Wicked Dragon World

You sidestep him in the cramped galley, ignoring how the flesh of his arm burns you as it brushes against your shoulder. Tuning out the noisy chatter and clanking dishes, you worry your chapped bottom lip, darting to the door.

When the cool breeze kisses your face, you gulp it down with greed. The brine settles uncomfortably in your lungs, but you keep going, taking and taking and taking until you can’t anymore. It isn’t until you dry heave that the tears flow. They scald your cheeks in rivulets and drip down your chin, falling dejectedly onto the deck. The stars—shimmering pinpricks in the velvet night—offer you no comfort in their silence. But a sense of calm washes over you as you slow your breathing to match the lazy lap of the waves against the hull.

“The hell’s this all about?” Zoro demands to your back as he bursts outside, half-shouting.

(Tactless as ever.)

In a melodramatic fantasy, you imagine jumping overboard. The murky sea floor would grant you a moment’s peace, surely… But you know Zoro would dive in to save you without hesitation—then proceed to give you even more grief than he already has.

Instead, you snap.

“I just want to be left alone. Can you not be dense for—fuck, I don’t know!—five fucking seconds?” You don’t bother turning around to deliver your outburst, eyes fixed on the boundless horizon.  

Your words are harsh, but they don’t rattle Zoro. What does concern him, however, is the syrupy thickness of your voice—the way it hitches and clumps as you speak. He’s beside you in three strides, coaxing you to face him with his warm, scarred palms, aching tenderness in his touch. You can’t meet his steel stare.

“Hey, look at me,” he entreats, gravel voice wrapped in silk. A callused thumb nudges your chin upward, your watery gaze meeting his concerned frown. “What’s goin’ on? Whatever it is, it’s gonna be okay.”

Shaking your head before he finishes speaking, a fresh sob bubbles past your lips, wet and desperate. You collapse into his chest as his strong arms encircle your waist, anchoring your bodies together. You weep to the tune of his steady heartbeat and the slow rock of the tide. The heaviness in your spirit feels insurmountable—a tsunami that will surely drown you.

Zoro rests his chin atop your head. “I’m always here,” he murmurs into your hair. “As long as you want me to be.”

I cannot thank you enough, @cursed-nyxan 😭😭😭🫶

Sorry it took me a minute! I may have missed one, simply because I didn't feel like going through the entire shebang tonight lol. I'll come back at some point when I've got more time and I'll be more thorough. Some of them I cropped down because the quality isn't that great, but you can still see his lines.

These are after you've sailed out for the final part of the game, to face the Netherbrain and all of the smaller battles before that. The three screenshots are his responses to the conversation (I asked for the kiss last).

What gripped me was how...panicked he sounded? At least in that first conversation. Throughout all of it, he sounds like he's trying to convince himself just as much as you that you're going to make it through.

Again I know the quality sucks I'm sorry, weekend has been crazy busy. Sadly there are no videos of this dialogue that I'm aware of. 😔 I highly recommend going through and hearing it yourself! (For all of the companions, not just Halsin. I hate that I never really talked to them at this point in the game before). Dave Jones does SUCH a good job fr

Sleepy mornings with your favorite Magic Knight Captain ♡

"Yami...."

A soft whisper escapes your lips, followed by a grunt as you adjust yourself beneath the said man. The weight of his body was suffocating, yet comforting at the same time.

You decide to give him a little bit of a nudge, nothing too strong but nothing too light either. He doesn't respond, still deep in his slumber as you try to fend off the rising sun's beams blazing in from the cracked window of the Black Bull's hideout.

After a moment of silence and the acceptance of defeat, you feel Yami adjust himself on top of you, followed by a soft grunt. His muscular arms find purchase around your mid-section, tightening just a bit.

Your arms move to reciprocate his actions, allowing one of your hands to slip up towards the base of his neck. A soft hum leaves the man as he feels your hand snake up towards his hair. You allow your fingertips to massage his scalp slowly and gently as you admire his breathtaking features.

The birds chirped cheerfully while you both lay tangled up with one another. Your fingers continue to card through his messy locks as you wait for the Magic Knights Captain to wake from his slumber. You feel his head adjust, nosing at the crook of your neck as he finally cracks his eyes open.

This catches your attention. Your hand comes to a halt.

"...mnn"

He groans in protest, his head moving slowly to prop his chin up on your chest. His eyes are still heavy, half-lidded as he meets your soft gaze.

"Good Morning," you whispered out softly, tilting your head down towards him with a soft curl to your lips, "Sleepyhead." Your hands finally continue to move through his locks, something that he definitely appreciated.

Yami only grunts in response, plopping his head back down into the crook of your neck. He plants a lazy kiss there before closing his eyes again. You can't find it in you to be mad at him for wanting to return to bed when he looks so relaxed. And of course, there was no better way to enjoy this moment than closing your eyes once again to fall into a comfortable silence.

A deep breath leaves the man's nose before you feel your position swiftly move from underneath him to beside him. His arms are still firmly wrapped around you, pulling your head closer to his chest this time. You can feel the steady thump, thump, thump of his heart as you allow yourself to breathe in his natural musk.

"Good Morning." He finally drawled out, voice barely above a whisper but full of rasp and sleep. You can't help but shiver at the sound of his deep, rumbly voice. The half-awake man leans down to place another peck on your forehead. His hands move to follow your ministrations from earlier, now massaging your scalp to lull you back to sleep.

Both you and Yami stay like this for a little while longer until there's a loud knock coming from the opposite side of the Captain's door. The said captain lets out an exaggerated groan, not wanting to give the uninvited guest a real answer.

Another knock followed along with a loud and boisterous voice.

"Captain Yami! It's time to get up!" Exclaims Asta from the other side. Your lover groans one more time before he wills himself to give his member a response.

"What the hell do you want? Leave us alone will ya?" Comes his response, much softer than his normal retorts that poor little Asta receives daily. You can hear Asta whine and grumble to himself as his footsteps disappear down the hallway.

Neither of you move to get up. The warmth far too peaceful to interrupt; however, it was beginning to get quite rowdy outside in the lobby. Multiple sounds of laughter and a big BOOM could be heard, making your body jolt.

"I guess it's time we get up..." You hushed out, separating your body just an inch from his to make eye contact. His gaze locks with yours, lingering for a second before he huffs, "I suppose so."

You can see the small pout forming on his gruff features, lips tugging slightly downwards. Who would've thought the great big and bad Yami Sukehiro would be so cute and pouty?

One of your hands moves to cup the side of his face, his head tilting to lean into it as your thumb brushes his lower lip. His stubble tickles your palm a bit as you lean in closer, your breaths mingling and ghosting over one another. A breathy laugh emits from you, brushing past his lips. His brows furrow at your quiet laughter.

You whisper out a soft, "You're so cute when you're sleepy." before finally closing in with a soft peck on his lips, hand still resting on his cheek.

the lion is honestly really fucking worried (vessel fell down again)