Blue, Like The Rooftops Of The City Over Yonder Blue, Like The Ghosts Of Brothers Long Gone

happy bday law. u cant say i never give u anything…

Ikigai, Part 2

Summary: You’re desperately in love with a man who already belongs to another.

Ikigai (n.) (Japanese): "A reason for being," the thing that gets you up in the morning.

Part 1, Part 3, Part 4

The same arms that cradled you last night now carry her. She’s unconscious (apparently because Sylus choked the life out of her and you will be pressing him on that later), and she’s beautiful. So beautiful that you tug on your sleeves a bit to cover more of your skin as you stare. The strange woman is a literal sleeping beauty, so you can’t help but keep your eyes on her.

But those details about her aren’t what make you truly stare. No. Something else entirely makes you stop dead in your tracks as you approach the twins and Sylus at the doors.

Her threads. As in multiple ones. Multiple soulmates and multiple bonds. They flicker in a way you’ve never seen before, and behave like winding paths. They’re each a gateway to a different love, to a different story. And she could choose which one to take.

You don’t know how you know this. But that isn’t new to you. Your power’s always been a mystery to you, seeing the bonds of soulmates even before they themselves have connected and formed. You know someone’s love story before they do. And you know what they’ve lost whenever you see a severed thread like James’. All this you learned through trial and error, since no one else sees what you see.

It got even worse once Evols started showing up and the Deepspace Tunneled opened. Like a puzzle you must assemble without instructions. Or a full picture. While blindfolded.

So, sometimes your ability just tells you things. Like now. It told that this strange girl, Miss Hunter as the twins call her, had multiple possible soulmates. It also told you of her multiple pasts. One of which you know quite intimately.

Sylus. You can’t bare to look at the man in question. From his heart protrudes his string, and on the other end of it is her. Her and not you.

You always knew you’d meet Sylus’ soulmate one day. And when that day came, you knew you’d be happy to see them love one another. But when you imagined that, you imagined he’d be their only love. Not one of many. Not some choice among different slices of pie.

You force yourself to keep walking. Pain creaks through you, like a car slamming on its breaks every few feet. Jagged and raw. Cutting.

”You aren’t her only one,” you want to say. ”You aren’t her only one, and you deserve better than that.”

Why? Why did this girl with so much love have to take from you the one thing you wanted? You want to pluck that stupid string of hers that belongs to Sylus and tie it to your pinky finger. You want to scream at the universe at how unfair this all is.

You don’t do anything of that. Instead, you fall into line with the twins as Sylus takes her to a spare bedroom. Part of you is relieved beyond words he didn’t put her in his own room. You think your heart would’ve given out there and then otherwise.

Once she’s carefully laid down on the bed, Sylus finally speaks.

“Kieran. Luke.”

“Yes boss,” they say in that weird unison thing they’ve always done; you find it strangely endearing.

“Watch her.”

He’s all business, acting as if this was an everyday occurrence. Like he always brought strange girls back to his home.

“Of course, boss,” Kieran replies. He gives you look when he does so. Even with his mask, you could tell what he was trying to say: ”you know what’s going on, right?”

You shake your head at him. His older brother is oblivious to the whole mess, sitting on a chair in the room and kicking his legs back and forth. You envy his silly disposition right now. You couldn’t afford to be nearly as calm.

Sylus and you quickly leave the room, and you guide him to his office rather than his room. Questions burn on the tip of your tongue. They well up inside of you, begging to be released. You can’t bare to let any of them out. So you tame them with persuasion like you’ve done to your clients and opponents in the past.

“He’ll tell you everything,” you think as you walk beside him. ”Just be patient.”

Patience goes out the window the second you two are alone.

“What in the ever-loving fuck do you think you’re doing, Sylus?”

“Name dropping me again, Gamayun. What have I done to bring forth your wrath this time?”

He casually leans against his desk, smirk on his lips and tension in his shoulders. You try to stand a ways away from his, but he uses his Evol to pull you closer. Your feet momentarily leave the floor when he does. The energy of his power is gentle against your skin, and caresses you in an almost apologetic matter.

You glare at him as he does this. He just leans in close to your face, one hand hovering on your waist and the other near your cheek. You stupidly lean into the touch.

Fuck me and my touch-starved self.

“Being sweet with me won’t change the matter at hand.”

“You think I’m sweet on you?” He leans in even closer. “And if it’s worked in the past why can’t it now? Perhaps I need to be more than just sweet…”

He trails off and brushes his fingers on your ear. Suddenly you feel too much. His breath. His skin. The gaze of his eyes. His coat. Everything.

You place a hand on his chest and lightly push. He immediately backs away, and his expression seems to stiffen a bit. You ignore it.

“No amount of sweetness will change the gravity of your lies. You brought a strange woman into the heart of our operation, and I won’t let it go.”

“Jealous?”

Yes.

“Do not dodge my question, foolish boss of mine.”

“So feisty today.”

Sylus leans back on the desk and beckons you closer. You stand firm with your hands on your hips and eyes on his soulmate thread. Anything to keep your focus on the task at hand.

He sighs and says your name. You’re inwardly grateful; no Gamayun means no sweetness which means your weak heart won’t make you back out of this conversation.

“She’s a Hunter. One with a unique Evol that I’ll be needing for my plans. That’s all. It’s just business.”

Sylus walks towards you this time.

“Business you couldn’t be fucked to include me in?”

You both wince at your harsh words. You because you’re normally never this openly hostile. With anyone. It’s bad for your line of work. And the only other people you’re normally around are the man you love and his chaotic children henchmen. You’ve no need to be so.. crass.

Sylus winces because… well, you don’t exactly know. His thread gives off some weird feelings you’d rather not dissect. You worry you’ll glimpse into his first meeting with his soulmate, and you’d rather hear about it that experience that yourself.

“There was no need.” Sylus is firm with his words, but his reluctance to make eye contact with you tells a different story. His guilt almost makes you think that he knows how you feel about him, and that he’s sorry for what he’s doing to you.

Fat chance of that.

“Since when is there ever no need for my involvement? You literally drag me anywhere you possibly.”

“Because I fear you becoming a hermit otherwise.”

Your cheeks warm at his words. Stupid Sylus and his need to remind you of your early days working for him.

“Says the man who’s only other companion is his mechanical crow.”

“You don’t say? You know, Gamayun, I’ve seen the way you rant to Mephisto sometimes after certain deals. You’re not too far off to becoming like me.”

You roll your eyes at him.

“Even if I, perchance, do, it’s only because of you. And those “deals” you mention are the ones where you don’t give me much to work on. Like now.”

You two are back to square one. The light-hearted atmosphere is sucked dry in that moment. It’s been replaced by a weight, a fog, of uncertainty and worry. It takes you back to before you meant Sylus, all the way to high school, when something similar happened between you and the first person you fell for.

Those memories eat away at you. Strands upon strands of memories that twine with your nerves to create discomfort in every cell in your body. You only speak in hopes it would rid you of such pain.

“Why can’t you just explain yourself to me like a normal person?”

“Because you have no need to get involved.”

“Morana,” you try using his own tactics against him. “Please just tell me.”

You walk to him this time and cup his cheek with one hand. Sylus leans into the touch, basically nuzzling your hand. You love doing this to him. You love doing this with him. And you’re probably only doing this with him in this moment because you both know somewhere in your hearts you won’t be able to in the future. You doubt his soulmate will appreciate having another woman that loves him touching him like this.

So you’ll savor it.

“What’s the benefit of hiding such a thing from me, your partner?”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with useless things.”

“So useless you’ll bring the twins?”

“They were just there for some fun.”

“Fun which you excluded me from? How rude.”

Sylus winces at your dry tone, knowing there was more to the story. Ever since he met you, he knew you had problems feeling left behind or excluded. You always felt like an outsider anywhere you went due to your powers. It got even worse once you realized you had no soulmate.

My relationship to them isn’t your problem.

So many times has those words been uttered to you. So many times have people spat them at you before they walked out your life for good, too in love to notice your broken heart. You wonder if this conversation with Sylus is the beginning of history repeating itself. If right now, the thread of your relationship is unraveling while his new one weaves together.

“Rude? Maybe. But necessary.”

“Why ever would you think that? You need to give me a valid reason.”

“You were sleeping in my arms so peacefully I couldn’t bear to wake you.”

“I said a valid reason, Morana. Not your usual nonsensical reasons.”

“It is a valid reason. I figured letting you sleep would be my way of making it up to you for stressing you yesterday.”

“It doesn’t. Telling me the truth might.”

“You drive such a hard bargain. You do remember I’m your boss, not the other way around? You work for me, sweetheart.”

“I do. But I’m more akin to a partner rather than a subordinate, even if I call you boss. So I’m entitled to the truth about your plans for this new person in our lives. I need to be involved, Morana. Why can’t I?”

“Because maybe I don’t want to get you involved.”

Your thoughts stumble at that. You shrink back from Sylus, dropping your hand and bringing it close to your chest. His eyes widen. You see the panic in them. It’s satisfying, in a sick way.

“Gamayun, that’s not what I—“

You don’t want to hear his excuses.

“You need something from her.”

Something you know you can’t get from me and you know I would stop you from taking.

Moments like these make you wonder if he knows. If he knows how you love him. If he knows you can see the threads of fate. If he knows that you know he’s not your soulmate but hers. If he knows you’re doomed to be alone.

But then you tell that part of yourself to be quiet. Because thinking about the what ifs would only drive you crazy.

“I do. And I will get it from her.”

You hold back a cringe at that. Stupid Sylus. That was no foundation for a relationship of any kind, let alone a soulmate bond.

“Not after such a hostile introduction.”

“Hostile? Me? Whenever have you known meet to be hostile, Gamayun.”

“The day we met,” you make a list of tallies on your hand as you speak. “Last week with that one arms dealer. Last month with the numerous explosions. James.”

His face twists when you mention the man. You roll your eyes.

“You and I both know that I have the best chances of resolving this peacefully.”

“Resolving. Gamayun, I haven’t done anything that needs resolving,” he smirks. “Not yet anyway. I’ll call upon your skills when they’re deemed necessary.”

It hurts a little to hear him say that, but you press on.

“Listen to me. The poor girl’s going through something; why else would an upstanding citizen of Linkon come here by choice? She’s in an unfamiliar environment. She’s been kidnapped twice. Once by you, and another by someone who, according Kieran, was going to kill her for what she had. And then you go and choke her until she fell unconscious. “

You caress his hair as you say this, leaning even closer despite your better judgement. His breath hitches and he gets closer as well.

“She’s not going to trust a word you say. And you and I both know the twins; negotiations and civil conversation isn’t their strong suit.”

The two of you laugh at this, and you vaguely wonder if this is how it feels to be a parent of insane teens. Because that’s what you think your life is sometimes.

“You’ve all made a bad impression on her. I haven’t. She’s in a sensitive spot, and I think the advice of someone with far more tact would do her good.”

“You got all that from just a glimpse? You’re better than even I thought, my sweet Gamayun.”

“Like I said before, being sweet won’t get you anywhere.”

You giggle when Sylus uses his Evol to mess with your hair. His hands hover around your waist.

“Just let me be the contact with her, alright? My relationship to her is far better than yours despite never truly meeting her. Whatever there is between you and her will be dwarfed by her grief.”

Guilt twists in your gut at that lie. Their relationship will never equal any relationship you have to either of them. But that bond doesn’t exist yet. So you’ll cling to those false words and hope they get you through this storm.

You think you have him. You think you’re about to get your answers. Instead, Sylus breaks your heart again. Except this time, it’s in a way you thought he never could.

“My relationship to her isn’t your problem.”

And just like that, you’re 16 years old again with your best friends. And then 12 with your friend’s father’s “new friend”. And then 10 with your former friends turned bullies. And then 7 with your first ever close relationship. All the times when someone spouted those same words just before they abandoned you. Just before they broke your heart, threw it the trash, and went home happily to their soulmate.

You can barely hold it together. You briefly register pushing him away, hands shaking and adrenaline practically going to war on your system. It’s different from the last time you pushed him away. So, so different. Your body betrays you in this moment. It’s on guard. It sees Sylus as a threat.

“Oh,” is all you muster.

You don’t need to see Sylus’ expression to know that your mask has slipped. All that practice acting and pretending means nothing now.

“I’ll just… I’ll just go. Yeah. I’ll just go.”

You think you hear Sylus protest. Or maybe you imagine it because you want him to chase after you unlike so many in the past didn’t. It doesn’t matter either way. You leave all the same. You leave and try to pick up the pieces of your heart while Miss Hunter slumbers away, oblivious to the plague of emotions her entire existence has brought you.

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animal crossing x resident evil

“Mighty warrior” Neteyam. Sketch

A Year In the Life (P7)

Days were pretty much uniform at the Onychinus base. There might be some special missions, some variation on what needs to get done, but otherwise one day was like any other.

Which is why it came as a shock when you found out that today Sylus had cleared out the entire schedule.

“Why?” you asked him when he announced the news at breakfast (at least, you called it breakfast despite the hour you ate). “I’m pretty sure I remember you saying you had some important meetings coming up.”

“Well, some things take precedence over that, my dear,” Sylus responded in that cool tone when things should be obvious. “I rescheduled what I need to do to free up the day.”

“Why?” you asked again. “Is something wrong?”

“Not at all.” The playful smirk on Sylus’ face made you wonder if there was need for concern. “In fact, you’ll find out why in just a few moments.”

It was then you noticed the twins’ absence at the table. It wasn’t abnormal for them to be late, but Sylus’ cryptic message made it seem suspicious. “Did the twins finally pull you into one of their pranks? Because if I have to spend all day cleaning up their mess-”

Sylus chuckled, cutting you off. “No actually, it’s quite the opposite.”

You only had a moment for the thought Huh? to cross your mind before the doors burst open and the twins came barreling in with… party hats and noisemakers tucked strangely in their masks?

“Happy birthday!!” they yelled in unison.

What??? You turn to Sylus, who’s pinching the bridge of his nose and muttering something about idiots. “It’s not my birthday.”

“Don’t worry, we’re well aware,” Luke chirped happily.

“But it’s another yearly celebration we hold near and dear to our hearts,” Kieran added in a bit of a dramatic tone.

“It’s the day you appeared at our home, darling,” Sylus explained.

Wait… really? Admittedly you weren’t in a good mindset when you first arrived - you had been killed by a truck only to wind up in a world you thought was a video game. You were going through grief, denial, and an existential crisis.

Yet… they remembered. They considered it an important enough event to spend the day celebrating it, even if you didn’t feel the same. It left you speechless, trying to come up with something to say and coming up blank.

The twins giggled at your stunned expression. “Looks like we got her good boss,” Luke said cheekily.

The feel of Sylus’ hand on yours snapped you out of your trance and brought your focus on him. “I know we threw you on this without warning,” he spoke in that velvety voice that made you melt, “but would you do us the honor of celebrating the day the most important person in the world came into my life?”

Your face warmed at his words and the twins audibly awed. Turning your hand so you could interlock your fingers with his, you gave him a soft smile. “Well, when you say it so sweetly, how can I refuse?”

And that’s how you found yourself taking what you thought was a completely normal day and having a nice day out.

After breakfast, the four of you headed out for Linkon City to hang out at the Game Center. Luke and Kieran, ever the supposed men of mystery, wore sunglasses and black face masks, giving you pandemic flashbacks.

You and Sylus got duo cards and were your respective Gaming Buddies, the twins being their own Gaming Squad. You had a lot of fun playing with each other, especially at the shooting game. It was very similar to laser tag and the top dogs at Onychinus took out the enemies with ruthless efficiency. You just tried to follow along and shoot who you could.

Once you had all worn each other out, you left and went to get snacks at Meow’s Cafe. You’d hoped you could visit here someday. The Evol kitties were even cuter in person and you cooed at them more than you focused on the food.

Sylus pretended to be pouty at the lack of attention, which you responded by putting a kitty on his head. To his dismay and your delight, the kitty was perfectly fine staying there. You made sure to take plenty of pictures as the twins cracked up.

The time slipped by quicker than you expected, and the next thing you knew, you were strolling through Azure Center as the sunset painted the sky a beautiful mural of colors.

“We’ll be taking the bike,” Sylus spoke, breaking the silence. “Luke, Kieran, you take the car.”

“Wait, what?” Sure enough, when you looked, Sylus’ motorcycle was parked in front of the car you came in. You turned to him. “How did you get the bike here?”

His only response was a smirk as he tossed your helmet towards you. “Ready?”

You sighed, reluctant to go on what you termed the death machine, but put on your helmet. “I swear, these surprises are going to be the end of me.”

You couldn’t make out a lot of your trip. The scenery blew by and the wind roared in your ears. You just hugged Sylus’ torso and squeezed your eyes shut, waiting for the ride to be over.

Finally, the bike rolled to a stop. You swung off the bike, took off your helmet, and took a look at your surroundings. There was a peaceful forest area. The light hit the trees from the left side. A place near Linkon that was naturistic and towards the north… were you at the outskirts?

That was all you got before a piece of cloth covered your eyes. “What- Sylus!” you exclaimed, hands raising to move the cloth away.

The cloth tightened a bit, as if a warning. “Ah ah ah,” Sylus’ voice was tinted with amusement, “you wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise, would you?”

Somewhat reluctantly, you dropped your hands. “I hope it’s not too far,” you responded, “because I won’t be getting far like this.”

“You won’t have to worry about that.”

“What do you-” You were cut off by your own yelp as you felt strong arms sweep you off your feet, throwing your center of balance askew before you rested in his arms princess style.

“Sylus! Warn me next time!” you scolded.

You felt the rumble of his chest as he chuckled, and soon after that steady footsteps. “I’ll be sure to, daring. For now, enjoy the ride.”

“Dork,” you said with no zing, settling in his arms and letting the atmosphere creep in. The cool breeze was being kept from chilling you from the body heat Sylus provided. The wildlife settled with the growing night, the light chattering making soothing background noise. You felt that eventually, you could’ve fallen asleep there.

It was a bit of a surprise when you felt Sylus come to a stop. This time you were prepared for the shift in balance as he set you down. “I’m guessing we’re here?” you guessed.

You felt a slight pressure on your blindfold. “Ready?” Sylus prefaced before the darkness was removed from you. The sight made your breath catch in your throat.

You were brought to a cliffside overlooking Linkon City. The lights of the nightlife made the buildings sparkle. Laid out on the grass was a blanket, allowing comfort for watching.

You turned to Sylus, whose eyes were fixed on you with a tender softness. “When did you do this…?”

He gave you a knowing smile. “I took the long way here and had the twins set this up ahead of time.” He gestured towards the blanket. “After you, my lady.”

Unable to hide your smile, you sat down on the blanket and stared out at the city. You felt Sylus sit next to you and you leaned on his side. Together you gazed at the landscape of Linkon.

“It’s beautiful,” you murmured softly.

“I thought you might like it,” Sylus responded with equal quietness.

Your eyes drifted up to the sky. “It’d be nice to see the stars. All this light pollution doesn’t help much.”

“I’ll be sure to remember that next time.” You laughed softly.

“Picture it,” Sylus continued, waving his hand across the sky. “We’re laying on the blanket, looking up and seeing endless stars. The entire universe displayed for us to see.”

You let out a content sigh. “This has been the best day, Sylus.”

He turned to look at you. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but my best day was one year ago.” He brushed the side of your face. “Because you appeared.” A light blush adorned your face and you glanced away bashfully.

An idea started growing in your head. “Hey, Sylus?” He looked at you quizzically.

You turned to face him. “I have a surprise for you.”

His eyebrows shot up a bit and he gave an amused smirk. “Really? I doubt you had the time to procure something for me.”

“Well, I’ll show you,” you answered, “but now it’s time for you to close your eyes.”

His amusement grew but he complied, closing his eyes.

You took a breath to steady yourself. C’mon, don’t be a coward.

You slowly pushed yourself up and positioned yourself so you were straddling Sylus.

His breath hitched like a gasp. He murmured your name like a prayer. His eyelids flickered, threatening to open.

You knew that if you looked into his eyes, you would lose confidence and shy away. So you quickly covered his eyes with your eyes. “I said don’t look…”

His lip quirked a bit as if he was holding back a laugh, but he settled back, letting you have your way.

You suddenly remembered Sylus’ Night of Secrecy card, where he had covered MC’s eyes in a similar fashion. A smile of your own threatened to spread. You forced the moment of humor down. This wasn’t the time for that.

You moved closer to Sylus, eyes locked on his lips. It was a bit awkward trying to get a good angle with your hand covering his eyes.

You sat there for a long moment, your breaths mingling together. Don’t be a coward. You gently pressed your lips on his.

Sylus had always been careful about kisses. He’d kiss your face, your head, your hands, and sometimes up your arms if he was feeling playful. But he didn’t kiss anywhere he didn’t think you were comfortable with, especially not the lips.

You didn’t have a lot of experience in this and you were certain it showed in your uncertainty. Sylus, however, was shown again to be your perfect match. He shared your gentleness, guiding you on how you should act.

Eventually, you drew away and you looked in each other’s eyes, breathing deep and shaky.

Sylus looked at you like you had hung the stars in the sky. “My treasure…”

You swallowed, trying to push down your nerves. “Sylus… I think… I’m ready to start a real relationship with you.”

His eyes widened in shock and scanned you as if looking for assurance. And despite your nerves, you were.

All this time he had been giving you his affection and you had accepted it. But tonight confirmed to you that you wanted more from this. You wanted to return his love. There had been some bumps on the way, but you were ready and wanting to give your love to him.

Sylus breaks into a grin. Not a typical smirk or his rare soft smile, but a full-out grin of complete and utter joy.

Without hesitation, he gently grabbed your face and pulled you in for another kiss. It seemed as if he poured all his love, his longing, every fiber of his being into this kiss.

It felt overwhelming. You couldn’t keep up with him. You returned the kiss, but did so gently without trying to match his fervor. Thankfully it had the effect you wanted. Sylus lessened the intensity so it turned from passionate to tender.

When you broke, he gazed at you with the most lovestruck expression you had ever seen. “You just made me,” he said, sounding a bit breathless, “the happiest man in existence.”

You laughed a bit. “I’m glad you enjoyed my ‘thank you’ so much.”

He pulled you into an embrace. “If I could live forever in this moment, I would.”

You closed your eyes and took a moment to feel him. His warmth, his comfort, his strength.

“I love you Sylus,” you whispered into the wind.

“And I love you, my treasure,” Sylus whispered back.

With that, this is the last part of the Yan!Sylus series! I might still take requests, but I’m not planning on writing anymore. I’m not entirely happy about how this turned out (can you tell I have zero experience in the subject?) but hopefully you guys like it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this series!

one piece saved my life man

wow.... i cant believe they were abandoned and Luffy collected them like treasures.....

the rest of the strawhats/friends that were gonna be in this post but i decided against it

Not all of them were abandoned by individual people like family members and their community, but the government. Specifically Franky and Law.

Vivi was gonna be in there too but i couldnt,,,, really,,,,, fit her in there.

lawlu is so funny because they think of each other as idiots. It's obvious why Luffy is an idiot. While Luffy thinks that sometimes, Law is so stupid in the way he overcomplicate things. Especially about feelings. Yes. Especially feelings.

Listen, it will always be hilarious to me whenever Luffy calls Law "so intelligent, yet so stupid (affectionate)"

*bonk*

Allies. But not yours.