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#*checks the word count*
flowercrowngods · 1 year
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🤍 also on ao3
It’s just past 3am when Steve finally caves and reaches for the phone on his night stand. His fingers are trembling slightly as he dials Eddie’s number — he knows it by heart even though he never called before. Eddie gave it to him a few weeks ago, making him promise that he’d call if he ever needed to talk.
“Any time of day or night, alright, Harrington? Call me whenever.”
And so that’s what he’s doing now, feeling strangely vulnerable about it. There’s no way Eddie’s gonna pick up. He’s gonna wake him. He’s gonna keep him from his sleep, possibly even interrupting one of the few nightmare-less nights he has.
Steve feels guilty the very second the dial tone meets the silence of his room, his chest heavy, eyes closed. Part of him hopes that Eddie won’t pick up the phone, that he’s in deep enough sleep to miss the call, that he’ll come into Family Video tomorrow and smile at Steve like he always does, none the wiser.
But, miraculously, amazingly, unfortunately, Eddie does pick up the phone. Rather immediately, at that.
“Yeah?” He sounds sleepy, and Steve’s heart falls immediately. He can’t get his mouth to work, only holding the phone to his ear, soaking up Eddie’s sleepy voice and trying to replace the guilt, the weakness, the heaviness of another sleepless night. “Hello?”
Steve remains silent. Can’t quite get the words to work. Fucking figures.
“Stevie? It’s you, isn’t it?”
He nods, stupidly, before saying, “Yeah. Sorry.”
“Hey now, what the hell do you have to be sorry for?” There’s shuffling on the other side and Steve imagines that Eddie is sitting up now, settling in to listen to the sob story of the nightmare Steve had without even falling asleep first. He does that sometimes. Doctor Owens has a fancy term for it, but Steve doesn’t want a label for his insanity. Because if there’s a label, that means it’s nothing special — and that’s kinda the only thing he has left.
But he doesn’t tell Eddie anything about that. Maybe one day. If he sticks around. Gods, but Steve hopes he does.
“If you’re sorry for calling me,” Eddie continues, his voice impossibly soft, “you don’t gotta be that. It’s fine. It’s why you have this number, alright? I’m here.” There’s more silence for a moment, but it’s the kind of silence that leaves him room to breathe. Eddie is good at that kind of silence, despite the fact that he talks so much all the time.
Maybe it’s the constant talking that makes the silences all the more significant.
“What do you need, Stevie?” Eddie asks then, and Steve hides under his blanket, the phone pressed to his ear. “I could come over. Or you could come over, I don’t really care either way.”
“No. Don’t wanna move. And…” No company, he wants to say, but the words get stuck in his throat. Sometimes company and kindness make the bad times worse. They make it more real, and what Steve needs is for everything to be a little less real. Maybe that’s why he’s calling Eddie. There’s no way that boy with his doe eyes and his wide smiles and his gentle voice in the middle of the night is real.
“Alright, I got it.” Eddie breathes deeply on the other end and Steve remembers that that’s a good idea actually, so he follows Eddie’s breath for a while.
“Can we just…” He trails off. Gives up on finding words, cringing at himself, glad that Eddie can’t see him like this.
“Can we what, hm?”
Steve shakes his head and remains silent, knows that his voice will sound anything but strong when he opens his mouth, and every second Eddie doesn’t hear what a mess he is, is important.
“I’m bad at this,” is what he settles on, closing his eyes against the world inside and outside his blanket.
“At what? Sleep? Words?”
Yes, and yes. But it’s not what he means. “Asking for things. I’m not good at that.”
“Hey, neither am I,” Eddie says and it sounds like he’s smiling. Steve imagines it and he hopes, oh he hopes that Eddie is smiling. “Y’know how I told you to call me whenever? That was essentially me just asking for you to call me. To know that… that I’m here.”
“I do,” Steve says quietly, and his body is sort of trembling with the confession. “I do know that.”
“Good,” Eddie breathes. “So what do you need?”
Steve sighs and pretends he’s somewhere else, pretends he’s in a world where asking is easy, where being known comes naturally and not with shaking voice and trembling hands. Pretends Eddie knows him already.
“Can we just… Fall asleep like this? Talking, I mean, though I don’t even know if I have things to say. The silence is more important anyway. You’re good at those, did you know?”
A light chuckle comes from Eddie, and Steve smiles along with it. “I’m good at silences? Me, Eddie Munson? You sure you don’t have the wrong number?”
“Very.” It’s all Steve says, and then it’s Eddie who’s quiet— as if to prove his point.
“Yeah, Stevie,” he says after a beat, his voice making Steve shiver. “We can fall asleep like this. Do you need me to talk to you, or…?”
He considers briefly, but he already knows the answer. He doesn’t need Eddie to talk. Just needs him to be there.
“Nah. Just… Just be there?”
There’s a hum now — the same kind of hum that Eddie always does right before giving him that secret smile of his, when he’s about to touch Steve or give him a new pet name. Sometimes, when the door to Family Video falls shut behind Eddie and Steve is left to deal with his fluttering heart, he likes to believe that this him has been placed into the universe with his name to it.
He wonders if Eddie knows. If the hum tastes like his name, if it makes Eddie’s heart flutter just as much.
“Hey Stevie?” Eddie interrupts their silence after a while and Steve can’t fight the smile on his lips.
“Yeah?”
“Did you know that otters hold hands at night so they don’t drift away from each other in their sleep?” He waits for a moment, allowing for a reaction, leaving another silence for him to claim. He does, but only with a smile as he grips the phone tighter, imagining it to be Eddie’s hand. “This sorta feels like that.”
The trembling that hasn’t really stopped is back now, the air heavy with implications and possibilities. Steve swallows.
“You keeping me from drifting away, Munson?”
“I hope so.”
It’s whispered words across the lines, crossing lines and blurring them. It’s taking his breath away, replacing it with something else, something new, something he has only felt when they were alone, but never this intense. He fills his lungs with it.
“Hey Eddie?”
“Yeah?”
More whispers, more greedy lungfuls of this something new.
“Is it bad that I kinda wanna hold your hand now?”
A beat, a sigh, a careful breath. It makes Steve think that the air in Eddie’s room is sizzling too, heavy and light at the same time. Maybe it’s just as addictive.
“Only if it’s bad that I’m kinda imagining yours in mine right now.”
Steve shakes his head again and doesn’t feel stupid about it now. “I don’t think that’s bad,” he whispers.
“Good.”
Maybe whispers are their new language. Maybe everything else is too harsh for this fragile thing, maybe the world outside Steve’s blanket isn’t ready to see the smile on his face or hear the rapid beat of his heart. He doesn’t mind.
“Tomorrow. Can I hold your hand tomorrow?”
“What do you mean, Stevie, you’re already holding it.” And there’s that smile again that makes Steve huff out the softest of chuckles, hiding his face in his pillow to ground himself against this heady feeling. “Yeah, you can hold it tomorrow, but only if I can hold yours, how’s that sound?”
“Sounds perfect, Eds,” Steve says, just louder than a whisper, and he waits with bated breath if anyone out there in the universe heard, if their bubble would burst.
But it doesn’t. Eddie only murmurs a sweet, soft, “Can’t wait.” And then there’s only silence because they’re both smiling, hearts racing, hands trembling around the phantom touch of warm fingers. They fall asleep like that soon after.
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arinrowan · 9 months
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One thing the AI ‘writing’ discourse is showing is just how many people think all being an author entails is sitting in front of a computer and typing nonstop.
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cemeterything · 2 years
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in the same way that some of the best songs last barely more than a minute, sometimes the best fanfics you'll ever read are less than a thousand words long
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thegoblinboy · 9 months
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"Hey There, Dio"
July 2023 prompt "pool" / 442 words / rated g / tw; Eddie is drunk (don't know if that counts as a trigger) / @steddiemicrofic
Steve glances over the pool table, watching dark curls fall in front of the other man's face. Tattoos stretched out on his skin as he moves his arms out while holding the cue stick aiimed at a dark green ball. Steve lets a soft chuckle rip through his chest when he realizes the guy doesn’t know what he’s doing. Either that or he was too drunk to realize his mistake. 
“Hey there Dio, you're supposed to hit the white ball into the striped balls.” Steve comments amused as he holds the stick against his chest. Snorting as he watches the other drunkenly move around the table to the white ball. 
“I knew that.” 
“Sure you did, pal.” 
Steve shakes his head as his eyes land on the Dio patch on the other’s vest. Tracing the details on the image as he waits for the other to hit the ball. Which never comes as the guy misses and falls face-first into the baize. It was absolutely pathetic and Steve forces himself to hold his laughter back. Not understanding why the other was so determined to play a match with him if he was to wasted to see straight.
Instead of teasing the other like he wanted to, he moves and wraps his arm around the others waist. Sliding his arm underneath the leather jacket as he pulls the others arm around his shoulder so he could help him walk.
“Oooooh, gotta buy me a drink first big boy,” The flirting is new and it causes Steves brain to shortwire with confusion. He did walk in a straight bar right?
“Well good thing waters free then.” Steve says amused. He doesn’t know who this guy was but he was determined to make sure he was safe for the night. 
“Noooo, not water.” The man tosses his head back almost causing both of them to flop back onto the pool table. Steve grunts a little at the amount of weight he has to lift before he gets a better grip on the other to help him walk over to a booth. Being dragged down to sit next to the orher as the man tosses his legs over his lap. Tilting his head a bit, before moving forward and licking the side of Steve’s face.
“Finder Keepers.”
Steve's face scrunches up a bit as he tries to lift his hand up and wipe the spit off from his face. Trying his hardest to be mad at the other whose eyes have grown wide all of a sudden. 
“You’s the most prettiest boy I ever met.”
And oh god tonight, was going to be a long night.
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ofindigoskies · 1 year
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while I do agree that it is funny to assume the characters in the fell xenologue are simply personality flips I also think it would be so much more fun to take it as an examination of the characters, what changed to make them different from their counterparts, and how it reflects on the ones that we know in the main story
so with that said….. here's my essay on why despite the fact that it looks like personality flip with no basis, alternate Alcryst (Altcryst) is actually not that unbelievable, just a version taken to the extreme due to the nature of the alternate world
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"must I do everything for you, my pathetic excuse for a brother"
a good example that it is not simple swaps can start with Celine, I have seen many point out that the alt version of her is not necessarily a personality swap, just her ruthlessness to do whatever it takes for the benefit of her people taken to the extreme in a harsher world
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"if they must suffer in order for our people to live, so be it"
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(and this is just from her B support with Alear)
Celine cares deeply for her brother, and by extension the nation of firene.
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(A support with Fogado)
Now this version of her has grown up in a world where peace isn't a norm and has to be fought to assured, pushing her ruthlessness to achieve it to the front.
I wouldn't be surprised at all if alt Fogado turns out similar to alt Celine
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(A support with Celine)
ultimately they are willing to do the extreme for what they believe is for the benefit of their family and kingdom, but since they have grown up in relative peace, they do not often have to act on it and as such this side is rarely shown.
Due to the world fell xenolgue presents which is much less peaceful, this tendency and side is pushed to the forefront. This I believe can be applied to Alcryst as well
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(images you can hear)
From just one line, it is already a shocker that 1. Altcryst is extremely harsh and 2. he is demeaning alt Diamant (not giving Diamant a funny nickname sorry)
regarding the first point. (slapping alcryst like a car) this guy can fit so much rage and hate in him. This negative energy in general is primarily seen directed towards himself but we have seen it directed at others before, mainly towards those he does not respect and consider his enemy
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(chapter 11 where being a hater overrides respecting diamant)
this cold brutality also can be seen in his introduction scene, he has an aggressiveness that is quite fitting for a country of might, and has a very attack first, apologise (profusely) later policy
this is also seen towards Ivy and Hortensia who used to be his enemies and he does not drop that attitude towards Ivy until their C support when he realises that she no longer needs to be considered a threat
Camilla notes in her bond conversation with him that he is different on and off the battlefield. She also says that they are similar in their duality of kindness to their allies but lack of mercy to their enemies
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(from their A bond conversation)
this is especially shown in how his critical lines are quite different from how he normally speaks, in the eng version this comes across as him being confident and assertive and in the jp version he comes across as being steadfast and serious. (I enjoy both and I'm not trying to pit them against each other but think there is enough difference to point it out)
I was going to insert clips but tumblr doesn't allow more than one video per post :/ you can look at the eng version here and the jp version here
notably, Alcryst's attitude and manner of speaking while in battle is similar to the personality Altcryst shows in the trailer. This leads me to believe that this is the aspect of Alcryst more prominent in the universe
so while Alcryst is a sopping wet cat, he has absolutely the potential to snap and bite, the gap moe is vital to his characterisation even
which brings us to the second point, that Altcryst does not seem to have those boundaries and is able to berate even alt Diamant. so. why?
first let's look at why Alcryst has low self worth in the first place, and why he puts Diamant on such a high pedestal.
Conveniently, Alcryst's B support with Fogado lays it out because Fogado straight up was like hey Alcryst can you tell me about your childhood so I can understand why you are Like This
which, in short, Alcryst was born with a significant age gap between him and Diamant, and as such grew up hearing everyone praise Diamant and compare him negatively in regards to Diamant's achievements, ultimately making him internalise it as having no worth at all. which. uhm. why are you comparing a child's achievement to someone probably in their teens.
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(support B)
Alcryst has put Diamant on such a high pedestal that he is flawless in his eyes. (this also isn't helped by Diamant's own issues that is afraid of showing weakness) He seems to have his world blown when he learns that Diamant actually has fears and weakness.
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(Support B with Diamant)
It is important to note that Alcryst in fact does have a good relationship with his family, we see Diamant and Morion be nothing but supportive towards him and his mention of his mother in his support with Saphir imply a good relationship there as well.
the impact that outside influences can still have on someone should not be underestimated though. I imagine this dissonance of being doted by his family and criticized by outsiders (who are likely nobles and private tutors who he still interacts a lot with) complicates his feeling of self worth and exacerbates his imposter syndrome
and the thing is that Alcryst is actually pretty skilled! It is straight up stated in his Ally notebook
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(from serenesforest)
and in his A support with Diamant he scores 8 out of 10 in their archery competition while Diamant scored 9 out of 10
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(A support)
which, you can take at face value like Alcryst that Diamant performed better than him, or note that it is actually pretty impressive for him to be so closely matched with Diamant considering their large age gap and thus the amount of experience they have
he is also very strategic that is noted in both his solo and paired endings, as "brilliant yet humble strategist" and "unrecognizably composed and powerful force in government" respectively. he also seems to naturally note the strategic effectiveness of areas he's in based on some of his exploration quotes
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(from serenesforest)
lastly... regarding inner strength...... Alcryst may be far more stronger in it than Diamant. He is more decisive than Diamant, who is more hesitant and struggles with self doubt and his readiness for the throne. Ironically this may be due to the expectations Diamant has experienced since young, leading him to be far more reserved and careful due to potential repercussions. Meanwhile Alcryst already thinks he's at the bottom and as such has no qualms making a potential mess to fight for what he thinks is right. Basically:
diamant: oh I asked for no pickles :/ ah well
alcryst: EXCUSE ME !!! he asked for NO pickles !!!!!
this particular decisiveness is actually what makes Morion say this:
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(chapter 8)
actually this whole part shows a pretty important glimpse into what kind of enviroment the Brodia Bros grew up in so I'm going use my singular video embed on it.
(girl I did not notice the promos at the top until I downloaded it and clipped it on my phone I am not going to bother redownloading another video)
someone out there in Diamant Nation has probably dissected this more thoroughly than me but when Diamant expresses his worries, Morion does not outright dismiss it, but still brushes it away, not taking it very seriously. Morion is still a pretty good dad! both his sons clearly love him deeply but he also unknowingly contributed to a lot of their mental health problems, which Morion himself likely acquired from the environment of Brodia as well. he straight up says that he does not fear death, but fears being known as a king who runs from battle.
Diamant is similar to his father in that way, carrying a fear of not being a proper ruler and king for Brodia. Diamant struggles to uphold the values he was taught with but to instead use it to bring peace and separate it from a nation that uses it to wage war. and amidst all that he worries and worries and is told yet again that fear has no place in Brodia.
and despite all of Alcryst's low self worth, he does not hesitate or worry, he is decisive and quick to make harsh decisions. He does what he believes needs to be done, including dealing the killing blow at their father to spare Diamant from the guilt of having to do so
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(and the tone of voice he says this in both eng and jp is the same one in his crit lines and therefore what Altcryst uses YESSSSS I am COOKING)
also this is a bit [guy with conspiracy theory strings] moment here but it may very well reflect in how they work as units as well. fe engage's gameplay encourages the player to go on the offense, which Alcryst excels at, Diamant on the other hand is has sol and geared more for defensive play (and the sol barely activates due to his low dex oof) while alcryst with luna that scales off his high dex is activating it every other attack. this is also an excuse to link a funny video I found
so!!! due to the environment Alcryst was raised in, he grew to believe that Diamant was better than him in any way and as such placed him on an incredibly high pedestal. He in return perceives himself as having very little worth, when in truth is very skilled and possesses many traits that one could argue are very "Brodian"
well what kind of enviroment did Altcryst grow up in?
we can see that Altcryst is harsh to alt Diamant, Diamant is no longer on the high pedestal our Alcryst has placed him at (or arguably never there at all? there's not enough information to know)
so what's going on with alt Diamant? from the trailer, the way he speaks sounds much meeker to the Diamant we know. from a surface glance of that, it might be assumed that the brothers simply swapped personalities, but you have already read my argument on why the world is not a simple swap, just a change of circumstances that brings sides of the characters we know that is not so easily seen pushed to the front. and the same can be said of Diamant, who we've already seen struggles with anxiety, self doubt, and hesitance on his readiness for the throne.
Morion notes that Diamant has increased worry lately, from what I can assume is from the threat of a full war. I don't find it difficult to believe that alt Diamant, who grew up in a much less peaceful world, will be much more anxious. as such, the anxiety and fear that Diamant keeps buried is brought to the forefront in this world.
Altcryst interestingly says "must I do everything for you" implying that he believes he can do a better job than Diamant and take over the task, that he has done this multiple times before, and maybe even a frustration that he has to do so. If it's difficult to imagine Alcryst believing he can be better than Diamant he actually achieves this in their A support!
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in this context he follows it up by saying
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(which is another important part of Alcryst's character, that he will push past his boundaries for the sake of his loved ones)
there's no direct connection, but I do find it interesting how he says this after he realises that Diamant isn't as perfect and flawless as he thought
going back to Alcryst and Fogado's B support, this very interesting idea is brought up:
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and Alcryst's response to why he wouldn't is:
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which poses the question of, how would Alcryst have turned out if he realised much earlier that Diamant isn't as flawless as he thought?
well the fell xenologue is right there
half joking, while I do think that is part of the reason, the other reasons that I have mentioned play a role as well. along with the fact that due to the restless state of the world, Altcryst is put into "battle mode" more often bringing out that side of him more
okay so here comes my own interpretation that has less of me pointing back to canon and more of me going a bit delusional (I say as if I am not over 2k words deep in this)
In this world with more prominent conflict, alt Diamant is unable to cope with it like our Diamant can. As such, the worries and anxiety that our Diamant already hides is brought to the forefront for alt Diamant, making him come of as much more meeker than the one we know.
Due to this Altcryst does not place alt Diamant on such a high pedestal that our Alcryst does. I won't be surprised if the comparison still happens though, because it was already illogical in the original world. However, instead of taking it lying down and internalising it, Altcryst instead channels the rage and anger that our Alcryst is already capable of to prove them wrong. and from the competency already seen in our Alcryst, this is entirely doable.
I also believe that due to the state of the fell xenologue world, there are more conflicts thrown at them. and compared to Diamant's hesitance, Altcryst's quick thinking decisiveness often leads to him stepping in and taking charge. (much like how alt Celine is more ruthless in this world and alt Alfred, while reluctant and hesitant, still calls for the invasion to Brodia)
"must I do everything for you"
and while Altcryst's harshness to alt Diamant probably adds to alt Diamant's list of Problems (tm) it is likely a compounding addition. with their large age gap alt Diamant didn't grow up with this and likely developed his meeker personality from the other factors previously discussed
I still think that Altcryst cares in some way for his brother. much like how Celine and Fogado's ruthlessness is tied to the love for their family, Alcryst's capacity for rage and lack of mercy is strongly tied to how much he cares for his loved ones
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(rotates this comment from their A support in my head in contemplation)
IN CONCLUSION
the fell xenologue world is not a simple swap but the aspects of the original counterparts that were not so obvious being brought to the front due to the harsher world they are in
the aspect that is brought out in Alcryst is his rage, brutal competency, and cold decisiveness
due to not placing Diamant on such a high pedestal, Altcryst does not suffer from as much lack of self worth and is able to channel his rage more easily (because this guy cannot cope properly in either universe)
Alcryst's capacity for harshness and lack of mercy goes hand in hand with his capacity to love, and I think Altcryst still cares for alt Diamant in his own way
thank you for coming to my TED talk
no seriously if you read all of this thank you so much
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standfucker · 1 year
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Thoughtful
Happy Valentines, @jadedrrose! I got the pleasure of writing your gift for the @onepiece-blorboexchange​. I hope you like it!
(Sorry it’s a bit over the word count, I have trouble being concise and did my very best! Also sorry I’m a whole hour past the deadline! OTL)
Characters: Ace
Reader: cis fem
Word Count: 5,749
CW: mostly fluff, Explicit N.SFW content, light jealousy, rough sex, marking, sub reader
Summary: Ace had plans for you this Valentine’s Day.
Ao3 Link
You woke up feeling oddly crowded and hot. The reason became rapidly apparent once you shifted and found you had no space to move: Ace had crawled into your hammock at some point while you slept. It wasn’t the first time he had done so, despite not being allowed in the women's quarters. Half-covering your body with an arm around your side, he was currently awake, watching you with nothing short of adoration even though you probably looked a mess.
“Ace?” you mumbled.
“Shh.” He put a finger to his lips, glancing at the other hammocks in the room where the nurses slept.
You lowered your voice to a whisper. “You’re gonna get in trouble again.”
“Worth it, for this,” he whispered back, then pressed a kiss to your lips.
You smiled when he broke away. “I gotta say, it’s not a bad way to wake up.”
“That’s the general idea. I want today to be extra special,” Ace rested his forehead against yours. “Even today, we won’t have much time alone.”
Living with a fleet of over one thousand people meant that time alone with Ace was hard to come by. Valentine's day was no exception. It didn’t take much for the crew to find reasons to celebrate–every holiday was a chance to throw a party, keeping morale high. Still, with the ratio of men to women being almost nonexistent, it meant that there were very few couples among the crew. Given that, you didn’t expect Valentine's Day to be celebrated as well.
Having joined a little less than a year ago, this would be your first one with the crew. And to your surprise, the fleet had docked by a beach the night before with every intention to cut loose today.
Ace reached into his pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper, offering it to you.
“What’s this?” you asked, accepting it gingerly.
“It’s the first clue,” Ace said cryptically. “I set up a little game.”
You blinked in surprise, then smiled, your curiosity piqued. “I like games.”
“I know,” Ace grinned, “I–”
“Portdgas D. Ace!” Tate’s shrill rebuke made Ace freeze.
“Oops. Gotta go,” Ace said, hastily exiting the hammock. “See you soon!”
“Ace, get the hell out!”
Ace slid out the door right as Tate’s sandal smacked against it.
You gave Tate an apologetic look. "Sorry..."
"You didn't do anything wrong," she grumbled.
It was nice that Tate didn’t expect you to ‘keep him in check.’ Everyone knew Ace better than that. Not a single crewmate would have put such an impossible task on you, not even Pops himself. When he had first heard that you two started dating, he laughed and wished you luck. Not in a health-and-blessings way, but in a ‘have fun with that’ way.
You unfolded the paper, revealing a line written in his handwriting: ‘Beneath where we first talked.’
That had to mean the Mess Room. You freshened up quickly, eager to see what he had planned, and headed there straight away.
The first time you ever talked to Ace was shortly after you had joined the Whitebeard Pirates. You had stood awkwardly in the Mess Room during lunch, holding your tray nervously, not knowing where to sit among the hundreds of strangers at the tables. Ace had waved you down to come sit next to him, and you ended up talking for hours. He had a way of making you feel at ease with his boyish charm and endless energy.  You two stayed put long after everyone else had left, ignoring your duties in order to keep conversing. Both of you had gotten yelled at for it later.
Ignoring weird looks from other crewmates, you got on your knees and peered under the chair you had sat in that day. A pulse of giddy excitement went through you to see another piece of paper taped to the bottom. This one was folded over itself like a pouch, with something small inside. You pulled it out to find a little wrapped square of chocolate.
No way, you thought, heart swelling in your chest. Ace did this?
You unwrapped the chocolate, popping it into your mouth before reading the clue. It was only two words: ‘First fight.’
That made you frown, unsure of its meaning. You and Ace rarely fought, and when you did, you were always able to talk it out once tensions had cooled. Thinking for a bit, you wondered if he meant ‘fight’ as in sparring–while you couldn’t remember any of your past arguments in detail, the first time you sparred with Ace was particularly memorable.
At the end of the fight, you had Ace pinned to the foremast with a hand around his neck, your arm coal-black with haki. Vista was mentoring you on its usage, and your control was still imperfect. Ace took advantage of that, distracting you with a coy smirk and a "Not gonna lie. This is kind of hot."
Caught off guard and terribly flustered, your control over your haki waned for a just moment. Ace took the chance, dissolving into flames and reforming behind you, wrenching your wrists behind your back and shoving you into the foremast. He leaned in to whisper into your ear. "But I like this better."
Your cheeks warmed at the memory, but sure enough, the next piece of paper was taped to the foremast. This one had a piece of chocolate inside, as well.
The clues were all like that, references to times spent with Ace that led you around the ship. Crewmates hurried around you as you searched, setting up for the day with chairs and blankets and nets for volleyball.
One clue in particular was more poetic than the others, making you smile: ‘With the stars as our witness!’
The crow’s nest, where you had first confessed your feelings for each other. He had kissed you that night, underneath the blanket of stars.
You climbed into the crow’s nest to find Ace waiting there, twirling another piece of paper between his fingers and beaming once he saw you.
“You made it! Good, I wasn’t sure if some of those hints were too vague…” he said.
You crossed the short distance, sat right in his lap, threw your arms around his neck, and kissed him. Ace immediately relaxed into the kiss, reciprocating softly. You were aware of a faint sizzling noise, but didn't realize what it was until the smell of something burning hit your nose–the paper Ace was holding had caught fire in his excitement.
“Oops,” Ace muttered against your mouth, “I’ll just tell you that one.” You giggled as he ran his hands down your back, grabbing your ass and pulling you closer.
The two of you kissed for a long while, not unlike the very first time, caught up in the momentary privacy. You cupped his face once you finally broke apart.
“Ace, this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me,” you said.
“Really? That’s a shame. Sure makes it easier for me to impress you, though,” he joked.
You giggled, looking out over the beach. Crewmates were already starting to enjoy themselves, playing in the surf or sand. “Maybe we can just stay here for a while.”
“We could…” Ace kissed you again. “But there’s no shade up here, and the rest of the clues are on the beach.”
“On the beach?” You pulled away to look at him questioningly. “Did you set this up overnight?”
“I didn’t stay up late, don’t worry. And it’s nothing close to the tide. There aren’t chocolates in those ones, though. I figured they would melt.”
“Just how many clues are left?”
“Not many. You’re halfway done. At the pace you’re going, you’ll probably finish before noon.” Ace looked sheepish. “I thought it would last a bit longer, to be honest.”
“That’s okay!” you said quickly. “I love that you did this for me! It’s been fun. And if you want it to last longer, I can take a break and find the rest of the clues later.”
“Sure, we have all day.” Ace looked out over the beach, squinting at something. “The tide’s out right now. Want to go look at some critters?”
You followed his gaze to the tide pools at the far end of the beach. Both of you shared a love of animals in common. “Yeah, let’s do it!”
Once you descended to the beach, Ace not-so-subtly insisted you coat each other in sunscreen (“Marco says it’s important!”) and you had to tell him to rein it in when he started getting a little too bold with his hands, reminding him that you were surrounded by the family. Maybe he had no shame, but you still got flustered when crewmates teased you over his sometimes-relentless PDA. He also made eyes at you while you spread the sunscreen on his chest, making your cheeks bloom hot despite having been together for months.
“Cut that out,” you muttered, giggling when he started waggling his eyebrows.
The intertidal zone was brimming with life, the curtain of the ocean temporarily lifted to reveal a brief window into the world below the surface. Ace was stepping delicately for once, careful not to disturb anything while mindful to keep in the shallows where the water wouldn’t go past his boots. He pointed out animals in the deeper sections, and you would herd them to swim closer to his feet so he could get a better look.
Colorful anemones and urchins bloomed like underwater flowers, interspersed with barnacles and sea stars clinging to the rocks in a constellation. You watched a crab scuttle away from where you had accidentally disturbed it, hiding from you in the seagrass.
“Hey, check it out!” Ace called. You turned around to see that he had stuck a pair of sea stars over his chest like a bra. “I’m a mermaid~!”
Covering your mouth did little to stifle your laughter, his big, dumb grin almost funnier to you than the act itself. He was just so proud of himself–he always was after making you laugh.
Ace cocked his hip, checking himself out. “Damn, I could give those girls on Fish-Man Island a run for their money.”
“Yes, yes, you’re a very sexy mermaid,” you laughed, stepping over him and reaching for the sea stars, “now put those poor things back.”
Ace turned away from you, covering his chest and squealing girlishly. “No! Don’t strip me!”
“Ace,” you reprimanded, trying again to peel the sea stars off, but he squirmed and pushed you away. You scrabbled to get at them, Ace half-heartedly fighting back, play-wrestling until you were both giggling.
“My virginal body!”
“Ace!” As cute as he was, you didn’t like to remove animals from the water if they weren’t going to be eaten later.
“Fine,” Ace conceded, finally standing still and puffing out his chest for you. “I know you want to see me shirtless.”
“You can’t use that against me because you’re always shirtless.”
“You’re welcome.”
You rolled your eyes, gently prying the first sea star from Ace’s body. Though they had not latched on tight, Ace was not done messing with you, because as you peeled one off, he let out a loud, excessive moan, drawing a few heads.
“Stop!” you hissed, gritting your teeth to keep from laughing again–it would only encourage him.
“Okay, okay. Sorry.”
Ace only said it so you would let your guard down. You really should have known better. He moaned again when you removed the second star, and not expecting it, you were unable to suppress your laugh that time.
“Put them back where you found them,” you said once you composed yourself, handing him the slow-moving invertebrates.
‘It was right here, don’t worry.” Ace crouched down to return the sea stars to the water, bringing him close to your feet. He looked surprised when he stood back up. “Where are your shoes?”
“I’m down to one good pair, and I didn’t feel like getting them wet. It’s fine, I’m watching my step.”
“There could still be venomous animals around here,” he said, playfulness overwritten with concern. “You could also cut your feet on the rocks.”
“I told you I’m being careful. Besides, we got Marco. He could fix it.”
Ace’s face fell a bit at the mention of the phoenix man, an uncharacteristic frown pulling down the corners of his lips at the thought of Marco touching you.
“What?” you said, though you immediately knew what he was thinking about. “Are you still upset by the hip thing?”
A few months ago, a fierce battle with enemy pirates left you with a deep gash low on your hip, beneath your underwear. Marco had to touch the area to heal it, of course. He was nothing but professional, as always when in ‘work mode,’ but Ace had been bothered by the sight regardless.
Ace grinned sheepishly, fully aware of his own shortcomings. “I can’t help it.” He grabbed your hips and pulled you close, practically grinding his crotch into you. One of his hands shamelessly slid below the hem of your pants and underwear, hot fingers tracing the rough scar on your hip. “I should be the only one to touch you.”
You gasped, then quickly regained composure. “Boy…” It was a low warning, one that made him smirk.
“You always react so strongly.”
“Ace–full disclosure,” you started, glancing around at nearby crewmates, “I’m a little blown away by what you’ve done for me today, and at this point… Let’s just say I would be extremely cross with you if you started something you can’t finish.”
Ace’s chuckle was deep in his chest, sending a pleasant shiver down your spine and not helping at all. “And you haven’t even found all the clues yet,” he said smugly.
Your heartbeat had picked up. Even after almost a year, and the new relationship energy wore off, he never failed to make your heart race. You pulled his hand out of your pants, occupying his fingers instead with your own, threading them together with his. He squeezed your hand in response.
“You’re making me more and more curious,” you said. “I want to go find them now.”
“Nooo, do it later.”
His protest was also curious, making you try to figure out why he wanted to postpone the game. Then you recalled an earlier clue.
“Ah, is it maybe… You want me to find the last clue while the stars are out?” you searched his face, knowing you were right when a light blush formed on his cheeks. “You know, Ace, you’re surprisingly romantic.”
His hand still on your hip squeezed, and the smirk returned to his face before he leaned in close to your ear to whisper. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew the kind of thoughts I had about you.”
Your breath caught in your throat, and you started to feel a little warm in places you’d rather not feel in public. “Ace…”
He pulled back, letting go of your hip but still holding your hand. “Right, right. Don’t start what I can’t finish. Sorry…”
Ace seemed genuinely apologetic, so you took a breath to calm yourself and shook your head. Finding time and space to be intimate felt impossible at times, and only made your craving for each other worse. Sometimes–most times–that meant it was really easy to get riled up, which only led to frustration. But damn if you didn’t want to indulge, especially after all he had done for you.
The tide coming in forced the two of you to return to the sandy part of the beach. Ace was watching a few of the volleyball games that had been going on as you got closer.
“Looks like Marco and Vista are playing volleyball…” he said. There was a playful spark in his eyes when they met yours.
You knew what he was thinking. “You wanna play a game using haki again.”
“You know me so well,” he grinned. “Can’t do it without my number one partner, though–you in?”
“Of course! Just remember–you have to transfer haki to the ball right as you hit it, or it’ll explode from the force.”
“I won’t explode the ball this time!”
You giggled. “I know. I believe in you, babe.”
Ace beamed, a little bounce in his step at the pet name.
Marco and Vista eagerly accepted your challenge–up until then, their games had been normal, even dreary. The game between the four of you was intense and exhilarating, each haki-infused strike of the ball sounding almost like a gunshot. Marco and Vista had a significant height advantage over you and Ace, but the two of you made up for it with sheer grit, spiking the ball back with equally savage blows. You were both competitive types, another trait you shared in common. It may have even been enough to win the game, had Ace not suddenly fallen asleep on the spot.
“Aaand he’s out,” Marco commented, lobbing the ball lightly at Ace’s head, “I guess we win by default, yoi.”
The ball bouncing off Ace’s head did not wake him. It didn’t even knock him over.
“I guess so,” you said between pants, a little more out-of-breath than the endlessly-rejuvenated devil fruit user. “I could use a break, anyway.”
You lugged Ace over your back in a fireman’s carry, seeking out a shady spot to sit. Finding an untaken pool chair beneath the shade of an umbrella, you reclined there, pulling Ace so he was laying back against your chest. Safe with your thousands of brothers dotting the beach around you, cool in the shade, and cozy with your lover snoozing against you, it seemed the perfect chance to nap. You barely had the thought before your eyelids grew heavy and you drifted off.
You thought you woke up before Ace, as he was still laying on you, but when you shook him to wake him, he looked up at you with full alertness.
“Sleep good?” he asked.
“Ugh… Too good. How long was I out?” you said, groggy. It was not your intention to sleep that deeply.
“Not sure. You looked real comfy, though. I didn’t want to wake you.”
You shielded your eyes and looked indirectly at the sun. It was low in its arc, starting to descend. A few hours, then.
“Why don’t we get something to eat–”
“Yes,” Ace agreed before you finished.
“–and then I can find the rest of the clues.” You gently pinched his cheek in retaliation for cutting you off, but he only smiled.
“Sounds like a plan.”
After you both had eaten, Ace told you the next hint, which led you further away from the beach. The next clue was taped high up on a palm tree, forcing you to climb a bit to reach it. Ace knew you could manage it fine, though you still wondered why he placed it up there. However, when you glanced down at him and saw his eyes settled on your ass, the intention became clear.
“You really have no shame,” you said once you hopped down, though your tone was only amused.
“Not my fault,” Ace said, then gave your rear a sudden, firm smack that made you yelp in surprise. “It’s so thick. What else is a guy to do?”
You grabbed the hanging cord of his hat above the skull emblem, pulling his head down so he was looking you in the eye. “I swear to god, Ace, I will slap your ass back and I will use armament haki if I have to.”
“Kinky,” he grinned, unfazed.
Given that there weren’t any crewmates currently around, you let it slide, unfolding the clue. It pointed you toward the opposite end of the beach. The next few clues had you walking all over, you and Ace holding hands as you went. With a gentle breeze piercing the warm air, it was leisurely and relaxing. The sun was setting by the time you ended up standing over a sandy part of the beach, where two sticks were crossed over each other in an ‘X.’
Digging in the sand was your favorite way of finding a clue so far, and when you unearthed the small, copper treasure chest, you were certain this was the final one. You glanced back at Ace in amazement, not having expected a gift. You thought the day was the gift.
Ace was clearly nervous as he watched, which only fueled your curiosity, and you didn’t wait another moment, unlatching the chest and lifting the lid.
Sitting on a white felt backing was a bead necklace, similar to Aces’ in size and shape, except the beads were painted a brilliant cobalt blue, the color instantly triggering a memory of diving in the open ocean.
When you didn’t say anything after a moment, Ace spoke up, sounding as nervous as he looked. “I… I thought we could match… I hope you don’t think it’s cheesy–”
“I love it,” you blurted out. The reason for your pause was awe, at first. Then you had to take a second to collect yourself, getting emotional from the thought behind the gift. “Ace, it’s perfect.”
Tension left Ace’s shoulders, and then he lit up like the fire child he was, seeming to glow with joy, his jubilant grin challenging the beauty of the sunset behind him.
You held the open chest out to him. “Put it on me?”
“Yeah!”
Ace lifted the necklace from the box, focusing very hard so as not to light either on fire in his eagerness, and you bowed your head to let him hang the beads around your neck. His fingers trailed along your collar, making you shiver.
“How’s it look?” you asked, heart pounding.
“You’d look beautiful in a burlap sack,” he said sincerely, “but–damn, babe. It looks even better than I thought it would.”
“I love it,” you said again, reaching to cup his face. Ace automatically leaned into the touch. “I love you.”  You pulled him in for a kiss, and he responded by dropping the empty chest to wrap his hands around your lower back, pulling you against him.
Ace broke away for a second to say “I love you too–” but you silenced him with your mouth, because obviously–he didn’t need to say it after all of today. He got the idea, melting back into the kiss, teeth closing on your bottom lip gently to make your breath hitch.
Feeling yourself getting heated and knowing you could do nothing to sate it right there, you reluctantly pulled away after only a minute. Ace seemed to understand that, too, not pursuing your lips for another kiss but just pressing his forehead to yours in quiet affection.
“There’s one last clue,” he murmured. “It was under the necklace.”
“Really? Another?” you said, surprised.
“Just for fun.” Ace released you to pick up the chest he had dropped, peeling off the clue taped to the inside and offering it to you. Right before you could take it, he jerked his hand away. “One last thing–you can’t look at it right away. You have to give me sixty seconds to hide.”
“To hide?”
Ace’s grin promised mischief, setting the paper into your hand. “The last clue leads to me.”
“Oh?”
“You’ll see! Close your eyes and start counting.”
Normally you’d give him a suspicious look, but at this point you would have gone along with almost anything he proposed. “Alright…”
You covered your eyes and started mentally counting, hearing Ace giggle and take off. He was gone by the time you reached sixty, and you started heading back toward the more occupied part of the beach. A raging bonfire had been built over the last hour, almost as big as Whitebeard himself, crewmates drinking and laughing and roasting marshmallows around it. You kept your distance for now, walking where the waves skimmed over the shore and tickled your bare feet, admiring the reflection of the stars in the water.
Right as you unfolded the clue, a beach ball whizzed by, smacking into your hands and knocking the paper from your grip. The clue fluttered away before you could grab it, landing on the sand just in time for a wave to roll over it.
“Sorry!” someone called as you scrambled to get the paper before it was washed away. You managed to retrieve it in time, but the ink on the paper had bled so badly it was completely illegible. You sighed heavily before plucking the beach ball and tossing it back.
At a loss without any hints and with little choice, you started searching on your best guesses, scouring the beach for where Ace could be. After a fruitless half-hour, you couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened. What if he was hiding by the water and fell asleep? If he fell into the water while hiding, no one would spot him in time. The thought was a bit paranoid, but it ate at you until you decided to ask for help, finding Marco standing a ways away from the bonfire.
"Hey, Marco!"
"Hey, yourself," Marco said, cheerful expression faltering at the sight of the worry in your face. "Is everything okay, yoi?"
"It's Ace. We’re playing hide-and-seek, but I can't find him anywhere," you said. "I know it sounds dumb, but I can't help worrying that he fell into the water or something."
"Hmm…" Marco narrowed his eyes, scanning the beach. He smiled. "You sure he just doesn't have a clever hiding spot?"
"I hope that's all it is, but I can't figure it out! Can you help me?"
"Sure. I know how to draw him out." Marco beckoned you closer.
"How?"
"Like this, yoi." Marco slung his arm around the back of your neck, pulling you in close. Far too close, his face–and lips–only inches from yours.
"Marco?!" You pulled back, immediately uneasy, but were held in place by his firm hold.
"Relax. Look…" Marco released you, tilting his head in the direction of the bonfire.
The bonfire flickered, then something within it solidified, forming the shape of a person. Ace stepped out of it a moment later, kicking up sand as he stomped over to where you were.
Of course–it was obvious in hindsight. Relief flooded through you, though it was slightly offset by Ace’s glare. It was entirely directed at Marco, however, and Ace stepped right between the two of you, one arm held out protectively as he faced the blond. Even though you trusted Marco with your life, the sight of Ace’s back was still comforting.
“Oi, pineapple head,” Ace said thickly, “what was that supposed to be?”
“Chill. I was just getting your attention,” Marco replied smoothly, unbothered.
“There are better ways to do that. Ones that don't involve making her uncomfortable.”
At that, Marco paused, a flash of guilt crossing his face. “You're right, you're right.” He looked past Ace at you, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, Y/n.”
“Apology accepted, don’t do it again, etcetera,” you said, waving it off. “Next time, use your words.”
Ace wasn’t as easily assuaged, standing rigid and fixing Marco with a dirty look. You took his wrist, guiding him away before he worked himself up any further.
“Come on, Ace. It’s fine,” you reassured. Ace let you lead him for a minute, then suddenly twisted his wrist out of your grip and grabbed yours instead, starting to pull you in the other direction.
“Ace?” you questioned, but he didn’t respond, walking briskly until you had reached one of the changing rooms that dotted along where the sand turned to packed dirt. Ace dragged you inside, shut the door, melted the metal lock in place, and promptly pushed you against the wall.
You gasped at the force he used, his grip tight around your arms. He followed with his body, pressing his entire torso against yours, pinning you in place with his hips. A pulse of excitement had run through you as soon as he melted the lock, and you were already breathing heavier from the dark intent radiating off of him.
Ace dipped his head to kiss you, claiming your lips more roughly than usual. You accepted the advance enthusiastically, parting your lips when his tongue traced along them, letting him explore the shape of your mouth as if he had never done so before.
“Didn’t like that,” Ace pulled away to mutter before kissing you again.
“I–kind of–figured,” you said between kisses, pushing him back so you could speak properly. “You know I’m not interested.”
“I know.” He dove right back in, this time kissing along your jaw. “It’s not you I’m worried about.”
You saw an opportunity suddenly, a chance to push him a little. He couldn’t see your conspiratory smile, but he heard the devilishness in your voice when you said, “Well… Maybe you should be.”
Ace paused.
“On second thought, he’s kind of attractive, in an older-man sort of way.”
You felt Ace’s lips curl into a smirk against your jaw. He knew the game, knew what you were seeking. His body started emanating heat to an unnatural degree, an odd side-effect of his devil fruit whenever he got really excited, and his burning hands slid down your arms to your wrists. He lifted them above your head, practically slamming them to the wall.
“Don’t test me,” Ace growled in your ear, deep timbre going straight between your legs. He grinded his crotch into yours, the prominent bulge showing that he did not mind being ‘tested’ as much as he said, and your gasp turned into a little moan.
“But, Ace,” you panted, “I mean, forty years old–think of the experience.”
His grip around your wrists tightened almost painfully. “You know, Y/n, I wasn’t going to leave any marks,” he said, lips skimming down your neck, “but now, I’m going to make sure the whole damn fleet knows who you belong to.”
Ace sank his teeth into where your neck met your shoulder, making you cry out and buck your hips into his, whimpering when he started sucking on the spot. He started another mark higher up, and then another, like he was ensuring no collar would be enough to hide his work. His tongue and teeth made your knees weak, heat pulsing at the apex of your thighs from the assault and from his needy rutting. After the teasing throughout the day, it took little for you to grow wet, and when Ace shoved his hand down your pants to cup your cunt, he felt it, groaning and thrusting into you harder.
“Ace,” you whined. “Please.”
No matter how far you had pushed him, he could never say no to you. Ace released your wrists to hastily remove his pants, and you did the same with yours, the both of you far past eager to feel each other . He didn’t even bother with your shirt, grabbing your ass and lifting you up to push you harshly against the wall, hips flush with yours. It always made your heart skip at how effortless it was for him. Even if he didn’t look as buff as some of the frankly ridiculous crewmates you lived with, Ace’s strength was no joke.
“Please,” you whimpered again when he rutted the length of his rigid cock along your slit.
“Just a little more. Beg for it again,” he commanded.
“Please, Ace! I need you! God, I’ve been wanting this all day–”
You didn’t need to say any more, Ace lining himself up and sheathing himself in one thrust that stole the breath from the both of you. His next one had you both moaning shortly, his head falling to your shoulder as he started a brisk, firm pace. There was no gentleness behind the unrelenting snap of his hips, giving you exactly what you had asked for with your taunting.
As a haki-wielding warrior of the Whitebeard Pirates, it was difficult to make you feel weak in any way. Ace did a fantastic job of it, fingers digging into your ass hard enough to bruise, growling as he drove into you mercilessly, your back scraping against the wall with each thrust. You gripped his shoulders tightly, unable to suppress your noises from the rough treatment.
“Fuck, Y/n. You feel so fucking good,” he groaned, “can’t believe I bother holding back around the crew. I ought to just take you whenever I please–wherever I please.”
You moaned, pressure building deep inside you. “Ace!”
“I bet you’d like that, huh?” He adjusted you slightly, angling himself to target your g-spot, making your toes curl and your head thump back against the wall. “After all, Y/n… You’re mine.” He punctuated his words with a particularly hard thrust. “Aren’t you?”
You tried to form a response, but found even simple words struggling to form, the drag of his cock and the spiking of the mounting pressure within you both overwhelming.
“Can’t even talk, huh?” Ace smirked. “You think anyone else can fuck you this good?”
All you could do was moan as you rolled your hips to meet his, one hand falling to rub your clit desperately. Sensing you were close, Ace pulled you away from the wall to bounce you directly on his length, your weight dragging you down so he was tapping deep.
It only took a few more thrusts before you were coming hard, spasming around his length with a sharp cry as pleasure overwrote your senses. Ace nearly whimpered from the sensation, muffling his noise by biting your shoulder again, unintentionally enhancing the effect as he fucked you through your orgasm. He kept even going after it had subsided, tipping from euphoric into overstimulating, making you twitch and keen helplessly.
Finally taking mercy on you, Ace slowed to a stop, resting you back against the wall but not pulling out.
“Oh, fuck,” you managed to breathe out, trembling all over. “Oh, Ace… D-Did you cum?”
“Nah,” Ace said, leaning in to kiss you, hot and passionate. “Gonna make you cum at least one more time first. Don’t know when we’ll get another chance like this, and all.”
You fingered the beads of your necklace, a smile stretching your lips. “My thoughtful man,” you crooned, making him grin and kiss you again. “In that case, don’t keep me waiting.”
Ace would never have dreamed of such a thing.
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crplpunkklavier · 1 year
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thoughts on vongole, and kristoph as a dog owner
DISCLAIMER: i am not a professional in dog care nor training. i have had and trained a dog for many years now, but he is not a retriever. i've studied up on other breeds out of curiosity (and due diligence tbh). if anything i say here is factually wrong and you know more, feel free to reach out!
Kristoph: Ah, yes, she's surprisingly delicate, you know. Requires careful tending. But, she is my "best friend", as they say. Phoenix: "Best"...? Come on, now I'm starting to feel bad for you. Kristoph: Oh? Of course, she's known to bite if handled roughly. Phoenix: Y-Your rose bites? Kristoph: ...... I was speaking of the photo next to the rose. My retriever, Vongole. Cute, but feisty.
this is all we ever learn about vongole. am i going crazy about it? maybe. (also, after this line, phoenix thinks to himself, "every dog has its thorn..." as if that means literally anything. i love him so)
vongole is one of my favorite mysteries about kristoph. she is not at all relevant in aa4, and if she was only ever going to be in this tiny bit of flavor text (so easily missable too!) why put her in at all? was she going to play a bigger role in a later game that shu takumi never got to bless us with? i guess it's possible. that would lift vongole on the same level as those pesky black psyche locks. but either way, we have her here, and that means i get to overanalyze her :)
or more accurately, i get to overanalyze kristoph gavin on the basis that he has a dog who
is a retriever
is "surprisingly delicate"
requires careful tending
is his best friend, as they say
bites if handled roughly
hey. what the fuck does any of that mean, kris?
lets start with the breed. i've mentioned in a post before that many of us seem to have collectively decided that vongole is a golden retriever, which seems fitting, since those are famous blondes, just like the other gavins. however, "retriever" doesn't automatically mean golden retriever! there are a few other retriever breeds. you're probably familiar with labrador retrievers, for instance. i have a curly-coated retriever in my neighborhood who, you guessed it, has a charming curly coat, pitch black, and is a trained service dog!
we often see retrievers as service dogs, because they're pretty fit for the job. the name retriever comes from hunting though. while my own dog is more engaged in actually running ahead and killing prey himself (no i don't let him do that.), retrievers have been bred to go and, well, retrieve prey for the hunters. this of course means that you can also teach them to retrieve other stuff for you fairly easily. like meds, socks, blankets -- stuff a service dog would be helpful for.
apart from that, retrievers are also known to be good family dogs, because they're friendly, affectionate, loyal, and quick to trust. they're also very active, and pretty smart! there are minor differences between the various retriever breeds, but this much goes for all of them to some extent.
why in the world does kristoph have a dog?
i... just..... does he seem like a dog person to you?? i just.... i mean, he doesn't seem like a cat person to me either. or a plant person. maybe he doesn't seem like a person to me. i just really stumble over this sometimes, because it seems wild to me to think that kristoph gavin got himself a retriever just because he.... wanted a retriever?
the guy works what's pretty much an office job. his salary shouldn't be very high, as a defense attorney? but, well, he's implied to like high-profile cases, and he had the money to employ an assistant, so i don't think he's poor. he needs time and space for a retriever, though. vongole isn't a little shih tzu who's happy to just hang out on your lap all day. again, REALLY active. this is a dog who wants AT LEAST an hour of outside time a day. kristoph gavin doesn't even look like he's ever seen the sun. but ok.
one frankly hilarious route i've considered is that he wanted a dog for protection. klavier says he's been "living in fear" ever since zak gramarye disappeared on him, and then he panicked enough to straight up beat him to death the minute he saw him again seven years later. he's paranoid, he's spying on everyone involved. i think kristoph really was very scared. so maybe at some point he figured he'd get himself a dog that would protect him from assailants.
i say this is hilarious because..... a retriever is not the dog you want, man. like, yeah, she'll be loyal to you if she likes you. the problem is she is also really quick to like you, or the intruder in your house, or the guy coming to your office to kill you. if kris got a retriever because he wanted a guard dog, that was a fantastic bit of stupidity, and i personally love it for him.
another angle i like, one that makes him a little less stupid and a little more horrifying, is appearances.
But, she is my "best friend", as they say.
this line really does something to my brain. kristoph gavin talks like a law text book at the best of times, so the somewhat awkward wording of it isn't really what's bothering me. it's the fact that he said it at all. it's that very last part. the "as they say." because, yeah, sure, people say that. yeah yeah, man's best friend, we've all seen it.
and it just... seems so very kristoph to latch onto a truism about human beings, to make himself look like one. look at him! he's got a suit, he's got a job. he's totally on speaking terms with his brother. when the bar association voted to disbar phoenix, he was the only one who voted against that (one more thing i'd love to make a big post about one day lol), he has regular dinner with his good friend phoenix wright, he has an assitant, he has a law office. he probably has a car, because it's LA. he has a savings account. that's not, like, canon, but he does. of course he also has a dog. he's just a regular human guy! he likes poetry and the arts. his best friend is a dog, and more than that, a breed which is known for its gentleness, and for how great they are with..... children :)
let's all sit back and let that chill go down our spine for a sec.
kristoph got a retriever to prove something. kristoph got a retriever for the same reason that he made friends with vera misham before he tried to kill her.
remember what his prison cell looks like? with the books, the arm chair, the violin? he keeps up appearances, even after his arrest. of course he'd put up a framed picture of his beloved dog. like any normal human person would.
but did he treat her well?
well...... well.
here's the thing.
i don't think kristoph gavin is an animal abuser. i don't think he treated her badly. but that's a sliding scale, with dogs, and with most pets, isn't it? if i'm never outright mean or violent to my dog, that's great, but if i never give him enrichment, if i never learn to read his body language, if i never give him what he fundamentally needs as a certain animal of a certain breed, i'm still not treating him well. i'm not treating him right, i'm just not overtly torturing him.
back to kristoph. in this vein, i often think about what we hear of his interactions with young vera. one thing that particularly sticks out to me is how drew misham says that kristoph was one of the very few people who ever made her smile.
kristoph clearly has a way with children, to an extent. he knows to get her that stamp -- he actually understands her childish fascination with magic a little too well and gets her a present that she likes so much it thwarts his whole plan. keep in mind that vera was 12 -- when kristoph's younger brother was 12, kristoph was 19 already, old enough to consciously learn things about the 12-year-old in his household. he knows kids, and he gets through to them.
but never fully, does he? klavier figured out something was off about the way his brother came to his office. and even vera, despite smiling at kristoph so earnestly, despite really loving that stamp, despite being only 12, even vera was so horrified by that little twitch of the devil's hand. there was always something uncanny about kristoph.
why am i bringing that up? i'm not saying everyone who's good with children will be good with dogs, or the other way around. but there is common ground. you're dealing with a living thing that's smaller than you, dependent on you, and you're building a relationship that'll take a lot of calmness, understanding, and reassurance. kids often can't express themselves in ways adults would immediately understand, and neither can dogs.
and i think kristoph got about as far with vongole as he did with vera. i think vongole liked him fine. again, retrievers are quick to like people. he was there, he fed her, he probably gave up trying not to let her up on the couch. sure she liked him. but did she listen to him?
before i ever had a dog, my mom used to tell me that she thought the concept of dog training (the german word is Hundeschule, so literally "dog school") was stupid, that she'd had a dog as a kid, and that dog didn't have to know any tricks, it wasn't a circus animal! well, my mom was also bad with every pet we've ever had, and with all three of her kids. so.
look, it's important that your dog listens to you. i'm just saying. no, it doesn't have to know "circus tricks," although depending on the breed, it might have fun learning them! and it definitely just. it needs the basics. your dog needs to understand what "no" means, and your dog should come when called -- i know we're all tired of alpha terminology and it's constantly used wrong, but, genuinely, your dog needs to know that you're the leader of the pack. your dog needs that, it's good for the dog. turns out i was also using it wrong! this reblog explains what i meant to say better than i could. my point was that you have got to give your dog something, some form of structure. for the dog's own cognitive development, for you to work as a union, and last but not least to make sure you don't bring harm to the outside world!
and, yeah, this is absolutely the part where i think kristoph failed. because no, i don't think he was ever violent with her or anything, but i also don't think he would ever have the patience it takes for solid dog training.
why else does he, unprompted, bring up that she is "surprisingly" delicate, and requires "careful" tending? kris, did you not know? why are you surprised by how delicate a literal living thing is? did you accidentally step on her paw and she acted like it's the end of the world? yeah, they do that. did you come home late from the office one night and there was a pile of poop on your overturned laundry basket? hmm. if only something could be done about that.
the "bite if handled roughly" part is the last one i wanna talk about, because that also gave me a lot of trouble.
i mean... dogs bite. they do! mine bites. especially puppies are happy to play-bite, often into hands, and it's important to get that under control while they're young. this also loops us all the way back around to vongole being a retriever. remember, they're bred to carry stuff in their mouths. it is in this dog's dna to use her mouth for stuff.
this means she might be bite-happy in a very specific way. i've actually read multiple times that retriever bites are "soft", because again, they're just supposed to retrieve game when hunting, not kill it themselves. it's already dead, and a dog actually biting into it would make it yucky for humans to eat. retrievers are good at moderating bite strength for that.
but.... it doesn't sound like that's what kristoph is talking about, is it? she's known to bite if handled roughly. that sounds like she really bites. and of course she does. if handled roughly. hey, what the fuck does that mean, handled roughly? who's handling her roughly?
again, this doesn't necessarily scream animal abuse. as @mlmschemes, out of professional experience, has brought up, there are certain things that need to be done during a vet visit that dogs don't always love, especially if they aren't used to it, like nail trims, to state the easiest one. you might have to hold a dog down for that. and if that dog is trained and socialized like ass, yeah, she'll bite if handled roughly.
but, hey, don't worry. she's just feisty. :) cute but feisty, he says.
just like every fucking dog owner i've ever met in the neighborhood who has a half-rabid untrained menace that would probably tear my face from my skull if not for its stupid retractable leash.
anyway.
kristoph wants to be a dog owner because it's a fun normal human thing to do and makes him look non-threatening, well-adjusted, and generally likeable. but he sucks at dog training. nobody has ever fully believed the guy--fucking, even apollo IMMEDIATELY deserts him in court. kristoph lives a superficial life and vongole probably has zero trouble becoming the best friend of whoever gets her next.
just to bring this already embarrassingly long post to a point and an end, here's some quick tips from me for portraying vongole, and by extension kristoph dealing with her:
retrievers are affectionate, so vongole is probably a cuddler
kristoph probably has fur fucking everywhere. he comes into the office with a briefcase thats just filled with lint rollers
vongole knows exactly zero commands. if you have food in your hand, she will sit down, because sometimes that gets her things, and she will try to use it at every possible opportunity
if sitting down doesn't work, she will become more and more annoying. if my dog felt like i wasn't giving him enough attention, he used to walk up to my desk and nudge my forearm with his nose so strongly that my grip on my computer mouse would slip and i would fuck up whatever i was working on.
kristoph loses patience with her. it'd be interesting to write, because he'd want to save face if it happens in public, too. he can't yell at his dog there, that'd look bad. i imagine a lot of insistent leash tugging, a lot of ill-advised grabbing/holding her (here's where he probably gets bitten too), and a lot of smiling and laughing and being like "ohh, haha, she's just so feisty today, what's going on ooo she's so nice normally haha"
i doubt he played much with her? she probably had toys, but for kristoph to interact with them a lot.... you can play fetch with retrievers pretty well, because, once again, they're retrievers. and that's a pretty classic "look at me i'm a normal dog owner" thing to do, so he probably has some like, tennis balls and stuff that he'd throw for her. but that's probably it.
if you write vongole changing owners to klavier and/or apollo, please please please let her do a full 180. if you're going by what i've theorized here vis à vis kristoph, that dog is DESPERATE to learn. dogs want jobs and she would be SOOO happy to be trained.
forget that thing about old dogs and new tricks. my dog is 8 years old and i'm currently teaching him a new command, for funsies. it's working and he loves it. you can write vongole becoming a model citizen at any age. i implore you to.
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fever-project · 26 days
Text
Succession of the Third Kind - LU AU
The Chain begins to learn about the Downfall Timeline, and the secrets Legend holds. Ao3 Link Here. After the Finish the Prompt thing I did I suddenly got inspired to write this. Well, I’ve been trying to write this before, but the first version was literally just one sentence and the second I just did not like. Focusing on Legend and eventually the doppels once I get to them. The abandoned doppel is the only one here so far.
This is not sci-fi, unfortunately. There are no aliens. Sorry if the title mislead you into thinking that. Four/Vio’s POV.
Chapter 1 - Four’s Successor
The reveal of Four’s ability to split went far better than he thought it would. Vio looked out at how Wind was running circles around Red, his kid curiousness taking full force as he asked them loads of questions. Red tried his best to answer them, but he kept looking at Vio for help. He was the smart one after all.
But Vio preferred to just sit down and read a book, rather than interact with people. Blue was arguing with Warriors and Twilight about something stupid, Time and Sky were off to the side and looking after Red and Wind, and Green was chatting with everybody else.
Except for Legend, who was leaning against the next tree over. Staring at him.
“Are you wondering why I’m not with the others?” Vio asked without looking up from his book, but he wasn’t reading anymore.
“Kinda,” Legend answered, still not looking away from him. Does he even blink? “I’m just thinking.”
“Hmm. Nothing important it seems.”
“You don’t know that.”
Vio sighed and closed his book, looking over at Legend. His face was blank, blinking seemingly manually at odd intervals. Did he always do that or was that a new thing? Hopefully it was a new thing.
“Are you okay?” Vio asked, more confused than concerned.
“Eh, I’m fine. You?”
“Obviously,” Vio stood up, “But you seem like you’re trying not to fall asleep or something. No one’s forcing you to stay awake you know?”
“I think I’m your successor,” Legend dumped out of nowhere. Vio blinked a few times, stumbling back. He knew that they obviously weren’t on the end of the timeline compared to the others, but he couldn’t yet figure out where in the timeline he was. If Legend only just figured it out-
“You have the Four Sword, don’t you?” Vio asked, having regained his composure. Legend slowly got off from the tree, stretching, looking away from Vio. He waited for the veteran to speak, he was patient.
Vio looked back over to the others, the joyous scene continuing from before. He remembered that Four still hadn’t revealed the whole shrinking thing, and wondered about what would happen when he did. They’d probably let him ride on their shoulders, and coo at how small he was. Yeah, that’s what they do.
“Happy at the scene, or that I could be your successor?” Legend asked, making Vio straighten up. He didn’t know he was smiling.
“The scene. And we still haven’t confirmed that you’re my successor.”
“That’s fair. Just depends on whether you’re…” he trailed off, grimacing. He looked over at the others, staring at Time for a bit longer than the others before continuing. “Don’t tell anyone about this,” Legend stared at Vio until he nodded his head in agreement, “But I know of the Hero of Time. He was before me, but I’m not sure if he was before or after you.”
“Well I’ve never heard of him so-“ Vio stopped abruptly. If Legend wasn’t his successor, “-Is Time my successor?”
“Could be,” Legend had the same blank look on his face as he stretched again, “But he clearly never heard of you.”
“But you have?“
Legend makes eye contact with him, briefly. His eyes carry as certain sadness to them as he spoke, “I’ve…been to your tomb.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Well that’s not too surprising, I guess,” Vio waved off the way his stomach had dropped, “Of course I’m dead by your time.”
“So was the Hero of Time.”
“Now how long we both were dead is the important question.”
“I…think you could’ve been dead for longer.”
“Then Time’s my successor.”
“Seems like it.”
“And you’re his.”
Legend flinches. Vio doesn’t understand why he would. Was he just wrong about that then?
“Are you Twilight’s-“
“Third option.”
“Wha-“
“Third. Option.”
Vio’s brain works quickly to figure out what Legend’s trying to say. Twilight is one of the options, Time is also an option, and then there’s Wind. But he obviously isn’t Wind’s successor, and Time and Twilight are somewhat close in time. Twilight and Wind are both Time’s successors from two different timelines, but a third timeline could exist. That was the third option.
“A third timeline!” Vio’s eyes widened, a smile encroaching upon his face as he figured it out. Legend laughed heartily.
“Yeah. I was thinking about telling Time after we all figured out the timeline stuff about both Wind and Twi, but…"
“Something happened to the Time before you.”
“Annnd that’s why I’m talking to you now. I’m just hoping you won’t tell Time.”
“So you’re withholding the information you know about me over my head, so I won’t tell, aren’t you?”
A moment of silence passed. Vio looked at Legend right in the eyes, his blank look annoying him. That’s Vio’s thing damn it.
Unexpectedly, Legend laughed, a sly sort of laugh, accompanied with a sly smile. He had to have picked up on Vio’s thirst for knowledge, his need to know more, he had to. He still didn’t know if Legend had the Four Sword. Or what happened with Time. Or why Legend was in his tomb. Vio needed answers. He needs it.
“If I was Blue I would’ve strangled you,” Vio said a nonchalantly as he could.
“Uh huh, sure, sure,” Legend waved his off as he looked at nails, “Listen, I’m telling you this because I can’t tell anyone else. Even though I’m technically Time’s successor, I feel more like I’m your successor. I know more about you and that sword compared to anybody else here. Except you guys of course.”
“…What do you know about it?”
Another moment of silence passed. How annoying. But he must have a reason for this. Vio sat back down on the ground, letting out a sigh. He returned to his book, and a while passed before Legend speaks again.
“So, why are your names so basic?”
Well that definitely wasn’t what Vio was expecting. Might as well answer this since it’s not like the veteran would answer any questions he had. Not like he had anything better to do. Might get him to open up a bit more as well.
“We were around ten and Red couldn’t think of anything better,” Vio closed his book again, “At least I think it was Red, I could be mistaken. What names would you choose?” Legend scratched his chin, thinking. Whether he was actually thinking or not, Vio couldn’t tell.
“I…would name us after the goddesses,” Legend began, already baffling Vio yet again, “The red one would be Din, green would be Farore, blue would be Nayru, and purple would Hylia, now that I know of her because of those guys.” Legend gestures over at Wild, who was currently running around with Warriors and Red, all of whom had Fire Rods, with Sky, Twilight, and Green chasing after them. “Should we check up on them?”
“Us,” Vio said simply, “Name us.” Legend made a strangled type of noise. A Freudian slip, was that what’s it was called? Vio looked at Legend directly in the eyes again, the blank stare now gone, uneasiness clear as day.
“I never used the Four Sword,” Legend quickly spat as he crossed his arms, looking away from Vio’s inquisitive stare.
“I never said you did,” Vio said with a small smirk, “Who knows, it could be something different, yet similar to my experience. You are my successor after all.”
“…Yeah, I guess I am.”
Their conversation ended there.
“Alright, whose time is this?” Time asked. The group looked around the forest they were now in. It was a pleasant and rather normal looking one, save for the logs large enough for a person to walk through and the random swords on pedestals dotted around the place. The one next to Four was made out of cardboard, for some reason.
“It’s my time,” Legend said. That immediately excited Four. The last time they were in his time, it was brief, only being in his house for a few hours as they met Ravio. Then the black blooded monsters appeared as well as the portal, so they left without even seeing most of Hyrule.
And now Four knows this is his future, one of his futures, at least. He was a little curious about where his tomb would be. A little sacred as well.
But first they needed to get out of the forest.
“We’re in the Lost Woods, north of Kakariko Village. And don’t even bother with the swords-they’re worthless,” Legend said, annoyance tainting his voice for some reason.
“These remind me of my first attempts at making a sword,” Four remarked, poking one of the swords, and it wobbled like paper. Actually, this one was made out of paper. Why? Who would do this?
“How likely are we to get lost in these ‘Lost Woods?’” Wild asked, leaning over Legend, who scoffed.
“Not likely, it not that big,” Legend grabbed Wild and went over to grab Hyrule, pulling them both along. “Just follow me, I know the way out. We’ll be in Kakariko in no time at all.”
“Thank you Legend,” Time spoke, “Don’t wander off you lot, just follow the veteran.”
And so they did. Four held the back with Twilight and Wind, Warriors and Sky near Time, and Wild and Hyrule were with Legend.
The vet lead them through the logs, the occasional fucking crows being the only monsters they encountered. It was a nice and short walk all things considered. Four could see Wild pick up a few swords that were made from actual sword materials, and Four got a couple as well. They were shoddy, to put it nicely. But he could probably salvage something if he had the right tools. Soon enough they were out of the woods.
“Alright guys, we’ve made it,” Legend announced once they all filed out. Four could see the village in the near distance. It would likely take less than an hour to get there.
“Woohoo!” Wind cheered once he stepped out, “When are we going to your house Leg?”
Warriors snicked, as he always does when someone calls Legend ‘Leg’, “Yes Leg, where is your home and your rabbit-themed friend?”
Legend groaned, “It’s east of the village. Let’s just stop there and restock or whatever.” He slumped over as he made his way towards the village, mostly ignoring how Wild and Hyrule tried to talk to him.
“Do you think he’s okay?” Wind asked as he leaned over to Four and Twilight.
“He could be tired,” Twilight looked over at the vet, “But he has been acting strange lately.”
“Yeah! Ever since…” Wind trailed off as he looked over at Four. “I-I mean who knows when he started being a grump you know-“
“Wind, it’s fine,” Four sighed, “It’s…a bit complicated.”
“He’s your successor isn’t he?” Warriors suddenly appeared behind them, causing them all to jump.
“Gah! Wars!” Twilight lightly slapped Wars’ arm, glaring at him. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head nervously.
“Whoops, sorry,” Warriors said with a smile, “I just saw him talking with the purple you for a while, so I assumed you must’ve had an important conversation.”
“Like Legend being Four’s successor?!” Wind looked very excited at the thought, before his face scrunched up, “But when are you guys in the timeline? Probably before Time, right?”
Four shrugged, putting on the best poker face he could. Which was much easier when it was just Vio doing it.
“How about we talk about this after we find a place to rest,” Twilight reasoned, “Also, we’re falling behind.”
The four of them rushed to catch up with the others.
Four soon figured out he was right about it not going to take too long to get to Kakariko. The streets were lively, the people were nice, although a one did run away from them-from Legend. Legend proudly stated that the woman had once reported him to the knights after he was framed for kidnapping the princess, when he was ten years old nonetheless. Now she was way too scared to even go near him, and everyone seemed to hate her. Four also hated her now.
Everyone restocked on their resources, and Four visited the blacksmith with Legend and his posse. The blacksmith and his family were very nice, not looking down on Four like most blacksmiths usually do. Four and Wild gave him the swords to to melted down, which wouldn’t give much useable materials because of the way they were made. But Four didn’t really mind that. He and Wild payed the blacksmith, they all said their goodbyes, and went out to find the others.
Four and Legend didn’t speak to each other the entire time they were there.
Night soon arrived, and with it, the gaggle of heroes arrived at Legend’s house.
“I’m home Ravio!” Legend called out as he opened the door. Immediately, Ravio’s little bird, Sheerow, flew right into his face. Some Links-especially Wars-laughed at how much Legend was taken aback by it.
“Mr. Hero! You’re back!” Radio called from within the house, “Come in, come in. Oh! And I see your family has came along again as well.”
The group headed in, and noticed that the place was a lot neater. It looked like there was slightly less stuff, but most of it was there, either organized in neat boxes or large, nice display cases. Everyone immediately started to wander about, each trying way too hard to stop themselves from touching everything. Four did not know why they were like this. Four did not know why he was like this.
“Did you move my stuff?” Legend sounded like he was trying to hold back his anger. His hooded friend shrunk back, holding his hands up in defense. Sheerow was now perched on top of his head.
“Listen, listen. I can explain, alright? I simply reorganized everything because I kept tripping on everything,” Legend shrunk back this time, a bit embarrassed, “It’s simply safer this way.”
“Some stuff is missing,” Wild muttered. How he noticed, Four didn’t know.
“Oh! I put some things in the basement. I also made a basement!” Ravio said cheerfully, Sheerow chirping along.
“I wonder if there’s anywhere to sleep,” Sky asked.
“I wonder too!” Ravio said, still somehow chipper, “I have made myself a cot to sleep on,” he gestured over to the dark purple mattress at the uppermost left corner of the room, “I don’t know where your bed went Mr. Hero, but I forgot to ask you before you left.”
“You didn’t find the attic?” Legend asked. He was fiddling with a yellow cape with red accents.
“There’s an attic?”
Legend sighed as he strode towards the upper right corner, slinging the cape on. In a swift motion he pulled out his sword, half-swording it and hooked the cross-guard onto something. A quick pull and a set of stair fell down to the floor.
“That’s the attic,” he stated simply. A couple of them oohed and aahed. “Now, I’m going to sleep in my room. Have fun!” In an instant, Legend jumped up, higher than usual and it quickly clicked in Four’s mind that it was because of the cape.
Everyone was surprised, no being able to react in time to stop Legend from going up into the attic and pulling up the ladder, cackling like a mad man as some of them-mostly Ravio, Time, and Sky-tried to get him to stop and be normal. It didn’t work as Legend was successful in locking the attic door behind him, and no one could unlock it.
Four noticed something on the wall near the door hatch. He resolved to check it out later.
“…Well,” Ravio twiddled his thumbs, “I can make some room for some sleeping bags! Free of charge, since your Link’s…family.”
“I don’t wanna sleep in a sleeping bag again!” Wild and Wind both whined.
“Ravio,” Warriors snapped to get his attention, “Is there any space in the basement?”
“Well, yes, but it’s cold down there. I uh, I can-was going to move these boxes down there, but if some of you help, I’ll give you all discounts for future purchases!”
“Well-“ Time began before being quickly cut off by Wars.
“Of course! Why wouldn’t we help? Come on men! Let’s assist our merchant friend.” The rest of the Links sighed. Of course they would help but it not like they wanted to move boxes all night before they could go to sleep. It’s not like it would take too long with all of them working together, they just wanted to go to sleep as soon as possible.
Legend was a lucky man indeed.
After clearing enough space, everyone obviously went straight to sleep. Ravio was the only with the bed, and it was clear that he felt a bit bad about it. Would’ve felt even more bad if Warriors didn’t keep encouraging him the whole time. What was the deal with that? But nobody really questioned him, because fatigue was starting to get to all of them.
But Four couldn’t sleep. He said he’d go out for a walk before he did and no one objected. In reality, he was going for a bit more than just a simple night walk.
It didn’t take long to find one. A Stump Entrance. A Minish Portal. Jackpot.
Four stepped on the stump and shrunk down, falling in between the cracks of the wood. He had missed jumping on the mushrooms within these Stump Entrances. The tiny stones that once framed the portal door with were worn and chipped, maintenance having stopped long ago.
But the Minish were here, he knew it. Where they’ve gone now, he didn’t know. He at least hoped that they were still around long after he was dead. They were no longer in Hyrule, or this part of Hyrule. As he made his way back to Legend’s house, he wonded how Ezlo was doing, what could’ve happened to him. He thought about Vaati, who once was a Minish as well. Did Legend know about him? Had he ever even heard of the Minish?
These thoughts continued once he finally got to the home. There was a small door near the front door, big enough for only Minish to go through. At least they were still here when the house was built, at the very least.
Four had to be very careful when traversing around the home. It was like a maze to avoid his sleeping companions, to not wake him up. After a terrifying time of almost getting smacked by wondering hands, he finally reached the corner the attic door was at. And Four silently cheered when he noticed the very worn engraved steps going up the wall, with a tiny hole up on the top. He was very glad for his Grip Ring, but he still almost fell down numerous times. But he eventually got to the attic.
The first thing that pulled his attention wasn’t Legend, no. It was a mask that he’d only seen before in the hands of Wild. Four now understood why Legend thought it was one of a kind. And now he understood it really was dark magic.
It was covered by a glass case, hanging upon the top of wall. Shaped like triangle, fitting perfectly between the roofs. The dark magic still seeped through, barely, but Four could feel it in his tiny form. He forced himself to look away, for fear that it’ll convince him to try to covet it’s power, like how Time had once described the legend behind it. The old man knew more about that mask than just that legend, even if tried to make it seem like he didn’t. Why did Legend have this mask? And how did he get it? Was it all connected to Time?
Four turned his focus to Legend, the scene before him being a surprising sight. He was sitting on a wooden stool, a stone statue the same size as the vet in front of him. It looked like him too, except for the outfit and hair being much more simple and blocky. It was chipped in various places, and Legend was repairing them at a rapid pace. It must’ve looked a lot worse before he started working on it, Four knew.
The statue had an odd mask on where its face would be, two large hollow holes for the eyes and a smaller one for the mouth. There was…an aura, around it, that Four could sense. Not really an actual aura, per se, but a feeling, a feeling that made it seem more than just just a statue. Like it was alive, yet resting, somewhat similar to an Eyegore Statue and yet very, very different. It was like it was in a deep slumber, like it was never alive to begin with yet it’s heart was beating proudly.
An odd sight for Four’s eyes.
Four wandered about the attic, looking around Legend’s quaint room. The closet was slightly ajar, enough for Four to see what was inside even if he wasn’t Minish size. But if he was normal size, he wouldn’t be able to jump inside of it. There were a lot of colorful outfits inside, and he felt a bit overwhelmed. The closet was also much bigger on the inside, like an actual walk-in closet. Legend really did love his magic items huh. The outfits were also probably magic items as well, due to the fact that Four couldn’t ever imagine Legend wearing full body tights. One of them was the ugliest thing he’d ever seen, and the other was clearly based on Tingle.
There was also one that looked a bit like Time’s armor, with a mask hung next to it that had the markings that Time had on his face, except the red markings were under both of the eyes. The eyes are painted to be entirely white, an odd, but important choice to note down in Four’s opinion. But it was yet another thing related to Time, Legend’s actual predecessor. Yet he told him that he felt more like Four was his predecessor, despite having so many things connected to Time. He still hasn’t found the Four Sword. And despite his efforts, he couldn’t find it within the closet. He did, however, find a number of different tunics in different colors. Most of them green, but there was a certain set of tunics that caught his eye.
The tunics were simple, each having matching, lighter shirts of the same color. There was a swirl on the belt buckles, reminiscent of Wind’s. There was a red one, a green one, a blue one, and a purple one, the last one looking newer compared to the rest.
Before Four could question why that was, Legend suddenly opened the closet. The tiny blacksmith quickly ran to hide underneath one of the many different robes. Peaking from underneath the robe, he saw Legend grabbing the purple tunic he was just looking at and walked out. Four scrambled to follow him as quietly and sneakily as he could.
Legend thankfully didn’t notice the tiny hero behind him as he walked over to the statue, now fully repaired in such a short time. Or it could’ve been a long time, spread out across many months or many many years. He put the clothes onto the statue, an anxious look on his face as he did so. Four was also a bit anxious, deciding to wait this out before tying to figure out what exactly was going on.
Legend cheered silently as he finished dressing the statue. Four found himself cheering alongside him.
“Looking good Hylia,” Legend whispered with a wide smile, “Hylia. Yeah, that’s a good name for you.” He sat down on his stool, examining the statue from there. Four inched his was towards the hole near the door, since it seemed like Legend was almost done with this.
“I just need to figure out how to make you like the other two,” the other two colors, Four noted, “But I don’t really want to go back to Hytopia. Hmm…” Legend bit his lip as he thought about what to do. Four was finally at the hole, standing in front of it. Without a warning sign of any kind, Legend glanced over to the attic door, to where Four was.
The both of them froze. Legend definitely noticed the colorful little speck that stood out like a sore thumb against the wooden floor. The vet’s eyes were wide, but didn’t move much other than that. Four didn’t want to move at all, his mind racing on what to do now. Legend kept staring at him, wide-eyed and unblinking, for the longest time. What was less than a minute felt like hours as Four became more and anxious about what his friend would do.
Legend inhaled sharply as he pressed his lips together, leaning back and closing his eyes.
“Well then,” Legend spun towards the statue, leaning forwards, propping up his head with his hands, “I suppose I could figure out something with the Four Sword. That could help. But that’s something for another day, don’t you think?”
Four fervently nodded, but he didn’t think Legend could see that. Either way, he then ran out out the attic, slowing his fall down with his Roc’s Cape. He was able to glide away a good distance, soon able to go through the small door, go to Minish Portal, turn back to normal size, and return back to house through the normal door. As quietly as he could, he wormed his way into his sleeping bag.
He couldn’t fall asleep. All he could do was wait for night to pass, and process what just happened.
His shadow was definitely laughing at him.
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summerfrwrks · 2 years
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when you promise yourself that it'll only be a short one-shot but then saw that you've exceeded your 2k word goal:
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mllekurtz · 9 months
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Hey! Do you have any new sg ficrecs? something short?
I do, as a matter of fact! I've read a few excellent one-shots recently.
Dancing Cheek to Cheek by soot_and_salt is a lovely ballroom au, the butterflies-in-your-stomach kind of romantic. I think we need more self-contained, apparently implausible but ultimately effective, terribly romantic aus (yes, this is a challenge) (by 'we' I mean 'myself'. I need more of those).
whims and days colored orange by lakrisrot (enheduane)/@lakrisrot is a post-canon, established relationship fic that satisfied my craving for carefree seaside days and, especially, nights.
if you earn it by stygius/@stygiusfic is an incredibly hot canon divergent au set after the peace talks. If you're in the mood for some slightly messed up smut, this is your fic (check out their more recent foreign diplomacy as well for a delightful morsel of evil au).
Lastly, but only chronologically, Slip the Blindfold by timbrene/@tarydarrington is a post-canon, pre-relationship Aeor hurt/comfort one-shot that reads like a 6k trust fall.
Honorable mention to fray by saturdaysky/@saturdaysky, which is not a shadowgast fic (the pairing, which I would say is anything but romantic, is Ludinus/Essek), and which offers an interesting, original, and rather fucked up reason why Essek started keeping his hair short.
~
You asked for short fics, anon, but I also want to mention two ongoing wips that grabbed my attention lately and that I haven't recced here yet:
hopeless enough by 06151126 is a Formula 1 au with incredible vibes. I love hyper-specific aus and this one reminds me a lot of the climbing au, if you're in the market for something similar;
and a body in absentia by nonwal/@nonwal, a Scourger au, rated very much E, with some thoughtful and original representation of demi Essek.
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writingwife-83 · 7 months
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PLS PLS OKS DEAR GOD GIVE US THE PUSS PUSS EATING RANKING OF TURN CHARACTERS I NEED IT LIKE SPONGEBOB NEEDS WATER (must include robert rogers)
ok im officially done with school (woo 🥳) so i can give everyone in my ask box what they've been waiting for. i am going to keep the list limited to the ppl in this promo photo bc there are so many goddamn characters in that show and if you want heavy-hitting analysis, i've gotta keep a short list (at least for now)
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analysis under the cut:
as mentioned before caleb brewster does indeed SWEEP the pussy eating power rankings
as also mentioned before john andre is as mediocre in eating pussy as he is in acting and flute playing. he thinks he's amazing at it tho
now for the fun. i need to get this first paragraph out of the way bc it is about the man who made me begin to ponder this question 2 years ago in the first place. abraham. fucking. woodhull. this beanie-wearing menace to society has NEVER made anyone other than anna strong come. point blank period. even with anna tho, he's done it like maybe once or twice. whether or not he did it by giving her head is up for another debate tho
oh and speaking of anna strong. she gives me pillow princess vibes for a reason i cannot quite explain. it is just kind of a gut feeling i have. maybe it has to do with the fact that ppl are always just throwing themselves at her, so she doesn't have to bother with actually working on pleasuring them
but back to abe for a minute. he's actually (believe it or not) NOT the worst one on the list, and that is because richard woodhull has NEVER ONCE made a woman come. not even his wife. not once. richard has never even eaten pussy before. richard has only ever had sex in the missionary position. abe is a terrible partner for a reason, and that reason is bc he was raised by richard
one member of the woodhull family does possess some finesse however. mary woodhull eats pussy like a mf champion. i imagine her learning it was much like her learning how to fire a gun. at first she was like 'wtf is going on??? i cant do that??' but give it few tries and she easily upstages all the men around her
using mary shooting a gun as my transition here..... let's talk about simcoe. honestly, he does give me the vibes of someone who really wants to be good at eating pussy, and maybe he even enjoys doing it. however, i think he gives toothy head. and i also think he does it on purpose. that's right. he's a biter
speaking of ppl who enjoy eating pussy, i think hewlett slays in that department ngl. ik i said before that caleb is arguably the only man on the show who enjoys eating pussy, but i actually want to amend that bc i think hewlett does too. however, i think the one drawback for hewlett is that his desire and ability to give good head does come from a place of him being (and i mean this with peace and love hewlett enjoyers) a massive simp
i straight up dont have a transition for this one but it was literally an intrusive thought and i just need to expel it. ben tallmadge the type of guy to apologize after eating pussy. why? who knows. it could have even been decent head. he's still apologizing anyway. however my bet is that decent is the best he can do bc he's an overthinker, which can get in the way of having strong head game
finally, and yes i made you read all of this before giving you what you wanted anon, robert rogers. "(must include robert rogers)" is SO REAL. SO TRUE. you're right for saying so. however he is such an enigma to me and i really don't know where to place him both as an eater of pussy and frankly as an entity in general. i know he has to exist in some kind of extreme tho. god-tier head or the most abysmal head ever anyone's ever experienced. maybe he's even literally eating pussy, like in a cannibalism way. i'm not ruling that out either. honestly, maybe the quality of head varies between sessions too. after all, he's always gotta keep em on their toes
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pokimoko · 9 months
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I have had it with these motherfucking spam bots on this motherfucking site.
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chamiryokuroi · 9 months
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Me having just finished the fifth book in a series: Oh boy that was some heavy reading I better pick up a fic just for a change
Me picking up a 300k+ word count fic: Perfect
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lemondoddle · 4 months
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Sometimes I dabble in basic memes
[I.D. an edited image of a cat in overalls standing in front of an empty fridge captioned "me opening my fic to see if anything magically appeared since the last time I checked 8 minutes ago". End I.D.]
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Happy New Year!!
*pops grape juice bottle* woooo we’ve made it, guys!
2023 was such a nice year in the fandom, in my opinion. There was s3 and that was a banger, but I feel like the stuff we were up to ourselves over here was amazing too. I got to talk more with some of my mutuals who I hadn’t been as close to before, and lovely people keep coming to this corner of the internet!! We had our first sketchbook event and are currently preparing for a general Hilda Appreciation Week, I feel like this is all amazing considering the size of this community.
Just wanted to thank everyone who’s been here for the ride as well! It’s certainly always more fun when you have people to be insane with you. I just. Get very touched thinking about the amount of support in this fandom and how we creatively fuel each other.
Anyway, just wanted to write this post as a thank you. I hope you’re having a lovely end of the year, and may 2024 be even better 💜
(I do have one small writing update to add, though! The first months of the year will probably be relatively devoid of new content from me. This for two reasons. One is that I churned out so many fics this year that I feel like even the people who like my writing are having a hard time catching up (I don’t know how this happened either-), and the other is that I’ll be using my free time to get ahead on preparing my content for the rest of the year! I won’t completely stop or anything (Hilda Appreciation Week will see to that), just wanted to leave this noted so no one things I’ve Vanished from the fic writing scene or anything. I’m just preparing my next attack. Anyways that was it happy new year!!)
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