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tinyboxxtink · 3 years

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"Black Magic" *Part 13*

ALRIGHT Y'ALL, you can FINALLY breathe!!!!

I know it's been a JOURNEY, but we're here! I think you all know what that means.😉

Enjoy, my darlings!

PS- No it does not end here. Huzzah!

Part 12

Part 14

Tag list

@madamsnape921

@lolliepopsicle

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

-----

Rafael sprinted through the park, past the fountain, down the stairs and into the penguin enclosure. It was empty. Well, except for the penguins of course.

He was too late. Or, you were lying and didn’t know about this place at all. There was no such thing as true love, magic spells and what not. Right? Well, after seeing what Olivia had done to him, he supposed anything was possible.

He must have left you waiting too long.

He glanced at his phone, it had been over two hours since you had left the church. Of course you were gone. He wondered how you had waited-- had you counted the minutes? Staring at your phone, losing hope more and more as each minute passed by? Had you JUST left? Did you wait maybe ten minutes and then think “fuck it”?. He’d never know now. Olivia had taken you from each other. She had won. Rafael let out a frustrated yell, then turned and leaned on the glass of the enclosure.

“Hey there, Penny girl…” He whispered, tracing his finger along the glass. Obviously he kept up with the penguins, it was his favorite place in the world. They were like his children, his tiny dapper children.

“Look at you. Look at us. We make quite the pair now don’t we?” He softly talked to the penguin, placing his forehead against the glass. “We’ve both lost our true loves,”.

He just watched her for a moment, staring at her face. She may have just been an animal, but the emotions on her face were as clear as day. She looked as heartbroken as he felt at the moment.

“Well, I don’t know which of us has it worse Penny. You have memories of your love, memories to cherish. Something to hold on to. Some might say that’s worse than having no memory at all. At least I don’t know what I’m missing, right?” He laughed sarcastically, tears coming to his eyes.

“...I would kill for something to hold on to,” He dropped his head sadly.

He shut his eyes tightly, trying to remember. Forcing himself to remember maybe something that would lead him to you. ANYTHING. But there was nothing, just fog and darkness. He let out another loud, frustrated groan, this one longer and more tortured than before. After it echoed through the cave, a few of the penguins stirred. Penny looked over at him, they locked eyes. He swore she nodded at him, as if she knew what he was going through. He pressed a hand to the glass once again, trying to communicate.

“...This is insane,” He shook his head, wiping away tears. He was about to turn and leave when he saw the light from the tank bouncing off something. He walked over and saw your phone sitting on a bench, complete with the little penguin charm. He picked it up and examined it carefully, running his hands all over the cover and buttons, then playing with the penguin charm.

“I love penguins,”

He could hear your voice in his head, it sounded so clear and close. Wait, that was out loud, wasn’t it?

He spun around to see you standing there, a small smile on your face.

“I love them too,” He replied softly.

“I know,” You nodded. “That’s what you said when you brought me here,”

“You….you knew,” He gestured around you, meaning you knew this was his spot. “I did bring you here, didn’t I?”

“You did. And it was wonderful,” Your smile turned sad, realizing he still didn’t remember you.

“I believe you.” He smiled.

“Well I sure hope so by now--” You gestured around you.

“No, about everything,” He talked over you, making you pause.

“....Everything?”

“Liv...she...I….I went to tell her about Eduardo because I wanted so badly to prove you wrong but...I couldn’t,” He explained. “So then I lied and said it was something else, and she LOST IT,”

“What do you mean she ‘lost it’?”

“She started going off about why couldn’t I just tell her my middle name was Eduardo,”

“....Oh?” You asked innocently.

“She knew my middle name. And I didn’t tell her. So you must have,”

“I did,”

“And...you must have told her way before you showed up at that church,”

“I did,”

“So that means, that I must have told you myself, you didn’t read my mind,”

“Yeah…” You tried desperately not to get your hopes up again, but it was hard not to.

“So then I went off on her and she-- she tried to get me to drink this...stuff,”

“Oh dear god,” You panicked. “Did you?”

“No!” He looked at you like you were crazy. “Are you kidding me? After I figured out that all the bat crap crazy story you went on about was REAL? I mean, magic and mind spells, and--” He began to pace.

“I told her that she didn’t love me like she said she did, she just wanted me to herself. To be her doting husband, doing whatever she wanted. That’s not love,”

“No, it’s not,” You agreed.

“And I told her that if she really loved me, then she would want me to be happy, no matter who it was with,” He kept pacing.

“Also very true,” You kept nodding.

“And she STILL tried to get me to drink her...potion’!” He exclaimed, looking at you.

“...Seriously?” You almost had to laugh, she was so pathetic. “And then what did you do?”

“I told her not to come near me maybe ever again, and I left,” He started pacing again.

“To come here,” You added.

“Right,” He agreed.

“2 hours ago,” You pointed out.

“Well…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Y’know, New York traffic…” He looked around the cave.

“Right,” You nodded in amusement.

“There’s something else I told her,” He walked closer to you.

“What’s that?” You asked softly.

“I told her that I was coming to get what she stole from me,”

“....Yeah?” You started to smile.

“...But I can’t,” He looked at you sadly.

“What?” Your face fell.

“I...I can’t remember!” He searched your eyes for something, anything. “I want to so badly, I know that I’m supposed to be in love with you--”

“Wait,” you stepped back. “You’re not supposed to ‘be’ anything, Rafael. That was my mistake.” You took his hand. “I tried to make you feel something, and that was wrong of me,”

“...But I already felt it?” He said it like a question, like you knew better than he did.

“I mean, that’s what Maria told me. That’s what Chloe told me. And, to be honest with you the many close calls that we’ve had-- I, I think so,”

“Close calls?” He raised an eyebrow,

“Before, well-- It’s a long story, But basically--” You took a deep breath. “Every time Olivia has ‘dosed’ you and we’ve touched, you start to get your memory back. And then she’d swoop in and feed you more of that….poison, and you’d be hers again,”

“Then why doesn’t this work?” He grabbed your hands. Nothing happened.

“Because she figured out that she kept losing her power over you to me, so she-- she got a mind erasing potion on top of it, so that you’d forget me completely and wouldn’t have anything pulling you back away from her,” You made a face as you explained. It really did sound insane when you said it all out loud, now that you heard it.

“That’s insane,” Rafael shook his head with a laugh, turning away from you a bit.

“I know, and I get it if you can’t--” You started.

“It’s insane, but I believe you,” He stopped you by taking your hands again.

“You do?” You gave him a hopeful look.

“After that whole...debacle, with Liv. I’d believe anything right now,” He laughed. That gave you an idea.

“Well then…” You pushed a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Oh god, what now?” Rafael asked.

“I mean, if you’re open to anything--” You shrugged.

“I’m afraid to ask,” He looked at you warily.

“Look this sounds stupid even to ME, but--” You paused, not believing you were going to say these words out loud.

“...Chloe said something about ‘true love’s kiss’ breaking any kind of spell or potion,” You said softly while looking at the ground.

“....Seriously?” You could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

“I know, I said it was insane too,” You looked up and shrugged.

There was a long awkward silence as Rafael began pacing around the entire closure, from one end to the other. You wondered if he was figuring out ways to run, or if he was actually considering it. After what seemed like forever, he finally looked over at Penny.

“Do you know the situation with Penny?” He asked you, placing a hand on the glass and still staring at her.

“I googled it,” You nodded, walking up beside him. “It’s so sad, she lost her--”

“Her one true love,” He finished, now looking at you.

“Yeah,” You bit your lip.

“....I don’t want to lose mine,” He whispered as he took your face in his hands. You closed your eyes as you felt his lips press against yours very softly,

Suddenly, a bright yellow light filled the cave. Wind began circling around like a cyclone all around the two of you. He kissed you deeper as flashes of memories began appearing in the wind/fog, like a movie montage:

“I need you to hold onto the memory of this day, how we feel about each other in this exact moment. Commit it to memory,” You said it again, manifesting it. You were also memorizing his face in this moment; the way he was looking at you, the way he smelled. The way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, and his lips made the cutest little smile when he was amused. You desperately tried to memorize the look of love in his eyes, knowing that tomorrow you’d never see it again.

“…I can promise you carino, I will never forget this day,” He shook his head with a laugh, pulling you into him as you walked back to the stand.”

“Ay, a ‘fun day’? You mean you got Mr. Trabajando to actually take a day off? You must be something special!”

“She is,” Rafael took your hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb lovingly. “She really is,”

Rafael pulled you even closer into him as he began to remember.

I love you so much, Y/N,” He smiled even bigger. You had dreamed of hearing those words since you saw his photo in the temp office. And he just said them, like it was his lunch order.

“Say it again,” You whispered without thinking.

“I love you,” He repeated, pulling you back into him.

“Say it in spanish,” You bit your lip with a smile.

“Te amo, mi amor,” He whispered with a very amused smile, adoring your admiration of his first language.

You pulled him tighter as you watched the images of your perfect day playing out right in front of you.

No you don’t understand. My middle name is Eduardo, named after him. So he’s always with me. I have always told people it’s Antonio, because I want nothing about me associated with him,” He started to cry again.

After a minute, he looked back up at you very seriously. “I’ve never told anyone that story.”

Tears dripped down his face as he heard himself speak the words out loud.

“I’ve never felt as close to her as I do with you.” He pulled you into his lap. “The truth is Y/N I have never felt safe since my abuela’s house. Until I met you,”

His heart filled as he felt the safe, warm feeling of being in your arms once again.

“Right. But if we’re being totally honest,” he took your hands. “I think I fell in love with you the moment you walked in the door on your first day.”

You continued to explore each other’s mouths, as if you had both been underwater and you were breathing for the first time again.

“Please Don’t leave me, you sobbed. “Please don’t leave me,”

“Hey hey hey,” He took your arms and pulled you over to a bench in the cave. Then he sat you down and put both hands on your shoulders.” I’m not leaving you. I’m not going anywhere, okay? Never,”

Both of you were crying, hands running all over each other’s bodies.

“So again, I don’t know what you think you did, but my feelings for you are real. The only magic here is the magic of true love,”

The last words echoed throughout the cave as the wind died down; You and Rafael finally broke apart.

“Y/N,” He looked into your eyes with his pure green irises, no purple in sight.

“You found me,” He referenced the dream. You knew it had been real.

“...It was real,” He whispered, as if he was reading your mind. “All of it was real,”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” You cried as well. “I should have never--”

“No,” He stopped you. “I’m glad that you did,”

“...Why?” You looked at him in confusion.

“Because, I meant what I said that day. About falling in love with you the day I met you. It’s true, I have been in love with you, I was just too stupid and too scared to say anything,” He sniffled, his sobs subsiding. “All you did was give me the push,”

“I knew it,” You grabbed his face and kissed him again. “I knew it was real, God Rafael. I love you so much,” You finally said it to the real, unaltered Rafael.

“I love you too, Y/N,” He looked into your eyes with his own beautiful, sparkling green eyes. Eyes filled with the same love and wanting as that perfect day, the day you thought you’d never get back.

“I always have,”

You suddenly heard a commotion; you both turned to see Chloe and Maria clapping and cheering.

“Told you!!!!” Chloe laughed triumphantly.

#rafael barba x you #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba fanfiction #law and order svu #rafael barba imagine #law and order svu fanfiction #black magic

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that-sarcastic-writer · 4 years

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Injured Brat- Malcolm Bright X Reader

Fandom: Prodigal Son

Pairing: Malcolm Bright X Reader

Summary: you get into an a small argument with Malcolm after the incident with the Junkyard Killer

Warnings: spoilers ig? Not a lot, cursing, mentions of injuries, fluff, some whump because I know y'all love whump

WC: 2k

Tag list

A/N: yes omg fucking finally!!! I wrote a Malcolm one shot. This is my first Malcolm related work so this is kinda shit probably. I’m not exactly sure if I even portrayed Mal correctly. But I tried and I had fun writing it. So, hopefully you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Ps, I didn’t have anyone other than me proof edit so if there are any mistakes or spelling errors, my apologies

Not my gif @malcolmbright

When Gil’s name popped up on your screen in the middle of the night, you knew something was up. You knew Malcolm had gotten himself into trouble, that would be the only logical explanation as to why Gil had to personally call you instead of Malcolm himself.

“Is he dying? Or do I get to kill him myself?” Was your immediate response to Gil telling you Malcolm was injured. After making sure he wasn’t in any danger of course.

“He’s got a few broken bones and some bruising, a severely damaged ego, but he’ll make it.” Gil responded with a small chuckle.

You sighed, nodding to yourself in relief. You were obviously glad Malcolm was okay, but god did you want to strangle him at that moment. “Alright, I’ll be there in a few. Don’t yell at him too much. That’s my job.” You said as you maneuvered around to slip on a pair of sweatpants and shoes while holding your phone to your ear.

“Sure thing kid, see ya in a few.”

Once Gil had hung up, you properly slipped up the fabric up your legs and quickly tied your shoes. You had already been wearing Malcolm’s Harvard sweater so you didn’t have to worry about that. You looked like a train wreck to say the least. But you had been home all day and had no plans of leaving Malcolm’s loft. Guess that wasn’t gonna happen now was it.

As you somehow attempted to fix your hair you grabbed your purse and keys, and you were on your way to yell at your boyfriend for the next three hours.

~~~~~~~~

You were quick to arrive at the precinct. Passing any and all speed limits in the process. When you arrived at the precinct, you were instantly met with Gil’s voice echoing through the halls, even with the door closed. You exhaled deeply as you passed Dani and JT, who were sitting at their desks doing some paperwork. They sent knowing smiles your way as you twisted the doorknob to open the door.

Gil was in the middle of scolding Malcolm, accompanied by shouts when you walked in his office. Both males turned your way when you made your presence known. Malcolm instantly looked down, much like a child that had been caught doing something they weren’t supposed to.

You eyed him for a minute. His shirt was unbuttoned revealing his most definitely bruised body and the gauze that was wrapped around his torso. His arm was wrapped around it as well as he was clearly in a lot of pain. You almost felt bad for him. Almost.

“You’re so lucky Gil called me and not your mother.” You said to Malcolm as you stepped in front of him, eyes narrowed into a frown and your arms rested on your hips. Much like a mother who was scolding her naughty child.

Malcolm chuckled, “Well, you’re going to yell as me as much as she would so, I don’t see the improvement.” He said with a sigh, rolling his eyes a bit.

You gave him an ‘oh really’ look as you narrowed your eyes even further, “well I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t such an irresponsible dumbass.” You whisperer yelled, not wanting to make a scene.

Once again, Malcolm rolled your eyes at your words, knowing you were mostly right, but of course, he wasn’t going to say that, nor admit it. He was going to argue, “Y/N,”

“No,” you quickly cut him off before he could even start, “what the hell were you thinking? Going after a killer like that! He could’ve killed you! Hell, he almost did!” Now you were yelling. In any other situation, you would never yell at Malcolm, but knowing he was purposely putting himself in that kind of danger, that really pushed at your buttons. You knew you would feel bad about it later. You’d make sure to apologize to him later. But now was the time to yell.

Malcolm shook his head, wincing a bit, the slightest movement causing all sorts of pain. “He wasn’t going to kill me. He knows I’m my father’s son. He doesn’t want to kill me, not yet anyway.”

You couldn’t believe how lightly Malcolm was taking this whole situation. You were beyond frustrated to say the least. You were honestly trying so hard not to snap out on him right then and there “Malcolm, you can’t just run off after a killer on your own. You are not a cop, you are unarmed and you’re a civilian. You need to wait for backup.” You emphasized your words as much as you could, even using your hands as you spoke.

“See? She agrees with me.” Gil spoke in, cutting right through the tense air that filled the room.

Malcolm couldn’t look any more guilty. He looked like a kicked puppy, his blue eyes were big and dead staring at you. Almost as if those puppy dog eyes would soothe your altered state. “Darling I-”

“Malcolm, we’re not having this conversation right now,” you cut him off again, rubbing a hand over your face slightly as you turned your attention to the older man who was witnessing your domestic dispute. “Can I take him home?”

“Please, take him, and keep him home. I don’t want to see him here for a few days.” Gil said, eyeing Malcolm sternly. Who, like the injured puppy that he was, simply nodded with a sigh.

After thanking Gil one more time for calling you, you were both on your way. You were still very upset and frustrated with Malcolm, as it was extremely obvious due to the way you refused to exchange a single word with him. He didn’t push it though, he simply followed after you like a lost puppy, his head hanging a bit low as he walked.

The ride back to his loft wasn’t much different. It mainly consisted of Malcolm, sitting on the passenger’s side looking at you with his big blue puppy dog eyes, hoping you’d talk to him. But you didn’t. You’d figured it’d be best to just drive in silence. You didn’t want to say anything that would hurt him while being upset.

Once you arrived at Malcolm’s loft, he instantly freed himself from all the clothing on his upper body, leaving him with the gauze around his bruised and shirtless torso. He eased himself down onto one of the chairs by the kitchen island, a moan of discomfort leaving his lips as he did so.

A deep heavy sigh left your lips as you freed yourself from your shoes and sweatpants, because, fuck wearing pants at home. Your bare feet made the wooden floor creak as you stepped into the kitchen. You grabbed a bag of peas from the freezer and walked around the island to give Malcolm the bag. You placed it not so subtly against his ribs, a groan leaving his lips as a result of it. “Thank you,” he smiled through the pain as he held the cold bag tightly against his bruised ribs, hoping to ease a smile into you and sighed when you only half nodded in response.

Deep down, you truly felt bad about the way you were reacting to this whole situation. You should maybe be more understanding, more supportive. But the fact that he continuously put himself in harm’s way without caring about anything else truly frustrated you. And despite what you might have to say about it, he continued to put himself in danger with extreme carelessness. Maybe you shouldn’t be so harsh with him, but the fact that you were so upset wasn’t exactly helping.

You walked around the island once again and reached for the cabinets where Malcolm kept his pills. You grabbed all the bottles you figured he might need and filled a glass with water. You placed all items on the island in front of him and stepped around it to walk away, but his voice stopped you in your tracks. “So are you just going to give me the silent treatment forever?”

“Are you going to continue to put yourself in danger?” You asked rhetorically, a sarcastic smile claiming ownership of your lips as you stood beside Malcolm with a hand over your hip. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck slightly, not really having a response. “There’s your answer then.” You turned on your heel to walk away, but stopped when Malcolm lightly grabbed your arm.

“Darling,” he said softly, gently pulling you close enough to where he could hold you without straining his already sore muscles. You stood there, allowing him to rest his hands on your waist, but the annoyed look on your face remained. “I can handle broken ribs, I can handle being sore. I can even handle a broken ego. But I can’t handle you being angry with me,” he said, his big blue eyes staring at you with a gentle gaze, eyes begging you silently. “So please, don’t be angry with me.”

The eyes. The fucking eyes. You couldn’t stay mad at those puppy dog eyes. You groaned with annoyance, stomping your foot slightly as you were starting to fall back under his charming spell. “Mal,” you finally cracked. The moment you used the nickname, all the anger and annoyance you were feeling began to fade. The moment that nickname slipped through, Malcolm knew he had won this battle. “I’m sorry. I just worry so much. I can’t stop worrying about you. And when your dumbass gets hurt, I panic. I just don’t know how to handle it.” You finally said, your eyes getting a bit glossy. You weren’t crying, but your eyes were a bit watery from the accumulated frustration and worry.

“I know sweetheart, I know.” He carefully ran a hand over your face, his smooth fingers gracing over your skin gently. “But that’s okay. Because that just shows you love me.” He smiled stupidly at you, dimples showing. His smiles were always so contagious you had to smile too.

“Of course I love you. ‘Cause unfortunately for me I’m in love with your dumb ass.” You playfully rolled your eyes, but you just couldn’t hide the smile on your lips.

“And I’m forever thankful for it.” He chuckled, leaning in for a kiss, “can I get a kiss?”

You nodded, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his rosy pink lips, both of you smiling into the kiss, “you’re still not off the hook though. If you ever pull something like this, I will hurt you.” You shot him a playful glare his way when you pulled away.

Malcolm had a knowing smile on his lips as he leaned back on his chair, his hands returning to hold the forgotten bag of beans to his torso, “did I ever mention how incredibly beautiful you look with my sweater?” He was obviously trying to be extremely charming and seductive, that was kinda his natural thing.

You let out a breathy chuckle as you looked down at said sweater, tugging on the ends of it with a bit of shyness, “charming. Real charming.” You pecked his lips another time before you stepped around the island to the fridge, “go laid down. I’ll bring you something to eat.” You nudged at him as you pulled out Malcolm’s favorite kind of cheese and grabbed the bag of bread from the counter.

“You’re the best.” He smiled brightly at you, knowing just exactly what you were going to make him and carefully hopped off the chair.

“I know.” You blew him a kiss and smiled before you turned your attention to the only meal your boyfriend could handle eating.

He was limping his way over to your shared bed, but he stopped mid way and turned around to look at you. “Hey darling,” he called out. You turned in his direction and nodded at him.

“I love you.”

“I love you too Mal.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Malcolm Bright Tag list: @fueled-by-fanfic @missscorp @coollllllduse @while-the-world-sleeps @twistnet @thatesqcrush @im-a-mess-that-works @chengukargbo

#malcolm bright #prodigal son #malcolm bright x reader #malcolm bright imagine #malcolm bright fic #x reader

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pinkpoundcake · 5 years

Text

DESERT DEVIL

CH. 5 FROM THE MEADOW

All Might/ Reader as Female OC

NSFW AU

7K+ Words

Here we go! Finally. I had to pause and do quite a bit of research for this one. I’m pretty happy with the chapter, but I’ll go back and catch some mistakes later! I’ve been coloring in PS and typing on GoogleDocs all day so my eyes are tired and won’t catch much. We’ll be taking off from here. I’ll warn that there’s no smut in this chapter, but you can anticipate some for the next. It was just out of place, sorry, lmao.

I’m not sure of the next time I’ll be updating, but you can anticipate sometime next week. Thank you if you stop by! All Chapters are in my desert devil tag.

“You may not like this, but you all have to understand! It's for the best.”

The crowd erupted into irritated chatter and groans. This was one of those stressful downsides to using your quirk in this way. It would be easier for you to be the conduit for translation, if so many different kinds of minds weren't giving you so much feedback. Speaker, you, all the joined hands in the crowd. All the joined hands in the crowd, you, the speaker. So many different minds you had to help understand.

Your eyebrows tensed hard enough for muscles to spasm beneath your horns. You were bearing a lot of stress, and your main client, the mayor, hadn't picked up on that yet. His little, white paw was still clutched around your first two fingers while you kneeled down on the soap box next to him. Aizawa had taken your other hand, and then his other hand was linked to the next person. Like one big, unhappy pow-wow. Now, the Mayor, he was so eager to console his constituents, you didn't have the heart to tell him his time was almost up.

“How is that any fair?!” Your eyes were clamped closed. You recognized that voice, but you didn't have the head-space to pin a face. High and kind of whiny. That was probably one of the Inn keeper's daughters.

“The raised fee for violating curfew is incentive, my friends! For all of you to reconsider breaking this protective law. Two hours after sundown, we expect everyone to be locked up, or at least within the bounds of town!” Mayor Nezu responded in his usual chipper tone. His beady black eyes drifted over the crowd of grubby, exasperated faces.

“A majority of these deaths were discovered far out of the edge of town, you see! And by the fees we've collected these long days and nights, some of you have not taken the previous encouragement seriously!” The Mayor spoke more sternly, though he was still smiling. “If you follow the law, you won't have to pay a hundred pieces, and you won't be ripped apart! How lovely is that!”

“So what are y'all gonna do with all of them extra coins, huh?!” You knew who that was without having to open your eyes. It was this young, plucky fella who always loitered outside the general store eyeing women patrons in their nicest dresses on Sundays. The purple gumdrop always liked to inform you that he didn't mind being around too tall fillies like you, and that always made you wonder where in the goddamn his mother and manners were.

“As always,” Mayor Nezu paused “these fees will be added to our tax well for railroad imports and provisions from Tucson. Public works projects, as well, that will improve our water storage for the future. The budget is always available for a gander at City Hall! I might look like a rat, but I'm no thief, ahahahaha!” You would laugh, too, if you could. He was easy to trust, but the Mayor was strange…

“Please, please, any other q-,” the Mayor blinked with surprise as you yanked your hand away and broke the chain. That was all you could handle. You needed a rest if you still had to hold Sheriff Todoroki's hand for the last portion of the itinerary.

Ah...well, alright. They were going to have a brief recess.

II.

The pounding in your head had subsided a portion. You were glad most folks were distracted with chattering amongst themselves in groups while they allowed you to rest up at the stone edge of the empty, town fountain. You were supposed to let Deputy Aizawa know when you were ready to translate again, which should probably be soon. You didn’t know what time it was, but you could feel the sun rising up higher over your head. It was nice for a little while, but now the bright beams were making your horns uncomfortably hot.

Off to your left, you sensed someone’s shadow sweep over. You thought they were someone in a passing group of gossip, but they stepped a little closer and draped something soft over your head. Your eyes ached, but you cracked one open to see who’d come to pester you. You already had an idea of who it was. “I didn’t think the sun was helping.” Yagi stabbed his cane in the dirt, and then sank down next to you. You heard distinct popping from the joints of his knees. He grunted his same, endearing grunt. This was his usual spot, wasn’t it?

“Thank you. It wasn’t.” You muttered. He understood you couldn’t sound as delighted to see him as you wanted. You sighed and brought his yellow shawl up higher to cover up your forehead and a portion of your eyes. It wasn’t medicine, but it felt and smelled nice.

“I don’t have too much time to talk.” “I understand.” Yagi crossed both of his big, rough palms over the handle of his cane, and then rested his chin over his knuckles. He leaned far and set his eyes on wads of familiar and unfamiliar people still discussing the first half of this morning’s meeting.

“Dove,” Yagi didn’t turn his head, but you could feel his eyes roll back in your direction “are you going to be alright?”

“After a few days of rest, I’ll be fine. I promise.” Yagi’s hands were beneath his chin, so you touched and rubbed his side instead to assure him. Maybe this was a little taboo, but no one was paying attention. He was resisting the urge to move closer. You’d never touched him before, not that he could remember. There was a wonderful heat and softness from your fingers that penetrated the thinned fabric of his shirt, and swept each scarred rib. He felt soothed ( oh yes, he was nervous) , but his intention was for him to comfort you, not the other way around.

“Togo.”

You, almost a little too hastily, tugged yourself from Yagi’s side. As if nothing strange had happened, you stood to your feet, and then gave the older fellow his shawl back. You didn’t know when Deputy Aizawa had approached, or how long the sneaky son of a gun had been standing there. By the look on his face, you could tell he had a certain amount of judgement and disbelief for the both of you. He didn’t have any comment, thankfully. Yagi wouldn’t look him in the eye. “I’m ready now.” You cleared your throat. Time to hold Mr. Boss-So-Roki’s hand.

III.

Ah, so you and I aren’t going to see eye to eye, boy?

It was a sick joke from a man who had no real eyes. Yagi had ripped them out from the sockets years prior when his heart was broken, and thirsty for revenge. He didn’t regret it. Men who didn’t respect this precious land didn’t deserve to ever take in its beauty.

“You smell like shit, you old fuck.” Yagi loathed to spit acid like a snake, but he deserved every shred of hate contained in his young body on that day.

The Gambler smelled like what he was made of: dirty money and brimstone and mosquito water.

What a nasty bark, you dog!

You look out of sorts, pup. Could it be that arrow you still have there? Here...let me help you pull that out.

He had liked where Yagi was. Leg mangled. Curled up on the side of the trail like road kill. The vultures were waiting; circling the sun like the grim reaper spun his scythe. That’s what the boy was after all! An animal pretending to be a righteous man.

“DON’T YOU PUT YOUR FILTHY HANDS ON ME.”

And then Yagi was screaming in agony. The Gambler pulled the arrow out nice’n slow, making sure to twist and turn the carved bone of the head into the most sensitive, spewn places. He didn’t like all the mess on his new, priceless equipment, so he found it proper to smear the blood off on Yagi’s already red, enraged face.

Shut up.

Listen very well, dog. Maybe your body can’t die here, but I hope this lesson breaks your spirit like you broke all of my bones. In stature, it was certain that The Gambler had never healed right. His body was twisted and gnarled like the lichon.

Yagi did what he had to do after the whole gruesome ordeal was over. He never, ever wanted to kill another man of his own will after that day. Uh huh…

So, did his spirit ever heal right?

It hurt his heart to try and answer.

IV.

He hated to dream. They weren’t fair. You were supposed to be able to alter your dreams; be whatever you want and do whatever you want. These were all memories he couldn’t do a thing to change. Perhaps he should have been grateful he woke up still clean, and in his own bed this morning. But at what cost…

He needed to stop thinking about it. Yagi had roped up Bell wrong for the second time since he started packing. He rubbed his mule’s neck and she affectionately bumped him on the shoulder with her nose. He didn’t like bringing her so far out from home, because she was his friend, but he had things he had to do as usual. He was going to meet you after he had his student come to watch his property for the two or three weeks you’d be gone. You needed to arrange your own trustworthy house sitter before you both began your long journey.

Yagi had been worried about you the days after the meeting, more than he should have been worried for himself. There was a lot now to consider. He was well aware that you were both lying to each other by omission. You wanted him to track the Devil. If you hadn’t taken the belt buckle back, he probably would have forgotten not to put it on. He hadn’t told you where you were both going for his part of the deal, either, or why he needed you to read. He had advised you on what to pack, and how long you’d be gone, and you just followed the instruction without question.

Did you really trust him that much? You were both traveling alone. In secret. You were lucky law enforcement only patrolled for law breakers, and didn’t go door to door every night. They couldn’t pay enough for all of that.

When he was finally able to meet you, the crown of the sun was starting to peek over the hard, flat line of the horizon. The sky was split in soft streaks of pink and orange. Pretty. There was no wind for haze. The air was still and cool. If only it could stay like this.

“Are you sure you have everything?” Yagi asked you while fixing the girth that strapped his mule to his small, travel cart. He came up to her mouth and made sure the secures there weren’t too tight. She made a quiet, but shrill sound through her nostrils. “I know you don’t like the bit. Be quiet.” The scolding was affectionate and punctuated with a kiss on her nose.

“Yes, and Kissy’s the same way. I think he tolerates it.” He wasn’t raised for riding, but he handled it well enough. Besides, he was the only horse you had.

You were sure you had all you needed. You had rolled up some provisions and plenty of water into your BaBa’s old saddle bags. You really hoped with your combined items, it was all enough. Traveling made you excited and nervous. You hadn’t been outside of town in years. You both had terrible timing, and would probably be in a heap of trouble for giving no notice of leave when you got back. Still, a potentially dangerous journey. And you’d both be alone.

“They all tolerate a lot.” Yagi shrugged his shoulders and sat up on the seat of his cart. “Let’s get moving, quickly!” He boisterously thumped his closed fist over his chest since neither of you had a rally drum or trumpet.

You wondered if the Devil would lurk the canyon. The thought of you both running into him in the dead of night, or the beast ravaging your camp made your heart jump up somewhere in your gullet. Yagi must have understood that risk, and he was still taking you to read whatever it was he wanted you to read. You could in fact translate language if you could touch the surface, but it’d been a long while since you’d done so. Most things of importance were printed in English, and a lot of folks couldn’t read no how, so they didn’t bother you.

“Yagi, do you mind telling me where we’re going?” You asked him after mounting. He took off his big brimmed vaquero hat and flipped it upside down. You could see some of your own wool stuck beneath the cap, but what interested you the most was what was embroidered to the underside: a map of the entire valley. Some parts of the thread were old and dirty, but other portions still retained the vibrancy of being freshly stabbed through. You were a little mystified.

”Up north east.” You expected Yagi to produce a compass, but he didn’t. He knew exactly where to go. He’d never been lost before.

“You’ll see, Dove. I won’t lead you astray.” He made a little beat on his chest again and grinned.

“Well...alright. I’m trusting you, sir.” You squeezed Kissy with your heels.

Yee haw! You were both off.

Yagi was puffing out smoke and steam through his nose at the sight of you. His heart was a rumbling, rolling train and he hadn’t finished pounding in all the tracks. The sun was setting in the distance. Vibrant hues from that sweet goodbye highlighted every plump curve of your naked body. When you turned in the water’s edge and brought your toned arms up above your head, your outlines rippled and writhed in a fog. You shook out your tail like a tambourine, and glistening droplets whipped around your figure.

His dry tongue lolled from the corner of his mouth. Clamoring on all fours, he was clawing the dirt and sand to make it to your mirage. You smiled at him with all your front teeth, and your pretty eyes, and then beckoned him closer with your long fingers. You were emerging from the pool; prowling to meet him halfway. Everywhere your hands and knees touched turned a luscious green.

Almost there… Come here, Come into me, Yagi.

The sun fully disappeared behind the mountains, and the storm clouds swarmed. He was stabbed with daggers of lightning. His big body and hands were all over your soft, fuzzy hide in a monstrous flash. He was pulling your legs apart because now he was long and strong for you. You clamped his waist, clawed his back, and called him by his real name while he was pumping his piston. With his rain and wind and thunder, and your good green earth, he had you. That's right, with your back down in paradise.

Just like he promised.

VI.

“UGH,” Yagi rubbed the faint cut left behind on his forehead. It stung. He had woke with a jolt and hit the side of the rocky perch he’d chosen for the night. You didn’t have a tent, so he let you have his to yourself. A woman, ugh...ow...needed her privacy. He smeared pebbled and already clotting blood on his sleeve. He hadn’t changed his stance on his own dreams.

He was glad you were paces away. It had to be that way. His excuse this time, was that he needed to be a look out for raiders and bandits. That was one thing, but really, he didn’t know when his body was going to change. Dangerous games. Dangerous thoughts. Dangerous dreams. Yagi glanced down at the personal tent pitched in his trousers. Uh...no, he wouldn’t have wanted you to see him like this.

He’d wait to calm down, water the horse and mule, and then wake you. You’d both been traveling for three days, and you had two days of long, hot, dry, travel left.

VII.

When you both finally made it to your destination, the sun was preparing to rise. Yagi was adamant about wanting to push through the night. You had taken such a long break in the afternoon, that it bled into the evening. You had wanted to go back to sleep so badly. You almost fell off of Kissy’s back twice. Yagi, while flustered and spooked, offered to change his mind on the urgency, but you told him it was alright. You just needed to wake up and put up. You were both on a tight schedule.

The clouds were rolling overhead and you wondered (hoped) that they would block the sun or consider banding together for some traveling rain, but they didn't. The trip had gone relatively pain free, it almost made you paranoid. You had to suffer somewhere, and you hoped the continued drought was it.

“Not too much further,” Yagi pushed up his hat and revealed a smile that gave the rising sun a run for its money. For a man who hadn't been sleeping much, he seemed awfully chipper. Dear lady, you had no idea how full of nostalgia he was. The familiar change in terrain gifted him fond and not so fond memories.

“Is that…” you covered a yawn “is that it?” You squinted through the sleepy tears in the corners of your eyes. In the morning haze, you could pick out blocky structures built into the side of a rock face. At another gander, you noticed some fencing holding in several huddled, sheared sheep. Thatched houses peppered the land on the other side of livestock pens and dry, unharvested crops . It didn’t look like a big, busy town, but it was certainly a settlement. It wasn’t too far off from the murky edges of the Colorado River, and the sight of that provided you even more relief. You didn’t know if you had enough water on hand to make it back to Struggler.

“This is it.” Yagi whipped the reins in his excitement and urged his mule on. She wheezed and groaned with some protest, but picked up her pace. You clicked your tongue and bumped Kissy with your heal so he could match speed. You were both kicking up a trail of dust behind you. Being somewhere new made you nervous, but the energy Yagi radiated made you feel more sure. He had his smile on full beam, belting out something incomprehensible at the top of his lungs with your mounts’ hoof-beats. That almost made you pull your draft to a hard halt. Nothing was wrong. No one was coming after the both of you, and he certainly wasn’t hurt. He was going to see his old friend again.

VIII.

There were plenty of times in your life where you felt a little out of sorts. You didn’t feel awkward exactly, just a touch shy. There was a small crowd gathering around Yagi as some reservation dwellers came to properly greet him, or see what the commotion was about. Some natives looked a little on edge, or as unsure as you did, but then the older fellow Yagi was so focused on, finished greeting the sunrise, and then approached. You figured he was probably somewhat in charge, because everyone politely made way for him, or minded themselves and went back to their early tasks. “Aa,” he was grinning from ear to ear just like Yagi was “how are you, my friend? This is a surprise!”

“I’m...well.” Yagi rubbed his neck, and then removed his hat to return the politeness.

“You made quite some noise on the way here! We were worried about a bandits,” the older man’s eyes were wrinkling around the tanned, weathered corners. He was very tall, though not nearly as tall as Yagi, and wore working clothes like the cowboys who traveled far yonder from Texas. You were amazed at the length of his graying hair. It fell behind him in a long cord, and was wrapped up in a braid with bright, crossing threads. He had a lovely, boxy, woven pattern in his shawl that you couldn’t help but eye up, too. Following the loop of his cover, there was a long scar that crossed his neck, and zig zagged down until it was hidden beneath the collar of his shirt. You knew better than to rubber neck that. Didn’t want to be rude.

You felt him sense your wondering eyes, and take a reserved look at you after allowing Yagi to exchange a bow. You were trying and failing to hide behind your big horse. His friend from another land had no one else for company, just you. His bushy brows rose. You assumed your appearance probably surprised, or tickled him. You were used to that, but he was actually assuming something else.

“Aa, this is your wife, Yagi?”

“No, no!” Yagi awkwardly laughed. “This is…” He trailed, trying to think of something that didn’t sound quite as suspicious. “My friend. I brought her here to translate something, if your clan will allow it. We won’t stay for too long, I promise.”

The fellow’s jaw slackened. He brought his hand to his chin. He looked between Yagi, who was anticipating an answer, and then you who were waiting for the same. You came all this way. You hoped that you wouldn’t get turned away and the journey would be for nothing. Whatever Yagi wanted you to read must have been important, or private, if you had to formally ask permission.

“You want to see the old messages? Don’t you?” The other man hummed.

“Yes, I...think it will help me understand.” Yagi had lowered his voice without meaning to.

“Understand what?” You cleared your throat. They were both looking at each other like there was some kind of secret afoot. If you were translating, you were going to know eventually, right? Yagi’s friend frowned at him. This young woman didn’t know? It wasn’t his place to tell you either. It was his request to offer a yes, or a no. “I’m looking to know a little more about this land’s past,” Yagi dug his cane into sand between the toes of his boots. He leaned on it a little, and then brought his still carted mule in closer with his other hand. “There’s some very old language here that a lot of Mustang’s family can’t completely read anymore. His family has been here for quite some time, many many many years,” he had turned his head in your direction while he dropped you this hint “so I’m hoping to find some warnings or helpful superstitions.”

Ah! Now you understood...sort of. You wondered what Yagi’s interest in the past was, apart from solving the mystery of the Devil, but you didn’t know him well enough to poke and prod that business just yet. Yet. It did make sense, though. More sense than what you were reading. The Devil roamed this land in particular. Should probably consult who’d been here the longest.

“You’re a scholar, young ma’am?” Mustang asked while directing you both to come into the shade and relieve your mounts. By appearances, he wouldn’t have pegged you for someone familiar with his ancient heritage, but then again, when he’d met Yagi, he was quite skeptical of what a stranger would know, too.

“No, sir, it’s my Gift. I can translate speaking and writing if I touch or focus.” You held up your palm to illustrate. His eyes lit up and he clapped his hands once, then twice.

“You’re both blessed with two gifts, then!” Mustang was smiling again. “If you can understand, we will need to accompany you to record. We would like to remember the past, and hopefully our friend here will find what he’s looking for.” Hearing about your gift looked like it was truly a delight, and that made you feel pretty damn special.

“Oh, of course, I don’t mind. I’d be happy to help as long as I get time to rest.” You were trying to wrap your head around something, but Mustang was ushering you both along to where you and Yagi could set up your tent and tether your animals. He trusted Yagi heavily, so he trusted you, if Yagi also considered you a friend in such a sensitive affair. He was already talking about giving word to his family and friends to prepare a hardy meal for Yagi’s return, and then some other things you didn’t quite catch.

You slipped back into your shy sort of self while the two fellows talked on middle ground. You were unloading some items from the saddle bags, and then in the next moment, Yagi was ushered off somewhere else. You got Kissy and Bell somewhere comfortable and in the shade at a stable near to your allotted portion of the settlement. You were thinking about how...different Yagi seemed here while you were watching from afar. He towered over their hosts, readily available to offer his help, or carry things to and fro, even on his bad leg. He cracked jokes with them, and his smile had yet to really let up. He was louder, more open, though he still minded his manners. You were almost a little envious, but you understood. Yagi and Mustang, and some of his siblings have probably known him for years. You wanted to know him like that, too, but for now, you liked that he called you his friend.

After a while of settling, they were picking out sheep for a meal in the dry wood pen paces over. They did ask you if you minded, which you found a little funny. No one here had an appearance Gift that covered their whole body quite like you, so it was the first thing anyone noticed.

Uh, sheep...lamb. You’d never had it before, and didn’t want to try. So, they offered steer, but you had to decline that, too. It just felt weird. Like unofficial cannibalism even though you only looked like an animal. “My father is a bull, and my mother is an alpaca.” You used your other gift to join hands and inform your hosts before you and Yagi had split.

You got plenty of requests to touch your hair. You were used to that, too. You came out of some of your shyness to allow some touches. It was so white, they said, whiter than bones. And soft without needing to wash it so many times. Did you shear it? Well, of course you did. It grew too fast not to. Do you trade it? Absolutely, let’s bargain.

You spurred an impromptu trading crowd without meaning to. Everyone watched in wonder as you cut off a cottony wad with your pocket knife, and a new patch of wool readily grew in its place. You had bread, and ground corn, and beads, and one young fellow who was very keen about you staying here with him if you were looking for a partner. You remembered you brought some melons full of seeds along, so you topped off that flurry with a big, beautifully loomed blanket on your arm.

When Yagi found you again, he was trying to hide a laugh behind his hand. There you were at your tent, corralling all of your new treasures and spoils. You were a tradeswoman anywhere, weren’t you?

IX.

“Yagi?” The world was dark and silent. It was hard to sleep while you were so far from your cot back at home. The canvas edges of your borrowed tent quivered with the rustle of the wind. It was kind of cold, so you were glad you had your new blanket, and some of the blankets that Yagi had given you. You did that idiot thing were you didn’t bring your own. You were afraid of losing, or messing one up. Every blanket you had was special. Even your new one.

“Yagi?” You whispered again. You could barely see his dark outline on the other side of the thick fabric. He didn’t snore, so you could never tell when he had gone to sleep.

“Yagi?” You tried one more time. Maybe he was asleep? Better not bother him. But finally he stirred. He rolled over to his other side in the dark, and then poked his head through the opening. He looked exhausted in the eyes, and full by the temporary pudge in his belly. “Are you alright?” Yagi mumbled.

You were okay, just stressed in a certain kinda way. And paranoid. You lied awake with your heart heavy with anxiousness waiting to hear it; the hiss… “I..Would you…” You stammered, heart picking up a beat now that you actually had to ask your question. “Do you think it’d be alright if you were here? If you stayed in here with me?”

Your question woke him. You could see his eyes had brightened. He held that expression while he considered his answer. There were plenty of reasons for him to decline, but oh...you were making that worried little face. He knew you were hoping that he’d say yes, so he did, and dragged the rest of himself inside. He stretched out long legs that barely fit on the inside and rested somewhere on the other side of you.

“Thank you.” You couldn’t ask him to move any closer, though you really, really wanted him to. You wanted his pleasant scent fresh and not just wafting your nose from his blankets. And you wanted him to wrap his arms around you and maybe pat you over the head right between the horns like he did from time to time. Oh good glory, would you listen to yourself? Go the hell to sleep.

Should you be touching this? It felt like you shouldn’t have been touching this. The rock surface Mustang had lead you to on horseback was high up. It took you a quarter hour to climb, and another quarter to catch your breath. Yagi had to climb after you with his head craned to the side so he wouldn’t be looking up your bare legs while your clothes were tied out of the way.You were glad the goat in you didn’t mind, otherwise this traverse would be difficult.

You were expecting writing, but you could read the cluster of rock carvings just fine. You squinted while activating your Gift. Things didn’t come together right away. It’d been so long since you’d used it this way. After another try, you finally started to understand.

A majority of the drawings and glyphs were just entrees. A documentation of the days passed. On this day, the men on horseback arrived. On this day we left to travel elsewhere. On this day the canyon was taken with floods. It wasn’t what Yagi was looking for, but Mustang was recording everything on some dried skin as you moved along.

And then, as the carvings grew older, you read out some stories. You could feel a headache brewing behind your eyes, but by now the intrigue had struck you harder, and you wanted to press on and know more.

The spider woman who taught the weaving. This one was hard to read, it was overlapped with other carvings, but Mustang told you that he was already very familiar with the tale.

The warrior with the heart of a bear. He was drawn robustly with his club leading his people to victory in a battle.

The winding serpent that made the river. It slithered and slunk down the entire length of the race face, splitting into other stories and recordings.

The story of good the meadow where the soil was fair and water plenty.

The Oasis on the other side of the sun, and her warrior protector. To you this one read the same, but it felt important. There was a buzz in your fingertips and the cogwheels in your thick skull got to turning.

You’d stopped relying the info without knowing, too. You had gone silent as the symbols stacked in your mind and made a structured narrative before your eyes. The Oasis’ protector became something beyond being a man, chasing off imps on horseback swinging their knives and shooting their guns and bringing their greed. The spirit of mother earth entered the crown of his head and made him undying. And when his job was done, and he had to leave to return to the other world, the will of the earth entered the heart of a worthy someone else, and it would be that way for forever and ever.

“Dove?” Yagi touched your shoulder. You grabbed on to him to keep from falling over and hitting your head. You blinked a few times to call yourself back to this realm. Both men were staring at you with concern in their eyes.

“You said you wanted to know something about the land? This,” you let go of the hold on your Gift so you could actually think and respond. “This one talks about the Oasis.”

XI.

“I’m glad that you’re all doing well. Very glad.” The flickering light from the dying fire fluttered over the contours of Yagi’s face. He rubbed the bags beneath his eyes, and then rubbed the skin of his arm. It was faint, but he could feel the itch and tingle; the urge to be his other self. He should have been asleep, but he couldn’t. He had even more to think about now.

“It’s because of you, you know.” Mustang took his seat with the grunt of a grouchy old man, though he held none of that in him. “If you had not come for us, we would have had to leave. We’re always going to be grateful. But now, what about you? You don’t look like you’ve been well, Friend.”

“I haven’t healed.” Yagi thumbed through his book. He’d copied what Mustang had scribbled from your readings in his own personal book; one of the ones he kept hidden beneath his bed. It was all in Japanese, since his English on paper still wasn’t the best. He’d been reading it over and over again since you returned to the settlement. It was too dark to read it now, even with the stars out.

“It doesn’t look like you have. How is your leg? And your chest?” Mustang placed his hand on his belly.

“I need to use a cane most days. Sometimes I spit up blood, but I’m still living, and that’s all I can ask for. I tend to horses’ feet now. I’m no longer in the mines.” Yagi tucked his book away in his shawl.

“Is it…?” Mustang’s eyes hastily darted over to where you were supposedly sleeping. Your eyes were closed, and your full lips gently parted with your gentle breathing. You wrapped yourself up in your new blanket, and the young weaver you bought it from couldn’t have been more flattered by how much you adored it.

“I always thought that you would have your own clan, Tall One. Young women always liked you.” He lifted his arm and flexed it as he reminisced on the old days when they were chasing off blue coats.

Yagi huffed through his nose, and then dryly laughed. “So did I, but time’s gotten away from me.” His eyes fell on you briefly. He was already asking a lot from you. The last thing on his mind was courting (even though it was absolutely one of the first things on his mind). He couldn’t let himself fall prey to whims.

“It’s not too late to not be lonely.” Mustang shook his head. “You might want to, before a younger man with more horses and more silver comes along to bargain for her hand. I can see that you like her. Your eyes are very bad at hiding your spirit.”

Yagi scrunched his nose and screwed up his expression. “I would like to, but I don’t want to hurt her. Mustang...I must tell you something.” He relaxed his face and turned on the log he sat on to properly look his old friend in the eye. There was a heaviness that settled in the pit of his chest.

Mustang held up his hand. “I’ve heard of the Desert Walker from the traders.” His brows were drawn up tight. The bags beneath his eyes were rimmed in red as the fire was on its last log. “The Desert Dweller. Desert Devil. Canyon Demon. Valley Eater. I’ve heard many, many names. We can speak of it, but there’s something else much more important that I must tell you.”

Much more important than his murdering spree?

“Toshinori,” Mustang drew in a breath “I am glad, and grieved that you’re here, because now I must tell you something I know you don’t want to hear.”

“What..what is it?” Yagi’s feet were cold in his boots. Coldness had settled over his forehead and shoulders. The muscles in all of his limbs were crawling and twitching with sheer instinct.

“You know how we’ve struggled here. How we’ve had to fight. How we almost had nothing.” Mustang bit the inside of his cheek. His bottom lip wrinkled and puckered as this news left a foul taste in his mouth and nostrils.

“Yes, I know.” They’d accepted him. His master had accepted him when he came to this side of the world with nothing but his nose, and the will to work.

“They want to bring the railroad through here. They don’t ask, they just take and assume you’ll show your belly. I smelled something in the air one day, and then a ghost appeared to me early in the morning bring in all of his evil.”

No…

No, it couldn’t be.

“I saw him die, Toshinori. I saw you slay him with my own two eyes, and the eyes I keep behind me.” He touched the closed lids hidden deep beneath his hair with his palm. “But I saw him again, and he made me my family an offer that tempted and troubled me.”

Yagi couldn’t respond if he wanted. His jaw was tensed so tightly that his temple twitched and his teeth ached. All of his tanned knuckles were white.

“He’s like a twisted root. No right arm, and walks with a cane just like you do, friend. He has money like these white men now, they think he’s one of them. He offered my family supplies, and protection if I allowed him to rip this land apart. I refused, and he simply took his leave. I think this troubles me the most.”

You had been awake and listening for a while now. You fought your instinct to adjust your position, but you remained still and kept your breathing slow. You were glad you didn’t snore. That would have been hard to fake. What were they talking about? Or rather, who?

Yagi took deep breaths through his flared nostrils. Just the mention of Him set his blood on fire. His stench wasn’t in the air tonight, but it was burned into his most vivid memories. Dirty money, and brimstone, and worm water, and rotting. A thief, a cheater, a liar, and a gambler. The real demon of the desert had no heart, and no real eyes, and he thought he could own anything like he boasted he could own anything, anyone, and any Gift.

“Perhaps, old friend, there’s still work to be done.”

He still had a promise to keep. To do what this world asks of him in return. And then maybe, just maybe he could keep the promise he made to you.

“I think...I think so.” Yagi rubbed the writhing out of his arms and the prickle from the pores of his scalp. He had to try and hold it in, but he was angry. After all the blood and guts, and the skin of his teeth; putting his body on the line. Adaka’i was still carrying on his business.

And Yagi wondered what business it was. Somewhere in the desert…

XII.

The fire was gone.The world was dark and quiet again on the other side of your closed eyes. There were no hushed voices to listen to, just a bunch of sheep who should have been sleeping, too. So, you crawled back on the inside of Yagi’s tent to dream before you had to head back to Struggler tomorrow. Your head was so heavy and tired. Tired from growing all of that wool, tired from showing off the shapes you could make with your horns, tired from doing all of that reading, tired from doing all of that thinking.

Could you really call this dreaming, though? This was just shameless hoping and wishing. You still wanted Yagi to hold you, and pat your head, and tell you that you were silly. He wasn’t far from where you were, not physically. He came to rest beside you in the tent after Mustang and his little wife had wished him goodnight.

You hoped and wished that he’d bring you up to his chest and let you sleep with your faces close. You hoped and wished that he’d fancy giving you a kiss, too. And you hoped and wished he’d kiss you in places the Devil kissed you. Your body opened your eyes for you before you could get too carried away in that distant land. You were greeted with the dark, and the slow rise and fall of Yagi’s long, bony side.

The Devil...whoever he really was. You wondered if he was looking for you, or if you should even be thinking of him. What were you supposed to think of him? A lover? A monster? A murderer? A demon to sit on your chest? Or a vengeful spirit? You couldn’t have them both, and one stallion was stronger than the other, you knew that for sure. If you were with Yagi, would the Devil finish the job? You just didn’t know. You shouldn’t have been thinking about it now. You were just making your headache worse.

Or maybe you should have. You read for Yagi, sweet, handsome, Yagi, and now it was his part of the bargain.

Without thinking (you were good at that), you pushed yourself up from where you lay and crawled over to Yagi. His breathing changed, so you knew he was awake, but he didn’t move. You were holding your breath as you relocated yourself up against his back. Your cheek pressed against his shoulder. It was kind of hard, like you were expecting, but he was warm and he always smelled crisp. You were almost blue, expecting him to turn over and ask you what you were doing at any moment, but he still didn’t move.

You felt him relax. He was asleep again, and so were you curled up close like a house cat behind him.

#all might #toshinori yagi #all might x reader #DESERT DEVIL

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inexchangeforyoursoul · 6 years

Text

Luffy, son.... you are not supposed to serve tea this hot to people… (I wanted that to be its separate chapter, but it turned out to be waaay too short for that, and thus, a waste of ch numbers. Art incoming, too; because of that, this will be another “tumblr exclusive (for a while)” part.)

As I’m rather happy with this thing and it’s a halfway Law-centric chapter, I shall put it in the main tags. (this is a dumb LawXOC thing; this one seems to beee.... roughly 4500 words, attagirl)

This was the part that was fun to write even while unmotivated. I think y'all understand why. Now, for the less pleasant things, out of which I'm missing the next two or three chapters entirely… ho, boy. Now, this will be power writing. (Also thanks to anyone who might be here who might have written any of the anon messages I got to keep me going past this particular chapter???)

Ps.: do not ever sterilize your whole entire house if you have a kid. They are meant to catch things so their immune systems get stronger… and have work to do. Because if they don't, they get bored, and a bored immune system will look for shit to defend against anyway; this is how your kid gets allergies ranging from 10 pollens through animals to fucking SUNSHINE. They are meant to be sick a lot in the first couple of years, deal with it. And fucking vaccinate them, too.

31. We need to talk

8 o'clock; there's noone opening the door gently, nor is there anyone near-falling down the stairs. All is perfectly still.

Law drums on the desk with his fingers and sighs; he kind of saw this coming. Doesn't make convincing himself to go out and fetch the girl any easier, however. He's about as unwilling to seek her out as it is the other way round.

A good ten minutes later, he drags himself out of his room and up to the surface; it's relatively silent for a Saturday morning, but a lot of these idiots have been out partying, so whatever. He wouldn't be surprised if half of his crew was still out snoring on a bank or alley.

It's all the more scary when a masked rando pops up right beside him at the railing of the Thousand Sunny with a cheerful ‘yo, Kat’ as he starts checking on her whereabouts.

It's Luffy with one of those fucking… things. Looks like a cheap imitation, too. Seriously… if he didn't know it was one of these idiots, he would have gotten a heart attack. He's still way too jumpy in this body, goddamn.

“Strawhat-ya, honestly... does Kat-ya make a face like this all day?” he asks, with mild annoyance, pointing at his scowling self. “Also… take that thing off.” It's kind of creeping him out, now that he's taken a good look at it up close.

“Ah, right, it’s you, Torao… and nope, it's pretty rare,” Luffy nods, then plucks the mask off his head. “Found it between these big warehouses! Pretty cool, huh?”

“I'm not surprised it was ditched… Anyway, if even you can tell that much, then why do you keep mixing us up?” It's been like… no, not ‘like,’ it HAS been a week, for fuck's sake.

“Well, hugger you is definitely not you you, but otherwise... both Kat and Torao are worried, sad or angry most of the time, so it's hard to tell them apart, to be honest,” he states wondering as he drops the prop on deck with relative care and puts his hands on the back of his head to lounge at the railing. “Like today. And, whenever they are really tired, it feels like the prickly needle thing you get when your leg falls asleep. Everyone else tends to be more like... slow waves, when you stand in water.” He stretches one leg out and flaps the sandal to his soles.

“Huh?” What? Being talked about in third person is also weird, but… excuse him?

“The feel you two give off is pretty similar is all. Though I guess Kat is also more tense overall, at least she used to be. And she has a lot of weird jokes. That I usually don’t get,” he squints. Whenever the others find something she said funny and he doesn't get it, he feels left out, really.

“No, I mean… what would she be pissed off at?” And sad. And tense… He won't even try comprehending that other stuff. Anyhow, she can be the very literal definition of a nervous system at times, that's for sure. The very first thing he knew about her was that she was either really nonchalant about something, or about to have a panic attack, after all. And not exactly in the situations that matched those reactions... she shrugged off a date with the Reaper, but was really anxious when Nami dragged her off to get her cuts and bruises treated by Chopper on board of the Sunny two minutes later. But... halt, stop. It just registered… what does rubber boy mean by him being similar to her?

Luffy shrugs. “Dunno and don't really care. It's not even directed at anything, though... which is the weird thing about it.” He hops up on the railing to sit, then crosses his arms.

Law sighs… his observation haki will never be on this level. And the way Luffy formulates it is akin to an 8-year-old giving descriptions of a dream, which doesn't help, either. Reading faces and gestures can only get you so far, doesn't it.

Scowling a bit, Luffy eventually comes to a conclusion. “Maybe she just hates herself.”

The surgeon is a little taken aback by that; going by what this dunce just said, it makes sense, but... “Why would she...?” he mumbles mostly to himself, also crossing his arms. Going by whatever he could gather from Shachi and the rumors from her time in the dining hall, it did cross his mind that she might have some self esteem issues, that’s why he decided to be better safe than sorry and basically walk on eggshells when dealing with her. How she acts in general can support the idea, too, when considering some traits from another point of view…

“You are the one hanging out with her all the time, so why do you ask me?” Luffy pouts. The expression turns into a thoughtful one soon, then turns into mild worry. “… do you hate yourself, Torao?”

In the blink of an eye, he and his body (that’s worryingly cold in the first place) both realize that it’s like twelve degrees Celsius at best outside, and that not taking a sweater over a thin undergarment and breezy, medium sleeved shirt was a Mistake™. “You're… overthinking it,” he responds while waving dismissively.

“Really? That's a relief!” the other captain sighs and puts a smile back on.

“... yeah.” Perhaps it all boils down to her having a similar way to handle her emotions? She did keep being in pain a secret, which is something he does, so that's one thing they have in common. But goddammit, Strawhat… don't just say things like this all of a sudden.

He peeks then up towards the garden, where rhythmic little thuds have been disturbing the silence for the past minute. They really ought to talk.

Right now.

This is much easier to do once Nami appears from the direction Kat could be, as the navigator won’t let her captain go alone and get himself lost again in town when latter declares his intention to go back, even despite his excuses of being able to see the Sunny from the church tower when it’s not dark. Having gotten rid of Luffy surprisingly quick this way, Law stops on the stairs as soon as he’s high enough to look around. He peeks towards where he suspects her being, and indeed, the noise that started somewhere down the line was caused by a dazed Kat. He weighs his options for a moment; on one hand, taking some time off is a reasonable way to handle this. On the other… if he leaves this up to the girl, she may never show her face again, which is no viable route for him to take. He’ll definitely have to take initiative.

Noticing the light steps closing in on her, Kat stops drumming her heels against the ship.

Law sighs. “Look…. I know I’m making you uncomfortable right now, but I really kind of need my body back as soon as possible.” … maybe not the best start, but he got the point across.

After a short pause, Kat bonks her head into the wooden pillar in front of her with considerable power, and takes a long, sharp breath.

Law watches in perturbed bafflement. Um… maybe… it was a bad start, after all.

“I’ll manage,” she sighs, straightening herself at once. “It’s hard to ignore, and cuts my productivity in half, but… is, what it is. I��ve kind of made peace with telling my boss as-is, too, so that won’t be bothering me.” She pauses the fast rant for a moment to cut the speed, and stares into the waves licking away at the side of the ship. She had enough time to think about this somewhat objectively during her short-ish wake around midnight and later in the morning. “And you… shouldn’t have to worry about it, either. Once you're all gone for good, it will fade away soon. Knowing myself, I might not even be able to remember your name in a few months, anyway,” she shrugs all limp. “I’m no good with names, so… it would be nothing new.” It’s a famous and super simple name that’s not hard to catch, so she likely will. Maybe even his surname, since it’s a funny one. No promises, though.

… twisting knives much? Sheesh, he never suspected her of being capable of such… savagery. And he thought Luffy was being blunt today… Generally, he likes both of their honesty quite a lot, but Kat saying that he’ll be deleted from mind as soon as he’ll be out of sight is… a bit too much. And frankly, it hurts like a bitch. If he was in any way unsure about how he felt about her until this, well... there are no doubts about it now. He better keeps all of this to himself, though.

After all... it really is for the best. Technically, good news, even. And he also gets her; it’s the pragmatic thing to do. Having any kind of amiable relationship with a pirate is not exactly easy. There's no sure way to reach them, and sending messages to someone endangers that person. Hell, they all could die the day after setting sail for all he knows. A part of him has an even deeper understanding of what she means… it's not about worrying about anyone getting killed, quite the contrary. She's sheltering herself from getting hurt, by simply staying indifferent. He handles strangers the same way, and did the same for the longest time while with the Family: laughing whenever he felt like it... helping if he wanted to, or if he had to... generally enjoying the company, but not building any meaningful relationships. The question is, though... how did she get there, to this mindset? Few normal people do that. It could be just the way she’s always been, but considering how much she strives to please people around her, and how sensitive she seems to be to other’s moods in the first place…

Who hurt her?

Getting no response and feeling his eyes on her back is getting to her fast; Kat puts her head back against the pole and continues. “... Sorry, that sounds... really mean... but I suck at keeping in touch anyway. People just... come and go?” She shrugs, then starts to swing her legs again, until her heels hit the ship and she stops with limbs still flailing about. “I have no idea what my kinda-friends from high school or college are up to, either. Even when I think about fun times and miss someone… I never sit down and write a letter or go visit. I don’t get any further than grabbing a pen, but… what even are the chances they still live where they used to, huh?” She puts on a bitter smile that fades away fast. “Am I... a bad person? For that?” Her voice is unstable and hoarse at this point. She takes a shaky breath, followed by a gulp.

“... no, you're not.” Not being able to keep up with people is okay. Being stuck in a cage of her own making is, though. He takes a moment of consideration, then joins her at the railing.

Kat stares down to where her hands should be through the white pillar as Law plops down, then speaks up after a short pause while holding back a sniffle. ”The other week, I was wondering... why none of them tried to hit me up, either. Ever. I guess I'm just... that insignificant...” The sniff escapes and she also needs to wipe off a tear.

“…” He didn’t plan on joining a therapy session, nor doing anything else past talking, but a good old shoulder pat is definitely warranted here, so that’s what he does. Realizing that the cold hand made her shiver is too little, too late, so he just rolls with it. “Now, now… you know like a dozen of infamous people as of last Tuesday, so that automatically makes you count for something.” Her self esteem really seems to be in a bad shape. There's definitely some asses that ought to be kicked on these islands, because this is definitely not normal behavior.

Cannot help but crack a smile at that. “If you say so.” She rubs her eyes. “Sorry, I went off tangent again.”

“As did I the other day… and? Got it out of your system?” Seems like she’s bouncing back at least.

“Kinda,” she breathes after a pause.

“Just kinda?”

“…” She rests her temples against the railing again, even though it’s starting to hurt, bump she just made notwithstanding. “Every now and then, I keep thinking… how there would be someone in my place to do all the things I do.” Her eyebrows furrow. “If not now, then later. I’m just another pebble in the sea, and it feels… suffocating.”

“… I see.” Oh, boy… this actually sounds like more zero filter stuff, but without drugs to make it weird. Which is iffy, since he’s far from being a psychologist. Well, is what it is… take notes, analyze, and most importantly, watch your fucking mouth.

“Like, I know it’s the same for important people, inventing and doing actual, impactful stuff. Because, there’s little difference in the grand scheme of things, is there? It just doesn’t matter whether something happens today or in a hundred years. Everyone is replaceable. As is everything else. What I wanna say, is… wanting attention… at all… makes me feel selfish. Even when it probably shouldn’t.” Feeling the hand on her shoulder makes it tingle… she’d move, if not for knowing that he would lift it off again.

“… Um…” Okay… he might have stepped into this one hard. Aside from blinking wildly, because this has suddenly nosedived into deep waters… he needs a second here. The spaced-out girl he got to know in the past two weeks thinks about this shit regularly? She did seem less bubbly and way less excitable than she actually is at first glance, but… holy shit. She actually is pretty good at brooding herself. If he wasn’t so dumbfounded, he’d be impressed. “… wow, I… never considered the possibility that you could be a nihilist.” A very sentimental nihilist. That’s certainly what he takes from this. The conclusion is kind of enlightening.

She remains silent for a second, then squints. “... all I crave is death.”

Law lets out an exasperated sigh, then slaps her on the back of the head resulting in another light bonk. “Don’t you think for a second that I cannot tell the difference between you being serious and on the brink of grinning like an idiot,” he tells her off with the other hand on his hip. She may be trying to keep a poker face up, but none can do if she’s gonna use that overly dramatic delivery anyway. This woman, he swears to god.

And, as soon as the jig is up, there it is: the smile.

She reaches up to scratch the head area that stings a little after getting smacked. “Heh… sorry, had to break that gloomy mood.” Though, no lie, she does like talking about heavy stuff like that. If Law did not seem to be bothered by it, she probably would have continued.

“By willingly pissing me off?” Was that really necessary?

“Well… it worked, didn’t it?”

“Touche,” he breathes, crossing his arms. “But don’t make a habit out of it, if you know what’s good for you.” If she has actually figured out how to dig down to his berserk buttons, she’s playing with fucking fire, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she found enjoyment the activity. “I can fix myself up as soon as I get my body back, and rearranging your internal organs or face with, or without my powers, is not beneath me.”

She nods, humming. “I didn’t doubt for a second that you’d make a feisty kuja, alright. Will not overdo the gremlin act.”

“… good.”

After a silent pause, Kat stops rubbing her head. “… say, Law?”

He lets out a questioning hum.

“Are you in pain… because you were sick?”

“…” Is there a point to tell her anything if it’s so obvious in the first place? Oh well, she's asking, so… “Yeah. There are a few intergrowths I cannot really do anything with. Removing the lead deposits left my body aching at random, the bigger they were, the worse it is… you’ve probably noticed, but some areas like the left side of my torso and the right jaw are the main culprits. Those spots tend to act out a little even when everything else is fine. And I have additional god awful headaches when it’s too hot or cold outside and I don’t hidrate proper. These are honestly the worst aspects of it, no lie.”

“Act out like... Saturday evening?” When she first noted how something was a little off? It’s the only common experience they have…

He thinks for a moment. “Yeah, like that. The odd tissue that seems cancerous during a checkup, I can get rid of... but the fucking pain just won’t go away. Unless I kill off the receptors altogether, but that strikes me as an exceptionally stupid idea.” Even if it sounds really tempting at times. Maybe if he did it to his internal organs only…

“Wait…” Kat takes the first look at him today, and looks very much taken aback at that; “did you say cancer?” As soon as he looks back, she averts her eyes again. Seeing him, save looking him in the eye, is just… not something she can handle at the moment.

He blinks at the reaction, but keeps his eyes on her for a second. “Heard me right. Don’t shit yourself, I can deal with it.” Looking back in front of him, he adds, “I’m also legally infertile, but that’s the least of my problems.” He’s unlikely to get old, too, but honestly… there’s only so many times you can cheat your expiration date.

“Oh,” she says a second later. And sounds quite disappointed at that.

“... don't you ‘oh’ me. You can have all the kids you want for all I care.” As long as her plans involve someone else, that is. … aw fuck, brain, don't you have anything else to comment on?

“Oh, no, no, no, it's just…” She gives the sideburns a scratching; “This is going to sound so stupid… but you seem like… the dad type?”

Law laughs out at the ludicrous idea. “Me? Seriously?” Geez, that’s so… out of the blue. Even more so than the being married line. Never even seen him with a kid around, has she? They just tend to shit their pants right away. He needs to put a hand on his temples to process this a bit… and to make sure there’s no headache caused by stupid on the way. “God… the hell makes you think that?”

“Well, for starters… someone like Luffy would drop his toddler into the ocean by accident, which you would… not.” As simple as that. From what little she’s heard about Garp’s parenting… even if Law happened to be on the strict side, there is, like, no competition here, honestly.

A millisecond of consideration ends up in a concerned, solemn nod on Law’s part. He wouldn’t want Strawhat oversee children in general, or at the very least, not leave them with him all alone. He out-dads him in any technicality regarding safety and common sense, so that’s a score.

“You still could be fun around, though,” Kat continues leaning back; “Like… you would totally do something like sticking them to the ceiling as punishment for being bad,” she muses with a little relaxed smile, pulling up some average family scenarios. “but, unless you are obviously angry with them, they would love it instead. You could experiment with pretty much everything from floating to chopping them up, but all would backfire spectacularly as they think of it as just another game.”

“... can’t argue with that,” the notes, raising a brow. “Little hellraisers be like that.” Punishing a kid that's acting out, well… Best bet would be the basic ‘send them into a corner’ situation instead of getting creative, huh?

“You’d also be the go-to solution for homework… despite not being helpful at all.” Definitely trolling the shit out of anyone who’s trying to use him for an easy pass… yes, yes. Would come through when needed, too, she knows that much firsthand.

“Correct,” Law nods with a smug grin. He absolutely would be the most useless genius around. It would drive them crazy and he would be enjoying the hell out of it. If they legitimately did not understand something, though… that’s actually negotiable.

Having seen enough of his self-assured smile from the corner of her eye, she addresses him directly. “... get off your high horse, Law. You might be a little shit, but you’d also be out-bawling anyone at any milestone your kiddos reach whatsoever,” she states with an amused look.

“Absolutely not,” comes the indignant reply; “Do I look like the sentimental type to you?”

She takes a long, thoughtful look at his general direction. “Look… I might not be able to guarantee it, but as far as I’m concerned, you would transform into the worst mess of a doting ‘pappa’ there ever was as soon as you’d be holding your firstborn.” First day of school and graduations would be just as bad, if not worse… god save everyone if he’s around for a wedding. Him sobbing in a tux while trying to operate a visual transponder is not a mental image she’ll forget any time soon. In fact, she’s going to treasure the hell out of it. Even if she’s more used to him looking like her, so it takes some extra imagination points to see him in his own body.

Her chuckle earns a very unamused face. “I won’t even begin to try and imagine what you just thought of, but really? Really really?”

“Ve-really,” she states while booping his nose, then gets her hand pushed off to the side. “Honestly… you’re saying it’s very unlikely in the first place, right?” She ponders, scratching her head while sitting upright again. “You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t be all over a baby? Beating whatever low odds?”

“...” She’s probably not wrong on that one. Up to eight, maybe ten per cent aren’t a lot...

“And let’s not even get started on the naming process… You have at least…” her fingers straighten one by one; feather guy, little girl, baby’s grandparents, and who knows, who else? “four, if not a dozen they’d have to pry from your cold, dead hands before settling for anything else!” He based his entire image on one of these people, for fuck’s sake. First boy would definitely get that name, whatever it may be.

… not to mention the chances of a healthy child…

“And… little ones are always sick or some shit, right? You’d go into doctor overdrive. Give them checkups like every fucking week, and be staring from over the bathroom door to make sure they wash their teeth, and… dude, I’d fucking hate to be your kid, oh my god!” At least it takes him like point five seconds to sterilize the entire house instead of scrubbing everything all day like a manic housewife, but holy shit…

“Kat…“

“I have no idea how you’d handle feeding them in any capacity, though… you run, like, exclusively on a handful of veggies, rice, potatoes… and chicken… and fish. And, you suck at cooking.” And the occasional drink. Would he be willing and able to make legit sandwiches…? He has no qualms touching the bread, made those French toasts, so that’s a start. This kind of presupposes him being allowed in the kitchen like a single dad, but still, she can’t help wondering how he would tackle that humongous elephant in the room if the need arises.

“Kat-ya, stop.”

The edge in the word startles her enough to delete the train of thought altogether. “Uh… um…” Did she say something wrong again? Did she hurt him? Or insult him? Is… is he angry…?

He sighs, staring into the darkness underneath the waves. “I suppose… you are right,” he says a few seconds later, his head also meeting the railing. “I am… the dad type.”

She stares down at her now interlocked hands; the images she found so amusing before… look sickly and pale all of a sudden. A quick reality check has sucked all life out of them. Managed to fuck his day up again, huh?

“Dreaming… is dangerous,” Law concludes. The last time he did something like that… came with just another harsh wake-up call.

“… sorry. Didn’t mean to upset you.” Again.

“Eh, I’ll get over it.” However… he’s once again reminded of the fact that he’d been living to fulfill a singular goal for over a decade, and ever since he’s pretty much reached it, he’s been feeling… well, rather lost, to be honest. Stretch goals, like going against Kaido are a sufficient distraction at best. Sometimes he hears a little voice in the back of his head breaking through regardless before muffling it, talking about being tired of this life… bringing up the clinic of his own he's always wanted… having a home to return to.

Peace.

He knows better than to hope for any of that.

A single finger tapping his arm makes him realize that his eyes and nose cavity are burning up. This is followed by her barely audible, little mouse voice; “... Law?”

He takes a shaky breath and rubs his temples, sneaking in a finger to wipe away the half-ripe tear from the corner of an eye. “I’m fine, I’m…” he comes to a halt upon looking at her; “oh my god, are you crying?”

“... a little,” Kat squeaks after swallowing once.

Law snorts all of a sudden, then breaks out in painful laughter. The tears are also coming, but fuck it, because... while he’s hurting, this… also feels kinda good. Actually, it feels great. Talking about all of this… is great. She’s a better psychologist than he could ever aspire to be. Cafe girl… you are too fucking nice for your own good. Sincerely, fuck you.

As soon as the surprise wears off, Kat joins in, too.

After a solid minute or two, Law flops on the grass with hands covering his face. “... both of us… are kinda fucked up, huh?” he ponders out loud after the last couple of laughs. It’s kind of a dumb question; who even is not fucked in the head from all the people that he knows? He should have known that she was no different, even if the causes are still a mystery. No wonder the two of them can hit it off.

“I guess so,” Kat sniffs, rubbing her entire face that must be as red as it feels.

Sliding his freezing hands lower, Law stares skyward at the thickening clouds for a while. Laughing and crying are both exhausting… not to mention doing both at once. It feels like floating in a weird dream. Peaceful, even. Every weight has slid on his back, which is neatly supported by this nice ship made of pure sunshine, leaving him to breathe freely for the time being. He would say a ‘thank you,’ but it gets stuck somewhere in his throat.

He must be in really fucking deep, huh. Not that he minds, though… it feels really nice, after all. A little too much to be true, yes. But for now… he doesn’t want to worry about his short future. Instead, right here, right now... he just wants to enjoy this moment. As much as he can. As long as he can. To the fullest.

#opfanfic #opfic #one piece fanfiction #Trafalgar Law #Kate writes #KMKY

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gabx-sstro · 6 years

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I got tagged by @binuforthewinu ✨ I'm sorry it took me this long to answer this):

rules: answer the questions in a new post and tag 10 blogs you would like to get to know better

A: age - 17

B: birthplace - Chile

C: current time - 1:21 p.m.

D: drink you had last - water

E: easiest person to talk to - i don't really know? I found it hard to talk to people):

F: favourite song - Again by Astro :) I'm sorry but i love them JDJSJSKAB

G: grossest memory - When i was like 10 i really liked granola and i used to eat it all the time until i got really sick of it. My tummy hurted a lot and now i hate granola :)

H: hogwarts house - Ravenclaw

I: in love? - There are six really cute boys in my heart (cofcofAstrocofcof)

J: jealous of people? - most of the time i'm not

K: killed someone? - Shh... ;)

L: love at first sight or should I walk by again? - mh... i think that you feel atraction at fist sight, not love... but i believe in it anyways

M: middle name - Paz

N: number of siblings - 4 siblings

O: one wish - To travel a lot💕

P: person you called last - My dad

Q: question you are always asked - how old am I. I am 17 but i have baby face so i always get asked and everyone gets shoked when i say my age :)

R: reason to smile - My family, cute animals(?), Astro and my friends💕

S: song you sang last - "Un año más" by La sonora de Tomy Rey I think (It's this really classic song that sounds every year in new year xD)

T: time you woke up - 11:30 am or so?

U: underwear color - Pink

V: vacation destination - i'd like to go to Japan some day✨ But for now i just go to the beach

W: worst habit - Procrastinate. I do it a lot NDJSJSJ

X: x-rays - I've had a lot of x-rays in my life so... yeah(?

Y: your favorite food - Sushi and Lasagna👀 Also i really like my mom's food<3

Z: zodiac sign - cancer

i am tagging: @astrorarepairs @cinnamoonbunbin @vonseal @jinwoosmoles @beyourstar @cadenzaaa @xxfangirlxx7 @avadarain @creekily @chupa-el-mowen

Ps: sorry if i'm bothering y'all 👉👈 you don't have to do this is you don't want to...

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itsallaboutthebirds86 · 7 years

Text

A Doctor Who Parody of "Santa Fe" From Newsies I Wrote One Time In 10th Grade

Would you take a look at this, girl?

Earth is crushed, Daleks attack.

Clara's calling me, it's my fault, I was too damn slow...

I've lost Donna, Martha, Amy, even Rose, and Captain Jack; now I'm alone.... where am I supposed to go?!

... Let me go, far away, somewhere they won't ever find me, and tomorrow won't remind me of today.

It's about time that I'm sleepin', look I'm turning old and gray!

I'll take my TARDIS and head off to Gallifrey....

And I'm gone! And I'm done! No more killing, no more lying. No more monsters tryin' to take my friends away....

Just one planet I've been missin', wouldn't that just make my day! Flying fast, home at last, on Gallifrey.

Where does it say I have to live and die here? Where does it say that I can't catch a break?!

I've never been one to take what I'm given. Why should I spend all my lives livin' trapped where there ain't no future, even with a time machine? Breakin' my hearts for someone else's sake?

If the life don't seem to suit ya, how 'bout a change of scene? Far from all the space crimes, and the timelines in between...

Gallifrey! My old friend! I can't spend my whole life dreamin'. Though I know that's all my past lives seemed to do.... I ain't gettin' any younger, and I wanna start brand new!

No more space! No more time! Just one planet, is that such a crime? I'll be yours! And you'll be mine...

Just be safe, is all I'm askin'. Not some painting, in a far off land. 'Cause I'm dead, if I can't count on you today....

I got nothin' if I ain't got Gallifrey!!!

****

I call it Whosies lol.

Honestly though who else would want to see a Doctor Who musical ✋️✋️✋️

PS if any of you actually have the vocal range of Jack Kelly I'd love to hear this actually sung out loud feel free to do a cover just tag me thanks y'all are lovely

#Newsies #Doctor Who #parodies #Gallifrey #11th Doctor

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wayward-marvel-sommer1196 · 7 years

Text

Too Tall

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Warnings: Language, drinking, bullying, bar guys being assholes, passionate kissing

Word Count: 1482

A/N: This was supposed to be a drabble but apparently, my head doesn’t know what that means. I apparently can’t write anything under 1000 words lol. This is my first Sam fic that wasn’t like sisterly so tell me what you think. Also, my first request yay!

Request: Oo oo oo! I gotta request for a drabble! Sam comforts a tall (preferably female) reader? Cause I'm 5'11 and get made fun of for my height all the time. (Ps, not sure if this is what you meant, if not feel free to ignore it) - Anon

^ so like they are not this rough in the story but how Sam places his hands on her face correlates to the story

Tonight's hunt had been a major success. You and the guys were able to kill the vamp and save a child. In your line of work that was about as good as one could hope for. So, in light of this y'all decided it was a good night to hit up the local pool hall and grab a few drinks and maybe hustle a few of the locals to make some sort of money this week.

As much as you loved going out and scamming guys out of their money you didn't like the getting ready part. You could never find the right outfit to wear that looked good. You see what your problem was, was you were on the taller side for a woman and most of that height came from your legs. You were 5'11 and finding an outfit that didn't make you look like a slut was difficult. Shorts always seemed too short and dresses were to formal for a bar and those always seemed too short as well.

Tonight, you decided on a simple outfit: black skinny jeans, a nice white tank top, and some black converse, because heels or boots would make you even taller and you didn't want that.

Suddenly you heard banging on the bathroom door.

"Y/N, you done yet? Come one we've been waiting forever," Dean screamed through the door.

"Hold your horses Winchester. I'm just about done," you said as you put the finishing touches on your eyeliner.

You walked out of the bathroom and both guys’ jaws dropped. "What too much?" you asked.

"No, you look beautiful, Y/N," Sam said.

You looked to the floor and blushed a bit. Truth was you always had a little crush on the younger Winchester, but you'd never tell him that. "Thanks Sammy. You don't look too bad yourself," you replied.

"Damn Y/N, you won't even need to play pool to scam the guys at the bar," Dean said.

You rolled your eyes and shoved Dean's shoulder and y'all headed out the door and into the Impala.

The place was a nice place considering the area it was in. There was a nice balance of rock and pop music playing which made all three of you happy. As you looked around the room you saw two guys and knew they'd be the perfect target.

You sipped your bourbon and approached the men. "Hey guys how about a round of pool," you asked.

"Naw we're good sweetheart," one of them replied.

"Come on. What if we put money on it? Make it interesting."

"We're listening."

"Ok a hundred to whoever wins."

"You got yourself a deal sweetheart."

You all strolled over to the pool table and one of the guys racked them up. You grabbed the stick and pretended you didn't know what you were doing. The first round you let them win by a landslide. The second round you upped the price and let them win again. By the fifth round the pot was up to $500 and you knew this was your round to leave them in the dust. You let the first guy break and he got one ball, but failed to get another. You stepped up and shot one in the corner pocket, then another, then another, and at this point the guys were staring at you wide eyed and jaws dropped. That continued till you sunk all your balls and then finally the 8-ball.

"Good game fellas. Guess I'm a quick study," you said with a sly grin.

As you went to walk away you heard them mumble to themselves. You just assumed they were being sore losers that is until one spoke up.

"Hey, Big Bird, you hustled us. That's cheating."

"Excuse me? It's not my fault that you underestimated a woman," you snarked back.

"You played us gigantor. We want our money back."

"Whatever sore loser."

"You must really struggle to find a boyfriend Sasquatch."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well your attitude for one. But the fact that you are so much taller than a lot guys. You must have to bend down a lot. Maybe that's why you're here hustling us and not with a guy. Couldn't find one to keep."

"Fuck you jerk," you said as you turned and stormed out of the pool hall with tears running down your cheeks.

Sam took notice and ran after you while Dean stayed behind to scope out his chances of getting laid.

You were sitting in the back of the impala with your face in your hands when you heard a sudden knock on the window. "Y/N, it's Sam. Please let me in."

"Go away Sammy. Just leave me alone," you said.

"No, not until you tell me what happened. First you were rocking it and then the next thing I know you are running out with years in your eyes."

You knew the Winchesters were stubborn and there was no way you were going to get Sam to leave so you unlocked the doors. He opened the door and slid in next to you. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders and gripped you tight. You squeezed tight relishing in his warmth.

"What did those assholes say that has you so upset, sweetheart," Sam said.

"It's stupid. I don't even know why I'm acting this way. You think I'd be used to it by now," you said.

"It's obviously not stupid if it has you this upset."

You sighed and took a deep breath. "They were making fun of my height. Calling me names like Bug Bird and Sasquatch, which I could handle, but then they had to take it further."

"What did they say?"

"They said it must be hard for me to find a man that I didn't have to bend down for and that's probably why I am alone."

"You know that's bullshit, right?"

"Is it though? My height has been a problem my whole life. I have always been taller than most the guys and always had people say all the clichéd things they say. Maybe I am just too tall."

"You know how ridiculous that sounds right? You live with two guys that are taller than you and anyone who picks at something you can't control is a jackass."

"Yeah, I guess. It just struck a cord in me. It has been a problem in the past with some guys, me being too tall, so it just hit me kinda hard."

Sam pushed you back slightly and grabbed you chin to angle your face to look at him. "Well, you're not too tall for me."

Your heart skipped a beat at this. Was he saying what you think he's saying? Is it possible that the Sam Winchester might share your feelings? Or is he just giving you pity?

"What are you saying Sam?"

"This," he said as he leaned down and captured your lips with his. It was slow and soft and just full of passion. It was as if he thought if he pushed too far you'd push him away. At his slight hesitation, you gripped shirt in your fists and pulled him as close as you could and deepened the kiss. With that he brought both his hands up to your face and bit your bottom lip asking for permission and you gladly let his tongue in.

You guys sat there in that heated make out session for a couple minutes until you had to let go to get some air. He leaned his forehead against yours and smiled.

"Why are you smiling?" you chuckled.

"Because you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that for," Sam said.

"Really?" you said.

"Yeah, I've kind of had a crush on you since you started hunting with us," he said sheepishly.

"Well that sucks."

He scrunched his brows in confusion. "Why?" He said with slight panic in his voice.

"Because I've had like this massive school girl crush on you for just about as long. It sucks because if we would have both pulled our heads out of our asses we could have had this a long ass time ago."

Sam laughed and pulled you into another kiss.

You both jumped when you heard a tapping on the window. You looked over to see Dean.

"You guys better not be screwing in my Baby," Dean said.

You laughed and rolled down the window and said, "We're not, at least not yet."

Sam's head flew back in laughter and Dean just rolled his eyes and got in the driver’s seat. Sam held you tightly as you leaned into his chest taking in his warmth.

"You know it's about god damn time you to admitted your feelings for each other. The pining for each other was getting kind of old," Dean said

You and Sam both looked at each other and said, "Yeah."

Tag List: Let me know if you want to be tagged

@jensen-jarpad @sisterwinchesterwriter @27bmm @deanjensengirlmaggie @lenaabs

#Supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural fic #sam winchester fic #sam winchester fanfiction #sam winchester one-shot #sam winchester fluff #reader insert #sam winchester x reader #sam x reader #sam winchester x you #sam x you #sammy #dean winchester #Too Tall

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