled downward as he stared down at her strangely. It was the same woman from the shop, the one being sold like a common piece of goods. She wore only oversized clothing, men’s trousers and a thick tunic. Despite her fear the shine in her eyes lured his mind into a state of ease so gently he nearly allowed it. His eyes narrowed just slightly, blinking away the momentary hold as his guard shot right back up.

He scoffed and sheathed his sword. “Why would I kill you?”

You swallowed thickly, eyes like saucers, before you gritted your teeth. “You—your sword!” You shoved yourself off the ground. “Don’t act like you wouldn’t have cut me down if I was like those traders!”

Law could only avoid your glare as he rolled his shoulders, working at a crick in his neck. “Lucky you that I thought twice, then, right?”

The way your cheeks puffed, your eyes flaring up with frustration, it was almost cute—not that Law would ever think like that. He shoved down his innermost thoughts and faced you solidly just as you prepared your rebuttal. “Why were you following me?”

It was your turn to look away, eyes scanning the sky. “Well… I—I just thought…” Suddenly, all that fire was fading, sizzling into something so unsure. “I’m far from where they took me. I thought that since you helped me once, you might help me again.”

For the longest time, he said nothing, just stared at you like he was questioning his life choices. Really, he should start walking right then and there, be done with you like he should have been done earlier. “Help you how?”

You grasped at his wavering resolve with a vice, barely hiding the wicked grin sliding up your face. “Get me home.”

Instantly, he was halfway turned toward the alley entrance. “I’m not in that kind of business.”

“You’re a pirate, aren’t you?” You scrambled to stand in front of him again, hands splayed as if you could keep him there with your sheer will. “Pirates like money. I can get you money. When I’ve returned home. My family will pay you.”

Law crossed his arms firmly over his chest. His eyes remained locked with yours. “Just ask for passage on a shipping freight.”

Your jaw slackened at the mere suggestion. “And risk winding up right back where I started? I think not.” You shivered involuntarily, eyes unfocused, thinking of the blindfold and gag and rope. “Man is bad. I can’t trust them.”

You couldn’t decipher the look on Law’s face, his lips gently ticked upwards, thoughts hidden behind golden eyes. “I’m a man,” he mused.

You’re different. Again, you found yourself admiring his skin, the way he was built, how his legs held up his strong torso. Trafalgar Law was different from the other humans. Other humans were somewhat easy to read the more you observed them, their body language giving away too much; but this man was difficult. You wanted to tear him apart and discover everything that made him tick, all that made him the way he was and—you blinked fast, realizing you needed to answer him.

“But you killed them, didn’t you?” you asked, head tilted, gaze alluring. “I can smell their blood on you. They hurt me, and you killed them. That makes you good.”

Something in his face gave way; a bit of disbelief mixed with hilarity revealed itself. “That all it takes?”

“In my book, yes.” You could get him. You knew it. He might be hard to read, but he was still a man. “I mean it, about the payment. I think once I get to sea I can navigate the way, I just need someone I can trust. I won’t cause trouble. You’ll hardly know I’m there.”

He sighed like he was annoyed, eyes raised to the sky. You continued before he could say anything. “Please… Law, right?” His gaze flickered down at the sound of his name falling from your lips. You met him with a soft smile. “Law, I really wouldn’t insist if I had another choice.”

You think he cursed as he ran a hand over his face. Just a bit more…  

“Answer me this. Why were they selling you?” Law settled you with a cold look, wiping the satisfied shine from your face. 

He didn’t know? A subtle chill settled over you. You thought for sure he would have figured it out, but maybe it hadn’t been obvious. What damned luck. You mulled it over, choosing your words carefully. 

“If I tell you, you might understand them and take me hostage.” You shrugged. “So I won’t tell you.”

Law made a stifled sound, watching you turn your face. Perhaps you were dangerous, or maybe just stupid. Or perhaps you already knew what he just was realizing: he was going to say yes.

“You're making it hard to trust you,” he sighed. You beamed. 

“Well, then I think I can trust enough for both of us.” You inched closer to him with that damned grin. “Please… Captain, right?”

He let out the slightest scoff, eyes searching the distance for a miraculous way out. “All right.”

An unflattering sound escaped your lips. “Really?” 

Whatever he was going to say next was swiftly caught in his throat when you lunged at him, arms wrapped around him in a hold a bit stronger than he expected. His heart jumped a little, skin crawling just enough to make him shiver, but you had his arms pinned to his sides and damn, you had some muscle on you.

“Don’t—! Okay, first rule.” He wriggled out of your arms, holding you at a safe distance, all while you just beamed at him. “No hugging. No touching.” He pinched his brow briefly. “Don’t bother me unless you’re actively dying, actually.”

You restrained your smile as much as you could, nodding firmly. “Okay. Aye-aye. I can do that.”

Law already regretted this deeply, muttering a few brief words you didn’t catch as he led the way out of the alley and through the streets. You hovered at his side, walking in step with him, your eyes scanning the people warily. Your excitement was gone in a flash, replaced by a whiplash seriousness that had Law curious. 

The crew was surprised when they spotted Law approaching with a strange woman at his side. Bepo had been on the verge of going out to look for him when he didn’t come back to the submarine at the agreed-upon time, so when he saw his captain he jumped off the surfaced sub and ran at him, barely acknowledging you.

You gasped the moment you spotted the large white bear, and something snapped within your chest. Your pupils narrowed into thin slits, your mouth widened to bare your glinting fangs, hands flexing. You moved in front of Law swiftly and let out a hissing sound, about to take another step forward when a strong hand landed on your shoulder.

Law had this uncomfortable look on his face when you whipped around, pupils dilated, looking as innocent as a puppy. Bepo froze where he stood, blinking fast. 

“Uh,” he said, flinching when your dark gaze darted back to him. “Captain. Did you… have trouble?”

“Captain?” Instantly, your whole posture changed. The tension in your shoulders faded and an almost pleasant look took your face. You shook Law’s hand off and slowly walked up to Bepo, completely at ease. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were a friend.”

Bepo sent Law a puzzled glance. “Uhm, it’s all right.”

You circled him curiously, close but never touching, scrutinizing the bear as his eyes followed you all the way around. “What are you? You’re not human, are you?”

Blinking, Bepo almost chuckled. He waited till you stood in front of him again and replied simply, “I’m a mink.”

“Mink,” you whispered, rolling the word over your tongue. Seemingly satisfied, you stepped aside and turned your gaze to Law. 

Law thought back to Bepo’s question and sighed heavily, simply looking at you with a twinge of regret. “You could call it trouble.”

You were… strange. He would leave it at that. Whatever you were, Law could feel the danger reverberating off your skin. Honestly, the fangs were the least suspicious thing about you. 

“That woman,” Law said to you. He pointed to where Ikkaku stood watching atop the Polar Tang. “Tell her to get you a boiler suit and a bed.”

You followed his line of sight, your eyes shining at the sight of a human woman. You’d only seen them at a distance, sitting on seaside decks with fancy dresses and parasols. But this woman didn’t have anything fancy like that. Without another word you were racing toward the submarine, thoughts racing at a mile a minute, a list of questions to berate the poor Ikkaku with already at the tip of your tongue. 

“So,” Bepo mulled. “Who’s that?”

And Law realized, stupidly, he had never even asked your name. He pondered his sanity; Law had just allowed this strange woman onto his ship without ever asking her name, let alone who she was. Law sighed heavily for the nth time that hour. “Nothing but trouble, most likely.”

This is what he gets for playing the hero.

જ ⁀ ➴

It’d been five days since you took up residence on the Polar Tang, and no one on that crew had any clue what to make of you.

You took your agreement to Law pretty seriously, barely saying a word to him when he was around, though he saw the towering wave of questions begging to be asked behind your eyes. It was only a matter of time before that wave came crashing down on top of him. 

“She’s…” Ikkaku was saying to her captain one morning over a cup of coffee. “Different.”

It was the kinder way to put it. Ikkaku had shared her room with you, giving you half of her sizable bed and lending you some of her clothes. You were fascinated by her closet, taking her offer of “feel free” very seriously. Next thing she knew you were trying to get a pair of pants over your head, letting her know her shirt was missing a neck hole.

Law had nodded gently and taken a sip of his coffee right before you waltzed into the kitchen on Bepo’s tail. The polar bear looked at ease with your presence, even offering you some of the toast he prepared and making you your own cup of coffee. 

You sniffed it once before tipping it carefully and sticking your tongue down to lap at it. The moment it hit your tongue you jerked back sharply, spilling a bit of the liquid on the counter as you gagged exaggeratedly. Bepo floundered around you, needlessly apologizing and patting your back softly.

“What is that?” you shrieked.

Ikkaku and Law shared a blank look. “Coffee.”

“I. Don’t. Like.” You punctuated every word with a disgusted smack of your lips. 

Different was surely the way to put it. 

Different—but kind. Funny, even. The crew was realizing the latter fact the more time they spent with you. 

Shachi and Penguin told Law so when he came to them wondering about their guest. They weren’t even a little shy about admitting their game of flirting with you, and not even a bit ashamed at the fact that you flat out rejected them. 

“You’re a bit too excited to have been turned down,” Law mused.

Penguin shrugged a shoulder. “Well, yeah, that part wasn’t funny, but—”

“She didn’t even realize we were hitting on her,” Shachi cut in with a laugh. “She just gave us this weird look whenever we shot her a line, and she bit Penguin when he put his arm on her shoulder!”

Penguin showed the deep puncture marks on his forearm off like a badge of honor. “Ikkaku told her we were just messing with her and she switched up like that.”

Law let the wryest of grins slip. 

At least you hadn’t been lying when you said you could navigate once at sea. The first time Law had spoken to you since you joined them was the morning of the fifth day, when the sub had surfaced and he found you on the deck with a map. 

“I think I know which direction my home is,” you announced when he was a few feet away, never lifting your gaze from the sea. “I’d know for sure if I could see under the waves.”

“Under the waves?”

You nodded. No elaboration. Law was learning quick that you rarely explained the things you said, as if he was odd for not immediately understanding. 

“I was able to find stars I recognized last night,” you said. “Important stars. The Moon Tears point North, and they’re always directly above my home.”

Again, Law fell behind. He came up beside you to see exactly what markings you were making on the map. “Moon Tears?”

“It’s a constellation important to my people.” You pointed out one of your drawings—six dots pointing Northward. 

Your people. You’d been using that phrase often. Everything you said gave Law more information about what exactly you were, yet it all left him infinitely more confused in the end. Despite his longing, he didn’t press for answers. He couldn’t bear to let on how deeply you interested him. 

“We have windows,” he said at last, dragging his eyes away from your profile. “Below. You could see a bit of the ocean floor, but not much.”

“That’s perfect!” You beamed up at him, a habit of yours, and snatched up the map to rush below deck. Law forced himself into stillness, not daring to watch you go. 

Evening came fast, falling over the submarine as everyone followed their usual routines. Around that time of day Law would sit in his office mulling over a book or something of the like, unbothered and at peace.

Unfortunately, this particular evening there was a strange woman peeking in through the door. 

For the longest moment you only stared at him, lips tilted into a grin, your eyes trained on his every slight movement. Only when he raised a brow did you hurry inside and shut the door behind you. You held a mug dangerously closer to spillage. 

“Thought you didn’t like coffee,” he muttered.

You seemed to have forgotten the drink entirely, wide eyes darting before. Your face lit up all at once and you promptly set the mug down on his desk and slid it toward him. “It’s not mine. Ikkaku said you like this stuff.”

Law, struck dumb by the simple action, could only nod. He searched for words desperately as you turned to take in your surroundings. “Is that all?”

“Well,” you sighed. “It could be. I was hoping I could speak to you, though.”

“About?”

You shot him a scant smile, eyes sparkling, and picked up a book from his shelf. “Yourself. I’ve learned about everyone else, and I know I said I wouldn’t bother you, but Shachi and Penguin said if I brought a peace offering you’d be less grouchy.”

Law’s cheeks tinged pink. “They said that? Grouchy?”

With your back turned he couldn’t see just how the mischief showed on your face. “That’s the word they used.”

You finished your assessment of the office and came to plop yourself down in a chair. “So, can I?”

He blinked. “Can you…?”

“Ask you questions?” 

He could have rolled his eyes. Law glanced down at the mug, reaching out to bring it toward himself. The brew’s aroma wafted up, calming his annoyance bit by bit. He had the cup halfway to his lips when he caught you giving him a grin that just screamed gotcha. Ensnared, he shrugged a careless shoulder. 

“What do you want to know?”

You hugged a knee to your chest, chin rested there. Your eyes gleamed, and Law imagined just what kind of danger that gaze held. “How did you do the—the thing! When you, y’know, moved me!”

“Moved you?”

Frustration bubbled under your skin, words failing you, your hands waving as if that would make him understand. “Yeah. The guy was gonna kick me—” you pointed at his chest “—then you did something and I was behind you.”

“Oh.” Law raked a hand through his hair and sipped his coffee. “It’s my devil fruit’s ability.”

“Devil fruit?”

He paused at that. What rock had you been hiding under to not know what a devil fruit was? You weren’t stupid, and certainly not naive, like he first thought you were. It was why he couldn't wait to get you home so he could finally decide what to make of you, once and for all.

Law wouldn’t dwell on the enigma of you for too long. He couldn't. His life didn’t allow for more than a moment of respite most days, and Law knew well he had no time for pondering beautiful women. His cheeks flushed at the very thought, clearing his throat and escaping the moment by retrieving a book from the shelf. 

He opened it in between you, searching the pages as you leapt from your seat to lean over the book with him. He stopped on a page of elaborate drawings, finger drifting over a few of them. “These are devil fruits.”

Mystified, you craned your neck and squinted, hand pressing down on one in particular. It was his fruit, he realized. Your face lit up in recognition. "Oh! I do know about these. My father calls them the Bane of the Sea." Pausing, you tilted your head at him. “You have one?”

“I ate it,” he corrected, moving your hand to point at it instead. “That one. It’s the Op-Op Fruit.”

“You ate it?” You recoiled in disgust. “It doesn’t look good.” 

“I… well, I…” He stared down at the drawing, memories fighting to the surface. “You’re right. It wasn’t good.”

Maybe a minute passed by and Law couldn’t shake the darkness that took over, staring off into nothing. The silence only broke when something poked at his forehead and he gasped, his eyes blinking fast. His gaze focused on you, your finger pressed to his head, gaze wide with concern. 

“You disappeared," was your whisper. 

He was swatting you away before he realized it, walls rising up with the intense purpose of keeping you out of his head. “It gave me my abilities,” he went on, “and now I’m a devil fruit eater. I can do great things, but the sea has turned its back on me. That’s what the fruit does.”

“The sea turned its back on you?”

Law huffed. “I can’t swim. Seawater makes me immobile.”

Instantly you gasped, hand resting over your heart. “I can’t imagine that.” Thoughtful, you looked down at your hands, wiggling your fingers. “The sea is my life, but it's your death.”

He stood taking in the mystery of you, how you always walked like you were out of practice, how you asked questions about the most simple things, how he often caught you gazing at the ocean with such great longing. “You still haven’t told me… anything. I know nothing about you or why you were captured.”

Grinning, “Forgive my prudence.”

“You—” Law took a breath to calm himself. “The sea is your life. What does that mean?”

For a good long moment, you did consider telling him. It’d been a few days and neither he nor his crew had done anything to harm you. It was only five days, but you knew you could trust them. But you pictured the look on Law’s face. What if he threw you out? Decided that dealing with a mermaid wasn’t worth the reward? And really, you barely knew him. Who knows just what he would do. 

You averted your gaze and took up fiddling with the book again. “So, you can do magic?”

“It’s not magic,” he tried to say, too flustered by the insult to bother with his ignored question.

“If you say so. Show me.”

So he did, transporting item after item from here to there, all to watch your face light up and your voice raise in excitement. And when you finally departed, Law was left to wonder. He made his way to the galley for dinner some hours later, somehow still wondering, and stopped at the sight of you. 

You laughed arm in arm with Ikkaku, rolling your eyes at Shachi, stealing food from Jean Bart. A picture of normalcy aboard the Polar Tang, broken only by your fangs digging into a piece of chicken with ferocity he’d only seen in Strawhat Luffy. Nobody felt the need to understand you, no one pestered you about your past. Sure, you’re an odd kind of person, and maybe at the end of the day, Law could live with that. 

Things moved slowly after that. An understanding met. The secrets and half-truths were still there, looming over the ship, yet no one feared the moment they would fall. 

Days bled together, laughter echoed down the halls. Your shriek as you touched a hot stove again. Law’s voice as he chastised you, his jaw set while he treated the burn, ignoring how the crew whispered about how tender he’d been lately. 

You weren’t any less strange than the day you first joined them. If anything, everything about you grew more and more odd. Yet the crew could care less if you said confusing things sometimes, if their questions about where you came from only grew every time you opened your mouth.  

Not to mention, your fanged smile, flashing with unbridled joy, was proof enough that you weren’t exactly normal. 

“Tell me about your home,” he said one night. The crew had gone to bed, leaving the pair of you in the galley to clean up while the others got much needed rest. Law had his back to you, in the middle of washing dishes.

You shifted at the table. “What about it?”

“Anything.” He cast a look over his shoulder. “Your family?”

“They… they’re something,” you chuckled. “My father and mother are very strict. They never let my brother and I go very far from home. Even learning about the outside world was toeing the line.”

He paused whatever he was working on to watch you, eyes narrowing at the faraway look in your eyes. “Sounds difficult.”

You fumbled with your fingers. “Sort of. My parents only wanted to keep us safe, and now I see why. The first time I left home, I got kidnapped.” You couldn’t bear to look at him, not when you said, “I think maybe they were right. They always said I'm just… too fragile.”

Your eyes squeezed shut, memories of home haunting you, shame washing over you, before Law laughed. Full, hearty laughter poured from his chest and your eyes popped open, mouth agape. He dissolved into soft chuckles now, his gaze warm, yet you still bared your fangs at him. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” he said, sobered up quickly. “Just—I think you’re anything but fragile.” Law focused on the table, how the paper feels as he runs his hand over it. 

Before you could dwell too much on any of that, heart swelling, you huffed. “Tell my father that. He’ll likely lock me away forever now.”

Law scoffed. “Why let him?”

Your eyes held such sorrow when you looked at him, shaking your head. “You don’t understand. It’s not that simple.”

“Help me understand, then.” At your silence, Law leaned forward. “Everything in this world is dangerous. Might as well take the risk.” Law tilted his head, and it was hard not to feel small under his sharp gaze. “Why don’t you live for yourself?”

He watched as you curled in on yourself, gaze downcast, shoulders slumped. Law’s guard had never truly lowered around you, not when you were still so basked in mystery, so unwilling to tell him what led to you being captured. 

Again, you dismissed him, “You couldn’t understand.”

Distrust slipped off your tongue so easily, and Law supposed he shouldn’t have expected any different. At the end of the day, you weren’t his friend. You weren’t one of his crew. You were simply a client. He got up and left you in his office before he could say something he might regret.

The days turned to weeks, and at some point, you grew quiet.  

“I think we’re three days out,” you told him, the first words you’ve said to him in days. And then you turned away, off to somewhere deeper in the submarine, leaving Law with his hand raised from where he was about to touch your shoulder. 

When you made it to your ancestral reef, everyone would know. You were a mermaid playing pretend on a pirate ship. You were a princess. How pathetic. All of this would be over in a blink, and you should be happy, so why did your chest feel so hollow?

Biting your nails to the quick, you thought about how your new friends would react. How upset would they be to finally know the truth? More pressingly, how much would Law hate you? It was all you could think, the image of his glare possessing you entirely. Perhaps you could endure the wrath of the others, but Law? You don’t think you would make it.

“She’s acting weird,” Penguin mumbled to Ikkaku one morning, two days left on your journey. The whole crew had been thinking it; it was like you walked around with a thundercloud overhead, sighing deeply and moping around. 

“We are almost there,” she pondered. “Shouldn’t she be… I dunno, happy?”

“I would be,” Shachi piped up. “If she has the money to pay us, I’d imagine she’s got a cushy place.”

“Shachi.”

“What? Just saying.”

Bepo wedged himself between them, huffing through his nose. “Isn’t it obvious? She’s gonna miss us.”

And the truth no one was willing to voice… was that they would miss you too. In your absence, the ship would lose a bit of the carefree life they’d all grown used to. 

Ikkaku grinned suddenly, hitting her palm with her fist. “Let’s have a party.”

જ ⁀ ➴

“I’m coming!” you shouted, haphazardly rushing through the halls, huffing at Penguin incessant calling of your name. “What’s the—” your words melted on your tongue when you ran out the open doors “—matter…”

You barely recognized the small deck of the Polar Tang. Small lights were strung up all around, a little table littered with various foods and candles sat in a corner, and music played from somewhere unseen. You spun around to take it all in, brows in a deep furrow. 

“Surprise!” Penguin laughed. He hooked his arm around your shoulders and led you toward the rest of the crew, gathered together with a variety of different smiles. 

“What is this?”

Shachi burst forth and came to your other side. “A party!”

Eyes wide, you scanned the lot of them. “For me?”

“Who else?” Ikkaku grinned. “You’re gonna leave us soon. We wanted to end the trip with a bang.”

As if you needed reminding. Soon, you’d have to face your family, and likely your entire kingdom, and deliver those words grating against the back of your mind: you were right. You didn’t belong in this world. You could never belong with them, these wonderful pirates who made you feel like life was worth the living again. 

This lovely dream was ending soon.

Only when Penguin shook you did you notice the tears dotting your waterline. You quickly wiped them away and slapped on a watery smile. “Thank you. I just… I suppose I’ll miss this.”

Freedom, you thought. You’d miss the thrill of an unbridled existence. 

Jean Bart broke what could've been an awkward pause with, “Enough with the saps! Let’s dance!”

You were dragged every which way, laughing with each crew member as they made you promise to be well, to remember them, to maybe even reach out one day. You nodded along to every vow, but in your mind’s eye was your father’s glare as he locked the city gates on you forevermore. You would never see them again, and you’d never reach out like you were promising wholeheartedly to do.

You turned out to be a dreadful dancer on your two legs. Every step threatened to send you to the ground, your muscles too tense to even pretend this was fun. 

Somehow your legs became crossed right as you stepped forward, and you nearly crashed to the deck before a steady hand caught you around your middle. You righted yourself quickly and whipped around, finding Law very much in your space. 

The captain had been avoiding you, you think. Every time you caught sight of his silly hat he would disappear the next moment. It was maybe fair, given you’d evaded him ever since your tense conversation in his office, but you just couldn’t bear his questions. 

You couldn’t discern his expression, all his features stern and cold like they had been the day you’d met. The day he rescued you. You wondered if he regretted meeting you, like you regretted meeting him. 

In the depths of your heart, you would rather have never known a good thing than to have loved it and lost it. 

Law’s hand still lingered at your side. You scanned your eyes all down his face. Without a word, he walked toward the edge of the deck, and you followed him until the pair of you stood side by side at the guard rail. The salt air dusted your cheeks as the waves crashed against the hull of the submarine, rocking it gently. The night was truly beautiful, full of friendship and care, but suddenly you felt sick to your stomach. 

His shoulder brushed yours and that was all it took for all the emotion to come tumbling out of your chest. Your hand closed around Law’s wrist before you could stop yourself. 

You hardly knew him. You loved him. You had spent countless nights at his side in his study, in his office, in the kitchen—the whole ship was touched by soft moments where you had smiled brighter than you had in your whole life. You remembered Law’s face when you teased his hat, and his gasp when you touched his hair. How he had caught your hand and practically frozen time with those eyes of his. His soft efforts tore down your walls and you dared to think that maybe the rumble took down his too in the process.

Upon first seeing him, Law had been the human of your dreams. And though he was beautiful and strong and, despite his edges, kind, you’d discovered most of your dreams had been silly. Law could never rescue you, not truly. Real, true stories never actually ended that way. Now, you had a new dream, one where you got to live. 

You couldn’t say all of that, of course. 

So you released him, eyes locked on the sea. The air smelled like it did at the reef. You were so close to being home. This was for the best. You had never belonged here.

It wasn’t like Law could ever reciprocate.

“You’ll keep in touch?” he said, barely heard over the waves.

You whipped your head around to stare at him. He was getting good at reading you, you realized, as he continued, “I’ll give you our den-den number.”

Hope rose and fell like the tides. “We don’t have a den-den.”

Law’s lips pursed, eyes averting. He cleared his throat, and you hated to wonder what he was thinking. “Right. Why would you? You didn’t even know what they were till a week ago.”

A grin tugged at your lips. “It’s a nice thought, though. I’d like to talk to you again.”

His hand found yours this time as the cheers of your friends grew louder with every drink Penguin downed. His skin wrapped around yours until he nearly ripped it away. You caught his eye as your fingers laced with his, locking him in place.

“You’re the strangest woman I’ve ever met,” he confessed. Law looked anywhere but you, deciding to stare up at the moon when he went on, unprompted, the words slipping out like he couldn’t help it, “You don’t have to pay me.”

It was too much for your heart to take. His hand in yours, the words on his lips. 

“You could just admit you like me,” you teased, cheeks warm. 

Law rounded on you with wide eyes, somehow forgetting he was holding your hand as he snapped back, “I don’t.”

But you had him right where you wanted him, pressing on and stepping closer to his side. “Not even a little bit?”

You expected another retort, perhaps something snappy and dripping with sarcasm, not ready for his eyes to drop to your lips, something heady in his gaze. 

“Maybe,” he said at last. 

You’d never see him again. It was the truth echoing in your mind even as you leaned in closer, noses brushing, sharing his breath. You loved him. And you would never see Law again. 

“Law,” you breathed. You waited till he looked away from your lips and met your intent gaze. “I should tell you… I’m… the reason I was captured—”

A giant wave hit the side of the submarine and sent it tilting violently. Decorations and food slid off the deck and into the sea, cries of alarm leaving the crew as they grabbed onto anything they could to keep from disappearing beneath the dark waters. 

Law grabbed your bicep in one hand and clung to the guard rail before you could slip, his arms shaking slightly. You hadn’t realized you’d frozen in place, a deadweight for him to hold onto, but your eyes had locked on the sky. 

The moon was quickly enveloped in a dark cloud closing in from all sides, a cloud full of torrential rain and powered by harsh winds. The sky had been so clear, so perfect only moments before. So as the ship careened back to its right position only to be hit on the other side by another wave, you knew. 

The next hit wasn’t as strong and the ship remained steady, but it only allowed you to hear it: the ringing in your ears grew steadily until the song was clear as day. You threw your body against the railing and scoured the waters for a flash of scales, but in the dark it was impossible to tell where the sound was coming from. 

“Cover your ears!” you shouted over the wind. The crew heard you, somehow, their eyes wide and frightened. You stepped toward them, pressing your palms over your ears. “It’s a siren song!”

Ikkau was the first to act and snapped her fingers up to plug her ears, shouting at the others to do the same. You watched them, hoping it was enough, but the storm tossed the ship farther right. The crew couldn’t save the ship and avoid the song at the same time. It was what made the siren song so cruel—the sailors had to choose, their ship or their life. 

Law huffed your name and you realized your hands had fallen to your sides. He was soaked to the bone and looked silly clutching his stupid hat over his ears. The seawater weighed him down, making him look years older than he was. “You—”

“Get away from the edge!” You pulled him toward the center of the deck where the rest of the crew gathered. You had to come up with a plan, you had to find a way to stop this—

Jean Bart gasped behind you. “Shachi!” 

You and Law whirled around just as Shachi started bolting for the edge of the ship. Law broke from your hold in an instant and grabbed Shachi around his middle right as he had a foot up on the railing, ready to throw himself overboard. 

“Stop—Shachi, snap out of it!” Law grappled with his crewmate against the rail as Shachi clawed at the air, reaching desperately for the ocean. Penguin ran forward and shoved soft wax from the candles into Shachi’s ears. 

Again, Law called your name, his eyes trying to tear you apart. The ship lurched. Soaked in seawater, he didn't stand a chance. Law shot over the side. As the crew reached for purchase on the opposite side of the deck, you reached for Law. Someone shouted after you, their voice lost in the storm. 

You rocketed off the side of the ship in time to see Law disappear, his eyes finding yours and widening to the size of saucers just before he met the water. 

You had to catch him, had to save him. Diving beneath the waves, the silence of the ocean overwhelmed you, such a stark difference from the fury of the storm up above. You barely registered the harsh sting of scales creeping out of your skin, the discomfort of the two legs you’d become so acquainted with joining together. 

Eyes peeled, you weaved through the water and shot off like a bolt the instant the transformation completed. Law sank like a rock, as if the sea itself dragged him down into her depths. You took off after him—and you weren’t the only one. A figure darted down across from you, a spear in hand. The spear of your people’s City Guard. 

Something like a snarl left you as your tail whipped back and forth with power you weren’t aware you had, eyes no longer on Law but on the mer daring to take his life from him. You screeched at the top of your lungs. The mer startled, and you saw his face. Your older brother. He paused just enough.

Your body slammed into Law, your arms wrapping around him, your head covering his own. You hardly noticed when your brother’s spear struck your tail, not when you held Law in your arms. As soon as your brother pulled the spear from your flesh you hooked your arms underneath Law’s pits and swam for the surface. 

You broke through the waves, hauling Law’s head above water. The man’s eyes opened, gazing at you through his haze. His lips parted like he wanted to speak, and that was when he really looked at you. You didn't have time to decipher whatever he might think of you now, for a presence rose behind you. 

“Get away from him!” You whirled around, eyes ablaze. 

Casander snarled back just as darkly. “What are you doing?!”

“Stop all of this!” You stared helplessly at the sky. Lightning struck, thunder ringing in the sky. “Stop now!”

Confusion clouded Casander’s face, nearly overpowering his anger. You had no patience for hesitation. Your grip on Law tightened as you declared, “Stop this, Casander, or I will end it.”

Something archaic flashed in your eyes, a power deep in your soul lashing out for the first time in your life. The song rippled out of your lungs, not giving him time to process as your voice rose above the chaos, above the wind. Below the water, mers left and right felt the shift, their own voices falling silent as you commanded the clouds and the sea and brought them all under your will. 

Law’s heartbeat pressed against your chest from the way you held him. It was all you focused on, singing louder and louder until the wind and rain fell away. The storm clouds dissipated as quickly as they’d appeared, and the moon shone down the Polar Tang as if nothing had ever disturbed this perfect night.

Head after head popped up one after another, and when you opened your eyes you were surrounded by mers. The members of the City Guard. Old friends. Cousins. They had all been searching for you.

“You…” You looked down at Law, his body limp in your grasp. “You’re a… mermaid…”

“I was going to tell you,” you whispered in his ear. From the way he looked away, he didn't exactly believe you. 

Your brother swam forward, the water parting around him, and panic seized your chest. You hissed into the silence of the night, stopping your brother where he was. You felt every eye on you, from the confused mers before you to the whispering pirates up above. 

Casander spoke first. “What is the meaning of this? These pirates—”

“They saved me.” Your heart raced in your chest. “These pirates rescued me from the merchants who kidnapped me. They brought me halfway across the sea. And this is how you treat them?”

Another guard thought he had the right to argue. “We thought—”

“The practice of siren songs,” you cut in, gaze sharp enough to cut, “is banned. I should have you all imprisoned for the rest of your sorry lives.” You glared at Casander. “All of you.”

Casander made to say something more, but you continued. “You—” you pointed at a young woman to your right “—tell the King I’ve been returned home and to prepare the proper reward for my escorts.” When the mer made no move, you snapped, “Go!”

She was off in a blink. 

You weren’t sure what you were doing, or how you were supposed to move on from here, but a small voice called down from the deck of the submarine. You lifted your chin, heart dropping to your gut. The whole crew—your friends—stared down like you were some strange thing. None of the familiarity remained. 

Your tail flicked up without your permission, flashing for the crew to see in all its glory. Ikkaku gasped, breaking you out of your thoughts, and you steeled your expression over. Law was the priority. Law first, then… everything else.

“Toss down a ladder,” you told them. 

Penguin disappeared and returned as instructed, throwing a rope ladder over the railing and starting the careful climb down. The man turned, one hand still on the ladder, the other reaching to wrap around Law’s chest. He gulped upon meeting your gaze, eyes darting up and down. 

“You’re a fish,” he mumbled, and you couldn’t help but laugh, your adrenaline finally crashing. You passed Law to Penguin carefully, tail thrashing to help lift him out of the water. Law’s hand fell to your arm and with whatever strength he had, he squeezed. Your fingers wrapped around him just the same, sliding down his arm as you lowered back into the sea, fingertips touching his till the very last moment. You locked eyes for one brief moment, and Penguin hauled him up the ladder.

With a glance up at the deck, you blinked through the blurriness enough to catch a mink staring down at you. “Bepo…”

The polar bear leaned over the rail to get a better look at you, his brows drawn. “Are you…”

A hand settled on your shoulder as the crew all reached to pull their captain aboard. Your eyes fluttered then, head reeling. Casander turned you to face him, ducking to look you in the eye. “Come on.”

You drifted away from him, shaking your head to rid yourself of this strange haze. “I wanted to say goodbye.”

But Casander was done with your rebelliousness. He took charge once again, hand closing around your bicep like he was prepared to drag you all the way home. “Come home.”

“But—”

He shouted your name. The sound echoed off the sea. “For once in your life don’t be foolish!”

Your tail’s movements grew slower and slower, your neck disappearing underwater, your chin soon to follow. Casander’s voice cracked on your name this time as your eyes fell shut.

In the darkness no one had noticed the ring of red surrounding you. 

Bepo’s growl caught the whole area’s attention. The bear’s eyes narrowed at where your brother grasped you. “She’s bleeding! How could you not see she’s bleeding!”

Casander darted away from you like you’d burned him before rushing to scoop you into his arms before you could sink any further. “I—I had stabbed her—”

“You what?!” It was Ikkaku this time.

“I didn’t mean to!”

Murmurs broke out among the mers, fear rising quickly. Casander floundered helplessly. “What do I—?”

A hand planted on the railing of the ship, a body hauling itself upright as the seawater wore off. Law leaned heavily, regaining his strength, and mustered up enough of it to glare down at the water. You lay limp in the arms of that bitch who’d stabbed you, bleeding out while he treaded water like an idiot. 

“If you don’t want her to die,” Law said very carefully, making sure the merman was listening, “you’ll give her to us.”

“You—”

Ikkaku burst, “She’s going to bleed out!” 

“I’m a doctor,” Law announced to the crowd, and that was that. Casander knew when he was bested. He handed you off into the arms of pirates, his skin crawling at the warmth with which they cared for you. 

Casander was left speechless as the pirate crew disappeared into the belly of their ship, his head started to ache. He turned to the mer on his right. “Return to my father. I will wait.”

Your brother, left alone, stared up at the ship. Yes, he decided, he would wait as long as it takes.

જ ⁀ ➴

You awoke to warmth on all sides, lapping at your skin. Your head lolled from side to side, brow furrowed in discomfort as your neck ran against something cold. Blinking, the light poured into your eyes until they adjusted.

You were in a tub of warm water with your tail hanging over the edge. You leaned upward and ran a hand over the bandage wrapped tight around your tail. The muscles ached fiercely, but at least you weren’t bleeding. One look around the room and you froze. You knew this room. Why the hell were you in Law’s office?

The door opened unceremoniously as the man in question pushed it with his back, his arms taken by two glasses of water. A grumble rolled off his tongue when water sloshed onto the floor, his eyes closing before he let the door close behind him. Law opened his eyes and found you staring at him, as stiff as a board in that awkward sized tub. 

Neither of you knew what to say, so Law simply set one of the waters down on his desk and offered the other one to you. You reached up to take it only to slip under the water without anything to stabilize you, swallowing the warm bath water instead. A sigh left you, eyes peeking up out of the water, and you think Law was fighting a grin. 

He pulled up a chair while you readjusted, ignoring the glass altogether now. He set it aside, silence falling over the room. You fought over what to say to him, when he decided to take the first step.

“I feel like I should have put two and two together,” he mused, catching your eye. 

You chanced a smile and wiped it away all in one moment. “Perhaps.”

Law’s eyes searched your own,and for once you didn’t hide. Every sharp edge and shrouded secret was in the light this time. Still, he sighed heavily. “You never told me.” 

“How was I meant to?” You let out a breathy laugh, only half irritated by the situation. “Think of how we met. How should I have known you wouldn’t do the same the instant I told the truth.” 

The man at your side nodded, blinking fast. “You didn’t trust me.” 

You don’t trust me was what he really said, and you heard it, shaking your head. “That’s not it. You should know it’s not.” Hesitant, you moved a hand through the water, watching it ripple around your skin. “I was scared you’d send me away.” 

For the longest moment, he didn’t reply, too caught up in his own head. Then, finally, “I wouldn’t have.”

The moment ended as quick as it began with a grunt from Law as he cleared his throat. “How do you feel?” 

“Bad. Nervous.” You sank lower in the water as if to hide. Law leaned closer and rested his arms on the rim of the tub. You gazed up at him softly, grinning. “I’m really fucking scared.” 

He sputtered out a laugh, head hitting his folded arms. Law shook his head in disbelief at your choice language. It brought a little grin to your face, before it faded into something sad.  

“You once asked me why I don’t live for myself… ” You flicked the end of your tail and nearly scowled at the long appendage, your scaled shackle. “This is why. I don’t belong here, I never did and it was foolish to dream… But I don’t want to go back. Not ever.”

You said it like you were asking permission to even think it, waiting for someone to tell you it was okay to dare. Law leveled you with a look not unlike the kind he’d given you the last time you’d spoken of what you wanted. This time, you didn’t cower away.

“If you don’t want to,” he began, “then don’t go back. You don’t need anyone’s permission to start living your life.”

Yet even now, you had that same response, but you repeated it with such exasperation, like you hated to ever speak it. “It’s not that simple. They’re my family. And… my subjects.” Law’s brows vaulted. You gave a sheepish shrug.  “I’m sort of… the princess.” 

“Sort of?”

“I am a princess,” you corrected, matching his scant smile. “I’m not first in line, but, y’know.” 

“Mermaid princess. Any other secrets?” 

You blinked, mind blanking, and blurted, “I’m betrothed.” 

Law raked a hand through his hair, eyes ducked, until he couldn’t hold back the chuckle any longer. You splashed a little water at him. 

“What’s so funny?!” 

“Nothing.” The man reached for your hand before you could attack again, holding it tight. “Stealing you away is just gonna be harder than I anticipated.” 

This was something you had not accounted for. Your lips parted, your hand squeezing his. “You want me to stay?” 

“If you’ll join us,” he said, a gleam in his eyes.

“Yes.” You laughed, face bright. “I like it here. With you.” 

He was halfway to his feet before you ever finished, hand never leaving yours. “I’ll just go tell them that, then.” 

You beamed up at him, then froze. You tugged his hand and brought him back down to your eye level. “No. The only one left will be my brother. I should speak to him.” Resolved, you gave Law a firm nod. “Bring him to me.”

જ ⁀ ➴

Getting that pompous, murderous fish brat out of the sea was much more work than it should have been, but half an hour later (after a lot of screaming, a lot of arguing), there was a man toddlering around the submarine on two legs. The whole crew followed after him with varied levels of suspicion and aggravation. 

Casander, quite literally out of his element, hurried as fast as he could given he had the mobility of a newborn deer. 

“In there,” Law grunted, much more intimidating than he needed to be. 

The sea prince felt rather pathetic, but he also knew that any of them could take him down in seconds should he make the wrong move. Casander threw himself into the room Law showed him, not wanting to give anyone the chance to decide he needed to be taken out. 

He leaned his back against the shut door, eyes to the ceiling in a silent prayer, and startled when someone chuckled. Your brother stood to his full height when he noticed you propped up in the metal tub a few feet away. 

Casander scoffed at the sight, though his gaze softened on your bandaged tail. He approached and set a hand on the rim of the tub. “This accommodation is so… condescending.”

“I like it,” you replied, mostly to disagree with him. Your gaze locked him in place. “How’s your spear arm, brother? Is it sore? From where you maimed me?”

He stammered like an idiot, reaching for something reasonable to say. From the way he plopped himself on the ground beside the tub, he came up empty. Casander settled on rolling his eyes. “Would it help if I apologized?”

You considered him, humming. “No. I don’t think I’d accept it. You would have killed my friend if I wasn’t there. You would have killed all of them.” You shifted in the water, pulling yourself closer to him. Your fangs glinted in the light. “Do you have any idea the hell I would have brought down upon you if any of them had died?”

Your brother sighed your name as he looked anywhere but in your eyes. You grabbed his chin and jerked his face back around. “I would have ended you. I would have left you a hollow of yourself, just enough to call it mercy. Do you understand?”

Silent, he nodded, so you released him and relaxed back into the water. 

Now came the difficult part. You leaned your head back and stared up at the ceiling. “All that to say… I’m not coming home.”

Casander’s jaw fell, his voice a shell of his usual composure. “Don’t be foolish.”

You flashed a glare at him. “I’m serious, Casander. I have always done what was asked of me. I’ve always been the perfect princess, and look where it got me. I was captured anyway, despite all my precaution, all the rules I followed. I have never wanted anything for myself. But this… I want this life.” 

The declaration left you breathless. You dared to glimpse his reaction, watching Casander’s face grow colder and colder. 

“You want him,” he scoffed after a moment. 

Warmth filled your chest. “Among other things.” 

He dragged his hands down his face, eyes shut against reality. “And what should I tell our parents? Your intended?” 

“My intended?” You laughed at him and reached to flick his forehead. “Tell them I made a choice, and that I’m sure the seas won’t cease to flow in my absence.” 

Your older brother, so strong and brave, shook his head violently. “You’re being stupid.” 

“Maybe.” 

“You can’t trust him,” he tried, looking desperate. “He’s a man. He's eaten the Bane of the Sea. I can smell it on him. He’ll betray you and when he does the reef won’t welcome you.” 

Even though he glared and his voice rose against you, you knew Casander better. He was rude and callous and would probably drag you home himself if not for the crew of pirates loitering outside the door. And though he had wanted to kill Law,  though he had nearly killed you… he was still Casander, wasn’t he? The brother you knew would come after you, who you knew would rescue you no matter what? 

You gave him a sorry smile. “You don’t mean that.”

“I don’t,” he agreed, heaving a sigh. His eyes fell to your tail again, guilt passing through his gaze. “And if I say I’ll miss you?”

You rolled your eyes. “I’ll leave you this little snail thing. It’ll help us communicate across the sea if you’ll really miss me so badly.”

Casander shoved at your face and splashed some water over your head before all humor and joy fled his body, and he became the picture of the perfect prince. 

He stood, pressing a hand to your shoulder. “I hope he treats you well. I hope you’re happy.”

“I am,” you answered, and Casander left the room and the ship altogether without a fight. For the first time in months, you felt totally, truly free.

જ ⁀ ➴

Someone shouted your name, you think it was Ikkaku, but you ignored every warning and balanced on the edge of the tree branch. You clung to a vine to keep steady and looked all around the forest form your bird’s eye view. The trees went on for miles. You’d always known that land could be as vast as the sea, but to see it was something entirely different to behold. A life-filled laugh bubbled out of you. 

You cast a glance down at the jungle floor. Ikkaku walked away with a series of grumbles, following after Bepo and Shachi as they weaved their way through the undergrowth. 

Law crossed his arms and even at a distance you could see the wry grin on his lips. You called down to him, “I’m getting good at this, don’t you think?”

He lifted his chin, guarding his eyes from the sun with his palm. “Until you fall, of course.”

“You’d catch me, right?” you shouted back. He didn't say yes, but he didn't say no either. 

You climbed down the tree haphazardly, missing a few branches and dropping a good foot with a frightened squeak, but you always recovered. Climbing every tree you could find turned out to be the perfect form of exercise. 

He was there when your feet hit the ground, a barely there smile lighting up his face. 

“One day,” he said in your ear, half turned to follow the others, “you’ll fall.”

You fell into step beside him with a shrug, eyeing him teasingly. “You won’t let me.”

He didn’t reply, but you knew it was the truth. In the few months since the pirates had “stolen you away” as Penguin liked to call it, you’d come to know your place in the crew (as well as in Law’s heart).

What the submarine’s sonars couldn’t pick up, you went out to scout. Over time, your training paid off, and you became quite skilled with a set of throwing knives, and even better at close hand combat. Not to mention your unofficial job as “Law Retriever.” Your captain fell into the sea more often than you’d like. 

And the captain was grateful. And he was strange. The relationship between you and Law wasn’t one with strict rules or an exact name. All you knew was that he waited for you when you fell behind, he took your hand when he thought no one was looking, and he had this soft expression reserved only for you.

You reveled in his attention, really, and were barely able to contain your own affection enough to not scare him off. 

The pair of you stopped at the edge of the clearing the rest of the crew were exploring. Law’s shoulder nudged your own, so with a roll of your eyes you took his hand. 

“You think you’re so subtle,” you muttered. 

He cast you a sly glance. “Aren’t I?” 

“Not at all.” You shook your head and turned to face him. “I see right through you, Captain. At this point, there’s not a thing you could do that would surprise me.”

He chuffed, lips tilted into a grin. You didn’t catch the challenge flashing in his eyes, not until his hand cupped your cheek and dragged you in. A shocked sound rumbled from the back of your throat, wide eyes set on his cheeky face, and you barely dared to breathe. 

“Law?” you squeaked, and he leaned closer… and left a kiss on your cheek. 

He stepped away as quickly as he’d invaded your space and walked toward Bepo, leaving you breathless and increasingly frustrated. You growled under your breath. “Law!”

Your captain simply gave you a thumbs up, lips pressed together to hold in a laugh. 

In your crew, you knew exactly where you stood. And maybe it was naive to think you knew precisely how you and Law worked, to claim he was an open book. Honestly, as the warmth crept up your neck and you fled to Ikkaku’s side, you didn't really mind the uncertainty. You cast Law a brief look, catching him staring at you from across the clearing, still grinning. 

Whatever this was, there was a kind of freedom in the unknown of it all. You wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @100520s @kryscent @kultofkorii @dreamcastgirl99

[ohmylaw]

HOT TO GO! ₊⊹ 𝒄𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑 𝒂𝒖

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 :: the crew is staying on your island for a few days to re-stock and rest. on the first day, they find your café and like it so much they visit it daily for breakfast. they like it as much as you like their green-haired swordsman.

or a 𝒄𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑 𝒂𝒖 where you try to woo 𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒂 𝒛𝒐𝒓𝒐 by making him your cutest latte art and writing him little notes.

ⓘ barista!reader, fluff, strangers to lovers, pining, zoro being clueless, flirting.

C O M I N G S O O N !

[sviteer]

Valeriy