I Think Everyone Has That One Ship

hey, can my cat stay on your blog for a little while?

i'm going out of town for the night and could use someone to watch her

We lost.

78% of the entire American population complained to keep net neutrality. 

78% 

and we still lost. 

We lost because it was the FCC’s personal vote by the members. 

Because the members of the FCC refused to listen to the common people. 

Now, tell me again that America is a proper democracy. 

What is this thing anyone know?

Random thought

In maybe ten or fifteen years from now, Harry Potter will have a remake and if they dare destroy the whole franchise I will sue.

Hey!

I’m starting a rebellion against markipliers tyranny! WHO’S WITH ME?!

The sentence, “We need to talk.” is the most anxiety-inducing 4 word sentence in existence.

Me on October 31st, 11:59 PM:

Me on November 1st, 12:00 AM:

My exact reaction when I first watched these scenes as a kid:

Cabin by the Lake | Local Diner

Portgas D. Ace x F!Reader, Modern AU series

06- When Luffy’s birthday turns into a group get away to a small cabin by a lake, you cannot deny his own brothers an invitation. Surely the week long get away would leave a lasting impression with his eldest sibling.

uhhh no warnings really but sharing food. i know some people are weird about that stuff 🤷‍♀️

Wednesday: Local Diner

You wake with a start, a hollow aching in your chest, and the room empty of your two friends. Despite your positions splayed out on the bed there is a deep seated knowledge that you will never be as comfortable and calm as you were during the movie last night.

And that alone, that fluttering of anxiety brought about, was enough to wake you fully.

Going through the motions of your morning routine is fairly easy. Yet there is something gnawing at the back of your mind the entire time. It holds an emotion that you cannot quite unlock at this hour, a thought that you unconsciously push back on, so that you can continue with your little vacation with a clear mind. You invested far too much time and money on this trip to allow it to be ruined by something a menial as your feelings.

Dressed for the summers day, you head downstairs to join the others in the breakfast spread already being picked on by the group. You collapse into one of the open seats and survey the variety of plates. Everything seems to be mostly intact, except for the platter of sweet rolls, and your shoulders drop in disappointment.

A knee knocks against yours under the table and you slowly turn to face Ace. “How’d you sleep?”

“Good, actually.” You smile at him. “What about you? Luffy actually stay in his own bed?”

“Yes, thankfully.” Ace rolls his eyes dramatically. He then turns back to his plate, and you believe the conversation to be over, until he reaches out in front of you to place a small plate down. “Saved these for ya.”

Your eyes turn to the small platter, fish painted around the perimeter of it, and notice the two sweet rolls with the icing that you like so much. The ones that you have eaten every single day this week, as Sanji has always made sure they were there at your request. “Oh.” Your voice is low and that ache has returned. “T-thanks, Ace.”

“No problem.” He simply shrugs and returns back to his meal.

Your eyes cast around the group, smiling to yourself at the light that each person seems to exude. It seems that the vacation, your own little break from life, has done wonders for everyone here. One light seems to shine the brightest though, and you catch yourself throwing occasional glances his way, allowing it to warm you through.

“I really think we should check it out!” Nami’s voice is chipper as ever as the sounds of forks scraping on plates reverberates through the room. Her eyes meet yours and you urge your brain to catch up on the conversation. “It’s supposed to be a cute little, local diner.”

“The ladies at the sale were raving about it.” You confirm, taking a slow sip of the fresh juice.

“Tired of my cooking already, my dears?” Sanji places a hand on his chest in mock offense.

“Of course not,” Nami quickly shakes her head, not wanting there to be any threat of Sanji not cooking for the remainder of the trip. Not that he would ever do that to her. “But you deserve a break for a night, this is your vacation too.”

Sanji shrugs, “I enjoy what I do.”

“It’s just one night.” Robin offers a smile.

“Yeah! And then you’ll be rested up to cook a big feast tomorrow!” Luffy grins, practically vibrating in his seat.

Sanji rolls his eyes, but voices his agreement nevertheless.

As plates empty and drinks are downed, everyone gets up to go about doing their own thing. Sanji waves off any offers of help with the dishes, especially with the knowledge of having a break, and the lingering crew is shooed out of the kitchen.

You move about your day on auto pilot, checking in with everyone as you wander mindlessly around the cabin. No agenda and no real goals for the day. It was something that started to gnaw at you in an odd was as you were left alone with your thoughts.

Before you could spiral any deeper, Ace pops into the room, patting at his pockets as if checking something. He scans the room with furrowed brows until his eyes land on you. “Oh, hey doll.” He grins at you, demeanor light. “You know where my keys are?”

“Think I saw them on the kitchen counter.” You remember the heat filling your face at the sight of his alligator key chain. He quickly turns to the kitchen, an aha soon followed by the jingling of keys. You watch him enter the room again with curiosity peaked, “And where are you going?”

He clutches the keys in his hand, mouth opening before he quickly stops himself, head tipping in thought. “Do you, uh, wanna go for a drive?”

“Where to?”

“Dunno.” A cheesy grin is offered to you. “Just wanted to go out and drive.” His shoulder leans in the door way as he watches you, brows raised and biting his lip as he awaits your answer.

And that look. That stupid look.

It was far too intriguing to deny. “Let’s go.”

You quickly follow Ace outside and to his car. He tugs the driver door open with a smile that he can’t seem to wipe away. The drive was meant to be his reprieve from the group, a moment alone, but he couldn’t deny that he was satisfied with the new development.

As you settle into his passenger seat, he works to hook his phone up, before handing it over to you. “Play me something good, doll.” He teases, as if he didn’t have the most broad taste in music imaginable. You scroll through his many playlists as he backs out of his parking space, turning the car towards the winding back roads. The smooth sounds of ABBA soon fills the air and Ace grins, reaching over to crank the volume. “I love this song.”

Ace begins to tap the rhythm against the steering wheel, head tipping back, before absolutely belting out the words. You break into a fit of giggles at the unexpected performance, watching as he does a little dance in his seat. “Come on, doll. Don’t play ABBA if you’re not gonna put on a performance with me.” Gone was the man quietly mouthing the words to the music days ago, replaced by the one entirely comfortable in making a fool of himself in front of you, seemingly with a goal of making you laugh. “Let’s go, it’s the chorus, you gotta know this.”

And who are you to deny Ace such a request? You follow him into the chorus and his energy only seems to raise at this. Amidst his little dance, he takes your hand in his, shaking it with emphasis to each word.

Songs change one by one, the energy staying high, and laughter echoing in the guitar solos. Ace drives with little purpose, taking winding roads and pushing the two of you further and further into the back woods. At some point, he turns off into a clearing to turn the car around and not get the two of you too lost.

As Ace throws the car in reverse, you lean forwards to turn the music down. “Alright, what kinda instrument do you play then? It’s gotta be something with the show you’re giving me.”

A grin pulls to his face as he throws an arm around the back of your seat, looking over his shoulder to avoid backing the car off of the mountain itself. You watch him closely, his body leaning towards yours and that sly grin on his face.

“I can play guitar, but I don’t perform or anything.” He moves his arm back to put the car in drive. “A little drums too, all just for fun though.” Eyes glance both ways for a brief moment, before he turns to look at you. “But i’m glad you were impressed.”

A playful smile pulls to your lips, “Well, I never said I was impressed.”

“Awh, you wound me.” He presses his palm to his chest and pouts at you.

“Awh, don’t cry, Ace.” Your bottom lip pokes out to match his pout and you don’t miss the way his eyes flicker down to track the movement, your breath catching in your throat. He meets your eyes again and a flush overtakes his freckles.

You’re not given the chance for a comment as your phone rings. Both of you jerk back in surprise, Ace’s eyes turning to check the road again before he is pulling out. You raise the phone to your ear without even checking the name.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?” Nami’s voice crackles over the line.

“Out on a drive.” You simply answer.

“A drive?” She pushes. “With Ace? Are you-“ The line cuts in and out as you only pick up a few syllables every now and then.

“Nami, you’re cutting out.”

Her voice finally cuts through, clear as day. “We’re starving!” You pull the phone away at the sheer volume she was speaking.

Ace chuckles, having overheard the statement. “Tell them to meet us there.” He simply shrugs. “We aren’t too far out.”

“Yeah, Nami just meet us there. ‘Kay?” You can vaguely hear her shout out an okay, followed by crackling words and pauses of silence. “Can’t hear you, love you, bye.” More crackling ensues but you hang up the phone. You toss your phone back into the cup holder in favor of Ace’s. “Do you know where the diner is?”

Ace nods, but you’re too deep in his playlist to notice. “We passed it up earlier.”

“Oh,” You raise your head to stare out the windshield in thought. “I didn’t even notice.”

With a simple shrug, the music is flowing again.

The concert ensues but it is a little bit more calm this time. Instead of belting out the lyrics, you’re given a moment to truly hear Ace’s voice, the sound washing over you and making your heart skip a beat. The next song you queue up is something you hoped matches his tone and allowed you to hear more.

But the diner is soon coming into view, much to your disappointment, and Ace is pulling into the gravel lot. The others hop out of the two cars as Ace parks, stretching their limbs as if they had been in there for ages.

Luffy bounces on his heels, “Let’s eat!” He beams as the group rush forwards. Part of you feels sorry for the wait staff and how much they were about to have to handle with your group.

You and Ace trail behind the group, bumping each others shoulders and sharing playful glances. As you enter the diner, you already see the group following after a waitress towards a large circular booth. Everyone slides around in the booth, Ussop pausing to allow Ace to slide in with Sabo, sending you a look as you move in beside of Ace.

Ussop takes place beside of you, elbowing you in the ribs and wagging his brows at you. You send the man a death glare before turning to flip the menu open.

Ace lets out a yawn as he looks over the menu, almost missing the waitress turning expectantly towards him for his drink order. He offers a sheepish smile to the woman. He shifts against the vinyl seating, bumping your shoulder by pure accident, and pulling your attention away.

“You okay?”

“Got really tired all the sudden.” He shakes his head.

You hum in thought, “Talk to me then. What are you getting?” And he seems grateful for the distraction, babbling on about the southern chicken platter sounding good, but the burgers sounding even better. Of course, he would want an extra side no matter what he ordered because he realized that he was absolutely starving. His appetite could combat Luffy’s, after all.

Then the attention is called to Zoro and Sanji’s bickering, something about the former being grateful to have a break from Sanji’s meals. A shouting match ensues and Nami lands a swift smack upside both their heads as she scolds them.

Conversation chatters on, and the woman is soon returning with two others at her side, all with giant trays in hand. They begin passing out plates, with the bulk being offered to the brothers. The group remains rowdy as ever and easily break the quiet ambiance of the local diner.

You dive into your plate of food, the chicken platter, happily shoving the food into your mouth. Crispy and perfectly seasoned, a grin pulling on your lips. Everyone else happily indulge in the southern style dishes, grins all around, and you had to admit to yourself that it was nice seeing Sanji so relaxed after a week of catering to you all. You offer a sideways glance to see Ace shoveling food into his mouth, freckled cheeks cutely puffed out, as he seemed to be enjoying his burger.

“Hey,” You call to him, cutting off a piece of the chicken to drop on his plate. “Try it, ‘s really good.”

Ace grins as he pops the piece of meat into his mouth. He nods in satisfaction, “Good, but the burger is definitely better.” Then he collects the greasy burger into one hand. “Try a bite.”

And as if it was the most casual thing in the entire world, you take a bite off the burger he was already halfway through. The melted cheese blended perfectly with the tangy barbecue sauce, but you shake your head at him. “You’re crazy, the chickens definitely better.” He dramatically rolls his eyes in response.

“Your tastebuds are broken.” Then he is reaching over to one of his side plates. “Here, try this. These are better than anything else.” He drops a couple of the fried cheese curds onto your plate.

You toss one in your mouth and a smile pulls to your face at the satisfying taste. “Okay, you’re right about that at least.” You collect the other one and lean into him a little bit, “Can I try the sauce?” You nod to the miniature ramekin that came with the dish.

“Sure, but they’re better without.” He picks up the black dish to offer over the dip.

Dipping the fried cheddar, you pop it into your mouth. “Oh, Ace, you’re crazy.” Your eyes blow wide. “That sauce is so good.”

“Well have at it then, doll.” He shifts his plates around to place the cheese curds between you. “I’m willing to share.”

You match his grin as you grab another.

The waitress puts in the work, but everyone is ever grateful for it. Sanji especially commended the woman for her work. She clears plates away as they empty, refills drinks, and even joins in on some of the groups banter.

Amidst this, you hear Ace yawning yet again. He leans against the space that has now been emptied in front of him. Ace’s eyes flutter shut, cheek slumping against his palm as sleep won over the best of him. His body was ridged but you figured it was a matter of time before he slumped fully against the table.

You gently place a hand on his knee and squeeze it in effort to wake him without startling him and causing a scene. Ace jolts awake at the feeling, back straightening, as he offers you a quick smile of thanks. Though he turns quickly, you don’t miss the way his cheeks flush. His hand dips below the table to grab for yours, clutching your hand and giving it a squeeze, a clear battle to stay awake flickering across his face.

You lift a hand as the waitress comes by, leaning over Ussop to order a black coffee, before she is off again to a new table.

The woman soon returns to gently place the white mug beside your iced drink. You silently slide the mug over with your free hand and offer another squeeze to Aces fingers.

The blush returns on his cheeks to accentuate the freckles fanning across his skin. “Thanks, doll.” Ace smiles as he collects the hot coffee.

The table that was previously overwhelmed with plates is now significantly dwindling down as everyone finishes up. Your waitress continues to pop in and out, the older woman reveling in the charming words of the blonde cook whenever the mood strikes him. The energy drops steadily as everyone gets their stomachs full.

With everything cleared up, the group lingers around the table in waiting for the undoubtedly hefty bill split a solid ten ways. You had apologized to the woman for having to split it up in such a way but she waved you off with a grin- “Just remember this when you’re leaving a tip.” And with a cheeky wink, she was off.

Despite the black coffee, there was still a tired glaze about Ace’s eyes.

“Alright, Ace, give me the keys. I’m driving back to the cabin.” Sabo juts his hand out. Ace goes to speak his protest but his brother quickly cuts him off. “Yeah, yeah, i’m sure you’re fine. But i’m not letting you wreck out in the middle of nowhere.” The two glare at each other for a long moment, before Ace relents and drops his keys into Sabo’s open palm.

The group divides up into the three cars- the brothers taking Ace’s car while you, Robin, and Ussop take Nami’s car and the guys pile in with Franky. Pleasant conversation passes between Nami and Robin in the front, while you are left in the back with Ussop side eyeing you. But he never makes a comment on the entire ride there.

However, when you arrive at the cabin, Ussop is calling you to sit with him outside on the porch. You already have an idea of what the topic of conversation is about to be as you plop into the porch swing beside of him, the chains swaying you both gently.

“Sooo,” Ussop drags out the word as he worries his shoe against the stained wood. “What’s going on with you and Ace?”

“Me and Ace?” You can practically feel your heart in your throat.

“You and Ace.” Ussop narrows his eyes.

You shrug with the facade of nonchalance, “We’re becoming friends, least i’m pretty sure we are.” Ussop tips his head back against the seat, staring up at the ceiling, and drawing in a deep breath.

“Friends?”

“I think so, yeah.”

Ussop rubs a hand over his cheeks in exasperation. “I know you like to take care of your friends,” His head tilts to look at you closely. “But what was that at the diner?” Heat fills your cheeks and you force your eyes away, staring at the sun setting over the lake.

“I don’t know.” You purse your lips.

Silence lingers for a moment.

“Well do you have feelings for the guy?” He prompts, observing you very closely for any true indication. You blow out a breath and continue staring out, before throwing your hands out in a half hearted gesture to convey you do not know. “If you ask me,” His shoulder bumps yours in a shrug. “Or Nami. Or Robin. Or Franky.” He quickly adds. “The two of you are definitely falling.”

“Falling?” Your attention snaps to him. “Ussop, I barely know the guy.”

“Oh, so you’re in denial.” He huffs a laugh as you roll your eyes at him. “Been there.” The glare you send him does not deter his ramblings as he continues before you can protest. “But it’s different with a guy like that, ya know. He’s Luffy’s brother and that can really complicate things.”

“So i’ve heard.” You mutter bitterly.

Ussop sighs to himself, fidgeting with one of the many bracelets on his wrists. Worry furrows at his brow. “Do you remember Kaya?” He cannot meet your eye as he asks this.

“Your ex-girlfriend?”

“Yeah, that one.” He chuckles a humorless laugh. “You may not know this, but I used to be good friends with her brother. We were really close before I started dating her.” His voice is thick as he continues. “I don’t think i’ve seen his face since we broke up.” Hands drop in his lap as if they were iron weights. His words linger in the air for a moment before settling equally as heavy on you. “I’m not saying anything like that will happen if you do end up falling for Ace, but it’s something you should keep in mind.”

“Yeah, okay.” Your voice is low as you sink lower into the seat, allowing your head to fall on Ussop’s shoulder.

He slaps a hand onto your knee. “I’m not saying ignore your feelings, by the way.” Ussop speaks lowly, gently swaying the seat as he thinks over his next words. It seemed obvious that the newly found affection for Ace was far from the affection you held for the rest of your friends, no matter how heavily you denied or ignored it. “Just communicate and don’t be stupid for once.” You swat at his hand and his shoulders shake your head as he laughs.

The atmosphere shifts to normal as you watch the sun dipping low.

A thought pops into your mind. “Sooo,” You drag the word out. “Anyone having these conversations with Robin and Franky?” Your gaze tips up to Ussop just in time to catch the dramatic eye roll.

“I’m having them with Franky but that guy is kind of hopeless.” Curls fluff into your eyes as Ussop shakes his head. “Think they’re in the same state as you.”

A scoff leaves you, “I’m in no state.”

“Keep telling yourself that, doll.” Ussop grins.

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