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cyborg-franky · 1 year

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Thank you @mamamittens for letting me work with your lovely OC once again! I tried to add eveything you wanted <3 please enjoy!

Thatch x OC Platonic friendhips with Marco and Ace WC: 2,300 SFW

Pulling the blanket around her tighter she glared at the frost-covered porthole, gritting her teeth in a bitter attempt to soften their chattering noise. The room was silent apart from chittering teeth, and the occasional sound of large pieces of ice bouncing off the ship's hull. She nuzzled into the blanket, chiding herself for being so ridiculous sitting and quivering like a fearful child of the dark. She huffed some hair from her face and glanced across the room.

She needed to eat, a hot drink would help, and being near a certain mera mera owner would also go down a treat. It was a shame Ace was actively avoiding her, too annoyed at all the times she silently snuck up on him and made the man jump out his skin. The unintentional prank had been funny at first but she didn’t realise how much she relied on the heat he gave off and just existing around people until it had been a full week of travling this awful, freakish cold part of the world.

Her teeth chatter louder, her fingers feeling frozen as she painfully clutched at the blanket. As tightly bundled as she could she closed her eyes and thought over all the choices open to her. She couldn't just lay in bed the entire time the ship was stuck in traveling this abysmal winter ocean. She was already bored, something she had never feared before but now she was itching to be social with everyone or at least bask in their company and listen to the wild stories the others could come out with.

–

Wearing as many clothes as she could, huge blankets draped over her wings and yet they still felt the biting air itch through the feathers and prickle with malice on her skin. She sighed, her breath coming out in a plume of smoke. Her glasses had steamed up the second she stepped out. Everything about cold weather wasn’t fun, she wasn’t comfortable and just was not enjoying the experience.

She needed Ace but he was tired of being made to jump out of his skin. Maybe it was because they were never alone and it was always a source of great amusement for those around him and Ace had a pretty fragile ego and self-esteem. She never meant it though, but that didn’t make her feel any better about her friend's avoidance of the situation.

Maybe locating the fire imp of a man and apologizing would be enough to win him over and be allowed in his blissfully warm and cozy company. She wasn't the type of person to rush but she needed out of this bitter cold, heading to the kitchen like a ghost in the falling snow she found her way to the back door of the kitchen.

Opening the door, knowing it would be unlocked, the habits of the chefs sneaking out for smoke breaks remained unchanged no matter the weather. She’d even seen Thatch in the pouring rain trying to smoke on one of his harder, longer shifts.

She stepped in, glad for the rush of heat washing over her face, defrosting her chilly red nose and cheeks. Her wings flexed, the feeling going back to them and her fingers, wriggling them, glad they hadn’t fallen off in the trek to the kitchen. Maybe she was being dramatic but she really didn’t like this cold, feeling it deeper in her bones than most.

“Where’s Thatch?” She asked.

“Fuck m- Oh shit, it’s you.” The man said, hand to his chest and eyes wide before his expression shifted to furrowed brows and a sigh. Still not used to the commander's large winged and silent partner.

“I’ll get him.”

She nodded and sat on one of the benches along the wall, hands clasped in her lap, wings awkwardly against the wall as she tapped her foot, attention held by the movements as she basked in the heat from all the stoves and fires around her.

“Hey babe, heard you scared the shit out of Sim,” Thatch said with a laugh, about the only one who still found the jump scares hilarious even when it was him doing the jumping. He walked over and placed warm large hands on her cheeks and kissed her cold forehead.

“What can I do for you angel?”

“I need to be around Ace,” she said and saw Thatch’s brows quirked. “His heat, he’s a human heater but I know he avoids me now and I’m freezing. And before you ask ‘Why can’t you just stay in bed’ I don’t want to. I just need to say sorry to Ace.” She sighed but leaned into the hands on either side of her face, thankful for the warm and loving touch, melting into it.

“Hm, I don’t know how to say sorry to him other than give him food and I don’t have much spare before dinner today, getting to the end of the supplies so tryin’ to make ends meet a little more,” Thatch said and pulled away gently. She sighed and nodded, her shoulders sagged in defeat.

“Buuuut.” Thatch sat down next to Nikia, a hand on her leg as he hummed, acting like he was thinking of the answer to all her problems as he rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “Maybe the birds know how to give Ace a proper sorry, they are both in Marco’s office right now, I know that’s another trip outside but Ace is their boyfriend…” Thatch shrugged, rubbing her leg gently, smiling when she seemed to straighten, reenergized with options for getting her heater back.

–

There was a knock at the door and Marco and Ray looked up at the same time, both using the weather to their advantage and getting a fire going in the corner, making themselves tea, Ray cuddled up in blankets in the big armchair while Marco was almost still in his normal state of undress, just a purple shirt replaced with a sweater. He ran cold after all, this wasn’t the hardest weather he’d ever had to deal with.

Ray mumbled and sent Marco a pleading look to step away from his book for a moment and go open the door, the pigeon's reluctance to move, his warm little self-made nest too good to leave. Marco rolled his eyes but his lazy smile never left his lips as he pushed away from the desk, walking over and opening the door. He saw Nikia shaking and trembling, snow started to catch in her hair and Marco tutted.

“Could have just come inside yoi.” He opened the door for her, amused at how Ray grumbled to himself and huddled into his pile of comfort even more. “Yes, well, wouldn't be polite would it?” Nikia replied in an after-of-fact response as she now stood in the middle of the office, feeling like a loose end before Marco spoke again.

“What do we owe the pleasure? Did Thatch hurt himself again? He needs to do stretches before he gets up to no good, he’s not a young man anymore.” Marco shook his head, clicking his tongue against his teeth and returning to his chair, flopping down and hearing the wood creek, feeling the chair slide back on the floor as he kept his eye on her, wanting to see the reaction that would surely be clear as day.

He could feel his grin growing into a full smug smirk when they did their usual tells of being shy and nervous. Marco always liked to make people squirm a little. “Nothing like that,” she said and pulled at her sleeves, playing with the loose thread on one of them, avoiding eye contact with them both as a red blush splashed across her cheeks, she was glad the cold had already pinched her cheeks into a red glow, would be hard to tell that Marco had his prize of getting a rise out of her.

“I need to find Ace and I also need to figure out how to say sorry to him.” She wrung her hands together, trying to make it seem like just a simple attempt to keep her hands warm. “But I don’t know how.” She said another shrug, her wings twitching, almost knocking off their covers.

Ray sat in his pile of blankets and glanced at Marco. “I think he’s with the Spades in one of the playrooms, cards or something.” He said and Marco nodded “Deuce pulled him away a few hours ago, I don’t think he’d have moved from that spot either… and as for saying sorry…” Marco rubbed the stubble at his chin, grinning, a sly smirk on his face. “Well, the way we say sorry to him always works.”

“Marco!” Ray threw a cushion across the room, falling short of the doctor. Nikia could feel herself smile, another reason why she loved her life on this boat, despite it being in the coldest ocean she’d ever had to endure was the warmth of her crewmate's hearts.

Simple actions like this made her feel at home. She rolled her eyes at the two birds and waited for more constructive help. Crossing her arms as she ambled over to their fire, careful not to let a wing get too close to the dancing flames, she wanted to be warm but not that warm.

“I have an idea, something Ace made when he was annoyed the last time you made him jump, that time he set fire to the sails, remember?” Ray said watching Nikia pause in thought, nodding. “Let me just..” Ray managed to pull himself from his shroud of warmth enough to cross the room, going into what the doctor lovingly referred to as his junk draw with how messy the Phoenix was it might as well have been his junk office.

Ray pulled out a bracelet, it was purple, blue, and white string braided and every so often there was a bell. Ray waved it in the air, the tingle of the bells catching her ear. Everyone always joked about putting bells on her, seemed Ace had been irritated into creating said accessory.

“Maybe head down there wearing this yoi.” Marco suggested as Ray handed it to her. She looked it over, it was at least pretty, and well made, not something she thought Ace’s level of craftsmanship could conjure up if she was being honest with herself.

“This is cute,”

“Yeah, he sometimes makes little bracelets like this, we have one each just without the bells. Ace might be annoyed at you but he doesn’t go to the effort of this kind of thing unless he likes you.” Ray explained as she held out her wrist, watching him attach it.

She shook her arm and enjoyed how it sounded, touched at Ace’s thoughtfulness despite his ire at her tendencies to pop up silently and cause him to accidentally commit acts of arson around the ship. She thanked the two and headed off, the desire to be warm and to make amends with the commander flowed through her steps as her pace picked up.

—

“You have GOT to be cheating,” Deuce sighed and tossed his hand on the table, watching as Ace grinned at him, collecting up all his winning chips before he heard a tingle of bells, familiar sounding bells. He turned to face the door, seeing Nikia. The first time he’d not been spooked.

“Hey Ace, can I talk to you?” she asked and he nodded, excusing himself from the table and heading over to her.

Nikia could already feel how nice and warm the room was, how just standing near Ace made her feel warm and soft. Like she didn’t even need to be in so many layers, he also must have been purposely putting out extra heat for the sake of his friends because no one was covered up, acting like the world wasn't ice and snow.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry for always scaring you and I’m sorry that you feel you have to avoid me now, but look.” She jingled the bells and his eyes fell to the bracelet he’d made.

He ran a hand through his hair, watching the bells catch the warm light in the room, sparkling like gems against the bright colorful cord he’d used. He put his hands on his hips, pulling his eyes from the bracelet, making himself stare into her eyes, how sincere she seemed even with her usual calm and quiet tone.

“Do you like it?” He asked.

Nikia took a second before she realized what he meant, she nodded and did another wiggle, the sound pleasing to her ears. “I do, it’s very pretty, thank you.”

Ace scuffed his boot on the floor, hands in his pockets as he mumbled, not used to being thanked, despite how far he had come, and how much he had grown, there were times he would simply be that awkward boy that didn’t know how to handle postivity. He shrugged it off “Don’t mention it, least I can hear you now huh?”

“Do you forgive me?” She asked, hopeful, Ace nodded, taking a hand out of his shorts so he could pat her shoulder. “Yeaaah, I think so.” He teased a little. She was happy, glad she could make amends and get to bask in the warmth that surrounded him.

Later that night she was joined by Thatch, his strong arms pulling her into his chest as he kissed every inch of her face gently.

The way she blushed when the spade pirates had made her part of their playful banter which heated her cheeks up more than Ace’s devil fruit did. She smiled and just fell into Thatch’s embrace. Feeling comfy in all the warmth and comforts.

#thatch x oc #marco x oc #one piece own char #one piece oc #sfw

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the-writing-on-the-statue · 6 months

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Marco begins romancing Nergui in earnest. Nergui is very confused, but strangely comforted by it.

#one piece #marco x oc #one piece fanfiction #my writing #nergui

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alexa-fika · 5 months

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Hey! Hey! Hey! 😝 I'm back

Anyways can I request a whitebeard pirates x fem child reader? (Maybe 5 years old?)

Reader is half bunny and she's always shy and a bit of a coward and her ears are always down like this

She's always with whitebeard (on his lap, beside him, or on his shoulders)

The crew gives her nicknames like buns, baby bun, bun bun, Cottontail

Oh and the crew is a little protective over reader because she's the smallest crew member on board 🥺

Maybe like the crew is trying to connect with reader? They thought that Marco would be the first one to connect with her (besides pops ofc) because he's quiet and calm but ironically she connect with ace first

Anyways don't forget to eat, sleep, and drink! Thank you~ ✨

Birds of a bunny ( Whitebeard pirates x F!rabbit!child!reader)

A/N okay okay lets ignore than its been an eternity and get straight into saying that despite me ABSOLUTELY COOKING HERE I kinda butchered the request din’t I ? I kind alet myself go but I just really wanted to get to one of your request at the least cosmo

Reader here is replaced by Dokucha which stands for Reader in japanese

Dividers by @/saradika

Whitebeard hums, swishing around his drink and gulping a considerable amount

“They’re looking for you again,” he states, glancing at a small furry ball on his shoulders

She unfurls herself from her position, moving her drooping ears to uncover her face

“I know:..”

“They’re trying.”

“I know, I know that they are good people, but… they are so rowdy.”

He snickers at that, glancing away from her

“I think you should talk to them.”

She shakes her head at that

“Don’t be a brat. You have to talk to your brothers eventually, and if this is how it will be, then I Will have that be now, Boys.”

She looks at Whitebeard, her eyes widening as she shakes her head vigorously, not liking where this was headed

She squeaks as she jumps off his shoulder. As he reaches for her, hopping her way through the deck, attempting to get away from the crew as they all lunge to try to take hold of the bunny girl

She quickly made her way up to one of the lower crow nests, tucking herself small in the corner of it, ignoring the calls of the males down below

She is not alone for long as Ace, ever the nimble one, makes his way up into the crow’s nest, followed quickly by a half-transformed Marco who perches on the crow’s nest, their entrance being received by sobs from the kit

Ace sighs at the sight, swiftly picking her up

“No! Papaw! Papaw!” She cries, trying to get out of Ace’s hold to run back to the now retreating Captain as he heads for his quarters

“Hey, Hey, it’s okay,” he soothes

“Dokucha, It’s okay, take deep breaths for me.” Marco follows only to wince at his suggestion and was met by higher wails

“No! No! I want Papaw!”

He hums, dipping her

She shrieks as she suddenly finds herself upside down, giggling when he pulls her back up, her ears bouncing as she did

“Heard a laugh.”

She shakes her head, digging it into his shoulder

“No?” He questions, dipping her once again, grinning when her laughter followed on the way back up

“Well, I’m glad you are feeling better, Baby bun,” smiles Marco

Dokucha turned her attention towards the man, staring at him for a moment, her eyes glancing towards her limbs, his arms currently transformed into a pair of wings, his legs turned into two sharp, very sharp talons that gripped into the wood of the nest

“Bright aren-

He stops his words as she begins wailing again, turning her head away from him and trying to dig herself into Ace

“Hey, Hey, what’s wrong? It’s just Marco, I know he looks weird-

He receives an unimpressed glance from the phoenix at that

But he won’t hurt you.”

“No!!” She hollers

“He’s going to eat me,” she bellows

He stills at that, glancing down and back up to his brother; quickly understanding the situation, he stifles a snicker as he gestures toward Marco

“Baby bun, look at me.”

“No! I don’t taste good,” she wails

“Just look for a second.” her sobs continue as she dares to take a glance, her sobs lessening at the sight of a now fully human Marco standing in front of her

“See? Just a normal person, that was just my devil fruit,” he explains, reaching for her only to sigh as she scooched back

“Baby bun, come on, I swear I'm not going to hurt you,” Marco stated once they had returned back to the Deck of the ship; much to the surprise of the rest, she had decided to remain with Ace rather than anyone else despite all the warm and more peaceful greetings he had with everyone

“Marco, you’re terrible,” Haruta muttered

“I didn’t think you were the type to scare little girls,” Vista piped in

An irk mark began to grow on his forehead at the jabs his crewmates threw at him

“Shut up,” he grumbled

“Man, I had the wrong impression of you, Commander Marco,” Saber added in

“I always thought you were a good human, but I guess my first impression of you couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Kutatsu commented

“The next one to make a comment will be to see what kind of man I am,” he snapped, brows furrowed

“Gee, see that Cottontail? Now he wants to eat us. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you!” laughed Thatcher as he looked at the girl in Ace’s arms while pointing at Marco

She glances at the chef, her lips beginning to tremble once again

“Hah?! What’s wrong, Cotton tail?!”

“You’re going to eat me!”

“What?! What gave you that idea, Cottontail!?” He questions a devastated look on his face as she repeated the words he mocked Marco for no longer than a minute ago

Izou chuckles at the scene unfolding

“You have something to share, Izou?!” Thatcher asked, glaring at the sniper, tears prickling in his eyes

“I believe she is referring to your… extravagant hairdo.”

“…”

“Cottontail! I'm not a bird, I swear! It’s hair! It’s hair,” he wailed, trying to hug the girl, only for tears to cascade down his face comically as she backed away from him, digging herself closer into Ace’s Embrace

Marco gives a pat on the man crying on his knees

“It’s alright, Thatch; I will protect her,” he mocks

“Shut up, you damn chicken” he wails

He grits his teeth at that, a sharp smile on his face

“You’re on cleaning duty for a month.”

“What the hell, man?! I'm a commander; you can’t do that,” he wails

Okay im going to do school assigment and im going to write another request hopefully!!

Taglist:

@imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

@h0n3y-l3m0n05

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2smolbeans · 3 months

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"Ride or Die"

A thought I had with a Male yan x Gn reader x Male darling x Male yan combo. Basically you and another escapee darling run away together

To sum it up:

Two darlings running away together after they escape those tyrant CEOs, becoming a ride or die combo. Every day, they risk being caught by their respective captors, but that's okay, as long as they have each other, they can get through everything.

"I promise they'll never find us again. I swear to you, I will never let him take you away..."

"You promise?"

"I swear on my life."

______________________

New face, new location, new life, everything was always changing with the two of you. Both of you were always on the run, making sure never to get too comfortable with the lives you lived in. Each year was a newly created and orchestrated life, a way to keep you further away from your old identities.

But for some reason, on the 5th life as Maxine and Ron, you broke the one rule that you both made sure to follow.

Never get too comfortable.

He was "Maxine," and you were "Ron" in this version of your lives. 'Maxine' was a long-haired brunette who wore long puffy sweaters and long skirts, working in the libary as a libary clerk. Ron was a scruffy man with a beard who wore a wife beater with a red and black plad shirt. Ron was the type of man who knew a thing or two about cars as a mechanic. He was also Maxine's friend and roomate in the shared New york apartment they both lived in.

You, or Ron, enjoyed his life. It was simple. It was safe. He had friends at work who would make him feel welcomed. He had his favorite grocery store that he'd walk around - even if he never bought anything! Ron had a comfortable apartment with his roomate, he had a city to explore every night in! To simply put it, Ron loved his life. You loved this life.

Which is why when Maxine, or in actuality- April, was packing up, preparing to move to the next city.. New life, new face, new name and everything prepared, you stopped him as he packed his suitcase. "I don't want to move." Of course, you didn't expect anything different when he looked at you confused and quipped. "What do you mean? We do this every year"

You knew this was going to be an uncomfortable conversation. Taking in a quick breath, you furrowed your eyebrows. "I like being Ron" "Well you could always be Ronny in Connecticut" You stared at him with that expression of yours, and he already knew what you meant. "You know we can't do that. We promised, what if- you know?"

Running fingers through your hair, you kissed your teeth. "Yeah, but.. Aren't you tired of this?"

"We already knew the choices we had to make the moment we got out of there."

You spoke hastily, your frustration getting to the best of you.

"I don't want to keep making these choices. I don't want to keep living like this forever!"

He only snapped back, softly scowling, his hands waving around- showing his stress.

"Well so do I! But look what life gave us!"

You huffed, going silent as he only turned back, continuing to pack his suitcase. You knew this was unfair of you to ask. You knew how delicate the situation was. But god, you had enough of ditching and leaving town every year! Maybe it was because you made the stupid mistake of getting attached and making connections, but this was no way to be living. You were at your final straw. It wasn't fair that the two of you had to keep running because some rich psychopaths wanted to keep you and some poor guy chained on a leash as their spouse. With the palm of your head now massaging your temples, you spoke up. "Its been 5 years, and we haven't been caught or even seen sight of the fuckers they hired to find us. We faked our deaths, I think 5 years is long enough to convince them we're gone for good." He kept packing, not saying a word. "April, please. Just- I know this is a lot."

"It is."

You didn't say a word as he finished packing, zipping up the suitcase. Huffing at the sight of him aggressively marching around the apartment, grabbing whatever what was left, you exasperated. "How long can you keep doing this?!" He paced around, each step making a harsh sound. "As long as I goddamn have to. I'm not risking it." "April-"

"I can't go through that AGAIN. You need to understand, maybe it wasn't so bad with him, but with me- I just can't. You don't know the things I've seen, the things I've had to do -"

He went quiet again, catching himself before he said anything further. Looking at you as he regained his composure, he looked at you apologetically, putting a hand out to touch your shoulder. "I'm sorry. That was shitty. We both went through the same thing.." You sigh, pulling him into a hug. "It's okay, I get it. You know what? it was a dumb idea anyway" "No, no, it wasn't. I've had similar thoughts.."

"You have?"

"You think I want this?"

"True"

You both stayed hugging, enjoying each others comfort. Your arms hugged him tight, and his head nestled into the crook of your neck. "What if we stay?" Shocked, you pulled out of the hug, your hands on his shoulders. "April, it was a dumb idea -" He interrupted you, his eyes staring into yours. "We can't keep running forever. We need to at least figure out a long-term plan..I mean, do we really see ourselves running until our 50s?" You whined, feeling bad that he was now taking your side when moments earlier he was uncomfortable at the thought. "April, I was being stupid -" "We can figure this out. I want you to be happy, for US to be happy."

With your mouth agape in shock, you only stare at him. Before uttering a why, he answers for you. "You got us here. You got me out when I needed it the most. You saved me. It's only fair that I do this one thing for you. We always figure out things together. And hell, we can move whenever we want if we change our minds. " You couldn't believe it. He was actually agreeing. Out of pure joy and sincerity, you felt the tears well up in your eyes. "Y-You mean it?" "Of course Ron" Smiling, you let out a shaky voice as a laugh erupted from your throat. "I-I love you, man" Maxine only rolled her eyes, putting a hand on Ron's shoulder as she wiped the tears welling in his eyes. "You better"

____

It was funny how it all started, how everything was when the two of you met. You remember when you used to work at that office job, how mundane and peaceful it was. You had just graduated college in your 20s, still figuring out exactly how adulting worked. The office job was just something to keep you busy, something to earn you money while you tried to find jobs that were more focused on your degree. You would've never thought that office job would be the end of your normal life. On that one day, that cursed day that started the chain of events, you were walking along the big halls the company, making your way to the cafeteria until you bumped into a wall- or at least you thought you did.

When you opened your eyes, you felt horrified to see what exactly you bumped into. Without a word, you sped past the person, keeping your head low as you went inside the cafeteria where the other workers were. It's not every day that you bump into an unforgettable ex from high school in your workplace. What the hell was he doing here?! Why was he there?! Shouldn't he be in a different country?! After doing a quick google research after your lunch break, Marco was the CEO's apparent half-brother and right-hand man. Who would've thought? You look at the articles that popped up as a result of searching him up.

'Brothers united after a tragic family accident. CEO of Beauty Point reunites with secret half brother'

'CEO, Vincent Huynh, promotes recently found half brother as COO. "He is the only man I see qualified for the job. I see this as a formula of success and opportunity. " '

'A shocking family revelation! "I would've never thought I'd find my biological family," says Marco Huynh, COO of Beauty Point'

I guess after your breakup with him, he won the lottery. The Marco you knew was adopted, an only child. The Marco you dated in high school wanted to be a police officer, helping others in need. The Marco you've seen grip your arm tight, whispering threats out of pure jealousy for the umpteenth time because god knows what triggered him. That man, your ex , the reason why you moved to a different country, paranoid if he'd go through with his threats.. And he saw you.

You should've quit when you bumped into him. You could've left that company when his presence was more frequent. You shouldn't have gone to that company party, turning your eyes away from your drink for a split second. It wouldn't have landed you tied up in a fancy luxurious studio apartment, a gag in your mouth, and limbs tied to a chair. Your life didn't have to become jeopardized, always walking on eggshells to please the madman that could ruin you and your family's life with a snap of his fingers. It could've been different, but now here you were in his bed, terrified, regretful, and angry.

It had been at least 2 years until he so graciously proposed to you, getting on one knee on that special day he finally let you out of that apartment after years of captivity. Biting your lip, you felt the dread fill your body. There was no escaping it. This was your reality. His expectations, his obsession of you had escalated, and you had no choice but to endulge in it. It didn't make it better when he acted so meek, as if you were the one in control, as if your yes or no really mattered.

The wedding was quick. His adoptive father, half brother, his friends, other higher up business partners, and your family were invited. You tried to make the best out of the situation. Marco was rich, and the wedding was luxurious. The food was good, your attire was expensive and high quality, and your folks had a wonderful time as the large banquet hall filled with soothing music from the live band. This truly was your dream wedding.. If only your 'husband' didn't make you gag at the sight of him, if only you actually loved him, if only you had stock holme syndrome..

After that god forsaken honeymoon that you wish to erase from your memories, you were introduced to his family formally. His father, his half brother, and another man.. With Marco's father, you already knew him from when you dated Marco back in high school. Marco's father happily shook your hand, excited and clueless about what was going on. "I'm so happy the two of you made it work! I can't believe that the angsty teenager that would come over would be my son's spouse! Congratulations on you both, I'm so proud of you. " God, if only that poor man knew, actually scratch that - you wouldn't want the old man traumatized. You looked at his half-brother, who you were now only being introduced to. You didn't say a word as you just gave a flat smile, nodding to acknowledge him. He had a calm expression as he introduced himself. "Vincent, I'm glad my brother was able to find someone. This is my husband.." he looked to the smaller man who sat beside him, waiting for him to introduce himself. "April.." the male said, looking at you briefly before looking to the side.

He was awkward, but you assumed it was because the man was naturally like that based on his appearance. Throughout the whole exchange, you were drained, spacing out, not even paying attention as the others talked and ate. During the dinner, you noticed April playing with his food, also seeming spaced out as Marco and his father blabbered about whatever. Vincent, on the other hand, seemed to be keen staring at you, not saying a word before listening to his brother happily blab about some random nonsense. You looked around the kitchen, taking in the nostalgic memories of when you and Marco used to come over at his house, eating sweets that his father had baked. An image of Marco in his late teens spotted your head. He was so innocent, mentally stable, loveable.. What the hell happened? "Well, dad, I'm glad you invited us over to the house. We're gonna get going. Gonna settle in and take care of a few things, right?" The way he smiled at you filled you with disgust.

Vincent spoke up as well, saying his goodbyes. But before anything could happen, April excused himself to the bathroom, leaving quietly and going up the stairs. For the 5 minutes that passed, Vincent sat at the dinner table, quiet as Marco and his father cleaned the dishes. 10 minutes passed, and you could tell something was wrong. 15 minutes passed, and you could tell that Vincent was starting to get suspicious.

"I'll go check on him," he sighed. But aburptly and out of desperation to get some space from Marco, you obliged, standing up and rushing towards the stairs. "It's okay, already on it!" And to your luck and surprise, Marco didn't go after you.

Outside the bathroom door, you knocked softly. The first knock, no response. It was eerily quiet. Second knock, still nothing. So, on the third knock, you spoke up. "Hey, it's me. Everything okay?" It took a moment until he opened the door slightly, staring at you from the slit. "Just wanted to check up on you. Your husband got a bit worried. " He opened the door a bit more, now standing face to face with you. You took note of how disheveled he looked, his foggy glasses, his ruffled pony tail, his glossy eyes. "Y-Yeah.. My stomach wasn't feeling too well." "Ah okay! Well, do you want me to get anything?" He didn't say much for a bit, only staring at you tiredly. You two stood there, face to face, quiet and alone. During that moment of silence, it was clear that he was contemplating on what to say, that something was on his mind. And when he finally spoke, he whispered quietly as if it were a secret.

"Do you love him?"

It was such a small question, but it had shook you to your core. The adrenaline spiked your entire body, your chest tightening as the words got caught in your mouth. Your lips parted, trying to say something, but nothing came out. You tried to play it off, smiling and laughing, afriad as if you were caught red-handed. "What..Type of question is that? Of course I do. " His eyes shot into yours, his expression horrified, his voice low and shaky.

"Oh god..You're just like me, aren't you?"

Your lips quivered as you began to tremble.

What..?

So many thoughts were racing in your mind. He also went through the same thing as you? He looked to the side, staring at the stairwell before looking at you. He shouted, directly speaking to the men downstairs. "Coming! Give me a moment!" Before pulling you into a quick brief tight hug. Giving you one last look of remorse, he walked down the stairs. "Sorry, my stomach didn't react well with the drinks!" You could hear him from the stairs. Trying to collect yourself, you went inside the bathroom, looking at the mirror. How the hell were you going to live with this?

____

When the two of you had managed to escape through 2 years of planning, visiting each other (under unsavory circumstances and favors having to be done..), and eventually faking your deaths, you were finally free.. With your hands on the steering wheel, you looked at the GPS. Another hour to kill. Glancing at April, finally able to talk freely, you said whatever was on your mind.

"So how did you get there..If you don't mind me asking, of course!" April reassured you. "Nono, it's fine. To be honest, we're the only ones that we can talk to about this, so... We've known each other since high school." He went quiet for a bit before going again. "I always looked up to him, I wanted to be him. We weren't really close in high school but university.." He bit his lip, the memories flooding his brain. "University I liked him, and he liked me, we never dated but..We had a falling out. It was bad. I saw him nearly kill a guy just for sport..Laughing and.." He was beginning to get uncomfortable as he kept going. "So I confronted him, it got physical..I cut him out and 3 years later I'm working at a rivial company of his..He finds me, I stupidly forgive and become his friend again..Next thing you know, I have an eletric collar on my neck. You?"

Now it was your turn to explain your side.

"We dated during highschool..He was a year younger than me, always following me like a puppy. Our relationship was amazing at first.. But then it became intense. He started expecting more, and more, and more until he became too much. He threatened everyone at school and got into fights a-and...."

You gripped the steering wheel tighter, cutting out that one particular memory. "I cut him off after graduation. Next thing you know, I'm freshly graduated out of college and working under Vincent's company.. What do you know?" April spoke, adding on to what you were about to say. "Marco's there.." You nod your head, your face scrunching up as you're near the end of your horrible story. "Yep! So I bump into him, he sees me. Next thing I know, he drugs my drink at a company party, and I'm tied to a chair."

"Damn.. That's wild"

You laughed, snorting at his response. "You think??"

The rest of the car ride was quiet, peaceful. Making it to your destination, you grab your suitcase and keys, hesitant to go inside your new home. You stand there, looking at the door, your body feeling lightweight. "Hey, what's wrong?" You laughed, feeling stupid. "I'm scared." Immediately, he rushes to you, leaning close to your face as his two hands are on your shoulder. "Don't be. The worst is over. I promise they'll never find us again. I swear to you, I will never let him take you away..."

You look up, looking into his determined eyes.

"You promise?"

"I swear on my life."

You smiled, now putting your hands on his shoulders as your forehead rested against his.

"Because we're ride or die now, aren't we?"

He only smirked back, giving your shoulders a slight shake.

"You're damn fucking right we are"

____________________________

It had been more than 3 months ever since you and April agreed to live your life out as Ron and Maxine. Things were going smoothly, and you were hopeful that you'd live your lives out like this. It was noon, and you were on lunch break, washing the grease off your hands. You take out your lunch box. Eating the sandwich you packed, you scroll through your phone, looking at whatever peaked your interest. While scrolling, a notification from April popped up.

_____________________________

' Maxy max max 🤓 '

Maxine: hey

Ron: yeah?

Maxine: I just got off work early,

i'm gonna be walking around and

checking out some markets.

Lemme know if u want smth.

Ron: k

Maxine: damn aight

Ron: love you babe 😘

Maxine: love u too ig 🙄

_____________________________

You internally snickered, taking a bite out of your sandwich before turning off your phone. The day went by pretty slowly, so when the time hit to go home, 6pm, you happily packed your things and bid your goodbyes. Thank god for your co-workers. Otherwise, the slow day would've been torture. Walking to your car, you get inside, and before starting the car, you give April a call.

Rinnnnnng, rinnnng, rinnng, riiing. Riing ring - "Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message -"

You cut the call, calling him again. It's not usually like him not to answer his phone, but then again, it's not the first time for stuff like that to happen.

Rinnnnnng, rinnnng, rinnng, riiing. Riing ring- "Your call has been forwarded-"

You cut the call again, this time going to your messages to spam him. By then, your messages haven't been read, and again, your call gets sent to voice mail. You begin to panic by the 7th call. You looked at the time, and it was only 6:10 pm. You had spent 10 full minutes trying to call and message April for any response. You recall the previous message. It was only 12 o'clock when he messaged you about going to the market.

It doesn't take someone 6 hours to go grocery shopping. Gripping onto the steering wheel, you felt the anxiety creep in. Your breaths became short as you froze sitting in the car, the fear making any movement in your body queezy to your stomach. There was no way, right? You whipped your head to look at the back of the seat, nothing. You rushed and checked the back of the trunk, nothing. Running back to the drivers seat, you locked all the doors and let out a gasp for air. You're safe in the car. You're okay - you repeated, trying to calm yourself as you looked at the clock in the car. 6:45pm, shit- how did time go by that quick?! You reach into your phone, still no answer from April. Fuck fuck FUCK- You felt the hot terrified tears roll down your eyes.

Quickly, you opened the glove compartment inside the car. A compact pistol with a fully loaded mag, thank god you kept an emergency gun. Shakingly, you check to make sure the safety is on before stuffing it in the pocket of your mechanic uniform you didn't change out of. The whole car ride back to your apartment was a mess. You knew something was wrong. What if he was taken? What if they..No, it had been 5 years. You didn't want to assume the worst. But the back of your mind screamed otherwise.

Eventually, you were now at the apartment, hands shaking to open the door. One step inside, and you'd figure out if there was someone there or not. With one hand clutching the gun - your pocket and the other ready to open the door - you held your breath and burst in. Gun out and turning on the lights, and you cautiously look around. No one was in the living room. So you checked the other areas, your gun still pointing at whatever was in front of you. Bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room, all clear. Locking the front door, you sat on the couch. You looked at your phone again, still no reply.

A week rolled by, and April was officially missing. You didn't want to attract attention to yourself, so you didn't bother putting out a police statement. After all, faking your death and multiple indentities was against a federal law.. I mean, what would you say going to court if they figure out that you aren't who you say you are? Ah, yes, these two rich, higher class men who have no reason to be related to me and my friend have kidnapped us, and we ran away. Is anyone going to believe that?? And what if you told the court that, then what? They'd probably lawyer up with the best teams, bribe the judge, and god knows what happens next!

So you stay quiet, quitting your job and looking for him. Always holding a gun with you, you look for any signs of him as you walked around New york City.

"Have you seen this woman? Brown hair, brown eyes, wore a long skirt and knitted sweater?"

You'd ask, showing a picture of 'Maxine' to anyone that crossed your path, each no or nod dissapointinging you.

"Maxine Smith, heard of her? She worked at Webster libary, long brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin, long skirt, and knitted sweater? No? Okay, thank you"

You'd spend hours asking away, hoping to get some sort of clue. It was 3 o'clock and you've been out since midnight. Tired and exhausted, you make your way to a cafe, getting your drink before slumping at a booth in the corner. Resting against the plush mattress, you sigh, saddened that you spent a week looking for him with no clues. Sipping on your coffee, you closed your eyes - man, did you really need to sleep. You closed your eyes, the sounds of people chatting away, making you feel relaxed, and you didn't even notice the person who now sat across from you.

"Excuse me. I saw you were asking about a Maxine right?"

His voice immediately caught your attention, and your senses now spiked as his smooth, warm voice filled you with that awful feeling you've never felt in 5 years. You opened your eyes, and you were met with him. It was him, it was Marco. Staring at you, it seemed like 5 years did a lot on him as he looked like he hadn't slept in a while. You didn't say a word, knowing full well that you'd mess up your voice, so you opted to nod. Marco had changed, but there were parts of him that remained the same. Like the dark caramel hair that shone a bright color in the sun. His tall and muscular stature would effortlessly keep you trapped and terrified. His brown skin covered in the scars that you caused trying to claw your way out of his grasp. And the worst of all, his red eyes that would always pry and drink in every inch of you like a vampire, always intensely staring at you.

You did your best trying to keep composure. Maybe he wouldn't recognize you as a gruff mechanic man. But the way he looked at you, the way he softly smiled while resting his head on his hands - his elbows now on the table - told you otherwise.

"I think I might know where she is"

You didn't say anything else, just blankly looked at him.

"Do you wanna know? Come on let's walk around."

You stayed put, letting out a small gruff voice telling him no.

"Come on, I won't hurt ya"

Liar.

You didn't know what to do in the situation. Sipping your coffee, you only asked him to tell you in the cafeteria. He didn't take that too well as his eyebrows knitted together. By the tone of his smile and voice, you could tell he was trying his best not to snap.

"I know it's you. You really thought I wouldn't recognize you? Well, actually, by the looks of you, I'm shocked I even did.. To be honest, there's a list of a lot of things I could say."

You felt yourself freeze as he confronted you, your legs nervously bouncing up and down.

"Like leaving me for my brother's husband? What type of sick are you?"

He raised his voice a bit louder, people turning their heads. All eyes were on you as he kept going.

"I love you, I always will.. But you won't even do me this one thing by going outside to talk?"

You looked around, some people whispering amongst each other as they would glance at you. Stop it, stop it, you began to fidget with your hands, trying to ground yourself.

"Un-fucking believeable. And after being together for 6 years! Am I not enough for you?"

"Stop it."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes as he gave you a straight lined smile.

"I'm only telling the truth."

You were quick to snap as you sneered with venom.

"What do you want?"

His expression was coy and calm. He adjusted his body to relax further. He didn't say a word, watching your expression, invested for whatever reaction you'd give. Finally, for what felt like forever, he gave you his honest, painful answer.

"I think it's pretty obvious hun"

__________________________

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