I did not just complain abt noy having time to write but then proceed to spit this out dead in the night—
Sabo x GN! Reader
CW: Nightmares. Grammatical errors and self-indulgence
You have nightmares most of the time.
Though you never really admit it to people that you can't sleep because of them. There were simply a few too many kinds of nightmares that still sent a shiver down your spine when you remember them.
When those happen, the bags under your eyes seem a bit darker than usual. You usually brush it off whenever someone asks about it— responding that it was just the insomnia.
Most of them believe it.
However, not Sabo. Not after you had snuck into his room one drunken night and cried to him about a really bad nightmare. It may or may not have led to you admitting there are nights where you can't sleep because of them.
He let you sleep over that night.
Though you vehemently denied anything of such sort happened afterwards. Your cheeks burning when Sabo mentioned even the very idea of it.
After that, he somewhat made a habit of passing by your door late into the night if he ever got the chance to. Sure, it did make him feel like a bit of a creep when he did. That it felt like he was peeping on your or something.
There were times when he'd happen to hear you crying out softly or notice that there was light coming out of the cracks of the door. Sabo would knock on your door and call out to you. His voice low ang gentle.
He'll tell you he can't sleep either, and he noticed the light coming from your room. Sometimes, he asks you to company him somewhere quieter to get your mind off it. And other times, you just let him into your room, and you two talk until both of you get tired and sleepy.
You knew that he knew— but neither of you would admit it out loud.
Since then, you've gotten more and more comfortable around him. There were even times where you'd just fall asleep on his shoulder without realizing it. And he'd carry you to bed, hoping you'd finally get the rest you deserve before going back to his room for the night.
It becomes a routine whenever neither of you are away on missions. And you find yourself seeking it since you rarely get nightmares the times you fall asleep in his presence.
You've gotten so used to just dozing off in his presence that it happens even during the day. Sabo doesn't view it as a nuisance. If anything, he thinks its a major flex that you feel comfortable enough in his presence to just pass out so easily like that.
There's always that faint smile on his lips whenever he glances down to your peaceful expression.
Tagging @sukunas-play-thing bc you kind of inspired this? Like I had a nightmare and went throuhh tumblr and kept seeing your posts of him. Sooooo—
There will be no cries for glory within this flesh of mine. Look much closer, and you'll see something else down the halls.
Between the cracked ivory cage of my chest—masks adorn its walls. All of which I've collected throughout my life. Many are broken and dangerous, but there are so that I use to my vantage.
They are part of me.
With every need I have, I'll slip one over my face. Again and again. For as long as I must. This is no story of insanity— for that has already happened. Acceptance is what this is.
I know my face behind these masks. They are no longer something I cling on to for survival. All of these have taken a piece of my soul with them— much like a familiar and their master.
There is nothing disenguine of this. For it is now that I know what face I adorn behind the mask.
I have something to admit. And I shall hold your hand as I say this. You need to look me in the eyes to properly understand what I'm about to yap about...
....I am slightly hypocritical and morally flexible.
Personally, I do not have the privilege to sit somewhere and get lost in a debate whether something is morally right or wrong for every little thing. I have other things to worry about. There are many times where I am psychologically incapable of handling that much complexity.
Ahhh, shhhh— not yet. Let me finish.
There are limits that I set. I don't go willy-nilly changing my morals how when it's inconvenient to me or on some whim.
Now, let me hold your hand firmly this time—
A bad action does not equate to a bad person.
Morality, ethics, and the human mind is far too complex for us to point at something and yell for the moral police to have someone locked up. To me, I have my own hard limits and soft limits where I give people the benefit of the doubt.
Do I know what kind of life you've lived? Every detail? The experiences that define you? Your own uniqueness to perceive and comprehend things? No. I don't.
Even if I did, think of how that will go with the amount of people I will interact with and encounter. I simply do not have the time and energy for that.
I have three jobs. I have multiple projects going on all at once. I have multiple hobbies and passions I want to pursue. I have friends I want to hang out with. I have a family that relies on me.
I. Do. Not. Have. Enough. Energy.
The moment I view someone has gone past the soft limit, my actions will vary depending on the circumstances. It's not a one size fits all. And I make maaaannnyyy mistakes in my judgements sometimes because I'm not perfect.
Okay, I need you to really focus on what I'm about to say next.
You can say that I'm morally flexible because it's inconvenient. But there's levels to inconvenience that I can handle. If I feel like something feels ambiguous or far too complex, I'll leave that at that. Worry about it when I have time.
It is inconvenient sometimes. However, I also have talks about these things with me friends. We go on for hours over it. Analysing and trying to have a crack at it. There are times where I'm playing devil's advocate so that I can truly understand these things.
In truth, I needed to yap about this to remind myself— I am only human. There are only so much my body and mind can handle.
If you really want to point fingers, point at the system. Who really is it that made our daily lives complex and hard enough as it is to survive that worrying about our morality has become a privilege and a luxury?
Ah, this is just an explanation to how the soulmate thing works. Totally not lazy writing to just explain here than through my work. Ack—
Portgas D. Ace × GN!Reader
A blessing has been bestowed by the gods long before the nations have waged wars amongst themselves. Though, many have considered this as both a blessing and a curse. Kingdoms and nations alike have fallen and risen because of such a thing. People all over the world have rejoiced and despaired over it—
The String of Fate.
Yes, such is the strength of a single string connecting two people's fate. A delicate thing and yet the severity of its meaning could only be seen as either a cruel joke by the gods or the salvation given by them. Wherein only the bound souls can see it.
"What exaggeration!" One might say, but the truth written upon history states otherwise.
To be bound by this string means that armies have waged war amongst allies for their beloved. It is to drive a kingdom to its ruin to hold their other half. And it is to twist one's own morals to please the other.
Madness and passion is what it is.
But as they say, there is beauty even in the most obscure of things.
Though, that is not all that there is. Within the dangers of it all— lies a certain vantage. Whoever shall be bound by this string shall love the other. A profounding and complex kind of affection. It guarantees to be loved unconditionally. That the weight of your love for another will be reciprcated in equal.
They say that once they have found their soulmate, they were all that they saw. Should their life have been filled with nothing but hate; they will love. No matter how unworthy they deem themselves as; they will be loved.
And perhaps, that is also what has driven people mad.
It is known that there three stages to its progression:
1.) The Phantom String - wherein two people are within a certain range from each other. The string shall manifest as semi-translucent tied at the base of their pinky finger. It will lead them to the general direction of the other end.
It is important to note that in this stage: a choice will be given. Should one not be ready to face their soulmate, they may leave the range. The string will disappear. However, it shall appear once more when they are within range again.
2.) The White String - occurs when the two people are at a fair distance to each other. The string will manifest more visibly and have a silk white color to it. At this stage, it will guide the one to the exact location of the other. The string will be permanently attached to the pinky finger.
3.) The Red String - eye contact has been established. The moment their eyes meet, the first phase of the stage shall begin.
Phase I: Blood Flow - it will look as if a person's blood flows from their finger and stains the string red. This will occur on both ends. The color will continue to dye the string until it meets at the middle and fuses.
Note that the duration for the phase varies. At times, it will only be a matter of seconds. Sometimes, it may take a month. There are no known variables that affects the speed of this phase.
Phase II: Blood Bound - the string has turned completely red. The fate of the two souls are bound to each other by this point. It simply means that they are now one. If the other dies, so shall they.
A grave question must be asked: What happens if the other person dies before or during the progression?
The answer is simple: The other will continue to live. However, there are two cases for the answer.
If the progression has not started, the other person will not be affected whatsoever. The worst that will happen to them is that they will never have another soulmate. There is only one soulmate for a person's lifetime.
Now, the problem lies within that if the death occurs during the progression.
When that happens, there will be a grave consequence. Although, yes, they will still live. But they will experience this an excruicating kind of pain for as long as they live.
Many have described it as the inexplicable emptiness within their chest and the inability to truly feel. A kind of severity that has driven many to kill themselves. Choosing death as a much easier option than to live through the pain until they die.
The more late the stage is, the more severe the consequence.
.
.
.
The King wants you dead.
What a noble and foolish knight you are to walk towards your own end.
The new articles all over the kingdom will have it. Their most beloved knight, died in the frontlines after sacricing theirselves for the kingdom. What an honorable death. How the people will adore you.
Every day, you are dragged to the very front of the war. To boost the soldier's morale, they say. But everyone knew the real reason for it.
You were the King's loyal dog.
But you came to know too much. That's why you need to die. For the sake of the crown and for the people. It was for the greater good.
And yet, despite having a guilotine hanging over your head— that wasn't what you feared the most, was it? It was that damned string you barely noticed now wrapped around your pinky finger.
Of all the cruel jokes of the world, it simply had to point towards the enemy's base camp.
It was bloodshed, day after day. You could barely managed to stay alive at the end of the day. And now the gods have told you that the person you will share your fate with is on the otherside of the battlefield?
