Ghost Realm

So you waited, listening to your friends and family talk about how colors just burst into their life when they meet their soulmates. And that's another point you didn't get. Why is colors related to the time we meet our partners for life?

Then everything clicked when you locked eyes with your fated.

"Ah." You thought to yourself. "This is colors."

It was in the way he's running up to you that set your heart to evaporate into yellow butterflies. It's an intense color, so blinding when you see your soulmate smile so brightly, excited to meet you.

You feel unexplainable sense of happiness, one so warm like a winter night in.

“Hey! My name’s Luffy! What’s yours?” Such innocent question, laced with sweet honey tone that has you smiling like a fool at him. “I’m Y/n.” You reply softly.

His friends then came to greet you, yet you couldn't move your eyes away from the ball of sunshine that has entered your life with such vibrant energy.

Seeing as you’re too busy studying Luffy with heart eyes, his crew decided to explore the island and leave you too alone. You didn’t even notice they’ve left.

Then there’s the color blue.

It was in his hug that evoke such sense of security and trust, like nothing can crush your embrace. It’s not a flashy color like yellow but it is chilling causing you to shiver in his touch.

Luffy let’s go of you and drags you to the ship. Showing off the ship and rambling like untamed boy about his adventures and his favorite little things. Then he dragged you into the boys dorm to show you what he collected in his trips.

Soon after he calms down, he joins you on his bed. His smile never falling from his face once, his cheeks are coated in pink dust, it looks so sweet like cotton candy. Without thinking through your actions, you bite his cheeks.

Met with silence it dawned on you what you did, bolting away from him, you stutter out, “I- wait, crap- I didn’t mean to do that.” You feel your cheeks starting to resemble Luffy’s.

Luffy looks at you with his doll eyes in shock but no offense is written on his face, instead he lets out a gleeful laugh and pecks your lips.

The peak was quick and soft that you almost missed it, that being said it still left you speechless at the action. Keeping himself close to you, Luffy looks up to you with a smile. He then slowly with eyes still locked on to yours, sits on your thighs.

“Is this okay?” He said breathlessly, lips hovering yours and fists clenching your shirt. You nod, too dense to figure things out.

Placing your lips on his, has your breath cut it's flow from the intensity of it. Your hands inching up his thighs with feather like touches, Luffy could barely stand you moving your hands at an agonizing slow pace, so he bites your bottom lips down with a whine, flushing himself closer to you.

You let out a soft moan, everything about Luffy has you seeing and feeling red, red, red.

It's such addicting color.

Once you've reached your desired destination, Luffy's breath hitched as you gradually begun to palm him through his jeans. You break your passionate kiss with him to trail your sensual kisses down his neck, Luffy's face and neck are flaring up with your tormenting affection. He leans his forehead against your shoulders as he pants and moans, barely able to last one more minute before he comes.

"Y/n... don't s-stop-" You bite his sensitive spot between his neck and collarbone making him jerk forward in your arms letting out the most sexy moan you ever heard.

Your mind is foggy, filled with only the impulse to pleasure your fated.

Unzipping his pants, you moved it down enough so you can reach his underlain. Luffy bites his lips when you pulled his dick out, eyes watery, he can't mange to stay still, being the inpatient man he is, he started to move his hips to get some fraction from your hand.

"Come on... I'm s-so close." He achingly whispers.

You let out a chuckle at how needy he is for your touch. Not one to torment your lover, you gave him what he wanted.

Swiping a bead of precum with your thumb, you ran it over his slit, Luffy moans pathetically as you started to stroke him from his tip and all the way down with a pace Luffy's heart can't keep up with.

Not able to let out a single word, his mouth hang open with nothing but drools and moaning coming out, you smash your lips against him driving you both insane at the heat of the tongue war.

"Cum."

It's a simple one word that had him cum all over your hand.

Staring at the mirror dead on, you picked on every little detail littering your face in a deathly manner. Years of forgetting what's like to take care of yourself took a greater toll on you than you thought.

Your eyes heavy with weight dragging your under bags deeper into your eyes creating a dark tone contrasting against your skin showcasing the fail sleep attempts.

Hair thinning, losing it's past glory. Your skin giving up it's youth. Lips dry no matter how many times you try to keep it moisturized.

With the odds being against you, you took a shower more than necessary trying to keep your appearance clean. Hair tied back in a tight bun, clothes cleaned and ironed to perfection, wearing only white and black to appear put together. Eating once a day to maintain your body into it's shape, refusing to fall victim to body shaming.

That's how you went on with your life after the death of your aunt.

'But...' You thought to yourself, shifting your eyes down to your arm. 'Not all is bad..' You can't lie that shanks has been your only stronghold on this life even though you pale at the thought of meeting him.

Just this early in morning you went to pay respect to your aunt like you do everyday. Having her buried on the cliff of the beach she visits every morning so she can be close to whatever or whoever she was waiting for. Since it oversees the sea you noticed a different ship docked on the port, scooting closer to the edge, you tried see who are strangers coming out from the ship, there were all kinds of people getting down.

Then you saw him.

Red hair and his infamous scar on his right eye side.

Shanks.

You knew who shanks is, the moment he told you his name you felt the desperate need to find out more about him, however you came to a abrupt stop, not being able to find out more than what the general public knows about him.

Finding out that the men meant to be your fated is a known around the world as emperor of the sea shook you to your core. A strong figure is just on the other side of your arm left you feeling nauseous and crack yet another insecurity.

You were in no position to even feel pity to yourself, you denied yourself that privilege. Thinking it’s blessing for shanks not knowing you more than the girl writing on his arm. 

Shanks could and probably has better and more beautiful women than yourself so you scold yourself every time you feel the bold urge to be with him.

You drove that part of your heart to the grave side by side with your dead aunt. It’s where it belongs.

So seeing him, right there in the port of your town coming to land where you live, left your heart freeze over. Feeling your veins ice over, you feared the moment he lays his eyes on you with disgust written all over his face like everyone else… like your aunt.

Panicking you turn around to run to your house with your skirt fisted in your hands as you rush away with trembling legs. However before you're completely out of sight a pair of black eyes glance up curiously catching a sight of you.

Recalling what happened so early in the day has you weak in the knees. You slowing sit yourself down on the ground of the bathroom, fighting off the need to puke out your nerves.

“What am I gonna do now?” You ask yourself, your body cowardly shakes like uncontrollable leaf against a vicious wind. 

Looking down on the wooden floor, you saw a drop of water fall down, then another one and soon after your eyes blurs your vision as more tears started raining down your flush cheeks. Lips quivering, you bite it down, pressing back your agonizing sob.

Having shanks near yet far away, smothered you.

You made peace with the fact that you will never meet him, tucked away in your little house in a town where the people barely tolerated you. It was fine, everything was going fine.

‘So why did he have to show up?’

Your lips started bleeding from the pressure of your teeth, you couldn’t feel the stinging of the cut, your heart and mind feeling confused and in despair.

“Drink up shanks!” Everyone cheered, clicking their glasses together, spilling the drinks over, drinking clumsily and enjoying their time at the bar.

Shanks laughs along with everyone, plastering his wide smile to his crewmembers, relishing the warmth of being around his family. Chugging down his bittersweet liquor, he lets out a loud sigh, nothing beats good company and good sake.

Then his gaze drifts to his arm, mind racing with thoughts of you.

You never really said much when you write back to him, always keeping your words, simple and polite. Shanks has to admit, it bothered him how you're too respectful. He wants you to be bold in your words, holding yourself with pride and not afraid to voice out your opinions but up to now you still shy away from questions about yourself and never daring to let your curiosity wonder too far about him unless he tells you himself.

It's frustrating really, almost driving him to being a mad man.

He was almost tempted to hit up Big Mom for information about your whereabout so he can snitch you away and trap you in his arms forever. But he decided against it, not wanting to cross a dangerous line such as invading your privacy.

"Stop grilling your arms and write to her already." Yasopp laughs historically, clapping down shanks back. Everyone started throwing comments here and there about shanks and his fated, laughing wholeheartedly at their lovesick captain. Rolling his eyes playfully, shanks joins everyone in the fun.

While drinking his sake, his mind wanders off to the retreating figure he caught sight off when he landed on this town.

At first he brushed it off as a civilian getting scared of a pirate crew, then hours went by and she kept popping up on his mind constantly without fail which alarmed him greatly, "Hey, you good?" Benn asks in a whisper not wanting to alert the crew. Shanks faces his right-hand man and asks back. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You look like you're trying to figure something out." Benn takes a sip of his sake, "Which I hope it's not serious." Shanks shakes his hand and waves off his friend’s concern. “I’m just thinking about someone.” Benn raises his brow.

Just before he asks who might be the person that’s running around shanks mind, a waitress comes to place more drinks on their table. Shanks takes this opportunity to ask about the strange girl.

“Excuse me but may I ask if anyone lives on the other side of town?” The pink haired woman, looks up with wide eyes, then her face Changed into one of hatred. “Don’t bother investigating on the ghost child. I went with her to school for a year, nothing but a creep.” 

“Ghost child?” The girl hums. “The only person that lives on the other side of town. She goes by the name Y/n L/n.”

“Hey!! Can we get more drinks here!” One of the crew member says, grabbing the girl’s attention. “Coming right up!”

Shanks and Benn were too stunned to speak. There is only one person they know that goes by that name and that’s shanks fated.

The house is dimly lit with the only source of light being the candle in your room. Nights like this felt cold, nights where you felt the depth of your loneliness.

Burying yourself under the thick blanket, you stared into nothing, just quietly laying down willing yourself to go to bed.

Expect your mind is wide awake and keeps on printing new thoughts again and again and again keeping you away from a night of sleep. Just when you needed to sleep today’s bad morning off.

Shanks haven’t written to you today. That’s what’s your mind too busy thinking about, he would write to you every single day without fail be it in the morning or night there will always be a message. However night has fallen and there’s nothing from him yet.

You knew how much shanks loved to party, so you got worried he got distracted by… other women.

You aren’t blind. You know how gorgeous the women in the village are, how men that come from overseas fall head to toes because their beauty. So it wouldn’t be a surprise to you if that was the case with shanks.

You gulp.

Just as you’re about to close your eyes to drive such thoughts away you heard a soft knock.

Fear struck through you. No one comes to this part of town, so whoever is on the other side can be bad news so you stayed still not even letting out a single breathe fearing for your safety.

You heard a faint rustle of movement fading away, you wondered if the person left. Just to make sure you stayed the way you are for 10 minutes. Because risking anything right now, won’t be good for you, chances of surviving against an attacker is low.

•

You don’t know what it was. The fear from that strange knock or the constant overthinking and anxiety that knocked you to sleep, but god were you glad that you slept and didn’t stay up wondering about the poor things that’s been happening to you.

And now you’re awake early in the morning. You can hear the neighboring birds, chirping in their morning tone. It’s a pleasure to hear them, one of the few thing you enjoy, a guilty pleasure kind of joy.

Breathing in and out, you didn’t dare to move an inch from your place on your bed. It was comfortable, a rare occasion where you feel like lazing around. But your mind, never one that is kind to you, reminded you of shanks.

In spit of that, it wasn’t a horrible thought. Now that your mind is clearer like the early sky, your mind travel across shanks features.

You’ve seen him in a wanted poster, as handsome as he is in those, him in real life just couldn’t compare.

His red hair resembling a bright cherry, a favorite color of yours, one you acquired when you’ve seen a picture of him. A triple set of parallel, linear scars that pass vertically on his right eye, adds to the mystery of his story.

You could’ve started at him for hours and not get bored of his beauty however there's zero chances for that to happen.

You sigh, closing your eyes, blocking away the morning glow.

Knock knock

You’re breath stilled, hearing the knock against your wooden door you slowing sit up you try to move as stealthily as possible as not to catch the attention of whoever is on the other side. Placing your feet on the cold floor, you went to grab your bat on the left corner.

Advancing to the door on your toes, you took in a deep breath, preparing to attack first.

You swing the door open aggressively, bringing the bat down in a instant the door bangs against the back wall. However your bat seems to be hanging mid air or more correctly stopped by a certain red hair.

“Hey there.” Shanks greets with a smile.

Your face pales.

You won’t stop fidgeting, picking on the fake pearls that decorate your pillow’s couch you refuse to meet eyes with shanks who’s sitting across from you.

“I’m amusing you’re Y/n L/n.” Eyes still down, you tried to find the hidden disappointment behind his words. “Yes…. That is correct.”

You hear a soft chuckle, so soft it sent your heart dancing at the sound, you almost glance up to take a look at him.

“I’ve been waiting for the day where I say, you have such a beautiful name. A bit cheesy isn’t it?” He chuckles once more and you glance up, catching sight of his charming face.

You’re not the only one admiring your fated, as shanks takes you in whole.

Short hair that’s left down, shines with such vibrant black velvety hair, eyes tender yet fierce when he locks eyes with you. And a butterfly face that he can’t wait to hold in his hand to receive your sweet kisses. Oh how has shanks been waiting for this moment.

However it didn’t pass his observant eyes how you almost crawl into yourself, feet shuffling around and fingers busy with whatever at hands. You were uncomfortable or insecure, which ever it is, shanks settled on approaching you and this whole soulmate ordeal carefully as not to scare you off.

“You’re more than what I thought the fates would gift me.”

You can see his lips moving, words coming out and yet it’s like you’ve gone deaf. His words blur all together but you can understand them perfectly, it’s like your brain isn’t comprehending what he’s saying.

“Uh?” That’s all you’ve manage to say.

Holding in his laugh, shanks couldn’t help how endearing you are. “To put it simply.” He gets up and moves to where you’re sitting, coming to a stop in front of you and getting down on both of this knees with his palm open to you.

“Would you do me the honors of accepting me as your soulmate?” He rises one of his brows teasingly, with an amusement glint in his eyes as he looks at your bloomy face.

“I-I, what?”

This is beyond unexpected.

You thought you were fully armed, ready to take in his harsh insults and a heart wracking rejection. But this…. What is this…?

“I don’t understand? Aren’t you going to reject me as your fated? I’m not as beautiful or really have anything interesting about me. And I really don’t want to burden you with having me, so please don’t force yourself.” You clench your fist, trying to find out his hidden motives but all he does is place his hand on your tense ones and smiles.

“All I ask from you, is to let me love and take care of you.” You unclench your fist, letting his wrap around yours. You were startled by his words, having long forgotten being loved and wanted, it was astonishing really how such pure words can drop your years of guarded up heart.

For the first time, it feels like your mind and heart are in sync, your feelings are in place and you know what they mean. It feels safe.

Moving his hands from his hold on yours, he wipes away the single tear that got out from its confinement. “So, are you coming with me home?”

“...Yes.” It was all you need to hear.

It'll will take time for you to heal but now you're not alone.

ITS DONE HAHAHAHHAHA FINALLY.