sansic8

[sansic8]

I forgot I had this account oops

Something from my insty (follow me hehe)

[sansic8]

It’s not much but at least it’s on time. Happy anniversary dead cells immortalis I love you dearly PLEASE GIVE ME A SEASON 2 I NEEEED ITTTT

[sansic8]

PEAK IS BACK AND I MISSED IT FOR MONTHS IM A FAKE FAN BRO 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

… And the Beast (Yonji Vinsmoke x Reader) Chapter IX

Synopsis: You thought your little crush on Prince Yonji was a well-kept secret. Yonji is mean enough to exploit your eagerness to please in the face of his unrelenting cruelty; the thought of actually developing a soft spot for you never even crossed his mind.

Word Count: 6k

Tags/Warnings: No Reader Pronouns, Angst, Slow Burn, Naive!Servant!Reader, Side/Plot Device Original Character, Beating, Spitting, False Allegations, Name Calling, Physical Assault, Incomplete Suggestive Assault, Threat/Vaguely Mentioned SA

Notes: If you're fine with Ouran HSHC, you'll be fine with this chapter. If you have questions about the warnings before reading, don't hesitate to shoot me a message

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII Part VIII Part IX

Yonji entertained Princess Ursula for the rest of the morning and was discreetly brought for examination sometime later. Whether it was by a private physician or a more senior collection of scientists, you didn’t know. All you knew was that Judge was inevitably involved, and staff members were to entertain the kingdom’s guests alone.

Ichiji was as severe as ever about the situation, and Ursula could only be described as less than enthused about her new plaything disappearing in the middle of the day. To make up for the confusion and skepticism he caused, Yonji arranged for a romantic day with Princess Ursula, which was set to start the following morning. 

He thought it best to arrange for brunch in his favorite place in the kingdom: the library.

Like most of Princess Ursula’s visits, a notice of the royal’s accommodations to the servant staff came with short notice. You spent the better part of your night moving furniture and making rounds about the library to ensure that everything could hold up to scrutiny— or at least more than the Vinsmokes already doled out. You moved all of Yonji’s favorite books, allowing them to stick out on the shelves by just a millimeter so he could find them quickly. You assumed that he would want to do a bit of bragging, although you weren’t sure that Princess Ursula was one to be too interested in books. 

On the ground floor below, your usual reading chair and side table were absent from their usual place by the grand window. This morning, a round, decorated table sat at the base of the window with two chairs on either side. The table was already set with elegant—albeit rather plain—tableware.

Several pieces of cutlery of various sizes surrounded the main plate, and your eyes darted over the several glasses that sat just adjacent to the neatly folded cloth. Cosette worked downstairs, having taken over the library kitchen for the morning in preparation for the special meal. The library kitchen was far smaller than the main one and housed far fewer appliances. You were certain she wasn’t happy about the change in scenery. You’re sure she’d tell you all about it later. 

“Are you Yonji’s lover?” Ursula’s voice resounded within the tall ceilings. 

You spun around at the sound of her voice, shock bolting through you as if you had just been caught doing something you shouldn’t. Ursula stood between the double doors with her hands on her hips. She was as decorated as ever, adorned with pearls and swooping accents. Ribbons seemed to engulf her. And yet, Ursula appeared as scathing as ever. Too lost in your thoughts, you hardly heard her enter the library.

Ursula crossed her arms over her heavily bodiced chest.

“I asked you a question, servant.”

“No, I’m not.” The words shot from your lips with a bit more certainty and bitterness than you intended. But despite how curt it was, Ursula appeared wholly satisfied with your response.

She hummed, sticking her nose up in victory as she strutted into the library. 

“Well, that’s a relief,” she sighed snootily, eyeing the many shelves that lined the walls up to the ceiling. “At least he hasn’t lowered himself that far… But…” Ursula’s lips twitched downward into a steep frown. “This is the place Yonji wanted to show me? I thought he said he had a surprise.”

You knew better than to add any commentary. In fact, you would have already politely excused yourself if Ursula weren’t standing right in the middle of the entryway. 

“I can guide you to Master Yonji if you wish,” you offered, “I believe he—”

“I’m sure you could,” Ursula sneered, before strutting off toward the left-hand staircase leading up to the balcony. She wore a pair of Mary Janes with a thick heel, and her puffed skirt brushed against where her lace socks ended. Ursula swiveled her head toward you. “Well, aren’t you going to show me around? Now?”

You glanced toward the hall.

“Master Yonji—”

“I said now!” Ursula’s sudden outburst immediately made your attention snap to her. She had since faced away from you, but the bunched fists at the sides of her skirt were apparent, as was the tail end of a little stomp on the floor. 

You immediately complied, coming to her side with little haste, and only when you came up next to her did Ursula continue up the stairway. 

“This one.” She pointed at a large-spined book within your reach just as you reached the top of the stairs. You didn’t have to speak royal to know that it should be in her hand before she grew less amused than she already was. You handed it to her, keeping your upward-facing palms ready to support the encyclopedia by its covers. You doubted Ursula wanted the true weight of the book on her delicate hands. She frowned as she flipped through the pages. “This is what he wanted to show me?”

“I don’t believe so—”

“Did I ask you to speak?” Ursula gripped the book with both hands and heaved it to the side, causing it to tumble down to the floor. She shoved a pointed finger in your face. “Just because Germa allows the help to be undisciplined doesn’t mean I am going to stand for it. I hope that you keep in mind that when I’m queen. I’m going to whip this place into shape real quick.”

You didn’t say anything. What was there to say? Staying silent and bowing your head graciously was likely the only thing you could do right as Ursula straightened out, a small, satisfied smile gracing her lips as she patted down the skirt of her dress.

“That is much better,” she lauded before trouncing off down the shelves. 

And so it went; you followed Ursula around the library, handing her any book her heart desired. Although she didn’t appear to desire them for long before she threw them to the floor if not right off the balcony. You didn’t say a word. You wondered how long it would go on without making your subtle glances toward the clock too obvious. 

If anything, her presence gave you a new appreciation for the Vinsmoke family. While Ursula’s visit to your library wasn’t all too dissimilar to Niji’s infrequent visits, the Vinsmoke boys had a vested interest in keeping their archive intact at the very least. And it was only as you watched Ursula did you finally notice how gentle Yonji always was when he came to read. 

But even without actively occupying your attention, Ursula continued to demand it. You stared forward at the shaking ladder, hands in a vice grip on both sides as Ursula climbed. She had spied a book up near the top, but rather than snapping her fingers for you to retrieve it, she insisted on grabbing it herself. Ursula told you to hold the rolling ladder steady and to face forward or down; she didn’t want you peeking up her skirt. You couldn’t say you were interested in doing so in the first place, but the idea of Ursula so much as thinking you were being inappropriate with her was enough to keep your eyes glued downward.  

“My father used to try to read these to me when I was a little girl,” she scowled, the book splayed across her hand. You moved out of her way as she hopped down from the last rung of the ladder. Her hair and puffy skirt bounced as she did.

When she descended, you realized which book she had her eye on.

Like every book she held before, she thumbed through it flippantly before she stopped on the cover page of a chapter. She regarded it with bitter scrutiny.

“I could recognize this book anywhere…”

A young woman with long hair knelt in the grass of a garden, her hand on the cloak of a handsome young man propped up on the ground beneath her stare. The seam of the cloak led up to the head of a beast, some mix between a boar and a goat, from which the man appeared to emerge. It was “Beauty and the Beast,” and you always thought that the Beast, as depicted by the cover art, always looked strikingly like Yonji. 

Upon declaring that the library was his and discovering that you had hidden the book after Ichiji’s command, Yonji urged you to return it to the library. It typically had a home in your reading chair, but with the chair moved to accommodate Yonji and Ursula’s brunch spot, you thought to logically file the book away. With it tucked away all the way near the ceiling, you didn’t think that anyone would spot it up there. 

Ursula’s brow furrowed almost as tightly as her clenched teeth. 

“I don’t know what kind of idiot he took me for… even back then. He kept trying to read them over and over again like I was some stupid little girl.” Her nose scrunched up like a pig as her fingers clenched the top of the pages. “As if I needed to be coddled. As if I wasn’t born a queen.”

Riiiip. 

And then the cover page was in her hands, attached loosely to the pages behind it by the edge where the papers were torn. Ursula let them go, letting the torn pieces flutter haphazardly to the ground. Her eyes had a blankness to them, like a child who had just torn the wings off an insect without understanding the weight of what she had just done. But then her gaze soured once more as she continued to rip out pages. 

“That’s enough,” you found yourself blurting, making a lunge for the book. Ursula kept it from you, turning away from you as she continued tearing up the pages. You stumbled, trying to reach for the cover. “That belongs to the Germa Kingdom! It’s special to them!”

Ursula ducked around you, scurrying down the right-hand set of stairs with sadistic glee. 

“This thing? A set of kids’ stories? Yeah, right.” She stopped in front of the neatly decorated brunch table, pieces of paper flying like feathers. “You didn’t care about any other book in this room, but this one gets you riled up? What are you? Some sort of child?”

You grasped her wrist, forcefully turning her around without a thought. You gripped her hand, pulling her by her wrist.

“That book was their mother’s!” you pleaded. Ursula stared at you blankly, if not with the slightest scrunching of her nose. You wondered what you looked like at that moment with your frantically widened eyes. Your fingers gripped the side of the book firmly, trying to wrestle it from Ursula’s grasp. “Your mom passed recently, right? Can’t you understand why it’s so important to him—?”

SMACK.

Ursula’s hand flew swiftly across your face. You could hardly commit the seething vitriol to mind before your neck harshly recoiled. The book slipped from your grasp as your own force caused you to stumble back. For a little thing, she was strong.

“How dare you speak about my mother,” she growled, her face scrunched up with heated fury. “How dare you lay your filthy hands on me! How dare you talk to a princess like that—!”

Before you could even process the sting of the handprint on your face, Ursula’s foot struck your shin and you slammed back into the decorated table behind you.

The entire display was destabilized. Plates crushed to the ground and the tablecloth seemed to flow willingly down to the floor, taking cutlery and glasses alike down with it. The teapot that sat in the middle spilled its contents freely, splashing scalding liquid across an already chaotic mess. And through it all, Ursula didn’t yield.

“I’ll kill you, you rat! You—you little bitch, how dare you!” she screamed, coming down on you with the force of her body weight as she drove the sole of her shoe against your body. “No one has ever laid a hand on me— No one! You’re nothing, you servant rat— insect! I’ll crush you under my own goddam heel—!”

And still, you were left frozen. You always froze like this. Curled in on yourself. Protecting your head as best as you could until Ursula decided she was bored of you. It was always like this.

It wasn’t the first beating you’d gotten. It was hardly the worst. The soldiers who kept you captive all those years ago on your home island packed way worse of a punch than the petite woman above you. You didn’t even have to worry about her violating your dignity. If anything, a few kicks were nothing you couldn’t handle. 

Ursula stomped on the weaved fingers that clutched the back of your neck. Her force was deliberate and steady. It hurt, and yet you knew you had the stamina to hold out until she grew bored. 

“You know what?” You heard her sneer, her barrage not ceasing for a second. “I’m relieved to know you're nothing to Yonji. I wanted to get rid of you from the moment I saw you, and after this, it’s going to be even easier than I thought.” And seemingly satisfied in having the last word, Ursula finally stopped. 

A wet glob hit the back of your hand, seeping between your fingers and splattering over the shell of your ear. As she began to storm away back toward the library doors you picked up your head, body aching as you shifted among the broken plates.

But your attention wasn’t drawn to Ursula or even the ruined dishware that surrounded you. You didn’t even seem to notice how the library was covered with haphazardly tossed books. 

It was drawn to one book.

Your eyes found the torn bundle of pages in front of you, forgotten on the ground and splayed open around visible rips. Jagged pieces of paper poked out from the center crease, missing the rest of their contents. A scrap of the cover page sat among the mess of shreds that littered the library floor. 

The prince’s face sat intact, but the page had been torn diagonally, ripping off the upper body of the depiction of Beauty. Her hands, who reached for the Beast, were all that remained, along with the prince’s longing stare. 

You stood slowly, the broken pieces of the dining table shifting noisily around you. 

You weren’t brave. That much was true. After a lifetime of being forced down to the ground, the idea of standing seemed like it was little more than a fantasy. It hadn’t been a concept you were certain you could even imagine. 

It was why you were drawn to him in the first place. 

He stood, and he stood tall. 

He knew what he wanted. 

He took it. 

“I may not be his lover, but I am not nothing to him,” you asserted, causing Ursula to stop with a foot in the hallway.

You stood.

You stood. Bruised and swelling with your hand beginning to pool with blood from scraping against shattered ceramic, but you stood. 

Ursula turned just slightly. Viewing her from behind, you could only see the tip of her nose poking out from the side of her face as she spoke over her shoulder.

“Not nothing, hm?” she repeated with barely restrained rage. She finally turned to fully face you, the back of her hand poised daintily over her mouth. “You think you can win over a prince? Don’t make me laugh!” The sides of her lips tugged upward to reveal her canine teeth. 

“Of course not,” you admitted, and you didn't do so courageously. Nothing you spoke came from your mouth bravely but rather with a ravenous tumble and deranged overconfidence. “Even if you marry him. Even if you do become queen of your country, it’ll always eat at you that there’s one thing you don’t have. You’ll never have him. Not really. Not when you don’t know him nearly as well as one servant rat!”

Your words rang out over the air.

And a pause came followed by silence.

You didn’t even realize you had been moving until you were upon her. She looked at you with wide eyes. Wide. Enraged. Confused. Insulted. 

“Know him?” She hissed; the stillness in the air deafening. Ursula shook with barely restrained fury. “Why would I give a damn?”

She glanced to her left down the hallway. 

Then her wide eyes welled with tears. Before you knew it, she ran with her face in her hands. But even as she left, she couldn’t grant you any relief. 

“Yonji! Thank goodness you’re here! This savage servant just attacked me! You have to do something!”

Panic shot through you like a bullet at the mere mention of Yonji’s name. You immediately scrambled to follow her, almost slipping on the carpet as you went. You instinctively reached out to the wall for balance, leaving a smear of blood as you scurried out after Ursula. 

Surely enough, Yonji was at the end of the hall and Ursula had his arm in her grasp as she cowered behind him. 

And for once in a long while, you couldn’t read the expression on Yonji’s face. While he was as lacking as his siblings when it came to emotions, Yonji was always consistently expressive. Empathy wasn’t something he was familiar with, but shock, anger, and disdain never appeared to be traits that Judge apparently considered emotions when he programmed his supposed emotionless children. 

Yet, you found yourself searching Yonji’s face for any semblance of relief. For evidence. For evidence that he didn’t believe her. 

And after a beat, he didn’t say anything. His silence shook something in you, the sound of Ursula crying and screeching in the background falling utterly quiet as you met Yonji’s eyes. 

You weren’t certain what urged you to do so, but you looked down. You looked down at your disheveled uniform. At your hand which now sported a large gash across the palm. A decent amount of blood pooled there, having dripped on your clothes and the floor. Looking downward, rogue strands of hair fell from their usual styling, making you appear even rougher than you already appeared. 

You ran for it, and Yonji let you pass. 

***

You couldn’t hide in the panty forever. You knew it, and so did Cosette. And yet, she sat with you, just the one dangling light hanging from the middle of the ceiling above you. 

You curled with your knees to your chest, arms wrapped around you like a protective shield as you pondered the words she last spoke. 

“I don’t want this to come off the wrong way, but… Maybe it’s time to leave. Like, the kingdom… Look, I don’t want you to go— I—I need someone to keep me sane in this place, heh, but— the fleet is going to sail together until they find you. Maybe it’s easier to quietly slip off to an island… Live a normal life.” 

“I don’t want to see you put to death over this…”

There wasn’t much she could do or say to make the situation any better, and she knew it. You hugged her tightly, thanking her for your friendship before excusing yourself from the kitchen. If she was caught sheltering you, she’d be punished with the same harshness you were sure awaited you. 

You wandered to a random ship when it grew dark, slithering past patrols in search of a place to lay low. Germa, being the militaristic kingdom it was, meant that there were more buildings dedicated to storage than in a typical city. Germa didn’t have traditional citizens, after all, and with the entire country essentially functioning like a hybrid between a castle and a battleship, any building that wasn’t a battle station was likely storage. The larger towers— which belonged to the respective Vinsmoke siblings— were typically teeming with unused space as the tower was sheerly meant to be large.

With the entire kingdom sailing together like this, it gave you better options. You made your way down the grid, quickly slipping from “4” territory down to “0.” You knew Reiju’s tower best second to Yonji’s, and while you couldn’t count on her to help you in any way, you considered her territory to be the safest to lay low. 

You stealthily made your way up the staircase, padding over the dark, stone steps. Every so often, you’d pass a window. It appeared it was a new moon. Without the streetlight below, you likely couldn’t see much of anything outdoors. Your hand brushed along the stone wall as you groped your way up to the third floor. 

Despite the great, arched windows that lined the hallway, you could see even less than you could in the stairwell. You kept your hands out in front of you, trailing along the wall and ensuring that you didn’t crash into any of the decorative statues or pillars that lined your path. A few doors down, you felt a familiar set of door knobs. Quietly, you slipped into the room, turning the knob so that it closed silently behind you.

The room was pitch black and cold. You stepped gingerly toward the center of the room, bumping into some stray pieces of furniture that you didn’t remember being placed there before. Your hands swept over all the surfaces you could touch, fingers nudging against items like paper, pens, and velvet that you couldn't recall. 

“Come to seduce another prince of Germa? I’ll tell you now that it won’t work. Book Roach.” 

A lamp illuminated in the corner to reveal Ichiji. He sat on a leather seat, some sort of file in his lap, and his ankle slung over his opposite knee. A white towel draped over the thick straps of his wife-beater to catch the small droplets that clung to his damp hair. 

“You are a roach after all. The fact that you made it from morning to night without a single soldier apprehending you is a disgrace. And yet you came here, of all places.” 

Your heart beat out of your chest, and any inkling you had to make a swift escape began and ended with Ichiji’s stark, icy blue eyes. He seemed to sense your petrifaction, closing his file and moving it to the side to stand. 

Ichiji ran the towel roughly through his hair, messing the damp strands into a cascading mess that roughly resembled his usual hairstyle. He didn’t avert his gaze from yours for a second, but the intensity of his stare forced you to look away.

“I didn’t hurt her.” You dared to glance at Ichiji for only a second, passing over the large tattoo on his bicep before returning to the floor. “Princess Ursula, I mean. I didn’t attack her.” 

“I don’t doubt it.” 

Your head shot up. Ichiji had his back turned to you, having thrown his towel haphazardly on the bed. He appeared to have busied himself with his file again. 

“You don’t?” 

Ichiji didn’t acknowledge your question, organizing his papers neatly into his folder and brushing past you to place them back amongst a box of them which sat on the opposite wall. You pivoted your foot, turning to eye him as he appeared to ignore you.

He moved a few folders around the box before placing the lid on top and sliding the entire case to the lefthand side of the wood-carved desk. Ichiji then meandered to stand in front of the double doors to his room, seeming to stop to think for a brief moment. His hands sat deeply in the pockets of his baggy lounge pants. 

“If you think Ursula is a little terror, you should have seen her mother.” Ichiji’s slender fingers slipped quietly and elegantly from his pocket, a shiny metal key between the pads of his fingers. Without a word, he locked the door before turning to you and wordlessly slipping the key back into his pocket. “Were you ever curious why Germa hadn’t pursued relations with such a clearly desperate kingdom before? One from the North Blue, no less?”

“High standards?” you croaked, despite an awareness of the rhetorical nature of the question. You were too occupied with ignoring the locked doors. 

“Standards went out the window the moment we even considered pirate alliances,” Ichiji swiftly corrected with a roll of his pretty blue eyes. He took a step toward you and then another. “It’s because desperation is the worst stench a person or a thing can have. It wreaks, and if you’re desperate enough that others smell it on you, you’ll never get what you want. It’s something about desperation that incentivizes those who have to smell it to keep desirable things out of reach.”

He walked toward you with purpose, and you took several steps back to maintain distance. 

“Ursula is desperate to be queen. Neptune is desperate to reclaim the power their family lost upon Salacia’s passing— but let’s be honest with ourselves— they were a half-baked monarchy to begin with. So again, why now, I’m sure you’re wondering. Although, I’m not even sure you’re smart enough to ask that question.” 

The back of your knees hit the footboard, but Ichiji’s pace didn’t slow. You fell back onto the bed, and Ichiji had your wrist in his grasp in a second. He pinned your right hand to the sheets, planting his other hand next to your head as he towered above you. His knees made deep divots in the mattress on either side of your hips.

“You. Because you broke him. You… A book rat.” Ichiji’s hand left your wrist to grab your face. His palm engulfed nearly the entirety of your jaw, his fingers digging into your skin with force. The base of his index finger pushed up against your nostrils, cutting off your air supply as his palm covered your mouth.  “Decades of science and work so genius that I’m sure it would short circuit that pea brain of yours if you tried even glancing at it… Ursula isn’t much better than you are, but at least she’s royalty. I knew she could whip him into shape and undo all the damage you’ve inflicted, and Father is always more than willing to listen to what I advise.”

Your lungs were starting to burn.

“I finally had to report it all to him. To Father. I could hardly stand to listen to my defective brother as he defended you to the family. It was disgusting… Disgraceful.” Ichiji let go of your face, drawing a deep wheeze out of you as you caught your breath. Ichiji paid no mind to the way you coughed under him, reaching into the to snap his fingers. With one loud snap, the room suddenly went dark. “It’s actually a good thing you’re here,” he said, and you could hear his voice growing closer. And when he spoke again, he did so with his lips pressed against your ear. “I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to discipline you properly. I want to see what has my little brother so wrapped around your finger.” 

Ichiji’s hand returned to your wrist, gripping it harshly as he trailed his thumb up the side of your palm. His other arm collapsed into the sheets as he held himself above you. One of his thighs slotted itself between yours. You could feel Ichiji's warm breath against the side of your neck.

Ichiji was keenly listening, waiting for your heartbeat to quicken.

And yet…

“This isn’t like you.” When you spoke, you did so flatly, spitting the four words out like a statement of fact. Not a drop of fear laced your voice. It almost caught him off guard, causing him to pause for the slightest of seconds. If Ichiji hadn’t known better, he would have said it was a challenge. 

“What?” You wished you could have seen his face as his hands quietly retreated from your skin. You sensed him sit back, and in turn, you sat up, propped on your elbows. A stagnant tension sat in the air. “You think you know me? I can’t tell if you’re stupid or arrogant—”

“I can’t image you’d get anything out of it. Being with a book roach, I mean…” You couldn’t see a thing, but you could sense Ichiji’s face not too far from yours. He was watching you, stalking you like a predator of the night.

In the blackness, you thought you might have been able to make out Ichiji's stark blue eyes. You had never seen them before, you realized. And if the Vinsmoke brothers were truly beasts like they all seemed to claim, you wondered if Ichiji's beautiful, icy irises were means to paralyze his prey before devouring them whole.

You stared directly into the abyss, unblinking and petrified as you stammered on, “You have a lot of pride, a— and it’s obvious by the way you hold yourself and talk. And maybe, and maybe I’m wrong, but I just wouldn’t know what you’d get out of it. You’d consider it lowering yourself… or at least that's what I think." Your gaze flickered away, and your muscles unconsciously relaxed. "Lowering yourself for no real gain…” 

Ichiji paused, and after a moment, you felt his absence as the mattress slowly rose. 

“Lowering myself, huh?”

Ichiji's presence didn't carry much heat, but when his body left yours, you could feel the lack of him. His voice had already traveled somewhere else in the room.

Your mouth spat out the first question on your mind, “How can you even see?”

A pause. You didn't need to see Ichiji to imagine the scathing scowl that graced his lips.

“How can you forget your manners when addressing your prince?”

“How can you even see, Master Ichiji?” you corrected as if that were the issue. 

“I’m not a human, unlike you, remember?” Another crisp snap cut through the room and the lights illuminated Ichiji’s bedroom once more. He was across the room, rooting around another box before he plucked out a wide envelope. 

“Yonji said something to me like that not too long ago,” you hummed, sitting up fully. Ichiji couldn’t help but flicker his eyes toward you at the mention of his brother’s name spoken so informally. Perhaps there would have been a time just a few short moments ago when he would have lambasted you for it, but he remained silent. He flickered on a small lamp that sat next to a plush chair that faced the bedroom doors. 

Ichiji didn’t linger for long and came back toward the bed, removing the contents of the envelope carefully. You sat up, legs hanging off the side of Ichiji’s large mattress. And to your surprise, Ichiji offered you the contents of the envelope. 

He held them out to you, gripping the pages carefully so they wouldn’t fall out of order. You opened your palms, eyeing the papers with slightly widened eyes and bated breath as Ichiji carefully lowered them into your hands. 

“I don’t know, Master Ichiji,” you started breathlessly, eyes darting from the torn pages to the oldest Vinsmoke prince. “This seems pretty human to me.” 

Ichiji frowned.

“That’s the most insulting thing you’ve ever said to me,” he huffed, throwing the empty envelope on the bed next to his damp towel. He stuffed his hands back into his pockets. “It’s just what the servants cleaned up, that’s all. It belongs to you. You are the librarian, aren’t you?” 

Ichiji sat down at the foot of the bed, although he kept some distance between you. Without his glasses, you could make out the shape of his face more clearly. Ichiji had a sharp, defined nose and a strong jaw. His cheekbones were equally chiseled, and you decided that the main theme of the eldest Vinsmoke son was sharp. 

He was a decently stark contrast to Yonji who screamed bulk. Yonji’s nose was far rounder at the tip, and while he had nearly an equally defined jawline, you always considered his cheeks rather full and boyish. Yonji was taller, his muscle bulkier, but overall somewhat round. Now that you looked at them, you were certain that the curl in Yonji’s brows was more circular than Ichiji’s. And yet, there was something indescribable about them that screamed “Vinsmoke brothers.”

You couldn’t help but let out a light laugh, and Ichiji’s head immediately shot toward you.

“What are you laughing about?” He demanded. You shook your head. 

“You and Yonji are a lot alike, you know?” You smiled, and Ichiji couldn’t help but note that you had once again spoken an assertion like a fact. 

He stood with a shake of his head, pointing toward the doors.

“Get out,” he growled, and yet again, you didn’t seem to have an ounce of fear in you. 

“If you say so,” you said without urgency, rising from the edge of his bed. "Mistress Reiju didn't like when I said something like that either—"

“And one more thing,” Ichiji frowned. You turned to regard him, holding the pages neatly in your hands as he crossed his arms. “You should leave this kingdom as soon as you can. You’re a liability now. I should kill you.”

“Leave?” You blinked as if that was the part of the sentence that should have alarmed you. 

Ichiji adjusted his posture, standing tall and sturdy even as he rolled his eyes.

“Don’t let the stench of desperation be what costs you your life— although I’m surprised that your naivety hasn’t already done that,” he said with a bounce of his curled brows. You supposed that was another Vinsmoke trait. Ichiji’s cold irises met yours. “Don’t forget that my brother is a prince, and now he’s arranged to marry a princess— someone of his own stature. Their marriage will fulfill a long-time goal of the kingdom and he will have the happiest life he could have. Trying to pursue this and tempting him will only drag him down.”

You breathed in a steady breath. Logically, you knew exactly that.

“I, uh…” Your eyes found the floor for what seemed like the umpteenth time. “I know that.” Your gaze darted back to Ichiji. “He told me that even if he marries her, nothing will change! He wants me by his side; I told Ursula as much!”

The words came out louder than you wanted, but the volume hardly fazed Ichiji. He was still, looking at you blankly. He let the beats of silence deflate your posture. Ichiji didn’t have to tell you a thing; you already knew. 

“My brother is a fool,” Ichiji said, dead and even. 

Ichiji didn’t have to say anything at all to rock you where you stood. It felt as though he summoned an earthquake to test your foundation, and for all the courage you summoned to stand, you quickly folded back to the ground. 

“So you’ll go?” It was a question, but much like how you’d been unwittingly speaking for the entirety of the night, he spoke it like a certain statement. “I can make it easy for you.”

Ichiji tilted his nose upward, regarding you with lidded eyes. 

”If you don’t, I’ll kill you both,” he said. “Germa doesn’t need a human prince.” 

And you knew how he meant it, but as you looked down, you couldn’t help but slowly focus on the ripped-up pages. 

“The two of you talk about being human as if it was a bad thing,” you whispered, less to Ichiji and more to yourself.

“Excuse me?” Ichiji grunted, having heard you perfectly clear.

“You said the servants picked these up?” You held up the bunch of papers toward the light, inspecting them carefully. “They put them in order? And put them back together? They don’t even have page numbers.” You lowered the bunch of papers to reveal Ichiji’s stoic face. 

Ichiji didn’t speak a word. Instead, he conceded one slow nod.

“I see,” you said, continuing to study the pages.

“I’m letting you leave this room. You should take those and go back to whatever hole you slink back to at night.” Ichiji turned, throwing the towel from before somewhere off into a corner before climbing into bed. “I don’t care about children’s stories anymore. Take those and go.” 

Ichiji snapped his fingers and the bright lamp in the corner of the room, the one just to the side of Ichiji’s leather chair, extinguished. But unlike before, the room didn’t fall into pitch blackness. 

A warm light glowed from next to the plush reading chair. It wasn’t bright, but just enough for reading. You glanced toward Ichiji’s resting form. His tall, muscular frame had contorted into a mound of red blankets and a nest of equally vibrant hair.

You sat down in the chair, facing away from Ichiji and toward the door. The ripped-out pages of the book of fairy tales were nestled in your lap, and it dawned on you that perhaps this was all planned. For what he said about letting you leave and not caring for children’s stories, Ichiji retired to bed with the key to the locked bedroom doors still in his pocket. 

You began to read. 

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: I found this image as I was trying to look for a cover page to base my description off. I do think the Beast in this version looks the slightest bit Yonji-esque.

[sansic8]

… And the Beast (Yonji Vinsmoke x Reader) Chapter VIII

Synopsis: You thought your little crush on Prince Yonji was a well-kept secret. Yonji is mean enough to exploit your eagerness to please in the face of his unrelenting cruelty; the thought of actually developing a soft spot for you never even crossed his mind.

Word Count: 5.3k

Tags/Warnings: No Reader Pronouns, Fluff, Angst, Slow Burn, Naive!Servant!Reader, Name-Calling, Language, Reader Falls First, Yonji Falls Harder, Canon-Typical Violence, Side/Plot Device Original Character, Angst

Notes: As much as I wanted to make a mega chapter (I have too much plannneeddd), I needed to lock in to release this on Yonji's birthday how could I not?

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII Part VIII Part IX

Princess Ursula of the North Blue was a petite young woman with pretty, dainty features and a severe expression that appeared to always be on her face. She wore a periwinkle dresscoat held together by a large white ribbon, which enveloped the elegant blue and purple dress she wore underneath. The top of the dress appeared to be layers of purple ruffles, leading into a soft blue hoop skirt. Two ribbons of the same color tied her curly hair into two pigtails.

Adorned in light, royal colors, by all means, she was beautiful.

“Presenting King Neptune of the North Blue!” 

King Neptune was a tall man by average human standards; however, he had no advantage over Judge’s 272 centimeters. His hair was a passive orange, and his mustache and beard were meticulously styled. Neptune wore his golden crown proudly despite its relatively plain decor.

The king appeared at the top of the ramp, but Princess Ursula didn’t wait for him as she walked with purpose across the dock. Her little heels clicked against the wood, and her posse of attendants appeared used to keeping up with her. They, too, were adorned in a soft, periwinkle purple. King Neptune hardly reached the end of the ramp before Ursula was at the end of the dock. 

Judge greeted her, but Ursula marched right past him and directly up to the Vinsmoke siblings. Specifically, she made straight for Yonji, stilling her little kitten heels in front of him and clicking them together as she came to a stop.

“This one,” she proclaimed, ignoring any greetings directed at her. Her voice was as clean and elegant as her dress. She clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward to inspect the front of Yonji’s ruffled shirt. Seeming satisfied, she stood up straight. “I want this one.” 

Your breath hitched as a shocked pang shot through your chest. You tried subtly glancing around toward the other servants to gauge anyone else’s expression, but your situation made it impossible to seek out another face. 

Ursula stared directly into Yonji’s dark irises. You could hardly see his expression from where you stood behind him. You could only imagine it was one of shock.

Judge and Neptune were too caught up in their greetings with one another to hear her. Instead, they lingered behind, greeting each other like old friends. The two of them were already joking around with one another, filling the port with jolly laughs. 

Ursula frowned, pivoting on her heel. 

“Father!” she called with a hum, nose upturned. 

“Coming, love,” the king called back. He and Judge slowly made their way over. 

“I would like this one.” She turned back to face Yonji. “The green one.” She nodded as if picking out a new set of china from a selection or a pastry from a case. Ursula extended a gloved hand toward Yonji’s face. 

“Now, my love,” Neptune started, standing just behind his daughter. He gingerly touched her shoulder. “That is yet to be discussed—”

Yonji let out an obnoxiously boisterous laugh.

“That’s sure alright with me!” Yonji exclaimed, immediately dropping to one knee with Ursula’s hand in his. He brought her knuckles up to his lips, likely lingering an inappropriate amount of time. “I’ll be yours any day of the week.”

Ursula’s rigid face cracked a wide grin. Her tight posture straightened out even more as she regarded her father triumphantly and wordlessly. Yonji, meanwhile, couldn’t be more pleased, not bothering to hide how he shamelessly glanced her up and down. 

You saw Niji’s politely tense posture deflate by the slightest millimeter as he turned to Ichiji. 

“Well, that’s a first,” he muttered. “He’s not even the eldest.”

You couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or relieved, but you supposed that you couldn’t read all the Vinsmoke siblings as well as you could Yonji. But he settled back into his usual stoicism as he greeted King Neptune.

The king greeted each Vinsmoke with a firm handshake, rattling some eloquent formalities about their military prowess. He complimented tales he had heard of their achievements, and you supposed there was no higher compliment he could have given to the sons and daughter of Germa. 

Reiju and Ichiji quickly engaged with him, offering compliments and welcomes in a song and dance that impressed you to spectate. For their rigid exteriors, they had an engaging way of speaking. Their language was clean and political yet charming and engaging despite a lack of warmth.  

“Well, I suppose that makes our plans that much easier,” Neptune laughed, turning to Ichiji. “It is almost a shame. I’ve been very interested in your achievements, Prince Ichiji, and I thought Ursula would have been the most taken with you. Although, my daughter has always been sure of what she wants, just like her mother,” he said with a sentimental shake of his head. 

“I heard of Salacia’s passing. Know that the Kingdom of Germa grieved alongside you,” Ichiji offered his condolences curtly. “In any case, I am hardly offended. I had a feeling they would get along rather swimmingly, and there is much time to talk about other things.”

“Indeed, indeed, much to discuss indeed,” Neptune nodded. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” Neptune insisted, his eagerness radiating off him in waves so intense, even you could sense them. 

“It would be poor manners to rush you, King Neptune,” Reiju said, “While your things are being brought in, please allow us to show you around our kingdom. We have prepared some demonstrations, and our chef is making a banquet to celebrate your arrival as we speak.” 

You kept your eyes on Yonji, who hadn’t taken his gaze off Ursula once. She had a hand on his bicep, giggling cutely at something he said just a short distance away. The crowd shifted as Judge and Neptune began to walk in the opposite direction. Ichiji and Niji trailed along, and they would pass you in a few strides. 

“Do you really have to go?” you heard Niji ask. “What the hell is the point now?”

“You shouldn’t make it a habit to sit out political negotiations,” Ichiji muttered in reprimand. 

Reiju was already keeping up with their father, politely chatting with Neptune as a posse of servants of mixed allegiances followed suit. 

“Are you coming?” Yonji asked. You glanced at your prince, almost having lost him in the shifting crowd. He stood with his body half turned toward Ursula, one hand extended for her to take. 

She let out a rich laugh.

“Why would I?” she laughed, “Aren’t you going to show me around personally?” Ursula took his outstretched hand, her fingers on top of his, and began to tug him in a different direction. 

“What, we’re just gonna ditch?” Yonji asked eagerly, already following her. Yonji was never one to be interested in political discussion, let alone when there was a pretty woman to woo. 

“It’s just marriage,” Ursula scoffed, already marching off with certainty. “What could they possibly need us for?” 

Yonji met your eye from a short distance away. He shouted your name over the moving current of people, whistling for you to come over like a dog. And Ursula indeed treated you as such.

“Oh my goodness,” she mused as you obeyed, stopping in the middle of the pavement to regard you. Ursula pulled out a fan, unfurling it in front of her mouth. “What an adorable little thing,” she hummed before glancing up at Yonji. “What is it?”

“This is my personal attendant,” Yonji explained with pompous pride.

“My goodness, Yonji,” Ursula stressed, already calling him by his first name (not that Yonji minded in the slightest). She latched onto his arm. “You only have one?” she tsked, shaking her head. “Yonji, dear, we must change this.”

“As long as you keep talkin’ sweet to me like that, you can do anything you want,” Yonji nearly swooned, drool almost dribbling from his lip. 

“I know already that I’ve made the right choice,” Ursula said, sparing one last pointed look at you before turning to continue tugging Yonji away. “Weren’t you in the middle of giving me a tour?”

Yonji turned to glance over his shoulder, waving you along. You scurried forward despite your apprehension. You couldn’t imagine that Princess Ursula would enjoy your presence, but you served Yonji, and he was the one who ordered you to join them. 

A handful of Ursula’s own attendants wordlessly followed suit, keeping their distance as they went. You also remained a bit farther than you usually would, hesitant to put yourself in the trajectory of Ursula’s scathing gaze. 

***

Yonji and Ursula’s tour was nowhere near as impressive or in-depth as the one that King Neptune journeyed on. While Neptune got to spectate some impressive training drills, tour the above-ground labs, and an extensive walk of the castle and its mechanical intricacies, Ursula and Yonji wandered haphazardly according to their whims.

And aside from watching Yonji pick up a ridiculously colossal weight in one of Germa’s many gyms, Ursula wasn’t interested in any of the sights or locations they visited. She couldn’t have made her disinterest clearer. If her eyes weren’t on Yonji, they were on her carefully manicured nails. Germa’s soldiers were always a marvel to behold, but Princess Ursula dismissed them as simply boorish before wandering off in search of something else to indulge in. That was how she regarded most of the kingdom, save for one item.

“I want to see the suit,” she had suddenly demanded, stopping in the middle of a random path on a random lawn somewhere in the kingdom. Ursula turned to Yonji, shoulders as erect as ever and nose upturned as she regarded him. 

Yonji wasted no time producing it, seeming to pull it out of thin air as he spun it in his hand. Ursula made a swipe for it, but it evaded her grasp. She scowled. Even with her heels, Yonji was significantly taller than her, and it didn’t even require him to extend his whole arm to keep it from her grasp.

“Now, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jumping right for the trade secrets,” Yonji snickered, his gaze becoming just a shade darker, “Be careful before you ruin a good thing. We’ve done this before, and Germa doesn’t take too kindly to that kinda stuff.”

“Oh, please,” Ursula pouted, gritting her teeth behind pursed lips. “I couldn’t care less about boring data and research or whatever it is you do. Aren’t you some kind of real-life hero?” 

“Hero is a bit misleading.”

Yonji’s arm lowered, and Ursula wasted no time snatching his suit from him. 

You almost gaped at the sight, your breath hitching in a moment of acute worry. 

“How do I put it on?” Ursula pouted again, beginning to smack the bottom of the raid suit canister with her palm. 

And to your surprise, Yonji laughed.

“You can’t,” he said, tucking a stray piece of curly hair behind her ear. “It’s a biometric, hot stuff.” 

Ursula scowled, nose crinkling. 

“Don’t call me that. It’s unbecoming,” she huffed, her hand quick to swat Yonji’s hand away. She delivered a swift kick to his shin for good measure as she studied the canister. “You’re a prince. I hope that, at the very least, you know how to treat a princess.”

“Wow, you’re a fiery one.” 

And for whatever reason, when her words left her lips, they sailed through the hair to shoot right through your chest. The ripples shot from your chest down to the tips of your fingers and toes, and they were only made more intense at the sound of Yonji’s boisterous laugh. 

Right.

“I can put it on,” Yonji offered, his voice muffled in your ears. “Letting you know beforehand it’s a bit of a show.”

You could barely hear him as reality hit you at once. Yes, you had to remind yourself. Yonji was a prince; as much as you were his, he was— and had never been— yours. 

You knew that, or at least you thought you did. You told yourself. You’d had this realization before, hadn’t you? You had told Reiju with such certainty that not only did you understand the situation, but you consented to the arrangement with grace. And yet, there you stood, tears nearly welling in your eyes at the sight of her in his arms. 

You had no right to cry, didn’t you? If so, then why did it bite so goddamn hard?

***

It seemed like an eternity before dinner came. You couldn’t imagine the amount of work Cosette had sprung on her. From the little you gathered, it appeared as if none of the castle staff knew that Germa would be having visitors today, let alone so many of them and of such high prestige. Apparently, it was a decision made overnight. 

Yonji and Ursula went on their way, with Ursula’s attendants following. Yonji barely paid mind to you, half turning to glance at you as he walked in the opposite direction with Ursula. 

“Get out of here,” he laughed, waving you off, “You know not to bother me in the evening.”

You didn’t know what was worse: being dismissed or having to stay around to watch him faun over her. You brought your hands to your cheeks, slapping them just hard enough to be able to hear the noise. You scurried on your way back to the library.

You couldn’t think about it. And perhaps that was easier said than done. 

You hardly made it through a chapter of anything that night, and by the time your own supper was made, you hardly had the appetite for it. 

You raided the cabinets in search of a container, gingerly scooping your meal into it in the hopes that you might overcome your emotional rut tomorrow. But the more you tried to consider the library, your chores, or quite literally anything else that wasn’t Prince Yonji, you found yourself standing in front of the open refrigerator door. 

The cool air slowly wafted out, filling the now-empty kitchen where you stood. You held your container in one hand and the door handle in the other, staring down the leftovers you and Yonji had shared the night before. 

***

You didn’t think you had ever been more eager to retreat to your tower. Seeing the many rows of bookshelves and your cushy little cot in the corner felt like seeing an oasis. You kicked your shoes off, slowly crawling to your corner by the window. 

The muscles in your back ached in protest, having waited the entire day to finally relax. You didn’t realize you had so much tension in your shoulders. 

You lay flat on your back, staring at the wooden planks and stone above. Light filtered in from your window, but the beams were only strong enough to illuminate parts of the annex in a dark blue tinge. The more you tried to make out details on the ceiling, the heavier your head felt…

And then you heard steps. They were heavy, making a distinct noise of sole on stone that reverberated through the staircase leading up to your tower. The very sound made you immediately sit up, legs crouched to stand. 

No one came to your tower; not even the servants downstairs ever paid a visit so high in the library. The staircase was so tucked away that you weren’t sure if even the most seasoned servant could find their way up the obscene amount of winding steps. And yet, the footsteps only grew louder. 

You quietly rose from your cot, snatching an encyclopedia from a stack of books you housed nearby. You tiptoed into an adjacent cove made by the bookshelves, crouching as the steps reached the top.

A presence filled your little room. The atmosphere became sobering as your own breathing overtook your ears. An uncomfortable self-awareness sank into the air as your fingers hyperanalyzed the texture of the heavy book in your hands, and your nerves called for every hair on your skin to stand at attention. Someone was moving forward.

Just before they reached you, you immediately shot out of your hiding place. You held your giant book, ready to strike, but it was only a matter of milliseconds before your back slammed against the side of the bookshelf. In the next half-second, the encyclopedia hit the stone floor.

“The fuck?” you heard. “The fuck was that?”

Despite being pinned to a bookshelf, you almost deflated in relief at the sight of Yonji. And despite Yonji’s hands nearly engulfing your shoulders as he continued to hold you down, he appeared to look as confused as you were. But the situation seemed to click for him quickly. 

Yonji released you; the places where his hands were creased the fabric of your shirt. He scowled, gesturing to your encyclopedia, which was now lying open and facedown on the floor. 

“You thought that would do anything?” he scoffed. 

“I didn’t know it was you,” you said sheepishly. Yonji scoffed again, shaking his head as he reached down to retrieve the book from the floor.

“Who else would it be?” he chastised, closing the book cover and shoving the encyclopedia into a random shelf. 

The question ran through your mind for a split second, and you knew he wouldn’t like any of the answers you could possibly have to that question. 

“I apologize,” you conceded, “I should have known.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yonji muttered, pushing past you into your little corner. You stood between the bookshelves at the entrance of your glorified sleeping area, watching as he unceremoniously plopped himself down on your cot. “Ow,” he groaned. “Fuck, I forgot this thing was as hard as a rock.”

Yonji shifted on your little bed, and you wordlessly came to sit next to him. You sat just under the window, back against the wall, legs stretched out in front of you and your hands on your lap. Yonji turned, sitting cross-legged in front of you like he was ready to share gossip at a sleepover. 

His back hunched as he placed his elbow on his knee, using his open palm to prop up his head. And somehow, you already knew the question he was going to ask.

“So,” he started eagerly, “What do you think of Ursula?”

You glanced away, unsure of how to respond. It was such a general, vague question. 

What did you think? 

What did you think?

“Princess Ursula appears to be from a fine pedigree,” you opted with a few bobs of your head. “And while I don’t know much about her kingdom, I’m sure that with some time, your mutual future can become clearer—”

Yonji let out a loud laugh.

“How much clearer can it get?” he cackled. “I want to marry her!”

You wished he hadn’t said that. The five little words pierced your chest and dove straight into your stomach. A discordant shiver electrified your nervous system as you tried to compose your clearly aghast facial expression. And yet, Yonji’s grin never faltered. 

“Sure,” you agreed, your tone upward, positive, and forcibly optimistic. But the significant effort required a pause. “But you did just meet her…”

It was then that Yonji frowned. It came instantaneously as if a physical switch was flipped inside him. 

“Why should that matter?” He scowled, suddenly rising from his lax posture to cross his arms. Your legs curled toward your body.

“These things take time, don’t they?” you replied, trying not to let a defensive panic shake your voice. “I know that Germa’s had a few discussions about political marriages, and none of them ended up, well, you know, they didn’t work out… I don’t want you to get your hopes up.” 

Yonji rolled his eyes, deciding to lie down on your cot. His long legs stretched up under your bent knees. The whole length of him didn’t even fit across the pathetic mattress, although it didn’t support your whole length on a bad day either. He crossed his wrists behind his head, glancing over your head at the view outside.

“You’re such a downer,” he groaned, “Can’t I talk to you about a hot chick?”

Your breath choked up in apprehension. You poised your tongue to speak, casting your gaze off to the side.

“I suppose you can talk to me about anything you’d like, Prince Yonji. But I can’t say I—” 

“Exactly, I can talk to you about everything, so stop with the ‘prince’ bullshit when it’s just us.” Yonji kicked upward with his right leg, knocking into the back of your knees with the tops of his calves. The force wasn’t enough to hurt, but it was jarring enough to nearly make you jump. “It’s like you never listen.”

He threw his hands up in the air, and they came down on his chest with a dull thud. And for a moment, you chose not to respond. 

You took him in as he stared at various things on the ceiling, just like you were doing not long before he came to your tower. He looked out of place in your little corner of the world, and it wasn’t just his size that appeared to dwarf all your carefully curated amenities. Yonji had an air to him, a presence that wasn’t strictly princely. 

It was just different in neither a good nor bad way. The only thing that was abundantly clear about Yonji’s presence in your little room that night was that he didn’t belong there.

“I suppose you’re very interested in Princess Ursula, then,” you commented, letting your arms wrap around your knees and your upper body to rest against your legs. The things Ursula said to him earlier that day weighed heavier on your mind than you’d like to admit. 

Yonji’s curly brows bounced. 

“Heh, I guess you could say that,” he chuckled at some unspoken joke, “What’s there not to like?” 

You shrugged.

“You tell me.” 

Yonji’s broad chest rose as he heaved in a heavy breath from your peripheral. You could practically see the thoughts churning in his head.

“Well,” he started, “She’s gorgeous.”

“Sure,” you chimed, trying not to sound too disinterested.

“And she’s the feisty type.” Yonji propped himself on his elbows, the expression on his face somewhere between proud and smug. “I’m so into that,” he proclaimed before letting himself fall back onto your sad cot. He grumbled as his back hit the uncomfortable material, seeming to have already forgotten how uncomfortable your sleeping spot was. 

And then there was a pause. 

“What else?”

Despite the interruption, the pause continued a beat longer. 

“What do you mean ‘what else’?” His brows furrowed as he continued to gaze upward. A slight pout pulled down on his lower lip. “What else?” he repeated as if saying it in isolation would allow him to better wrap his mind around the question. 

“Is there anything else that you like about her?” you asked, trying to keep somewhat of a focus on the conversation. But the very thought of Ursula made you queasy, like your guts were churning into a tight pit in your very core. 

“Her country has been making waves in the North recently, and her kingdom was recently invited to the Reverie. I’m sure Dad’s thrilled about that,” Yonji frowned. “Isn’t that enough?”

You weren’t sure if you wanted to frown at such a sad notion or laugh at the lack of nuance his words held. 

“I think you should be with someone who makes you happy.”

“HA! Don’t you go getting all sentimental on me,” Yonji declared, sitting up once again to meet your eye. Your gaze locked with his accidentally. “It doesn’t matter if she does this, that, and whatever else to make me happy,” he scoffed with a roll of his eyes. And when he spoke next, he did so with certainty, as if his words were the most obvious thing ever to be spoken. “You’ll always be here, right?”

It was a set of five more words that you wish he hadn’t said. You didn’t think he could have spoken anything that would make you feel sicker than his proclamation to marry Ursula. Yet, he found it, and in under ten words, no less. 

“Of course,” you affirmed, and the room finally went silent. 

***

Yonji left sometime in the night when you must’ve fallen asleep. You woke up on your cot, your sheets having been draped over you haphazardly. And when you reported to Yonji’s chambers, he was also sound asleep like any other day. The normality of it all made you wonder if what happened last night actually happened.

As usual, you drew the curtains open, and gentle, early-morning light trickled in to fill the room. 

Yonji laid on his chest, his bare back exposed as his arms sprawled out on their side of him. His head was turned to the right, just barely on the corner of his pillow. 

He had always been a haphazard sleeper. You knew that long before he fell asleep in your tower, just from the state of his messy sheets alone. They would be twisted, nearly tied together, and kicked about if they weren’t on the floor. You always wondered how he managed it, and now you wondered how you could have possibly slept through it. Your heart rate quickened at the thought.

“You’re here,” Yonji’s voice mused from behind you. The sound of him just about startled you. Yonji was, after all, not known to be a morning person.

You turned, and Yonji hadn’t moved much. He still laid with his arm hanging off the side of the bed and his head not faring much better on his pillow. You offered him a polite smile and a nod, not aware of how the morning light hit you in a way that Yonji might dare call angelic. However, Yonji wasn’t one to use such words or indulge in the flattery of others. 

“Of course I am,” you said, his clothes for the day already in your hands. “I am still to report here every morning, yes?” With Princess Ursula now present, you wondered how long that would last. 

To your surprise, Yonji didn’t require any help rising from his messy nest of blankets. He nodded as he yawned. 

“Yeah, yeah. Obviously,” Yonji sneered but quickly quieted. 

He sat in near uncharacteristic silence as you dressed him. Yonji wasn’t one to keep thoughts to himself, and as his one and only aid— as well as the first soul he saw in the morning— he usually had a gracious amount of reserved thoughts for you. 

But this morning, he almost appeared to study you, watching carefully as your fingers fastened the buttons of his shirt. Yonji didn’t think he had ever noticed the way you handled him as you dressed him. Your work was swift, and your touch was firm as you smoothed out the front of his shirt. You were deliberate, and yet there was an undeniable care that radiated from your every action. 

Care. It was something that Yonji could see so clearly but couldn’t quite put his finger on just yet. At that moment, he saw something, and for a man who knew just about everything, Yonji found himself puzzled. 

“You should stay here,” he said out of the blue. And when your eyes met, you could tell that his words shocked him as much as they shocked you.

“Stay… here?” you asked, glancing off before returning to Yonji’s face. By this time, he was fully dressed. Your touch left him, and you took a step back. Yonji felt a rising annoyance at your absence. 

“In this tower, I mean,” he clarified, clearing his throat as he pivoted one foot away. “It’s not as high as your little crawl space, but it doesn’t have as many stairs. Not as dusty, and, uh, speaking of, I guess you can do your cleaning without having to go all the way back to your ship after.” 

Yonji placed a hand on his chin, bringing his arms together to grip his elbow with his opposite hand. 

“We’ll clear out a room for you— Oh! On this floor!” He stepped a few paces forward, eyes darting to random places in the direction of the bedroom doors as he imagined his plans. Yonji turned on his heel, spreading his arms wide as he regarded you. “We don’t got any other help here, but I can get some, no problem! Or I can even move all the heavy stuff.”

Your polite smile wavered for the most minuscule of seconds, although Yonji didn’t notice. You approached him as he held his massive grin, your hands clasped neatly in front of you. You stopped an appropriate distance away—appropriate for a servant.

“That’s servant’s work, Yonji,” you said, and Yonji couldn’t detect anything apart from your words.

“I like movin’ heavy stuff. You know that,” he hummed with pride. “Pickin’ stuff up, puttin’ it down… pickin’ it up again…” Yonji continued to babble. “We can clear out that room that’s just next door! I dunno what we even use it for anyway, which means it shouldn’t matter too much—”

“Yonji?”

“You won’t have to live in that gross attic anymore, and I’ll get you a real bed this time! It’s a miracle that your back isn’t royally fucked up sleeping on that glorified pile of rags you got—”

“Yonji?” 

“Oh! And we can bring the books I bought you. I know you organized them away real nice, but we can get you a nice bookshelf and everything for them to go on. I’m sure you’d like rearranging them anyway—”

“Master Yonji,” you called him gently, but despite your light tone, your words washed over him like a bucket of cold water.

But the sobering feeling didn’t stop there; for the moment the cold shock set in, a sharp, exploding pain in Yonji’s chest followed. It hurt. Fuck, it hurt. The sensation wracked every fiber of him, spreading across his nerves to slow the function of his lungs. Yonji’s hand flew to the left side of his chest, and in an instant, he had you tackled to the ground. 

“Get down!” he cried, having already stuffed you in a ball beneath his shoulder. Yonji’s arm wrapped around you while his other hand still gripped the left side of his chest. “We’re under attack!”

“Prince Yonji! What—?”

Another sharp, explosive pain sliced through Yonji’s chest. He sat up, his back against the ornate sofa in the middle of the room. His arm had slipped from you to grasp for his raid suit while the other continued to hold just under his left side collarbone. 

“Where the hell are they shooting from?”

“Yonji, you’re scaring me. There’s no one shooting at us!”

Just when Yonji was about to activate his raid suit, the doors to Yonji’s bedroom burst open. 

Ichiji appeared at the ready, his own raid suit in his hand as he charged in. He stopped short just inside the bedroom doors. Ichiji swiveled his head once before his posture deflated into his usual, strong standing. 

Just behind him, Ursula hurried along in her little kitten heels. Her panic was evident, and her severe face contorted with her widened eyes and agape lips. She hid behind Ichiji, standing frozen behind him about a meter or two back. 

Yonji’s eyes immediately found Ichiji’s.

“Ichiji—!”

“Pull yourself together.” Ichiji swiftly marched over, ripping Yonji up by his arm and dragging him to his feet. Yonji looked around frantically, still clutching his raid suit in his hand. Ichiji tugged his younger brother by his shirt, forcing himself to be the center of his gaze. “I can’t allow you to behave like a buffoon in front of your fiancée.”

You were still on the ground, brain whirling from the whiplash. You didn’t know what happened, nor what was currently happening. All you could feel was Ursula’s sea blue gaze staring coldly down at you.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: Aaaandd there's chapter 8. I hope it doesn't seem as rushed as I feel it does. Pew pew pew!! Your comments give me the will to go on (as in write the story)! Pew pew pew!!

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII Part VIII Part IX

[sansic8]

Waiting For You (Luffy, Sanji, Zoro)

_____ Pairings: Luffy x Reader; Sanji x Reader; Zoro x Reader Summary: Two years apart is torture to him, and all he wants is you. Warnings: hurt/comfort, reverse comfort, SPOILERS for Marinefod Arc and Beyond A/N: I'm so sorry for not uploading, exams have been killing me 😭 [One Piece Masterlist] _____

- Luffy -

Luffy was filled with a pain he had never known.

Despite being the one to adhere to Rayleigh's advice and deliver the message - to meet in two years instead of three days at Sabody - sometimes it was hard to ignore the ache in the back of his chest. He knew at the forefront, there was grief, but buried beneath, perhaps as a side-effect, lay loneliness.

He lost his brother, Ace.

The man he grew up with, the man he had chased and admired and loved.

Ace had died saving him.

Luffy had felt as the warmth usually emitted in waves was extinguished in seconds; so quickly, so ruthlessly, so unnaturally. He had felt unwavering strength collapse so suddenly, strong limbs losing all their life as Ace slumped atop him. And yet he could only tremble in shock, as a cascade of memories raged through his head. Memories of the man, the brother, he would lose. He could only hear broken promises, broken organs, the shattering of something deep within him. Then silence, escape, only to wake to reality again.

And in the absence of his brother, there was also the absence of his friends; his nakama.

Luffy needed his crew more than ever now.

Crewmembers hold a special place in their hearts for Luffy; their captain, the man who saved them and guides them with his ambition, his kindness and his strength. But most don't know how much they saved him in return. Luffy hated solitude; despised it. It stemmed from a youth spent fighting for his place next to Ace and Sabo, desperate for company, for connection, for love. So, when he created his crew, he silently felt like he finally had it all. Friends, a family he would protect by any means, and trust in every sense.

But now, he was back in the overwhelming void.

He had grown so used to life with friends.

He missed pranking Zoro with Usopp and Chopper; his laughter had come so easily then, so natural as it mingled with annoyed shouts and teasing remarks. He missed as Robin would tell him of the stories in books he did not care to read; somehow, she could make them sound so interesting to him, though he only saw paper and dull words. He missed the thrill of dinnertime, Sanji’s meals a treasure he looked forward to every second of the day. He missed Franky’s cool inventions, Brooke’s exhilarating music and even Nami’s shouting was nostalgic now.

And you.

God, he needed you.

He was so sure that one hug from you would be enough to cure the turmoil he faced in the quiet nights, when no company could keep darker thoughts at bay. So sure, that a soft caress was the cure to the overwhelming and confusing ache that resided where his heart should be. He never had the time to stop and realise how much you saved him every day. In the extra meals you would sneak him, in the quiet words you would utter, in the kisses that brushed his cheek and the hands that held him. He never realised how much he had been ignorant to its value, how much reliance he placed on those simple gestures.

He never knew what it felt like to be tethered to another being. To feel every emotion you felt tenfold in his own skin, to feel warmth and ease by one smile, to feel belonging and comfort by one’s presence. Luffy had never loved someone that way before. The rush of emotion and devotion was confusing, but it was also everything to him. And the withdrawal felt like there was this void, an emptiness in the shape of you. An emptiness that even with his other crewmembers, he doesn’t think could ever be filled without you.

So, Luffy trained, desperately, relentlessly, grateful for Rayleigh’s guidance and presence. He even spoke to the giant fauna on his island of you, because there was no one else to listen to just how much he missed you. He focused on building his strength so that he could protect his crew, so that he could be strong the next time he saw you. So that he never felt what it was like to have that bond severed by such things as distance again. Temptation would run rampant, and sometimes Luffy would want to just cross the seas to know you were safe, but the captain kept at it.

Missing you, but hoping to become better, for you and his nakama.

.....

Two years apart from the crew changed you, as your physical strength and abilities seemingly multiplied alongside your features. However, although things changed, some things remained constant, almost unbearably so. You had spent the past years in a constant worry, in a constant pain as you thought of your boyfriend and all he had to face alone. You hadn't been there to support him, to hug him and love him as he faced grief, turmoil and separation from a crew you know he adored. So, when you step foot back onto the Sunny, after years without its wooden floors beneath your feet, you are filled with unspeakable excitement, but nerves lie heavy against your chest.

"[y/n]!!"

There is a squeal, and instantly warm arms wrap around you, as the sight of a familiar navigator enters your vision.

"Nami, I missed you!!"

You smile easily as tears fill your eyes, with years spent unable to see or contact your friend for months on end, building up and pulling emotion from you. When she lets go of her vice grip and you step apart, your eyes widen at her beauty and the glow of her strength, clear she too had made the most of the two years separated.

"Missed you too, you look amazing!!"

"Speak for yourself," you grin, before your eyes dart to other members of the crew who grin excitedly at your presence.

"Yo ho ho ho, it's lovely to see you again [y/n]-san, may I see your pant-"

Nami thwaks Brook before he continues, but your smile doesn't waver as a nostalgic air fills the space between you all. Robin, too, had grown even more beautiful than you could think possible, and Franky and Ussop had been so happy to see you again. They clamour in their greeting, already sharing brief stories on the adventures had with such time that pulled you all apart. And as you drown in the joy of reuniting with comrades, there tugs in the back of your mind, the absence of a certain trio and Chopper.

"Hey, do any of you know where-"

But before you voice your thoughts, you look to the sky and hear Chopper calling down to you all, and Zoro, Sanji and Luffy look down from atop a massive bird that approaches the ship.

"Finally!!"

Nami grins as she meets your gaze knowingly, though your eyes are torn away quickly, back to the sight of the man you missed more than anything.

"Hey, everyone!!"

You see his wide grin, his raven hair beneath the straw hat you hadn't seen in too long, and he seems happy and he seems grown. You all wave back, smiling and yelling in greeting.

"Luffy!!"

"It's so good to see you again!!"

"We've missed you!!"

Shouts fill the sky.

Sanji gets a nosebleed that takes him to the sea.

You look on, surprised to see that Zoro now only has one eye.

But then, his eyes meet yours.

Eyes that soften when he catches your gaze, and widen slightly as though surprised you were actually there after so long apart. And as your heart fills with contentment in seeing him so safe, and strong and joyous, his heart squeezes tight at the sight of you, beautiful, smiling and within arm's reach once more. Crewmates gather tight to greet the remaining four crew members, and Chopper cries as he sees you holding tight to your leg. Sanji is barely conscious, and Zoro grunts in greeting, though a smile plays on his lips. Yet, your gaze gets dragged back to him, to Luffy, as he greets his friends.

When a moment passes, and friends disperse to talk to other friends, it is suddenly and finally you and Luffy in front of each other, and the air changes a little. You see your boyfriend's eyes waver, as despite the way he grinned and yelled in his happiness as he greeted his beloved nakama, the crew he so longed to see, his heart gives way to you. You see beneath his gaze a glimpse of the hurt he buries, and the love that swims endlessly in a constant motion, never changing. Luffy's wide grin wavers, just slightly, and in its stead, a warm, small, gentle smile, full of relief, takes its place.

Long rubber limbs wrap around you, and you can hear your crewmates hush as they witness the two of you reuniting, yet you don't care about the prying eyes.

"I missed you, [y/n]"

You hear the slight crack in his voice as he says your name to you for the first time in years, and only for you to hear. He buries his head deep into the crook of your neck as he breathes you in, and you feel him physically relax, take a breath, as he drowns in you like he wanted to do when Ace died. Like he wanted to do when long nights left him feeling lonely and in need of one of your hugs, the ones that made every problem seem small, and made him feel all that was important.

"I missed you, too, Lu"

Tears gather in your eyes as you squeeze him tight, and you feel his smile forming against your skin. He rocks you playfully in his arms, just before he pulls apart, just so he can see you with his own eyes again. And when he does, he looks at you like you were the treasure he longed to find, and he glows, he radiates a happiness you were all too glad to find. A kiss is placed gently on the crown of your head, as one limb snakes its way around your waist, keeping you close, instilling his warmth on your skin. When you both turn to your crewmates, they look on with their warm gazes and fond smiles.

Finally, everything is as it should be.

"Shi shi shi! Alright! We're back together, let's head to the New World!"

Your crewmates yell in excitement, and you laugh in delight, but when Luffy catches the mirth in your irises, he makes a secret promise to never let you so far out of arm's reach again.

- Sanji -

Sanji wanted to perish, just a little.  

He would look often to the sky like it had something to do with the current situation he was in. Two years stuck on an island, devoid of his crew, devoid of women, devoid of you. Everyday he was met with the incessant shouting to wear a dress, met with the task of mastering recipes and haki and techniques. And he knew, that the situation was externally, quite funny. He figured that if the men of his crew were here with him on this garishly pink island, they might laugh at it all. But at the end of long days, Sanji wanted to cry a little, wanted to be held a little, wanted to be comforted a little.

He was terrified in every sense of the word when he saw you vanish right in front of his eyes. He didn’t think he could’ve shouted louder your name, until he was eventually whisked away too with raging emotions and worry and the relentless pounding of his heart against his chest. When he awoke to the island, he felt like he had been whisked off to a nightmare, with no knowing the fate of his crew or you. But when the message from his captain had travelled to him, and with no inkling of where on earth you could be, he had resigned himself to the two years of training on Momoiro Island.

The days were long.

But the nights were even longer.

At least during the day, there was company. Despite the okama maybe not being his first choice in said company, they were a distraction at the least. A distraction from the absence of a crew, he considers now his second family. A distraction from the fact that he was on an island in God knows where, with crewmembers scattered in places he could not know. A distraction from the fact that he was very much alone, and months away from the feeling of belonging he had been so anchored to not so long ago.

But when the day crept away and gave way to the long nights, Sanji could not fight the grave absences so easily.

Most often, he would think of you.

Yes, there were no women on this island, but Sanji found himself feeling he couldn’t care less, if only you were here. But you weren’t. Every night, he would dream of your smile, of your softness and your grace, only to wake and feel like he was in a living nightmare again. He missed your kindness and your love. Sanji never thought he was a man who could be loved the way you loved him. He never thought a woman as perfect as you would spare a time of her life for him, but you cared so deeply, so immensely for him.

He couldn’t count the number of times your form would fit against his back as he cooked, your sweet reassurances and caresses making him feel like it would be okay to die because you had sent him to heaven. He can’t tell you how grateful he was when you caught that distant look in his eye, the one he would bear when plagued by the thoughts and memories that weren’t kind to him. How often you would save him from himself by your smile and presence and warmth. He didn’t know how to live without that, without you anymore.

He missed you.

He needed you, desperately.

And yet, the sun would rise to the same routine, and distance and time would keep him from you. Sanji can feel himself getting stronger, with every passing day, but inside he feels as though he is wilting without the remembrance of the way that you loved him. He can feel himself getting weaker to the temptation of searching for you, but every time he was drawn back, knowing you were spending the years getting stronger for the crew, too. So, he focused and willed himself to work, for you, for Luffy, for the crew.

He just hoped that when you saw him again, you hadn’t forgotten how much you loved him.

.....

Wandering the streets of Sabody after two years, you are full of anticipation and the excitement of catching a glimpse of a friend, of a crewmate you missed so dearly. The two years apart had been a turmoil of emotions, of worry and concern, of training and hardships as you honed your strength and of the desperate need to be in the vicinity of your boyfriend once more. Each day would drag on, and though now you were thankful for your newfound power and skills, long nights without company left you wishing to cross the sea.

And now, you are here, and the man you longed to see has just arrived.

Sanji knew it was time, time to return home, to the crew, to you. But his hands wouldn’t stop trembling. As soon as he said his brief goodbye and farewell to the okama that brought him to Sabody, he was overwhelmed by the presence and the sight of women. Over the years he knew you, he had found it so easy to get out of the rhythm of falling to women's feet, because why would he want to with you by his side? But now, after years apart and blessed with the sight of women with curves, and smiles, and light laughter, he struggles to keep the blood in his system.

He is eager, almost desperate, to be by your side again, but he feels he may actually die and go to heaven when he sees you again. He could tolerate these nameless women on the streets, but you? The women he loved? The woman he hadn't seen in two years, and yet knows him more than he knows himself? Excitement and fear mingle within him at the thought of reuniting, of wondering if your love remained true, if he could stay upright or if your beauty would cause him to utterly collapse, if you would look to him as you always did.

But then, he caught a glimpse of it.

[h/c] hair that caught the light of the sun, soft skin that ran over curves and edges he had run his hands along a million times, [e/c] eyes that glimmered and a warm voice that spoke to a shopkeeper just meters away. And it was you, and you were right there after so long, and Sanji felt his heart rate leap within his chest and blood rise to his face. You were so beautiful, so ethereal, so much more the goddess than his mere imagination could conjure in the days and nights spent apart from you. He struggles to remain upright, but when your eyes turn to him, he sees them widen in surprise and yet swim in the light and the love and the warmth they always did when you looked to him.

And suddenly, everything was okay in the world again.

Fear drains instantly from Sanji as he steps towards you, hands still trembling, but his body craving its solace with you. His voice is lost, but you are overwhelmed with the joy of seeing your boyfriend safe, strong, and there.

"Sanji!!"

Your smile is brighter than it has ever been, and Sanji feels like he truly is lost in heaven when you rush to him faster than he can take a breath, and tackle him into a sure embrace. He falters on his feet just once, before he catches himself and catches you. He feels your soft skin and the warmth you emit in waves, he can smell your sweet scent, and he feels his heart come undone. All that time alone, untethered to you and the crew, was worth it to be here again.

"I missed you, love"

Sanji's voice is quiet against your skin and full of emotion that makes tears catch at your lower lashes. You pull apart briefly, though Sanji doesn't let you go too far, too scared this was just another dream, too scared you would run off to where he can't find you again. You watch as tears gather in his eyes too, and you let out a soft laugh and caress the curve of his cheek. He leans eagerly into the palm of your hand, face flushed and eyes swimming in adoration of you.

"I missed you, too, Sanji"

"You're so beautiful"

"Hmm, and you look so handsome, my love"

There is a moment of silence where you gather your excitement and simply look at the other and cherish the other, and then you move, and your lips are on his, and he threatens to implode. You are warm, so warm, and gentle and soft. Sanji is lost in you. Those that pass by remain ignorant of the turmoil the two of you faced in the months spent apart, not knowing who was safe, or injured or alive. And you feel the depths of his emotion ignite when his mind comes together and he returns the kiss.

When the two of you pull apart, Sanji takes your hand in his. No extreme nosebleed that threatens to kill him, no limbs that give way and threaten to pull him to the ground. Just security, comfort and love and you. Both of you travel in the direction of the Sunny, too caught up in each other to spare anyone else a second of the time spent now reunited.

- Zoro -

The silence was new, unusual, unbearable...

When once laughter could be heard from the next room, and company sought him even as he sat in solace, now there is nothing. Dracule Mihawk's castle was cold and silent. The only source of conversation would come from Perona, who would merely appear to annoy him, trying to find a cure to her own boredom. There was no gentle lull of the sea beneath his feet, no company to live by or protect, no adventure, no light, no joy.

No crew.

Zoro didn't realise how accustomed he had become to the general life of those he had grown to call friends. How much Luffy's shouting could fill the void in between, how much the sound of conversation between Robin and Nami brought an ease to the atmosphere, how much Ussop and Chopper's shenanigans filled him with silent comfort.

How much he had grown to need it all.

Zoro knew he was in the depths when he found himself even missing dinner, warm and cooked by a chef he would often berate, served among rowdy friends and you. Each night, Zoro finds himself clawing at the hole in his chest, searching through the cold sheets for your warmth and soft skin. But he never found you. His days are filled with headaches and cold sweat, like his body had an actual aversion to not being by your side. But there was no cure for the absence of you.

He didn't know what happened when he found himself on Kuraigana island, the home to the man he was destined to exceed. He didn't know if you were hurt, how far you were, if you were lost like he felt he was... if you were dead. All he knew was you had to be alive, and he had to trust in his Captain's message. All he knew was there were no answers to be had here, in the cold, bare island he was resigned to for two years. All he knew was he could not find you without clues and the skill to take him across the sea.

He could not protect you.

So every day, he drowned himself in the violent swing of his swords, in the honing of physical strength. Silent meals were eaten before he slept on silent nights. There were no whispers as you gushed about the events of the day in his bed. There was no latching onto arms as you spoke into the night with his hums and caresses, a sign he listened. No kisses greeted him after a day of hard work, no worried voice interrupted his training sessions, asking him to take a break, to not push too hard. No excited greetings ignited his dull heart, no smile that filled him with warmth, and softness and ease.

Soon, Zoro forgot what gentleness felt like.

He forgot what comfort felt like.

He forgot what warmth felt like.

All he knew was the same rhythm every day for two years. The same morning sun, cold in its greeting. The same day spent fighting ridiculously overpowered baboons, relentlessly training his haki with a silently demanding teacher, just trying to survive through it all. The same night he dreaded, nursing new injuries, wondering why wetness would form in his eyes, wondering why tightness gathered at his chest. Wondering why he couldn't sleep like he used to, before Luffy, before the crew, before you.

God, he missed you.

Zoro felt like he was stronger than he had ever been, and yet he feels like the shell of the man he once was. Despite loosing an eye, and burdening himself with training that was sure to pull him apart, he found no pain harder to bear than the lack of you. He felt weak in your absence, berated himself for the lack of peaceful sleep he had and the lack of his mind at ease. He wondered if you felt the same. He wondered if this is what love was supposed to feel like.

He wondered if you knew how much he needed you now.

.....

When you walked up to Shakky’s bar, nostalgic after two years without seeing the same sight, you had expected the lack of your crewmates. You were a few days early, after all. But when she greeted you, she looked at you knowingly, and you didn’t think you could keep your jaw off the floor when she told you that someone had already arrived.

That someone?

Roronoa Zoro.

The two years spent apart had been full of training until your limbs gave out, honing power until you collapsed, and worrying endlessly about the fate of your crewmates and your Captain, and your boyfriend. When you were whisked away to your island, it was after you saw Zoro disappear from the face of the planet by Kuma, worse for wear and bearing injuries, you agonised over his fate. But now, hearing he is here and hearing he is the first to arrive, you cannot simply wait for him to find you. And so, you travel amongst Sabody for the first time in two years, hoping to catch a glimpse of a wandering swordsman and see if he truly had gotten better at navigation or if his early presence was merely a fluke.

The streets of Sabody are busy, and even a bed of green hair was hard to find, but Zoro couldn't even find the Sunny. He cursed as he looked left and right, annoyance gathering in his system as everything looked the same to him and directions were damned. Nevertheless, he travels the space in between, unwilling to acknowledge that it is fear that mingles beneath his subtle excitement.

He would see his crew again, his Captain, he pledged to serve.

He would see you again.

He wondered if things would be as they always were, but two years apart felt like eons when not tethered to you. He wonders what changed about you and what stays the same. Would you still smile at his stubbornness as you used to? Would you still gently caress his scarred face as he slept? Would you look to him with loyalty and devotion as you always did? The thoughts that mingle overtake Zoro's senses as he scolds himself for the doubt that gathers despite his loyalty and his belief in you.

You would be strong, you would be safe, you would love him as you always did.

Reassurances tried to drown his doubts, and they worked for a moment, until his sharp eye caught a glimpse of [h/c] hair and [e/c] eyes, and something in Zoro broke and caught life all at the same time. And you saw him, and you smiled at his wondering state, and you knew that was the man you missed for so long.

"Zoro!!"

Zoro doesn't get a chance to catch a breath or take in your form or relish in your beauty until you've run to him so quickly that he stumbles when you gather at his chest. However, when he looks down and catches your eyes and the way you grin wide and full of love, he finds himself finally relaxing beneath your touch. Finally, the tension he didn't even know had gathered in the two years apart came undone, and he feels your softness, your gentleness, your joy.

"Wait, what happened to your eye?!"

Zoro panics when he sees your bright smile waver and a frown gather on your face. Your joy soon turns to worry as hands reach out to the scar that travels to his left cheek, and your brows furrow in upset. Heart hammering at your gentle touch, face flushing at the glimmer in your eyes, and your concentration, he tries to calm his racing heart, untrained after too long without you. A calloused hand reaches out, catching the one that caresses his face.

"You worry too much"

His words are low, heat gathering at your own face when you look up and see him looking at you, with a softness and a care he hadn't encompassed in two years. God, he missed you. Missed the sensation of comfort you elicit just by being there. And despite never being one for words, and even in the crowded street, Zoro pulls you back into an embrace that has you surprised.

"I missed you"

His words catch an edge of emotion, and you smile against his chest, safe, warm and together again.

"I missed you, too, Zoro"

Pulling apart only to catch your lips in a brief, blissful kiss, your heart feels so full as you relent to his being and to his love. And in that moment, Zoro knows, and he pledges to himself that you were the woman he won't let go of, never again. Never again did he want to feel the uncertainty of your fate, eons apart. Never did he want to forget your comfort, and your gentleness and your love.

[sansic8]

── 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐈𝐑

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: you loved to tease zoro, even if he seemed like he couldn't care less about you. zoro couldn't help but worry over you, hating how careless you were. a trip through the frozen mountains proves to be quite the test on your friendship.

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: zoro x gn!reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 11k

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: NOT beta read, requested, zoro is bad at crushes, kristoff-anna dynamic, canon typical violence, frozen au???, the plot outran me

𝐚/𝐧: i blacked out and woke up to this, now i will return to the void wence i came. until next time lovelies 🫶

Zoro was doing his best to act cool, and in this weather it wasn’t hard, but damn he hated ice.

Every step he took sunk into a foot of white snow, seeping into his boots and freezing every bit of his body. Not even the heavy coat you bullied him into could stave off the biting cold.

He shielded his eyes from the sun, gleaming off the ice yet never melting a thing, and huffed. His breath crystalized in front of him. The snowstorm had been brutal, blinding him and his crew as they trekked up the slope. When the snow cleared, the whole crew was gone.

Well, not entirely gone. That would've been too good.

“I’m never—” he nearly tripped face first into snow “—gonna hear the end of this.”

A bright chuckle to his right only dampened his mood further. You stomped along beside him, looking very content with the situation. You laughed against the harsh wind and grinned at the sun. “At least I managed to find you in the storm. You’d be a total lost cause if I hadn’t.”

You knew you were treading thin ice, so to speak. Zoro’s taut brow said that much. But teasing him was just too fun. Zoro tutted. “Only reason you found me was ‘cause you grabbed by shirt like a leech.”

You bumped his shoulder, gazing at him warmly. “And wasn’t that lucky.”

“Just—quit distracting me. I’m tryna’ find the others.” He trudged a bit harder and a bit faster to get ahead of you, using all his willpower to ignore how you snickered at his expense. Oh, how you got on his nerves. Each and every one, gotten. It was a feat not even the stupid cook could surpass you in. 

You just—you were so careless. With everything. Your punches, while effective, were blind and unforgiving, mostly to yourself. You laughed at the worst of times, doing a terrible job of choking it down so he would always catch your eye and be forced to crack a grin as well. In every fight he couldn’t stop himself from scanning the battlefield just to make sure you weren’t being an idiot like usual. And usually, he found you right at the center of the conflict with this look that just terrified him to no end. 

You had no clue when to quit, evident even now as you rushed to keep pace with him. Yet for once, you didn’t say a word, allowing the silence to roll in as flurries of snow began to float down from the sky. Zoro sent you a suspicious glance just to see a wistful smile on your face. Careless. 

It was in the way you ran ahead of him to jump in the piles of snow, laughing in his face when he told you to be careful. How you looked him in the eye as you tested the strength of a frozen lake while he stood with a set jaw. How you took his hand and dragged him with you to look at something shiny, only for it to be another damn icicle. 

Maybe it wouldn’t bother him so much if he didn’t feel your safety was all on him. If the thought of you getting hurt didn't shoot him years back in time to the moment he felt the most helpless he'd ever been.

Soon, the moon hung high over your heads.

Zoro barely acknowledged the change, head ducked and pace set, headed up the mountain without any hesitation. He didn't even register the distant howling until your were shaking his arm.

He finally stopped to look at you, your lips pursed in frustration. “Zoro, we should find somewhere to rest.” 

He sighed like he wanted to argue. Surely you could find the others at the peak of the mountain before sunrise if you just kept going. You glared just slightly. “The locals back in town said there were wolves up here. I’d rather not have to waste energy dealing with them… and you look tired.”

“I'm not.” Nonetheless, he followed your final pull on his shirt and followed you off the beaten path between the two long streaks of tall pine. 

Your hand remained on him while you took the lead into the near woods, scrutinizing the area for anything harmful or useful. Your eyes were wide open, smile nowhere to be found, until you froze and zeroed in on a target. Zoro followed your gaze. A small bluff rose up out of the earth ahead, creating an arched hollow underneath its ledge. 

“There,” you decided, dragging him behind you. For some reason, he let you.

He sat down at one end of the cover and watched as you dropped your bag to the ground and quickly started on a fire. Zoro leaned back, brows furrowed while you worked so intently. Your lips pursed as you nearly glared at the small flickering flame, as if daring it to go out, cupping your hands around it protectively.

The fire curled higher and higher, a thin plume of smoke dissipating above it. He was about to make a snarky comment about how the wind would just snuff it out, when he realized he couldn’t feel the harsh gusts at all. The wind was blocked by the bluff. He hadn’t even noticed, but you had, apparently.

You moved to sit beside him, putting a good bit of friendly space between you, and sighed heavily. It wasn’t a sound he was used to hearing from you—he was used to hearing you snicker and tease—and he found he didn’t like that kind of tired sound at all.

Wordlessly, you rested your head back for just two seconds before you shivered and turned to rifle through your backpack. Zoro leaned to get a peek over your shoulder, jerking back into place when you whipped around and threw a blanket at him. He grunted, annoyed, until he registered what he was holding. You pulled another one out for yourself, neatly folded against whatever else you had stored away.

“You just,” he started, looking at you weirdly, “happened to have two?”

You gave him a look just as weird as you wrapped the blanket around your shoulders and head. “No. I brought two. That one’s meant for you.”

Suddenly the blanket was the strangest thing he’d ever seen, analyzing it like it might come alive and bite him. His gaze rose to meet yours. “What?”

“Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t freeze.” You had the nerve to roll your eyes. You tried to be subtle as you shifted closer to him, the now gentle cold seeping into your bones still. He caught your eye and held it firmly. Your tongue passed over your lips as you grinned softly. “Might as well be me.”

You said it carelessly, like he knew you to be, like this small act of sincerity wasn't shortcircuiting his brain. He scoffed and stared at the blanket some more, hesitant before he gave in and draped it on his shoulders. He swallowed down a yawn, his face barely moving at all, but you noticed some small chip in his cool anyway. 

“I’ll keep watch, you rest.” It’s not a suggestion. The way you push back your shoulders and stare out into the dark says enough. It irked him.

Maybe three minutes he stared at you off and on, not even trying to pretend to be sleeping, his face pulled unpleasantly. Around minute four you sighed and let your head tilt to the side, settling Zoro with a soft expression. 

“Something on my face?” you asked, rubbing at your cheek roughly. Zoro buffered, his blinks slow whilst you grew increasingly self-conscious under his stare. It was like he looked into your very soul sometimes, and you doubted he had a clue. Finally, Zoro shook his head and turned away.

Now you watched him. He did his stubborn best to keep his eyes open out of spite, but you were right, he was exhausted. His eyes soon fluttered shut against his will, bringing a small smile to your face.

You could admit you liked him when he was like this: quiet, peaceful, pretty. It was only when he opened his mouth that he became the brute you so loved to disturb, if only because it was the only way you could excuse your constant desire to talk to him. And when he seemed to loathe every small moment in your company, teasing was your best option.

You scoot just an inch closer to him, simply testing the waters. Zoro doesn't move at all, his chest continuing to rise and fall with every harsh breath he took. So with the wind as your excuse, you moved till your shoulder rested against his own, your eyes on his face watching for any sign of disturbance.

He couldn't snap at you now, you thought, trying desperately to not smile too wide as you leaned your head back. Zoro might hate you when he was awake, but you could ignore all of that at the moment. You could forget how you were nearing the end of your patience with his careless words and glares, the way they pierced your heart, and set your gaze watchfully on the snow covered forest in front of you.

If you accidentally fell asleep only an hour later, Zoro would never know.

જ ⁀ ➴

Zoro woke up to a flurry of snowflakes in the morning, his nose twitching as one melted on his face. He rubbed his eyes, grunting away the remaining sleep, and blinked away the blurriness.

He glanced around to demand why you hadn't woken him so you could sleep, the words catching on his tongue when he found your blanket on the ground beside him.

It lacked something very important: you.

He jumped to his feet and hit his head against solid rock, tipping over with a curse and scrambling to his feet with his hands in his hair. Zoro spun around, calling your name once, twice. No reply. Just the peaceful fall of snow and empty white all around.

"Stop!" The swordsman whipped around lightning fast at the sound of your voice, a squeal echoing soon after.

His Wado drawn in a flash, Zoro shouted your name and bolted around the bluff and up a small hill, ready to gut whatever damned thing had the nerve to attack you--

You threw your head back with another laugh, face brighter than it had ever been when you laughed at him, and Zoro froze in place.

There you were, safe as can be, giggling as you fed a massive reindeer another carrot, its tongue tickling at your palm. The reindeer, and the large sleigh it was tacked to, wasn't what had his grip tightening around his sword.

Some guy towered over you, one arm leaned on his sleigh as he gave you this dazzling smile. You wiped the reindeer spit on your pants, your laughter falling short when you caught the soft look the guy was giving you. Zoro could see how you grew nervous under his stare even at a distance, awkward smile dancing across your lips and eyes bashfully averted.

You did a double take, catching sight of Zoro standing there stiff as a board, and your whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. You left your new friend standing there and bounded toward him, not noticing that his frown was more scowlish than normal.

"Zoro!" You beamed and reached to grab his arm. "Sorry I disappeared, I was--"

"You--you can't just run off like that!" He stepped back and glared at you, his cheeks flushed and brows drawn.

You flinched like he had slapped you, hands coming to rest against your chest defensively. You voice was small, your eyes wide. "What?"

He knew he was overdoing it, but your smiling face directed at that stranger flashed behind his eyes. And the memory of how terrified he'd been at the possibility of you being hurt...

"God, you're gonna get killed doing stupid shit one day and I won't be there to stop it!" Zoro's hand shook as he readjusted it on his sword. "Just--just use your head for once in your life!"

One step, two steps. You backed away from him bit by bit till you stood a good foot away from him, your lips parted as you breathed in sharply.

"Hey now, no need to get heated." That guy approached with his hands lifted slightly, a good-natured grin on his face. He locked eyes with Zoro as he came up beside you and dared to set a hand on your shoulder. Zoro had half a mind to cut it right off.

"I wouldn't underestimate your friend here," he was saying. "They're the one who saved me and my reindeer from some wolves last night, actually."

Zoro blinked at him, mouth opening and closing quite like a fish until he zeroed in on you and your growing confidence. "You... what?"

"Yeah." Your eyes darted up to his, blazing fire behind them. "Must've been a fluke, huh, since I was doing stupid shit. Oh! I'll be sure to let you know next time I gotta go piss, wouldn't want anything to happen to me since I'm such a fucken idiot, right?"

You were gone before he could process half of that, but he knew he had massively screwed up even before he turned to see you kick up a pile of snow and whisper scream into the air. Zoro, rigidly at a loss, startled at the reminder of the man's presence when said stranger stepped into his peripheral.

"I don't know what that was," he said, almost like an apology even as he looked at Zoro with thinly veiled contempt. He held out a large, calloused hand. "But I'm Hans."

Zoro's narrowed gaze darted from the hand to the man it belonged to before ignoring it entirely. "Roronoa Zoro."

Hans' complexion paled drastically. "R-Roronoa?"

Any satisfaction Zoro had jumped out the metaphorical window with your stormful return donning your backpack. Frustration simmering behind your every move, you trudged past the two men and threw your pack into the back of the sleigh.

You dusted snow off your gloved hands. "Hans is taking us up the mountain. Say thank you."

Hans looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else and Zoro looked like he wanted to put him six feet under the snow. Still, he was honestly terrified of the dark look in your eyes, so he conceded a reluctant, "Thanks."

"His reindeer's name is Vladimir," you said from your new place atop the sleigh, rearranging equipment to make room for someone to sit.

"You want me to--"

Your eyes instantly grew stormy with a don't test me kind of look. Zoro's jaw snapped up, yet even in the face of your anger, he had his limits. You didn't press further, ignoring him entirely and choosing a seat at the front of the sleigh.

Hans glanced between the two of you nervously while he effortlessly jumped into his sleigh and took the seat next to you, taking up the reins connecting his reindeer, apparently named Vladimir.

Zoro glared into your back as he stepped up too, looking down at the sea of scattered equipment in the sleigh's bed, and settled down in the empty space you had made.

The reindeer huffed and started up a steady pace, heaving the sleigh behind it effortlessly. And so, the four began their journey up the mountain. Zoro watched Hans steady your shoulder when you jolted with the movement, and decided that he hated everything to do with snow more than he'd hated anything else.

"So," he broke the silence five minutes in. "Hans. What're you doing here?"

You shot him a glare to which he rolled his eyes. Hans remained oblivious. "Oh, uh, right now I'm sellin' firewood in the villages down the mountain."

Zoro cast the many tools a curious glance, noticing the lack of actual wood. "Huh."

"Hans is the official wood deliverer for the whole kingdom," you blurted, eyeing Zoro out of your peripheral. "You must know these woods like the back of your hand."

The man practically fluttered under your praise, his cheeks blooming a pretty pink that had Zoro's eyes rolling. "Somewhat. I grew up here, but there are some spots I still don't know by heart."

"I bet you hardly ever get lost," you prattled on while checking your nails innocently. You shot Hans a charming smile. "I bet not even a snowstorm could knock you off track."

Hans couldn't help but chuckle bashfully, rubbing at his neck. "I guess you could say that. It's been a while since I've been lost, at least."

"Maybe you could give Zoro some pointers." The man in question shot you a harsh glare you couldn't see, too busy batting your eyes at the guy melting under your gaze. "His internal compass is a little... nonexistent."

Zoro's scoff was definitely loud enough for you to hear, yet you ignored it entirely in favor of shooting him the most infuriating wink. He wondered how much the cook would kill him if he tackled you into the snow.

A tense silence fell upon the three of you, only broken by the reindeer's occasional huffing, when Hans cleared his throat. Both you and Zoro's eyes darted to him at once.

"If you don't mind me asking, you're part of the Strawhat Pirates, right?" At your nod, he turned his attention away form the snow, even dropping the reins to his lap. "I heard in town that you guys were here. I was surprised to run into two of you. Thought your crew would've made it to the peak by now."

"Got lost in the snowstorm last night." Zoro beat you to answering, ignoring your sharp look. "The others should be dealing with the issue up there."

Hans nodded. "Probably. I can't tell you enough how grateful the townspeople are. Once the witch is taken care of, the snow should begin to fade."

You shifted to face him entirely. "About this witch. Do you believe it? That it's really a witch causing the freeze?"

Hans' sigh materialized in the air. "I'm not sure what I think. All I know if that someone is up on the mountain, farther than anyone is willing to go, and they're angry." He returned his focus ahead, grip on the reins tight and unforgiving. Something foggy rose behind his eyes. "The storm started when they made themself known. That's all I know for certain."

He was lying about something, you just couldn't place what. Whatever the case, Hans knew more than he was letting on, the tightness in his body language said that much. You chanced a look behind you, meeting eyes with Zoro, and he held a similar look of skepticism. You shared an understanding, then you remembered you were mad at him, and stuck your tongue out before whipping back around. Zoro sighed heavily.

"You're lucky I found you, actually," said Hans. "I was headed this way anyway, so it's no trouble taking you up the mountain. 'Sides, it's the least I could do."

You resisted the urge to glance at Zoro again, if only to see if he was curious too, but held your ground and settled for biting your lip in thought. As kind and as handsome as this Hans guy was, you were growing more and more cautious the longer he spoke.

The faster you could get up the mountain and rejoin your crew, the better.

જ ⁀ ➴

Hans was there you catch you when you stumbled off the sleigh, his charming grin awkward as he asked, "Are you all right?"

Your cheeks grew warm as an unflattering laugh left you. "Fine! Yep, I'm good. Heh..."

Zoro rolled his eyes and jumped down as well. He glared up at the tall mountains up ahead. "You said our friends should be up there?"

Hans nodded once. "Should be, if they went the right way. We have to go on foot now, the pass will get too rocky for the sleigh soon."

You rubbed your hands together, smirking at the trek ahead of you. "Sounds good. Honestly, Luffy's probably already beating her ass as we speak."

Your guide's brows furrowed then. "Actually--"

"If he has started, then we better hurry," Zoro said, one hand on his swords as he set off.

Hans turned to send his reindeer back down with the sleigh, patting the creature's nose fondly before pointing him away. He watched his friend trot a ways away before adjusting his pack on his shoulders and moving to catch up to Zoro.

You walked at a gentle pace, taking the moment to observe the beautiful landscape around you. The woods had given way to a steep uphill climb laid between tall jagged rock towering on either side. The pass up the mountain grew narrower the further up you went, and indeed rocks and fallen trees blocked the path here and there.

Not even five minutes in you were slumping over in agony.

"How'd we even make it so far on foot yesterday?" you complained loudly, rubbing at your eyes and making your vision blurry for a moment.

Somehow, Zoro was walking beside you now, a fair distance between you. Hans was leading the way around a large boulder. The swordsman scoffed at you. "You begged me to carry you for most of it."

"And you wasted the opportunity by refusing me, I remember," you lamented sarcastically, matching his energy with a roll of your eyes.

Hans glanced back with some concern, glancing between you and Zoro like he was afraid one of you would erupt, and trudged forward with new determination.

You sighed deeply. Teasing Hans wasn't fun anyway once Zoro started ignoring you--and even less fun when he completely fell asleep on the sleigh.

It was like he could care less what you did or what you thought of him. And when you cared so much, well, it drove you mad. No matter how you tried to ignore it, his attitude hurt, and that was no one's fault but your own for caring at all.

"Hans," Zoro broke the tension. "Why're you headed up the mountain? Thought you said no one goes this high 'cause of the witch."

For a long moment, you wondered if Hans was going to ignore him, exchanging a confused look with Zoro when your guide's shoulders tensed. Hans fixed his expression and smiled. "I left something up here some years ago. Might as well take the chance to get it back while I'm helping you."

Only when Hans' back was turned and he pressed on ahead did you sidle up to Zoro and say in a conspiritory whisper, "Well, that was cryptic as fuck."

He nearly smirked before he was shooting you a look. "I thought you were ignorin' me."

You pursed your lips and whipped forward. "I am, you asshole."

"What is wrong," he barked at your profile. "I snap at you all the time. What's so different now?"

"Nothing!" You sent him a scathing look, dark enough that Zoro faltered, just for a moment. You were seething. "Maybe I just got tired of taking it."

And with that, he was staring at your back again. You marched up to walk in step with Hans, who was doing an ass job at pretending not to listen.

Zoro couldn't keep the absolutely miserable expression off his face. If any of his crew could see him, he'd never hear the end of it. Zoro could hardly believe it himself: he nearly missed your teasing.

The thought itself tripped up his feet. He remained lagging behind the rest of the trek, eyes glued to the back of your head, lost in his thoughts until he almost walked right into your back.

You and Hans stood at the edge of a ravine, staring down into the dark depths below and then at the rope bridge stretching across what had to be at least ten yards. The rickety thing looked like it could snap at any moment, the ropes tying it to your side aged and frozen. Daunting, to say the least.

"Don't worry," said Hans, his tone only slightly faltering in its confidence. "I used to take this bridge all the time, it should hold all three of us if we distribute the weight well enough."

"You're joking, right?" Zoro scoffed. You gave him a sour look in response, and promptly moved to be the first to step out onto the deathtrap.

"It looks fine," you lied, chin held high. "Let's just get going."

Hans made a sound suspiciously like a yelp and yanked you back by your wrist. "Uh, let me go first."

You stepped out of the way for him, cheeks slightly warm, narrowing your eyes at a smug Zoro. You huffed in his face. "What?"

"Nothing," he smirked. Zoro made to follow after Hans, leaning into your ear as he passed. "No need to try an' impress me."

He left you floundering behind him, nothing even close to a complete leaving your lips. The bridge jumped with your footsteps when you ran after him, a finger poked into his back harshly.

"I was not trying to impress you." You walked on your tiptoes so you could shout the words in his ear, only drawing another infuriating laugh out of the swordsman. "I'd rather impress anyone before I impress you! Not like it'd be hard, moss for brains!"

"Ooh," Zoro said with a glance over his shoulder. "Touchy much?"

"You--!"

"God!" Hans suddenly whirled around, hands in his hair, crazed look on his face. You and Zoro froze instantly. "I don't care about your lovers quarrel! You're gonna get us killed if you keep jolting the bridge!"

Your jaw practically hit the ground. "Woah!"

"Lover huh?" Zoro's cheeks burned, his shoulders drawn back and tense.

Hans cut off any protests you had with a single finger. "I don't care! You wanna get up that mountain? Shut up."

He turned around just as quickly, his steps carefully placed even as he radiated frustration.

You avoided Zoro's eyes though you felt them zeroed in on your face. You gently pushed against his shoulder, muttering, "Just keep walking."

At the halfway mark of the bridge there was a gap where two wooden boards used to lay, but was now a one way trip to the bottom of the ravine. Hans and then Zoro stepped over it effortlessly, barely casting a glance downward. The longer you stared at it the wider the gap seemed to be.

No matter how you pushed yourself, your hands stayed planted on the ropes either side of you and your feet wouldn't move farther than a few inches. You couldn't tear your eyes away from the seemingly bottomless abyss down below... but suddenly, a rough hand appeared in front of you, forcing itself into your focus with its broad help and burly appearance.

Heart stuttering, your eyes darted up to meet his. Zoro stood on the other side of the gap, solid and sturdy, his eyes quickly averted the longer you stared at him. Zoro cleared his throat and reached out further for you. "We're losing daylight."

You blinked rapidly before nodding, placing your hand tightly in his, taking a deep breath, and taking a large step over the gap. Your eyes close against your better judgement, foot slipping just slightly as another hand roughly steadies your shoulder.

And then, he's snapping in your face again.

"Wha--don't close your eyes, idiot!" You clench your teeth, already set off, and whip open your eyes. Zoro looked... concerned. Instead of angry like his voice suggested, his brows were drawn taut and his mouth twisted into a frown.

You faltered for all of one second before you shook it off. "Why do you even care?" You pushed past him and set forth quickly.

Zoro let you by easily, a million different emotions rushing through his head until he settled on exasperation, as he so often did, and the words left him before he could catch them. "You're careless."

You stopped mid step, sending his heart racing with adrenaline. Shit, was all he could think. You turned slowly, something shiny in your eyes as you glowered at him. "Careless?"

He didn't have time to backtrack or double down, whichever way he chose. Snap.

Your expression fell in an instant. The sound of a gradual cracking. You turned back to where Hans should be, finding him standing safely on the other side of the ravine, his face sheet white.

He gasped. "Run!"

Zoro had shoved your forward before you could catch sight of the ropes tying the bridge down snapping little by little until the way you came began to plummet down.

"We're not gonna make it!" you shouted desperately, feeling the way the bridge tilted backward. The other side was still too far away. This was it.

Something snapped in Zoro, his arms enveloping you in a single swoop, ignoring your shouting, forgetting all his fear. All he saw was you, falling to your death, and so he jumped. He threw you as hard as he could before his momentum ran out, and he was plummeting to his doom.

You screamed and flailed your limbs, barely registering what had happened. Hans and the edge of the ravine grew closer and closer, yet not close enough--your front half rammed into the ledge, knocking the air from your lungs. Hans gripped your arms and started to haul you up just when your head caught up to your body.

"Let--" You braced your feet against the ledge. "Let me go!"

You broke from Hans' grip and flew back, your name falling from his lips as you descended like a bullet. Moving on instinct, you shoved a hand into your backpack and gripped the shell buried deep inside, shedding the whole pack an instant later.

Zoro, resigned to his fate, was ever so surprised to open his eyes to you hurling yourself into him. "Y/N--!"

"Grab onto me!" He didn't hesitate. The moment his arms wrapped around your middle you slammed your fist onto the apex of the dial, a blast of air rocketing you right back up into the sky. You held it down, petrified it wouldn't be enough, Zoro's loud ass screaming in your ear.

The dial fizzled out, the pair of you flying in a near graceful arc before another round of expletives fled Zoro's mouth as you once again felt your organs rearrange themselves with another sudden drop.

You landed on Zoro's chest, his arms locked around your waist, your interlocked bodies bouncing and tumbling on packed snow till you rolled to a stop battered and bruised.

The world rang in your ears, but you still lifted your head to assess the state of your friend. He groaned, looking up at you bleary eyed. "Are you okay?"

Zoro buffered, blinked, and shot up. His hands closed around your arms a bit too tightly, his eyes scanning your face as anger clouded his face. "What the fuck was that?! Why would you--why did you--"

"Oh, shut up!" You shoved him back just as harshly, breaking free your arms. His back hit the snow as you knelt over him, blazing down at him. "Like you were any different, you ass! You don't get to sacrifice yourself for me!" Your hand clawed at his shirt. "I won't let you!"

The silence was deafening. Zoro swore your voice echoed off the empty white snow. You heaved, a wild look in your eyes, hand still clutching him like you might decide to punch him. Zoro couldn't help but think it: you were beautiful.

You released him like you were disgusted, falling back on your knees with this broken expression. You scoffed and pushed yourself to your feet. Zoro watched your eyes go unfocused on the space behind him, waiting for the ball to drop on bated breath.

"And for the record," you said slowly, quietly. "Someone who's careless wouldn't have thought to bring a breath dial."

You turned, voice rising against the wind. "Someone careless wouldn't have made sure you don't freeze to death." Your fists curled, the air crackling with your anger. You whirled on him, eyes shut lest he see the pain they reflected. "Quit trying to act like you a give a damn about me! I know you don't care!"

You hated how your shoulders shook. You hated how afraid you felt. But most of all, you hated how he just sat there, dumbfounded. You blinked down at him, lashes fluttering to fight against the burn of tears. You had to get away from him, away from his silence. "Forget it."

"I'm sorry."

You made it six whole steps before he said it, his voice softer than you'd ever heard it. You nearly refused to believe it was him. You didn't dare to turn around, to breathe. "What?"

Zoro's answer was a series of harsh breaths. His lips moved but words failed to rise no matter how he tried to force them--he didn't know what to say. His hands raked at the snow, freezing his fingertips painfully so. He thinks you scoffed before your foot moved to take another step, and suddenly it didn't matter what he said.

"Wait. I... you..." Zoro lumbered to his feet. "I'm... sorry. I've been a dick."

"Tch." You refused to turn around. All your resolve would crumble it you looked at him.

"You're not careless, not all the time," he said, holding his breath when you shifted from foot to foot.

"You're just saying that." You shook your head despairingly. "Zoro, why else would you think so lowly of me?"

Zoro froze, blinking wide, and trudged toward you without thinking. He rounded you quickly and held you in place with a single look. "Is that what you think?"

Startled, you nodded, unable to look away from his bewildered expression. Luckily, Zoro looked down at his feet before you had the chance to combust.

"I think... highly of you. But I--I just worry."

You dared to think his cheeks turned pink when he said it. Your confusion only grew. "About me?"

He gave a gruff nod. It took him a moment to continue, his eyes searching the empty area to the left. "I think so much of you, that if anything happened, I wouldn't forgive myself. If you..."

Now you moved to catch his avoidant eye. "Zoro, it wouldn't be your fault if something did happen to me. And... well, I guess I'd like it if you had a bit more faith in me, y'know?"

You chanced a smile when Zoro simply stood there. "I know I goof off a lot, but who is it looking after you most days? Me. You never did thank me for the blanket, and I handled those wolves by myself, and I saved your life just now! I've proven myself more than enough times..." You poked his forehead when his eyes went unfocused, bringing his attention back to you. "So put a little trust in me, Zoro."

With a thousand little thoughts reflected in his eyes, Zoro nodded firmly. "I will. I do."

Your smile didn't exactly meet you eyes yet, but he would work on that in the future. Zoro hardly remembered why they were there in the first place anymore, lost in staring directly into your eyes till it was just on the verge of being weird. Hans appeared suddenly, running up a hill and breathing wildly.

He tripped over snow when he saw the two of you, hitting the snow and staring between you with the most exasperated look on his face. "You're--You're crazy! How on earth are you still alive?!"

"Y/N," Zoro said. You turned to see what he wanted only to realize that was his answer. Zoro grinned. "Y/N saved us."

You let out an unpretty laugh, cheeks burning as you hid it behind a cleared throat. "Whatever. How far did we fly?"

"Like--" Hans waved his hands around "--a long way." He finally calmed his breathing down enough to get up and approach you. "I guess this is just a short cut. We're closer to the peak--"

He paused in brushing the snow off his clothes, face going pale, his eyes set high in the sky. You and Zoro locked eyes and turned at once, spotting it instantly. The snowstorm circled like a whirlpool around the highest peaks of the mountain, right over the area you assumed you were meant to go.

Hans walked between you and Zoro roughly. "Let's go."

Again, you looked at Zoro, concern now plastered all over your face. He met your eyes steadfast, a level of certainty in his stance that assured you that your crew would come out on top, as always.

જ ⁀ ➴

"Nami!" You sprinted at her the moment you turned the corner and saw her. You, Zoro, and Hans had enetered the elaborate palace made of ice maybe five minutes ago, following Hans down one of three hallways like he knew exactly where to go, as if he'd been there before.

You didn't have the chance to dwell on the oddness of it, too concerned with the sight of Nami contained inside a cage made completely of ice. To her right, Sanji's entire lower half was frozen mid-kick, his face taken by relief at the sight of you. Behind him, only Robin's head remained visible above a pillar of ice. Her hands were stuck inches apart, as if she was just about to use her devil fruit powers before getting put on ice.

"Sanji? Robin? What happened? Where are the others?" You met Nami through the bars of ice, taking her frigid hand in both of your gloved ones. You cursed softly. "Nami, where're your gloves?!"

"One question at a time," she gritted out through a shiver. She looked blue in the face despite her puffy coat. "It's hard to think in this cold."

You released her hand when you felt Zoro's presence by your shoulder. Grabbing his arm, you nodded at the cage. "Can you break it?"

"It's just ice," he scoffed. Zoro shot you his best cocky smirk and unsheathed his Wado.

Nami fled to the farthest corner. "You better not cut me!"

While Zoro dealt with the cage, you moved to flutter around your other friends, worried eyes blown wide. You approached Sanji first and laid a tentative hand on his elbow. His teeth chattered even as he gave you a charmingly warm smile.

"'M glad you're--all right," he managed to say. His hand, still hidden by a glove, rested atop yours. "Was afraid m-mosshead would get y-you eaten."

"We found a local, he helped us find our way here," you assured him, moving to Robin with increased terror. "Robin, how do you feel?"

Her brow ticked just slightly, lips curled downward. She strained, probably trying to break free, before her head fell forward. "Chilly."

"I don't want your help, marimo!"

"Whatdya mean?! You gonna freeze here, huh?"

The conflict was solved by shattered ice before you could whip around. Sanji fell backward with a snarl and scrambled to his feet just as quickly. "You coulda cut my leg off!"

Zoro dared to smirk at him. "Whoops."

"Zoro," you hissed. His face fell instantly, head whipping around to look at you. "Help Robin."

But the swordsman appeared more hesitant this time, sizing the ice block holding Robin's body warily. "I just, I dunno how I could slice it without slicing her too."

Hans let out something like a grunt and marched up with a torch from his backpack. He lit it on fire with a match and shoved it into Nami's hands. "Just melt her out until it's soft enough to break."

He settled Sanji with a somber look. "Where did he go?"

Sanji, though miffed with his flippant tone, pointed a finger at the large doors at the end of the hall. Now that you looked around, you seemed to be in some sort of entryway.

"Hans!" You raced to stop him from just storming in guns blazing, grabbing his sleeve harshly. "What are you doing? This witch is-is dangerous! Let us handle it and--"

"This," he growled, ripping himself from your grip, "isn't yours to handle. I helped you find your friends, not get out before you get hurt."

Whatever else he had to say was cut off by the telltale sound of Luffy's voice bellowing from the throne room, "GUM GUM--PISTOL!"

Sanji and Zoro flanked your shoulders all at once. "Our captain is fighting whatever the hell is in there," said Zoro. "Long as he's in there, this remains our fight."

Hans measured the three of you up with a resigned scoff. "Fine. Just stay out of my way."

He went on ahead, leaving you and the boys to follow his trail. You leaned into Zoro, whispering, "I don't think this guy's a woodcutter."

Zoro scoffed lightly, daring to grin at you despite the unknown in front of you. "Sorry you had a crush on him?"

You gasped, reeling back your fist to collide with his arm only for him to catch it and laugh. His face had the audacity to light up in the most beautiful way, his eyes crinkling and smile wide.

"I--I didn't have a crush on him," you hissed.

Zoro released your hand too softly. "Please, it was obvious."

"I was trying to--" You clamped your mouth shut and faced forward sharply, horrified you almost let that slip. He didn't say anything more, but the satisfied look on his face made it seem like he knew.

Sanji gagged as Hans approached the throne room doors, his eyes glaring into the man's back. "Darling, you have questionable taste."

You let out a resigned huff and caught Zoro's eye, your cheeks warming all of a sudden. Honestly, you had to agree.

The strange man threw open the doors, mouth opening to announce some grand speech probably, but was unfortunately cut off when your captain barreled into him and sent them both hurtling backward.

Hans coughed, pressing his hand to his side, and sat up quickly. Luffy groaned underneath him, his stretchy legs tangled in both of Hans'.

Calling out his name, you ran up and grabbed under his arms, pulling him away from the fake woodcutter. Luffy's legs slithered as they untangled from Hans, which was a disturbing feat to witness.

"Almost had 'im," Luffy muttered, jaw setting.

With a glare in your direction, Hans rose to his feet and dusted off his clothes, setting one foot in front of the other, words rising to the tip of his tongue until he lifted his gaze and saw the young man standing between the large doors.

"Hans," the apparent witch gasped, his voice echoing off the ice. One after the other, Usopp and Chopper peak around the corner behind him.

He took a step forward, all his plans and speeches forgotten. "Jack."

Luffy, now standing beside you, scratched his chin. "Who's that guy?"

"Our guide," you blurted, head tilted. "Is that really the witch?"

"Yup."

"Kinda... anticlimactic."

"Yuh huh."

Both of the strange men whipped around at once and shouted, "Shut up!" They froze, glancing back at each other, and fell still once again.

From the other end of the hall, Nami's voice carried, "What's happening?! Is Luffy winning?!"

"Not sure!" you called back.

"Wait." Zoro approached the pair still staring at each other blankly. "You know the witch? Why didn't you say that before?"

Instead of answering, Hans cracked a grin. Surprisingly, the witch did as well, musing, "They're still calling me that?"

"It stuck," Hans laughed. "Not particularly wrong."

The witch, Jack (apparently), scoffed in reply. His gaze swept over the lot of you, all geared to attack should the moment come. "What exactly brings you and these... pirates to my palace, brother?"

Your jaw fell instantly. "Brother?"

Hans turned back with all the ease in the world. "I didn't lie to you. I just didn't exactly tell you the truth." He swept a hand across his chest in a simple bow. "My full title is Crown Prince Hans."

"Oh shit," you awed.

"I don't care who's your brother!" Luffy pushed up his sleeves, ready to fire another punch at any moment. "I came to end this winter!"

"So did I!" said Hans, his face falling solemnly. He faced the witch once again. "I meant to come sooner, but you've hidden far up the mountain."

Despite the tease in his brother's voice, Jack visibly tensed, taking a wary step back. He shot Luffy an almost desperate kind of glare. "I told you, I don't know how!"

Somehow, the room got colder. Hans stepped forward every time his brother backed away, a tender hand outstretched. "Yes, you can. If you just come back with me, we can figure it out. Together. Like Mother and Father wanted."

"You..." The ice all around began to fracture little by little. "You came all this way for nothing." The witch tightened his fists and breathed out a sigh. "Hans, I don't know what you thought would happen. There's no ending this winter... not without killing me."

The brothers exchanged an icy look, before Jack released a gentle laugh. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"I--I didn't come here to kill you," Hans insisted.

They continued like that, back and forth, the air getting stiffer and the cold growing harder. Spirals of ice crept up along the walls like vines. You stepped closer to Luffy, casting a glance back at Zoro and Sanji. Usopp and Chopper had snuck around and joined them.

Good. Everyone was in one place. Escape could be possible, probably.

"Hey," Luffy murmured, leaning closer to your ear. "I'm gonna knock Witch-Guy out."

You gripped his arm in a vice. "No. You--"

"He's gonna hurt your friend." Luffy shook you off easily. His usual playful attitude was gone, replaced by that rare, frightening seriousness.

You followed his gaze. Hans was backing his brother into the throne room, his eyes pleading, his hands reaching. The wi--Jack was curled in on himself, flurries of snow enveloping his head and sparks of ice flying off his arms.

Sanji's hand rested on your shoulder, gently tugging you back. "Love, get away."

The sound of Zoro unsheathing his sword met your ears--a sound you'd know anywhere--and you saw Jack raising his hands over his head, shouting something drowned out by the sudden gusting wind.

Everything happened very quickly.

Luffy, rushing forth with a fist drawn back. Hans, ignoring the ice hitting his face, reaching out for his brother. Your name falling from Sanji's lips.

And you, somehow, lunging at Hans just as Jack was knocked back by Luffy's fist and a blast of ice shot out from his splayed hands. You would have landed on top of Hans if you hadn't been sledgehammered in the back and rocketed to the side.

All the freezing cold from before could be considered warm compared to this. A cough forced its way from your lips. Your hands quivered as you struggled to push up off the ground, falling back onto your side. A faint ringing in the back of your mind overpowered the voices calling out to you.

You blinked and your face was being held by two warm hands, the kind of warm that made you want to be engulfed in it entirely. You blinked again and the ringing faded as you registered Zoro's face in front of you.

"--ou okay?" His voice wasn't meant to be that soft, you thought. Zoro was anything but soft. It just didn't suit him. Still catching the breath that was knocked out of you, you barely noticed when he drew you closer to his body.

A tight tingling festered in your chest, your hand clawing at the area, trying to scratch a deeply set itch. Zoro caught the motion, his hands moving from your face to your back, pressing into the spot you'd been hit.

"Ow," you groaned. "Cut that out."

The swordsman released a sigh at the sound of your voice. You could still bitch at him--that was a good sign.

"What even happened?" He looked like he was biting back words, mouth opening and closing uselessly until Sanji appeared over his shoulder.

He took a drag from his cigarette and puffed it out fast. "That witch hit you with ice." Sanji's set jaw softened. "Are you all right?"

You could still move your fingers and toes, and now that was ringing was gone you could feel you strength slowly return. You managed to sit up on your own. Zoro didn't move away by an inch, eyes on you like a hawk.

"I'm okay," you assured them. With Zoro's help, you stood to your feet, ignoring the quake in your knees. "Cold, but okay."

Neither of them believed you, obviously. Sanji's skeptical eye was pulled away when Hans clobbered Luffy on the head. He rushed over to put the guy back in his place while Chopper tentatively approached the knocked out Jack with his first aid kit.

In truth, you'd been lying through your teeth. You barely withheld the the shivers threatening to wrack your body. Cold didn't begin to describe the sensation crawling from the pit of your chest.

Zoro called your name and the sound alone caused your mask to slip, just a bit. He saw, of course, grabbing you by your shoulders and staring directly into your eye, like he could will the truth out of you.

You smiled casually, hands moving to shake him off in vain. He needed to stop looking at you, because dammit, it was working.

The fight in you faded more and more the longer his hands warmed your shoulders and his steady gaze warmed your face. Suddenly, you let the fatigue cloud your eyes. You leaned into his hands, eyes fluttering, shoulders jerking. "Zoro, I'm really cold."

That was all he needed. Your feet were swept off the ground, his arms enveloping you, his warmth defending you against the incessant chill.

Zoro rounded on the bickering group and felt his patience snap. "Hey!"

All eyes on him, he couldn't help the stagger in his breath. He held you closer to his chest as if it would do anything to help you. Zoro didn't have any idea what was wrong with you, this magic shit wasn't his cup of tea, but he could be pissed really well, especially when it came to you. So he zeroed in on Hans and locked his target.

"What the hell did he do?!"

Hans' eyes drifted down to your form, fully shaking now that you stopped pretending, vainly attempting to hide from the cold the further you curled into Zoro's arms. "They... they were hit with the ice?"

Sanji gripped Hans by the collar fiercely. "Saving you from that lunatic!"

Hans pushed back at that, hand shoving Sanji back by his chest. "Jack isn't a lunatic! He didn't meant to do any of this! He's cursed!"

Zoro marched up to him, towering over the man. "You think I care? What did that ice do?"

All Hans could do was stare at your contorted face in horror, shaking his head quickly. "I don't... Jack wouldn't..."

"Set them down!" Chopper ran over, his hooves clopping across the ice. Zoro begrudgingly knelt to the ground and rested you in front of the little doctor. Chopper pressed his stethoscope to your chest, his eyes flickering to your face. You forced open your eyes.

"It's probably just a cold," you murmured.

The way Chopper's ears flattened against his hat said otherwise. Nami and Robin approached at a run then, gasping one after the other at the sight in front of them. Chopper got in your face and mumbled something the others couldn’t hear, but it made your frown deepen before you gave him a nod. He worked his little hooves and unzipping your coat, unbuttoning the front of your shirt, and parting it just enough to see a sliver of your skin. 

Zoro was the first to see it, yet he didn’t gasp like Chopper or curse like Sanji or ask what was happening like Luffy. He just… stared, like he didn’t believe what he saw. The ice started at the center of your chest in a starburst shape, reaching out in tendrils that grew ever so slowly the closer he watched them. 

You peeked down at your chest and reacted much like Zoro, silent as your eyes rose to meet his. You winced as you sat up, resisting the urge to clutch your chest, and looked at him so dearly. The clouds in his eyes parted briefly when you grabbed his chin.

“No,” you commanded. Zoro blinked helplessly. “It’s not your fault.” You dropped your hand and somehow found it in you to grin. “I was just being--careless, right?”

Maybe he was right to worry after all, you mused to yourself, missing the way Zoro’s whole face crumbled, all his certainty drained out of him.

Zoro leaned away from you sharply, and you would think he was glaring at you if you didn’t know his actual glare so well. "Don't do that. You're turning to ice. Don’t you dare try an' comfort me.”

Again, your eyes were drawn to the star on your chest. Your lips quivered now, your body fighting against the cold and longing for the warmth Zoro had given… Though, if you let yourself think it, the cold chill started to feel warm against your skin. A sickening warmth. The ice was creeping up your collarbone.

So you ignored it entirely. You ignored everything, everyone, hearing death approaching the door. You leaned back on your hands and burned his image into your mind. "I can't not comfort you. It's, like, my self-appointed job."

Nami was choking behind her hand, you think. Chopper waved his hooves helplessly, wracking his brain. Usopp stood behind him, his jaw agape, eyes far away. Sanji stood a pillar next to Robin, each staring vacantly into space, albeit with an extra shine in their eyes. 

And Zoro refused to look at you. "Why?" he demanded.

"Someone's has to,” you said so simply. “So I look out for you. I guess sometimes… y-you worry me as much as I worry you.”

No one said anything after that, as if they could say anything. A sense of the inevitable filled the air and stole everyone’s voice. You fought to remain sitting, not wanting your last moments to be just lying down and taking it. Which made you think… “Should I choose a good pose?”

The joke didn’t land, apparently. No one laughed at least. The only reaction you got was from Zoro, his face whipping up to give you the sharpest glare he’d ever given you and—he reached out and hugged you. You don’t think he was breathing, his arms wrapping around you and dragging you close in one swift motion. 

You’re certain you’re cold to touch, your skin had to be freezing, but he held you anyway, clutching you closer every few seconds. Your surprise faded fast along with all your bravery, and you buried your face in his neck, hugging him back with all the strength you had. You could feel the ice reaching your neck now.

“Idiot,” he hissed into your skin. “You—No, you’re not, I… I’m sorry. I need…” Your hands clawed at his hair, His fingers dug into your sides. You let him speak, unsure what you would even say in return, when his voice met your ear quietly, “I think I’m in love with you. You can’t go.” 

He needed you to know. To understand. If possible, you gripped him tighter. Like a lifeline. His lips grazed your hairline, the fear radiating off of you snuffed out by the sole feeling of being loved. Funny. Just a day ago you were half convinced he hated you. And now? You had no doubt in your frozen heart that Zoro, despite his edges, despite his harshness, loved you.

The cold was its warmest now. Chopper had warned about the symptoms of hypothermia. You didn’t have to open your eyes to know the ice was spreading faster now, it had to be turning you to ice while you wrapped yourself around the swordsman. You’d die listening to his heartbeat, the sniffs of your friends, and… Chopper’s sharp gasp?

“It’s…” His hooves clipped as he danced in place. “It’s melting!”

That was a shock. You ripped yourself away from Zoro so fast you knocked his head with your own, the pair of you wincing in tandem. Sure enough, when you looked down at yourself, the ice was melting before your very eyes, soaking into your skin and clothes. “The hell?”

“Y/N!” Your captain launched himself at you and sent you back to the ground. He wrapped his arms around you threefold, dragging a delirious laugh out of you. “You’re not an icicle!”

“I’m not!” you cried, ruffling his hair. Nami collapsed to her knees beside you and forced Luffy off before nearly choking you in a hug. 

“But how?” Robin posed the question even as she sprouted a hand from Nami’s back and gave your cheek a fond pat. 

You were only standing for a few moments, your hands tight in Nami’s, when Sanji nearly knocked you and over again as he hugged around your neck. Teetering on your feet, your eyes found Zoro again. Your smile infected him, his lips tugging upward.

Zoro’s face fell abruptly, his hand moving to his sword as he stepped toward you. You turned quickly in Sanji’s arms, his hands sliding off your shoulders. Hans stood close. He stared at your chest, your face, at Zoro. “You…” His brows met in thought, watching how Zoro rose to defend you, how your eyes never left his face very long… and it dawned on him all at once. “He loves you…”

The words seemed to break the moment, your crew casting the swordsman a nervous glance. You did too, wondering if—fearing that everything was going to go back to the way it was. Zoro would say sike and everyone would laugh in your face for ever thinking he would ever—

“Yeah,” Zoro snapped, eyes dark. “So back off.”

You sputtered, cheeks hot. “Zoro!”

But Hans didn’t care about that, his gaze faraway, his feet taking him backward step by step. “Love… I know what to do.” He smiled and darted back to the lump of his brother that was slowly gaining consciousness. “I know!”

“Weirdos,” Luffy decided, his cheek suddenly resting on your shoulder. 

You burst into another round of laughter. His cheek was warm against you. Never again, you thought, would you ever take warm things for granted. “Captain, can we get outta here? Since he, uh, knows whatever he knows now?”

The faster you could get in bed, the better. Luffy laughed through his teeth. “Sure! These guys are getting on my nerves.”

Usopp set a solid hand on your shoulder, his waterline glimmering in the light. He fought viciously against a sniffle. “I wasn’t worried. I knew you’d pull through.”

You choked down a laugh and squeezed his hand. “Thank you. Though I do wonder how exactly I’m alive.”

“Who cares?” A gruff voice spoke from your right, Zoro’s face appearing in your peripheral. His shoulder brushed yours tenderly. “You’re alive. Let’s go.”

Luffy threw a fist in the sky and bounded back down the hall. “To the ship!”

You made to run after him when all of a sudden you were airborne, a cackling full sized reindeer swooping under you legs and taking off with your on his back. Your hands flew around his neck with barely stifled screams. “Chopper!”

All he did was giggle and completely ignore your protests on account of very recent “doctors orders” to stay off your feet. You cast a look over your shoulder like a plea for help. Your friends were running after you, some more enthusiastic, most struggling to stay on their feet. 

The winter air hit your face as soon as you left the castle, the crunch of Chopper’s hooves on the snow music to your ears. Not far down the mountain Luffy slingshotted himself onto Chopper too, his arms wrapping around your middle and his laugh loud in your ear. The others were yelling for you to slow down now, but Chopper didn’t listen—not till he tripped over a lump of thick snow and sent the three of you tumbling to the bottom of the slope. 

You rolled onto your back, chest heaving, heart full. The snow crackled with the running of the crew. Luffy and Chopper’s laughter filled the air. When you opened your eyes, the sun was blocked by Zoro’s broad shoulders. Oh, how the little smile he tried to hide just melted your mind. With a wave of your hand you gestured him closer. 

Zoro bent his legs, resting his elbows on his knees in a crouch, angling his head quizically. You twined your index finger through his, loving the little blush rising to his cheeks. 

“Did you mean it?” you asked in a short burst of bashfullness. 

Though his eyes avoided your own, his finger tightened around yours. A torrent of emotions whirled through his chest as he recalled how vulnerable he’d let himself be. It was dangerous, you were dangerous… but he’d never had a problem flirting with death before. “I meant it.”

Your placed his hand on your cheek. “It’s requited, just so you know.”

Zoro huffed a laugh, tentatively running his thumb over your jaw. “Good.”

“C’mon you guys!” Luffy and the others were already continuing the walk down the mountain. 

A flash of mischief flashed through Zoro’s eyes before he grabbed your wrist and hauled you up so quickly your feet left the ground. He steadied you with his hand son your shoulders, his forehead hitting yours as he snickered under his breath, stealing all your breath away.

“You dork,” you muttered, turning on your heel and walking off without him. It wasn’t long before his shoulder brushed your own, his steps in line with yours, his grin matching yours in delirium. 

જ ⁀ ➴

It took all night to reach the bottom of the mountain. You could have stopped the night, gotten some rest, but the idea of shot down by everyone instantly. You were all eager to get back to the Merry as fast as possible.

You rubbed at your eyes, yawning as you passed back through the village, headed for the icy docks just as the sun broke the sky. 

Chopper tried to convince you to just head below deck instead of helping with the rigging, but you’d assured him with a single smile that “I’ve never felt more alive, Chop. I’ll be fine.”

So he begrudgingly left you alone, keeping an eye on you while you kept an unabashed eye on Zoro. You tied off a rope without ever looking down at it, too busy stealing glances at the swordsman across the deck. He wore that damn smirk on his face, like he knew you were staring even with his back turned. You didn’t really care if he knew, not looking away when he met your gaze and dared to wink at you.

Your whole face went up in flames. This new side of Zoro was sudden and brash like you’d never known before. Your adrenaline spiked simply thinking of this strange new normal your near-death had created. It caught you offguard. Made you nervous. You loved it. 

She noticed it as the ship drifted into the harbor.

“No way!” Nami laughed and raced from the helm to the side of the ship. She leaned over and pointed off in the distance. “Look! Look!”

You joined her side and saw it at once. Starting out at the tallest pinetrees towering high in the forest beyond the village, the fallen snow began to rise little by little into the air, collecting in a flurry of ice that soared over the whole valley. From the ship you could see the people leaving their houses and gathering in the streets, their jaws falling as the icicles melted off their buildings and the frost disappeared from the foliage. 

The further the ship sailed the more you could take in how the whole island burst to life, the green of the trees fighting through the cold as the ice erupted into speckles of light in the sky. The sunrise illuminated the land basking in summertime for the time in a long while.

“Guess he did know how to fix it,” you said to no one in particular, not very surprised when you turned your head and found Zoro by your side. You could used to having him there, you think.

“Amazing,” he awed. He caught your stare and cleared his throat, cracking his neck and looking anything but nonchalant. He paused a moment, thinking, then, “You… didn’t actually like him, right?”

You laughed right in his face. “Please. He’s not my type.” Your hand ran from his shoulder to his bicep as you looked up through your lashes. Zoro stiffened, blinked fast, and choked on nothing all at once. 

“Right, yeah.”

Nami’s face was something between disgust and nausea. “I liked it better when you two fought.”

“Yeah, yeah.” You waved her off absently, eyes zeroed in on Zoro with one goal in mind. You stole his hand and started to drag him away, into the depths of the ship where hopefully, no one would need you for a long time.

Zoro followed without any hesitance, though he did raise a brow as the route to your room became clear. “Uh, what’re we doing?”

You pushed open the door to the girls’ quarters and let loose a heavy sigh. “Sleeping.”

“And I’m here because…”

You shot him the tiniest grin. “Moral support.”

As if he could argue with that. Zoro shook his head fondly, squeezing your hand and taking the lead further into the room. You moved around each other as if you’d done this a hundred times; he turned his back when you changed, you turned when he did. You held up the covers on your mattress with only a small bit of anxiety, paling in comparison to the flush taking over Zoro’s face when he lay down beside you. 

You faced each other for one minute before you decided you hated it and rolled over so your back was to his front, a good berth of space between you. Awkwardly, tentatively, Zoro’s hand hovered over your side until he went for it and tugged you agaisnt his chest. Instantly, warmth covered you. You grabbed his hand and held it to your chest, memorizing this feeling so you’d never forget. 

Sleep found you quickly, fatigue weighing down, Zoro’s mere presence lulling you into a dream you didn’t remember in the morning, only knowing that, as you rolled over to fin him already awake, the dream was filled with nothing but warm thoughts of the sea, the crew, and Zoro.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @100520s @kryscent @kultofkorii @dreamcastgirl99

[sansic8]

He doesn't know how to talk to people-_-

Original:

[sansic8]

RALSUSIE REALIZATION MOTHERFUCKERS

the kind of relationship people imagine noelle and susie having is basically what ralsei and susie already have!

full of teasing

noelle playing the normal kind well-manner straightman to susie's antics

susie awkwardly blushingly making acts of kindness towards noelle or asking her for help/affection and trying not to seem "soft"

noelle making small acts of kindness which mean the world to susie

all of these fit ralsei and susie better than noelle and susie. susie does not tease noelle, noelle does not stand in the way of or even make mention of susie's shenanigans, susie hasn't made any acts of kindness towards noelle (not even a fucking non-canon valentine guys come on), susie only blushes around noelle like, one time? and it was because noelle embarrassed susie about her tail? and noelle's only act of kindness towards susie was buying her a box of fucking CHALK. something which susie is not only unflattered by, but actively upset about, because noelle had chalk the whole time, and didn't give it to alphys! buying her actual food would have been a kinder gesture, and would have shown a level of emotional maturity from noelle, to realize that eating things which aren't food is a sign of being hungry, and not having access to food, but no. chalk.

while the argument could be that they will progress into the kind of relationship ralsei and susie have, ralsei and susie are already there!

if suselle happens, i don't think it'll be like described. i think it'll be a lot different.

noelle, it seems, doesn't CARE who susie is as a person. she would be okay if susie just wanted to pick on her (in concept anyway) and is just as okay with her being a good person, or her eating chalk. noelle fawns over susie, but doesn't push her to change as a person. whatever susie wants to do is already fine. whatever susie likes is what she gets (even if it isn't what she needs.) susie is free from criticism. in fact, it seems to me like it'd be very similar to a certain other ship...

KRALSEI BITCHES

thats right! i think suselle and kralsei have very similar base constructions. one party treats the other with unconditional admiration and reverence, finds ways to excuse the behaviors they don't like about the other party, changes themselves to be whatever they think the other party would like, constantly wants to aquire the affection of the other party, blushes constantly around them, meanwhile the other party in question treats their behavior with indifference and confusion. a one-sided, unhappy relationship.

while there are differences here, like tea values and the difference between a horny lesbian crush and a master slave dynamic, i think there's a lot in common about what we've seen of noelle and susie together and what we've seen of kris and ralsei together. hell, they both get a slightly uncomfortable romantic carnival ride back to back, and while susie and noelle's ride has a happier conclusion of them just enjoying each other's company instead of awkwardly dropping the subject then engaging in real estate combat with rouxls kaard, its starting to seem to me like a parallel is being drawn.

further pushing this idea of a parallel is the fact that earlier, kris and noelle, and ralsei and susie go out on the town, so to speak! and things go. pretty well. unless you commit a lot of murder. assuming you don't commit murder, guess what! kris and noelle have a good time, and a pretty healthy happy dynamic! there's a lot of teasing, mutual respect, laughing, learning, thinking back on old times... they have a blast! in fact, they way they interact kind of reminds me of a certain other duo.

RALSUSIE YOU ABSOLUTE FOOLS

just like suselle and kralsei have parallels, so too do ralsusie and kriselle! one party is weird, dirty, mischievous, more competent than the other in combat, has some insecurity about themselves, likes teasing others and doesn't do well with emotional displays, and the other party is a lot more normal, well-mannered, less competent, but emotionally supportive, enjoys being teased and teasing back, and does what they can to show the first party that they care. noelle laughing along with kris, sharing chocolates with them, indulging them but not bending over for them, (like drinking poison, which noelle probably would have done for susie), looking to them for advice and safety in combat.

and what's more, you know what their healthy dynamic gets contorted into on a snowgrave route?!

THE PARASITIC MASTER SLAVE DYNAMIC FROM EARLIER!

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💣💣💣💥💥💣💣

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Transcript: Susie x Ralsei (Ralsusie) is one of my favorite ships, romantically or platonically, and I will not shut up about them

The basic appeal of Ralsei and Susie to me is how they cover each other's weaknesses and are overall better people for having met

To me, they feel like the mercy and fight actions expanded out into characters of their own

Susie is violent. Ok, why? Because everyone judges her. Because nobody trusts her. Because the world's hurt her, and all she knows is to strike first. She's the first to act, but she doesn't think before doing so.

Ralsei is pacifistic. Ok, why? Because he's supposed to be a hero. Because he's supposed to be a good person. He knows no one and nothing but the role he's supposed to play. He can think over his actions, but he's never had the chance to ever actually act.

They're complete opposites, but a their core, they're lonely, afraid, broken people who just need real, genuine compassion

You can't have peace without aggression. You can't have aggression without peace. They balance each other. They give each other meaning.

Also they're cute and break gender norms and stereotypes of feminine guys and masculine girls always being gay and have a lot of material to work with because they're the secondary protagonists and have a lot of funny interactions together and I just like them ok shut up-

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hey deltarune fans

did you know

that umm...

they are complimentary colors?

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healing magic lesson

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happy Pride Month to the two most stereotyped Deltarune characters

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I hate cigarettes

Zoro x fem!reader

Just a sweet love confession

The air carried the ocean’s salt, mingling with the taste of tabaco form the cigarette between your lips. You hate smoking, you’ve never even craved one, still you hold onto it in an attempt to ground yourself, in hopes it’ll take away your thoughts with the smoke.

You hear footsteps, steady and hauntingly familiar that make you stiff. Zoro’s presence usually was comforting, like you knew nothing bad could happen around him, but lately it had the power to awaken a storm between you, making you stumble, hesitate, weak.

“Isn’t that supposed to calm you down?” He motions to the burning cigarette you still hold onto your dear life, shaking

“That’s what Sanji says… starting to believe he made it up”

Zoro hisses his teeth

You stomp on the cigarette and look back at the kitchens window, alive with your crewmates having dinner. Usopp renacts the fight he had earlier today as everyone laughs around the table, Luffy steals one of Nami’s grapes on her salad making Sanji kick him in the head

You smile

But your smile doesn’t reach your eyes like it’s supposed to, or at least that’s what Zoro notes. Lately you’ve been quieter, making yourself smaller around the swordsman, and he just can’t figure out why and it’s driving him insane

Because you are the opposite

When Zoro first met you he didn’t pay you any mind as he always does, but your apparently quiet nature made him gravitate towards your space because he felt at ease. After a while it turns out you weren’t exactly the quiet kind, trust granted him access to a new part of you, the real you. You were silly, obnoxious with the right people around, like the sun rising after a cold quiet night. You were loud when excited but quiet when you felt not so needed

That’s why your silence alarmed him, because it meant you weren’t comfortable and the thought of you not feeling anything close to safe around him was unnameable, even if Zoro was too shy to accept it he always searched for your approval and ‘need’– He wanted you to need him close.

It’s hilarious really, both of you are driving each other insane and you are oblivious about it. You are aware that what you’re doing it’s childish, but that feeling in the pit of your stomach, the ache in your heart that wears you down every time you see the swordsman is something you fear. You know you love him, you’ve always been someone really self aware but that doesn’t make it any easier, you don’t want to mess this up, you wouldn’t be able to keep living if that ever happened. It’s tearing you apart, and Zoro just stands there and lets it all happen like right now, because he doesn’t really know what to say or do

What a sad combination

Something the swordsman however, doesn’t get a lot of credit for it’s his emotional intelligence, this– mingling with a sixth sense when it comes to all matters you cancelled out his shy nature

So that’s how now he scoots over to you on the railing, steady but soft as if to not scare you more

“Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?”

His voice it’s a little stern but careful, you look over and you know you can’t scape it, your heart speeds up making everything hazy.

You stand defeated, still no answer as it hangs on the tip of your tongue, afraid but eager.

“Don’t have another option do I?” He chuckles, a little sinister but affectionately, he likes being known by you. You used to be that way too, before your insecurities sabotaged you

“It’s not that big of a deal”

“If it has you sulking it cannot be nothing”

“I’m not sulking”

“You are”

“Am not”

“You, are stalling”

You glare, without any bite to it. He glares back standing on business

“It has nothing to do with you Zoro, I just… am too afraid to face something”

His eyes never leave you as he sits with your words for a minute, before answering without an ounce of hesitation in his tone

“You’re brave and smart, I’m sure you can figure it out yourself. But, if you need any help you know you can always count on me”

Now you feel a little bad. His compliment craves itself into your heart and his desperation to keep you close maddening. It’s both unlike him but also so true to himself

The torture wasn’t gonna take you anywhere, it was just going hurt forever until it becomes painful to even wake in the morning to see your swordsman lay with someone else

“I hate cigarettes” you state with a painful sigh

Zoro crooks his brow and scowls confused

“Then why-“

“and you, Zoro?”

He blinks, a hand runs trough his green hair a little desperate. He had a whole speech prepared but he underestimated your ability to rant about whatever you wanted

“I don’t care ab-“

At the end of the day what is love but the soul naked? Better a love unrequited than a love never spoken

In an instant, you take advantage of his brain short circuiting to crash your lips into his. It’s desperate and almost pleading, you stand on your tiptoes and latch your hands onto his shirt, afraid to let go and have to see his face with horror etched onto it. Zoro for the second time in his life, stumbles– he is losing his mind, baffled but also thankful. The feeling of your lips in his just feels right

His hands move on their own accord, one falling onto your hip the other holding the back of your head to lock your face in his rougher

He’s hungry for it, like after a long day of training he gets to have dessert.

You shake in his hold but he catches you– every time

You end the kiss to take in a long breath, you find his eyes already on you and a smirk forming on his red lips

“So, that’s what’s up?” He teases and you try to scape his unrelenting hold but of course fail

“Don’t be mean”

“Am not”

“Zoro”

You stand there, soul bare and he can’t really name the feeling that blooms form his heart. It’s all consuming, addicting and sugar sweet, something he never thought would find at least in this lifetime, not for him to hold with his calloused hands

He says your name back like a promise and kisses your hand to lock it in

“Don’t ever dim your light for me again”

You smile and kiss him silly again

Masterlist

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Happy pride month everyone

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Laure and Flame Face, A Full Dead Cells: Immortalis Analysis

Alright, I’m basically making this for nobody but myself because I’m the only one who gaf about them lol

Long-ass thread about lauflame, their development, and why they are goated.

Starting at the very beginning with episode one. We know Laure from the beginning has complete and total faith in the prophecy and its chosen one. When she meets him, she is in awe and treats him with respect, almost worshipping him. There’s a sense of desperation in the way she talks to him too, causing him to reproach and call her crazy.

She thinks he will accept his destiny on a whim because she is naive. Not only is she naive and idealistic, but she NEEDS the prophecy to be real and fulfilled. Her enthusiasm scares him away a bit, but Laure is passionate about the prophecy. Why? She has had to suffer firsthand from the malaise's wrath. She lost her parents to it and was raised by the guardians, so essentially her own life is tied to the malaise. She is also a GUARDIAN; it is a part of her to be protective and eventually be Flame Face's protector and guide to kill the king.

As they travel through the prison, her respect for him weakens as she realizes how selfish and dodgy Flame Face is. She busies herself with her quest log, wanting to document her discovery while also trusting Flame Face to handle most of what comes their way at first, since she doesn’t know his true nature all too well. Still, it’s clear they need to help one another to get out, as seen when they fight together; they pick up each other's slack, specifically Laure stepping in when Flame Face can’t handle something. 

It’s here that we can see that she follows Flame Face and lets him lead because he is far more familiar with the prison than she is, but once they get out, she takes the lead since she acts as the narrator.

Laure was taught her whole life to have faith, and it is against her nature to give up on it. When she’s betrayed, she’s shocked, proving her naïveté and idealism further.

When trying to reason with him, she finally understands his goals by prompting that short, cynical monologue, where she can get what she wants from him by giving him a reason to help her. It was never her mission to lie to him, but she did it as a sacrifice because she is completely and utterly selfless, and as far as she knows, she will spend eternity burning in hell, while Flame Face is the total opposite and completely selfish (and he can’t even burn in hell since to him he’s already in it).

Up to this point, Flame Face is purely annoyed with her and keeps trying to take command before the control slips away from him. Though it’s a scene everyone avoids, it’s still one of the most important in the development of their relationship, that being… yes, you guessed it, the fart scene. That is when he sees Laure for the first time do something silly. He’s introduced to a new side of her, something to make fun of her for, and now HE gets to be the one annoying her. 

When Laure drops the quest log, we can see more of what Flame Face has to complain about later, insisting over her book and arguing with Flame Face about it. After their bickering that eventually leads to their fall, Paulo must pay for it. Laure is devastated and puts the blame on herself (because that’s all she knows; her entire life, everything has been her responsibility since being the chore person of the guardians).

And while Flame Face tries to hide it, he does care. He’s the first one to notice what’s going on, likely because death is both a stranger to him and yet a close friend. He’s seen death plenty of times before and physically died himself, but he has no idea what it’s like to never wake up again. His expression, along with the quiet, disbelieving way he says his name, shows that his sacrifice touches him. 

Further proving he does have a soft side, he patches Laure up and takes care of her, though covering it up with a demeaning comment towards her. Both manage to grow closer through the shared experience of their friend dying for them.

As they spend more time together while traveling to the tavern, Flame Face gets to realize how much he enjoys teasing Laure. Laure has learned how to shut him up (i.e., kicking him when he calls her his guide dog and jabbing him with the hand joke).

 In the tavern they continue to bicker before Laure finally gives Flame Face a name after 250 years of cruel treatment. Despite it all, his new name is the kindest thing anyone has ever called him. Flame Face attempted to appear uncaring, but he is exceedingly sensitive, particularly in regard to his pride (he destroyed the entire tavern after someone said his dick was small 😭😭).

Flame Face is also so used to just jumping in on a whim because he’s immortal, he doesn’t have to reap any consequences, that he completely forgets to think about Laure as he impulsively runs up the hill to the factory. 

When discovering the malaise is not actually gone from her body, she expresses disbelief, finding it blasphemous that the prophecy might be wrong before she shoves it down. She tries to ignore it, shifting any attention on herself away.

 Flame Face expresses concern and even glares at Middleus when he shoots down any reassurance Laure tries to give herself, showing his subtle compassion after trying to offer a solution because he’s scared for their fate.

Flame Face also gets to see how much faith Laure has in him, because as the audience we know (she expresses it at the end of ep 1 after he fell into the hole), but he doesn’t. This is the first time anyone has ever had any real hope in him, and for that he softens up again (I will discuss when I get to it; I’m trying to be in order here, lol). 

After he gets his ass beat, Laure, once again, has to pick up his slack and save him. She gets shot (I wish that got mentioned again; all the focus was on her arm) and almost died in a river, yet when she’s washed ashore and the Alchemist finds her, immediately, her first thought is the chosen one. Laure’s only goal is the prophecy, and she will give herself up for Flame Face timelessly. Not to mention, he can hear everything that’s being said (as seen when the Alchemist says he’s as dumb as a rock). It can be assumed this all touched him more than he wants to admit. 

Since Laure believes he’s incompetent, she doesn’t want him to try and save her. He complains about the task but does it anyway. In fact, it's his first action. Despite how grueling it is, he works to save his only way to the sword of truth. When he comes across a tavern, he decides he deserves a break because he hasn’t had any alcohol for hundreds of years. It’s a delicacy, and he indulges in it greedily. 

When the alcohol opens him up, he complains once again about Laure, but since he’s warmed up to her (as I've mentioned previously), he admits he could tease her for hours just to see her face. 

When he realizes he’s forgotten to bring back the cells, he immediately begins to degrade himself even with his ego because Laure/the sword of truth is more important to him. Upon his return, he’s scared to think that it was too late, and while he’s still only just beginning to warm up to her, he’s still distressed. When she regains consciousness after his rescue, he assists her in getting up, demonstrating his concern for her while simultaneously concealing it.

In ep 5 we really get to see them work as a team, but only physically, because that’s the only area they’ve been trained in. They have experienced fighting together (ep 3 and 1), so they are able to operate well. Flame Face even notes her physical limitations when she burns herself out. They both come to realize that they’re both capable when they’re restricted and not rushing in all the time (the dodgeball barriers). Flame Face also leans on Laure in the beginning, hinting at his reliance on her, and even compliments her skills as they share banter together for the first time. 

In Ep 6, Flame Face is different in Laure’s dream. When he actually makes a plan for their escape from the prison, Laure is happier to work with him, noting how he finally seems to understand his responsibilities as the chosen one. Of course, this is just a theory, but considering the fact that Flame Face had a dream about him being dead, which is what he wanted, it’s possible the kiss was part of Laure’s desire too. Most of the side characters in her dream all had Indexa's voice talking, except for Flame Face, meaning that it was Laure’s mind portraying him, perhaps to cope.

At the beginning of ep 7, Flame Face still tries to rush in, but he starts by making a joke. Instead of outright demeaning Laure, he tries to make her laugh. It could be a form of him trying to prove himself to her since we know Laure has to take care of everything on their journey. 

He hesitates before attacking Thumbo, though, and even asks Laure what to do because he is unsure. It demonstrates that despite lacking outside assistance in their relationship development, they have made significant progress since episode 1. Flame Face from ep 1 likely would have just started attacking without asking for Laure’s opinion, even though he argues against it, still trying to be in control for his pride. In addition, it could be him trying to make up for his lack of assistance in the more mundane tasks, seeing that since he’s the “leader,” he’s doing his part and deserves the treatment.

Flame Face is obviously not used to opening up, which is why he’s closed off (and upset his jokes don’t get the same reaction from Laure that she gets from Thumbo's joke, and he feels slightly betrayed because she’s seeking out an alliance with Thumbo). He begins to feel jealous. Up until this point, he continues to be interrupted by Laure, not getting his way, which is why when Thumbo suspects his mental load, he finally lashes out. Thumbo pulls the being helpless thing from FF, having never been properly raised because he can’t remember his mother, who should have taught him how to do all of those things Laure complained about him not doing. Not to mention, it could go along with not making decisions on instinct with a mother who would’ve taught him manners and patience rather than being stubborn and brute-forcing his own way. 

That’s also all Laure gets a chance to complain about, and that gets slightly resolved because of that therapy session. Obviously, they’d be on better terms, and FF would feel more confident and comfortable being around Laure because we get to see that SHE trusts him more to try things on his own. On the emotional side, Laure gets to understand and relate to FF because of their lack of parental support, but they both branched off differently, with FF having extreme codependency and Laure having extreme independency and taking care of the guardians of truth. It’s her instinct to do so because that’s all she’s done, and she’s not used to accepting help.

 At the end when they lean into each other, it symbolizes them finally learning to rely on one another. Flame Face props himself up on Laure, his rock, and she leans back into him, simultaneously supporting while they balance each other. Without his weight to keep her down and without her shoulder to lean on, they both will collapse.

Obviously, all of their problems don’t get solved in ep 7 because there is still the lie and Laure’s undiscovered past, but she also begins to treat him better and be more patient with him because she understands he’s not just a dick and that he actually cares. Hence, she lets him read off of the notes, and they defeat Thumbo together. When Flame Face realizes it’s okay to open up to her now that Thumbo has helped her understand him better, he calls her his partner. 

He shows her respect for the first time outright, and not by making jokes. With their newfound comfort in each other, they are able to joke and tease each other.

In episode 8, we get to see more of them joking around. Flame Face teases Laure by calling her a coward but saying he enjoyed the act, showing how even though their ways together are shady or sloppy to some, it’s their duo. 

Laure is nervous about going to the school of truth, terrified of her lie getting found out by him. She’s never lied before, so she finds the whole process of trying to hide it exhausting, which could be why, mixed with fear, she’s panting when Flame Face finds out. When he notices her fear, he asks what’s wrong because he cares. Upon hearing her nervous response, he reassures her that she’s with him, the chosen one, and there’s no need to be afraid. He teases her lightheartedly but wants her to feel safe. 

When she asks why he cares to cover up her fear, he also covers it up by blaming it on his incoming death. It’s possible Flame Face picked up on her shiftiness and copied it, showing there were still parts of their relationship that needed to be fleshed out. 

When they get to the school, Flame Face remarks how he expected more from the way Laure talks about it, but he is still very respectful to the rest of the guardians. We also see how Rachel calls Laure “Supposito” like Flame Face does, but unlike him, Rachel says it to purposely demean her, while he says it to affectionately tease her.

He greets them joyfully, hoping to make a positive impression on the people closest to Laure. When Laure goes out of the room, he talks very highly of her, trying to brag about her battle prowess in hopes of impressing the other guardians because he doesn’t like how they treat her. 

When Laure tells him not to mention the sword of truth, he barely argues back and complies, showing how they’ve become more of a team rather than fighting each other.

 Even when Rachel pressed him about what Laure promised him, he remained loyal to her without even thinking about it. He didn’t tell Laure after to prove himself trustworthy; he did it because he genuinely cared for Laure. Laure hears this, however, but doesn’t act surprised, because she’s looking for a way to lie to him, but also because she had no doubt he’d never betray her.

When the high priestess tells him about Laure’s past, he's devastated. Hearing about her suffering, and yet looking at how far she’s come, not complaining or crying about it- destroys him. He feels hurt that Laure never told him, insisting that as a team that’s already shared their lives thus far, she should have told him. He melts into her, trying to comfort the both of them. She accepts awkwardly, but quickly changes the subject and tries to avoid any sympathy, since she’s not used to it. Nobody has ever shown her any care for her like that before. 

He feels guilty knowing how he complained about his own mother but Laure never brought up hers. The injustice stirs something within him. Flame Face has known all about the King's treacherous history, in which he disregarded everyone infected with the malaise. But it never affected Flame Face, so why should he care? 

He cared about Laure. This is the first time he’s ever cared for someone other than himself. He put his life in Laure’s hands as a prisoner, and she had done the same for him. No matter what he wanted from himself, he really did care about her. People care about people like he did for Laure, and he knows Laure cares about everyone, unlike him. Freeing the world from the malaise so no one had to suffer like her was what she wanted, and it became what he wanted too, but only for her. He goes on a monologue, courageously sparking hope within the guardians as he belts the righteousness he feels within his heart. As always, he’s so impulsive that he doesn’t think about what he’s saying before he says it, which is why he accidentally mentions the sword of truth, but by then it’s too late. 

Laure panics, having never lied before, panting out of fear and possible relief. Since this is likely the first time she’s ever lied, she feels the weight off of her, but now she’s reaping the consequences. Flame Face feels so, so betrayed, being hurt by someone who he thought couldn’t lie, even willing to throw her own freedom away for the truth. Not only this, but it was LAURE who had lied to him. His one and only friend, the only person who actually seemed to understand him. All of Flame Face’s previous anger and pain slams into him all at once, as he is reminded why he hates living, because it is never worth it, and all people are the same, even Laure. Maybe it’s not the fact that he can’t die anymore that bothers him, (considering how he begs Laure not to kill him in ep 10), but the fact that it was Laure who lied to him. When Laure insults him, the words clearly cut deep. With all of his hope and trust broken, but not shattered, he leaves her to be alone, just as he had been before.

 Laure is obviously destroyed by this, she never wanted to lie, and she never wanted to hurt Flame Face, not anymore, not after they had grown so close. Laure watches her best friend, and only way to cure the malaise, leave. Laure’s emotions are at a peak, full of anger and sadness at herself that when Rachel laughs at her, she snaps and tries to take her emotions out on her. When the Priestess insists ”WE don’t hit family,” Laure explodes with rage as the closest person to her who actually felt like family left, and she’s reminded of her parents who died all those years ago. She is not one of the guardians anymore, and now that she’s actually gotten to live outside of that bubble she had been in for so long, she permanently separates herself. 

The hypocrites of the order of truth are all killed and Laure is taken away (it would’ve been nice to see what she thought of that). When we see Flame Face in the bar, he’s clearly hurt, not muttering about not being able to die, but grumbling about Laure betraying him. The Alchemist pops up to persuade him to pursue Laure and inform him that she’s trapped. The drunken man believes it serves her right, his bitter self-pitying sense of justice being fulfilled. But, it doesn’t take much convincing to persuade Flame Face to go after Laure, where he uses her nickname as he calls her a pain in his ass, showing how their bond hadn’t been severed.

When he goes after Laure, he goes in guns blazing, still maintaining his reckless style, but this time his heist is successful. In comparison to the prison, which is a bigger area with less guards (as far as we know) invading the castle would be nearly impossible if Flame Face could never escape it for 250 years without the help of Laure. Chances are, he either locked in for her (as the queen notes that she's never seen such strength within him before, and also remember that she was married to him!! This means she never saw that strength in him even when they were married so…. Laure must be pretty special 🤷‍♀️), OR, she helped him learn to become a better fighter.

Of course Flame Face cant resist the banter with Middleus (but some things can be excused for the sake of comedy, so he kills him very quickly, which is when Queen observes his strength). Laure admired him from her prison, excited that he would fulfill the prophecy and accomplish their goals, and Queen argues against his skills. Flame Face brushes them both off, saying that he doesn’t give a shit whether he saves the world or not, because the only thing that matters to him, the only person who made him feel like he mattered, is Laure. When he says “you made a serious mistake, you messed with my friend.” He emphasizes this belief further. Laure smiles and blushes in return with a tear in her eye, not only happy to see him, but happy to know he still cares about her. 

When Laure transforms into the weapon, she questions it, but quickly harnesses it’s power, and uses it to share Flame Faces possessive goal, even matching the “you’ve made a serious/grave mistake, you hurt MY CHOSEN ONE!”. Though Flame Face isn’t the actual Chosen One, she still sees him that way, since that is how she has portrayed him thus far; revering him. 

She catches Flame Face in her arm, and gently sets him down, and he stands back to let her fight, since he couldn’t stop her, but he’s also in shock. She’s just as determined to avenge him as he was her. Flame Face admires her a lot, exclaiming in awe at her utter badassery when she fights Queen. These two have grown so close and dependent upon one another, that they’ve equally completed each other's characters and their challenges. Laure is the ground, and the fuel, Flame Face is the fire that burns off of her, and lights their path. 

Laure defeats the queen, and Flame Face leans on her shoulder to help himself up, just like he’s helped her up when she was not strong enough on her own. When the true chosen one is revealed, both are shocked (and Flame Face isn't jealous so I think that’s nice). They don’t get to reflect on it much, as Queen appears. She talks to him, he’s confused at first, but his expression quickly changes to one of fear as the realization and memories come flooding in.

The Alchemist tells the tale of Flame Faces and Queens lives and the downfall of the kingdom. Queen and him were so desperately in love with each other they ignored everything else. Love, for them, was flat. Neither Queen nor Flame Face had something the other lacked. They never became better people for each other, as can be seen with how quickly the King disregards any consequences his actions may have, as did Queen. Queen and King were so infatuated with each other that they failed to see meaning in others, while LAURE does care about others, which is the main difference between her and Queen. Queen matches Flame Face's selfishness, since she rules the kingdom without doing anything to help the disease, just keeping it away from her. This caused their downfall as well while putting emphasis on their selfish relationship that never changed over all of that time together. 

Laure would have been against the idea and proven to him what a bad idea it was, and now that he’s immortal, he sees how precious life really is, especially for her. Flame Face, as the fire, and Queen, more similar to ice, bicker and bite, trying to extinguish one another before she dies. He holds her still though, not quite in love, but remembering how he had felt, and watching someone who had been his whole world disappear and meet the fate he’d been hoping for this whole time. He sits there, reminiscing, likely comparing his life then to how he is now, and reflecting on his newfound memories. He feels bad knowing he could make someone who loved him so much, hate him for his selfish actions, adding to their consequences.

Laure has an internal battle, now faced with a choice between the world and the person who had treated her like his world. The first person to care about her, and make her feel like she was more than just what she had to offer. Laure has been raised her whole life to know the Chosen One and how he would save the world from the malaise, but now that’s her, and that responsibility is tearing her apart, causing more understanding with how Flame Face could feel. She breaks down, trying not to think about it as she wants to kill him as fast as possible, hoping maybe she could hate him for ruining her life. But, he’s a new person, which the Alchemist does not see since he tells him “we” cannot change, who had no memory of doing any of those things, so she can’t blame him. Laure is so used to a cut and simple life, leaving everything up to faith, which is why she says to not make things more complicated. Her goal used to be so obtainable, so clear, but their love had gotten in the way of each other.

 She doesn’t want people to continue to suffer, but she doesn’t want to be alone again. He admits that the desire for death came from before everything, before their understanding, before the forgiveness of the lie, before the memories. He can’t look her in the eye as he says this, swallowing his pride to admit it.

 Laure’s breath hitches, the sentiment he's confessing shocking her, but the Alchemist urges her on, and she cries out, still fighting the internal battle that she’s starting to lose. She takes a step forward, still trying to fight. He pleads for his life, which is too much for her and causes her to snap, telling him to stop. Saving the world has been her goal from the beginning, and she can’t let him get in the way of that. She quotes his own words of righteousness to him, “soon, no child will ever again be orphaned by the malaise”, and this destroys her, unable to contain the storm within. Her emotions don’t match what she says, because even though she wants to save the world, she doesn’t want to kill him.

Flame Face watches in guilt and sadness before the knife that he’s associated with Laure, catches his attention. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s capable of powerful things, just like Laure. Even through the lie and the goal of their journey, the tiny kitchen knife compared to the real sword of truth that was now pressed against his chest.

All of it helps him realize that she’s right. He ruined everyone’s life through his selfish decisions. But especially, he ruined Laure’s. It’s his fault, and he finally begins to take responsibility, as she has been hoping for since the beginning. Laure has turned his whole perspective upside down. He finally began to see that life was worth living, as she taught him of its beauty, and she became life’s beauty for him.

 He cannot see a point to living if it’s not with Laure, especially if the single person he cared about resented him so deeply. Even when she reassures him she doesn’t hate him, he continues to persist in his death, feeling he deserves it so he can stop her pain and suffering. His insistence on it, his will to sacrifice himself, showing how much he’s changed from prioritizing himself above everyone to being willing to give himself up to Laure and the world. There’s no hope of associating him with everything he’s done in the past, and Laure finally gives in, failing to win and admitting she can’t kill him either. 

Whether you ship them or not, this demonstrates a clear change in each other, from beginning to end while still improving each other as people. Flame Face learns to take responsibility, and Laure learns to accept help. They love each other, enough to give up the most important thing for one another. To Flame Face, it’s himself, and as far as Laure knew, she was giving up the world. Though she wasn’t aware she was breaking the weapon, she did know that she was refusing to kill him. Laure stands by her decision, while still keeping faith, hoping somehow, someway, they can make it together. The castle crumbles around her, (in my mind) symbolizing that she would stand by Flame Face if the world crumbled around them (which it did with the malaise sucking everything in.) 

When the dust settles, the first thing Flame Face does is look for Laure, because she is his biggest concern, and when he does find her (ALSO THE WAY HE PERKS UP IN WORRY WHEN HE HEARS HER MNNDNFNDNNBS), the first thing he notices is her arm, showing his further disquiet for her safety, while she reassures him confidently. Flame Face helps her up, supporting her even in her lowest times, such as earlier.

So, that’s their development throughout the series, but WHY do they actually work so well together? (And what makes them so appealing). 

Well, let’s look at them individually, starting with Laure

To understand her, it’s important to look at her life through her perspective. Her parents turned into zombies when she was just a young child, and Laure remembers this in her nightmare, while she is also infected. In her mind, she’s doomed like them. She’s raised in the school of truth, saved by the grand priestess before her parents could infect her too.

 Faith is engraved into her being, and into her thoughts. She was raised on the idea of faith and being lesser than her peers because of her tainted blood. She was also raised to never lie, so she’s honest to the point of failure, like getting her and Flame Face caught. We also start off with her telling the tale of the kingdom, trying to sell the idea of the prophecy like Jehovah's Witness, or like a child selling Girl Scout cookies.

She’s a struggling citizen trying to do her best, discriminated against by her peers, like her rivalry with Rachel. That shows a sense of hierarchy based on lower status within the guardians, since Laure hasn’t “graduated”. That could mean she struggles with school stuff, or has prejudice against her (the “impure lineage”) since she doesn’t have a “passing grade" in prophecy.

 Laure has an instinctual protective nature, which aligns with her being a guardian as first introduced and is rooted in her belief of the prophecy so Flame Face can fulfill it. She has the urge to prove herself as equals to the rest of the guardians (like with the subscriptions and proving Rachel wrong). She also has a strong idealism with prophecy, and wholeheartedly believes in it even if Flame Face is a dick, aligning with her unwavering faith. Laure is extremely hopeful despite unforgiving circumstances, even when she lives in a world full of disease, especially one that lingers over her own head. Even when she gets bitten, she remains hopeful, and when the disease comes back in ep 3 she reassures herself to keep faith. However, with faith comes gullibility, as she continues to believe even if it causes her failure (like him betraying her in ep 1).

 Laure understands effective ways of reaching her goals which is also restrained by her beliefs, (obviously lying about the sword). She’s incredibly selfless, willing to give up her soul (in her own mind) for the fate of the world. Laure believes that she doesn’t need to think, being 100% sure her purpose will be served on her journey and that things will be solved if she continues to keep faith. Laure is a starry eyed rookie trying to find her place in the world, and she’s sure that once she helps complete the prophecy, that will make her worthy to herself, and to the guardians. 

This makes her a real, relatable character, who is deeply grounded.  Since she acts as the narrator of the story, the watchers in a sense get to travel with them. 

Flame Face, in the beginning, has extreme contrast with Laure’s idea of him, showing no signs of heroism. He’s  had to learn to adapt and overcome through centuries of trial and error, but being too stubborn to change how he approaches things. He’s not afraid to really show his true intentions and lies halfheartedly about promising to fulfill the prophecy with Laure. 

Over time though, he grows more willing to complete it with her, though he mainly cares about the journey itself. However, in the beginning, he’s dodgy, unconvincing, and unsubtle. He can make people do his favor when it comes to hiding his intentions too (ep 1). He’s a scoundrel, and he knows it. It’s possible that he began to accept it after years of mistreatment for a crime he didn’t even know he committed.

 Flame Face is also commanding, trying to take control from Laure and boss her around for his own pride. They clash because of this, since Laure likes to be in control and handle everything, which is why she has to learn to help Flame Face and give him chances to prove himself, just like she wishes to. She must be taught patience with him as he bugs her, so they both can learn to work as a team rather than being at each other's throats all the time because of their shared desire to prove themselves. 

Flame Face was prideful in the sense that he deserved the things he's been given from Laure, especially after several lifetimes of never having something to compare it to. It could also be tied to his past of being the king. Since is elitist, and would call her a peasant (which he does less as time goes on when he gains respect for her, and switches to his nickname for her). He also tended to judge based on looks, finding it a meaningful display in the person and their motives. It could tie into his past as a king, being that he may have hated “dirt” and was classist to those of lower status. 

Flame Face was living life against his will, and so he didn’t have any respect or reverence for it, not his life or others, which could be why he’s so reckless. That’s why he complained so much about Laure “complaining” because she was mortal and couldn’t afford to rush into things like he wanted to. Not liking being told what to do, he goes against it to annoy her.

Flame Face’s super abilities help them in the prison, and Laure saves him when the abilities fail, helping each other in ways they cannot do alone. Flame Face has more battle experience, but Laure is smart enough to apply it. This is part of what makes them so charming. Laure and Flame Face are a team. One does not do more than the other, and neither is weak without each other. Sure, they’re strong individuals on their own, but together they’re unstoppable. They may not always get it right, but that doesn’t matter to them, they’ll do things their way, together. Laure and Flame Face both desire to be free from the places they’ve been confined to for so long, and together they get to enjoy that freedom with one another. They are both their own downfall, with Flame Faces recklessness and Laure being unable to lie, which leads to stupid scenarios that take each other to get out of. There are many interesting ideas to play with and scenarios to think about, how he feels as an immortal towards a mortal, how she deals with being the real chosen one, what changes in their relationship because of his past kingliness, as well as how they bounce off each other and the chemistry between them. They work together, take care and defend each other by making up for the others shortcomings. They make trouble for sure, but they manage to get out of it somehow, and they have no idea how lucky they are. Flame Face wished to die because of selfish intrinsic desire whereas Laure was willing to die because of an altruistic desire to save others. They’re both very similar and like opposites at the same time. 

Like the color wheel (the color wheel we grew up with okay the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue in this case okay good) colors on opposite sides are called complementary colors. While Flame Face technically already had a preexisting design because of Bobby, we can see how Laure was designed to contrast him. Laure’s eyes are yellow-green while Flame Face’s fire is closer to red-violet. Laure’s red-orange hair also contrasts her blue-green cloak, which could resemble the internal conflict she faces between saving the world and saving Flame Face (or maybe I’m reaching idk lol).

Another thing to note is how she’s drawn more simply, without makeup or jewelry unlike most of the guardians that give her a hard time. It could demonstrate how Laure is more focused on faith and what’s important compared to the hypocritical guardians that focus on blood and grades. Her having less makeup aligns with her being a more “real” character, not having some kind of facade to hide behind, which Flame Face likes. Her motives are clear, and her beauty is natural, because it’s something he pays attention to. (Ofc wearing makeup does not mean you’re a materialistic person this is just the possible symbolism that I found in it).

Part of DCI is going through the story of the show, but another part is watching Laure and Flame Face grow to become a team that relies on one another, which is a refreshing twist on relationships where it’s either one doing everything or one doing nothing, and it is that at the beginning, but part of the story is watching them develop past that and work as a unit. Laure and Flame Face only have each other, in a world of hunger and malaise, they are each other's only hope and only friend and they’ll stand together side by side, in the face of it all.

So, that's the end of my analysis. A lot of this was just my takeaway, but if anyone wants to add anything else or ask questions I'd love to hear it, I am their number one fan after all 🤠

Also credit to this vid I def took lots of inspiration from it and noted a lot of the points he made about them as individuals and their relationship - https://youtu.be/acTAWVG8m14?si=XPzqPMhDbLFNmsP_

@thesolaireslawyer you said you wanted a tag tee hee

[sansic8]

op men x reader that gets very clingy when theyre sleepy? like they cling onto them bc it helps them sleep and they need to intertwine their arms and legs w eachother,,, preferably law shanks or zoro but im not picky🌷

Wrapped Around You

Warnings: none

Word Count: 404

Pairing: Rorona Zoro x Reader

crossposted on AO3

The Thousand Sunny rocked gently beneath you, the sea humming its eternal lullaby just outside the crew’s quarters. The night was quiet—save for the occasional creak of wood or Luffy’s distant sleep-mumbling—but your mind was foggy with exhaustion.

You blinked slowly, limbs heavy as you padded your way across the room, blanket half-draped around your shoulders like a cape.

Zoro was already in bed, of course. He always claimed he “just closed his eyes for a second,” but he was dead asleep, arms folded behind his head, snoring lightly, shirt pulled halfway up his toned stomach.

You stared at him blearily.

Too far.

Too far away.

With a tired little whimper, you climbed up onto the bed and flopped onto him—full-body, limbs tangling like you were trying to merge your soul with his.

Zoro startled slightly, mumbling, “Oi—what’re you…”

“Need,” you murmured into his chest, voice muffled and slurred from sleep. “You’re warm. Stay.”

You wiggled until your arms were around his waist and your leg was hooked tightly over his thigh, anchoring yourself to him like a sleepy little koala.

Zoro huffed, lifting his head slightly to look down at you. “…Seriously?”

You didn’t answer. Already halfway out.

He shifted slightly—just a little, enough to let one of his arms slide around your back, and with his other hand he gently pushed your hair away from your face. He was warm too, and tired, and you were soft and smelled nice, and…

“…Tch. Fine. Don’t blame me if you wake up crushed.”

But he wasn’t complaining.

In fact, he slowly turned on his side, adjusting you with him so you were curled tightly in his arms, limbs still knotted together.

Your fingers curled in the fabric of his shirt, holding on like letting go might make you drift off into the sea.

And Zoro—Zoro who usually hated clingy stuff, Zoro who grumbled when Luffy touched him and threatened to gut Sanji for bumping into him—Zoro held you even closer.

Because when you were like this—drowsy and soft and needing him—he felt a little more grounded. Like the world didn’t matter outside this room. Like your breathing syncing with his was all the rhythm he needed to sleep.

You murmured something in your sleep. Maybe his name. Maybe just a sigh.

He pressed his face into your hair, inhaling deeply.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, so quietly only the stars outside could hear. “I’ve got you.”