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#island's messages in a bottle
islanduntothyself · 2 years
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POV: You come back to an RP site that you occupied for pretty much your entire teen years up until you turned 18 only to see everything's gone to shit now, the old version of the site exists through an ex mod, and the current owner is holding the actual site hostage.
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bitternace · 3 months
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if youre still taking the top 100 song rqs - how about 34 and something kairi related? ❤️ (dont worry about it if you're already swamped with rqs!)
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but i regret just one thing: i never got to change your mind
[ID: a digital drawing of kairi from kingdom hearts. the background is a sketchy rendition of the tunnel in Traverse Town's secret waterway. the shadows are a little chunky, and the circular waterway frames her from the shoulder up.
she is in her kingdom hearts outfit, shown from the thigh up. with her back to the audience, kairi holds her right arm behind her back, shoulders tense. her right hand is curled into a fist. /End ID.]
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chubbiichii · 9 months
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Wishing you were here!
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kairizine · 1 year
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🌺 Merch Reveal: Shaker Charm 🌺
This sweet merch designed by @destiny-islanders will be available for preorder as a part of our limited highest-tier bundle! The shaker charm is 3 x 1.8 inches (76 x 45 mm) and made with eco-friendly transparent acrylic.
Follow us @kairizine to see more merch reveals leading up to the Destiny's Embrace preorders, opening on March 28th!
[Video description:
The video is framed by clusters of flowers: pink hibiscus, pale gold dandelions and purple morning glories. Imposed on top of them is an angular, faceted frame with a Destiny’s Embrace zine-branded logo in the top right corner.
Inside the frame is an acrylic charm mock-up showing Kairi from KH3 inside a jar. She is curled up, sleeping peacefully, holding Chirithy in her lap and is animated to fall to the bottom, whilst beside her the thalassa shell charm, and her keyblade floating in the jar. There is an image of a sandy floor, dotted with starfish, shells and a hibiscus flower in pink. A pink ribbon is tied around the lid of the jar, and decorated with pink and red flowers. The charm is attached with a golden lobster clasp in the shape of a bow.
To the right of the charm, we see a handwritten title reading Shaker Charm, and below that, bulletpointed with flower petals, in a clean, modern san-serif font: 3 Inches (76 mm), Shakable Kairi and Chirithy, Gold Ribbon Clasp, Designed by Destiny-Islanders. Beneath that, in bold, it reads, preorders open March 28.
End Description.]
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weepynymph · 7 months
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not only do i need ed to fish out his leathers from the sea, i also need him to fish out one of stede's letters and read it and cry
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realityisforgotten · 9 months
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From asinhell's teaser for their new music video, "Island of Dead Men."
Looks pretty cool so far - aside from the continuity errors of the bottle changing shape and how it's seemingly empty when in the water.
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mirrortouchedsea · 11 months
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For fic mash-up!
"Stranded Due to Inclement Weather" and "The Missus and the Ex" for characters of your choice! (Maybe Wataru and Tsumugi? I wanna say Tori and Ibara but you've never written them.)
Ask game
I ended up going with Tori and Ibara because my first thought was Umineko AU and so I had to consult my local Umineko expert, Shannon Junescapes2 on some of the details* for this
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(Screenshots posted with permission)
I don't know how much you know about Umineko but the very brief gist of it is that the Ushiromiya family (the Himemiyas in this AU) are very rich and waiting for the head of the family to croak. They have an annual family meeting on the island of Rokkenjima to discuss plans regarding the distribution of the will and family fortune among other things.
However, the 1986 meeting is different. They are having the meeting as normal but the topic of the Witch comes up repeatedly due to a newcomer to the island (Battler in the game...I'd have to play more to figure out which enstars character to put here. Thoughts are Izumi and I'd be fucking with a lot of weird family dynamics anyway so its up in the air) asking about this big fuckoff portrait of her on the staircase. There's a strange epitaph along with it that describes several nights of terror or Twilights.
The first and most relevant Twilight involves the deaths of 6 inhabitants of the island (Yuzuru being one of them in this rotation) at random. Is it the work of the Witch, or is someone on the island plotting something sinister? Tori and Ibara must team up to try and solve the murders of their family and friends before its too late.
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cockworkangels · 1 year
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what book is it you’re reading?
i'm reading Pullopostia Seilin saarelta — Potilas numero 43 by Susan Heikkinen. sorry it's in finnish, i tried to see if it's been translated to english but i couldn't find any info :(
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hatchpaper · 27 days
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Stranded
By Corbin Leach | February 11, 2024 (Age 30)
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guiltknight-gaming · 11 months
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Dead Island 2 Episode 35: Messsage In A Bottle
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islanduntothyself · 2 years
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No because I wish the demo versions of songs from Hawaii part ii were on spotify. Sitting here ugly crying over the demo version of Stranded Lullaby.
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valentineish · 1 year
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Tumblr has finally responsed to one of my Help Desk contact attempts. Apparently, you just? Won't get ticket confirmations while shadowbanned??? Which feels like a wild choice, especially since there seems to be an ongoing problem of active users getting accidentally flagged by the system.
Unfortunately, they just asked for more info, and specified response time is delayed due to a massive amount of tickets. Now to wait for another week, I guess. 🥴
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throneofsapphics · 2 months
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finding you again prologue
Azriel x f!Reader
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summary: after he ended your relationship, you didn’t expect Azriel to pop into your life again - and you’re not happy about it
warnings: angst, drinking
a/n: here's the start to the mini series from this poll! if anyone wants to be added to a taglist, you can comment under here or send me an ask/message!
part one
“Why?” You ran a hand through your hair. “Can you at least give me a reason?” 
“I told you. It’s not working.” Pity shone in Azriel’s eyes, and it made you want to break something. There was more he wasn’t saying, it was obvious to you, just as it was obvious he wouldn’t deign to share. 
“Then get out,” your voice was colder than you’d ever heard it. Enough that he blinked, and it brought a sick sense of satisfaction to you. “Out,” you repeated, not sure how much longer you could keep the tears in. 
He backed up slowly, one hand reaching behind to open the door, before slipping out. You missed the lingering look they shot your way, already having turned your back. With the click of the door, you grabbed the nearest glass and launched it across the room, a guttural scream leaving your chest. 
-
He lingered in the hallway, listening to shattering glass, your scream of pure pain, and hated themselves for a brief moment. He hadn’t lied to you, it wasn’t working. 
Whether you knew it or not wasn’t of any consequence to him. He did love you, genuinely, and part of him ached at the pain he was causing, but it was better than drawing out the inevitable. He’d loved you, but not enough to spend the rest of your lives together. It didn’t feel right to keep going when he knew you felt differently.
Still, he had to fight the desire to go back in and comfort you. 
His footsteps were soft down the hall, the stairs, the street, to the night that left an uncomfortable itch on his skin. 
-
Everything seemed fine. Not a damn indication something was wrong, but you should’ve known better - he was trained to hide his emotions, to keep secrets, but for a few years you’d let yourself believe you meant something to him. Let that pathetic hope fill you, that it might evolve into something more, that you could be his one. 
His face flashed across your mind, unwelcomed. That pity, like you were some miserable creature that would be broken by this 
Maybe you were broken, right now, but you decided to give yourself a day. 24 hours, and then you’d pull yourself together. 
But for now … a perfectly good bottle of red wine sat on your counter, one wine glass left standing. It would do. 
-
His shadows, half with a mind of their own, still followed you - still trailed to check you were fine. It was normal, expected, of course. You’d spent a few years together, although in secret, it was natural he’d still care for you. 
But, after a year passed he started to … wonder. Had he made a mistake? Through whispers in his ear, he trailed your life. Healers training, like you always said you would, a few new friends, new lovers that came and went, and eventually your departure from Velaris - sent to an outlying island as a new healing post. There was pride, pride he didn’t have any claim to feel, but it persisted nonetheless.
-
Prythian shut down, and you were one of the few who knew of a safe haven - although you couldn’t speak of it, or recall how to access it. Velaris. Each time the word came to the tip of your tongue, each time it was prominent in your mind, your throat dried up - chest clenched hard enough you lost your breath. It happened frequently enough your friends worried there was some sort of medical issue, and you forced yourself not to think of it. 
There’d been one last command from your High Lord - to lie low, and stay away, with one image flashing through your mind - the Holy Mountain for all of Prythian. Now cursed. Four simple words, one horrid curse, and you were cut off from all of your family and the friends you’d known for years. 
After 45 years, you wondered if they would still remember you like you did them. If one day you’d hug your little sister again. Would she remember you? She’d only been 10 the last time you saw each other, a day before you left, your chest clenched, throat tightening. Before you’d left home.  
You’d ached to leave the city and explore, and now all you wanted was to return. 
-
He thought of you often. Stuck outside of Velaris, with no way back. Not for the first time, he resented the decision Rhys made to keep them away. He hoped you’d gotten some kind of warning, that you were still alive out there. 
Azriel found himself checking on people he’d only heard of in passing. Everyone who’d been important to you in your life. Your younger sister growing, how your name was always met with worried looks and hushed tones, how over the years she stopped asking after you, how you seemed to disappear from everyone’s minds. 
Sometimes he wondered if he was the only one who remembered you. 
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thelasttime · 1 year
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surprise songs - eras tour
3/17 - glendale, arizona : “mirrorball” and “tim mcgraw”
3/18 - glendale, arizona: “this is me trying” and “state of grace”
3/24 - las vegas, nevada: “our song” and “snow on the beach”
3/25 - las vegas, nevada: “cowboy like me” and “white horse”
3/31 - arlington, texas: “sad beautiful tragic” and “ours”
4/1 - arlington, texas: “death by a thousand cuts” and “clean”
4/2 - arlington, texas: “jump then fall” and “the lucky one”
4/13 - tampa, florida: “speak now” and “treacherous”
4/14 - tampa, florida: “the great war” and “you’re on your own kid”
4/15 - tampa, florida: “mad woman” and “mean”
4/21 - houston, texas: “wonderland” and “you’re not sorry”
4/22 - houston, texas: “a place in this world” and “today was a fairytale”
4/23 - houston, texas: “begin again” and “cold as you”
4/28 - atlanta, georgia: “the other side of the door” and “coney island”
4/29 - atlanta, georgia: “high infidelity” and “gorgeous”
4/30 - atlanta, georgia: “i bet you think about me” and “how you get the girl”
5/5 - nashville, tennessee: “sparks fly” and “teardrops on my guitar”
5/6 - nashville, tennessee: “out of the woods” and “fifteen”
5/7 - nashville, tennessee: “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve” and “mine”
5/12 - philadelphia, pennsylvania: “gold rush” and “come back…be here”
5/13 - philadelphia, pennsylvania: “forever & always” and “this love”
5/14 - philadelphia, pennsylvania: “hey stephen” and “the best day”
5/19 - foxborough, massachusetts: “should’ve said no” and “better man”
5/20 - foxborough, massachusetts: “…question?” and “invisible”
5/21 - foxborough, massachusetts: “i think he knows” and “red”
5/26 - east rutherford, new jersey: "getaway car" and "maroon"
5/27 - east rutherford, new jersey: “holy ground” and “false god”
5/28 - east rutherford, new jersey: "welcome to new york" and "clean"
6/2 - chicago, illinois: "i wish you would" and "the lakes"
6/3 - chicago, illinois: "you all over me" and "i don't wanna live forever"
6/4 - chicago, illinois: “hits different” and “the moment i knew”
6/9 - detroit, michigan: "haunted" and "i almost do"
6/10 - detroit, michigan: "all you had to do was stay" and "breathe"
6/16 - pittsburgh, pennsylvania: "mr. perfectly fine" and "the last time"
6/17 - pittsburgh, pennsylvania: "seven" and "the story of us"
6/23 - minneapolis, minnesota: “paper rings” and “if this was a movie”
6/24 - minneapolis, minnesota: “dear john” and “daylight”
6/30 - cincinnati, ohio: "i'm only me when i'm with you" and "evermore"
7/1 - cincinnati, ohio: “ivy,” “i miss you, i’m sorry,” and “call it what you want”
7/7 - kansas city, missouri: “never grow up” and “when emma falls in love”
7/8 - kansas city, missouri: “last kiss” and “dorothea”
7/14 - denver, colorado: “picture to burn” and “timeless”
7/15 - denver, colorado: “starlight” and “back to december”
7/22 - seattle, washington: “this is why we can’t have nice things” and “everything has changed”
7/23 - seattle, washington: "tied together with a smile" and "message in a bottle"
7/28 - santa clara, california: “right where you left me” and “castles crumbling”
7/29 - santa clara, california: “stay stay stay” and “all of the girls you loved before”
8/3 - los angeles, california: "i can see you" and "maroon"
8/4 - los angeles, california: "our song" and "you are in love"
8/5 - los angeles, california: “death by a thousand cuts” and “you’re on your own kid”
8/6 - los angeles, california: "i know places" and "king of my heart"
8/7 - los angeles, california: "new romantics" and "new year's day"
8/24 - mexico city, mexico: "i forgot that you existed" and "sweet nothing"
8/25 - mexico city, mexico: "tell me why" and "snow on the beach"
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dfortrafalgar · 7 days
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Hiii! I'm so happy you are taking requests! I love the way you write, everything feels so real! I'm loving ILY and it's a bittersweet feeling now that it is ending (I'm the anon that commented early on saying that it was so relatable because I also had a miscarriage at 6 weeks). Thank you for that fic 🥰🤗
Now, my requests, if you choose to take it! I would love a jealous/protective Law X fem reader. I was thinking, no established relationship but some flirting going on, perhaps. Could be SFW or NSFW, it's up to you! I would just really loooooove some protective Law! I'm also obsessed with his hands so you can do whatever with that 😂
Did I mention that I love your writting? I did? I'll do it again. Thank you for sharing your gift! ❤️
I'm in annon but you can call me R.J. 😋😎
AAA HELLO R.J im so happy to hear from you again!!!!! no lie ive been thinking about you every day, your first message during my story was so amazingly sweet and touching and i havent been able to stop thinking about it, im so happy that you loved the end of the fic and to hear that you're doing well!!! <333
i ended up projecting a bit in this fic... and it ended up being a bit more Protective Law rather than Jealous Law, but i hope you like it all the same! i also juggled on nsfw, but decided that sfw worked better for this specific plot, so i hope that's alright!!!
thank you so much for requesting!!!! 💗❤️💓💕
Decontaminate the Heart
Law x Fem Reader
Your feelings toward Law had gone from a reasonable level of respect to a deep infatuation that you were readily keeping hidden. An unfortunate encounter with a predatory shopkeep might be what unravels your feelings... and the feelings of your captain.
Warnings: some descriptions of gross behavior from a stranger, light fluff, pre-relationship vibes, protective law but also struggling-to-accept-his-feelings awkward law
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Law wasn’t fond of the word ‘jealous.’  After all, he was a seasoned veteran in the long game of Keeping All Human Emotions Bottled Up Inside So That You Don’t Show Weakness To Those Who Might Be Out To Hurt You.  He had become a pro at it, too.  After all, putting a word to an undefined emotion only validated that feeling, which was exactly the opposite of what Law needed.  Mouth constantly downturned in a pensive frown, steely, cold eyes shutting down all encounters with those he deemed unfamiliar or even the slightest bit threatening, holding even his closest friends at arm’s length on good days.  If he wasn’t the strong-willed, feared captain of the Heart Pirates, a man with a three billion beri bounty on his head, then who was he?
The answer is: a loser.  He was a loser.  Especially after he brought you on board his crew as a boatswain.  That day, he unwillingly began the downward spiral that would transform into his emotional demise.  A psychic catastrophe.  An inner turmoil of the highest degree.
Ikkaku called it infatuation.  Bepo called it love.  The rest of his raunchy, stifled male crew called it being horny.
Whatever it was, it had Law in a steel trap, never letting go.
And on a particularly warm, sunny day, docked cliffside on an island with idyllic spring weather, his steel trap was donned in a flowy sundress that complimented her entire outward appearance in a way he didn’t think was humanly possible.  When she first greeted Law before they departed the Polar Tang, she had bent down slightly, holding her hands together in front of her and pushing her biceps together just enough that her cleavage was on center stage for just a brief moment.  She had giggled at the way Law’s face flushed with a crimson hue.  Unprovoked… but not necessarily unappreciated.
Days for leisure were hard to come by as a pirate, so the crew was sure to take full advantage of the opportunities that crossed your path.  The pirates were given the freedom to roam to their heart’s content, so long as they didn’t cause trouble.  “Stress-free activities are crucial to maintaining good cardiac health,” Law would say.  But everyone knew he enjoyed some sparring days off just as much as any average bloke.
Especially when those days off were spent in your company.
“Thank you for coming with me, Captain!” you quipped, your voice cheerful as you walked beside him, a small paper bag clutched in your hand, containing a small product you had just purchased from one of the local shops.  The entire crew had shed their usual boiler suits for the day in exchange for more casual attire, you taking the opportunity to don the sundress that you had purchased a few months ago with Ikkaku.  “I’m always happy when you take days off to get out of that stuffy office of your’s.”
Law fought tooth and nail to keep the pleased smirk that twitched his lips from showing on his face.  He already needed to duel with his wandering eyes which kept itching to gaze at the way your breasts fit into the bodice of your light, flowy gown.  “Of course, it’s nice to get out sometimes.”  ‘With you,’ he added in his head before quickly balling up the thought into a crumpled mess and chucking it into a garbage pail.  The worst part about all of this, unrelated to walking side-by-side with you (which was the complete opposite of a bad thing), was the fact that he was pressured to leave Kikoku behind on the Polar Tang.  He felt naked without his sword perched on his right shoulder.
Your eyes were eagerly glancing between the storefronts that surrounded you on both sides, happy townspeople window shopping with their families and loved ones, partaking in the outdoor food markets, and spending quality time in the sun.  The domestic bliss of days like this always made your soul feel lighter, your footsteps almost floating off the ground.  A few couples passed by, their hands intertwined and souls combining with bliss, a sight that made Law’s own fingers twitch with the deep-seeded need to grasp your hand.  Every once in a while, your own fingers would tingle with the desire to reach out for him as well.
He wouldn’t hold your hand because of affection, Law told himself.  It was just to make sure other people knew you were off limits.
Was that because of affection?  Was he even entitled to such a thought?  
He stifled a frustrated groan.  “Are you looking for something?” he asked curiously, picking up on the way your gleaming eyes darted to and fro.
“There was a shop I read about in the latest paper that I could have sworn was on this island…” you muttered, bringing your free hand up to nervously stroke the skin of your cheek.  After a few more moments, your face lit up as your eyes landed on a shop tucked away between two larger markets, almost completely hidden from public view.  “Found it!”
Law’s heart almost leapt out of his throat when you subconsciously snatched his hand, yanking him out of the flow of people on the street and towards the storefront.  His stern golden eyes flashed up towards the sign above the front door.
‘WILD BILL’S PAWN SHOP’
“You read about this somewhere?” he asked, his voice revealing a level of skepticism as you stopped in front of the front door.  A dingy, beat-up ‘OPEN’ sign carved into a plank of birch wood and hanging from a rusty chain was flipped outward toward the street, beckoning townsfolk inside to peruse whatever wares were contained within the unassuming wooden shack.
You excitedly nodded.  “Yup, I was looking for places that might sell rare coins.”
Law’s breath caught in his throat.  “But you don’t collect coins.”
“I was looking for you!” you called out, flashing him a smile that could have easily put him in an early grave.  So much for being conscious of his heart health.  With the way his organ was hammering behind his sternum, he had half a mind to be worried about spontaneous cardiac arrest.
Instead of responding, all he could muster was a quiet, pensive, “Hmm.”
You finally released his hand (his palm felt so cold now), and pushed open the thin wooden door to enter the shop.  An obnoxious, ear-piercing bell chimed above the hinges, alerting any other shoppers or employees of your entrance.  Law always hated gimmicks like that, they were a pirate’s worst nightmare.  Instantly, the smell of centuries old dust and mildew flooded Law’s nose, making him suppress a sneeze into the collar of his shirt.  He was about to make a snide remark about being susceptible to allergens, but kept his lips sealed when an amused giggle emitted from your lips at the way his face contorted with mild disgust.
He blindly followed you to the back of the store, past dusty shelves containing books from all walks of life, old technology that Law had never even seen before, and antiques from across the globe.  Your expression remained one of wonder as you passed by each new item, gazing fondly at some of the more sentimental goods- boxes of old postcards, old newspapers from decades prior, wanted posters for pirates long deceased.  For such a ratty-looking establishment, the variety of wares this ‘Wild Bill’ had on hand was quite impressive.  In the very back of the store, a long glass case spanning almost the entire length of the wall was situated, separating a back room from the rest of the establishment.  There was a small space to walk around behind the case in between the wall, where small sliding doors were built in to allow someone to remove the wares kept safe inside.
Law’s eyes finally lit up in wonder.
A plethora of fine metalwork was kept in the special enclosure, jewelry with the finest minerals and perfectly sculpted details in precious velvet boxes, metal treasures surely passed down through generations of wealth, and in the nearest corner, an assortment of collectable, commemorative coins from across the world.  You smiled to yourself as Law drifted toward the coins, crouching down on his calves to more closely inspect what the shop had to offer.
He was so adorable.
“Can I help you folks with anything?” a voice from behind you asked, startling you from your affectionate daze.
A larger, older man emerged from behind one of the tall bookshelves, his hands in his pockets.  He was dressed surprisingly gaudy, a bright purple overcoat that traveled past his rump covering a sky-blue button-up shirt and a polka dot bowtie.  His belly was quite large, a curled handlebar mustache perched atop his upper lip.  He looked wildly out of place in such a modest, dusty shop.  Must be Wild Bill.
You flashed a cordial smile.  “Just looking around!”
The sound of your talking alerted Law, who stayed crouched in front of the coin collection but tossed accusatory glares over his shoulder, assessing the man’s interactions with you under an analytical gaze.  Out of instinct, as a pirate.  As a captain.  Nothing more… probably.
“Well, let me know if you need help finding anything!” the man hollered, his receding hairline making the dim light of the nearby lamps reflect off his oily skin.  He stepped behind the glass containers with a small huff and disappeared into the back room, a curtain swooping closed behind him.
With the outrageous stranger gone, Law resumed looking over the fine details of each coin housed within their own individual boxes, while you approached the other end of the glass case and examined the jewelry.
Your eyes darted excitedly between pieces.  Delicate rings with rare gemstones sat perfectly in their boxes, some dated as old as centuries ago.  A bracelet that was assembled with the finest minerals, gleaming brightly through the dim atmosphere of the shop.  As your eyes continued to dart from one object to the next, you finally found yourself entranced by one thing in particular.  It was a necklace, more of a choker than a longer-hanging piece, with a small purple amethyst mounted elegantly in the center of a silver pendant.  The complimentary silver chain seemed to be fairly heavy duty just as it was delicate enough to still be an elegant accessory.  You felt a smile pull at your lips.  You doubted you had enough beri to afford it, but you’d be damned if you couldn’t at least try it on.
Wild Bill once again appeared from behind the curtain after a few moments, placing a few items on top of the counter to be placed inside the glass enclosure.  Law watched as the old man’s gaze turned to you as you bent over, tucking your dress behind your knees to crouch down and get a closer look at the amethyst necklace.
“Anything caught your eye, missy?” Bill asked, his voice far too loud for such a small shop as he leaned over the top of the counter and gazed through the transparent surface at the pieces you were admiring.  A seemingly friendly smile adorned his pudgy face.
You enthusiastically nodded.  “Yes, actually, can I try on this necklace?”  Your finger pointed through the protective barrier toward your interest.  “The one with the small amethyst pendant.”
Law kept watching your interaction out of the corner of his eye.
“Of course, of course!” boomed Bill, bending over and sliding the door of the case open to remove the necklace, holding it by the chain in his large, burly hand.  
Without being asked, he stepped out from behind the counter and approached you from behind, unclasping the chain and looping it around your neck.  Law watched, his leg muscles tensing as you visibly stiffened at the proximity of the man as he clasped the chain together around your neck.  He pulled over a small standing mirror to have you admire the piece that sat elegantly between your collarbones.  Your fingers ghosted over the gemstone embedded in the fine silver, a small smile ghosting over your lips.
“It looks absolutely beautiful,” you whispered.
Bill stepped closer, almost pinning you from behind against the counter.  His large hands rested against the glass case, caging you in.  “It does… fitting for a beautiful woman such as yourself.”
The air went ice cold as Law watched the man’s hand wander upward, trailing across your forearm and up toward your bicep, across your shoulder and to your neck.  Your face had quickly contorted into an expression of terror, having been caged against the counter all of a sudden against your will, being caressed by this stranger.  Law felt frozen.  His brain was screaming at him to move, to do something, to get you out of this shop as soon as possible.  But he couldn’t move.  Why couldn’t he move?
“I’m sorry, I think I’m going to pass, actually,” you uttered, trying to push yourself away from him.  Your voice had quickly grown shaky, apprehensive.
“No, no, it really does suit you!” Bill murmured, his head angling downward, predatory eyes gazing over the soft skin of your neck.  The way he kept you pinned against the counter prevented you from moving away from him.  His belly was almost pushed flush against your back, making your hands tremble in fear.
“ROOM.”
A flash of blue light engulfed the surrounding area.  You immediately breathed a sigh of mild relief.  A static sensation permeated the space around you, making goosebumps rise across your skin and the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.  Just as soon as the bubble surrounded you, the predatory man was replaced with your captain standing protectively behind you, his lean hand on your shoulder to keep you steady.
Now he’d done it.
“You’re…” Bill stammered, his own hands shaking with realization.  “I’ve seen that ability, you’re… you’re…!”
Law didn’t give him time to fully realize who’s identity he was dealing with before his hand was in yours, forcefully dragging you out of the shop, harshly pushing between narrow shelves of delicate antiques until the two of you burst back out into the sunlight.  Law didn’t let up his pace, your feet barely keeping you steady as you ran.  Onlookers stepped back, shocked gasps and wide eyes following the two of you in your mad scramble back to the cliff where the submarine was kept concealed.  He just needed to get you some place secure.  Somewhere where you could wash away the phantom grime of the hands that had just touched you.
What a bad day to leave his sword behind.
The two of you had just barely made it past the outskirts of the port town when you tripped, slamming into Law’s backside and falling to your knees with a pained grunt.  The shoes you were wearing definitely weren’t built for mad sprints through a town.
“Shit…” Law grumbled, crouching down in front of you.  “Are you alright?”
Your hands were still shaking, anxiously palming the dirt and grass beneath your fingers as your lungs heaved, desperate to catch up on the oxygen you lost in your frantic sprint.  Small tears brimmed in the corners of your eyes, but you were quick to blink them away.  Your heart was pounding madly in your chest, your brain a fuzzy mess of scrambled, panicked thoughts that couldn’t make sense in any order.  Law was so close to you, so close you could almost smell the mild soap he used in the shower.  Something woody.  Mellow.  So very him.  You wanted to hug him.  The stress of the sudden incident was rapidly catching up to you.
Instead, the only thing you managed to do was blurt out an awkward, weary, “Thank you.”
Law wordlessly helped you to your feet, walking you back to the Polar Tang.  His mouth was drawn in that pensive line once more.
It took a few hours for you to register the fact that you had sprinted out of the pawn shop with the necklace still clasped around your neck.  When you took it off, you held it gently in your hands, gazing at the way the brilliant purple gem was nestled perfectly in the metal sculpted around it.  But the fingerprints around the chain from the predatory man who groped you left a phantom burning pain on your skin.  You still loved the piece, you truly did, and you wished you could wear it, but you felt violated.  There was no denying it.
You needed to scrub it clean.  You needed to scrub your own body clean, it seemed.
Law was in the medical bay when you carefully knocked on the door, hoping that no one was in there with him.  The tired sounding, ‘Come in,’ granted you permission to gently push the heavy hatch door open, stepping into the dim lighting and closing the entrance behind you.
Your captain was in the midst of re-organizing the entire medicine cabinet, floor to ceiling.  He did it when he was stressed.
“Yeah?” was all he asked when you entered, barely looking away from his obsessive work while you stood awkwardly in the doorway, holding your necklace in your cupped hands like it was a suspicious specimen to be brought to a lab.
“I know this is a weird request, but can you disinfect this?” you asked.
You held up the necklace by the very end of the chain, dangling it in the air away from you.  Law finally turned his attention toward you, an eyebrow raised.
“Why?”  He sounded genuinely oblivious to why you would ask for such a favor.
You rocked back and forth on your heels.  “It still feels like it has the fingerprints of that guy.  From the shop,” you clarified.  When you said it out loud, you grimaced at how childish you sounded, but at the same time, you felt your concerns, your insecurities over what had transpired, were justified.
You were violated.  Case closed.
It seemed Law picked up on that as well.  As much as he struggled to put himself in other peoples’ shoes, he could see the anxious look in your eyes that told him everything he needed to know- you wanted to wash away all traces of the man who burst your personal bubble in one of the worst ways imaginable.
Law felt a searing jealousy in his chest, the sudden reminder of the way your face contorted in utter horror as you were touched.
Your captain wordlessly stepped forward and gently took the chain from your fingers.  You watched him silently as he stepped back toward the counter, rummaging through the supplies he had laid out mid-organizing before procuring an opaque bottle of rubbing alcohol and filling a small container about halfway with the solution before submerging your necklace inside.  He capped the bottle and placed it back where he found it, amongst his other disinfectant chemicals.
“We’ll let that sit for a few minutes,” he suggested.  “In the meantime, I have these wet napkins you can use to clean your neck, if you want.”
He took the words right out of your head, as if he could read your mind.  You gratefully accepted the small container of alcohol wipes, starting with your neck and rubbing the cold solution down your collarbones, chest, and arms.  You didn’t care if it would dry out your skin later, the feeling of wiping away that man’s fingerprints in some capacity was more freeing than anything else in the world.
Law simply watched, glancing away from you every once in a while when you turned at an angle that would let you see him staring wanton daggers in your direction.  He shouldn’t be watching you scrub yourself down while fully clothed, if anything that could also be a violation of your unspoken privacy.
After what felt like hours, you finally disposed of the wipes in the nearby waste receptacle while Law fished out your necklace with a gloved hand, placing it on a dry cloth and carefully removing all the liquid from the surface of the metal.
He started speaking without thinking.  “Silver and amethyst are sturdy materials that can be placed in rubbing alcohol for disinfecting,” he stated.  “If this was some other weaker gem, like an emerald, it wouldn’t be so easy.”
You grinned, stepping closer as he polished the chain.  His hand that wasn’t gloved carefully moved along the cloth, outlining the shape of the necklace folded under it in precise, delicate motions.
Goodness, you loved his hands.
“So you’re as good with rocks and minerals as you are with health science?” you asked, a small, playful smirk on your lips.
Law’s own mouth twitched upward.  “I suppose so.”  He gently unfolded the cloth and removed the necklace.  “There, all clean.”
You grinned appreciatively, turning around and brushing away any obstacles in the way of your neck.
He stared at you from behind your back.  “... What are you doing?” he asked dumbly.
You tossed a glance over your shoulder.  “Waiting for you to put it on.”
Law chewed on the inside of his cheek.  “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” you confirmed.  “I trust you.”
What you didn’t say was just how much you trusted him.  You would willingly lay down your life for your captain, the love for him, both as a person and as a pirate, greatly surpassing that of a captain and his subordinate.  Sometimes, well, most of the time, you desperately hoped that he felt the same way.
After understanding your request, Law stepped toward you slightly, one hand still gloved as he looped the necklace around the front of your neck, bringing both ends of the chain around the back to clasp at the base of your spine.  His deft, inked fingers left scorching hot trails in their wake, your skin craving his touch.  The complete opposite of your counter in the pawn shop.
Once secured, you turned around to face him, a pleased smile on your face as your fingers once again ghosted over the delicate, purple mineral embedded into the pendant.  “How does it look?”
Law prayed that the blush on his cheeks wasn’t noticeable through the dim lighting on the medical bay.  He would put necklaces on your soft skin every day if you’d let him.
Oh, how he wished you’d let him.
“It looks great…” he mumbled, his voice soft and apprehensive.  “It suits you.”
His voice, the anxious tilt of his eyebrows, spoke volumes to you as your smile grew wider.  “Hey, Law?”
He turned his attention back to you, his lips pressed firmly together.
“Thank you for protecting me back there,” you sighed.  Your voice had gone quiet, but the look on your face was indebted.
“Of course,” he whispered back.  His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, his brain clearly struggling to say the words he so desperately wanted to say.
The sight had you suppressing a giggle as you stepped forward, fighting back your reservations as you wrapped your arms around his torso in a hug, dropping your head into the crook of his shoulder and inhaling that scent that was oh-so familiar to you.  Disinfectant and oil, so clearly from living life on the Polar Tang, but also so distinctly him.
You loved it.
You were starting to come to the conclusion that you really loved him.
And with the way Law’s arms slowly wrapped around your own body, the hands you loved so much resting between your shoulder blades and the lowest point of your back, you started to wonder if he secretly, deep down in that weary heart of his, felt the same way about you.
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