I Really Need More Aouad Fics!!!!

Smau Fics Recommandations

just about 300 smau fics i’ve read through the years for different groups,, i’ll be adding more 

Ateez

NCT Pt.1 (taeil → ten)

NCT Pt.2 (jaehyun → jeno)

NCT Pt.3 (haechan → jisung)

Stray Kids Pt.1 / Skz Pt.2

Seventeen Pt.1 / Svt Pt.2

The Boyz

TXT

Questions (!!!)

Top Gun Silliness

😭😭😭😭😭

There isn't a single fucking difference even the stance is the same

jeno ♡ music space: just like a zoo!

nugagaWHEN

chapter 36: if the shoe fits

wc: 1.1k

You weren’t exactly sure what you were doing.

It had only been a few seconds ago when your best friend dragged you by the hand upstairs, essentially locking you inside some guy’s room. You remembered him spluttering a bunch of incoherent sentences, something along the usual lines of beating the living daylights out of the asshole in question before disappearing back downstairs.

You sighed, sipping on the leftover punch in your red solo cup. 

It sucked, really. Attending a long-awaited house party with your friends only to be ruined by the presence of a gaslighter. You ‌put more effort into your look that day, attempting to change up your usual makeup routine to add more glitter and colour ⎯ because well‌, glitter fixes anything (Ok, maybe everything except for your unfortunate position in the dingy room).

You kicked off your tattered running shoes, looking into the full-body mirror with a frown. 

What was the point of dressing up if the person you wanted to dress up for wasn’t even here to see it? 

You had attended the party relatively earlier than you usually would have that day, pestering your friends to book the Uber way too early for their tastes a few hours ago. But much to your dismay, your prince charming was nowhere to be found. You had circled Sunwoo’s house a few too many times than the average person, unsubtly asking for his whereabouts from the already intoxicated guests ⎯ but alas, no information was found.

A series of knocks sounded at the door, shaking you from your thoughts. 

“Hoon?” You called, standing up to unlock the door.

The other side of the door remained eerily silent, making you doubt if it was your loudmouth best friend. But brushing it off, you turned the knob and with a click, it swung open to reveal the initial inviter and the missing boy, Lee Jeno.

Your mouth sat slightly ajar, taken aback by his sudden appearance. Jeno greeted you with his recognisable smile, eyes crinkled into little crescents and his nose scrunched up in the cutest of ways. He held a paper bag in his hands, hanging its straps on the knob as he shut the two of you back inside. 

“Sorry I was late,” Jeno started, scratching the back of his neck guilty, “I had to pick up something along the way.”

“That’s okay, as long as you’re here with me now,” You softly spoke, taking note of the way he awkwardly placed some distance between the pair of you.

A suffocating silence blanketed the room, with Jeno fiddling with the hem of his leather jacket as he avoided your eyes.

You could feel your heart plummet in your chest, a series of concerns racing inside your head. Was he taking back his feelings for you? Were you ‌not worth the wait? Did he find someone else that night?

Jeno took a deep breath in, gesturing you to sit back down on the end of the bed.

“I know I’ve apologised already but I am sorry about everything that’s happened in the last few months. I should’ve confirmed everything with you before acting upon my feelings and you didn’t deserve the hurt that I caused you. But I⎯” 

Jeno paused, finally looking up to meet your eyes. You could see his fingers trembling on the white sheets, mouth wavering as you sat in anticipation for what he had to say next.

“I really like you, I know I’ve said this a bit too many times the past week but I genuinely do. And this time I hope I’m not acting upon my feelings a bit too soon.”

Jeno shuffled over to reach for the paper bag, pulling out a red Nike shoe box. He opened the box, tearing away the excessive tissue paper for you to see a pair of pale blue Nike Jordans resting against the brown interior of the box, its fresh white finish blinding your vision.

“I figured Cinderella needed her runners,” He mumbled shyly, cautiously inspecting your reaction.

You blinked, mouth now hanging fully open at the unexpected gift. Your eyes shifted to the same blue shoes on Jeno’s feet, recalling the day you had gushed about his shoes, joking about owning matching pairs. You didn’t expect him to remember your passing tease, nor did you expect to receive any gift as extravagant as this at all.

“Is this really for me?” You mustered out, words barely audible against the throbbing music from downstairs.

He nodded, taking out the sneakers to slip on your feet. You could feel your heart swelling by the minute as he began tying up your laces without a word. 

“It’s beautiful,” You observed the shoes from above, angling your feet from left to right with a smile pulling your lips, “Thank you so much Jeno, I really love it.”

A relieving grin broke out on his face, bringing you into a warm embrace. You took in his woody cologne as you snuggled against his neck before he faced you once again.

“You know⎯ after finding out the owner of the shoe, the prince and Cinderella live happily ever after right?” 

You giggled, cupping his cheeks, “Are you proposing to me right now Lee Jeno?”

A flush of pink crowded his cheeks, “N-No! Well, not yet at least.”

You amusingly hummed, eyes darting from his loving orbs to his heart-shaped lips.

“Will you be my girlfriend Y/N?” He uttered, slowly closing the gaps between your lips.

“Will this give you the answer?”

As your lips pressed against his, the memories of the first time you met came fluttering to your senses. It made sense, the way he randomly blurted out to take you on a date in the quad, the weird feeling of deja vu that overcame you whenever he played beer pong and the familiar movement of his lips.

Pulling away, you grasped the collar of his leather jacket, taking in the small metal studs which lined the edges of the zipper. It was the exact same one as that night. 

“It was you.” You whispered in awe, thumbing the bottom of his lips, “You found me.”

Jeno chuckled, caressing the top of your head.

“I did. I found my Cinderella.”

masterlist || previous | next

pairing: jeno x fem! reader

synopsis: it wasn’t often jeno showed emotions of love and affection, let alone kissing a stranger at a party that he doesn’t even remember?! determined to find his nameless cinderella, he began searching the campus far and wide but as hidden secrets started surfacing, he started to wonder whether the midnight spark was meant to be pursued after all.

genre: social media au, college au, strangers to lovers, fluff, angst, crack

warnings: swearing, mentions of alcohol

taglist: open! feel free to send an ask or comment to be added :))) ~ @vellitac @ddeonuism @heavenly-seraphic @matchahyuck @pckeia @rinrinslovebot @dior-15 @raikea10 @justsayk @btssf9nct @ismileeprnc-responder @moonchele @mothmork @dandelionxgal @cheyehc @luvenshiti @friseealamode @pastelsicheng @silvsie @kpopshithead @ifyournameischoisanpleaseloveme @pewpewpwe00 @kindawack @mrkleelvr @shxnz @woneulz @kyuupidwrites @yunho-1999 @loveleejn @000rpheus @sehunniepot @kpopwh0r3 @sunflowerbebe07 @ahnneyong @minkyuncutie @xuimhao

permanent taglist: ~  @xxxx-23nct @maeumiluv @produmads @shwizhies @polarisjisung @dearlyminhyung @wooyoung-a @w3bqrl @daincty @deehyuck @ficrecnctskz @rv7hsua @n0hyuck @neosdaisy @baekhyunstruly @barbkh8450t @cupid-yuno @rum-gone-why @liliansun @mxnhoeuwu @dinonuguaegi

heart - shaped scallion found In pho . reblog for good luck & yummy soup 500000 forwver

WAIT I WAS JUST READING MARAUDERS FANFICS AND THEN THIS HAPPENED BB GORL WHAT

230703 - "Flatline"

Masterlist | Social Media Posts

Warning: This article mentions potential death

An anonymous netizen online who claims to be someone working at the hospital Boyoung was sent to, revealed that Boyoung has flatlined on the way to the hospital from poisoning.

On July 3, 10:00 am KST, it was revealed by SM Entertainment that Boyoung was rushed to the hospital due to unknown poison. However, at 10:05 am KST, an anonymous netizen who claimed to work at the hospital posted online that Boyoung had flatlined on the way to the hospital.

There has been no further information on whether she has been resuscitated or not, or whether the netizen’s claim was true or false.

Due to no further information being shared by that netizen, fans online have been causing chaos online, demanding news from SM Entertainment concerning Boyoung’s health and whether the claims were true or not.

As the netizen’s post reached everywhere around the world in a matter of minutes, it had eventually been relayed to NCT Dream who were overseas.

While visiting Atlanta, NCT Mark and Jaemin heard from fans who were accompanying them around Atlanta and alerted them on Boyoung’s situation. From the videos taken by fans, people were able to see the two members’ honest reactions to the news they were told.

Mark and Jaemin seemed to be in disbelief when told, Mark demanding who told them about Boyoung and whether it was true or not. Meanwhile, Jaemin, the childhood friend of Boyoung, seemed to have gone into shock and was not replying to anyone, looking pale.

In the videos, once the post concerning Boyoung flatlining on the way was shared, Jaemin was struck out of his shock and began yelling that they needed to go back to Korea, refusing to believe that Boyoung had flatlined.

The two members were seen very flustered and angry, demanding their manager to get the next flight back to Korea while adding that they needed to tell the other members who were heading to Brazil.

You could see many videos of their reaction online in the fans’ recordings. People began to theorise that through this reaction from the two, maybe the claims of Boyoung being a bully and estranged daughter were possibly made up since the two members seemed to be deeply affected by the news concerning Boyoung.

Until now, there have been no updates concerning Boyoung and her current state, and no further updates from SM Entertainment.

HOI MEDJ SAD NA TAPOS NA PERO SHUA IKAW NA SUNOD ANNSAKNSMSNS

final — home 💌

pov: kung saan na tapunan ni seungcheol si xu yn, his block’s pinaka masungit classmate, ng kape and the rest is history

-> song rec 💛

a/n: thank you ulit sainyo for reading and supporting home and xucheol 🥹 sa susunod ulit, *joshua hong is waving* 🫶🏼

·ᴗ· taglist: @m1kotsu @yoonhanzjaem @yoonzinosworld @justasoftstan @najaemism @4mav @hanniesdegree @nanamioo @seokcalibur @j-8star @dreamhannies @qghosty @kwnshi @summertime-simmons

Little do You Know | OT7 | Series Masterlist

MAIN MASTERLIST

READ ON AO3

Pairing: Bangtan (ot7) x f!reader 

Summary: In a world where idols and actors can’t date, whether it be because of contracts, lack of time, or the dangers that involve having your personal life leaked, the market opened up for a new work field. Playmate Agencies emerged to supply the entertainment world with highly trained companions for hire. Bangtan is looking for new playmates. And you just happen to be the one all of them choose. 

Genre: Fluff, angst, smut, playmate au, idol au. 

Warnings: Not a Poly!BTS au but there will be future member x reader x member scenes (threesomes/foursomes/so on). Lots of porn with lots of plot. I know it goes without saying, but I’m gonna say it anyway! This story follows Bangtan schedules from 2021/22 (covid is not a thing), but this is obviously a work of fiction, so I’m not claiming that this is how certain events went down in real life, or that some attitudes would be the ones of real life people! Other idols/actors will be mentioned in this story. This is not a SMAU, but there will be social media posts (texts/news articles/magazine covers/ twitter posts etc) throughout the fic; all of the edits were made by me, with the exception of some manip and photo montages (couple/ “ships”), so if any of those belong to you, please let me know and I will credit you, or remove the picture. 

Taglist: Open! 

Updates: Every monday, wednesday, friday, and saturday.

ONE ━━▼━━ TWO ━━▼━━ THREE  ━━▼━━ FOUR  ━━▼━━ FIVE  ━━▼━━ SIX  ━━▼━━ SEVEN  ━━▼━━ EIGHT  ━━▼━━ NINE  ━━▼━━ TEN  ━━▼━━ ELEVEN  ━━▼━━ TWELVE  ━━▼━━ THIRTEEN  ━━▼━━ FOURTEEN  ━━▼━━ FIFTEEN  ━━▼━━ SIXTEEN  ━━▼━━ SEVENTEEN  ━━▼━━ EIGHTEEN  ━━▼━━ NINETEEN  ━━▼━━ TWENTY  ━━▼━━

TWENTY ONE  ━━▼━━ TWENTY TWO  ━━▼━━ TWENTY THREE ━━▼━━ TWENTY FOUR  ━━▼━━ TWENTY FIVE  ━━▼━━ TWENTY SIX  ━━▼━━ TWENTY SEVEN  ━━▼━━ TWENTY EIGHT  ━━▼━━ TWENTY NINE  ━━▼━━ THIRTY  ━━▼━━ THIRTY ONE  ━━▼━━  THIRTY TWO  ━━▼━━  THIRTY THREE  ━━▼━━  THIRTY FOUR  ━━▼━━  THIRTY FIVE  ━━▼━━  THIRTY SIX  ━━▼━━  THIRTY SEVEN  ━━▼━━ THIRY EIGHT  ━━▼━━ THIRTY NINE  ━━▼━━ FORTY  ━━▼━━

FORTY ONE  ━━▼━━ FORTY TWO  ━━▼━━ FORTY THREE  ━━▼━━ FORTY FOUR  ━━▼━━ FORTY FIVE  ━━▼━━ FORTY SIX  ━━▼━━ FORTY SEVEN  ━━▼━━ FORTY EIGHT  ━━▼━━ FORTY NINE  ━━▼━━ FIFTY  ━━▼━━ FIFTY ONE  ━━▼━━ FIFTY TWO  ━━▼━━ FIFTY THREE  ━━▼━━ FIFTY FOUR  ━━▼━━ FIFTY FIVE  ━━▼━━ FIFTY SIX  ━━▼━━ FIFTY SEVEN  ━━▼━━ FIFTY EIGH  ━━▼━━ FIFTY NINE. 

Season 2 

SIXTY   ━━▼━━ SIXTY ONE  ━━▼━━ SIXTY TWO  ━━▼━━

More coming soon! 

DRABBLES MASTERLIST

💜

In search of freedom (Ch. 1)

1. They're bad news

⠀⠀⠀⠀She's been searching for freedom her entire life and everytime she thought it was laying right in front of her eyes, she was mistaken. She was running around the East Blue, seeking herself and her dreams, meeting people she never forgot. No matter how much she traveled, she could only catch a glimpse of peace before realizing everything would crumble at her feet.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Maybe it was destiny that brought her on that ship with three strangers — foolishly, that's what she tried to believe when the moon shined beautifully and hope settled in her chest, squeezed by the same ribcage where feelings were blooming.

Pairing: female!reader x OPLA Zoro Roronoa. This chapter follows the events of the first episode.

Warnings for this chapter: physical violence (fights), mentions of deaths, fluff, some cursing, mentions of tarot and palm readings

Word count: 3,6k

Theme song: “Loreley” by Blackmore's Night (click on the link)

A/N: This is the first part of a fanfiction I was thinking of since first watching One Piece Live Action. I started the anime too and I'm around episode 64 already. I'm using the OPLA course of action for now and I have no idea for an ending, but enough scenarios to write and share. I don't know how far this will go, but I'll have fun writing it and considering how much I like Zoro (born anime and LA), I'm using both of them as inspiration. Sorry for the lack of interaction between reader and Zoro, but I promise things will change.

The reader will be referred to as "Witch" especially in the next chapter, because I have no intentions of using "Y/N". There will be more information revealed about her past and abilities in the next chapter.

I'm open for comments and opinions <3

"Excuse me," she smiled sweetly while swaying away from someone who was standing right in front of her and a table she had to serve for. "Here," she carefully let the plates down.

She received a large smile coming from the young man with dark curls and a straw hat hanging around his neck. His pink haired companion seemed very shy, barely glancing at her before looking back at his plate, thanking in a small voice.

The tavern buzzed with a peaceful energy in the late hours of morning, the big windows letting the warm rays of sun in, lighting up the place. There were men sitting at a few tables, no sign of any other woman except for her and the very owner of that place, who just finished cooking something — were those cookies? It smelled divine.

Her dress fluttered around her knees as she moved away from their table to take other orders, a strand of her hair falling against her cheek after running around for so long. When she finally stopped in her tracks by the bar, intense eyes searched for anyone else who might've needed something. Lucky for her, she could finally breathe for a few seconds, resting her hips against the bar.

However, her eyes fell on the tall figure who just chugged down his throat a shot of alcohol. His green hair made her frown to herself, looking away before she could get caught ogling some stranger. After a few seconds, she looked at him again, this time at the three swords resting against his hip.

Three swords? What can someone do with three swords?

Everyone probably had the same question whenever they saw him for the first time. However, he felt somehow familiar, as if she's heard of someone like that before. A pirate? No, wait, a pirate hunter? The owner told her of so many things and so many people it was impossible to remember each one of them, but she was pretty sure she mentioned some pirate hunter only a few days ago.

Her thought process was interrupted when a man with blonde hair and suit walked by in front of her. Considering the men dressed in white uniforms who entered with him, they must be marines and he was probably their superior — he was walking like he owned the entire port.

She held back from rolling her eyes in annoyance. Her thoughts ran back to what her friend said about pirates last time, the way they argued back and forth about how pirates aren't good. However, she had her own reasons for claiming that not all pirates were ruthless monsters, without elaborating.

She flinched lightly when she heard the thud of a metal plate falling on the floor, snapping her head towards a little girl who was stuttering apologies to the blonde man. Her eyebrows were pulled together at his angry and loud voice mocking the child who had tears in her eyes, fear seeping through her very bones at the exaggerated reaction.

Apparently, they knocked into each other. Oh, there were two cookies on the floor. One of them got crushed under the man's foot.

She smoothly made her way by the side of the little girl, smiling at her as she crouched down to her level.

"Is everything alright, little one? Did you apologize?" the woman's hand squeezed the girl's shoulder warmly.

Rika's only response was a nod.

"Good job. It's alright, I'll help you clean up. Why don't you bring me a broom, hm?" she coaxed the girl with a gentle voice.

Once the girl walked away, she stood up straight again, arching her eyebrow questionably at the arrogant man by her side.

"Is there anything else I could help you with?"

"What, are you working here? If the answer's positive, then you better teach those stupid kids some manners," he huffed.

"You should teach yourself how to behave," she commented right back, her sharp gaze sizing him up and down.

"Take that back. Next time I won't be so nice," the blonde marine grinned.

Oh, and what an ugly grin it was on that fucker's face.

"You dropped my food," a low voice from behind interrupted.

The young woman turned her head towards the voice, confusion written on her face as she made a few steps back, out of his way. It was the green haired man she noticed earlier, now sitting on one of his knees on the cold floor.

Rika came back with a broom almost twice her size, the object quickly taken from her hold by the woman who smiled at her again. While they exchanged glances, the pirate hunter let himself down on one of his knees, taking some of the crushed cookie into his palm.

A sly smile tugged at the woman's lips. A pirate hunter or not, he had more dignity than a marine even in that kneeling position. She was more satisfied to see the little one smiling.

"Your turn," the green-haired man lowered his voice, a dark glare thrown at the astonished marine.

The pirate hunter raised back up and placed the metal plate on the bat, his intimidating height against the arrogant blonde monkey in front of him telling enough.

"Apologize to the girl," he demanded in a relaxed tone.

"Me? It was her fault for bumping into me. The lady should apologize for disrespecting me."

Apologize, my ass, she thought to herself, one step away from bursting out laughing. What did he take her for?

"Do you want a fight or what?" he drew his sword out, a knowing grin curled on his face. "I don't need three swords to fight."

The woman looked down at the little girl who was still by her side, ruffling her hair.

"Why don't you go to your mother, hm? And stay there until I call you back."

Her stern voice didn't give space for arguing; Rika complied, going to the kitchen.

She heard some muttering and next thing she knew, both of the men in front of her had drawn their swords out. Apparently, the green-haired one decided to advance closer to the marine, in an attempt to keep the fight away from the lady.

Hmph. Swordsmen and their unusual gentlemanly behavior.

Squeezing the broom in between her fingers, she moved away, furrowing her eyebrows in a scowl.

"No fights in here, you jerks!" she scoffed.

Expertly, while the other marines attacked one man — how unethical of them — and swords clashed against each other after sharp whistling noises, the woman swept away the cookies on the floor. She faked doing her own duties, like the good employee that she was, throwing careful glances at the fight happening right next to her. If she wasn't careful enough, she could get sliced in two.

"I advise you to get out of the way," she heard the swordsman's voice growling right after he threw a chair into three men, making them fall to the floor.

"You'll destroy the entire place if I do."

Right after saying those words, without anyone noticing in that damned agitation, with a quick movement of the broom, she made one of the marines trip.

Just like the idiots that they were.

"Oh my god, you should be more careful!" she placed a hand over her lips, fake surprise and fear coloring her features.

Who would believe such an innocent being was capable of such malicious actions?

With a strong creak followed by a thud, one marine was thrown into a table that turned the both of them upside down, groans filled with pain vibrating through the tavern.

She was right about them destroying the place.

However, the commotion didn't cause too much distress to the woman still moving the broom around, acting as if she had business with that newly found weapon. It might not be lethal, but she couldn't be spotted while she was intentionally making the marines' jobs harder. In the month she's been working there, she saw more than just one fight and used everything that she saw fit to stop it — be it a broom or a kitchen knife.

Now that she analyzed the fight better, it seemed like the pirate hunter barely even had to draw his sword out of its scabbard, at some point knocking someone's head into the bar. He used his raw strength and the objects surrounding him, thankfully without destroying any of them. The can he threw into another man's stomach seemed so effortless.

That must've hurt, though.

The blonde marine was quickly pulled by the back of his collar, back colliding with the bar, and an angry swordsman towering over him. She didn't hear anything nor paid attention anymore, eyes focused on the tavern that was ruined only half way through.

She sighed after watching both of the men walking out of there, biting her lower lip to hold back a fit of laughter at the marine who stumbled while being dragged by the bounty hunter.

"Why do men always fight in this tavern?" she talked to herself, raising one of the chairs and putting it back in place. "One day of peace is all I want in this port, only one day, and I can't get even that."

She sighed again, only for that long exhale to get stuck in her throat once her eyes fell on the table that was almost sitting in the opposite way rather than how it should be. Once she approached it, stepping by the marine who was trying to get up.

She would never help someone who had less dignity than a dog following some orders from a brainless monkey. Heck, even those animals were smarter.

Instead, she tried to move the table back in its place. Her fingers were so close to gripping at one side of the table before someone appeared at the opposite side. The young man with a straw hat and a square smile she served only a few minutes ago raised the table by himself, carefully arranging it until he was satisfied with its position.

"Thank you so much for the help," she smiled at him. "Be careful where you step, I think a glass also broke."

There were some shreds on the floor somewhere close to the table the young man sat at earlier.

"Thank you for your concern," he smiled just like the first time.

Gosh, has she ever seen such a beautiful soul? His eyes sparkled and the happiness suited him like it did to a little child who has no clue of the harsh world. However, he didn't seem phased or scared by what happened earlier — his hands weren't shaking at all and there was no fear lingering in his stare.

She turned to take the broom and came closer to his companion, who was sitting under the table. She bent her torso to give him a hand, helping him get back to his feet.

"Careful with the glass, check your hands," she warned again.

"I saw what you did there."

She turned towards the straw hat guy, blinking owlishly at him.

"I don't really get what you mean."

She started sweeping the shred of broken glass, not paying attention to the curious and insistent gaze she was receiving.

"You surely do. I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

Her eyes widened at the second part of his speech, snapping her head back at him. Without even realizing, her fingers were squeezing the broom quite harshly, fingertips going white.

"That's—" she started in a small voice, blinking like an idiot and staring at him.

She's heard that before. She's heard the same dream before and it brought so much suffering.

"That's dangerous," she finally got the courage to continue, still hesitant.

"You're brave for interfering with their fight."

Luffy looked into her eyes as if he could guess the thoughts running through her head, as if he could read her very soul, drinking in her features and reaction.

"You must've seen wrong," she let out a light chuckle, getting a grip on herself. "I'm just clumsy sometimes."

She was thankful she stopped herself from cussing out the Marines, because in less than a second after she finished her sentence, a few other men dressed in white uniforms appeared to help their comrades back to the base. She casted a skeptical eye at each one of them, like silent warnings.

They were pathetic, some of them still stumbling while trying to get up, their swords thrown around carelessly. After they all disappeared from her sight, her shoulders obviously relaxed again.

"I have to admit I hated each second of staying so much with these idiots around," she huffed quietly. "That spoiled child who takes advantage of his father's status was getting on my nerves."

"That's why you helped that swordsman, right?"

Luffy continued with his supposition, not letting go of what he thought he saw — it was the truth, but it would be dangerous to admit.

"I didn't help anyone, really. That was unintentional."

"Don't press it too much, Luffy," his companion's voice trembled.

"Koby, I know what I saw," Luffy pulled his lips into a straight line.

She resumed what she was doing, sweeping at the pieces of glass, seeing almost each one of them in the light seeping through the window.

"If you want to become King of the Pirates, I suppose you also want to get the One Piece, right?"

She was foolish. She was stupid for asking, for getting herself in such business that somehow always ended with too many deaths, with broken dreams. However, something was nagging in her gut. Deep down, it felt so right to ask.

"Yes! I need the Grand Line map for that and I intend on getting from the Marine Base here."

"You're insane, kid," her shoulders shook with her light laughter.

It was a sour sound.

She stopped, leaning her weight into the broom, looking down at the glass in front of her. She shouldn't help them. She should stay in her place if she wanted those young men to survive. What they were trying to do was basically suicide, they just didn't know. Koby seemed to be more fearful, hesitant and so, so shy. Luffy didn't say "us"; he said "I" — the pink-haired guy was not really part of the plan.

Against better judgment, she raised her head at him, promises sparkling in her eyes just like the shreds of glass.

"You can't just ask for that map and I hope you know that. What you want to get yourself into isn't just dangerous, it's like jumping into a suicide mission," her voice strained, pouring all of her hope in her next words: "However, I can help you get inside. Be careful, you have to make sure no one catches you."

"So I was right about you!" Luffy beamed.

"Right about what?"

"That you're brave."

Her lips opened, but no sound came from between them. It was pointless to deny it when he seemed so stubborn about what he saw and believed.

"I think this is a lot to say about someone who's helping you steal secret maps," the side of her mouth curled upwards.

Koby was left astonished. Stealing from the Marines was suicide.

"Listen here, kid," she lowered her voice, stepping closer to whisper. She set her gaze on Luffy's. "You have to get out of there alive, no matter what. Lie if you have to, but I have a feeling you're very bad at that, so be careful. That isn't a place to fool around in. You could get yourself killed in a blink. The Marines are very sneaky."

"There are good Marines and bad Marines," he shrugged. "Maybe I'll meet someone who's willing to help."

"I like your enthusiasm, but that unit base doesn't fit," she shook her head. "Both Captain Morgan and his son aren't the good kind of people."

She squeezed the broom in between her fingers again, an ugly feeling clawing at her throat. She didn't want a kid to die for following his dreams, but freedom was something she always craved.

"I'll tell you a way to get inside the base from underneath. You have to keep your lips sealed — I don't worry about myself, but about the owner and her daughter. I don't want word spreading around."

"You can count on me!" he placed his hand on his heart, as if he sealed the promise there. "Who are you? I want to know who's helping me."

Damned be his sincerity.

"I'll give you my name after you get out of there alive."

She smiled, eyes sparkling with delicious mischief.

"That is a promise. I'll be around the Marine Base and I'll tell you my name after I see you get out of there alive."

That seemed to stir something in Luffy's soul, inhaling with pride. A man of his word, indeed, just like she thought.

"Deal.

•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•┈┈┈

Her name left the lips of a scolding mother, even if it wasn't her mom.

"I saw you." The second time she heard tthat same phrase in one day.

Annie patted the tip of her shoe against the floor repeatedly.

"I was just lucky enough not to get myself in trouble," she shrugged.

However, her eyes fell on the floor, guilty about getting caught like a deer in the light.

"You could've gotten yourself in big trouble!" the owner of the tavern raised her voice.

Rika pouted up at her mother, trying to sweeten her reaction.

"She just wanted to help, just like—"

"Rika," this time, the scolded one firmly spoke her name. "Don't take me as an idol. It's true that something could have happened."

The little girl shouldn't worry about such a bloody world just yet and she wanted to help it for as long as possible. Being stubborn was a death sentence, even if she would always get herself into trouble if it meant to stick to her principles.

She'd rather die on her feet than live on her knees.

"Just because this time everything was fine, it doesn't mean next time will be the same," Annie exhaled loudly, frowning.

"There won't be a next time," the young woman sank her chin in her chest. "I should leave these days. Soon enough, word will spread out about my tarot and palm readings. I don't want to cause you any more trouble."

"You little witch," the usual scolding was replaced with a warm nickname.

She raised her head again, struggling to smile. Leaving after she got attached always hurt.

"That man was Roronoa Zoro, wasn't it?" Annie asked, her body suddenly tensing.

"Most probably," she shrugged. "Three swords, three earrings. He put on quite a show, to be honest," the words were followed by a chuckle.

"I see the way your eyes are sparkling. Don't even think about getting into some conversation with such a troublesome person."

"What could do some adventure to a poor soul like me?" she teased.

"It could bring you six feet under."

•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•┈┈┈

"I'm no witch, you idiots!" she struggled against the harsh grip the two men had on her arms.

She hissed when one of them sank his fingertips in her upper arms, glaring at him.

Shithead marines.

She continued writhing and struggling, stomping her feet into the ground in an awful attempt to stop them. She intended on keeping her promise after she helped the straw hat sneak into their base. She waited for as long as it was necessary after she gathered her things in a bag that hung around her shoulders. She was supposed to leave that place after she made sure the kid was alright and alive.

"God dammit!" she shouted. "How many times do I have to explain I'm not doing anything wrong?!"

"You're lying to people and receiving money, filthy witch. You're a thief," one of the men commented as they continued walking her away from the port.

"I didn't steal shit!" she snapped.

"Watch out!" she heard a familiar voice.

Instantly, she bent her torso down. The man on her right was punched in the face with so much force he released her grip on her and stumbled into the marine on her left, both of them now on the ground.

She didn't even get enough time to process what was happening, something curling around her waist carefully, but so fast. A yelp left her lips when she realized she was being lifted off the ground, turning her head towards the source.

It was the straw hat's arm. He ate a devil fruit, didn't he?

He was on a boat that was sailing a few meters away in the sea and she was being pulled towards him. She also recognized the pirate hunter from earlier and a woman with orange hair, both of them far too relaxed for what was happening.

That guy was made of rubber!

She recognized Koby who just got to his feet after she got past him, her feet finally touching something solid again. She blinked confused at the straw hat.

"You can't bring everyone that you like on this ship," the swordsman let out a hopeless sigh.

She busted out laughing like a maniac, the colorful and rich sound filling the air. Her shoulders shook and she had to place her hand over her stomach, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Obviously, her reaction was met with an especially questionable look coming from the swordsman, who most probably thought he got on a ship with another insane human.

"You're insane, kid," she wiped the tears in her eyes with her fingers, still smiling widely.

She hasn't felt such relief in years.

"I guess I gotta fulfill a promise, right?"

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