A/N: Skypiean!Reader. Some cussing.

Pumpkin Café was, as usual, busy that day. Another sunny afternoon in Skypiea after Enel's defeat, laughs and cheers freely floating through the air as clouds would. However, there was someone who hadn't visited Conis and Laki yet. The blonde girl had noticed, a worried frown suddenly pulling at her lips.

"Where is (Y/N)?" She asked the raven-haired Shandia girl next to her, who just shrugged her shoulders, smiling reassuringly.

"I'm not sure, but don't worry. Things are really peaceful here now, so there's no need to be concerned. She will be here in a blink of an eye, you'll see." She winked, and Conis smiled again, nodding her head and turning to the customers.

"Yahoo! Finally!" A high-pitched voice resounded throughout the air. Laki's lips drew a wider smile, watching as the young Aisa came running towards them. The girl's face wore a huge grin, as it always would.

"Welcome back, Aisa." Greeted both waitresses. The girl nodded her head enthusiastically, sitting down by the counter; her legs dangled from the chair excitedly. "Some pumpkin juice coming right up!"

"Yay!" She cheered, throwing her fists in the air. "Your pumpkin juice is the best." Conis laughed softly.

"Thanks. By the way, Aisa, do you have a clue about where (Y/N) is right now? It's strange that she hasn't come." She asked, serving the younger girl a pumpkin-shaped mug of juice, which she took happily.

"Yes, I know where she is." She paused, taking a long gulp of the beverage. "She said she wanted to go into the forest to find something." Conis and Laki looked at each other, the former letting out a soft giggle while the latter smirked deviously.

"To find something?" Laki repeated, much to the younger's confusion. "Sure." She dragged the word out, gentle and playful sarcasm lacing her voice.

"What do you mean?" Asked Aisa, a pout on her lips. She just hated when she couldn't understand what they were talking about. The older Shandia laughed, shaking her head and going back to prepare some more noodles that had been requested.

"It's nothing. I'm just sure she's going to find just what she's looking for." Conis chuckled in the background, seeing as the girl's puzzlement only grew. Aisa's pout became bigger, her tongue sticking out in frustration.

"You two are mean!"

You panted, pushing yet another bunch of bushes out of your way. Even though it wasn't the first time you went into Upper Yard, you would never get used to the surprises that you would, for sure, find whenever you stepped onto the precious Vearth.

However, it didn't matter how many hours you had searched; the island was enormous, and you still hadn't found what you were looking for.

Or, rather, who.

"I know!" You snapped your fingers, smiling. "If I climb a tree, I'll have more visibility." Looking around, the metaphorical bright bulb seemed to falter as you remembered just the high stature of these trees. However, you soon found a branch sticking out lower than others, and that looked resistant enough to bear with your weight. At least you would be able to see a few meters ahead.

Purposeful, you grabbed a hold of the rough surface of the trunk and lifted your body, climbing slowly and clumsily. Having to take some deep breaths before carrying on, it wasn't long until you realized that this wasn't a good idea.

"What the hell are you doing up there?"

And, apparently, you weren't the only one.

Looking down, your eyes lit up as you finally found who you were looking for. His name left your lips as a breathless gasp as you commenced to climb back down:

"Wiper! Heso!" The Shandia's own expression remained stoic, large arms crossed over his muscular torso. Nervously, your arms and legs started to tremble from having to support your weight, struggling to keep a hold on the splintery trunk. You yelped, feeling the skin of your fingers burn at the rough contact, some small droplets of blood tickling their way down the digits.

"Oi, don't fall." He grumbled, watching impassively as you were biting the bullet just to step, once more, onto the valuable ground; at that moment, it seemed precious for you in one more way other than the traditional.

"I-I won't fall!" You whined, practically hugging the wood. Oh, God, how you wished it would be true.

After three long minutes trying to go down, you finally reached the last thirteen centimeters; only then did your limbs fall numb, and you left yourself fall the short distance left, by Wiper's barefoot feet.

"Ow, ow..." You mumbled, rubbing your sore bottom. Wiper rolled his eyes and offered a hand for you to get up, which you gently accepted. His sharp eyes noticed the blood on your hands.

"What were you doing up there?" He asked again, letting go of your hand rather quickly. You blinked, taking a handkerchief from your pocket and wiping away the blood from your hands, hissing slightly.

"I'll have to treat this back at home..." You whispered, then looked up at the tall man, who stared at you impatiently. "I-I was told by Gan Fall that I could find you here, and I wanted to talk to you so... Here I am?"

"Gan Fall?" He asked, raising a dark eyebrow before closing his eyes. "Don't tell me you fell down from your Waver again." Your cheeks puffed, a red blush spreading across your cheeks in embarrassment.

"T-Totally not." Your words left you as a very poor huff, barely credible in his ears. He shook his head, looking back down at you.

"And what did you want to talk to me about? I'm busy." By every second that passed by, the air seemed to grow thicker; you gulped, looking away. Then you could have just ignored me, you thought.

"P-Pumpkin juice?" You looked up at him, eyes widening as his seemed to narrow in annoyance and anger. "D-Don't take it the wrong way, Wiper! I'm just saying that I would like to treat you to some pumpkin juice... Or whatever you like, really."

He started at you, expressionless as ever, yet slightly taken aback.

"Why would you want to treat me?" He asked, his characteristic frown deepening. You simply shrugged your shoulders.

"Even God's Guards deserve a divine break from time to time, don't you think?" You giggled at your own pun, which, in fact, only made him groan slightly.

"We will see..." He muttered, turning around and walking away. He waved his tattooed, left arm as a farewell. "Get back safely."

Your antenna-shaped locks of (H/C) hair seemed to drop slightly in disappointment. A hand slipped inside your pocket once again, wounded fingers brushing, this time, against the smooth surface of a Dial.

It will have to wait a little more...

Later that day, when the clouds were turning blue navy, you found the Pumpkin Café closing doors for that day. You saw Conis and Laki outside, chatting, until the blonde Skypiean looked over to where you were standing, wearing a new dress, – since the once you had used formerly had been stained with mud and blood – and smiled.

"Heso, (Y/N)!" She called, running towards you and hugging your body. "Where were you? We were worried." Before you could answer, Laki's low laugh echoed in the empty background. She looked at you with a small smile.

"We all know where she has been." She winked at you, causing a faint mist to color your cheeks, only visible to the lights by the street. "How did it go? Did you give him the Tone Dial?"

Ashamed, you lowered your head, shaking it in defeat. Both your friends looked at each other, disappointed.

"I just suggested that we can come to have some pumpkin juice whenever he likes, but he didn't seem all that excited about the idea... Not that I expected him to be." Laki huffed, shaking her head; raven locks sprayed back and forth like a curtain of ebony feathers.

"You will have to wait some more centuries before Wiper appears in a date, honestly." She sighed. "You need to be more straightforward." Scolded the Shandia woman, gently.

"I-I wasn't intending to make it sound like a date." You whined, feeling more and more flustered. Conis looked at you concerned, embracing the small Cloud Fox, Su, in her slender arms.

"Then we will have to make up another plan." Laki muttered thoughtfully. She hummed, while you looked at your Skypiean friend. The Shandia looked up, smiling widely. "I got it. Come with me."

You looked at the woman, puzzlement clear in your eyes, as well as Conis', as she dragged you both around.

"W-Where are we going?" You asked, confused; however, you didn't show any kind of resistance, nor did your blonde friend. You both trusted Laki. She turned around and smiled.

"We are going to the former Shandia Village."

The place was dark, surrounded by clouds tainted in midnight blue. You had been surprised enough when Laki had pushed you both to fall into a cloud, more even when she had gone away saying that she had something to do to get the plan ongoing, leaving you alone with Conis.

"What now?" Asked the blonde, looking at you. However, you were too busy inspecting your surroundings. There were still some tents, however, empty. A middle-sized hollow on the clouds, telling that something heavy must have been there for years, probably a statue.

You walked around, catching a glimpse of an object tainted in different colors inside one of the tents. Determined, you strolled forward, stepping into the tent and, hesitantly, taking the item; a small smile formed on your lips as your mind registered what it was.

It was Wiper's mask. Maybe that was his tent as well.

You chuckled, remembering your very reaction when you first saw him with that mask on...

"OH MY GAN FALL, IT'S A FUCKING COLORFUL FLYING COW!! WHAT THE HELL WAS IN MY JUICE THIS MORNING??"

"What is so funny, (Y/N)?" Conis' gentle voice brought you back from your brief memories. You looked back at her, who was smiling softly; you returned the gesture: a happy grin of your own.

"It's nothing, this just brings back great memories." You paused, catching the sound of hurried footsteps and, soon, Laki's head poked from the entrance of the tent. "Laki!" Without uttering a word, the Shandia woman caught Conis' arm, causing a gasp to left the girl's lips, while you stared in puzzlement. "W-Wait, what's wrong?"

"The plan has started, (Y/N)!" She announced, hushed, while dragging the blonde away with her, but not without calling her last words to you: "Wiper is coming, good luck!"

Wait, what?

"W-Wait! Laki!" You whispered, heart rate growing quicker and frenzied. However, it wasn't the Shandia woman who appeared through the entrance of the tent. You gulped audibly as te man's eyes seemed to widen for a second, and you swore you had felt like having your soul leave your body. You were sweating uncontrollably, blushing, and your breathing was heavy and uneven, clearly noticeable in the night's sepulchral silence.

And what was worse, you didn't have your Tone Dial with you. The one that was supposed to help you confess to the man you had fallen for was in your house, next to the clothes you had been wearing earlier.

Dammit.

"What are you doing here?" His gruff voice asked, eyes suddenly lowering to the mask in your hands. His teeth chewed on the cigarette which always dangled from his lips. "You stole it?" He growled. Your eyes turned as huge as plates as you quickly shook your head.

"N-No! I just found it here, I swear!" You squealed, covering yourself with the big cow mask as Wiper approached you with firm strides. His hand took it from yours, and only when ten silent seconds had passed did you dare opening your eyes to find the man staring down at you. "H-Huh? Y-You lost it?"

"I just couldn't find it." He scoffed. "And Laki told me she knew where it was, so I came. It's strange I found it here, though." Wiper paused, eyeing you suspiciously with that piercing stare of his. "And I could say exactly the same about you."

"W-Well, you see... I-I was just... Having a walk?" You chuckled nervously, trying to avoid his inquisitive staring.

God, why is he so intimidating?!

Looking behind him for a brief moment, you saw Laki's ebony heart-shaped strand, and Conis' blonde antennas-like locks. They were listening intently, and you were sure they were mentally screaming at you to give him the Dial.

But you just couldn't.

"A walk." He repeated, clearly not taking any of it. He seemed to get more impatient by the second, and you honestly just wanted to disappear. You couldn't do this; you weren't ready yet.

But it could be your only chance.

"I-In truth, it's not exactly a walk. There are some... details that I would like to keep to myself for now." You took a deep breath, managing, this time, to look at him in the eye. "All of this ended with me wanting to talk... to you..."

"Again? Didn't we talk earlier today anyway?" He asked, scowling. Not the smiler, huh? But you already knew that.

"Y-Yes, that's right. But it's important." Sighing, and feeling your blush grow deeper, you frowned determined. "This is probably something that you might not give two damns about, but..."

Your sudden burst confidence went through the window as quickly as it had come.

"What is it?" He sighed, definitely on his last straw. Sad, you looked down and whimpered out what had been swirling and heaving inside your chest for so long:

"I love you." His face grew into one of confusion and surprise; he had heard you loud and clear, engulfed by this silence. Wiper didn't have the chance to answer before you continued. "I love you very much. And I know that you're constantly busy, and that you don't have time for a relationship, and that maybe you never really looked at me. But that is just how I feel. I know you are stubborn and hotheaded, even a tiny bit scary, but I love all of your flaws, along with your qualities. Loyal and strong. Yes, that's just how you are. That is the Wiper I love, despite out differences, regardless the scars of the dark past between Skypieans and Shandias. That can be the main reason why you will never love someone like me... But, for me, you're a man worth loving."

You looked up with a smile, teary eyed. It felt so good to have let all that out of your being. But you felt your heart shrink to the depths of your gut when you realized that his face had remained emotionless.

Biting your quivering lip, you sniffled, wiping some tears that threatened to fall.

"I had wanted to use a Tone Dial to express my feelings, since I didn't deem myself prepared enough. But I had to be brave." You paused, looking at your feet once again, and started walking towards the exit. "I'm sorry if that bothered you, I will never annoy you again."

You walked past him, tears gathering further as he showed no intention to stop you. A hand was tightly clasped against your mouth, preventing sobs from echoing into the dark.

"The war between us has ended." Wiper spoke then, making your steps cease, your back facing his own. "I have no reason to feel hatred towards your people anymore. And don't think so poorly of yourself."

He turned around, watching your shoulders tremble. His eyes stayed onto your wings, though. They were so similar to his, indeed. A lonesome sob escaped your lips, and Wiper got closer.

You gasped, out of breath, when you felt his bare chest against your back, your pure wings fluttering slightly in surprise, and causing a tickling feeling to roam throughout his body. His chin rested onto your shoulder, and he pushed a strand of (H/C) silk behind your ear.

"I might just accept that offer of yours... To have some pumpkin juice together, or whatever I like, for that matter." A small smile pulled at your trembling lips. He sounded so serious, as always. Wiper turned you around, his own eyes darting to your (E/C) orbs, which were full of love and happiness. Without hesitation, you wrapped your arms around his strong neck, bringing him down into a warm hug.

"Thank you, Wiper."

Walking back home, then, were Laki and Conis, smiling about their friend's success.

"I'm glad they could get together." Said the blonde Skypiean. Laki nodded her head, pausing her walking then. Conis stopped and looked back confused.

"I almost had to use this." She whispered with a smile, taking her hand inside her pocket.

"What is it?" Aked a confused blonde. The Shandia's smile only grew bigger, as Conis' eyes, when she took her soft hand back out.

On it, a shiny, smooth-surfaced Tone Dial.