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canyouhearthelight · 3 years

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The Miys, Ch. 127

Annnnd a-one, and a-two, and a queue-queue-queue!

This chapter has one of my favorite things in the world to write - Interpersonal relationships (if you are surprised, I’m going to assume you are new here....).

Specifically, one of my biggest pet-peeves is when friends or siblings are written in a way that shows that the author doesn’t actually have any friends or siblings they are close enough to that all rules of societal politeness go whizzing into some far-off dimension as soon as they are in proximity.

When I get to write a chapter with such close friends/ersatz-siblings and also have @baelpenrose cackling and egging me on, it literally makes my whole day.

P.S: If anyone has wondered about the ages of the characters, several are clearly lined out in this chapter......

EDIT: Fixed some insane formatting issues.

“The food festival, Sophia? Really?” an incredulous voice asked before the door to my office even opened all the way.

I resisted the urge to scream, but did surrender to pinching the bridge of my nose and breathing slowly. “Hello, Arthur. Do come in. Long time no see. Of course I’m not busy…” My one day each week to have a few hours to myself - no mentees, no assistant, even Tyche was off work….

“We saw each other last night when I came over for dinner after sparring with Conor, and you’re never busy on Saturdays, Alistair makes sure of it.” He dragged a chair in front of my desk for what I felt was the sole purpose of putting his boots on my desk instead of the conference table.

“I thought you two didn’t even like each other, how did you - “

He waved a hand dismissively. “Enemy of my best friend’s enemy is my friend, that sort of thing. Anyway - “

“Did you just call me my own worst - “

“You are, let’s not pretend otherwise. Anyway.” Arthur arched an eyebrow at me and waited for any further objections, but I couldn’t think of any. “The Food Festival. It’s my one favorite tradition on this ship until armed combat becomes a spectator sport, and you are putting Parvati and Hannah in charge of it?”

After a beat pause to make sure he was done, I glared at him. “Everyone has asked me that, and I don’t understand the issue. They’ve both helped in the past, even before they started training to replace me. I’ve handed more and more off to them each time, and they did great! Plus, they have three months, it will be fi - Wait, why do you even care, Arthur?”

He held up one finger with the authority of a deity who would have smited me if he could. “One, Parvati Fletcher does not like mapo tofu. You do. Specifically, you like it from that one vendor who grows her own Sichuan peppercorns and uses them like they are an infinite resource. Two, I spend entirely too much time working with Zach Khan, and he won’t shut up about how stressed Hannah is. Three - “ I was seriously starting to get concerned he actually could smite me at this point - “As much as I love you in the most platonic way possible, you are an obsessive, compulsive perfectionist who insists on doing everything herself and running herself into the ground so that everyone else has the time of their lives. So why are you trusting this, the largest and oldest event on the Ark, entirely to other people?” Dropping his boots from the desk, he leaned forward, palms down until we were nearly nose to nose.

“Sophia Reid, I swear on any god I can kill if you are dying…”

“WHAT!?” I squawked, jerking back and standing so fast I knocked my chair over. “For the love of little fish, I’m not dying! I haven’t had a near death experience in four years, thank you.”

“Three, not counting the fact that there is a reason Alistair makes you drink anything through a straw anymore.”

“How did - Nevermind.” I shook my head and tried to focus on the topic at hand. “No, I’m not dying. Nor am I injured, having a midlife crisis, rethinking my life choices any more than I ever do, or so much as in possession of a stuffy nose.” Taking a deep breath, I rolled my eyes and started counting off before I could stop myself. “Conor and Maverick and I are fine. No, I’m not arguing with Tyche again. Yes, I’m still going to therapy. Else is fine. No new sentient plagues or rogue cult leaders that I’m aware of. Nor have I become immortal, queen of the universe, savior of humanity, pregnant by Noah, or possessed.” Carefully, I picked my chair back up and sat down.

“Good...to… know?” He gave me a funny look. “Who asked the most disturbing one?”

“Immortal or Savior of Humanity?” I asked for clarification. “Those were Maverick and Derek, respectively.”

The look only got worse. “I meant ‘pregnant by Noah’, but fascinating to see where your priorities lie….?”

“Oh. That was Charly.”

“Dammit,” he swore softly. “I had her pegged for ‘possessed’.”

“I’m pretty sure she is, but the suggestion that I am came from Tyche, on no fewer than 3 occasions, by 4 different entities. She seemed pretty hopeful that Else was potentially mind-controlling me in an effort to make me take a nap,” I admitted.

“That tracks.” A nod of approval prefaced the question I had been avoiding - successfully, thus far, I might add. “Now that you’ve ruled out every possible plausible reason that you would entrust this to literally anyone other than a clone of yourself, why?”

“Why what?” My face was composed in an expression of innocence so convincing that I probably deserved an Oscar.

“I can and will convince Charly to turn all your coffee to decaf, so help me, Sophia.”

Realizing that he was, legitimately, worried about me and at the limits of his usually-impressive patience, I held up my hands in surrender. “Fine. You get the scoop. Please record this and send me the loop, so I can just flick it at people who ask, please?” When he nodded, I exhaled slowly. “It is no secret to anyone that I never wanted this job. I made the mistake of establishing the Food Festival, which as you point out is the largest event of the cycle on the Ark - the last three years, literally everyone attended in some capacity.” When he opened his mouth to argue, I held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t get me wrong. I love the Festival. What basically started out as a potluck because we were homesick and needed to meet - you know, the rest of humanity - is a huge, three day holiday. It’s amazing!” I spun in my chair, arms flung wide for emphasis, before stopping to face him.

“It also consumes my life, for months, to prepare for. And that’s just implementing changes to make it more accessible so people don’t miss out! That doesn’t include adding things to make it more interesting or keep it from getting boring, or whatever. I literally don’t have time to do any of that!”

“So, you’re inflicting this on them instead?”

“Inflicting?” I snorted. “Hardly. This is their final exam, their capstone project, their dissertation. If they pull this off, I will gladly hand the entire office over to whoever is elected, cheerfully and knowing the Ark is in good hands. But, they have to pull this off. It’s the only major part of being Councilor of Resources and Relations that they haven’t done yet by themselves.”

He rubbed his face, looking somewhat impressed. “That’s honestly not what I was expecting.”

“I don’t think it ever is, honestly.” I shrugged at the question he glanced towards me. “For Evan, it was coordinating the weapons exhibitions. Charly managed to pre-empt her own by designing more efficient aqueducts and filtration for when we reach Von - you know, the ones that also produce light?”

“Of course she would invent glow-in-the-dark plumbing. Who else?” Something caught up with him. “Evania Josue got away with planning an event? Seriously?”

“Oh, that’s right… you weren’t on Level One…” I murmured. When he only looked more confused, I clarified. “She was Maverick’s co-pilot when we needed people to pilot the Ark, which was not designed to pilot manually, via dead reckoning, using cameras pointed out the few viewports we have, for several weeks after the sensors were sabotaged.”

“She was whose co-pilot?”

“You really never heard this story? You practically live with seven people who were there…”

“Usually I get the bits about ‘Sophia nearly got her brains bashed out’ and ‘that traitorous bitch’, then start tuning out while I try to decide what it would take to get Charly to teach me necromancy… If Evan was the co-pilot, then why is Maverick….”

“Not in line to replace any Councilors? Arthur, we know that would be a disaster for him.”

He nodded reluctantly. “Your younger partner is a nice boy.”

“For fuck’s sake, he’s thirty seven!” I groaned.

“Nice man, whatever,” he waved off. “Which is exactly what I would like for you as a partner. You need nice partners, and blunt siblings. But I see what you mean about him being a Councilor… he’d be miserable.”

“What was yours?” I asked mischievously, dropping my chin onto my hands.

That earned me a flat stare, until he finally surrendered when I didn’t flinch. “The Twentieth/Early Twenty First History curriculum.”

“Seriously?” That had literally been the first thing he had done when Eino tapped him as a possible successor.

“I didn’t budge on points even he admitted he would have, out of fear of offending people.”

“Which is a fear you very much lack,” I pointed out.

“The truth is the truth. Coating it in sugar only makes it taste worse.” He shrugged nonchalantly before suddenly looking dangerously like he was thinking again. “There’s two of them.”

“Yes, Arthur. Hanna and Paravati are, in fact, two distinct and separate women-type-lady-people.”

“Thank you, Fee, I was well aware.” I suppressed a growl at the nickname - he knew I hated it. “I meant, only one can win the election, smartass.”

“Better to be a smartass than a dumbass,” I muttered.

“Sophia, you are forty five. Please grow up just a hair?”

“Tyche doesn’t want to be HR forever, you know.”

That brought his mind to a visibly screeching halt. “Wait, what?”

“What what?” I asked. “She does it because she is phenomenal at it, but it isn’t her passion. She only stuck around as long as she did to make sure I didn’t trip over a chair and brain myself while I was at work. When I’m gone, she’s gone, loser take the spoils.”

He whistled softly before shaking his head. “It’s bizarre to think of you two retiring around the same time I’m just starting the position.”

“I’ll have been a Councilor for a decade when I step down,” I pointed out. I almost included unless I die first, but that never seemed to be as funny as I thought it was.

“But you aren’t that much older than me,” he sighed dramatically. “Anti-aging technology is frustrating.”

“Annnnd this is a natural extension of your career, with a ten year break thereabouts the middle.” My grin was so bright it made him scowl before I finally got a begrudging smile. “Think of it as getting elected head of the school board.”

The groan he let out probably echoed for several levels throughout the ship. I had basically just pointed out that he was becoming that which he most hated.

Or not. He seemed to recover with a gleam in his eye. “Pfft. Dean of Students, at the very least.”

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#the miys #humans are weird #found family #siblings #humans will pack bond with anything #aliens #post apocalyse #post post apocalypse #science fiction #original science fiction #haw #hfy

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darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts · 5 years

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Echo pt2

@kthomas325

Warning: This is a little dark. There is blood, death, Strong Language and yeah ... please read with caution. **Still not sure what direction this is taking so I should add a warning for Author with no plot **

Masterlist

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Echo part 2

The castle was always active at the start of a new day but it seemed to be particularly lively right now. Servants darted from chambers and rooms fetching and carrying as orders were barked at them from the 9 siblings and their Mother.

Today was the audience with the crown. Dignitaries, as well as members of the general populace, were gathering to seek out solutions to issues from the highest authority in the land. This was part of being a ruling power here but it did seem that the Queen and her offspring took matters a little too far in the direction of dramatic flair.

Main gates were temporarily closed allowing the castle to be set up for the expected crowds that were already milling around outside the castle walls in the streets below. Fresh flowers arrangements were placed on the white stone staircase that lead up the incline to the castle proper. Rooms around the lower level were also locked and sectioned off so that no one could venture further into the building without proper clearance. Light flooded the corridors providing a kind of natural carpet effect on the floor and the Throne room was pristine in all its grandeur.

Twelve thrones set in a crescent moon shape were at the very top of the chamber. The white stone of the building gleamed thanks in large part to the massive lead lined windows that stood majestically behind the thrones. The light from the twin suns reflected through the multiple diamond shapes casting shimmering shards of incandescent light into the room. There was no doubt it was a room designed for ultimate effect and the Queen knew how to use that to her advantage.

After the hoard of visitors had settled into place and taken position in their queue, the large doors at the side of the Throne room opened and the siblings entered in pair formation. Each was elegantly dressed and shone like a priceless gemstone. In the shadow of one of the large supporting columns of the room a thin razor-sharp smile spread over one man’s lips as he watched the “performance”. It was the only word that could be used for this. The Queen viewed this land as her stage and everyone in it, including her offspring, as mere players on it.

Drones. The thought passed through his mind easily as he watched the royal formation move. Every hair on their head, every accessory, every piece of clothing had been chosen for them by the Queen. Their movements were trained, their words were not even their own as much as they would protest against it the truth was simple.

The eldest child entered with his mother on his arm. The Queen standing straight and tall her age masked easily by the glamour she held. Her flowing blonde hair cascaded down her back and her form-fitted dress moved like ocean waves as she glided towards her seat. The empty chair to either side of her stood as markers to a tale that had slipped into the history books. Beautifully crafted Pawns. I applaud you, dear Queen, you did well. As if she could hear his thoughts her eyes settled on his. Those piercing cold blue eyes that could cut like ice would freeze a lesser man, but not him. He simply stood and maintained his gaze the smile on his face almost mocking.

---

“You took on a case without clearing it with me first?”

The door to her chief coordinator's office barely closed before they rounded on her.

“I’ve told you many times already I cannot always clear these things with you two or three weeks in advance.” She sat straight in the guest chair unflinching as the older man who was like a father to her in a lot of ways sighed and slumped his shoulders.

“That is not the point Kid and you know it. You have just moved and the case is out of your jurisdiction.” He pinched the bridge of his nose where his glasses usually sat. Probably thinking that this choice to wear his contacts today was maybe not the best plan given that headaches made the lenses uncomfortable.

“Most cases are out of my jurisdiction. It has never stopped you from letting me take them on before.” If it had been someone else, she would have been just as indignant as she protested the restriction on her work.

There was nothing except basic formalities that required her attention right now. All Ops had been grounded and placed on downtime which provided her with more than enough time to sit around twiddling her thumbs and being bored. Last time this happened she took on a case that saw her flying to Africa to check a water source for a rare bacterium that should not have been present in freshwater. That wasn’t just out of her jurisdiction it was out of the same god damn continent. She couldn’t understand why her boss was choosing now to be an obstruction on a case.

“Look pick a case any other case. Just not this one.” The sound of his begging pathetically was a far cry from the man she knew. She leaned back in her chair and levelled a defiant glare at him.

“Col you are being unbelievably stubborn and pushy on this which isn’t like you at all. I’m not going to do anything until you say what you are really wanting too and don’t go trying to candy coat it. I’m not a kid.” Her blue eyes that were normally clear had turned thunderous and dark. He knew from past experience that when things felt wrong and she wasn’t getting straight answers it could only ever end badly, for the other guy. He certainly did not wish to join the ranks of the fallen.

“Look. Your father and I go way back right?”

“Right” She nodded firmly. Colin had been one of the first other adult males in her life outside of family members to visit their house. He had helped with schooling and relocations so many times it was hard to think of a time when he wasn’t in her life.

“Wrong.”

“What?”

“Wrong. Look Kid the first time I met your dad it was about three decades ago and he looked like he had survived falling into a mincer at a slaughterhouse. I found him at the side of the road and you were wrapped up in his arms.” Col’s words were blunt and direct. There were no detectable traces of anything that could be considered a lie which made the bombshell he just dropped on her even harder to process.

“How is that even possible? All the years I’ve known you and what? You lied to me the whole time?”

“Only about how far back I’ve known your dad. He is a good man and dammit if I didn’t feel terrible for him.”

“Why?”

“That is something he would be able to tell you, not me. I told you he was injured. He looked like he had come from a renaissance or medieval fair or something, you both did. He was babbling about not letting them have you and how he didn’t have a wife anymore.” Col chose this time to get up and walk to the false shelf on his bookcase. Tapping it so it popped open revealing a bottle of scotch and some glasses. She had known he kept it there but she hardly ever saw him drinking at the office. He poured some amber coloured liquid into two glasses and handed her one as he went back to his own seat. It burned in her throat as she took a sip of it but she felt the muscles in her body begin to relax a little with the alcoholic lubrication.

“I don’t get what any of that has to do with the case.”

“Because for a couple of weeks during that time. We found things.” He looked over at her making sure she was still alright to continue. “Things like large animals, deer, bears all dead. All fresh and all drained of their blood. Some hikers too.” He downed his drink in one go as if the memory of the events was still with him. It wouldn’t be uncommon; you see it a lot in stressful or unusual cases where you have pushed your mind and body to get on with the job at hand you end up with like a remnant of the memories you suppress. Like an echo coming back to you time and time again, some echoes were worse than others.

Her mind went back to the case reports. Mountain rescue and rangers all reported finding campsites abandoned and later finding the inhabitants dead. The things Col was bringing up matched with what she had already found but they didn’t explain the connection to her and her father or why nothing had been said to her before.

“Why didn’t you say anything about this to me sooner?”

“Told ya. It wasn’t my story to tell. And that body thing was an old case that never came up again.” It was clear from his one that even with a feeling of guilt he was going to stay tight-lipped on this.

“What happened with it?” Asking this she followed Col’s lead and drained her glass. The sudden volume of the fluid travelling down her throat caused that familiar burn you got from strong alcohol to tingle in the back of her nose and she suppressed a cough.

“Shelved. Never caught the ones responsible or found out how they pulled it off. But it only went on for a few weeks and then stopped completely.” Col didn’t sound satisfied. She knew him he hated unfinished work, but back then he would have been a rookie. Nothing you can do if a higher-ups decides to shut down an investigation.

“Right.” She put the glass down on his desk with a hollow clink sound and got up to go. Her hand was on the office door when he called out from behind.

“What you gonna do?”

“You said so yourself. Not your story to tell. So, I’m going to go ask the guy whose story it is.”

One thing she learnt was butting heads with a stubborn person when you are also a stubborn person gets you nowhere and to be honest right now, she was in no mood to fight a wall. She wanted answers. The files she received from the Met were back in her office she would grab those. But most important task now was going to find the person whole tale it was to tell and getting him to talk.

---

The Queen elegantly draped herself in her private chambers near her vanity table. The room was a perfect image of what one might be tempted to call excess. Every surface was highly polished and inlaid with crushed crystals making it look rather like the centre of a geode. The audience with the crown was over and she sighed lightly before catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror and grinned.

It had all gone according to plan. The masses were happy and she had been praised for her beauty, kindness and intelligence so many times she was walking on cloud nine. If it was possible to survive on adoration she felt like she could be immortal right now. Naturally however even in this realm that was not something that could be done. Immortality was the stuff of fantasy. But prolonged life? sustained beauty? You could have all of that. It came at a cost if you were willing to pay, and she was just mad enough to do it.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of two figures. Both were dressed similarly in loose clothing bound over with strips of fabric to pull it tight to their forms. This was the typical uniform for scouts. Nothing more than required and everything designed for complete freedom of movement and cover.

“What did you find?” She didn’t bother with greetings. Observing the two visitors like a cat would a mouse.

“The rift is strong, and it holds. We can go back.” The taller one explained with a complete lack of emotion or detail. She was pleased to see this, emotions wasted time and made for weak soldiers.

“Good. Bring me what I desire.” She waved her hand and turned back to her reflection.

“One other thing My Queen.”

“What?” She moved her eyes in the mirror staring through it at the second scout who had spoken.

“The rift from what we can tell didn’t naturally tear.”

She felt her breath catch in her throat at this piece of information. Naturally forming rifts were rare and took generations to form and become stable. A non-natural rift would mean someone with the power to tear at the fabric of time had created it. Someone as powerful as she was, possibly even more powerful. Her blood ran hot as she picked up a clear crystal turning it over in her hand until it changed to citrine. The glittering yellow like a shard of trapped sunlight glowed from within and she tossed it towards the scouts who caught it nimbly.

“When you go back take this. I want to know what happens to it.”

“As you wish.”

The two scouts briskly left the Queen’s chamber. They had their orders and it never paid to keep her highness waiting. Once they were a safe distance away, a shadow in the corridor rippled a pale outline of a figure moved in the opposite direction. Long fingers pulled the edge of their cloak up higher, turning its hood over their head.

---

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dontaskmewhyiwrite · 5 years

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Mystery Knight

One Piece, LawLu Word Count: 6313 Rating: T (for language) Genre: Fluff, Modern!Au, Adventure

Summary: Law will remember the first snow of that year. After all, it’s not everyday you meet a stranger who takes you out for a night of adventure.

Law’s feet pound against the pavement, further aggravating his headache as he sprints towards the train station. He bypasses the security guard, flashing his transport card as he speeds by, barreling through the other pedestrians. The sounds of his own footsteps echo against the bare walls. His teeth ache.

As he flies down the staircase, he looks up long enough to notice the subway doors slowly closing. He wills his feet to move faster, but before he can reach them, the train begins to slide out of the station. He watches his last hope rattle away.

“Dammit!” Law rubs at his pounding headache. At this rate, he’ll have a migraine in no time.

“Miss the train?” a high voice asks behind him. Law refrains from spinning around and decking the stranger in frustration.

“If I take a cab to- no, the main road is blocked off for the night because of construction. Fuckin’ great timing, and the detour adds another two hours. If traffic’s nice. No way I’ll make it in time. How about-” He flicks through his phone, looking up traffic and estimated detour times. As he figured, the recent construction has blocked the only road that would get him there fast enough. The next fastest route will be too late. He might as well wait for the morning train. It might be a long shot, but there’s a possibility he could still make it if he takes the first one. A minute possibility.

“Tryin’ to get to Punk Hazard, huh? You’re probably best off waiting ‘till morning,” the intruder comments, peering over Law’s shoulder. Law grinds his teeth.

“Thank you for stating the obvious. Don’t you have something else to do?” he growls, shrugging his shoulder in an attempt to push the kid away.

“Not really. ‘Sides, you look lost. And lonely. I’ll keep you company!”

Law pinches the bridge of his nose, willing this annoyance and his headache to leave. Do people enjoy making his life more difficult?

“I’m not lost. And I’m not lonely. Go away,” he orders, taking a few steps away from the guy and returning to his phone. He halfheartedly searches the bus times, knowing it’s futile.

“Not sure what you’re expecting from the buses that taxis can’t do. Wanna get something to eat? Food makes everything better. Especially meat! Let’s get some meat!” The stranger grabs his arm, forcefully pulling Law towards some restaurant or cafe or other food location. Law staggers behind, momentarily caught up trying to keep his balance before he manages to pull away.

They’ve made it back to the stairs before Law regains his balance and yanks back, wrenching his arm out of this nuisance’s surprisingly strong grip.

Who is this stranger to just drag him along like that?

“What the fuck?” he asks, not particularly expecting a response. The stranger tilts their head, looking confused.

“You don’t want meat?” they wonder, brow furrowed in confusion. Law finds himself pinching the bridge of his nose again and stops.

“No,” he retorts, putting as much venom into that one word that he can. Unfortunately for him, his stomach decides in that moment to give a loud growl. The stranger turns to take his arm once again.

“Shi shi shi, you’re so weird! If you’re hungry, you eat meat! C’mon, I know a good place!” he offers, holding his hand out like Law’s gonna take it and let himself be whisked away.

“Even if I am hungry, I don’t want to eat with a total stranger. I can find my own place, so fuck off.” Law flips the middle finger and pushes past the stranger. This does not deter the vexation. Instead, he follows along, asking exactly where Law will be going.

“I know all the places here, I’ll tell you if it’s any good! Especially the meat, I know all the meat! C’mon, where you headed? Not that there are many places open now. It’s late! Most of them are closing! Except, the place I know! It’s open, and we’ll get in quick!” He follows behind Law with little regard for personal space, chattering at a speed that doesn’t allow for conversation. Not that Law plans on responding.

The crisp night air greets them as they step onto the street. Despite the late hour, there are still people milling about, guided by the frequent street lamps and humming neon lights. Sabaody is truly a city that never sleeps.

Beside him, Law’s new ‘friend’ continues to babble. Exasperated, Law considers his options. He could try violence, but there’s too many people still strolling about. Running from the police would only further delay him. He could also try slipping away and hoping he loses the pest, but it sounds like that might be difficult. Also a delay he doesn't need. He decides on the only course of action he thinks might succeed.

He points towards the first place with a glowing “OPEN” sign.

“I'm going there. Goodbye.” With that he walks off, headed in that direction.

“You sure?”

“Yes, so fuck off.” Law marches resolutely forward, hands pushed deep into his coat pockets. The few people headed in the opposite direction choose to give him some space, unlike the dolt beside him.

“If you’re sure that’s where you wanna eat?” they repeat, and Law grinds his teeth together. He elects to ignore the meddler, in a vain attempt to dissuade them from following.

It doesn’t take him long to reach his intended location, and he quickly sees why he was asked if he really wanted to eat here. The bar is packed, with people even standing outside holding drinks and trays of chips. Throbbing music fills the night air every time the door opens. There’s a handwritten poster pasted on the door that advertises some event.

Next to him, the stranger grins.

“You suuuuure you wanna eat here? Looks crowded, and the food doesn’t even smell good. No meat. Trust me, the place I know is suuuuper good. Best in town. You’ll wanna go there every time you’re nearby. Can’t say much for the staff, but the food is the best ever! Besides Sanji, but it’s where he learned, so that makes them equal. It’s really good!”

Around them, any remaining restaurants are closing. Law stares at the bar, briefly considering if it would make a better alternative to the incessant nagging. Nearby, a drunk vomits. The stranger continues to pester him about choosing an alternative location.

Law pinches the bridge of his nose.

“All right, already! If I get food, will you leave me the truck alone?” He spits without thinking, then immediately regrets it as the stranger’s face lights up.

“Meat!” With Law’s consent now, the straw hat-wearing stranger grabs him once again and starts winding through crowds and past closed restaurants. Law pulls away once again, but it doesn’t seem to upset his guide. At least they stop trying to grab for him. Eventually the stranger stops in front of a mid-sized family restaurant and pulls the door open, practically shoves Law inside. They follow close behind.

The place has a nice atmosphere,with dim lights and a delicious smell wafting through. It’s fairly busy, considering the hour, though perhaps that’s due to it being the only decent place open for a few blocks. A small queue is lined up along the wall. Law is pushed forward a bit, before the stranger decides he’s being too slow and walks around him.

“Table for two, please!” they announce to the host, who immediately looks alarmed. He finds the stranger and scowls.

“You! I thought you were told not to come alone!” The host growls, pointing an accusing finger.

“I’m not alone! I said, TABLE FOR TWO!” The stranger yells obnoxiously. The host rubs his ear with a grimace and looks uncertainty at Law. When Law doesn’t deny being the plus one, he begins leading them into the restaurant. Strawhat wraps a hand around Law’s arm and forcefully pulls him along with their powerful grip.

To Law’s surprise, they are taken to a private room located in the very back of the restaurant and labeled with a “Reserved” sign. The room is secluded from the rest of the guests, just within sight of the kitchen. Its furniture is a tad better maintained, and there’s a bell for signaling when service is needed. The single light above them is dimmed to a pleasant hue, allowing for intimacy without being romantic or suggestive. As the barrier is put up behind them, the bustle and rumble ebbs to a light murmur.

“This is some high-class treatment for having been nearly kicked out,” Law comments, glancing at the stranger. Their pouring over the menu, though they doesn’t look like they’re actually reading it. Rather, aren’t they just drooling over the pictures? They’re softly whispering “meat,” but Law’s fairly certain they aren’t aware of it.

He takes the time they’re distracted to study the stranger. They look young, at least younger than Law, but if Law had to guess, perhaps not as young as their appearance would suggest. Their straw hat is strapped around their neck, giving them a bit of a farming kid’s vibe, but it’s paired oddly with an red hoodie and a pair of mid-calf length blue pants. The flip flops just add to the oddity, and Law finds his headache returning the more he tries to understand, so he turns to the menu instead. Most of the food on the menu is fairly standard for the area, though Law sees a few items that catch his attention. He settles on the swordfish steak just as the waiter appears, already looking annoyed.

“Strawhat,” he greets, though it’s more of a warning. “What’re ya interested in today? Oh, wait, let me guess: ya want every meat item on the menu, as usual?” he glares, daring the stranger - Strawhat - to agree. Strawhat just laughs. “See! You understand! Meat is the best!” Obviously they doesn’t realize the waiter is being sarcastic, or don’t seem to care.

“You know the rules! Pick one - ONE - item, Strawhat. One!”

Strawhat pouts, staring down at the menu for a bit, before pointing to a picture. “That one, then! And lots of it!”

The waiter scowls. “No.”

Ignoring Strawhat’s whines and complaints, the host turns to Law, his expression softening into more of an apathetic stare. “And you?”

Law orders the swordfish steak and a glass of wine, and the waiter quickly escapes the barrage of orders for extra meat.

“Would you even be able to eat all of that?” Law asks, setting his menu aside. Strawhat immediately confirms that they would be able to eat it all, and more, and starts to rant about meat and it’s deliciousness. Law lets them talk, not particularly paying attention as his thoughts start to wonder back to his current dilemma. He’s not sure he’ll be able to get to Punk Hazard in time for the surgery, and if he misses this one… He rubs his temple.

“You all right?” Strawhat asks, stopping their monologue to lean over the table until their in Law’s space.

“Yes, I’m fine. Back the fuck off.” Law pushes Strawhat’s face away without much success, as they push back against Law’s hand.

“You sure? You look upset, like you’re worried, or somethin’.”

Law sighs. It’s futile. “I’m fine, and even if I wasn’t, that isn’t your fucking business, is it?”

“Sure it is. You’re my friend!”

That… isn’t what Law is expecting. “You don’t even know me! I’m not your friend!” But Strawhat doesn’t seem to care.

“Do you need some meat? I’ll tell them to hurry up. Meat solves everything.” Before Law can protest, Strawhat is ringing the bell obnoxiously and poking their head out, yelling for the waiter, who immediately scowls upon seeing them.

“What do you want, brat?” He yells as soon as he’s in earshot.

“Meat! Bring it faster!”

The waiter rolls his eyes and leaves, ignoring Strawhat’s cries for their food to arrive more quickly. Strawhat sits back down, to Law’s relief, and pouts.

“How rude, he didn’ even listen.” Law shouldn’t be surprised at them sticking their tongue out in the general direction of the waiter, and yet he still is.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. How did he end up in this mess?

A warm hand suddenly presses against his forehead, and Law looks up to see Strawhat a few inches away, seemingly trying to check his temperature with their hand. They don’t appear to know what their doing, but rather mimicking something they’ve seen done.

“Hm…. You’re warm,” they conclude and pull away. “You should drink something cold.”

Law doesn’t respond for a moment. This random kid whom he’s never met before is suddenly giving him medical advice? He’s so incredulous, Law actually starts to laugh. They must see this as a good sign, because Strawhat sits back looking pleased.

“You finally smiled!”

Law leans his head back, staring up at the wooden ceiling. Yeah, he supposes that he did smile, for a moment. When was the last time he laughed?

When was the last time someone tried to take his temperature with their hand?

Before he can start to become nostalgic and think of the way things were, the waiter arrives with his wine, bringing him back to the present. Strawhat eagerly takes their own drink - a fruit juice, from the looks of it - and begins noisily slurping it down.

“So? What’s gottcha worried?” Strawhat asks again around a plastic straw. In a moment of impetuousness, Law tells him.

“There’s a surgery that’s gonna happen at 7 AM tomorrow, and the kid that’s going into the surgery is a patient of mine. He’s a good kid, and I promised him I’d be there.” Law sighs as he thinks about missing the surgery. His brow furrows as he recalls exactly why he was running late.

There’s a moment of silence, and Law looks up, finally meeting Strawhat’s eyes. Only, they aren’t looking at Law, but towards the kitchen. Probably thinking about the food that hasn’t arrived yet. Law almost laughs again, wondering what he was expecting from this food-obsessed stranger. Sure enough, Strawhat perks up.

“Food’s here!” they announce before the waiter has even arrived. A moment later, the barrier is pulled back and their dishes are placed on the table. Strawhat begins eating before the waiter has even left. Law follows, deciding to enjoy the swordfish steak instead of worrying or getting annoyed.

Unsurprisingly, Strawhat finished their meal in a matter of minutes, and clamor for more food every time the waiter passes by. Law’s fairly certain that whatever mechanism their bell is hooked up to has been disabled, judging by the lack of response to Strawhat’s ceaseless ringing. The chaos is a welcome distraction, and the food is excellent. By the time the bill arrives, Law’s feeling that perhaps letting a complete stranger drag him to an unknown restaurant late at night wasn’t as much of a mistake as he’d been expecting. He’s almost sad to see the odd eccentric go, though not enough to actually stick around.

The waiter hands him the check directly, and partially out of pity for the poor employee, Law decides to cover the whole meal.

“Thank ya for eating at the Baratie. Have a nice day, and please, don’t return," the waiter says as he returns Law’s card. Strawhat ignores the slight and grabs Law's arm, pulling him out of their little room.

"C'mon, we gotta get you to your place before that kid leaves!" It's lacking details, but Law is surprised at the fact that Strawhat was paying attention enough to remember even that.

"Right..." he agrees, trying to pull away as Strawhat tugs him further into the restaurant. Wait, further?

"Why are we doing deeper in?" Law furrows his brow, trying to think of a reason they would be headed towards the back kitchen instead of leaving out the front, like normal customers.

Strawhat isn't going to steal food, is he?

Law stops suddenly, nearly crashing into a waiter who's trying to slip around them. None of them seem to be concerned about Strawhat in the middle of their kitchen, despite the waiter and host's earlier behaviors, so Law reluctantly follows behind. He considers turning around and leaving, but Strawhat notices him lagging and wraps a vice like grip around his wrist.

"C'mon! We gotta hurry!" They urge, pulling Law a bit more insistently. "He’s gonna leave!"

"Leave?" Law wonders, stumbling behind. They head through the kitchen, the cooks greeting them as they pass and occasionally keeping Strawhat's wandering hands from taking more food. The cooks seem quite used to the stranger’s sticky fingers, and laugh as one of the head cooks yells at them for trying to steal food.

Before he realizes it, they've headed out the back of the kitchen towards where the cooks take their smoking break. Strawhat makes a beeline for what looks like the head chef, judging solely by the extremely large chef’s hat, who's crushing a cigarette underfoot..

"Hey! HEY! OLD MAN! WAIT!" He yells, sprinting forward to catch the departing waiter. Law nearly crashes into another employee, then barely keeps himself from face planting into the asphalt, before managing to pull himself out of Strawhat's grip again. By then it's a moot point anyway because they’ve successfully gotten the head chef’s attention.

"We need a ride! You're going towards Punk Hazard, right? C'mon, it's not difficult, you're headed that way anyway, give us a ride! C'mon, c'mon, give us a ride! Please? You'll give us a ride, right? Thanks, old man!" Without waiting for any sort of confirmation, Strawhat grabs Law's arm again and heads towards the muddy truck several feet away. They throw open the passenger side door and shove Law in, then clamber in after him. Much to Law's horror, it's only a two seat truck, and Strawhat plants themselves firmly in Law's lap, already chattering away about car rides. Law's first instinct is to try pushing the stranger off of him, but there's nowhere for them to go. In the end, he manages to squish himself against the door and the annoyance, sharing the seat between the two of them. It's a tight fit, but it's better than having someone sitting in his lap.

The driver climbs in, already ignoring Strawhat's incessant prattling, and starts up the truck. "Whatcha going to Punk Hazard for?" he asks, glancing at Law.

"Work," Law offers, then turns to stare out the window. The chef doesn't seem to take offense to his cold behavior, instead focusing on the road.

After a minute or so, the driver turns on the radio and pumps the volume up high enough to drown out Strawhat's rattling, though it’s effectiveness is debatable. Strawhat stops talking, instead singing along with the songs and humming along with the ones they don’t know the words to. At least they’re keeping themselves entertained, for now.

Law isn't sure when it happens, but at some point while he's staring out at the dark landscape passing by, Strawhat falls asleep. Perhaps it was sudden, Law wouldn't be surprised, but he becomes aware of a weight against his shoulder. Pressed against each other as they are, Law isn't surprised to find Strawhat's head resting there, the kid completely passed out. The driver turns the radio down to a low background noise, and Law drinks in the quiet. He realizes that it's the first time since arriving in Sabody that he's had an actual, quiet moment mostly to himself.

Unfortunately, it also means that he has room to think. His thoughts start to wander towards the morning that lays ahead of him. At this rate, even if he makes it on time, he's going to be exhausted. He hasn't slept in nearly 28 hours now, due to traveling all night and conferences and meetings and conventions all day. As he thinks about it, he finds his eyelids starting to become heavy, and the soft breathing of the body against his lulls him to sleep.

He doesn't sleep long. It can't be more than two hours later when the truck jolts, waking Law, and judging by the sleepy babble, Strawhat as well. The streetlamps burn his eyes, seeming too bright in the confusion of being startled awake.

"Are we there?" he mumbles, trying to stretch in the cramped space. Next to him, Strawhat rubs his eyes and yawns.

"As far as I can take ya. Wish I could get ya the rest of the way, but I gotta get home, ya know?" The driver turns off the truck and gets out, stretching as he stands in the crisp night air.

Law grumbles as he opens the door, pulling Strawhat out with him and nearly causing them both to fall.

"Wake up, will ya? C'mon, walk on your own," Law protests as Strawhat leans against him.

"Mmmnnnn... five mor' min'ues..." he replies, latching onto Law's arm. Law pinches the bridge of his nose. What a heavy sleeper.

"There's meat," he says calmly, and watches in slight disbelief as Strawhat immediately perks up, searching around intently.

"Meat! Where?" After a moment, he seems to realize that he's been duped, and he frowns.

"There's no meat!" he complains, glaring at Law. Law shrugs, unconcerned.

"Yeah," he agrees, then turns to the driver. "Thanks for the ride." The driver waves, indicating it wasn't a problem. He crushes his cigarette.

"Don’t mention it. As much flak as we give that one, we owe him a lot. Any friend of his is a friend of ours."

That wasn't what Law was expecting. He thought Strawhat was a nuisance? The driver must recognize his confusion, because he gives a low chuckle.

"He's a brat, for sure, and an annoying bastard, but as much trouble as he causes, he did us one hell of a favor. ‘Sides, you can’t truly hate the kid. Don't worry, you'll see what I mean soon enough," he snorts, patting Law roughly on the back.

"Well, see ya. Brat, take care!" With a final wave goodbye, the driver takes off, leaving the two of them at the rest stop. Only after the taillights can no longer be seen does Law realize that he is effectively stuck in the middle of nowhere with a highly annoying stranger.

"So, what now?" he asks, looking at Strawhat, who's still waving excitedly goodbye.

"Now we wait!" he chirps, heading into the gas station. The single employee sitting behind the counter glances up at them before resuming whatever he's doing on his phone. The two of them pay him about as much attention.

"For?" Law prompts, a sinking feeling settling into his stomach. Strawhat just laughs off his worries and begins perusing the aisles.

Law rubs his temples. He considers buying some aspirin or something, and after seeing Strawhat pick up as many packages of dried meat that he can hold - including in his mouth - he decides to buy two pill bottles, and a cold coffee.

As he's paying, Strawhat arrives with his hoard of dried meat and dumps them on the counter. Law sighs, but is about to hand over his card once again when several packages of sweet buns are added on top. He grimaces at the offending food.

"Absolutely not!" He instructs, gripping his bargaining chip tightly. Strawhat pouts but obediently removes the offensive foodstuffs, placing them back on the shelves, though perhaps a bit haphazardly.

In their place, several candy bars and sweets are brought over. Law can already feel himself regretting this, but he buys all of the items anyway. He downs three painkillers with some coffee and follows them with some of the offered dried meat. It's tough, but Law powers through it anyway. With their snacks procured, they head back outside.

The outside air nips at their noses, and the two watch as the very first snow of the year begins to fall, each snowflake melting before it can even touch the ground.

"Snow! It’s snowing!” Strawhat exclaims, momentarily abandoning his food to dance in the light flurry. He doesn’t stay away long.

"The weather is so tricky! It sneaks up on you, suddenly changing from warm to freezing!" Law decides not to comment on the fact that the temperature has been slowly dropping since they left the train station.

"Yeah."

He shakes his head and leans back, looking up at the stars littering the sky. The moon shines bright, bathing the scene in a soft white glow, even through the glare of the streetlamp. His breath fogs in front of him, momentarily obscuring his vision each time he breathes out. Strawhat munches on his snacks next to him, occasionally talking about whatever crosses his mind. Currently, he's describing some trouble he got into with his older brothers some time ago, though Law's taking it with a grain of salt. Can three people really get into that much 'accidental' trouble? Somehow, Law isn’t sure he is being told the entire story.

It hits him, as he laughs gently as Strawhat gestures wildly and smacks Law in the face, that he's growing less and less annoyed by the strange guy, and a bit more fond of him. Like finding a lost puppy that won't leave you alone. Strawhat shivers again.

“Cold?” he finds himself asking, despite the fact that it’s obvious. Strawhat just laughs.

They're almost entirely through the purchased snacks when headlights split the darkness and Strawhat jumps up, creating a mess of empty packages. Law stands as well, cleaning up he watches Strawhat jump around, waving wildly and occasionally picking up dropped packets of meat. He's still eating them, too. Law briefly wonders if Strawhat’s going to end up choking.

It's only a moment later when the vehicle arrives, a small beat up car that doesn’t look or sound entirely operational. The driver rolls the window down, looking highly annoyed.

"Well, brat. I'm here," they grunt, sounding the opposite of pleased. Law understands. Strawhat looks undeterred, as usual.

"Dadan! Thanks! We need to get to Pink Hazards by morning!" Strawhat opens the door and climbs in, pulling Law in after him. Nobody bothers to correct the mistake.

"C'mon, hurry! We can't be late! It's super important!" He urges, pulling half his body into the front seat for emphasis. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, brat. Sit the fuck down, wontcha, and we'll get goin'!" Dadan snaps, but Strawhat just laughs as he sits back.

"'Kay, 'kay!" He squishes himself against Law, looking very pleased. Law kicks him to the opposite side of the back seat.

"Don’t you have any sense of personal space?" Law grumbles. His question is ignored by Strawhat, but their new driver, Dadan, gives him a slight look of pity through the rear view mirror.

"Hey, hey, do you like gummy worms? They're the best! They're sour, and sweet, and they're the best! Well, except for meat. Meat's the best. Then sour gummy worms! Oh, right, they have to be sour. Otherwise they're not sour and sweet, they're just sweet, and those aren't as good. You want some?" Strawhat asks, though Law isn't sure why because he doesn't wait for an actual response before shoving sour gummy worms into Law's face.

"Try them! They're yummy!" Law backs as far away from the sweet as he physically can. He does actually like sour gummy worms, but having them force fed to him is not what he would call a pleasant experience.

"Would you-" he starts, but Strawhat is already trying to feed him a different candy. Licorice, from the looks of it.

"No thanks," he tries, shying away from more sugar. Thankfully, that actually seems to work. With a shrug, the stranger shoves the licorice into his own mouth.

For a blissful moment, Strawhat is completely distracted by the candy, the music, and the snow that’s starting to fall a tad heavier. Law takes a breather, his gaze returning to the passing scenery. Away from the bright city and it’s light pollution, the stars shine bright. The moon lights the path before them, illuminating the nearby trees, lulling Law's thoughts away from the present.

He remembers car rides like this from long ago, his sister curled up in the seat next to him, his parents talking softly in the front seat. Law and his sister would pass the time telling stories about the moon and the stars, like making up their own mythology. Her favorite nights were the ones where the moon shined the brightest.

When Law's attention returns to the present, he realizes it’s because he can feel someone watching him. He turns to see Strawhat studying him, his head tilted slightly.

"Why the fuck are you so weird?" Law comments out, squinting across the seat at him. Strawhat shrugs, still munching on sweets.

"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" he asks, mouth still full of candy. That was disgusting. Law suppresses a shudder, turning away from the sight.

"None of your business," he retorts, turning back to the trees. At least the trees don’t care about what’s on his mind.

"Aww, c’mon. Tell me,” Strawhat whines, shifting closer. Law finds himself flinching and mentally curses.

"What’s it gonna take to get you to leave me alone?" he bargains.

Strawhat thinks for a moment, before his eyes light up.

“Tell me a story! A good one!” he demands.

How ironic that just a moment ago, he was thinking of a time his sister said the exact same thing. She’d stared up at him with her dark eyes, pleading for him to tell the same story he always tells whenever they have a long car ride during a full moon.

“I don’t know any,” Law replies, shrugging. Next to him, Strawhat pouts, but he ignores it.

In a shining example of juvenile behavior, Strawhat makes a big deal out of ignoring Law back, while still occasionally looking over to glare at him, then returning to his sulking. It’s almost humorous, it’s so superfluous. They drive in this forced tension for a while, the only sounds coming softly from the radio.

"We're here," Dadan says suddenly as they exit the trees and pull into what looks like an abandoned airport. The snow is cold enough to stick, at least for a moment, giving the giant landing pad a glistening sheen. Strawhat clambers out, shouting his thanks to Dadan and grinning at the insult he receives. Law follows, also giving a light thanks, and receiving a much warmer reply.

Dadan drives off and once again the two are left in the cold. Next to him, Strawhat continues to act petulant as he stubbornly keeps his back to Law.

After nearly ten minutes of relentless moping, during which Law watches Strawhat jump around to keep warm while still adamantly ignoring him, make snow angels while occasionally glaring at him, even play a one-man game of tic-tac-toe while grumbling about promises and hopes, he decides telling one story would be better than dealing with this insufferable annoyance.

“If I tell a story, will you stop?” Law yields, and isn’t surprised when Strawhat immediately runs towards him.

He sighs, regretting this already, and takes a seat on a cold tree stump. Strawhat plops down onto the ground, despite the snow. He’s soaked from snow angels and shivering already.

Perhaps it’s the nostalgia, or perhaps it’s working with so many ill children for so long, but Law finds himself pulling of his coat and dumping it on top of Strawhat’s head.

"Thanks! But won't you get cold?" Strawhat asks as he pulls the jacket on. Law shrugs.

"I'm wearing more layers than you," he points out, referring to the hoodie he wears as a shirt and his longer pants. Strawhat accepts the excuse easily.

"Thanks!" He says again, to which Law just nods. Staring up at the full moon, Law's pulled back to his previous reminiscence.

"A long time ago, when we used to go on road trips with our parents, my sister and I would make up stories about the moon.This one was her favorite.” He pauses, the wind whipping around the few strands of hair not tucked into his hat.

“There once was a knight that prayed every night to the moon, and the moon heard those prayers and fell in love. She transformed into a human to be with her love, but they were torn apart by the customs and laws of the land. So she learned the rules and the laws, and she became a princess, all for love. Yet it still wasn’t enough. Her love needed more, asked for more, demanded more, until the two of them were on top of the world. Seeing what her love had become, she knew that she could not stay. She returned when the moon was at its fullest, and from above she watched her love die.

During the full moon, when the moonlight is at its strongest, she still cries, and her tears will fall to earth as the first snow of the year." Law looks down to see Strawhat staring at him intently. He turns away.

"Never understood why that one was her favorite," Law shrugs, his reminiscing done for the night.

Before the conversation can move forward, a distant roar draws their attention, and a moment later a helicopter flies into view. As the volume becomes deafening, Law covers his ears, taking cover from the strong wind behind the nearby trees. The helicopter lands and a red haired man steps off with a wide grin. In his right hand are two headsets, which he hands to the two of them, then beckons them into the helicopter. He doesn't attempt to say anything, which Law finds reasonable considering he doubts they'd be able to hear it anyway.

They board the helicopter and don their headsets. The pilot greets them with a simple acknowledgement, and the moment they're strapped in he takes off. It's the red haired man that does most of the talking. Law recognized him as soon as he stepped out of the helicopter, but he hadn't believed himself. Hearing the guy talk, however, there's no doubt this is the millionaire and CEO of RedForce, one of the biggest companies in the world.

Strawhat and Shanks chat over the comms while Law tries to figure out who the person sitting next to him is, if he knows RedForce Shanks. At some point they try for introductions, but with Law not paying any attention to their conversation, they decide to skip those for now.

"You're lucky we happened to be free, brat! It's not easy being the CEO of a major corporation, you know?" Shanks is saying when Law finally tunes in. He hears Strawhat laugh, as carefree as always. After a moment, Shanks joins as well, much to the pilot's - whom Law recognizes as Benn Beckman, Shank's right hand guy - annoyance.

"You really should be doing paperwork, Red," Ben chides, but there's no heat behind it. It sounds like an old argument.

Shanks doesn't respond.

"We'll be there shortly. It's a pretty quick ride from that place to the hospital. It's the only place we'll be able to land anyway, so it's convenient that's where you wanna go. Why do you wanna go there? If it's a medical emergency, you shoulda called the police."

"He's a doctor!" Strawhat explains, and then doesn't elaborate. Shanks seems used to his lack of details, or doesn't need the details, because he makes an "aaah" sound and the conversation shifts.

"Your trouble making brothers still kickin'?" Shanks asks, inviting Strawhat to begin more recent tales of the trouble they've gotten into. Law half listens, though his thoughts start to wander away from their conversation again. Just who is this kid that he knows the CEO and founder of RedForce well enough to arrange for a helicopter? As far as Law can remember, Shanks doesn’t have any children, and he certainly hasn’t named an heir.

Also, when exactly did Strawhat call these people? And how? Law hasn't seen him pull out a cell phone or stop by a pay phone or do anything to contact them. Did he use telepathy?

Realizing how ridiculous he sounds, Law forces his thoughts to return back to the realm of possible. Sure, some weird things have happened tonight, but so far it's all been a collection of oddities surrounding one highly odd young man, and nothing that defies logic.

Benn's voice suddenly interrupts Law's thought process.

"We'll be landing shortly. Please be sure that your seat belt is properly fastened and all limbs and extremities are within the helicopter at all times. Please remain seated until I call that it is safe to exit."

After checking his seat belt, Law watches the hospital landing pad grow larger as they approach. He's ridden in many helicopters before, usually with a patient though occasionally on his own, so he's used to the procedure that follows. The moment that they're cleared, Law jumps down, turning to face the helicopter once he’s gotten a safer distance away. Strawhat grins back at him from the seat inside, but doesn’t move. He yells something, but Law can’t hear him.

“WHAT?!”

“WHAT’S YOUR NAME!” Strawhat yells a bit louder, and Law just barely catches the words.

“TRAFALGAR! TRAFALGAR D. LAW!” Law yells back as loudly as he can. The blades of the helicopter begin to pick up speed once again.

“WHAT ABOUT YOU?” he screams.

Strawhat yells something back, but it’s lost to the wind. He’ll never know the name of the mysterious stranger that dragged him along for a wild adventure. The helicopter takes off, Strawhat waving goodbye. Suddenly, Law realizes that his coat is also being carried away, probably never to be seen again.

Well, perhaps the adventure was worth one coat, even if it was his favorite.

@therealblackpearl, Merry Christmas! I’m so sorry this is a bit late, but it’s here! I hope you enjoyed a bit of LawLu fluff, and if I ever write the epilogue, I will tag you as well.

@onepiecesecretsanta2018

#opsecretsanta #onepiecesecretsanta2018 #therealblackpearl #i am so so so sorry this is technically late #i really wanted it to be something quality #but merry christmas!#i hope you enjoy some dumb lawlu #lawlu #op #modern!au #my writes #mystery knight #fluff #adventure

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rockbelric · 6 years

Text

Birthday Misses

Happy 503 Day!! Edwin Week Day 3: Choose your own prompt!!

Summary: It’s her birthday and she was going to enjoy it with the people she loves, even if Edward was missing. Happy 503 day!!

Rated: K+

Enjoy!! Let me know what you think!!

Mr. Garfiel is able to convince Winry to help close up shop a little early today. After all, it is her birthday and he wants to take her out to dinner to celebrate. Unfortunately, all her friends and family were spread out across the country (and world) so it would probably just be her, Garfiel, and Paninya. Not that she was complaining! She had gotten many birthday calls, letters, and presents from loved ones. She’s a popular girl after all.

But to be honest Winry is a bit bummed that she still hasn’t received any recent letters, phone calls, or diddly squat from a certain someone. Someone who promised her half of his life the last time she saw him but was so dense she sometimes had to wonder. Like today. Edward hadn’t reached out to her all day, and it was almost evening. She knows he’s all the way in Aerugo, in a completely different time zone, but she had hoped he would’ve at least thought of her on today of all days! Even Al, who’s in Xing, called her and wished her a happy birthday! What is she going to do with this idiot?

“Alright Sweetie, let’s get upstairs and clean up. We have a dinner reservation to get to!” Garfiel rests a hand to his cheek as he laments, “I do hope Paninya has something appropriate for the occasion.”

“Mhm.” Is all Winry says, a little downhearted. How could he do this to her? All she wanted was a little recognition that he’s thinking of her? Is that too much to ask?

Trudging upstairs to the tiny apartment she sublets from her boss, Winry pulls her bandana off and sighs. She’s not gonna let one tiny little thing ruin her day dammit! So what if she hasn’t heard from Ed today! He sends her plenty of letters and photos and he calls when he gets a chance to, he may not be consistent, but at least he tries.

Opening her front door, Winry immediately notices that someone is already in her apartment. Instead of running downstairs and getting Mr. Garfiel Winry grabs her wrench and calls out. “Hello?”

She hears footsteps approaching and suddenly Alphonse is walking out of her kitchen, wearing a three-piece suit and a huge smile on his face. It takes a couple seconds for her to process what she’s seeing before she screams and runs to him.

“Al!” Grinning so hard her cheeks hurt Winry jumps into his arms. He beams back and gives her a giant hug.

“Hey Winry!” Al laughs, pulling her back so he can look at her properly. “Happy Birthday! Sorry if I scared you, it was supposed to be a surprise.”

“How did you get here? I thought you were in Xing?” She exclaims.

“Well when I called you this morning I was actually having breakfast at Granny’s in Resembool. I got on the afternoon train to Rush Valley, and now here I am.”

“So, why’d you come all the way over here?” Her eyebrows knit in confusion.

“For your birthday, silly! I came to visit you!”

“Aw, you didn’t have to come all the way over here just for little, old me! I’m not that important.” She slaps his arm playfully.

His angry face is comical to say the least. “What are you talking about? You’re my best friend! Of course, you’re important!” He huffs.

She blushes and thanks him, hugging him again because, gosh, she missed him. Xing has done wonders on Al, he looks leaner and sharper. “God, look at you Al! You look like a man!”

“Hey! What did I look like before?”

“Like a little baby boy. My how you’ve grown up!” She presses her hands to her cheeks, closing her eyes.

“Look who’s talking, you’re the one turning a year older today, not me!”

“Are you calling me an old lady?” Winry glares at him.

Quick as a whip, Al teases back, “No, I’d say you’re more midlife than old

“I’ll remember that for your next birthday, Alphonse.”

“Oh! Before I forget, I brought presents!” He walks over to his duffel bag and fishes around. He pulls out a couple packages wrapped in white paper out, handing them to her with a wink.

“For you.”

“Ooh!” Clapping her hands, Winry’s tears into them, eager to see her gifts. “Oh, Al it’s beautiful! I love it!” She pulls out a long, blue silk dress with a golden dragon embroidered down the side.

“You’re welcome, I picked it out myself. I thought the colors would look beautiful on you. Plus, I thought Brother would appreciate the dragon.” He snickers. She giggles at the mention of Edward. Oh right, she almost forgot all about her predicament with him.

“Have you heard from Ed lately?” Winry tries not to seem too eager.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Alphonse casually answers, “Yeah, a couple days ago actually.” Her eyes show the slightest bit of strain behind them, “Why, you haven’t spoken to him today?”

Wiping her sweating hands on her coveralls, Winry shrugs, “No, I figured that he was busy, or traveling today.” Al’s mouth hangs open in surprise. “l guess he forgot.”

“That idiot,” Alphonse looks up as he pinches the bridge of his nose. Glancing at his watch he lets out a long exhale, “You should probably get ready, we have a dinner reservation to get to.” and gently pushes her towards the bathroom.

He shuts the door before she can get another word in. Fighting the urge to go back outside ask Al more questions about his brother, Winry reaches into the shower and turns the knob all the way to hot. She cleans up and puts on her cutest little summer dress. It’s her birthday and she was going to enjoy it with the people she loves, even if Edward was missing. Suddenly a horrible thought comes to her.

Stepping out of her bedroom she finds Alphonse and pounces on him, “What if something’s wrong Ed? Maybe that’s why I haven’t heard from him today. He could be hurt or in trouble and there’s no way for us to know!”

“Huh? I’m sure he’s fine, this is Edward we’re talking about, he’s just an idiot.” He calms her down, “Don’t worry, we’ll probably hear from him soon, just give it some time.”

“How do you know? Are you hiding something, Alphonse?” She puts her hands on her hips, glaring at him with suspicion.

“Wha- no, of course not!” Flustered, he checks his watch and then grabs his dinner jacket, “Come on! We’re going to be late!” Stopping to help her into her own jacket, they close up her apartment.

They meet downstairs with Garfiel and have to wait an extra few minutes for Paninya. She complains about the outfit Garfiel made her wear, and he bats her hand when she tries pulling at the blazer. “But I hate sleeves!”

Ignoring her whining, Garfiel looks Al and Winry up and down, “Well, aren’t we a sharply dressed group of people?” He smiles at them and leads the way.

The restaurant is busy and bustling, but they sat quickly thanks to their reservation. Paninya and Winry gape at the menu prices but Garfiel assures them it’s his treat. He immediately asks for a bottle of wine and it doesn’t take long for the group to loosen up. By the time they’re finished eating, they’re all groaning in their seats, their stomachs completely full.

“Mmm, that paella was heavenly.” Al wipes his mouth with his napkin and waves down the waiter, “Can we have more wine, please?”

“Oh, Alphonse, are you trying to get me drunk?” Garfiel bats his eyes while Winry and Paninya laugh at Al’s horrified reaction.

“Mhm, I’m starting to feel it too,” Winry sits back and swirls the wine in her glass before taking a sip.

“Oh, Winry, before I forget, Ridel and Satella were asking if you wanted to come to dinner at their house tomorrow, you too Al!” Paninya finishes off her glass.

“Sure! I’ve been meaning to visit them and if Al wants to come too?” Winry looks at him for approval.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to see the baby! I haven’t seen him since he was born!”

“Perfect! I’ll let them know-” She’s cut off by the waiter setting a large pastry down on the table and that’s the queue for the entire group to burst into a birthday song for Winry. Clapping along, the birthday girl looks around the table at her friends and her heart is filled with so much joy and happiness. Closing her eyes, Winry wishes that Edward is safe and sound wherever he is and that she hears from him soon. Al and Paninya erupt into cheers as she blows out the candles. Somehow, everyone manages to find extra space in their tummies because the cake is wiped clean off its plate in a matter of minutes.

After dessert, Mr. Garfiel pays, and their little group sets off back to their apartments. Passing by a bar that is packed and lively, Alphonse hooks his thumb over his shoulder, turning to Winry and Paninya. “Do you guys want to grab a couple drinks before we head back, it looks pretty fun in there!”

“Oh, Alphonse, now I know you’re trying to get me drunk!” Garfiel teases the boy again. “Unfortunately, I can’t. I have an early morning tomorrow. But you go ahead! Don’t let me stop you!”

He waves goodbye as the three of them walk in and find a cozy table in the back. They tell each other stories about what’s been going on in the past few months, Al regaling about Xing and all its wonders. They even order some shots that burn going down.

“How can you drink that stuff Al? It’s so strong and bitter!” Winry wrinkles her nose and sticks her tongue out.

Laughing, Al brings the glass of whiskey to his lips, “Trust me, the alcohol they have in Xing is way stronger than this!”

“You sound like an ambassador the way you talk about Xing this, and Xing that!” Paninya teases him, “I’m surprised you didn’t come back riding a panda!”

They all crack up, wiping their eyes. “It’s funny you mention that because I did-”

“Oh my god! Don’t tell me you actually rode one!” Paninya leans forward, her shoulders shaking with amusement.

They enjoy themselves a little longer before Paninya has to excuse herself early, saying she’d better get home before the land lady locks her out of the building again.

Just the two of them now, Alphonse and Winry order a couple more drinks and sit at the bar. It’s starting to clear out, so there’s more privacy for the old friends to discuss more delicate matters.

“So, how are things between you and Mei?” Winry wriggles her eyebrows, swirling her straw around in her glass. If her head was starting to get fuzzy at the restaurant, then she’s totally buzzed by now.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Al’s face is flushed from the alcohol and the sudden mention of Mei.

“Yes, you do! Now spill!” Funnily enough she almost spills her drink trying to pick it up.

“She’s been teaching me alkahestry, it’s not like I’m there to pursue her!”

“So, there’s nothing going on between you two?” She waves her finger back and forth at him. “At allll?”

He shakes his head and looks at her over the top of his drink, mirth in his eyes. Holding back a smile, he takes another swig.

“Alphonse, I swear! If you’re lying to me, I’m gonna kill you!”

Throwing his head back, Al lets out a deep laugh. “Oh wait, maybe something did happen, I just can’t remember.” He rubs his chin, pretending to think hard.

Smacking her hand down on the counter, Winry squeals in excitement, “Tell me everything!”

“There’s not much to tell, really. She really likes me, and I really like her too.”

“Oh wow! You guys are going to get married and then you’ll be a Xingnese prince, and you’ll live in a giant palace together, riding pandas into the sunset.”

They laugh so hard their stomachs hurt. Wiping tears from his eyes, Al decides it’s Winry’s turn in the hot seat.

“And you and Brother? How’s that going?” He gives her a mischievous smirk.

Flipping her hair back, Winry takes a deep breath. “Oh, it’s going great. He only forgot about me on my birthday and is hundreds of miles away and I have no way of contacting him unless he calls first but yeah, it’s so great. So, so great.”

“Winry! I’m sure he didn’t forget! He just gets caught up and things slip past him! It happens all the time!”

“Uh, huh.” She tosses back the rest of her drink and slams it back down on the bar. “How about another one of those shots?”

They drink and joke until it gets too late and they’re too drunk. Stumbling back to her building was difficult. Al has to throw his arm over Winry’s shoulder and they support each other as they amble down the deserted street. They stop to giggle at almost everything, trying to keep their voices down but failing horribly at it.

Finally arriving at her building, Winry stops and grabs Alphonse by his jacket, unexpectedly serious. “I’m so happy you came to visit me, Al. Really. You’re the best friend ever. God, I love you!” She’s got tears in her eyes as she wrestles him down into a bear hug.

“Aw, Winry, don’t cry!” He pats her back, suddenly emotional as well “I love you!”

“I’m so happy you have a body again!” Winry sobs into the front of his jacket. “I still can’t believe it!”

“Yeah! Me too!” He can’t stop the tears running down his face. They’re both drunk and crying in front of her door, suddenly overcome with their love for one another.

“And I can’t believe you’re marrying Brother! You’re gonna be my sister, but for real this time! I love you guys so much!”

“No, I love you guys more!”

“No way! I’ve been waiting forever for you guys to get married!”

“Shut up! No, you haven’t!”

“Wanna bet? I even planned out some stuff!”

“Alphonse!” Winry laughs, “What the hell?”

“Hey! I got bored sometimes!” He grins, putting his hands up. Cracking up, the two friends feel more like the little kids they once were, so many years ago. Eventually the laughter dies down and they’re leaning back on the building, looking up at the night sky.

“We’re really growing up, aren’t we?” Winry muses aloud.

“Yeah… but I’m not the one having a midlife crisis here.”

Huffing, she smacks him on the head, while he laughs, trying to block her attacks. Deciding she’s had enough, Winry runs upstairs and locks Alphonse out. She makes him beg through the door and say that she is the youngest, most beautiful, and most talented automail mechanic in all of Amestris before letting him in.

Once they’re ready for bed, they sit on the couch in their pajamas and reminisce about their childhood. They yawn and giggle until their eyes feel heavy and fall asleep on the couch.

In Winry’s dream there’s a persistent clacking sound. She doesn’t know where its coming from but it’s annoying the hell out of her. Blinking awake, she realizes she’s curled on one side of her tiny couch while Alphonse is softly snoring on the other.

Clack!

It came from the window. It must’ve been the middle of the night because the sun still wasn’t out yet. Creeping over, Winry peers down into the street and sees a dark figure standing under her window. Trying to make out who could possibly be trying to wake her up in the middle of the night another pebble sails through the air and hits the window.

Clack!

Opening the frame, Winry pokes her head out and calls into the night. “Hello?”

“Winry! You’re awake!” Oh my god. It couldn’t be.

“Edward?”

“Yeah! It’s me! Can you come downstairs and let me in?”

“Uh… sure, give me a second.” Closing the window shut, Winry tip-toes around her dark living room looking for her slippers. Alphonse was still sleeping peacefully on the couch, not disturbed in the slightest.

Winry meets Ed downstairs, opening the door for him. “Hey, Win, how’re you?” He smiles at her, as if it isn’t the middle of the fucking night and he showed up completely unannounced.

“What are you doing here?” She whispers harshly, “It’s the middle of the night!”

“Heh, sorry about that. There was a bit of a mix up with my train ticket. I guess I’m not as good as planning as Al is.” They softly trudge upstairs, avoiding the living room, so as not to wake Al. Setting his suitcase down on Winry’s bed, Ed shrugs off his coat, hanging it up in her closet. He explains that he accidentally bought a ticket for 10pm instead of 10am and had to spend the day haggling with the ticket agency in West City and was finally able to get on a train heading to Rush Valley for three times the price.

“I don’t understand, why’d you go through all that trouble for a train ticket?”

“What do you mean why?” He takes his shoes off, peeling the socks off too, and stands up straight “I came for your birthday, dummy!”

“My birthday?” Winry blinks.

“Yeah! Well, I know I’m late, and it’s technically not your birthday anymore, but those bastards wouldn’t budge. So, I had no choice but to get here so late and- did you know how long I was standing out there, trying to wake you up? Almost 20 minutes!” He hooks a thumb towards the window.

“So, you were trying to get here for my birthday all day?” She asks, still in disbelief. And here she thought he’d forgotten about her.

“Yeah, I thought Al told you? That was the plan; to meet up here for your birthday and surprise you,” Walking in front of her, Ed rubs his hand on top of her head, “I’m sorry I fucked it up.”

Tears form in her eyes and Winry hugs him as tight as she possibly can, catching him off guard. Her face is pressed against his shoulder as she muffles, “I thought you forgot.”

“Dummy, how could I forget about you?” He rests his cheek against her hair and hugs her back.

Pulling away, she glares up at him, “Because you didn’t call or write! How was I supposed to know? You made me worry about you again, idiot!” Her eyes were shining with anger as she points a finger at him. Man, did he miss her.

“Alright, alright, I said I was sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” He chuckles and leans down to kiss her. It’s been so long since they’ve done this, they both melt into the kiss. It’s soft and slow and perfect. Humming in delight, Winry smiles against his lips, unable to contain her happiness.

“Missed you.” He murmurs and her heart bursts with love.

“I missed you too.”

“Love you.”

Giggling, she pecks him on the mouth, “I love you, too.”

Kissing her forehead, Edward looks down at her. “Come on, let’s go to sleep, I’m beat.” He undresses to his boxers, while Winry turns down her bed. Before Ed can climb into her tiny bed though he freezes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Al’s in the living room.”

“Yeah, and?”

“What if he wakes up before us and sees us in bed together?”

“Wha- It’s not like were naked!” She laughs, “I’m sure he’d survive.”

“That’s easy for you to say! It’s not your little brother seeing you sleep with your girlfriend!”

Putting her hands on her hips, she raises an eyebrow, “Excuse me, girlfriend?”

“You know what I mean!”

“Edward, stop being so stupid! Al doesn’t care! He even told me he’s planned our wedding before!”

“What? How? What?” He sputters, blushing so hard he looks like a tomato. “Why the hell would he do that?”

“Both of you shut up and go to bed!” They hear Al yell from the living room.

Huffing, Edward yells back “Fine!” and rips the covers down callously. They have to cuddle up really close to fit together so Ed pulls her partially on top of him.

“Goodnight, Win, I hope your birthday was good, even if I wasn’t there.”

“Mhm, yeah it was. And my wish came true.”

“Oh yeah? What was it?”

“That you’re safe here, with me.”

Butterflies flutter in his stomach and he brings her closer to him. “I love you, automail freak.”

“I love you too, alchemy nerd.”

#Winry Rockbell #Edward Elric #Alphonse Elric #503week #Edwin #fic #my fic #Happy 503 Day!

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canaryatlaw · 4 years

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mmmm tired. today was kinda weird, a lot of random things taking place. Up at 8:45, though I didn’t have the normal court call, I had cases we finished up yesterday but missed the filing deadline, so we wanted to submit those as soon as we could that morning. once I got that done I worked on a few other things, always plenty to get done. We didn’t get the heading to court call until 2 pm with two of my clients, so I gave them all the zoom info to log into the courtroom, and they ended up just putting all three of us in the same break out room, which was chill because the clients were both around my age and I just wanted to talk casually and joke around, so that was nice. at one point I got another call from the court downstairs saying they’re sending the third case we filed up to 401 and I was like uhhhh, I’m kind of in this hearing queue already, so they were like we will hope it until I got done with my other cases, but that never ended up happening, because around 2:45 the court coordinator came into our break out room and said there had been an emergency and they were closing all the courthouses effectively immediately, and that they’d be in touch with the clients about when their hearings will be held. This is high key weird, but after some discussion we figured it had to be them wanting to prepare for any protests about the Breonna Taylor news (which is of course a massive fuck up and they totally deserve the protests) would happen in the area; our courthouse is outside the loop and I don’t think would be too much at risk if something were to happen (which is definitely not normal in the vast majority of protests that are peaceful, but I guess they felt it was better to close all of them, because there are several right in like he middle of the loop and the entire bottom floor is windows, so one solid brick throw could do some damage. I haven’t posted on any social media about it yet, I’m just really torn because I really really really wanted this to happen for them, but the legal part of my brain knew it wasn’t going to happen, and I feel like I can’t post that on facebook or twitter without coming off as being insensitive, so I just haven’t said anything yet, I’ll try to get at least one fb post about it because I do like to keep my profile updated with current events, and it also puts it in the news feed of a whole lot of people who would never otherwise she it, so I think that makes sense to what I want to accomplish. I really really really hate it, but I knew that because the police didn’t fire first, they would get off with no charges. and I hate that SO MUCH and I’m really sad to see it come true. sigh. anyway. so we logged off for court and I called my other clients, there was apparently some talk of shutting down all the courts tomorrow, but we don’t really know any info other than that so who knows at this point. I then went to get ready to go to my haircut appointment. the location is technically in the loop, it’s just like two buildings down from the river and bridges that go to the loop, so I knew it might be an issue but dammit it I really wanted to get my damn haircut because it was way too long. so I made it, no issues thankfully which for this time at least I’m counting it for sheer force of will that I will not have any issues on short distances just because I’m nervous. I’m fairly sure the same attitude would not work on the more walking episodes, but oh well. I got my haircut and got to see my haircut lady that I hadn't seen in literal months of course so it’s always nice to see her and catch up with everything. when we were finishing up we were basically the only people left in the store because they were shutting down for the day, so we finished and I paid quickly and left. there were still a good number of people on the street and it wasn’t too hard to get an uber thankfully, even with inflated rate for 1.8 the normal rate because rush hour, ugh. I did have a nice chat with the driver though, so that was nice. and yeah, once I got home I basically just hung out and watched Psych and worked on a few things and normally I’d go into more specifics but I’m so fucking tired I just need to end this now and go to bed ASAP. Goodnight friends. Sleep well (I sure do hope I will).

#daily journal #September 2020

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astrofireworks · 7 years

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while everyone is having really cute encounters i met my boyfriend by him walking into the glass door of the cafe i work at and i spent a good 10 minutes snort laughing at it while he begged me to please stop laughing at his misfortune and karma being the bitch it is had me burn my hand on his coffee and yet we somehow ended up together

i kept giggling throughout work today thinking about this okay asdhsdk this is so pure and cute but also i hope your hand is okay now!!!

He’s so so so tired it’s wild

It’s 6am and he just pulled two consecutive all nighters trying to finish up this damn essay

He hates this class so much he really does it’s his worst class

Good lord he needs coffee

Eunwoo stumbles into his kitchen and pulls out the instant coffee packet bag

And finds nothing

Dammit MJ he finished Eunwoo’s instant coffee two days ago and promised to replace it

Eunwoo pinching the bridge of his nose and trying not to cry

Decides to put on sneakers and a hoodie and walks to the nearest cafe

It’s nearly 6.30am by the time he meanders down to the nearest 24 hour cafe, sleepily rubbing his eyes and pulling his sleeves over his palms

Bin’s cleaning up the counter thank god it’s the end of the last night shift of the week

It’s only half an hour more before Jinjin comes in for the morning shift and Rocky and Bin can go home

He’s so exhausted

I mean it’s partially his fault for not napping before his shift but it was because Rocky wanted to go queue for Wanna One posters and he couldn’t just abandon his Rock

I mean he could but

You know

His Rock currently being sprawled out on a chair near the kitchen and snoring away

There never is anyone at the asscrack of dawn anyway so Bin just usually uses the time to work on essays

And so he’s in the middle of sitting down to write the next part of his essay when

A large shapeless pink blob bangs into the glass door of the cafe

Bin looks up

Rocko falls off his chair

Large Shapeless Pink Blob wobbles slightly away from the window, cursing in pain

He really thought it was a push door

Poor baby

And Bin can’t help it he starts laughing

It happens several times every day, someone accidentally banging into what’s meant to be a pull door

But at 6.30am? In the largest, softest, most pastel pink hoodie Bin has ever seen?

Bin thinks this is funnier than everything put together

Especially now that the Large Shapeless Pink Blob is wobbling around near the door trying to push it open

Bin trying to subdue his snorts when Pink Blob finally tumbles into the cafe

Rocky rubbing his eyes sleepily and greeting Pink Blob while Bin tries stopping his giggles by avoiding looking at Pink Blob

Not working

When Rocky relays his order Bin accepts it with a nod, a snort and a stray giggle

Dammit Bin get yourself under control please !!!!!

Bin slowly making a latte, double extra shot

What Bin Assumes is the Large Shapeless Pink Blob: “Ah, I guess this doesn’t very often, does it?“

Bin, trying to avoid all eye contact because we all know he’ll burst out laughing: "Nah it happens pretty often, about twice a day."

Pink Blob, slightly hurt: "Ah then, what makes mine so funny?"

Bin, distractedly wondering if all angels have scratchy voices in the middle of the night too: "You’re in a very fluffy pink hoodie?"

Oops

An accidental snort

And that’s it the gates are open Bin starts giggling again

Eunwoo sighing because wow on one hand it really isn’t funny!!!!! He was just unfortunate !!!!!!!! And very sleep deprived!!!!

But also on the other hand this boy is really cute and he’s especially cute laughing

Eunwoo might actually melt if he keeps giggling like this

Because his eyes scrunch up and his nose does a wiggle every time he snorts

Eunwoo blushing because wow he usually doesn’t notice this much about someone !!!!!!

Must be the lack of caffeine

"Ahhh it’s really not that funny please stop laughing!!"

But he’s smiling as he says it and Bin can hear the smile in his delicate ring of a voice and

He can’t help it

More giggling

Rocky staring like Bin that’s no way to treat a customer!!!!!

Until he looks up and Pink Blob is smiling to himself, mildly embarrassed too

Not so much smiling to himself as

Smiling

At Bin

Rocky squints

Wow this man looks Very Attractive

Very Bin’s type, if he says so himself,

Rocky reaching over to whack Bin because there’s no way he’s letting Bin let this one escape !!!!!

A good Rock, this one is,

Bin sobering up after being whacked on the ass with a tea towel

Finally looking up at whoever this latte is for

Jaw dropping slightly open

Because wow

The shapeless pink blob?

Looks like an angel

Well, an angel shrouded in a large pink hoodie

Looking very Boyfriend and huggable indeed

Bin flushing red because wow he just spent the last five minutes snorting and giggling ungracefully

In front of the most beautiful smiling angel he’s ever seen

Rip Bin

Ohhhhh rippy rip

Eunwoo wondering if there’s something on his face

Does he really look that bad???

Because coffee boy was giggling really cutely just a minute before but the moment he looked up

His face just collapsed

Eunwoo touching his chin nervously because did he forget to shave??

Bin blushing and looking down and wow thanks way to mess up this one Moon Bin !!!!!!

And looking down and realising

He’s over-filling the Angel Blob’s coffee cup with milk

Steaming hot milk

O shit

Bin yelping as milk sloshes over the side of the cup

Bin crying a bit because the heart he was making is more or less a blob now

Eunwoo being worried !!!!!!

And reaching over the counter to check on Bin’s hand !!!!

Bin being alarmed because his hand just got slightly burnt by spilled milk but

There’s something cool touching his hand??

And someone asking if he’s okay?????

He looks up at the Angel

Who’s just blinking and

His hands are on Bin’s??????

His sweater paws?????? Are touching Bin’s hands ??????????

Wow his eyes are sparkling

Wow

And he nearly forgets the milk again but Rocky bats his hands out of the way and saves the latte

Bless Rocky, a small voice in Bin’s head intones

The same way it intones at least five times a day

The angel’s still laughing slightly at him as Rocky finishes up his latte

Bin scratching his ear because wow that’s embarrassing

Giggling at the angel before getting bitten in the ass by karma

But smiling back all the same because wow when someone smiles at you like that with beautiful eye smile and sparkling eyes and scrunched up nose

How do you not smile back?

good lord i’m so weak

Both gently forgetting that they’re both still

You know

Holding hands

Until Rocky gently sets down a latte cup on the counter and not-so-gently butts Bin out of the way

To make his own damn cup of coffee because dammit he needs something to hold too

Bin still blushing!!!!!!! And mumbling something about letting Eunwoo sit down

Eunwoo sitting down and finally (finally!!!!!) sipping his damn latte

Because wowee he’s so caffeine deprived it’s honestly ????? How is he even still functional

Eunwoo glancing up at the counter at Bin every few seconds

Bin grinning and glancing down and

!!! Lovesick teenager that’s what I call this

Rocky slapping Bin with the tea towel for the second time in 10 minutes and motioning to the muffin display case

Small voice in Bin’s head thanking & blessing Rocko

Bin grabbing a warm muffin and depositing it on Eunwoo’s table

To see Eunwoo’s bright beam of thanks

Bin thinks he might weep

Eunwoo gently touching Bin’s hand, slightly red from the burn

Both of them expecting Eunwoo to say something like "oh are u ok"

Eunwoo surprising himself when the first thing he says is "lmao karma bitch"

Bin: !!!!!!!

Bin, tugging at Eunwoo’s sweater paws: "well yeah if I weren’t so distracted by you being all cute and beautiful"

Wow Bin where did that come from

Rocky sipping his latte and snorting

Eunwoo coming home at 7.30 with an empty cup of coffee and a number scribbled on his palm

Eunwoo cheerily thanking MJ for finishing his instant coffee

MJ: ????????

same mj???????

#astro #astro fic #binu #vivi answers stuff #barista anon #was this my tag? or was it door anon #no it was barista for sure #also sdjfhaskdjfh #hi i love coffeeshop aus #vivi shoots #team s o a p #truly i am so weak for binu #listen i could talk ur ear off about binu headcanons anyday give me a bottle of water and a google search bar

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ol-razzle-dazazzle · 7 years

Text

The Bridges We Cannot Cross- Chapter 3: Yesterday's Money, Today's Entrance Fee

Sadly this one has less Dazai, but there’s some ssssgood ship stuff at the end, Atsushi panics over adulthood, we see that mole man is here, and it’s a calm before a storm.

——————————–

Money means little to a dead man.

“Dazai, I’m not going to go withdraw money from a bank with your account.” Atsushi shuddered, perhaps it was the wind, or the terror at the thought.

“Why not? I mean, it’s not like anyone’s going to haunt you.” Dazai smiles, a hand moving, revealing a few coins. “Besides, all a dead person needs is pocket change, and a demon? Even less than that.”

Atsushi frowns, “Why would you need it anyway?”

Dazai shrugs, “To most people, all that’s left of a human is numbers, measurements, values. The people I knew that weren’t are…” He trailed off.

“Are what?”

“No, I can’t go on any further!” Dazai flops onto the river bed, “Atsushi, you must go on without me, get some decent clothes and some salt that we can use for our soup, I can’t live much…glug glub glud” his words were replaced by bubbles of diversion.

Atsushi waited. But no answer came.

So he begrudgingly found himself at a bank, and not a river one. He never really was in such a place, why would he? There were random lines everywhere, people walking, lots of them…

“Excuse me, you look lost.” Atsushi turned to see a man befitting of the image of ‘bureaucrat’, glasses and uniform manner.

“I-I’m meant to be here. I…think?” He stammered, holding nothing in his head but numbers of a bank account.

“Most people are uh…better dressed.” An eyebrow quirked, and Atsushi couldn’t help but notice a mole on the other’s face.

“I left my suit in the trash can, I apologise.” He couldn’t help but reply, bowing.

Sure enough, a slight chuckle emerged from the man, causing his features to soften slightly. “Look, this isn’t really my job, but I’ll help you out a little.” The man led Atsushi along a queue, strangely skipping ahead of the others.

“Withdrawal, right?” Atsushi nodded.

“Who’s account?” The words stopped Atsushi, and for the first time it never struck him what kind of life Dazai lived. He drowned himself, so it couldn’t be good right? But he had money, so he had to be somewhat payed for, maybe he had people who cared for him…maybe not.

“Sir, there is a queue.”

“A-Ah right! It’s under…Osamu Dazai?” The expression from the employee didn’t change, whether or not that was an act Atsushi couldn’t be certain. The corner of his eye, he could see the man next to him twitch.

“You…don’t look like him, so I’m afraid you have to give the account details.”

“F-Fair enough?” Atsushi relayed the information, his voice shaking, a sense of guilt seeping into him, only worsened by the stiffness of the man next to him.

“How much is in there anyway…?” Atsushi raised an eyebrow, “For reference…?”

“Confidential, I’m afraid.” The employee shook her head. “How much do you need to withdraw?”

“Uh…” He didn’t want to seem too shady, at least any further, “Maybe…” but he really didn’t want to come back again, what if the other man wouldn’t help him? “100,652 yen?” The number seemed astronomical, and his heart pounded at seeing the confusion on the other’s face.

“A specific amount there, sir… but certainly.” The employee left to retrieve it, as Atsushi turned towards the other man.

“You shouldn’t have that information.” A robotic sentence, one that Atsushi couldn’t tell his rage or sorrow.

“I…I’m sorry?”

A sigh crept from the other’s lips. “How…look, it doesn’t matter.” He looked at his wristwatch, “Dammit…look, you’re probably going to need this, I’m Ango Sakaguchi, and I’m going to have to call you in for questioning someway or another okay?”

“Nokay.” Atsushi smiled sheepishly. “I’d really rather not.”

Ango shuffled around in his jacket pocket, presenting a government badge. “I’d really rather you would.”

“Okay.” Atsushi nodded, unsure of his existence. Just go along with it.

“…Buy yourself something nice, after all, the dead are seen by appearances, aren’t they?” With that Ango walked off, leaving Atsushi in a state of disarray.

“Sir? Your money.”

“It’s not mine, but thank you.” Atsushi blurts out, swiping the envelope away, wanting to race out of the building as fast as he could.

*****

Shopping for the first time alone is a very daunting thing. Especially when you’re questioning your own life.

Atsushi looked around, trying not to 'splurge’, seriously how can suits cost more than a lifetime of bread?! He recounted Dazai’s earlier words, 'To most people, all that’s left of a human is numbers, measurements, values.’ Money. Money always seemed like an abstract control over Atsushi, a vengeful god that dictated how much he would eat in the orphanage.

'The dead are seen by apprearances, aren’t they?’ Appearances…values… he remembers that he used to hear stories of people being buried with all sorts of strange things, coins, gold, furniture, servants (a common threat given to him is that he would be prematurely buried with another corpse). Why did people care about such things? Did Dazai? If he had nothing, Atsushi wouldn’t be able to withdraw anything, did he have a lot?

Well, even if he did, Dazai still drowned himself, so there was some element of depression and dissatisfaction. He was a vengeful spirit, so even if he lived a 'life with values’ he didn’t live a 'valued life’.

Atsushi looked himself in the mirror, examining the white dress shirt and pants. He looked like a different person, a different fate.

Why was he thinking of Dazai as if he was dead? Atsushi frowned. 'If only he was here, knew him’, he /is/ here! That’s why he said that he had even less use for pocket change, right?

Atsushi was shopping with yesterday’s money, money that didn’t matter apart from it’s exchange. Something with no intrinsic value. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a coat, and something stirred within him. Perhaps Dazai couldn’t feel it, or couldn’t care, but he had a new life now, and a different fate with Atsushi, so it would only be fitting he gets something out of this, right? Besides, it was turning to autumn soon, and he’d be…well, the water would be chilly.

Atsushi got some extra ingredients and some salt for a no longer bland crab soup and walked home, changed with his new clothes.

“I’m…home?” Atsushi called out, thankfully not tripping his way to the bridge unlike his first encounter. The word was foreign to his lips, fresh.

“You look… lovely.” Dazai smiled widely. “I couldn’t have picked better myself, though I’m not a suspender person myself they work with you.” Atsushi set the bags down, turning at him.

“Atsushi…?”

He couldn’t exactly formulate words in his mouth. The day had been one mental blur, he didn’t know what to do or think, “…I’m sorry I failed.”

“Failed what?”

“The…kiss. It didn’t do anything.” Atsushi glanced at him. “You had a life before all this, and I couldn’t even help that.” He blurted.

“…So?”

“So…what?”

“Precisely. So what? It’s not your fault. You wanted to try help me.” Dazai set an arm on Atsushi’s shoulder. “You know…when we were together, and just wasting time.” A sigh. “I felt like that was…human. Something that couldn’t be recorded, a…valuable time.”

Time is money. Money is life, and without it you die, and can’t pass onto the next world. But…there’s different types of time isn’t there? Perhaps, the most treasured thing was the grains of golden sand in an hourglass, and how much you spend with someone. That gives intrinsic value.

“…Can we do it again?”

“Try another attempt to turn me back?”

“No. The kiss. Even though it won’t work…I want to do it again.” Atsushi takes Dazai’s hands in his own, blood, life, rushing to his face.

“Of course.” It’s a soft tender touch, a flicker of warmth for a moment.

“Your lips are like a heater.” Dazai chuckles.

“Yours are too cold!” Atsushi defended.

“Well, that’s to be expected, isn’t it?”

“…” Atsushi relinquished the topic, revealing a coat. “I figured you’d need some warming up, and it’s waterproof.” A tongue-in-cheek smile, “As to be expected, right?”

“You’re too much, you know…” Dazai nonetheless takes the coat, wrapping himself in the fabric, glancing at the reflection in the water. “…it’s perfect, but it doesn’t fulfil it’s purpose.”

Atsushi raises an eyebrow, “What?”

“Well it’s draping along the floor, it’s much too big. So instead of 'growing into it’, it’s purpose is to be…” He smirks, enveloping Atsushi in it. “For two people.”

Atsushi stayed in the hashihime’s tender clutches, drowning in the warmth. If time is money, then perhaps spending it this way would be worth every cent.

#dazatsu #my writing #hashihime au #all dis styx symbolism yoooooo #what is living what is life what is time #we just don't know #dw guys next chapter is going to be very very...prominent on Dazai's character I assure you #dazai #Atsushi #bsd #...someone's gonna get rekt lmao

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