#yes that duck is named Punk

[thescarletdevil-0]

More Vivienne + her pet duck Punk ✧

#TheScarletDevil #Vivienne #Vivienne-TheScarletDevil #yes that duck is named Punk #He is a good boi #my oc #goth girl #goth gf

[enchantedbarnes]

Uncle Buck

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Single Aunt!Reader

Summary: You take your nephew to a Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson Q&A event. The mischievous 8-year-old asks if he can get in line to ask a question. Against your better judgement you agree and let him go up by himself.

Word Count: 626

Masterlist: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six

A/N: I had no intention to write anything on this account but here we are. Excuse the mess.

A young boy - 8 years old, dark hair and eyes full of mischief - walks up to the microphone.

"Hi, I have a question for Bucky..." He asks shyly.

The moderator nods, "What's your question for him, little man?"

The boy looks over at the seats nearby behind him and smirks, turning back to the stage with some more confidence this time.

"Will you marry my Aunt?"

The crowd let's out collective gasps, giggles, and awws. There's some cheering and a loud "OW OWWWW."

You inhale quickly and choke on your own air supply, trying to compose yourself. "BENJAMIN!!!"

You're horrified and shrink down in your seat while pulling your hood up over your head for added cover.

While you contemplate the fastest way to snatch the little traitor and get out of there as swiftly as possible you hear Sam's loud laugh echo through the room.

"I assume that was your Aunt and you're Benjamin?" Bucky asks while smirking.

Tiny traitor nods while grinning ear to ear. "I'm Benji, Auntie's name is Y/n and she thinks you're sooo handsome," he exaggerates with an eye roll, "and she's super fun and pretty and you'd be the coolest unc--"

Exit plan secured you jump out of your seat and rush over to cover his mouth and pull him back from the mic. Your hood still up and head ducked down.

"You said you were asking about the mechanics of his arm, you tiny little punk," you mutter at him but the microphone still picks up what you said.

While you have him secured in a headlock you quickly speak into the mic, avoiding all eye contact. "I apologize, I've never met this child before... I'm going to return him to the proper authorities immediately."

Picking your nephew up as quickly as you can, you toss him over your shoulder. His fit of giggles exploding while he tries yelling out again, "But he hasn't answered yet!"

"He's free later tonight, Aunt Y/n!" Sam shouts while you retreat to the back of the conference room towards the exit. "Your future family seems nice," he jokes while nudging Bucky's arm.

Benji tries to shout back across the room, "SHE IS FREE TOO!! EVERY NIGHT!!"

You shove the exit door open, "You're so dead. On my pick up days for school I will be blasting every embarrassing song I can find with the windows down. I'm going to start saving now and I will be buying every ad space available in your future yearbooks and I will be plastering them with your baby photos. And not the cute ones." Like this kid ever took a photo that wasn't cute.

***

The two of you walk around a food truck area set up outside the conference space. Benji is happily eating a pretzel you only bought so your sister wouldn't kill you for neglecting her child. You grab a seat at a small table to people-watch while he finishes up his undeserved treat.

You let your hood down, setting your vibrant and wild hair free. The color is easy to pick out in a crowd.

Benji is explaining in great detail the plot to a video game he has been playing with his friends and how one level keeps tripping them up.

The chair next to you slides back, "Is this seat open?" A deep voice asks.

Benji grins, "Yes!"

You already know who it is, but you're still startled when you look over and see none other than Bucky Barnes sitting with you and the small trouble matchmaker.

"So... is the potential cool Uncle position still available?" He smirks, hand on his chin looking over at both of you.

This little punk might be getting free pretzels and ice cream for life.

Alright folks! By popular demand, here is part 2!

Uncle Buck Returns

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fluff #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #marvel fic #bucky fanfiction #bucky barnes x fem!reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes imagine #uncle buck fic

[justwritingscenarios]

Welcome back, hope you're doing well!! I would like to request scenario 13 with Law!

Tysm and hope you have a nice day/night <3

Hi! I'm so happy to write about my hubby after such a long time. Sorry about the delay ! I hope it was what you wanted to read ! - Lara

Scenario 4 : having to share a bed and accidentally end up cuddling

Law x GN!Reader // Words : 1.7K // No warnings (no beta reader).

Ever since you joined the Strawhats, it was the first time the crew divided. Sure, everyone was separated for two years, but it was forced by Kuma initially. Here Luffy was taking half the crew with him to Whole Cake Island to bring back Sanji from Big Mom’s hold. You wished you could have gone with them, but you had followed Zoro – as he was the second in charge – on Trafalgar's "ship".

You wouldn’t say you disliked the idea. The Polar Tang was impressive, and you had been curious to visit it. However, what you preferred the most about the underwater trip to Wano was to see more of Trafalgar Law.

Since you met him on Punk Hazard, where he asked Luffy to be his ally, your eyes were attracted by him whenever he was around. To your great despair Robin and Nami had noticed. And to your great relief none of them messed with you. Except maybe that time Robin entrusted Law’s safety to you when she had to fight against Gladius in Dressrosa. But she didn’t let you alone with him, Cavendish was there as well, even if you were the one patching up Law. The man was riddled with bullets and had an arm cut off from his fight with Doflamingo, you couldn’t do much but stopped the haemorrhage. You were so aware of Law’s state of health that you didn’t complain once about your own injuries. Even when Leo and later Manshelly had helped him getting better, you didn’t leave his side. He didn’t grumble about it though. And you knew he acknowledged your presence from the beginning of your shared adventures.

Law worked with Chopper and you back in Punk Hazard’s lab. You even had talks and played cards on the Sunny on your way to Dressrosa. After that you helped him change his bandages when you were sailing to Zou under Bartolomeo’s flag. You went along together.

You had many times the opportunities to look at Law closely. Yet you never found him as attractive as you did the moment you got to see him moving around his submarine, surrounded by his crewmates. Around his friends, he smiles. Not smirk, smile. You swore his shoulders loosen, and his eyes hold a certain tenderness as he listens to their stories. Once you saw him snort before quickly hid under the visor of his furry hat. You often thought about it, to the extent of being lost in your mind.

“(Name), we-“ You were in the empty dining hall, sketching a duck on a napkin when Bepo’s voice surprised you.

“I didn’t hear you entering, Bepo.”

“… I’m sorry.” His whole body loosened. You patted his hand.

“Hey, don’t be sorry. I was lost in my thoughts, that’s why I didn’t hear you.” You offered him a bright smile and were happy to constate his fluffy ears went up again. “What did you want to tell me?”

“Oh yes! Captain said we’re going to emerge soon. He said that since you’re not used to stay in locked up places like us, you would appreciate to take a breath of fresh air before we reached Wano. That way, we’ll cool down the air in the sub too.”

“Thank you for telling me! Are the others aware of it?”

“Almost everyone knows. But we are still looking for Zoro.”

“Wasn’t he supposed to always be accompanied?”

“Yes, he was with the captain. Law talked to Hakugan for a minute and when he turned around Zoro had disappeared.”

“Rookie mistakes. Rule number 1: never let Zoro leave your sight.” The both of you laughed. “I’ll help you find him.”

A few minutes later, when Zoro was eventually found by Franky and Penguin in the engine room, the Polar Tang was emerged, and the main door was opened. Everybody came out to take a breath of fresh air. It was pleasant, especially for Bepo and not-Heart-crewmates. Law was right; you weren’t used to stay inside for so long, you were spending your whole days on the deck of the Sunny. You liked his initiative even more as at that time the sun was slowly getting low, the sky and the clouds getting warm colours. Most of you stayed outside talking and having a drink.

*

It’s been two hours since you surfaced. Most of the crewmates had come back inside and the sun had left its place to the moon. You hadn’t seen Law since getting out and the last time you saw Bepo, the polar bear was holding a blanket and a small tray to another place behind the main platform. You followed the way he took to the highest outside platform of the submarine.

There, were Law and Bepo. The big polar bear was laying on the floor, asleep. Law was leaning on the bear’s tummy. You guessed his legs to be crossed under the blanket. On the tray, the drink and the plate were empty, but a candle was still lightening Law’s reading. He either saw or heard you because he looked up.

“Hey.” You whispered.

“You can talk normally. Bepo has a deep sleep. You need something?”

“No I just- I noticed Bepo coming here earlier and wondered why he wasn’t coming back. Now I know.” The both of you looked at Bepo for a moment before you kept going. “I also wanted to thank you.”

“What for?”

“For emerging. I know we are quite in a hurry to reach Wano and not that we couldn’t have waited a few more days to see the surface but… It feels good to be out for a few hours. I never appreciated the cold air of the night that much before.” You took a deep breath and looked around.

“Actually, we aren’t in a hurry. The sub moves faster than a ship and Luffy won’t be there before us so…” You nodded to his words; he was right. Your eyes fell on the book he had put opened on his knees, opened about the midway. That’s when you realised…

“Oh I’m sorry, I disturbed your reading-” “It’s ok.” “If you went there it was to be at peace after all-“ “I don’t mind.” “Do you want me to bring back the tray-“ “(Name)-ya.” “It doesn’t bother me to do it-“ “(Name)-ya!”

You eventually kept quiet when he called your name a bit louder to stop your stammering. For a second, you thought he was annoyed but neither his tone nor his look was. The small smile on his face only showed amusement.

“It’s true that I came here to read peacefully but I don’t mind your presence, ok? You can stay. I can even read to you if you want.” He showed you the book. It wasn’t a medical book like you first thought. You kneeled before him to read the title.

“Moby Dick. Or The Whale. I never thought you’d be interested in those kinds of stories.”

“Not my usual reading but I’ve wanted to for a long time. You read it?”

“I was supposed to read it for school when I was… 9? I lost the book and got reprimanded by my teacher. Found it in my cat’s litter later. Don’t ask me how it end up there. Just know that she refused to lend me books after that.” Law snorted the way you saw him do with his crewmates. It made you quivered a bit. Which he saw and misinterpreted it.

“Come here. You’ll get cold if you stay like this.” As he talked, he stretched out his legs and lifted the blanket so you could come under next to him. You were still hesitated that your body was already moving to come next to him under the fabric. “You can lean on Bepo, it won’t bother him.” You did slowly as he told you, unaware of his soft gaze on you.

“Can you sum up the beginning?”

“I can also read from the beginning.”

“What? No! You’ve come so far. I just want to hear you read.”

“Oh really? If that’s so. Can I at least start again from the beginning of the chapter?” Law turned his head in your direction, his teasing eyes looking for you. You had to look up a bit as he was still taller than you were even in that situation. You played his game and squinted your eyes. Of course, you didn’t mind… all you wanted was to listen to his voice.

“Ok as it’s you.”

“Well, thanks.” He turned back to his book and started reading. “Slowly wading through the meadows of brit, the Pequod still held on her way north-eastward towards the island of Java…”

You weren’t sure when but at some point, in the story, Law’s voice became a distant lullaby in your ears. He didn’t see it right away. He just checked on you while turning a page, like he did already numerous times before, except your eyes were closed this time. He set down the book on the side, his eyes never leaving your sleeping face half sunk in the white fur, just inches away from his.

*

When Law woke up, it was still early. The very first sunrays were started to lighten the sky even if the star wasn’t showing yet. The temperature was low, but he didn’t feel cold. The cover and Bepo’s body warmth greatly helped but you did to. You had moved enough that your head was resting on his upper chest, one of your hands grabbing his sweat with the blanket.

After watching you for a few minutes, wandering what he should do, he let his fingers touched your visible cheek and then your hand, not so far. It was warm, meaning that you weren’t cold either and could stay outside longer. Because the truth was, he didn’t want to move. He felt good. He wasn’t used to it, but he was comfortable. With your head on his chest, your hand on his side, with just you.

Law wasn’t sure how he will deal with you when you’ll wake up, what your reaction would be… for the moment, he just wanted to stay like this.

#one piece #scenarios #one piece imagine #trafalgar law #one piece x reader #trafalgar law x reader #trafalgar law scenario #trafalgar law imagine #scenario 4 #trafalgar law scenario 4

[virgo-dream]

Flowing

based on this lovely post and @softest-punk’s ficlet on the reblogs. it scratched my brain so good I actually wrote something!!! this miracle took at least 76 lazari.

dreamling, t4t, fluff, all that good stuff. not beta’ed we die like Hob doesn’t yadda yadda yadda, idk how many words it’s 4:30am and I’m eepy and hungy wow

Dream’s fingers run over the keyboard on his laptop in a staccato rhythm. He feels his fingers clicking against each individual key clumsily, almost as if for a moment, he’d forgotten how words should be strung together. He hits the backspace, once, twice, holds it like he means to suffocate the words on the screen. Like they scare him, like his chest is being torn open by a fictional claw.

It’s not flowing, he tells himself. It hasn’t been flowing for a while now.

Still, he pushes through, typing away, forcing the words out, until a hand much warmer and steadier than his own reaches out, stopping Dream in his tracks.

“Dove, I can hear the cogs turning in your head. What’s the matter? You’ve been jumpy all day.”

Dream’s eyes stay focused on the screen, and time starts to dilate in his mind. He’s not sure why, but his chest tightens. He’s not sure if he’s ready to bring a name to that feeling either. Still, it’s impossible not to look at Hob, whose expression is full of warmth and kindness, and unlike Dream, seems to have his chest open and ready to bring his wreck of a lover into an embrace.

Hob wears the scars on his chest like a badge of honour. A body of his own making, a body Dream could sense from afar even before Hob had started growing into it.

“I… I’m not sure.” The words to describe his anxiety are there, Dream knows that. He’s trying to reach out for them, but he falls short.

Hob’s lips curl into a soft smile as he carefully reaches for the computer resting on Dream’s lap. “That’s alright. But maybe you’ve done enough writing for today. No point in frying your brain like that.”

Dream feels his heart climb up to his throat, hands gripping the sides of the laptop as if his life depended on it. “—I’ll stop. You’re right. There’s nothing more I can put on the page for now.” He shuts the laptop down, pulling it away from Hob and placing it on the nightstand.

He’s got nothing to hide from Hob. He’s got plenty to hide from himself. Dream can tell from how Hob’s eyebrows raise that whatever it is, he’s going to have to face it sooner rather than later.

“…ooookay. I wasn’t going to look, you know? I only want to read what you want to show me.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Silence fills the room as Dream and Hob look at each other. He can tell Hob is not going to push, but oh, how Dream wishes he would. Maybe a push is just what he needs. Maybe Hob is the only person who can do it for him.

Dream looks at Hob’s chest once more. Open, welcoming, light. Free. At his eyes, loving, wanting, sincere. At his arms, reaching out for Dream, wanting to bring him closer, to protect him, to give him strength. “Duck, is there anything you—“

“—could you use they for me sometimes? I don’t think I’m… I don’t think I’m a he. All the time. Maybe.”

Silence now sucks the air out of Dream’s lungs. They stare at each other as his— their words move through both Dream and Hob’s brains. For a split second, Dream feels a surge of fear and shame, the horrifying possibility that everything went wrong and somehow a line was crossed. A line he cannot possibly ignore now.

Before he can dive into any more assumptions, Hob’s arms are around him in a firm embrace, almost crushing. A hand goes to rest on the back of their hair, fingers tangling with the soft, dark strands. Hob holds Dream like they are the most precious thing to ever exist. “—oh duck, I’ll call you whatever makes you feel good. Thank you for trusting me, I know how difficult this is. Thank you, Dream. I love you.”

Hob’s words feel like a soothing balm to Dream’s crumpled chest, that now opens up as they take a breath, as if the weight of the world had finally been lifted off their shoulders. Hob’s embrace feels like permission, like comprehension, like support. And love, so much love, so much that Dream doesn’t know what to do with it other than let their hands go to Hob’s softly stubbled cheeks and direct his face to meet Dream’s in the middle, lips crashing clumsily at first.

When Dream opens their eyes again, they are rimmed with tears. It’s okay, though. Hob would not denounce him for crying. Hob accepts it, celebrates their moments of emotional release.

“I know. It’s scary. You did something very big right now. I’m proud of you.” Hob presses a gentle kiss to Dream’s forehead, and doesn’t let of them. Dream is not bothered by it, in fact settling into Hob’s arms, like their bodies were always meant to rest against one another.

Dream wonders if Hob knew all along, like they somehow sensed Hob’s truth years before it came to light.

The next morning, their words are flowing again.

#Dreamling #dreamling fic #the sandman #dream of the endless #morpheus #amazing art #t4t dreamling is somethin else #hob gadling #my writing

[noodlelove3000]

One thing that really rots my brain is the idea of the guild during the og baby fairytail members time and the domesticity of it. Cause like no way was gramps letting a bunch of super powered ( and incredibly destructive) 7-14year olds out of his sight.

Just imagine:

Little Natsu and emo teen Laxus having breakfast while very quietly whispering about their respective hoards collections of cat theme things ( I KNOW LAXUS IS A SECRET CAT LOVER I JUST KNOW IT)

Tiny Gray having an emo phase. Mira (a punk 14 year old) helping him out (after teasing him of course). The two spending many hours and lots of jewel to find and look through dozens of fashion magazines. Eventually falling asleep sprawled on the floor in a nest of semi-laminated paper.

Tween Lissana and levy giggling over the kissy scenes in books and Erza overhearing them. Spitting out her cake into Laxus’s face which makes them burst out into full on cackling.

Little Cana teaching natsu to make card pyramids for 3 hours and when he finally gets it, Elfman knocks it over. Every one thinks Natsu is going to punch someone, but he doesn’t, instead he starts full on bawling. Nobody knows what to do. Little Natsu cannot be comforted. Levy shuts him up by shoving candy into his mouth while cana really quickly rebuilds the pyramid.

Erza and Mira having a dance off on some of the tables ( mira breaks 3 of them in half with her stomping, Erza somehow stabs one). This is how everyone finds out to never take either of them to parties cause they dance like the deaf baby of giraffes and a buffalo.

Gray and climbing a tree to the very top and forgetting that he doesn’t know how to get down? He stays there till the next morning and seethes for the next week cause LISSANA had to carry him down.

Natsu following Gray around like a lost puppy his first week cause “he’s friend sized” and what else was he supposed to do? He knows nothing! Dudes not even from this time period. At least if he follows loud stripper he knows he wont get run over by a car. Gray not noticing or caring that he is being followed cause little guy has his own problems to deal with and “as long as he doesn’t take my food or breath on me.”

Cana having a plague doctor mask that elfman bought for her 13th birthday. She wears it to scare the shit out of everyone at the sleepovers.

Weekly “sleepovers” in the guildhall because it’s easier to do gramps weekly count of them when they are all lined up in their my little pony sleeping bags (yes this includes laxus and mira)

When Romeo is born they have a guild wide contest on whose name he says first (the answer is his own cause the little dude is a true fairytail wizard)

Levy managing to give everyone a heart attack after casually admitting that she hasn’t slept or ate anything but crackers and coffee cause she was trying to teach herself the equivalent of ancient greek.

Laxus and gray not knowing how to hold a baby (romeo)

Natsu “teething” on Erza. Everyone stares in shock cause there’s just Erza sitting there stone faced in full armor while Natsu chops down on her arm like he has rabies. ( he still bites her even when they’re older if he’s really stressed)

Everyone having a default crush on laxus or Mira

The guild kids try to make homemade shaved ice with grays ice and end up covering the entire town with really weird ice sculptures

Mira scaring the shit out of kids with her demon souls during Halloween

Someone stealing Mira or Natsu’s food and ending up with a burn on their tounge followed by natsu trying to “kiss it better”

Levy dozing off on the rafters and falling down onto poor elfman

Spin the bottle but instead of kissing you fight (grays idea)

Laxus has a spray bottle filled with water mixed with really bad smelling cologne that he uses to spray people when they’re bad, like cats.

No one in the guild knew how to swim until they turned 16 Lissana still can’t swim.

Its really really common to see elfman or gray duck-taped to the wall (its levy who does it)

Dont fall asleep around teen Mira she will draw titties on your face. (Where do you think natsu got it from?)

They all took a living 101 class when lissana was 13. It failed miserably. Laxus ended up being the grandfather to 6 rate and 3 hamsters

Laxus takes Lissana and Elfman out for brunch once a month because it pisses mira off to no end.

Levy, Lissana, and Laxus accidentally forming an L name club and plan their “meetings” within earshot of Mira and Erza to make them jealous.

“We should get cookies!”-levy

“And ice cream!”- lissana

“(Super smug face) im craving strawberry cake.”-laxus

*sounds of Erza bursting into flames of jealousy*

#fairy tail #natsu dragneel #ft natsu #gray fullbuster #brotp #mirajane strauss #fairy tail mirajane #fairy tail laxus #gray fairy tail #fairytail #crack #they were babies once!!!! #erza scarlet #fairy tail erza #Lissana strauss #elfman strauss #levy mcgarden #found family fluff #cana alberona #ft gray #let laxus be the lamo that everyone looks up to #punk!mira #teen! fairy tail #found family troupe my love #they all got daddy issues and they all have fun #love a good heart attack #mlp is cannon in ft cause i said so #just friendship is magic though #its fitting #siblings

[chrisevansonly]

Little Ducks Aren’t Allowed Boyfriends Headcannon

Arlie had started attending a daycare in your neighbourhood a few months ago, wanting to get her exposed to new kids, and an environment that could somewhat mimic what school would since she was starting this September

You and Chris had vetted about 6 places until finding this one not too far from your home, and the staff and caretakers were absolutely amazing

Drop off was at 9am and pick up was at 3:30pm, though somedays she got picked up early or was able to stay at home

Arlie was so excited for daycare, bringing home a new craft, story, or special toy from her group everyday

Chris honestly was still trying to come to terms with the fact that his first baby was growing up and getting older, and you’ll never forget the day she came home and said she had a boyfriend

You’d picked her up and were getting her snack ready as she watched an episode of Bluey and unpacking her backpack which was no doubt filled with more art, you’d need a bigger fridge at this point

“Little Duck can you come to the table for a snack please?”

“Comin Momma!!”

You chuckled at her enthusiasm, she turned off the show on her own and came to meet you in the dining room, her plate of snacks waiting for her

“yummy momma, thank you!”

You kissed her forehead and sat down

“you’re welcome baby, how was your day?”

You watched her stuff a blueberry in her mouth before giggling

“momma guess what?”

“what baby?”

She giggled again and you couldn’t help but laugh, her little cheeks tinting with a blush

“i got a boyfwend”

Arlie whispered the word like it was a sin and you covered your mouth in faux surprise

“you got a boyfriend? what’s his name?”

“Miles”

You smiled as she kept eating her snack, Chris making his way down from finishing up some meetings with his team, this was going to be hilarious

“Hey there little duck!”

“Daddy!!”

He leaned down to press a few kisses to her face before pressing his lips to yours and sitting next to you

“Why don’t you tell daddy about today?”

“What happened today?”

Arlie laughed covering her mouth with her hands as Chris furrowed his brows in confusion

“guess what daddy?”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a bit skeptical

“what princess?”

“I got a boyfwend”

Chris tensed beside you right away, and you looked at him, his expression blank, but there was a hint of that constant protective dad swirling behind those eyes of his

“Oh you do huh? What’s this punks name.”

Arlie crossed her arms

“He not a punk daddy!”

“Sure he is.”

You rolled your eyes placing a hand on Chris’s knee

“Do not get your daughter into a tantrum please”

Chris’s expression remained the same, him and Arlie in a stare down

“His name Miles, he nice daddy!”

“Mhm, i’m sure he is duck”

Arlie continued munching on her snack quietly for a few moments

“As long as he’s not kissing you on the playground, or sharing your snacks, or hugging you all the time…or-or”

You laughed leaning onto Chris’s shoulder, reaching to rub his back soothingly, you could definitely feel how tense he still was

“Well Arlie, i’m glad you made a new friend baby, that makes me so happy!”

She smiled at your praise clapping her hands before laughing once more

“oh momma?”

“Yes sweet love?”

Arlie leaned over and whispered

“he gave me kissy on cheek like daddy gives you!”

You laughed shaking your head and Chris caught exactly what she said

“Son of a-”

#little duck au💛🐥 #little duck head cannons🐥💛 #little duck 💛🐥 #chris evans x momma evans #chris evans & momma evans #chris evans x arlie mae #chris evans & arlie mae #momma & arlie mae #momma x arlie mae #momma x little duck 💛🐥 #chris evans x wife reader #chris evans x pregnant!reader #chris evans imagine #chris evans fic #ruesfriends💛 #rueswrites

[duckprintspress]

Meet Aether Beyond the Binary Contributors Sebastian Marie, Lyonel Loy, and Elior Haley!

As we enter the last few days of the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for Aether Beyond the Binary, we’re introducing the last few of our authors. Today, meet Sebastian Marie, Lyonel Loy, and Elior Haley! We’re really excited to be featuring these three authors contributing to this fantastic collection of 17 stories set in modern aetherpunk settings where the technology runs on magic, all starring characters outside the gender binary.

Un Charco, Un Lago by Sebastian Marie

About Sebastian: Sebastian Marie (he/him) is an engineering student with a lot of opinions about dragons, pirates, and sword fighting. Track him down on Ao3 or Tumblr and he’ll share these opinions gladly, just be prepared for music and some excited shouting. His original works often combine fantasy and dystopia into what he calls “queer fantasy hopepunk,” something that will be explored in his future novels. He loves to write conflicting traditional and non-traditional family dynamics, especially where they intersect with queer relationships. And if he can throw werewolves and brujas into the mix? So much the better. When not writing, frantically studying, or reading, he can be found singing loudly, sewing impractical coats, and going on long rambling walks while plotting stories (and occasionally falling into rivers). 

Also, he’s also the guitarist and one of the lyricists of folk punk band Here Be Dragons, who hope to have their debut EP out near the end of Fall, 2023. 

This is his third time writing for Duck Prints Press, having previously contributed to Aim For the Heart and She Wears the Midnight Crown. This brings his grand total of published works up to three! He’s looking forward to more, as soon as he gets some sleep. 

Links: Archive of Our Own | Tumblr

This is Sebastian’s third contribution to a Duck Prints Press anthology. His first contribution was in the masquerade-themed anthology She Wears the Midnight Crown, and his second in Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers” – which, mostly coincidentally, has been released on our website TODAY!

Title: Un Charco, Un Lago

Excerpt: 

The person who answers the door to the townhouse is short, brown, and incredibly tired looking. Victorie sees this look a lot in her line of work; plumbing disasters really take a lot out of people. He adjusts the strap of his work bag on his shoulder and begins his spiel. 

“Hello, Hola, English or Español?”

“Ingles,” the person responds before yawing. “but either is good.” They scratch at their shoulder, which is covered in paint-splattered overalls and a worn blue polo shirt. 

“All right. My name is Technician Victorie, public works wizard at your service.” Victorie points to her name tag that helpfully states “he/him” and “she/her” under his name. “And you must be Lago Cabrera? Elle/le or they/them?” Victorie reads off her paper.

“Yes.”

“Do I have your permission to inspect the problem, a…” Victorie consults the paper. 

“The sink is throwing up.” Lago says bluntly.

We Might Contain Multitudes by Lyonel Loy

About Lyonel: Lifelong maladaptive daydreamer, finally working up the courage to write those daydreams down. Spends time cosplaying as a Responsible Adult With A Job.

This is Lyonel’s first time writing with Duck Prints Press.

Title: We Might Contain Multitudes

Excerpt:

There are master crafters in the sleepy hills of New England, waiting amongst the silent ward stones.

The first has eyes like a spider’s, arrayed out neatly in rows, and the spider eyes sparkle in a riot of colors that Kwok’s human eyes should not have been able to see.

The next has no mouth yet whispers ceaseless, an uninterrupted flow of half recognizable words in a myriad of voices and a myriad of tongues like a mountain stream in heavy rain, swirling over and around itself like dancing water.

The last is Guo, whose name is not truly Guo. Guo, who could be any ordinary young man on the streets of Ipoh or Singapore or Seoul except for their eternal eyes, and yet it is they who scare Kwok most of all.

Epiphanies of Friendship, and Other White Whales by Elior Haley

About Elior: Elior has spent much of the past few years primarily writing for fanfic exchanges. Currently, he’s in the process of slowly working his way through university. When not writing or studying, he can be found binding books, drawing, ice skating, and—very occasionally—playing the violin. His story in Aether Beyond the Binary is his first published work.

This is Elior’s first time writing with Duck Prints Press.

Title: Epiphanies of Friendship, and Other White Whales

Excerpt:

There was no such thing as night and day, deep in aetherspace, but it was during Raisel’s resting time that the song woke her from sleep, deep and low and rolling in her bones.  She felt it more than she heard it, its vibrations layering on top of the omnipresent hum of the gravity generator and engines.  At once she sat up in her narrow bunk, heart beating jackrabbit-quick; she tried to calm her shaking limbs for a moment before realizing that the tremors were from the song.

It was like nothing she had heard before.  No words she knew felt adequate to describe it; it was both beautiful and eerie, and somewhere between her bones and her soul she felt something call to her.

Halfway down the corridor, still in her sleeping clothes, Charlie caught her elbow.

“Where are you going?” they asked.

With less than 5 days left in our campaign, we are 83% funded. Time is running out to back the Kickstarter to buy your copy of Aether Beyond the Binary and help us raise the funds we need to bring this anthology into print! Become a backer TODAY!

#duck prints press #aetherpunk #aether beyond the binary #sebastian marie #elior haley #lyonel loy

[thatweirdnoise]

Ok second part on the qsmp one piece au!

The french (and Baghs)! Not everyone tho because i don't know enough about AyPierre and Antoine personalities to do a good adaptation on them! So if you have ideas for them do tell me

To begin with, Baghera is the captain and Antoine is the vice (and navigator). Baghs is a bird(duck) model Zoan Devil Fruit user and she served as an experiment for a long time on the island Quesadilla (basically Punk Hazard/egg head, yes is the same place... hard to explain) she escaped as a teenager and promised to help as many people as possible to get out of miserable situations like hers.

Their group is the most similar to real-life pirates who fled to the seas in search of refuge and freedom from the society that excludes them. They have a very strong connection with the revolutionary army and constantly join forces with them to help people in need or provide assistance to war refugees. But they are still their on crew of pirates.

Etoiles is a user of all three types of Haki and is excellent at swordsmanship. Philza is an old training partner of his, and they meet once a month to train.

I saw that Pierre is good with create, so will put him as their ship engineer!

Also, they found Pomme as a baby inside a treasure chest just like Uta!

idk a name for their crew or their flag yet, feel free to give ideas

#qsmp au #qsmp french #baghera jones #etoiles #qsmp etoiles #qsmp antoine #qsmp aypierre #qsmp one piece au #my peaks of creativity

[buckys-little-belle]

Cafe BigNSmall - Steve Rogers (Chapter One)

The First Meeting Of Forever

Steve x Little!Reader (He/Him pronouns used)

Warnings - Talks of bugs (As an interest, no one touches or has a bug), Talks of bumble bees (Again only as an interest), talks of food, reader and Steve both eat food, talks of juice, orange juice

SFW - Please keep all interactions with this post and with this blog SFW, you will be blocked if you don’t keep all interactions SFW.

Note - This is a “Sibling Series” to my original Cafe BigNSmall series that includes Bub and Mr (Aka Bucky x Little!Reader (She/Her Pronouns used). The original series can be found on my Masterlist (Aka pinned post) . This “Sibling Series” would not be possible without my followers, especially without my 🐝 anon, who helped me really develop the reader’s character, and for that I’m forever thankful! This chapter is really just an opening one, it may seem short but it really is just laying the ground work and allowing us to see the characters connect for the first time!

- - - - - -

“Come on Steve, it will be worth it I promise.” Bucky’s words rang through Steve’s mind as he stood outside the cafe he used to frequent years ago.

“It won’t be the same Buck.” Steve once tried to reason.

“No, it won’t be the same, if anything punk it’s better.” Bucky teased.

So here Steve stood, his hands in his jacket pockets, sunglasses now hung on his t-shirt, and his hat still on expecting nothing but disappointment inside the cafe.

As he walked in a small bell, hung above the front door, rung. “Hi!” The barista chirped, her curly hair bouncing as the smile on her face grew. “Can I get you anything?”

Steve probably looked like a fish out of water, his face contorted in a look of unfamiliarity. “Could I have a black coffee please?” He asked, his voice clear even though his mind wasn’t.

“Of course, just a moment.” She cheered as she got to work making him a black coffee.

Steve took this time to look around, the cafe seemed pretty empty, a few people sitting in booths, but nothing really interesting. His eyes eventually wandered to the back of the cafe, a small booth with limited natural light was being occupied by a, seemingly, little, reading a book. A smile grew on Steve’s face, he looked happy, engrossed in whatever he was reading, and he looked comfy. The boy was wearing a pair of jeans, and a sweatshirt, the sweater printed with different types of bugs and plants, each species name written underneath.

“Sir?” The barista said, trying to get Steve’s attention. “Your coffee is ready.”

Steve nodded, then looked back to the boy. “What was he drinking?” Steve asked as he pointed to the boy in the corner, his empty cup sitting next to him on the table.

“Just an orange juice. Honestly he never really buys anything.” She scoffed, seemingly unamused with him.

“Well can I add an orange juice to my order please?” Steve asked, a smile once again making its way onto his face, hopeful that he would like it.

“Sure, that will be $10 please.” The barista said, Steve of course was surprised with how cheep it was, everything in Brooklyn had really gone up in price, especially nice cafes like the one he was currently standing in.

Steve payed and grabbed the drinks, hesitant at first, he eventually began to walk to the boy. “Hi, I’m Steve.” Steve shakily said, the boy looked up at him, a confused look on his face. “Um, what are you reading about?” He asked, desperately trying to keep the conversation going.

“Bugs.” He said quietly, then ducked his face back to his book.

Steve huffed quietly, ‘How did Bucky do this successfully!’ he wondered. “Could I maybe sit with you? I got you an orange juice.” Steve added, placing the new juice cup on the table.

“Oh, thank you.” He said, a little louder this time. “You really want to sit?” He questioned, confused as to why this large man was being so nice.

“Yes, I would love to hear all about the book you’re reading.” Steve smiled, sitting down on the opposite booth bench as the boy. “What’s your name?” Steve asked.

“My name is Y/n.” He said, reaching for the cup and taking a sip. “I love orange juice.” He blushed.

“The barista said that’s what you always get so I just though maybe you would like another one.” Steve blushed back, his heart thumping loudly.

“I can’t really buy much here.” Y/n glanced towards the board that had all of the cafe’s products and prices of the products on it. “But an orange juice is always nice!” He beamed, genuinely happy to have someone to talk to.

“I’m more of an apple juice guy.” Steve said, lifting his coffee cup to his lips to take a sip. “But orange juice is a close second.”

Y/n smiled and looked at the table, unsure of how to continue the conversation. Luckily he didn’t have to, Steve stepping in with a question quickly. “So what bug are you reading about?”

“Oh, ‘m bumble bee’s.” Y/n said, turning his book slightly so Steve could see the pictures. The book was pretty big, the font large and pictures big, an ‘easy’ read if you will. “Did you know they have five eyes?” He beamed, his eyes as wide as his smile.

“Wow, I did not know that.” Steve said shocked, genuinely unaware of how many eyes bees had.

“I didn’t until today.” Y/n mumbled, slowly becoming engrossed in the book again. “I love learning about things, today is bumble bees but I think tomorrow I’m going to read my book on roses.”

Steve chuckled, he had no clue that there were books on carrots, but he loved that Y/n found these things interesting. “You’re quite the little scientist huh?” Steve blurts out.

“I guess so.” Y/n answered. “I don’t know much about chemicals and things though.”

“No, no.” Steve interrupted. “There are different types of scientists.”

Y/n perked up, suddenly very intruiged. “Like what?” He asked.

“Well theres biological scientists, people who study the body.” Y/n nodded his head, ready to know more. “You’re right too, some scientist study chemicals, but other scientists study nature. So bugs, plants, animals, rocks, all sorts of outdoors stuff.”

“I love rocks, animals and plants, oh and bugs.” Y/n exclaims.

“Exactly, you’re a little nature scientist.” Steve chuckled, once again sipping his coffee.

Y/n and Steve sat together in the booth for another hour, Y/n reading his book and Steve listening to Y/n when he wanted to share a new fact about Bees.

Suddenly a beeping noise rang through the air, Y/n pulled up their sweater’s sleeve to reveal a tattered and well loved watch. “Sorry, that’s my alarm, I have to go home now.” Y/n clearly looked defeated, the happiness that once radiated from him had now died down. “Thank you for hanging out with me.” He mumbled, clearly not ready to go.

“I really enjoyed hanging out with you too. Maybe I can see you again another time?” Steve asked, his words full of hope, him also not wanting the moment to end.

“Yeah!” Y/n perked up, a smile on his face as he packed up his backpack and got ready to go, pulling out a few dollar bills to give to Steve. “For the juice.” He suggested.

Steve’s face showed clear confusion, he was genuinely happy to buy some juice if it meant he got some quality company. “No no, I bough the juice for you bug.” Steve quickly said, subconsciously adding in the nickname at the end.

Y/n smiled as he put his backpack on, Steve gave him a nickname, and juice. Y/n had never felt so wanted and cherished, a larger smile now planted on his face as he was about to leave. “Can we meet tomorrow?”

“I get off work at four pm, how does that sound?” Steve asked, now standing beside Y/n as he too got ready to leave.

The pair walked out of the cafe together, finally leaving the building when Y/n answered. “Four sounds great!”

They both began to walk in separate directions before Steve stopped and called out one last time. “Don’t forget your book on roses tomorrow.”

#buckys little belle #little!reader #age regression fic #steve rogers age regression #steve rogers x little reader #steve x little!reader #steve x little reader #steve rogers x little!reader #steve rogers x reader #steve x male reader #male!little!reader #male little #male reader #he/him reader

[sentofight]

𝘒𝘕𝘖𝘞𝘐𝘕𝘎  𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙  𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘕𝘌𝘙  𝘞𝘌𝘓𝘓  𝘊𝘈𝘕  𝘗𝘖𝘛𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘐𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘠  𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌  𝘞𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎  𝘛𝘖𝘎𝘌𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙  𝘈  𝘓𝘖𝘛  𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘐𝘌𝘙.

NAME :  Faty. I go by Fai or Moogle, whichever is cool.

PRONOUNS :  she/her

PREFERENCE  OF  COMMUNICATION :  personally d.iscord because dumblr IM can be pain in the duck but im good if u prefer IMs. im ppl pleaser lmao.

NAME  OF  MUSE(S) : how about i link the roster because...r u sure. tots didnt add new/old/test muses because i can

EXPERIENCE  /  HOW  LONG  (  MONTHS  /  YEARS? ) :  uhh lessee ... i tried dumblr rp right around 2012 but then didnt go well at first but then officially enjoying chaos on 2013 ...AFTER PLAYING TYPE0 FRICK MY LIFE.

BEST  EXPERIENCE : when people enable my chaos. i'd say i have been blessed to have great and fun experiences during my time here. yes it was up and down sometimes but hey loving the care and attention my muses are getting nowadays. thanks everyone. looks respectfully at wars as always, my number one hyper. cheers to all of you really, varus, stacy, alven, kinkoz, bear, bubbles, and all the new peeps! i care for all of you!!!!!!!!!!

RP  PET  PEEVES  /  DEALBREAKERS :  ho boy. only following cool looking graphically blogs not for the actual content, which is cool if thats your thing but don't make fun of people investing in their characters and building hcs. follow for ships and get upset over getting denied. not reading rules. making fun of certain hcs i write or some reservations i have over writing certain things. should i go on ;;;

MUSE  PREFERENCES  FLUFF,   ANGST  OR  SMUT : hello, is this house of angst? yes. I'd like to renew my contract. and sprinkle some fluff. smut is...................eh. like really eh. super exclusive.

PLOTS  OR  MEMES :   hmu with both! i like how some random meme can turn into the next fun thread! we can explore things with different memes and then viola ideas for threads.

LONG  OR  SHORT  REPLIES :   listen. nowadays my brain melts rather quickly so i tend to shorten things but hey.......when this yapper of brain yaps..IT IS A LONG LONG LOOOOOOOOONG REPLY. i like them both yes. but i gotta be honest and say short is to go nowadays. forgive this oldie granny.

BEST TIME TO WRITE :    whenever i get a chance. IRL is hectic nowadays.

ARE  YOU  LIKE  YOUR  MUSE(S) :  high five lissa. that's it. wink wonk.

tagged by: i stole it from explorer weeee

tagging: snag it punks i dare you. it is not m.unday but i dont what i want so you too!

#ooc.| faty speaks #[wink wonk.

[sillysadduck]

I was going to say that Todney and Yellow got together more easily than Special One and Lily but they’re literally so oblivious that — T.T

Wait, perhaps their ship name could be something related to it, oblivioushearts or something ?? I don’t, I was given an enlightening but I don’t know how to use it

WAITTT YES honestly they probably won't realize they're dating they're not the brightest 😭

They probably won't even realize they like each other for a while, maybe Red will say something at some point bc Duck is too busy freaking out about Yellow's punk phase to realize he's gay, he cant give advice 😭😭 even if he did he would be like what the hell do you want me to say. Take that ugly dog collar off now. It's all because of that damn phone.

#yellow guy x todney #this entire thing is its own AU now #maybe I should give it a tag #since theyre older in this au thingy #gay teens au

[aster-tiger]

The Raging Witch

Law x OFC, Zoro x OFC, Luffy x OFC, Zoro x Luffy, Law x Zoro, Law x OFC x Zoro

Warnings: swearing, shameless smut, bisexuality, consensual k!nk, 3some, b0ndage, emotional slow burn, developing relationship, hurt/comfort, fluff, angst, bonding, mating (not abo), post Punk Hazard, post Dressrosa, changing pov (no head hopping), mm relationship, mmf relationship, english is not my first language, no beta we die like men

For this chapter: unhealthy coping, mentions of child sa, aftermath of sa, mutil@tion, t0®ture&inte®0gation

Chapter 22: Towards the Sun

The man hit the ground hard. His head fell on the dirt with a wet squelch and dark red blood spilled around it like a gory halo. The metallic stench permeated the air along with the acidic smell of urine. The man's bladder gave out before he let out his last breath.

She looked around, scanning the men standing all around the courtyard of the mansion. She was ready for them to attack.

"What is the meaning of this?" A man with lavender hair stepped from the house onto the porch. 

He was tall, had a bizarre hairstyle and was wearing good quality clothes.

She stood on attention and bowed like a mafia underling would bow to a higher up.

"Are you the one who killed Jiro?" the man demanded, his voice raised.

"Yes, I did," she confirmed, still bowing.

"Show me your face."

She straightened up, but avoided the man's eye. It was considered polite in Wano to avoid other people's gaze. Especially the people with higher status.

"A girl?" The man's tone was disapproving. "A girl killed Jiro, while you lot stood around? This is a disgrace, kill her."

The men rushed at her from all sides, their swords raised high.

She sidestepped the first one and struck the ball of her palm into the base of his nose. Blood gushed all over his face and he curled on himself in pain.

She kicked him back so he crashed into two other men. Then she ducked and kicked the legs from under another man. She backflipped to avoid a sword and wrapped herself around another man's legs, bringing him down. She grabbed his ankle, twisted hard. It cracked and the man howled in pain. She grabbed his hair and bashed his head into the ground.

She took his sword and jumped to her feet. She covered the blade with haki and without any finesse hacked the katana around. 

Katanas had fragile blades and when hit at a bad angle, the blade got damaged or shattered entirely.

She fought dirty, kicking and hammer punching her opponents. There weren't any rules in a mob fight, the only thing that mattered was to come out alive.

"Enough of this!" The leader bellowed, irritated by the incompetence of his own men.

Everyone stopped and backed off from her. She threw the sword to the ground and stood at her full height amongst fallen yakuza moaning in pain.

"Boss Kyoshiro," she addressed the man with a formal bow. "I killed that man because he was stealing from you."

She reached into the inner pocket of her jacket and pulled a bundle wrapped in cloth. She threw it at Kyoshiro's feet and coins spilled on the ground.

"This is what he stole yesterday, when he was collecting protection money."

The man regarded the coins with a scowl then looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Reiju," she answered with her alias, a modified version of her own name. "Please allow me to join the ranks of your family. I will serve you better than the man who dared to steal from you."

She bowed again and waited.

The silence stretched, while she felt the man's gaze scrutinizing her.

"Come with me," he ordered and motioned for her to follow.

He led her to a sitting room that consisted of at least twenty tatami mats. In Wano a room that size was considered spacious.

"Sit down."

She kneeled on the mats, just like Shinobu taught her. It wasn't a comfortable position to sit for an extended time.

The man took a smoking pipe from its tray and took a slow drag. He let out the smoke unhurriedly while staring at her with cold eyes.

She knew how she looked in her worn out samue, stained with blood and dirt. Her hair was tucked under a plain headband and she left her dirty jika tabi at the door. Her clothing screamed she was a lower class worker.

"Where are you from?"

"I was born in Ringo, but my mother was from the Flower Capital."

"And your father?"

"I never knew who he was."

"Why?"

"My mother worked in the Red Lantern District. When she found out she was pregnant, she decided to keep me and she ran away to hide in Ringo."

"And here you are, back in the Capital."

"My mother died when our house burned down a month ago. I have no one and nothing left."

"So you came to the capital hoping for what?"

"I want to find my father."

The silence stretched again, while he stared at her. She kept her eyes politely turned down, but she grew tired of this stupid game of appearences. He was a yakuza boss, not some prince in a shining crown.

She caught his gaze with confidence. "I know the color of my skin is different. The obvious conclusion is that my father is a gaijin and one of the Beast Pirates. I came to you, because the Kyoshiro Family has connections to the Beast Pirates. I am a strong fighter. I could be an asset. I also know the art of pleasuring men for money. I can serve you in whatever way you order me to if you help me find my father."

"And what will you do if you find him?"

"I don’t know yet."

_______________

The house was settling down after the night's activities. The laughter, singing, moaning and groaning have lulled into soft breaths of sleep. The corridors were still filled with the smells of perfume, food, incense and sex. But there was something peaceful about the house, a sense of satiated comfort.

Rage sauntered through the dim house heading for the kitchen. The sun was barely up and filled the house with pale morning light.

The kitchen was empty at this hour. The housekeeper wouldn't be up until late morning to prepare meals. And the girls usually slept until noon after working late into the night.

She liked to use the kitchen when nobody was around and she could be alone. 

She used the time to sort out her thoughts and feelings after a busy night. And she did that over a pot filled with sex toys that could be sterilized in boiling water.

A handmaiden was assigned to her on her first day in the brothel. But she didn't find it appropriate to hand a ten year old girl a bag of silicone dicks and ask her to boil them. She preferred to do it herself.

She stirred the pot, which proved to be amusing every time she sterilized the toys. It was as if she was a witch preparing a potion in a pot full of dicks.

"Good morning, Reiju-sama," a sleepy voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned her head and smiled at the small girl who stood in the doorway stifling a yawn.

"Hello, Yoshiko. I told you, you don't have to get up this early."

"But you are already awake, mistress. I have to be by your side."

She was a petite girl, with inky black hair and porcelain skin. Her parents were farmers in Kuri. They indentured Yoshiko in hopes of securing her a better life than they could provide.

It was heartbreaking that they were right. She had at least two meals a day, fresh water and a warm place to sleep. A life as a maid in a brothel seemed like a luxury. She didn't have to suffer through constant hunger and sickness from contaminated water.

She lived in the brothel for a year and she was well adjusted to the place and the things that went on daily.

Yoshiko was a tremendous help in the beginning, when Rage had to adjust to different standards then she was used to in a brotherl. Even Shinobu didn't know as much about Flower Capital's brothels as this small girl.

"Lay down in the corner, Yoshiko. I'll wake you up when I'm done here."

"Thank you, Reiju-sama," the girl murmured, her eyes drooping.

The child worked hard but she still didn't earn enough to cover living and schooling expenses. Sadly, her debt accumulated. One day, hopefully when she'll be old enough, she will be asked to repay the debt by working as a courtesan.

Rage tweaked her hormones a few times to help her body develop properly. Her growth process was stunted by years of malnutrition. Her bones were weak and brain was less developed than children who ate enough. Rage couldn't do much about the brain, but she could help her grow into a healthier person.

There was no doubt that Yoshiko was spying on her and reporting to the house mother and Kyoshiro. Rage didn't blame the child, she did what she had to do to survive.

And it wasn't surprising that Kyoshiro kept an eye on her. It was a reasonable thing to do.

Rage hoped he would place her in the same house as his prized oiran Komurasaki. But she ended up in a less reputable establishment.

Again, it wasn't surprising. After all, she had yet to earn his trust. But regardless of his misgivings Kyoshiro referred clients to her.

The first one was a man around her age who worked in the shogun's palace. He was a high ranking official, an assistant to the head treasurer. Who also happened to be his grandfather. Nepotism was thriving under the current shogun's rule.

The very bored young man was looking for a thrill. The kind of play she offered brought a shine to his eyes and he quickly became a regular. He visited his mistress two times a week and sent regular gifts.

One of those gifts was coffee.

Rage took the stone mortar from a shelf and proceeded to ground coffee beans by hand. Regrettably, Wano did not have coffee, only tea. The only way to acquire the beans was to trade with the Beast Pirates who made regular trips outside of Wano. 

The coffee she received cost a small fortune and was the lousiest of quality. The people of Wano had no knowledge of good quality coffee and got scammed by the pirates. Her new pet was eager to please his mistress. He bought her the beans only a day after she expressed her curiosity for the drink.

And after two weeks of caffeine deprivation she was not going to complain about the quality. 

She didn't even have the proper means to brew a decent pot. But it didn't matter, bad coffee was still better than no coffee. Even if she had to put the grounds in a cup and pour boiling water over it.

Under the pretense of searching for her "father" she inquired about Beast Pirates without raising any suspicions. She already knew their numbers, structure and powers of the key players. Apparently Kaido had a son who was confined to Onigashima for years. That was an interesting piece of information.

A month has passed since they arrived in Wano. She supposed Luffy would be arriving soon, since he managed to take back Sanji.

Rita brought her the newspaper stolen from Beast Pirates. Luffy's new bounty was impressive. And she was sure Zoro would be pissed as hell with Sanji's new bounty which was higher than his.

It was almost time for Makonde's big spectacle. Rita and Maya researched the samurai in the capital who were loyal to the Shogun. They picked the easiest target to be publicly slaughtered by the messenger of Amaterasu, the sun goddess.

Rage had no intention of following through with the plan of establishing a cult. It was only a distraction for Kin'emon and the others. She could proceed undetected with the original plan, while they would fret about the cult.

She sent girls to every province to invigilate mafia clans. She could only use about half of her crew, whose skin color passed as acceptable in Wano. The girls with beige and light brown skin passed as low born farmers, whose skin became darker by years of laboring in the fields.

Law was so relieved when she sent away half of the crew it was hilarious.

He wasn't amused with them from the very beginning. But after a few days spent together in the ruins of Oden's Castle he was as pissed at her crew as Zoro was with Kisa.

They all took the constant teasing pretty well. But after Karla almost carved out Jean Bart's face tattoos, Law didn't put up with any of her crew’s antics. The moment he found someone being offensive that person was turned into a jigsaw or lost a heart.

The coffee was steeping, so she turned to the pot. She took out the dildos and dried each one with smooth, silk cloth.

When she grabbed the black one her lips stretched in a smile.

"How many do you need?"

"A few. I only have one harness that Usopp made for me."

Jessie grabbed the harness with the dildo and proceeded to scrutinize every detail of the contraption.

She was a brilliant innovator and a craftswoman. She always found a way to make anything the crew needed.

"This is an interesting design. Does it work?"

"I didn't have an opportunity to try it out yet," Rage confessed with a sheepish smile.

"Hey, loudmouth!" She called out to Usopp, who turned his head with a scowl. "Did you check if your design works?"

"It will work," Usopp assured, waving dismissively.

"But have you checked?"

"I don't need to check, it will do its perverted job."

"What do you mean, you don't need to check?" Jessie replied with a shrill and pointed an accusing finger at the sharpshooter. "Every craftsman needs to check if their design works properly! Do you make shit for your crew and never check if it works? Or is it just Rage you don't give a flying fuck about?"

"Are you seriously making a big deal out of a strap-on?" Usopp bit back, clearly irritated by the accusation.

"This," Jessie waved the harness in the air. The glossy silicone dildo almost fell out from the metal ring it was attached to. "This is a vital part of her cover. What if we weren't here with all the equipment and she'd have only this thing and it wouldn't work properly?"

"It works, ok? Stop nagging!"

"How do you know that if it wasn't tested?"

"Rage told me about the things that could go wrong with a strap-on! So I made it exactly as she wanted. Besides, it's not like I can put it on and try it out myself!"

"For fucks sake have you got no imagination whatsoever?" Jessie threw the harness at Usopp and he caught it midair but got nearly slapped in the face by the dangling dildo. "There's always a way, you narrow minded twat!"

"I gave it to Rage! She could have tested it out, since she'll be the one using it!"

"It's your job to do that!" Jessie screamed, her face flushed pink with anger.

"I can't use a strap-on!" Usopp yelled back, equally angry.

"But it can be used on you! That's more important feedback right now! Rage's clients have to get a premium experience for her cover to work the way it needs to! You can test that experience and adjust the strap-on if something's not right!"

Usopp paled, his jaw went slack and his eyes grew wide like saucers.

Rage muffled her laughter waiting for further development of the situation.

"I- I-" Usopp stuttered, clearly lost for words. "I can't do that, I- I have someone back at home!"

"Are you demented? It's for science! You do whatever you need to do for science!"

The look on Usopp's face was hilarious and she strained to hold back the laughter.

"Besides! Are you stupid? You left someone behind for years and you expect them to just wait for you? And you're what? Saving yourself for marriage?"

"Kaya is worth it!" Usopp sputtered turning red.

"Is she now? So she'll be waiting god knows how long for her pirate lover. And after he returns victorious from his conquest he takes her in his arms and what? The pirate hero will turn out to be a clumsy, inexperienced virgin who fumbles in the sheets? What a disappointment that would be!"

"Wha- what?" Usopp's jaw has dropped again.

"Put yourself in her place, you stupid prick. If a woman sacrifices many years waiting for someone, she expects the long wait to be worth it. She probably dreams of her pirate lover and the things he'll do to her when he finally comes back. She dreams of a mind blowing sex. Imagine her disappointment when the man of her dreams returns and turns out to be a fumbling virgin. And can't even make her come once. She'll drop you faster than you can imagine."

The shock in Usopp's eyes was priceless. He looked at Rage for a second, opening his mouth like he wanted to say something but no words came out. Then his eyes returned to Jessie. He looked at the harness in his hand, then at Jessie again. Finally he turned on his heel and walked away without a word.

Rage let out a snigger and Jessie laughed with her.

"You could've skipped the mind games and just offered to sleep with him. Now he's broken," she said to the pink haired mechanic.

"Where's the fun in that," Jessie smirked like a cat who got the cream. "He'll come to me for a favor. I'll help him out and he'll owe me one."

The plan didn't work out in the end. Robin and Franky came to Usopp's rescue and tested the strap-on extensively.

But Jessie's teasing didn't stop and Usopp was relieved when the day came for him to leave Oden's castle.

She dried all her sterilized equipment and put it in a silk pouch. Then she reached for her coffee.

A chemical smell caught her attention. She looked towards the dark corner of the room where Rita was crouching over Yoshiko. In her hand was a vial with a liquid that ensured the girl would be asleep long enough for them to talk.

She nodded to the woman in greeting and continued to sip her coffee.

Rita rounded the table and stood close to her, so they could talk in hushed voices.

"Zoro was arrested and accused of murder. He'll be brought in front of the magistrate around noon to be sentenced."

"Fucking hell, this man is a magnet for trouble," Rage said through clenched teeth. She grasped for the bond with the swordsman. He was asleep. "Is anyone available to bust him out?"

"No, everyone's in position. He's on his own."

Well that was good and bad news all in one.

"So Karla managed to get into Shutenmaru's good graces?"

Rita nodded.

She placed a girl with every region's mafia boss. The Mt. Atama Thieves in Kuri were the hardest to infiltrate. Their leader Shutenmaru was the most ruthless and distrustful of all the bosses.

Compared to him, Kyoshiro was a man of virtue. And the bastard was running a famous pleasure hall.

In fact Kyoshiro recently expanded the business. One of the establishments now offered peep shows. And a bath house provided new activities in the form of glory holes. Both services were a huge success.

Rage dropped the ideas during one of the meetings with Kyoshiro. She didn't believe he would take it seriously. It was just a ploy to show her commitment to growing the business. To her surprise, a week later the new services were introduced to the clients of the Red Lantern District.

Kyoshiro invited her to the main house twice a week for tea and a chat. He always watched her like a hawk, analyzing her every move and word. But he wasn't hostile. He praised her once, after the peep shows and glory holes turned out to be a huge success. Otherwise he maintained his neutral demeanor. He showed only mild curiosity towards any new idea she came up with.

She knew the frequent meetings with the boss weren’t normal treatment. The only courtesan Kyoshiro was meeting with regularly was his prized oiran, Komurasaki. 

She knew he was looking into the issue of her father. Rita managed to spy on a conversation Kyoshiro had with his top henchmen. They disapproved of the attention their boss was giving to a mixed race whore. Their egos were bruised after the beat up they received when she first showed up.

The yakuza boss calmed them down. He assured that he had a plan and they'd better start to act nice towards her. Because it will turn out to be beneficial when she'll reconnect with her father. Being on good terms with the daughter of the Beast Pirates higher up could work in favor for the yakuza family.

This meant Kyoshiro already had his suspicion who her father could be. But he kept quiet, buying time to forge a bond between them. Posing himself as her benevolent benefactor.

Rage was fed up with waiting for him to reveal the identity of her fake father. She needed to move on and make her way into Beast Pirates ranks.

They chose their target quickly. Daria carved her back with mastery. Rage used her powers to heal the wounds quickly and with Daria's few tricks, the scars looked old. It would take her body about half a year to shed the scars naturally.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what those scars ment and connect their origin to a certain Beast Pirate. Her skin color only furthered the resemblance.

The characteristic outfit of the targeted Beast Pirate only helped. Explaining her bdsm preferences as a sex worker.

She supposed Kyoshiro wouldn't keep the identity of her father a secret for long. Her story was that she was raised in Ringo, which was considered a bum fuck nowhere in Wano. So it wasn't odd for her to not know much about Beast Pirates or how they looked. But the longer she stayed in the Capital, the more she knew about the pirates. It was a matter of time for her to connect the dots on her own. So if Kyoshiro wanted to take credit for finding her father he should act quick.

She made an effort to express her gratitude to him for providing her with clothing, lodging and meals. He even made sure she had a room styled the exact way she asked for to meet with the clients. And he introduced high ranking clients to her.

She had a private session with one of the palace officials at his own house this afternoon. She was supposed to teach the lady of the house how to punish her husband. It was the first time she would be working with a female client in Wano. She was looking forward to it. A good master needed to experience everything they would be doing to the submissive. To know how it felt like, what to do and what should be avoided.

Frankly it was exciting and she looked forward to playing with a woman.

Rita left with several new orders and Rage woke up Yoshiko to carry out their day. The girl was a bit sluggish after Rita put her to sleep.

"Come," she called to the girl. "Sniff the coffee beans, the smell will wake you up."

The girl obediently bowed her head over the tin with coffee and inhaled deeply. There was a vial in Rage's hand that nullified the effects of the sleeping concoction. The girl inhaled the vapors mixed with the smell of coffee beans.

"Reiju-sama, this really works!" The girl exclaimed with shining eyes, fully awake.

"I know, honey. It's the magic of coffee," Rage smiled toothily, putting away the tin.

"Is this why you don't need to sleep much? Because you drink this ko-fi?" The big, hopeful eyes were adorable and Rage couldn't help herself. She reached out and ruffled Yoshiko's hair.

"Maybe," she responded with a teasing grin. "Or maybe that's my superpower."

"A superpower? Like a hero?"

That was too cute.

Rage crouched in front of the girl with a secretive smile.

"Can you keep a secret Yoshiko?"

The girl nodded fervently, her eyes rounding with curiosity.

"Every girl has a superpower," Rage lowered her tone to a conspiratorial whisper. "Men don't want us to discover our superpowers. If all women knew we had power we would never allow men to treat us how they do now. Do you understand?"

The girl looked surprised but she nodded. All too serious for her age.

"We would be stronger than them and they don't want that," she answered with conviction.

"We are stronger, but they found a way to exploit our strength without us realizing it."

"I want to find my superpower," Yoshiko answered vehemently.

"You will," Rage smiled and put a hand on her small shoulder. "I believe in you."

The sparks of confidence shone in Yoshiko's eyes.

Another seed planted to fuck the patriarchy. It was going to be a good day.

"Come on, Yoshiko. I have to prepare for today's appointment. I will be teaching a lady how to take control of her husband so he will obey her completely.”

The girls scuttled after her with her mouth wide open in astonishment.

"You can learn how to do that?"

"Of course, baby girl," she laughed while strolling through the dim corridor.

"Will you teach me too?"

"Sure," she answered lightly. "But you have to be a bit older, ok? Now you have other things to learn, like math and literature. And you have to play a lot."

"Play? I'm not allowed to play. If I have free time, Madam expects me to do extra work."

"Nonsense, sweetie," Rage waved her hand dismissively. "You are a child and children have to play, that's a law."

"Really? I didn't know that," the girl seemed confused.

"That's my law," Rage winked at her. "Now, I need my leather suit well oiled and shiny. When you're done, you'll go and play for half an hour. I will watch you and if anyone dares to disturb you, they'll have to deal with me."

Yoshiko looked shocked but she got to work with fervor.

Unfortunately she didn't get her play time.

When she was finished with Rage's domme suit, a ruckus carried through the silent house. The corridors filled with rambunctious shouting. Male voices rudely demanded attention and service.

A servant girl ran up to her as Rage was opening the door to her room.

"Reiju-sama," the girl looked scared. "A group of Beast Pirates came and they demand service from every woman working here! They are all Pleasures and there is a Headliner with them! You have to go greet them Reiju-sama!"

The demanding shouting mixed with uncontrollable laughter made Rage scowl.

"I will join them after I'm dressed properly," she answered. The girl nodded and hurried away.

This was an unexpected development. She didn't have the opportunity to socialize with the Beast Pirates, yet.

She dressed with Yoshiko's help, who did her hair in a simple updo secured with decorative pins. She didn't put on her domme costume. She didn't want to stand out from all the other girls more than was absolutely unavoidable.

She stepped into the room occupied by the pirates with her head bowed in a polite manner. Some girls were already there, serving drinks and nervously laughing with the pirates.

Too many eyes turned to her. Then a wave of uncontrollable laughter exploded.

She almost scowled at their audacity. But she remembered that the Pleasures were the ones that ate the fake devil fruits and didn't gain any powers. The side effect was inability to feel and express any other emotions than the pleasant ones.

Pitiful fate.

"What is this?" A man snarled, his tone condescending.

"This is our new courtesan, Reiju," the madam quickly answered with a sweet voice. "She's with us for barely a month."

She felt the man's gaze scrutinizing her. She chanced a glance towards him and she saw hooves instead of feet, but not horse hooves, more like cow's or goat's.

He was wearing a black kimono tied with a leather belt with a gun and knife holsters. The upper part of the kimono was stretched by his broad hairy chest, it looked like a coarse goat's fur.

Around his neck was a necklace of dried, shriveled beads resembling human fingers. Very small human fingers.

"Strip," the man barked at her.

"Oh my," the madam gasped. "How very forward, master Kaza. This isn't our usual way of conduct."

"Shut your mouth," he snapped back. "This is a whore house, isn't it? We pay, you do as we tell you. Now strip down girl, I don't have all day."

Before the madam could protest and get in trouble, Rage stood up and quickly shed the abundant kimono.

The men in the room laughed, teased and whistled at her. When the last layer was off she stood stark naked in front of the pirates. A loud cheer boomed in the room and she sighed internally with annoyance. This fuckers would be dead soon anyway, so she put up obediently with her cover. She stood there with lowered head, while they laughed. Jokes on them, standing naked in front of a crowd was nothing new to her.

"Turn around," the goatman's voice cut through the laughter.

She turned her back to the room, knowing the two vertical scars on both sides of her spine were in full view.

More laughter erupted. She wanted to bash their stupid faces to silence them.

"This won't do. Go away," the man barked after a while.

The madam rushed to her. She covered Rage with one of the layers of the kimono and gathered everything else. Before she was pushed out of the room, Rage managed to catch a glimpse of the man's face.

He had long pointy horns, a goat's ears covered in fur and beady, deep set eyes that looked human but ominous. He reminded her of Krampus, the devil from old wives tales.

"I should stay," Rage said to the madam while she ushered her down the hall towards her quarters.

"Nonsense dear," the madam replied sweetly. "We all know you have a temper. We don't need a fight with the Beast Pirates. Besides, you have an appointment today. It's more profitable than these brutes would pay for your time."

That was all the madame cared about, profit. It had its perks. She was willing to look the other way if there was money involved.

Rage was rushed to her room and the madam made sure she was getting ready for the scheduled appointment. She sent another girl to help Yoshiko and came back to escort her to the door and into a litter carried by two bulky men.

At the opulent residence she was greeted by a middle aged woman with a serious underbite. She was wearing pristine makeup and an expensive kimono with a heron pattern which was the latest hot trend.

The tea was served in cracked cups repaired with pure gold. The woman called it kintsugi, the art of making broken things more beautiful. Next to the teacups were plates with wagashi, beautifully decorated cakes.

The cost of a single tea cup could feed a whole village for a month. The worth of the kimono the woman was wearing would provide food for a year. Yet most of the Wano’s people starved. While the elites drank their afternoon tea from gold incrusted cups, ate fancy cakes and indulging in carnal pleasures provided by a hired sex workers. It was despicable.

The woman was hesitant in engaging in any activity. She seemed pressured by her husband to learn how to satisfy his needs.

If the circumstances were different, Rage would leave. But these disgusting people didn’t deserve any kindness.

Without hesitation she manipulated the woman into agreeing to every activity Rage had planned for the afternoon.

It was already dark when she left the residence. She did the bare minimum for providing aftercare. She left the woman still dazed, wrapped in a bundle of blankets in the middle of the room. It was deplorable bdsm practice. She would never act like this under normal circumstances. But she wanted to break these people, make them suffer. They were the parasites that drained this country without any remorse. 

And she wasn’t a good person to start with, she would carry her own justice whenever she had an opportunity.

When she arrived at the Red Lantern District the house was too quiet. There were girls sitting out front, inviting clients into the brothel. But there was something tense about them.

The servant girl that helped her get ready earlier, intercepted her by the door and walked her to her room. The air in the house was heavy. Only a few clients were inside.

“Where is Yoshiko?” Rage asked, it was unusual for anyone else to tend to her.

The girl stayed silent, putting away Rage’s bag with sex toys.

“I asked you a question,” Rage demanded, her tone rising with tension.

Something wasn’t right.

The girl's shoulders trembled and she burst into tears. She tried to say something but the words were drowned by her sobs.

Rage’s stomach clenched at the sudden outburst. The bad feeling intensified and crawled through her insides like a cold snake.

She raked her memory in search of the girl's name.

“Hanako,” she said to the sobbing girl. “Calm down. Tell me what happened.”

She gripped her shoulders and held her still so she could catch her gaze.

“T-the pi-pirates…” she managed between the sobs. “The goatm-m-man. H-he hurt Yoshiko.”

She froze. Her breath caught in her lungs, while her blood turned to ice.

The girl yelped in pain and it shook Rage out of the stupor.

She relaxed the grip on Hanako’s shoulders and forced herself to take a deep breath. Without a word, she went straight to the small room Yoshiko shared with the other maids.

The room was dark and stuffy without any windows. The light from the corridor fell straight on the small bundle on the floor.

"I'm back, Yoshiko," Rage said softly.

She walked into the room and dropped to her knees, making sure to make enough noise for the girl to be aware of her.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here. I should've stayed."

The blankets trembled and a muffled crying filled the room.

Rage felt like her heart would fall apart. But she knew she needed to get a grip, she wasn't the one who got hurt.

"Can I touch you, Yoshiko?"

The blanket was suddenly tossed aside and Rage's arms were full of a small, fragile body. Pained wails reverberated from the walls, pushing daggers of grief into her heart.

She shoved down the feelings before they became too much to bear and took in the state Yoshiko was in.

She was dressed in a worn out nemaki that was a size too small. The sleeves revealed her thin arms and Rage could see bruises on her wrists and forearms. Her right hand was bandaged and Rage froze. The bandage unnaturally covered the place where Yoshiko’s pinky finger should be.

She remembered the necklace around the goat pirate's neck and the shriveled beads that resembled fingers.

Yoshiko was missing a finger.

That bastard cut off her finger.

He took a fucking tophy.

Her blood boiled and her vision narrowed. The thrumming in her ears became so loud it almost deafened the child’s wails.

"You are safe now," Rage heard herself saying. "I will hunt him down like the animal he is and he will die a slow, painful death. I promise you, Yoshiko."

The girl tilted her head and looked up into Rage's eyes.

Her face was swollen with a giant bruise that covered half of her face and the skin on her right cheek was scraped.

"It hurts," the girl choked out in a strained voice.

Rage's throat clenched and her heart sank.

She pulled the girl into a gentle hug.

"I know it hurts, baby girl. I know," she kissed the top of the child's head. "It won't hurt much longer."

She used her devil fruit to boost Yoshiko's healing. Not too much at once, because it would cause more pain. But enough for the girl’s wounds to start healing and for the pain to subside soon.

Yoshiko sobbed in her arms and Rage knew she couldn't do more than just sit there with her. She rocked back and forth, trying to soothe the crying child. She tweaked her hormones so the girl would fall asleep soon and forget about the pain for a few hours.

"Turn your face towards the sun

Let the shadows fall behind you

Don't look back, just carry on

And the shadows will never find you

Lost my faith and trust

You and I know

Gold don't turn to rust

I still swear that we can reign

Like the kings and queens of better yesterdays

Don't you know I've been burned

I've been burned I've been burned

You've seen me lose control

It's not worth it's not worth it's not worth

My soul

Turn your face towards the sun

Let the shadows fall behind you

Don't look back, just carry on

And the shadows will never find you

Where you gonna go where you gonna go where you gonna run to

When you get to the edge of the night

It's time you face the sky

Turn your face towards the sun

Let the shadows fall behind you

Don't look back, just carry on

And the shadows will never find you."

Singing made her thoughts stop. In that moment it was only her, the small child in her arms and the heartfelt lyrics.

She carried the sleeping girl through the house and into her room. She put Yoshiko in her own bed and swaddled her in blankets.

The window was open, letting in a chilling breeze, so she went to close it. 

Her foot bumped into something hard.

She took a step back and looked down. There was a bundle on the floor, wrapped in fine silk with tattered edges. It looked like a torn part of a hand painted kimono.

She kneeled down to unwrap the bundle. Inside were several silver and gold plates that served as Wano's currency.

A piece of paper slid from the top of the plates.

"Buy the girl out and send her home. Witching Hour Boy."

She stood by the window, whistled and waited. If any of her girls were nearby they would come to her after hearing the signal.

But nobody came. 

She sent Rita away with orders and everyone else had their tasks. Nobody watched over her. There was no one to witness the infamous Witching Hour Boy leaving the bundle in her room.

Rage sniffed the piece of paper. Her brows wrinkled and she picked up the bundle and brought it to her nose.

There was a faint lingering smell. She knew that smell.

Detachment washed over her like a sudden splash of ice cold water.

She unclenched her fingers from the silk, wrapped the coins neatly and put the bundle away. She hid the money underneth all the sextoys. Nobody would be looking there. She wouldn't allow anyone to take Yoshiko's money.

With steady hands she took off the kimono and redressed into simple clothing and shoes. She put a knife in her pocket and strapped another one to her thigh underneath her clothes.

She left the room, heading for the main door.

"Where do you think you're going at this hour?"

Yes, the person she was hoping to bump into.

She turned to the short woman with a round face and big watery eyes.

The madam flinched but quickly gathered herself and put a stern look.

"You know the rules," she scolded. "You are not allowed to go out alone, especially at this hour."

Rage took in the small unthreatening woman. She wasn't a bad brothel mother, she treated all the working girls fairly. The thing that made her cruel was her greed.

"How much did you ask him to pay for Yoshiko?"

The madam's face went blank. She didn't answer, just stared flatly at Rage.

She took a step towards the woman, feeling nothing but cold calmness. But her face must've shown something else because the madam flinched again.

"How much did you ask for a virgin girl? How much for roughing her up and cutting off her finger?"

The madam took three hurried steps back, when Rage reached for her. But Rage managed to catch the lapel of her kimono to pull her in.

She looked into the woman's wide watery eyes, and stroked her throat with gentle fingers.

"Make sure to subtract what he paid from Yoshiko's debt."

Then she let go and walked through the main door. The madam didn't utter a word to stop her.

She stuck to the shadows, making her way through the Red Lantern District. She didn't bother to hide her speed or agility. If anyone was watching her, the show would only work in her favor. 

The word had already reached her target. The pirates that came to the brothel were sent there to confirm her identity.

She quickly reached her destination. She jumped over the wall surrounding the mansion and found the window to her target's room. Avoiding guards was easy, since she could smell them from afar.

The window to the room was opened. Tobacco smoke slowly drifted out into the night’s air.

With one fluid motion she slid inside.

He was sitting in the middle of the room, smoking his pipe and looking at a piece of paper that he held in his free hand. There was a single oil lamp illuminating the room.

Rage silently stepped behind him, leaning her head forward to inhale his scent.

It was the same as the scent that lingered on the bundle of money in her room.

"What keeps you awake so late at night?" She said softly right next to his ear.

As she expected, he swung at her with remarkable speed. She dodged his fist, grabbed his hair and yanked back. He tried to turn around in her grip, but she was faster. She straddled his hips, pushing his thigh down with her calves. She grabbed his wrists and forcefully pinned them to the floor by his sides.

He went lax the moment his gaze landed on her face.

"Hello, Kyoshiro," she said while looking down at him.

During the struggle his bun came undone and his lavender hair was fanned out on the tatami mats around his head. His narrow eyes were focused on her face.

"Unannounced late night visit is considered quite rude," he said in his usual stern tone.

"Does it?" She gave him a small crooked smile. She loosened her grip and crawled up his body on her hands and knees, until her face was right above his. She leaned down to whisper into his ear. "I wanted to thank you for the gift you left in my room, Witching Hour Boy."

She felt a tip of a knife digging into her back, right over her left kidney.

She slowly pulled back to look into his eyes.

He was glaring at her, his gaze merciless.

"The knife is unnecessary," she told him with a smirk. "We are on the same side."

"What side is that?" He asked in a hushed, threatening tone.

"The weak and exploited side," she answered, dropping the smirk. "This side gig of yours just removed you from my kill list."

His eyes narrowed to thin slits.

"You are not from here," he stated, digging the knife harder into her back. The small prick of pain informed her that the blade broke her skin.

"I'm here for a reason," she grabbed his jaw, digging her fingers into his skin. "I'm looking for my father who is a Beast Pirate. You are helping me find him in exchange for my services. And future benefits of being on good terms with the daughter of Kaido's head officer. Now that I know you are not an entirely rotten man I believe that I can consider you an ally."

"You are delusional if you think you will walk out of this room alive."

Holding his gaze, she leaned closer so their noses were almost brushing.

"Yes, I will master Kyoshiro," she replied. The detachment started dissipating and the stifled emotions came to the surface. It must've showed on her face, because Kyoshiro's brows furrowed. "I will go back to the brothel, use the money you left for Yoshiko to pay off her debt. In two days, when she can walk again, I will take her back to her parents. I'll give her the rest of the money so they won't sell her again. She will never set foot in the Flower Capital again. Then I will come back and you will set up a meeting with my father."

He was silent for a moment, regarding her with calculating eyes.

"And then what?"

"What do you think my father will do? If he thinks I can be useful will he claim me as his progeny and make me one of the Beast Pirates?"

The tip of the knife dug deeper into her flesh.

"Why would you want to be one of them?" His breath smelled of the tobacco he was smoking earlier.

Hot anger shot through her and her blood pumped faster in her veins. She tightened her grip on his jaw.

"For starters, it will be easier to find that Kaza bastard and rip him to shreads bit by fucking bit."

Her voice broke at the end of the sentence. Angry tears pricked at the back of her eyes and guilt squeezed her chest in a merciless grip.

She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against Kyoshiro's. Her throat was squeezed in sorrow and regret.

"If it wasn't for me, the pirates would never come to the brothel and Yoshiko wouldn't be raped. It's all because of me," she choked out through a clenched throat, her voice sounding raw even to her own ears.

The knife at her back drew away and dropped to the mat with a soft thud.

A large hand gripped the back of her head.

"They knew you were there, because I passed the information that you may be the daughter of one of them. They wouldn't have come otherwise. The girl's tragedy will weigh on my conscience until I die."

"Doesn't the money absolve you? You set her free to alleviate your guilt." She released her grip on his jaw and leaned back, catching his gaze.

"Will killing him make your guilt go away?" his voice was dejected and his gaze turned empty.

"No, it never did."

His fingers tightened in her hair.

"Yet we have to do what has to be done and bear the consequences."

She grabbed the front of his kimono. "I know," she whispered back.

She thought she left it all behind when she left Sin City. She thought she wouldn't ever need to clench her teeth and look the other way to carry out the mission.

When she bonded with Law, she really thought her life had changed. That it would be different, better with a stunning mate by her side.

But here she was again, on another mission. Suffering through collateral damage for greater good.

Her breath sped up and vision tunneled, chest squeezing in pain.

She pulled on the lapels of the kimono and found the gaze of the man beneath her.

"I don't want to feel like this," she choked out, her tone pleading. "Make me forget for a while, please."

Pain flashed in his eyes and he removed his hand from her head.

"I'm old enough to be your father," he answered, shaking his head.

"I don't care," she took his face into her palms and leaned in, stopping when her lips were almost brushing against his. "I don't want to feel this guilt, this shame, even if it's just for a while. I want to feel something else, anything else."

She wanted Zoro and Law. She wanted to be somewhere else, away from this godforsaken place. With her mates, happy.

But she was here, carrying out a plan that could change the world. She couldn't back out, especially now, when a person was already hurt. If she ran away, Yoshiko's tragedy would be in vain.

She needed to cope with the guilt, the pain. There was opium in the brothel, but she needed to stay sober for the sake of the mission. Sex would make her forget for awhile and she needed a break, needed to feel something else.

Law and Zoro would try to reason with her, try to explain it wasn't her fault. They would be right, too.

But this man underneath her, he knew how she felt. He was ridden by the same guilt. He wasn't asking questions.

He gave in to her request and their bodies tangled together. Their lips joined in demanding biting kisses. Their hands ripped clothes away seeking naked flesh.

He thrust into her when she was still dry and tight, the pain shooting through her like a welcomed lighting. She bit into his arm to muffle the scream.

He didn't stop, grunted in pain when she clenched her teeth harder and drew blood.

He didn't stop when she came and hot tears dropped from her eyes.

She urged him on, begged him for more. Raked her nails over his back that made him hiss in pain and come with a strangled moan.

But it didn't end there.

She took his hand and guided it to her neck. He wrapped his fingers around her throat and squeezed, restricting blood flow to her head. She felt light headed and her eyelids dropped as hot tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

She felt him grow hard again and he started thrusting. Orgasm hit her like a crashing wave. Scents of blood, cum and tears mixed in a heady feeling and her mind blanked out.

Next she knew, she was flipped on her stomach. Her naked breasts were scrubbing painfully against the rough mats. He twisted her arms and held them in a strong grip against the middle of her back. Then he thrust forcefully into her from behind.

It was bliss.

At the end of the night they were both covered in bruises, bites, scrapes and cum. But they were sated.

The sky was getting bright when she pulled her clothes on.

"You will need a new madam to manage the brothel,' she said, while tying a belt around her hips.

"Did you kill her?" Kyoshiro sounded frazzled.

"No, but she'll be dead in a week due to an unknown illness."

It usually took around a week to die after the thyroid stopped producing hormones. According to Law's medical books.

"Be sure to be back soon. A messenger came in the evening requesting your presence at a party held at Onigashima in five days."

She didn't turn to look at him and went to the door. "I'll be back on time."

"Are you going to walk out through the front gate?"

She huffed an unamused laugh. "Why not? I'm a whore afterall. You just tested out the merchandise."

Without looking back she walked out the door and through the silent house.

The next day she left the capital with Yoshiko and headed to Kuri. It took them two days to reach the village. 

They were attacked by bandits once. And they had to take a longer break, because Yoshiko had a flashback and a panic attack.

Rage hugged the crying girl and carried her away from the dead bodies on the road.

"Reiju-sama," the girl sniffed after she calmed down, "I think I don't have any super powers."

"Why do you say that?" Rage nudged her chin against the small head that was resting on her shoulder.

"When th-the man…when h-he…I wished really hard I was strong enough to fight him, I wanted the power to stop him. B-but I couldn't do a-anything."

Rage stroked her hair consolingly.

"Strength comes from practice. You were schooled to become a courtesan, not a fighter. They wanted you to be fragile and meek. "

"But you are a courtesan Reiju-sama and you are a fighter. I want to be strong like you and fight bad men!"

Yeah, many survivors wished they could. Hopefully, the girl will learn self defense and she'll grow up to be a strong, brave woman. And would be nothing like Rage and her crew.

Rage left Yoshiko in a rundown village with starving people. Her parents fell to their knees  when she gave them the money. She exchanged it for copper coins. So no one would be suspicious how gold and silver came into possession of simple villagers.

Yoshiko cried and Rage promised to visit her. She also threatened her parents that if they sell Yoshiko again, she would kill them.

She departed the village, rejecting the offer of staying the night. Oden's castle was a couple hours away and she knew her mates were nearby.

The short distance made it easier to sense their mood. Earlier she picked up Zoro's elation and Law's outburst of frustrated anger.

The man needed to chill the fuck out or he would have a stroke at a young age of twenty six.

At one point Zoro and Law were at the same location. But after she dropped off Yoshiko, they were already separated. Zoro was heading further away from her. But Law was at Oden's Castle, which was perfect.

She wanted to see him again, it's been too long since they separated.

She almost reached the ruins, when the top of the mountain exploded.

Shards of debris flew around her and pain erupted all over her front. She covered her face with her arms and jumped behind a tree for cover.

Her ears were ringing from the explosion and she couldn't see far. A cloud of dust enveloped everything around her.

Her heart hammered in her chest, cold sweat covered her skin while her mind raced.

Law. Law was in the castle. The castle exploded.

She frantically pulled on the bond and went slack against the tree trunk when the bond responded.

He was okay. Away from the mountain and engaged in a fight. He was alive.

Her girls!

They were in the castle!

She sprinted uphill through the forest, pushing haki into her legs to run faster.

There was rubble everywhere and the top was blown off, only naked rock remained.

Her breath sped up, while she looked around, searching for anyone alive.

There! On the horizon was a massive creature, moving away towards the sea.

Kaido.

Kaido destroyed the castle.

But why? Did someone betray them?

"That was quick thinking Shinobu!"

"You saved us!!!"

"I was so scared that we were done for!"

"If anyone's hurt, walk it off." That was Daria's voice.

"Ack! Who’s hurt?! I'm a doctor!" Was that Chopper?

She rushed toward the voices and found a deep hole in the solid rock. There were people crowded together, bickering with each other.

She spotted some of her girls, Bepo, Penguin, Shachi… and Chopper and Brook! 

"Is everyone safe?" A concerned voice came from behind her. She glanced back and saw a beautiful woman with long hair, dressed in a kimono.

Then Sanji dropped to the ground with Nami and Carrot.

And through the trees came Makonde with the rest of the girls.

A short while later, the people in the sink hole were safely out on the ground.

"Good to see you Rage!" Nami greeted her with a big smile and hugged her tightly.

She reluctantly hugged the redhead back. "Took you long enough to get here."

The Straw Hats arrived, which meant the waiting was over!

A small excited pang nudged her thoughts towards the Straw Hats’ captain. He was here, they could bond!

Her own eagerness surprised her.

They parted on rather tense terms. And she didn't think about Luffy with everything that was going on. The bonds with Law and Zoro were still new and she was adjusting to their presence.

"What are you doing here? Were you compromised?" Makonde asked stoically, hitting her spear against the rock to gain everyone's attention.

"All's good. Just a small detour. I have to be back in three days," she answered and turned to Penguin. “Where did Law go?”

“He went after Straw Hat.”

She turned her gaze towards Nami and gave her a pointed look.

“Luffy went after Kaido,” the navigator answered with a tired sigh.

She stared down the Straw Hats, the cogs of her mind running through back up plans. Then she turned to Makonde raising her brows expectantly.

“Don’t make hasty decisions,” the black woman answered with a slow shake of her head. “We still don’t know what happened.”

“Law is heading back. He’s injured.” Rage informed. “He’ll tell us what went down.”

“We should relocate. This place is compromised,” Makonde pointed her spear down the mountain slope.

“We should go to Amigasa village. It should be safe there,” Shinobu suggested.

“What’s that?” Carrot exclaimed pointing towards the sky.

Reid’s silver board was racing towards them. Its shining surface was clearly visible in the blue sky.

Moments later Reid was jumping off the board. She was covered in blood and had heavily bleeding Mira in her arms.

For a split second, the world stopped. Mira’s left leg was gone.

A heartbeat later Rage was racing towards the bloodied woman. Daria was beside her. She was throwing orders left and right, administering first aid to Mira, who was writhing in pain.

“We have to get her into a shelter,” Daria ordered. “Cover that fucking board in mud and fly us to the village. Shinobu knows the way. Rage, she needs blood, you’re a universal donor.”

“I can’t,” panic creeping into her voice. “I was exposed to blood two days ago, I could have contracted something.”

Fuck it, fuck, fuck, fuck. How could she be so stupid! She had unprotected sex with Kyoshiro and even bit him bloody. He could have been carrying all sorts of transmittable disease. And now, she couldn’t help Mira! What if she died, because of Rage’s stupidity! Mira already sacrificed so much for her!

“I’m a universal donor too,” Penguin piped in, stepping towards the board.

“You come with us then,” Daria declared, while administering an injection.

“Rage,” Reid squeezed her forearm to focus her attention, then she pointed towards a body in the grass. It was a bloody Beast Pirate. “Kaido took down Straw Hat. Law was trying to get him back, but was shot. Then Mira tried to intercept Straw Hat and she fought Tobiroppo. I barely got her out. I grabbed that one,” she pointed to the unconscious pirate, “to get intel where they were taking Straw Hat.”

“Come on, we don’t have time to chat,” Daria scolded.

Reid jumped on the board with Shinobu, unconscious Mira, Penguin and Daria.

Rage watched them until they were out of sight.

She was putting all her effort into controlling her breathing.

They were making plans for months.

Luffy arrived in Wano.

Luffy went rogue against Kaido.

Luffy disregarded all plans.

Luffy was defeated.

Straw Hat Luffy compromised the whole mission. Because he was incapable of following a plan.

Mira lost a leg because Straw Hat Luffy couldn’t reign in his arrogance.

A grunt broke her focus.

The Beast Pirate was waking up.

She walked up to him and aimed a swift kick to his stomach.

He was thrown back several meters and retched into the ground.

She waited until he composed himself and looked up at her. He was stupid enough to try to attack her.

She kicked his knee, just under the kneecap and his leg folded the wrong way. He crumpled to the ground and howled in pain. She hammer punched the side of his face to shut him up and break his brow ridge. Blood spilled all over his face, flooding his eye.

"Where are they taking Straw Hat?" she crouched over the pirate and pointed a knife at his throat.

"Fuck off, bitch," he barked back.

She drove the knife through his face.

It went clean through one cheek and the tip stuck out the other cheek, while the blade was lodged between the teeth.

He gurgled in surprise, his eyes growing huge.

"You either tell me where they are taking Straw Hat or I will cut your mouth open, fold back your cheeks and cut out your teeth one by one."

A shocked feminine gasp followed her words.

"Rage, that's too far," Sanji's voice reached her.

She didn't care about his opinion.

She stared down at the bleeding horrified pirate.

There was a scuffle behind her. Angry words were exchanged, but she didn't listen.

"This could end in just a moment or I can take hours to carve the answers from you. Your choice," she pulled the knife so the blade stretched the skin without breaking it.

The pirate gurgled in answer. He couldn't form any coherent words, so he carefully nodded.

She swiftly pulled out the knife, stroking the flat part of the blade over the man's teeth with a metallic zing.

He yelped and tried to scuttle back. "Udon," he slurred out. "Mines."

"Very good," she allowed him to crawl back, only to pierce his foot with the knife to stop him. "Now tell me where I can find a Headliner called Kaza."

He looked genuinely surprised, she twisted the blade to keep him focused. Law was almost there and she needed answers before he would interfere.

"King!" The pirate shouted in pain. "He's King's busboy!"

"Thanks," she put her palm on his skin and drained his hormones dry.

Then she turned towards the others. Her girls were fanned around her, blocking Sanji, Carrot and the black haired woman away from her.

"Your captain betrayed the alliance," she declared. "He risked everyone who worked for weeks to execute the plan - your crew, Law's crew, my crew."

Surprisingly, no one said a word.

"What are your orders, captain?" Nadina asked flatly. "Is the alliance over? Do we kill them?"

"Not yet. The Straw Hat's owe us a leg."

"You're insane!" Nami yelled back, her face red with anger. "Nobody asked your crewmate to go after Luffy."

Makonde's spear hit the ground with a loud clang. "You wouldn't be saying this if Mira succeeded. You would be thanking her. Have some dignity, girl."

Law appeared in the middle of the crowd out of thin air.

"Stop fighting," he looked around, staring down Nami and Makonde. "There's no time for your bullshit. Kaido took down Straw Hat-ya with one strike. We have to regroup and assess our losses."

Then he looked at Rage and the dead body by her feet. There was a pull on the bond and she moved towards him. Relief seeping into her heart with every step.

She formed a healing ball in her palm and pressed it into the wound on his arm. Pain pulsed through the bond but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. The wound wasn't serious.

She reached between the lapels of his kimono and wrapped her arms around his chest, plastering herself against his front. His tattooed skin was warm against her cheek and she inhaled his scent greedily.

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her tighter against him. His voice rumbled in his chest, soothing the tension away.

He was answering questions, but she didn't listen to the words. She already had a plan, whatever they were talking about was inconsequential.

All she wanted was her mate.

She burrowed herself into the bond, into the warmth and comfort it offered. The tension and grief melted away with every heartbeat she felt under her cheek.

There was a sudden pull. The scenery changed several times until she was pushed against a tree. Law's lips pressed against hers in an intense, demanding kiss.

The sheer relief from the contact made her go slack against the tree. She missed him so much. His closeness, his scent, his taste.

He wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her even further in his presence..

She wanted more, she wanted to melt into him, feel all of him and only him.

The bond opened for her to do just that, but the last sliver of consciousness stopped her.

She forced herself to pull away and disconnected their lips.

"Law," she said softly, looking into his golden eyes. "I've made a mistake. I can't have sex with you untill Daria gives me a green light."

He held her gaze while his contradicting emotions raced through the bond. "Are you ok?"

"I wasn't hurt, just…stuff happened and I have poor impulse control," she tried to smile, but it ended in a grimace.

“What else is new,” he shook his head with a half smile, then grabbed her hand and pulled her to walk downhill. “Your quack of a doctor probably would cock block us just to spite me.”

Yeah, she would. Law and Daria hated each other's guts and were at each other's throats all the time.

“I can screen you while we walk,” Law said, glancing over his shoulder. “And you can tell me what happened.”

She’d rather not talk about everything that went down the past few days, but she was the one that fucked up. She needed to suck it up and explain herself.

She felt the initial surge of his powers flooding her system, but after that it became a gentle pressure. She focused her gaze at the path in front of them and started speaking.

She could feel his shock, then anger and the heavy stillness when she told him about the night with Kyoshiro. He guarded his side of the bond, keeping his feelings away.

Althought he never objected to her desire to have sex with other people than him and Zoro, she had her doubts. Speaking about something and experiencing it was an entirely different issue. Was he angry? Would he leave her because she slept with someone else?

“Stop worrying,” his dry tone broke her trail of thoughts. “It’s annoying.”

“Pot calling the kettle black.”

He gave her an unamused look and let go of her hand. Her heart clenched at the lack of contact.

“You’re okay, the only thing that was wrong were worms in your intestine. You could’ve ingested them while eating raw fish.”

“Law,” she stopped and stared at the back of his head. “I’m sorry that I didn’t use protection. I’m not sorry that I had sex.”

“I don’t blame you,” he stopped walking but didn’t turn around to look at her. His side of the bond was still silent.

“Then what is it?” A pang of irritation hit her when he didn’t answer. “Look, the silent treatment doesn’t do it for me. If we don’t communicate openly, then everything will go to shit pretty fast.”

He sighed heavily and finally turned to her. Guilt was painted all over his face and flooded from the opened bond.

“It’s not about you,” he said with his eyes downcast. “The thing that happened to that girl was horrible. I understand why you slept with that mafia boss. It’s how you cope. But what does it say about me, that after hearing the story all I can think of is you with another man. How I’d want to be there and see everything that he did to you. How it turns me on.”

Her eyes rounded at his confession and she felt her jaw dropping. Was it even real?

A deep unhappy scowl appeared on his face and he tipped his head so the hat blocked the view of most of his face. Shame and guilt swirled in the bond.

Oh no, no, no, no, no.

She quickly closed the distance between them, took his face between her palms and urged him to look her in the eyes. She felt him bracing for her reaction, while he held her gaze with acceptance of whatever would come his way.

He was so precious it warmed her heart.

“You are perfect, Law,” she told him with a large smile blooming on her face.

He squinted at her in suspicion, while his scowl deepened. “Your idea of perfection is pretty fucked.”

She chuckled and stroked his cheek with her palm. “I know, but you are perfect for me. I love you.”

Shock flooded the bond, then disbelief mixed with a sense of wrongness.

He let out a small annoyed huff and pulled her into a tight hug. "Only you would find a moment like this appropriate to confess."

Still, his arms tightened around her while he leaned his cheek on the top of her head. With the bond opened between them and the closeness it felt like they were melting into each other. The warmth she felt in her chest joined with the same feeling from Law. Her happiness grew so much it felt like it would burst.

"I love you too," Law murmured into her hair.

"Rage!" The woman with the silver hair called out the moment the village came into view.

Law stifled a groan.

Rage's crewmates were annoying, he would happily cut them to pieces and throw them into the ocean.

He wanted Rage all to himself. But he knew the moment they would set foot into the village she would be swept into her crew's business.

Rage squeezed his hand and smiled brightly. Warmth spilled in his chest in response.

He couldn't believe she really said it. That she found that particular moment appropriate to tell him she loved him. It was wrong. His arousal caused by her admitting she had sex with another man was wrong. Yet it was the reason that broke her walls and urged her to confess her love for him.

Why did he react that way? Was it the long separation that spurred his arousal?

He knew Rage tried to cover uncomfortable feelings with humor and sex. Kisa told him she abused many substances when she felt deeply hurt and betrayed. Did her behavior rub on him? Or did it uncover some part of him he wasn't aware of?

They did fuck several times on their way down the mounting. Each time was quick and intense. Filled with lust and stupid happiness that they found each other again.

"Mira's awake," the silver haired woman announced when they walked into the village. "She wants to speak with you."

Anxiety flooded Rage's side of the bond and she hurried towards the house Reid pointed to.

She tried to let go of Law's hand but Law tightened his hold and followed her. He released her when they were inside the house. Mira was laying on a futon, covered up to her chin with a thick blanket, an IV line with fluids connected to her arm. Another IV tube led to Penguin's arm.

Law gritted his teeth at the sight. This quack of a doctor performed a direct transfusion without any safety measures. Like she didn't give a single fuck about any consequences and Penguin's well being. He was ready to end her, the world would be a better place without her foul methods.

Penguin found his gaze and shook his head, trying to calm him down. His face was serious and he nodded towards Rage kneeling on the floor by the pale woman's side.

Rage made a move like she wanted to hug the woman but she hesitated and made an aborted gesture. She didn't know if she could touch her crewmate without hurting her.

"Mira," Rage choked out. "Why?"

"I want you to be happy," the woman responded softly, looking at Rage with warmth filled eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't rescue your mate."

"You weren't supposed to go after him!" Rage bristled, the bond overflowing with anger and sorrow. "You were supposed to maintain your cover!"

"But he is yours," Mira replied with a soft smile. "He's the one you've chosen for a mate. Your mates make you happy and I want to see you happy every day."

"At what cost, Mira?" Rage yelled back. "Why are you always throwing away your life for me like you don't matter? How can I be happy when it means you'll be crippled?"

"That's a sacrifice I'll gladly make for you," she reached from under her covers and grasped Rage's hand. "Forgive him." She pleaded. "He made a mistake. We'll fix it. Don't hold a grudge against him, please. He's your mate, your future."

Rage brought their joined hands to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Mira, when I saw you mutilated because of Luffy, the bond shattered. There's no more yearning." She tilted her head to look the woman straight in the eye. "I swear I'll make it right by you. I'll kill him with my own hands."

You can find more chapters on AO3

#one piece #roronoa zoro #trafalgar law #one piece fanfic #smut #fanfiction #bonding #lemon #mating #one piece zoro #one piece smut #trafalgar d water law #law x reader #zoro x law #lawzoro #law x y/n #zoro x luffy #zoro x reader #zoro x y/n #straw hat luffy #polyamory #heart pirates #pirates #monkey d luffy

[lgcseojin]

✱  BSIDE 001

FLASHBACK — APRIL 2018 : KATC IN NONSAN

A brief look into Seojin's time in basic training. ( CONTAINS: bullying, violence )

It was expected Seojin's stint in the military would be no walk in the park. His father warned him plenty of the hardships men would endure within — to which the overly confident nineteen year old assured him would be a 'piece of cake'. He could not bear to look at his mother during the induction ceremony, too focused on the guilt weighing him down and the final feeling of fingers through his overgrown hair before he loses it all.

Three weeks into basic training and it still did not feel real. The true gravity of the situation had not quite settled. Park Seojin still floated above the clouds, far above the other young men in his unit. They turned their heads away, concealing meek expressions and darting eyes. He, on the other hand, lounged about on his bed, feet propped up, music magazine held above his head as he nonchalantly flipped through the pages.

"...hey."

The opening of a door nor the sharp tone of a voice registered enough for a passing glance. ( Or perhaps he willfully ignored it. ) A melodic 'ooh' escaped his parted lips. "Gibson SG Special in cherry red satin? Damn, not for—" The printed images departed from his hands at full force. Above him lingered another trainee soldier, eyebrows curled like the devil horns of the guitar he had just been ogling. "Hey, asshole. I was readin' that!"

He had little more time to protest before hands gripped into his shirt and pulled him onto the floor.

"Sit up. I said sit up, kid! Are you fucking listening to me?!" "Yessir..." The response was laden with an exasperated sarcasm. "Louder! Tell me your name!" "Uh... YES! PARK. SEO. JIN." The flesh of his face and neck ignited in bright red, the blood rushing to the surface. "Does this look like a public bathhouse to you?" "No, sir."

"Did I give you permission to speak?" The other recruit clicked his tongue loudly. He raised his hand, pushing down against the back of Seojin's head. A resounding thud echoed against his skull. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn his brain bounced around inside.

"Quit cuttin' me off! Last time I checked, we a—"

A loud grunt forced its way from Seojin's throat. How could his body have resisted the visceral reaction? Getting a shoe stuck in the ribs happened to be far too painful to ignore. He keeled over in his spot, forehead colliding with the floor. A fair amount of drool spilled from the corners of his mouth.

"I ask you fuckers to do my chores and our little roommate said you told him not to do them. You want to look down on a higher rank like that still? Fucking punk. You do what you're told." He dug in his heel. The feeling is familiar, painful against the healing bruise in the same spot. "I'm tired of your shit and your damn backtalk."

Seojin growled out a scream and raised to his feet, stumbling forward until his head collided with the other's abdomen to bring him down. Unfortunately, he caught his footing enough to resist and push Seojin into the nearest wall. The cabinets shook violently and the other new recruits retreated back onto their beds or closer to the door.

It did not take long for punches to begin flying. A throw against a jaw, the dull sound of a tooth cracking against a sharp knuckle. Seojin pulled his hand away, the skin on the surface bloodied and scraped. A fist collided with his cheek before he had time to duck. He bites into the delicate skin of his own lip. Informal boxing lessons could only get him so far. He had been in several real fights before, typically against those his own age, his own size, back in high school. This was different. The man attempting to pummel him into the ground was of taller stature, slightly overweight, and older than him. The fire only quelled when the unit commander stormed into the room. All broke into silence.

"What do you think you two are doing, huh? You think this place is a schoolyard?"

"Commander Choi, sir!" Seojin straightened his posture and gave a salute from his temple. "This crazy as— This soldier thinks he can push us around just because he's got a few weeks start on us, sir! Someone had to show him, sir!"

The commander removed his helmet, simmering anger clear on his scar-flecked face. "You both are still ignorant trainees. If you can't make it through basic without killing each other, how will you manage in your assigned units? You want to die here?"

Both young men shook their heads, chins now tucked against their chests.

"Trainee Kang, you are several years older than Park. You should know better and I will not tolerate abuse of power on virtue of days trained. You think because you have already been assigned that you can abuse power the day before you leave Nonsan?"

Seojin shot a glare in the other soldier's direction. "If only you knew, sir."

"Can it, Park... Before your mouth gets you in more trouble." The older man scoffed. "I want you to run 7 miles around the barracks and clean the toilets until they're spotless. The rest of your unit will do the same."

The other recruit unleashed a reaction he was unable to mitigate, protesting. "Shit, we're fucking dead!"

"What do you expect? All be punished for your screw up. They were obviously too incompetent to prevent you both from fighting. Now, out of my sight. CBR training is tomorrow." He placed his helmet back on, brushing past them. "And brush up on your etiquette, you worms."

"CBR? The hell is that?" Seojin waited until the coast was clear to mutter underneath his breath.

ㅡㅡㅡ

Commander Choi paced along the new soldiers, inspecting their posture and line of sight. "Chemical! Biological! Radiological! Today, you will be given a gas mask. Once you get inside that room, a gas will be released and you will remove your masks and endure! It will not harm you but it will be incredibly painful for those moments."

The booming voice carried, each loud inflection causing the man to Seojin's right to jolt and fidget about. He reached behind to give his wrist a light pinch. He would know what it meant.

They shuffled in a neat line into the crowded concrete room, nervous hands placing the gas masks over their heads. They were instructed to take a seat along the wall as the commander laid down some sort of device that immediately billowed with a yellow gas.

"Remove them." Silence. Stillness. "Remove your gas masks!" He commanded again — to which none immediately obliged. Not for thirty seconds or so. Several of the young men exclaimed with apprehension, hands kept firmly in their laps. They glanced around the room, making fleeting eye contact with one another.

"Fuck's sake..." Seojin reluctantly placed his fingers underneath the material, lifting it over his head.

To say the gas simply burned would do the pain no justice. It seeped into his eyes and mouth, scalding the open cut on his lip that was soon overrun with drool and tears he could not stop. He managed to keep his eyes pried open enough to see no one else with their masks off. Was he too impulsive?

Commander Choi's tone was understandably displeased. "I said take them off!" His eyes focused on Seojin, who simply stared forward with bloodshot eyes. "No one will leave here until everyone has removed them!"

He took in the silence; though, every second felt closer to a minute until the pain made him helplessly numb. He did not quite remember when the rest of the unit removed their masks, a few frantically running to the locked door in an attempt to save themselves.

Humans were hopelessly selfish, Seojin knew that well by now. How many times would he willingly make a martyr out of himself? Turn himself into Icarus time and time again?

( Isn't that giving someone like me too much credit? )

The primitive human condition displayed itself clear as day when the gas dissipated and the doors finally opened. The recruits frantically poured out, leaving himself and the nervous young man sitting next to him, Trainee Jung. He brought himself to his feet despite his sore legs, calmly reaching down to grab and pull him out of the concrete room. Jung leaned against him, coughing violently.

It was not until they made their exit that Seojin threw his head back and exhaled a strangled scream.

ㅡㅡㅡ

END OF PART 1.

#✱ ㅡ alone with my thoughts. ( solo ) #read at your own discretion #i started to write this last month but i am in my feelings rn #thought i might as well post it and finish the rest later when the inspo comes to me

[jazthestampede]

month 0.

Smaller than a grain of salt.

It started on top of Neji’s raggedy, old, summer camp sleeping bag. All heat and mouths trailing wet kisses down necks, across collarbones, on hips; two pairs of briefs hitting the floor, a raspy, whispered yes, then a slick slide. He still doesn’t know exactly how they got there or when—must have been sometime after doing lines in Naru’s lap in the backyard, encouraging the other boy turn into his slutty alter-ego, and watching him give the new kid in town a lap dance so thorough that he thought he saw one of the town’s resident bottle-blondes shove a twenty or two in the front pocket of those tight-ass shorts Naru loves to wear.

Seventeen days later, his nipples are sore and he’s nauseous when it hits him. They didn’t use a condom. He has no idea when his last cycle was beforehand.

So, what does he do? He makes an emergency run to Konoha. Naru will know what to do.

 Naru, does in fact know exactly what to do and say to soothe his frazzled nerves. He doesn’t have a problem slapping the two garish, pink boxes that will tell him if his life is over—one as a pre-test, and the other final—on the counter along with the money, giving the cashier the finger, and rolling his eyes at her as she judges him.

Meanwhile, Gaara’s just trying to ignore the eyes burning twin, bug eyed holes into the back of his head. It’s not working so well. But he’s always been a master of the art of diversion.

“Fuck’s her problem?” He says to Naru once they exit the store.

“Hell if I know,” Naru says, shrugging his shoulder, “her mama can’t stand me, and I guess the apple don’t fall far from the goddamn tree.”

He lets out snort a snort and replies, “That’s so sad. You’re a fuckin’ gem, Naruto Uzumaki.”

Naru gives him his signature million-watt grin, “Ditto, Gaara No-Last-Name.”

It never fails to amuse him how Naru has heard his last name plenty times and still hasn’t figured out that it’s his.

When they get to the car, Gaara opens his mouth and asks, “Wanna go see Kiba for a lil’ bit before I get outta here?”

Naru tilts his head to the side, hand frozen on the door handle, “I thought you came to spend time with me?”

Gaara rubs his neck as he gets into the driver’s seat, “Don’t get me wrong, I did.” He says, tone apologetic, “But I gotta be back before six-thirty ‘cause my mama gotta be somewhere before seven and her car’s in the shop.”

Naru nods and ducks into the passenger’s seat, shutting the door with a quick slam, “Let’s do it.”

“Plus, I gotta go rescue Kankuro, Kiba’s mama look like she eats lil’ punk kids for breakfast.”

Naru laughs, something that never fails to cheer Gaara up. “She ain’t gonna eat him,” Naru says, “that’s Kuromaru’s job.”

Gaara cranks the engine and grins at Naru, “Like hellI’m finna miss that. So, where am I headed?”

“When you get to the end of the lot, make a right, keep straight, and it’s two blocks over. It’s the place with big house, a big sign, and all the dog toys in the yard. Sign says, “Inuzuka Kennels” on it.”

“You got it, boss. Kankuro drove in, and I was sleep most of the way, so I don’t know where the hell I’m goin’.”

***

The car ride is short, maybe five minutes with the midday traffic but Naru fills the car with loud music and a slew of questions. Gaara tunes most of them out with generic answers, because Naru asks him stuff all the time and won’t remember it twenty minutes later. But the boy asks one that cuts through to him.

“You gonna be okay?” He says with a look so soft and sincere it almost makes Gaara want to cry and hurl up the egg salad sandwich he ate before he got here.

Gaara decides to answer him honestly—not that he ever really lies to Naru, “Don’t know.” He says, “Guess I’ll find out soon enough. Naru nods and leaves it at that as he points out where to turn into the driveway.

And if the knot in the pit of Gaara’s stomach somehow loosens then tightens back up, well that’s his own business.

***

Hellcat practically barrels Naru over the second he says his hellos to everyone in the house and waves Gaara inside. Naru hugs his boyfriend back like he hasn’t seen him in years, when really, it’s only been a day or two. Gaara rolls his eyes, He hopes he never gets that lovesick.

Kiba’s mom is a delight, though. She pulls him into a gentle hug when she walks into the kitchen to greet them properly, then offers him a hielito from the refrigerator freezer. As he sits at the small, kitchen table, eyeing the kitschy decorations on the wall and focusing his attention on the can of Money House Blessing air freshener, he almost forgets about the black grocery bag with those two pink boxes inside on the car seat. Almost.

***

“So what’s in the bag, baby bro?” Kankuro asks once they’re on the freeway, leaving humid and hazy Konoha behind and heading into the perpetual dust storm that covers Suna.

See, Gaara might never lie to Naru, but he doesn’t mind lying to his older brother at all. “Remembered I was outta pads. Figured I should grab some before mommy leaves.”

 Kankuro sniffs, but doesn’t make a face like he does when Temari mentions needing personals. “I would’ve taken you to get some before we got home.” He says, squinting at the road. “I don’t mind.”

Gaara sucks his teeth, “And have to sit there and watch you suck the life force out of your boyfriend? I’d rather watch paint dry.”

“Jesus, you wound me.” Is the last thing Kankuro says for the rest of the ride, too busy focusing on the road. He even has the radio turned all the way down so he can see better. Gaara snorts, maybe he should mention that Kankuro needs glasses to his mom.

Their house is less than five minutes away from the freeway, tucked into one of those fancy, wannabe gated communities where only half of the houses are built because the construction workers can’t work when the dust storms kick up too badly. Which means they just take the whole summer off, lazy bastards.

Kankuro pulls into the driveway and Gaara grips the plastic bag so hard it might rip. It’s not like his parents can see through it, and he can stash it under his bed until he’s ready for his life to be over…So why is he so nervous?

“How was your trip out, honey?” his mother asks the second they walk in the door and past the living room.

“Good.” He and Kankuro answer in unison, Kankuro heads into the living room and Gaara shoots up the stairs before she can ask anything else.

Two lines. Four, if you count both tests glaring back at him from the bathroom sink.

He’s fucking pregnant.

Nami wraps him up in a hug and he feels himself getting light headed. Fucking pregnant, he thinks, whose gonna take me seriously now?

#schnippets #literary brainfarts #fic: growing wild and free #au: summer!au #series: dog days.

[whore-for-chris-evans]

Chapter 2

He made a beeline for the control room, setting his shield on his back. Natasha was hit, but still, somebody else could have done her job. Yet, no, here he was, walking in to swipe the computer and get out of there. However, it wasn’t going to be easy. His instincts made him bring his shield out again, sensing something wrong in the silent atmosphere: a stark contrast to the maddening sounds of battle outside. His suspicions were proved right when guns started shooting from the left and right. He ducked, dodging efficiently before he realized that a particular stream of bullets was taking down the gunmen on the opposite side, which stopped soon enough. In the meantime, Steve had made it inside the control room, only to be faced by a young, slim girl, pointing a gun at him. They stayed like that for a second, then she lowered her weapon, tucking it into the holster on her waist. He threw his shield at her, not ready to let down his guard. She dodged it, and a fight ensued. Not that it was much of a fight. It seemed more like a choreographed dance. Nobody was hitting nobody.

They ended up on the floor, and her arm looped around his neck, not applying even the slightest bit of pressure. She was just holding him back, preventing further blows. She whispered into his ear, “There’s a door at the corner of the south-west corridor. You can get out of there. It’s the shortest route out of here. You won’t have to take too many steps.” Letting him go, she slipped past him and made her way to the computer, where a nice and sleek memory drive was downloading everything the computer had, on to itself. He watched, slightly puzzled, ignoring the searing pain in his leg from the bullets. She turned around when the download was completed, walking up to him and placing the drive in his hand. He took it, his features softening a little as he studied her gray eyes and the mystery they seemed to carry.

She looked at him with a guilty expression. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“For what?” he asked.

“Shooting you. That was me,” she admitted bravely.

He nodded, getting less mad at her every second.

“Do you want me to take the bullets out? If you can bear the sting,” she asked bashfully.

For once, his heart seemed to reach out to her. He could have sworn there was a hint of concern laced in her words. “No, it’s fine,” he assured her genuinely, “I’m still walking, right? Don’t worry about it.”

He himself was surprised at how softly he replied. She looked at him, wide-eyed, obviously not having expected that kind of reaction, then stepped back.

“You should go,” she muttered, “before you get into trouble.” He looked into her eyes and answered, “Or you do.”

She took a moment to register his words, then shrugged as if it were nothing. He knew she was playing it down. She had just helped Captain America get away; he couldn’t imagine what she might have to face from her superiors, whoever they were.

Setting his shield on his back, he turned to take the path she had told him. As he did so, he suddenly figured out that he didn’t have to walk or run too much. Deciding on the spur of the moment, he faced her again and asked, “If I’m right, your name’s April, isn’t it?”

She raised her eyebrows. “How did you know?”

“Dylan mentioned your name.”

“You’re observant, I’ll give you that,” she said, and he thought he saw a smile grace her lips. “Yes, I’m April.”

He nodded, “I’m Steve.”

“I know.”

“He got knocked out, though. Sorry.”

“Don’t be. We’re all doing what we should be doing. It’s all square.”

Before he left, Steve gave her a small goodbye wave. It touched her, and she returned it just in time for him to see it. And that was the last of each other they saw before they separated.

“Hey, punk,” a certain tall dark-haired man entered their shared bedroom, “whoa, what are you thinking so hard about?” When he didn’t get a reply, he gently slapped the blond’s back, bringing him to earth.

Steve blinked a couple of times before his mind registered Bucky, looking at him, partly puzzled, partly amused. He shook his head, bringing himself back from the memory. “Nothing, it’s just…” he trailed off, finding the best way to put it. Bucky raised an eyebrow encouragingly, beginning to guess where this was leading to. “That…” Steve braced himself for the teasing he was about to get, “that girl. The sniper from our last raid.” As expected, Bucky began chuckling uncontrollably. Steve pinched the bridge of his nose.

“What about her?” Bucky finally asked.

“That’s just it. I don’t know why I’m bothered about her. Sorry, wrong choice of words. I’m not bothered…I’m just finding it hard to forget her, even after two months. I shouldn’t be thinking about her so much, but here I am, remembering her beautiful face, her gray eyes, her dark hair, and just about everything…including her skill. I’ve only met a handful of people who are as skilled as her.”

Bucky nodded. “I know,” he said, “that’s how they trained her, and the other five too.”

“What do you mean, the other five?”

“She’s one-sixth of a team called the Versatiles,” Bucky explained, “it’s a relatively new thing at Truce. Six agents are trained better than all the regular field ones. They can do anything: spying, killing, recon, combat, extraction, shooting, just name it. With as much dexterity in each field as the other. They’re treated specially, respected, even, as long as they comply. She’s Versatile Female Alpha. The guy you were fighting, was the Male Alpha. Then you have Bravo and Charlie, male and female. Six in all. They’re stronger than the rest, without any special experiments. What they are, is solely the result of extensive – and I mean super extensive, you’ll be surprised they survived if you knew the extent – and heavy training. That is why he was sent up against you. Though the poor kid’s barely twenty-five. His name’s–”

“Dylan. I know. And she’s April.”

“How in the world would you know that?”

Steve shrugged. “First, he was talking to her – more like yelling – all the time. And second…” he paused, as if making sure no one else was hearing, “she…kind of helped me out. I mean, when I went in, she was supposed to protect the data. Instead, she just handed the drive over to me. That’s when I asked her name.”

Bucky took it in with just a nod, and a slight smirk. “Actually, Steve, there’s a lot more to her than it seems.”

“Tell me,” Steve leaned forward, as if preparing to hear a bedtime story from an elder brother, “I don’t care what the world thinks. I’m interested in her. I want to know everything there is to know about her.”

“Really, why?” Bucky asked, not at all perturbed by Steve’s crazy interest in the agent.

“Because she even gave me the shortest route to get out of the building. And as weird as it sounds, she actually apologized for shooting at me. There’s something in her that’s not in place. I mean, given her position. When she looked at me, it was like her eyes were saying something. And I want to know what that is.”

Bucky smirked at this. “I don’t remember the last time you read a person this well,” he teased.

“Bucky,” Steve almost whined. “Alright. Her name’s April Rain Westwood. Her mother’s dead, her father’s an alcoholic. The only paycheck they get is April’s. As of now. She’s the eldest of seven siblings. The next sibling, Dory, is probably still looking for a decent job. April isn’t in Truce voluntarily. She’s forced. It’s the only way the seven people her family consists of, can survive. She can’t go anywhere, she can’t run away, because the rest of them – who are innocent, mind you – die, in either one bombing, or get shot one-by-one, depending on the offense committed by her. She can’t move beyond her boundaries, because there’s a tracker embedded in her wrist, like the other five of the group. They track the Versatile six all the time, but she’s under special scrutiny because she’s the one most likely to revolt. The others just blindly comply, so they’re good. She’s been doing their filthy job just so an old man, another young adult, and five sweet children can live.”

Steve listened in silence till the story was over. “And she still risked all of that to help us out?” he wondered. Bucky sighed with a smug smile. “What?” Steve frowned in thought.

“Nothing, just saying that, she didn’t miss the other agents she shot down today. But magically, she missed you. I mean, you’d think she’d shoot you in the head, or chest, somewhere more dangerous. But no, she goes for the legs, knowing you’ll survive,” he paused, his ash-azure eyes staring into Steve’s ocean blue ones, “she missed on purpose. She could have killed you today, she has that potential, but she chose not to.”

The blond nodded, “I guessed.” Bucky studied the frown in Steve’s eyebrows.

“Thinking something?”

“Actually,” Steve sat up straight, “the idea isn’t sitting well with me. I hate that she’s in that place. And I’m not going to be at ease till it changes.” He clenched his jaws in annoyance and determination.

Bucky nodded thoughtfully. “You got a plan, Stevie?”

“If I did, would you be ready to follow Captain America into trouble?”

“Hell, no. That little guy who was too dumb not to run away from a fight, I’m following him.” They laughed.

After a pause Steve said decidedly, “If we don’t do this now, no one else will.” He muttered the last sentence, partly to himself and probably partly to April, though she wasn’t listening, “I won’t let that happen, and that’s a promise.”

“I’m with you, pal, till the end of the line.”

#steve rogers x oc #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers #marvel #mcu #avengers #bucky barnes #captain america #winter soldier #star crossed

[bugsbunnyblogsstuff]

As if.....

(Bugs pov)

I tapped my fingers annoyed in the car, I was going to be late, and it was all stupid babs' fault.

"Remind me again, doc.... when they're the same damn outfit, why would you need to make a decision?!" I asked, in a furious way, as lola shrugged, reminding me of how indecisive her family was.

She began pulling out a sugary watermelon gum and began chewing it. It didn't help that I had braces because of some chewing habit I had when I was 5.

Babs came in the car, crying loudly as I groaned to myself, as she drove, turning some punk song that shook the car, due to how loud she turned it up.

"I c-cant believe it, my own b-boyfriend..... needs to leave m-me for t-the army!" She showed me a photo of my two older brothers on her phone. Her boyfriend was my nervous wreck, older brother Buster, who was struggling to look happy for once.

The other was my more stoic and cold brother Ace, who didn't look so pleased to be here. He had no lovers yet, not once, I always liked teasing him about getting a good girlfriend.

As Babs continued speeding down the highway, singing to some punk song that I barely caught any of the words from.

While Lola was unfortunately giving me a mani-pedi, I sighed, at least they were lavender, and french tips.

I sighed, blowing the wet nails so they could dry, I was surprised that Lola didn't get any on her yellow beret or her yellow jumpsuit.

As Babs stopped the car with a *screech*, I looked up at the beautiful tropical mansion. Was this really where we would be staying?!

I excitedly hugged my lavender backpack as Babs rolled out Lola's yellow suitcase. As the three of us walked inside, I couldn't believe it still.

I watched babs knock on the door, her purple eyes still teary, and her mascara stained her fur, as she tried smiling for the first time.

"Is this the Rabbit residence?" She softly said, wiping away her tears as Jessica stood at the door.

"Yes, this should be the place. How can you help you?" She asked, with a honey like tone, her lips pursed with curiosity.

Lola excitedly ran inside, eager to touch or see anything. She was already making friends while I stood out like a sore thumb.

I walked in shyly, fidgeting with my gloves as I tried talking to the duck and the boy beside him.

"Eh, hey?" I started off as the duck gave me the cold shoulder, not responding at first until his friend did.

"I'm Cuphead, nice to meet you," he spoke, his voice weirdly husky despite being pretty young. He placed a crystal bracelet over my gloved hands.

It sparkled and shined, catching any source of light it could. It engraved my name, which was weird. He didn't know me.

He shyly blushed, his ruby red eyes captivating and mysterious, like an endless poem that could only be sealed with a kiss, but that could never happen, could it?

The duck sighed, extending his feathery hands to shake my gloved ones, "I'm daffy, nice to meet ya', bub!" He said eagerly. He began smiling as he began fist bumping me.

He was certainly the everlasting light in the shroud of darkness and agony, his eyes, more like coal yet still pleasing to look at despite no worth to it at all.

I couldn't see the third one, Lola was loudly blaring about it, but then I finally found a quivering pig, whose smile was pure yet unimportant.

"M-my names porky!" He squeaked, darting off, behind Jessica Rabbit.

I noticed cuphead giving me a note card that said, "Role: Lead detective." I looked up at cuphead with wide eyes.

Me speaking in front of people? No way!

I noticed Lola's note card wrote, "Role: The jealous Ex." I gulped slightly, trying to play it off.

It doesn't help that I'm surrounded by talented actors and a stunning actress.

Why was Lola weirdly captivating and angelic, piece dé resistance?

Clearly, I would need to up my game....