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seren1tyhaze · 1 year

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scent

PAIRING: jaehyun x afab reader

WORD COUNT: 1.5k

SUMMARY: you are ready to catch your inconsiderate neighbor who keeps smoking below your open window and what you find surprises you

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know I owe you all Dive Part 2, I know. Things have gotten in the way of me writing but I am ready to get out of my own head about it. I'm here now and I'm happy to be writing. I'll have Dive Part 2 very soon because most of it's written and a lot of it is in my head, but for now, please take this peace offering of one of my favorite Jaehyun visuals to exist <3 Thank you for all the new followers and the continued love for Dive.

WARNINGS: cigarette smoking, weed smoking reference, explicit smut, carbon copy of Jaehyun from his I Like Me Better cover but hot neighbor version

PLAYLIST: I Like Me Better by Lauv (Jaehyun cover), Cigarette Daydreams by Cage the Elephant, Cigarette by offonoff, Tablo, Miso

A familiar scent tickles your nose, causing you to sneeze violently, three in a rapid fire succession. You slam your knitting project down on your coffee table and peel yourself off the couch and over to your glass sliding door that leads out onto your small apartment balcony. Ripping open the screen door, you lean over the shaky railing to see a strong trail of smoke floating up towards you, knowing the inconsiderate cigarette smoker must be standing below your window at this moment.

For months you have been unable to leave your windows open consistently because despite your building’s policy against smoking, someone has still taken it upon themselves to smoke directly next to the building. You used to enjoy sunny afternoons on your balcony with a glass of lemonade or being able to leave all your windows open for weeks at a time during the pleasant fall months.

You aren’t one to hate on someone else’s relaxation methods - you yourself loved a bong filled with the favorite indica blend your friend grows or a couple gummies on a lazy Saturday in the park. It’s just the scent of cigarettes filling your apartment, clinging onto your clothes and hand knit sweaters air drying in your living room that got on your nerves. Your cat seemed equally annoyed, scrunching up his delicate features whenever the scent would waft in.

You quickly slide into shoes near your door and run down the back stairs of the building, hoping to finally catch the person in the act and give them a piece of your mind. You push open the emergency exit door abruptly and almost run head on into a tall figure, causing you to stumble back and almost fall. A hand is suddenly gripping your forearm, steadying you.

“Whoaaaa, you ok?” comes a low and gravelly voice as you lift your eyes up to meet his.

What you see is startling and not what you imagined. A handsome face with a sharp jaw and lightly styled lavender hair hanging over sparkling eyes looks back at you. His shoulders are broad, covered by a black t-shirt with a small silver cross dangling on top. Black denim is tight on his thighs with slits at the knees, held up by a belt with silver accents. He has a dark sweatshirt draped over his shoulder and he adjusts it slightly as he releases your arm.

“Um…” you start, unable to find your words before the anger flares up in your chest again, seeing an almost finished cigarette held gently in his fingertips.

“No, I’m not!” you continue, pulling your arms tightly across your chest. “Do you have to smoke right below my window almost every day?” you find your voice raising more than you had intended, cheeks flushing deep red as you speak.

He chuckles lightly, taking a final drag from the stick before dropping it to the ground and stamping it out with the toe of his sneaker. He brings the same hand back up to run through his silvery locks, taking a step back to pull the hoodie over his head, tugging the hood up to cover his hair.

“It’s about time you said something,” he mutters, taking a step closer and closing the gap further between you two.

It’s only now that you recognize him. With the black hood covering his hair and silver rings adorning his fingers you realize it’s the same man who always holds the door for you when you arrive home from work at the same time each evening. You often see him heading out to his car early on the weekends and swear you’ve even seen him at your local gym on occasion. You had never caught a whiff of the smoky scent from him before, and now as he invades your personal space, you breathe in deeply.

Despite you having barely spoken with the man, he had become a comforting figure in your life, noticing when he didn’t walk from the parking lot with you and especially when you struggled to balance all your grocery bags and iced coffee at once. Occasionally he would compliment your sweater, scarf, or beanie and you would joke back that you could make him one. The times when you really appreciated his presence were the winter nights when the sun set earlier and you had to make the dark walk from your car. He would always walk in front of you, giving you a warm smile and wave before doing so to reassure you. He would then linger while you checked your mail but not too long to let you go to your door in peace.

You didn’t even know his name or what unit he lived in, but that didn’t stop you from thinking of him late at night when you were bundled up under the covers or during steaming showers in the morning. Your delusional mind had sent you through countless daydreams of him draped across your lap as you made him a dark green beanie to match the hoodie he always wore or gloves to cover his large hands.

Something about the way that his cologne laced hoodie mixes with the cigarette smoke is intoxicating and inviting. The way his eyes are sparkling in the afternoon sun is making your heart race and every trace of anger leaving your previously perturbed mind.

“You…you always hold the door for me,” you mumble back, feeling your legs shuffle you forward even closer.

“I’m your neighbor, Jaehyun,” he replies, flashing a toothy grin that forces adorable dimples to appear on his cheeks.

“Now that I’ve finally gotten your attention, why don’t you let me make it up to you so I don’t have to keep standing out here smoking,” he replies quietly, placing a hand on the side of your neck, thumb brushing up against your jaw gently.

Your lips are on his and kissing with a sense of urgency you didn’t realize you held. His mouth greedily opens for you to slide your tongue in, tasting the bitter tobacco mixed with mint, unable to get enough of the menthol flavor. You slide your hands into the pocket of his hoodie, pulling him closer before slipping them down to grip his ass through his tight jeans.

He smiles against your mouth, applying pressure at your neck with his fingers and finding the hem of your shirt to slide under and stroke your waist gently. As your bodies meld together you feel his hardening length through his pants and groan as he presses into you. Your thighs press together, desperate for friction as he keeps kissing you deeper and deeper, leaving you gasping for air when you finally break apart.

“I thought you were going to make me a beanie,” he laughs against your lips, looping a strong arm around your waist before pulling open the nearby door, peppering your neck with kisses as you both stumbled up the stairs to your apartment.

Once inside, his hands are all over you, ripping at your t-shirt and pulling your sweats down to the floor before pulling you up into his arms. You wrap your legs around his middle tight, sinking your teeth hungrily at his lower lip, eliciting a deep moan from him. You laugh against his mouth, dropping your legs down and letting your feet dig into your hallway carpet again.

“Let’s see how this goes and then we can talk about the beanie,” you reply between kisses, ripping his hoodie and shirt off his body in one motion. Your brain short circuits briefly at his tight abs and broad chest before you turn on your heel and head back towards your bedroom, unclasping your bra as you walk, letting it fall to the ground.

A few hours later your cheek is resting against his bare chest as your cat jumps up on the bed and howls in surprise at the man under your covers. He paws over and starts swatting at his hair, scrunching his nose at the scent held there. He moves to you, sniffing at your skin and finding the same smell, eliciting an annoyed sound he usually made when you were taking too long opening his can of food. You laugh at the cat and push him gently to the edge of the bed where he begrudgingly curls up into a ball with a flick of his tail as a warning.

“Guess he doesn’t like me,” Jaehyun laughs, pulling you closer to him to place a tender kiss on your forehead.

His lips on your skin brings flashes of how it felt to ride him just moments before, your lips pressed against his as you pulled your body slowly up and down his cock. His large hands had found a home at your lower back, making circles there with your thumbs. He would occasionally drop his mouth to your neck, biting there before moving lower to suck one of your nipples between his soft lips, teeth grazing lightly. You could feel him moan against your skin and pull you closer to him, spurring you on to move faster in his lap.

Pulled back to the present, you shake your head in reply, breathing in deeply as the faint scent of cigarettes fills your nose, mixed with the lingering notes of his peach body wash. Somehow, the way he smells isn’t offensive to you, it’s quite the opposite.

Maybe you didn’t hate the smell of tobacco after all.

#nct x reader #nct smut #nct fanfic #jaehyun #jaehyun smut #jaehyun fic #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun x y/n #jaehyun x you

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punkpandapatrixk · 9 months

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Full Beaver Moon in Gemini ♦︎ Moon Magick Pick A Card

(I’m ultra-sorry for this PAC being ultra-late!! I’ve been in deep, intense spiritual rehab🙏🏻Also, y’all have NO idea how much psychotic psychic ‘opposition’ I was fighting to get through with this PAC! It was plain insanity at this point. If you’ve found this PAC and you resonate, please, PLEASE, take care of your spiritual wellbeing and amp up your psychic protection for next year!)

☆♪°・.

Collectively speaking, the whole of Mankind is being prepared for a massive transformation that, hopefully, will lead to real, lasting harmony and prosperity. It is high time Mankind grew up and learnt to be responsible for the choices it makes in regards to co-Creation with the Universe. Where attention goes, aenergy goes, right?

Every man’s priority and perspective hold the power to shape—and reshape—Reality. For realz. For we are all part of that same fabric of Reality, we are constantly, with each other, co-Creating various spectrum of experiences that affect each other’s wellbeing. It’s inevitable. Your attention is what gives power to the Matrix. If you want to beat the System, you need to learn its mechanism and ultimately, stop giving your attention to Reality creation that doesn’t serve the highest good of all of Mankind.

Full Beaver Moon was on November 27. Its effects can still be felt by most peeps until at least April Fool’s next year (funny). This full moon is second to last before this year’s final Full Cold Moon on December 26, which will be in Cancer; and so the meaning of this Beaver Moon is for us to gather as much resource as possible before the cold winter.

For this Beaver Moon is in Gemini—the sign of thinking and learning—this implies gathering info, perspective, knowledge, intel as much as possible for us to study and digest all throughout winter. Sounds funny but trust me this will be SO relevant by spring next year. The aenergy I’m tapping into is super intense as the whole of Mankind is being ushered into a phase of rapid growing pains that will affect societies on a global scale.

Death of an old paradigm. Death of the 3D Self. It’s all happening. If you identify as a Lightworker or a Starseed, the message you find here could potentially be more relevant to you than most other peeps you know in your circle. You’re in gestation mode. Get ready because spring might be…weird?

It’s high time Mankind learnt to be responsible for its real power of co-Creation. Those who are more spiritually attuned have always had a craving for a freer, more authentic existence. Use this time to rest your heart, your mind, your soul, and let your Higher Self show you the way towards new avenues and grounds for things and pursuits you’ve always felt a calling to.

Even your weirdest hobbies and interests are no coincidence, hon. 2024 will probably not allow anyone to have a stagnant time—for better or worse… But you? You’re going to have a blast! I just know it🥂

[Masterlist] [Patreon] [Paid Readings]

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 1 – Spread Your Wings and Fly Away

resource – 3 of Pentacles

I hope you acknowledge just how resourceful you are as a person. On top of that, you’re naturally courageous. If you feel like you’re not that brave, it must’ve been your environment and the people you’ve met that have dimmed that fire in you. It is now time to reclaim your authentic voice. And you need to begin with acknowledging just how much your environment is stifling your creativity and/or originality. It is only by understanding the patterns that have shaped the way you view yourself can you then unravel that false perception that, you could say, was imposed on you.

Don’t kill your inner child to please the adults around you—no matter who these adults may be (they could be your peers if you’re already an adult yourself). When you were born into this world you carried seeds of courage, creativity and invention. All of these are such precious gifts for Mankind. You were supposed to develop yourself as one of the new builders of New Earth. You may have forgotten the minute details of your blueprint, but I know that you know it in your heart of hearts that this is the truth of your reason for being born :D

recollection – XVII The Star

You’re literally the only Pile that’s gotten a Major Arcana. Surely you know you’re a Starseed? :D If you don’t, you soon will. Perhaps your parents know something about the ‘waves of volunteers’ that was quite a topic back in the 60s or 70s? (I’m not duper sure about the timeline lol) At any rate, you have a great destiny ahead of you and it is imperative that you acknowledge this of yourself first before you’re launched into initiation*. What’s that about, you ask?

Many of your latent talents that may still be offline right now will gradually be uncovered for you. Throughout 2024, I’m sure you will experience many awakenings of sort that will propel you into remembering bits and pieces of talents you had acquired in other lifetimes. All of these gifts, are your gifts to Humanity. There is a divine reason why you’ve had to work so hard for your own personal transformation before you could assist others in helping themselves transform their paradigm. OK?

respite – 10 of Cups Rx

It is rather common for Starseeds to feel like the family they were born into, isn’t the family they belong to. Many Starseeds even find themselves look quite visibly physically different from the rest of their family. There’s just something there that seems to act as a bridge between your entire existence and theirs. You don’t think the same way; your moralities totally clash; the essences of your values are worlds apart; and so on. You’re right, these people aren’t the people you’re meant to call ‘family’. Their only purpose is to show you how ‘crazy’ develops in people, all for you to learn to navigate it and put an end to generational curses on Planet Earth. And thus it begins at ‘home’.

I have a feeling that for many of you reading this, there is an elder in your family—a much older elder—whom you could actually talk to, who would be able to share information about circumstances surrounding your birth or the bloodline you are born into. In another scenario, this person may not be older but simply possesses immense knowledge pertaining to your raison d’etre or even Life Purpose. In yet another scenario, it may not necessarily be a family member but rather, a teacher, a divine someone you meet serendipitously, or some random-ass wise Boomer you watch on YouTube who holds ideas and perspectives that make you feel seen and validated.

The period from this Full Beaver Moon until at least April next year may involve a lot of healthy grieving. Let yourself feel those emotions and feel Human. You deserve a safe space to be yourself and see all your dreams manifest. You’ve got this, OK? One day you will be serving the Light by sharing your stories😊

full moon self-care🔻🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

*I’ve included further technical interpretations of what this ‘initiation’ means for Lightworkers and Starseeds in the bonus content🐛

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 2 – Where Have You Come From and Where Are You Going, Dear Traveller?

resource – 7 of Cups Rx

In your childhood, I feel like you were forced to grow up faster than your peers. Your environment was not exactly friendly to the dreams and imaginations of a child. So you grew up to become practical, pragmatic and responsible rather quickly. But it was really hard to grow up like that because you, the real you, are a visionary. A visionary is someone who has many dreams and wild ideas, and in the right environment, a quality like that would’ve been much, much more celebrated! In the wrong environment, a dreaminess such as that is stifled.

This FM in Gemini invites you to revisit this dreaminess of yours because in your imaginations and daydreams lies the map of your Soul. Where have you come from and where are you going, dear visionary? Understanding your place in the world helps you gain insight about your Life Purpose, so to speak. What gifts have you brought into this world to share with Humanity? What challenges have you come face to face that have shaped your unique skills and perceptions?

recollection – 6 of Cups

Your home environment, your family and society have shaped the person that you are. It is important to understand your ‘roots’, kinda, so you know your strengths and weaknesses when standing in the midst of society. The rich kid from the upper echelons of society will possess skills and knowledge the poor kid from the hood wasn’t fed with. But likewise, the poor kid from the hood will possess perspectives and street smarts that are very unique in comparison to the shielded experiences of most privileged kids. Something like that.

One is not necessarily superior to the other. It’s mostly about understanding where you’ve come from and where these experiences, skills and perspectives could get you. Know your own uniqueness and use that to serve Humanity as you use that to take care of yourself and those you care about. A true sense of success can only come from being useful to other people, for the most part…unless you’re a psychopath XD

respite – King of Pentacles

You have so many natural talents that could make you money, that much I’d like to reaffirm. But more importantly than money, it’s that you have such a strong penchant for true leadership. If you work with your Throat chakra, you could become a very appealing public speaker. You could convince people to join your causes. But to become a true leader of the new world, you must possess good morality, so don’t forget to take care of your Solar Plexus and Heart chakras, so you don’t fall into the trapping of manipulation through speech.

Honestly, I think you are such a good person in spite of all the mental/psychological hardships you’ve had to grow up with. Calm your nerves down and enjoy slow moments with, idk, camomile tea or lavender bath, every now and then? Relaxation practices like breathing meditation, or even just fixing your sleeping pattern/schedule, could help you get in touch with your inner child again and I feel that this is something that will be important for you throughout this winter☃️Everything about your Life will become a lot clearer by spring, trust that😉

full moon self-care🔻🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 3 – Let the Past Die and Live on For Your Soul Tribes

resource – 3 of Cups

Honey, it’s time for you to rejoice. You’ve been through so much disappointment, so much heartbreak, and people have betrayed and abandoned you, and you’ve come through nevertheless. Surely that deserves some kind of karmic reward? Your Spirit Guides, your Soul Family, are applauding you for all you’ve been through. I think you’ve worked hard on yourself. Releasing yourself from past pains, distancing yourself—to the best of your ability—from toxic people and environments, and you’re about ready to serve your Dharmic Purpose.

I know many of you reading this will resonate with having worked on transmuting a lot of generational karma, but plenty of you tapping into this reading have even worked on transmuting geological karma and curses. The geographical location you were born into or the race you were born into, collectively speaking these kinds of things also carry generational curses based on terrible things that have happened on that location. I’d like you to know that you’ve done so much just by existing! You are the magic, the miracle that you’ve been hoping to see in the world🐣

recollection – Page of Pentacles

You’re an individual of many talents, but I’m sure there’s like 2 or 3 things you’re INSANELY good at. Do you know what they are? If you focus all of your aenergy on just these few main talents, you will literally shift your whole Reality to a much higher bandwidth! Try it. By focusing on just these few main pursuits, I sense you will be attracting your Soul Tribes at a much faster rate. I’m seeing these pulsating energetic vortexes that represent you and your Soul Tribes currently incarnate on Earth. These vortexes are spinning and expanding so rapidly that you and your Soul Tribes are magnetising each other into your morphogenetic fields—essentially, your Realities.

You and your Soul Tribes literally have unique missions on Earth and when you meet and collab, everything is going to make sense for you. These seemingly different groups of people are doing things (or exist in industries) that are similar to your own interests and visions for the world. I sense you may have felt a calling to be part of a certain industry and you’ve been studying and preparing yourself for that. ATTENTION! THIS. IS. NOT. RANDOM. You are being manifested by that industry if anything LMAO You have a place there so keep going!🌾

respite – 2 of Cups Rx

With all of that said, let this reading be your confirmation that you can make the choice to die to everyone and everything that doesn’t align with this vision in your mind that you know comes from your Soul. Be a ghost. Hustle in quiet. Don’t spill the beans until they are ready for planting. And when you plant, plant with your Soul Family and not those who are only pretending to be there for you so they can take advantage of you later!

Connections with your real Soul Tribes are going to feel effortlessly uplifting on top of being respectful of boundaries. Interactions and exchanges with your real Soul Tribes are never going to make you feel icky. Trust your gut instinct when you feel that someone you’ve come to trust is probably manipulating you with kind or sweet words imbued with some dishonourable intent. You’re probably right but let’s not take chances; you’ve had enough, so keep your brains about you, too. Best to use this time to build—or rebuild—your world of everything that makes Life worth living🎂

full moon self-care🔻🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

[Masterlist] [Patreon] [Paid Readings]

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gorgonwrites · 1 year

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bound to you, (part 6)

diluc x fem!reader

wc: 2, 121

author's note: thank you so much for your patience! i've been so busy sos. i have an idea for another small blurb for this story where a certain yashiro commissioner pays the winery a visit... but this is the official last part for now! i hope u enjoy. <3

CW: established relationship, fem!reader, oral (fem receiving), face sitting, mildly possesive diluc, overstimulation, choking, dacryphilia, marking kink, diluc calls reader 'angel' literally every other word bc he's a sap, diluc calls reader 'good girl' bc i couldn't help myself, reader is a serious crybaby but we still love her

Your husband practically ripped your dress off of you, the fabric singed where he held it. You yelped in response, his fiery eyes piercing into your own. He chuckled, throwing the dress across the small room.

“I’ll replace that, angel.” Diluc grabbed a fist full of your hair and forced you to bare your neck to him once again, continuing to bite and mark the skin there with no regard to how visible they were. “You’re mine.” his breathing was rapid and shallow, and you wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Prove it.” you panted, forcing your husband ever closer with your tight grip. He moved suddenly, flipping over so you straddled his hips. Grabbing your hair again he forced you to bend down so he could speak directly into your ear.

“Sit on my face. Now.” He immediately let go of your hair and began to lift your hips, helping you settle with your thighs on either side of his head. Brushing his hands over your legs and ass, he wrapped his arms around your hips. His touch felt like it was setting you on fire and you were becoming impatient. “Use me, y/n. I want to taste you on my tongue this time.” Diluc immediately forced you downwards and shoved his tongue into your pussy, causing you to yelp from the sudden pleasure. Your hands flew to his hair and you began to ride his face with abandon while your husband devoured you. He moaned and writhed beneath you, clearly getting off on your pleasure. You could faintly feel the coil at your core begin to tighten and your hips moved even more frantically.

“Diluc, please-” you whined, “Fingers, I want your fingers, hah-” Diluc didn’t even let you finish speaking before he shoved two fingers into your sopping wet cunt. You wailed from the pleasure the sudden intrusion brought, and you leaned back to grip your husband’s hips to keep you steady. He moved his lips to your clit, sucking and flicking the engorged organ as you rode his fingers. You were lost in the pleasure your husband gave you, ignoring the ache building in your thighs. Your orgasm was tantalizingly close but you weren’t ready for this to end yet. You suddenly rose off of Diluc’s fingers and face, breathing heavily. His head shot up, checking to see if you were alright.

“I’m so close but I don’t want this to end-” you whined. Tears were forming in your eyes once again as you wiggled your hips, inviting your husband to continue his relentless attacks. He smiled and gently slid his fingers into your pussy, bringing you back down to his face.

“We’ve only just begun, my love.” he quickly took your swollen clit back into his mouth and began to flick his tongue in such a way that made the tears in your eyes spill over instantly. He curled his fingers roughly into the spongy spot inside of you, adding a third to thoroughly prep you for his cock. You sobbed at the delicious stretch, knowing the coil in your core was about to snap.

“I’m coming, oh GODS Diluc!” you cried out frantically, squirting all over his face. He held you in place tightly as you squirmed above him, keeping you still enough so he could continue giving his attention to your worn out clit. As your movements slowed, his grip softened. You fell forward onto your hands, tears streaming down your face. Your husband was quickly behind you, pulling you backwards onto his lap.

“You’re such a good girl for me.” he wrapped his arms around your waist and you turned to look at him. His hair was a wreck after being pulled at for so long, and his eyes had softened slightly. He leaned down to bring his lips to yours, and his face was covered with your essence. You could feel the coil tightening deep within you again, forcing a needy moan out of your mouth.

“Need you, Diluc, I need you-” your whines trailed off as your breathing began to quicken once again.

“I’m here angel, I’ll always be here.” he peppered the back of your neck and shoulders with light kisses. “Get on your hands and knees for me, that’s my good girl.” Your legs were still trembling from your previous orgasm but your excitement held you up as your husband began to line his cock up with your entrance. He slowly slid into you, inch by inch, stretching you in a way you’d never experienced before. You held your breath, trying not to cry out as Diluc fully sheathed his cock inside of you. “Sweet angel,” he cooed, sliding his hands up along your spine, “You take me so well, like you were made for me.” he gently pushed your shoulders, guiding your head to the pillows below. Your back was arched as far as it could go and Diluc’s cock filled you to the brim, making you whine from the pleasure.

“Gods, you feel so good.” you breathed, starting to push back onto your husband’s length to let him know you’d adjusted to his size. He gently pulled back, rubbing circles into your hips. Then suddenly he snapped his hips roughly into you, and set a deliciously rough pace. Your eyes rolled back as the head of his cock kissed your cervix, and your hand flew down to your already overstimulated clit. Tears streamed down your face as you cried out for Diluc to fuck you faster and harder. He grabbed your neck and yanked you backwards, holding you to his chest as he fucked you senseless.

“I know you like it like this, on your knees for your husband.” he groaned in your ear, wrapping his fingers around your throat while he fucked you. “I saw you the other day touching yourself while you cried out for me.” you gasped in response, remembering your confusion when you realized your door was open. “I should’ve taken you then and there.”

“Spying on your little wife, were you?” you spat out between cries, throwing your head back onto his shoulder. “I’d expect nothing less from you, Master Diluc.” he growled in your ear in response to you using his formal title. His grip tightened on the sides of your throat, and you quickly got lightheaded. His other hand snaked around to your clit, and you could feel yourself coming undone. “Close-” you rasped, and he quickened his pace. You came with a scream, chanting your husband’s name over and over again. He coaxed you down from your high and gently laid you back down on the bed. He leaned over you, brushing your hair from your face.

“Give me one more angel. You can give me just one more.” catching your breath, you rolled over onto your back so you could see your husband’s face. You reached out to him and he settled lightly between your legs, and he buried his face in the crook of your neck. You began to softly run your fingers through his long hair and he shuddered, wrapping his arms underneath you to pull you closer to him. “I’ll be gentle this time.” he slowly sank his cock into your worn out pussy again, both of you moaning from the pure bliss the feeling caused. Diluc rocked his hips slowly, feeling his own release building as he fucked you.

“Tell me how to love you.” you managed to choke out. “I want to know- I want to know everything!” you were practically sobbing, partly from the endless pleasure your husband was giving you and partly from the residual anger leftover from him abandoning you yet again. “Please don’t run away from me again, I don’t think I can take it anymore.” tears continued to stream down your face and Diluc leaned down to kiss the corners of your eyes.

“I won’t, my angel. Not again.” he slowed his hips, stopping himself. “Look at me.” you opened your eyes and reached up to cup your husband’s face. “Just be patient with me, please. It is all I ask of you. I’ll go to the end of Teyvat and back if it brings you happiness.” he began to rock his hips into you again, “I’ll give you everything you’ve ever dreamed of.” his sudden softness sent a shock to the tight coil in your core once again, making you gasp. He quickened his pace, chasing his own high. “Are you close, angel? Because I, hah-” Diluc’s voice caught in his throat. You suddenly tumbled over the edge, clenching around your husband so tightly that you brought him with you and he emptied himself inside of you. “FUCK y/n, oh fuck angel-” he fucked you both through your orgasms, his hips stuttering from the pleasure.

“So good, Diluc, that was so good-” your voice trailed off, completely worn out from the multiple orgasms he had pulled from you. He slumped on top of you gasping for breath, and you wrapped your arms around him to hold him close. Tears fell down your cheeks as shockwaves continued throughout your body from the three orgasms your husband ripped from you. Diluc looked up and gently smiled, reaching up to wipe the tears from your eyes. “I’m okay I- I just feel so good…” you whispered.

“I only ever want to see tears of pleasure in your eyes,” he sighed, “and I want to be the only one that causes them.” Diluc stretched up and kissed you softly. He could get used to this. “I think we may need to get back to the manor- I’ve burnt through your dress and I don’t suppose you brought a spare?” You couldn’t help but burst out laughing after seeing the sheepish look on your husband’s face.

“I didn’t think that far ahead, I’m afraid.” you chuckled and cupped his cheek. He eagerly leaned into your touch and a satisfying warmth bloomed in your chest. “Let’s go home, Diluc.”

“Addy!” you practically wailed as you threw your arms around the head maid. She held you tightly, and you started to cry on her shoulder. “Adelinde I was rotten to you, I’m so sorry.” You and Diluc found her waiting at the entrance of the manor, obviously lacking sleep. You could feel her trembling under you.

“Y/n, my dear, I’m so glad you’re okay.” she sighed with relief. She took your shoulders and looked at you, a stern look replacing the worried one from earlier. “But if you ever do that again, it won’t be your husband that you’ll need to worry about.” she huffed and turned her attention to Diluc. “And you. If you leave her alone again without warning, you know what I’ll do. I raised you better than this.” your husband went pale and shook his head to signal that he understood the message. Adelinde brushed off her nightdress and straightened up. “Good. Now, if you’re both done being spoiled children, breakfast should be on in an hour. Go clean up.” She stalked off, leaving you and Diluc feeling like scolded children. Once she was out of sight, you burst out laughing.

“I’ve never seen you look so scared!” you gripped your sides, worried they might burst. Your husband couldn’t help but laugh with you.

“You’re one to talk, angel. Plus you have no idea how terrifying Addy can be.” Your laughter sounded like bells chiming, echoing through the quiet halls of the manor. The crinkles around Diluc’s eyes appeared as he smiled and relished the sound. You caught your breath and looked at him, his eyes softer than you’d ever seen them.

“If you continue to look at me like that I might be inspired to paint your expression.” you teased. “Though I wouldn’t be upset having you as my muse.” your husband chuckled and wrapped you in his arms, nuzzling his nose to yours.

“I’ll do anything to keep that smile on your face, angel.” the warmth from earlier settled in your chest again as you held Diluc close.

“Oh? So if I asked you to pose nude with grapes all over y-” he silenced you with a kiss. Surely he’d let you, though.

“We’ll talk about the details another day. Let’s get dressed. I have visitors coming later this week- after that, I promise to be a dutiful muse.” you giggled, making Diluc sigh. “What have I gotten myself into?” he couldn’t help but continue to smile as you pulled him through the halls.

“A lifetime of mischief, Master Diluc. What else?” you turned and smiled at him playfully.

“I could get used to that, angel. I could definitely get used to that.”

#diluc fluff #diluc ragnvindr #diluc x reader #diluc smut #diluc x fem!reader #diluc genshin impact #diluc genshin x reader #diluc x y/n #genshin fluff #genshin x reader

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just-a-space-rabbit · 5 months

Text

Super Chase

TW: miscommunication, murder, blood, dagger, death. Mood: Light, humorous

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Civilian stood motionless and scared in the dark alleyway. Their breath came out in short, rapid bursts, they struggled to hear their surroundings over their own beating heart. Their eyes darted around the scene in front of them, as their own mind refusering to accept what just happened. “You… You murdered Hero!!!” Civilian yelled before they could stop themself and cover their own mouth, even though it was already too late.

Immediately Villain wiped around startled at the sound of someone else in the alley. Their black mask and hood hid most of their face, while they still held the bloodied knife in their hand as they stood over the lifeless body.

Villain took a silent step towards them, before Cicilian’s scenes kicked in and they bolted in the other direction screaming. As they ran, Civilian heard the villain yelling at them. “Wait, it’s not what it looks like!”

But Civilian did not believe that for a second and kept running as the villain took off after them.

Superhero lunged forward to attack, only to hit the wall shattering it into pieces as Supervillain effortlessly dodged them.

“Are you done with that little dance of yours yet?” Supervillain mocked them as Superhero got back up. “you know you're too slow to hit me!”

“I’m only done when you're behind bars, and the ruby is returned to its rightful owner!” Superhero snapped back.

“Oh come on…” Supervillain said mockingly as they again dodged Superhero’s attack. “It's so pretty, can’t you just let me keep it?” they asked innocently before holding the gem in front of them letting it glow like fire in their hand.

Superhero was just about to say something when they were startled as Civilian bolted around the corner, before they crashed into Supervillain's arm sending the gem flying into the air.

“What tha-” was all Superhero could get out as the Civilian stubbled forward before catching themself, only to look at the super’s they were now next to in terror.

‘Oh, god, they are both looking mad at me!’ they thought and ran off not even realizing that the ruby had landed in the hood of their jacket.

Before the two supers could even react to what happend, Villain came around the corner and ran past them both. “Coming through!” they yelled, showing Supervillain to the side.

“Villain!” Superhero yelled before they gave chase after them.

“The Ruby!” Supervillain yelled and followed.

As Civilian ran they glanced behind them seeing that now both Villain and the Super were running after them. “Why did this have to happen to me? I just wanted to go out for dinner!” They yelled out to the universe, who seemed to then give them the answer of crashing into Right Hand who fell down into a muddy puddle.

“OI!” Right hand snapped at them.

“SORRY!” Civilian screamed as they kept running.

“Right hand!” Supervillain bellowed “catch that civilian!”

Right hand did not have to be asked twice as they set off with the ever growing group “On it! Sir.”

“There is only one way to settle this!” Villain sidekick said as they and Hero Sidekick kept circling each other in the small street. There was a small crowd that stood nearby looking at them intensely.

“You know that you don’t want to go there” Hero sidekick smirked “I’ll win this time, just like last time.”

“We’ll see about that!” Villain grinned as the two of them readied themself.

“3, 2, 1, Let It Rip!” they both said together as they unleashed their beyblades. The crowd cheered them on. But the two of them were to foucued on the battle to let the crowd distract them, and to foucued to hear the oncoming chase.

“Passing though!” Civilian yelled as they bolted in the middle of everything, barely missing the spinning blades.

“Watch it!” Villain sidekick yelled, only to stop when Villain and Right hand passed them knocking out both beyblades at the same time. “NO!” they yelled defeatedly as they fell down on their knees.

“This is outrageous!” Hero Sidekick was now the one that yelled, only for them to also stop when Superhero and Supervillain came in behind the others and vanished down the alleyway.

“Um… do we follow?” Villain sidekick asked.

“Come on!” Hero sidekick yelled as they ran off.

And the crowd also followed.

“Tonight was fun” Henchman said blushing, as they held Other hero’s hand. “I hope we can go out again some other day” They had wanted this for so long, it felt strange that this was real. Part of Henchman still waited for the moment they would wake up.

Other hero smiled gently as they leaned into Henchman “Well, maybe? If that boss of your’s won't get in the way.” they let their head gently rest on Henchman's shoulder.

“I don’t think Villain would mind,” Henchman chuckled as they brought Other Hero closer staring into their beautiful brown eyes.

“Oh why is that?” Other Hero asked teasingly.

“Well, because… WATCH OUT!” Henchman suddenly yelled as he grabbed Other Hero and held them close just as Civilian whipped past only to be quickly followed by everyone else.

Before the two could fully figure out what happend, Villain sidekicks yelled a “Hi Henchman!” as they whipped past. Henchman immediately felt the blush growing.

“Hope your date is going well, Other Hero!” Hero sidekick yelled as they caught up and ran past the now embarrassed couple.

As the group got further away the two of them looked at each other before agreeing that they needed to follow, just in case it went wrong.

At this point Civilian was panting heavily, their vision had started to get blurred, but they still kept the pace.

Of all things to think about, they thought back to high school and how much they hated that their father forced them to do cross country running. But now it seems that their endurance might finally pay off. ‘If I survive this, then I’ll tell dad that I’m eternally thankful!’

But just after they thought that, they could feel that they were losing speed, and the sound of the ensuing group grew close and closer.

Civilian did not want to know what would happen when they caught up to them, so they narrowed their eyes as they bolted with all their remaining might. They were going to out run them or die trying!

And for a moment they were doing it, each turn the sound of the group got smaller and smaller. For a split second Civilian thought they might actually lose them.

Then there was a sudden sound in front of them as someone dropped down in front of them, before they yelled “STOP!” Civilian did not react in time as they crashed head first into said person and fell down.

The last thing Civilian saw as they lost consciousness was Hero’s concerned face.

“They are waking up!” Hero sidekick yelled, as they removed the ice brick they had made to cool Civilian head down.

It felt like the whole world was spinning as a group of blurry figures slowly came into view.

“Lay still,” Supervillain said calmly, holding his hand on Civilain’s head to heal it. “I think you might have gotten a concussion”

“How long was I out?” Civilian said in a weak voice.

“Just two minutes,” Hero sidekick answered. “So everything is still chaotic… unfortunately”

Then like a light switch went on, everything that had happened came back to them. “HERO!” Civilian suddenly yelled.

“Yes?” Hero just after they sent the group of civilians away.

“You're alive?” Civilian yelled as they sat up only for Hero sidekick and Supervillain having to catch them as they almost fell back. “I thought Villain killed you!”

“So that's why you were running from Villain?” Hero asked them. Looking at Villain who looked visibly stressed.

“Yes! I saw you! I saw them!” Civilian continued almost in tears. “They had a knife and blood and everything!”

“Is that why you were chasing them?” Hero snapped suddenly as they turned to Villain.

“I just tried to stop them from running, so I could tell them that there was a misunderstanding!” Villain said defensively though they were not meeting anyones eyes.

“Villain! What did you do?” Everyone, except Civilian groaned. While Civilian looked confused.

“I killed the robot that Scientist made after it began to run rampant! I’m sorry for helping! It was dark. The robot was made to look like Hero. I totally understand where Civilian took the conclusion that I had murdered you.” villain said clearly flustered.

“What I want to know is why everyone else joined in?” Villain added pointing to the rest of the group. “I mean come on! Hero Sidekick and Villain sidekick dragged a whole crowd with them!”

“We just came along because you ruined me and Hero sidekick’s weekly beyblade match!” Villain sidekick said grumpily “and!” they added “you bent my favorite beyblade when you stepped on it! Look!” They said as they held out the broken beyblade close to Villain’s face for proof.

“Sorry, about that… I’ll buy you a new one” Villain said.

Civilian could hear villain sidekick mumble something close to ‘you better’ as they sat back down.

“And how about you two?” Hero said smugly as they looked at Other Hero and Henchman who upon everyone turning their head towards them immediately moved further away from each other, “why did you two chase after everyone?”

“Well…” Henchman said “just wanted to help in case things went south” to which the Other Hero nodded. “About you Right hand?”

“I was ordered to by my boss” Right hand said crossing their hand.

“Wait a minute… supervillain?” Superhero yelled suddenly as they remembered the fight had been in the middle of. “The ruby in Civilian's jacket!”

Civilian “The WHAT?”

But it was too late, by the time they noticed Supervillain was in a mad laughter as they ran away ruby in hand. Right Hand quickly took the hint and followed suit.

“Get back here!” Superhero yelled as they bolted after them, only to be followed by not only Other Hero, Hero sidekick, and Hero, but also by Villain sidekick and Henchman who wanted to try and steal the gem for themself.

Leaving a very confused Civilian and Villain behind.

Villain made a loud sigh, as they looked down at Civilian. “Come on, I know Supervillain healed you, but just for safety sake let’s get you to a hospital”

“Is your job always like this?” Civilian asked.

To which the Villain only answered with laughter.

#heroes and villains community #hero x villain #hero x henchman #villain x civilian #snippet #tw miscommunication #tw murder #tw blood #tw dagger #tw death #my writing

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kneelbeforeyourdogbabylon · 4 months

Text

Chapter 3 of Sins of Knowledge is up!

Chaptered fic (3/12?), WIP, posting every other week

Here Come the Man with a Look in His Eye

Rated Explicit

CW/TW and tags: sex pollen/dubcon, ethical concerns, coercion, blackmail, human AU, university AU, more tags and notes at AO3

Biggest thanks to the usual suspects, @cheeseplants and @gaiaseyes451 for the stellar and thoughtful beta! You two are fantastic ❤️ also thanks to the @goodomensafterdark writers for being all around super supports and the best goblins anywhere ❤️‍🔥

Chapter Summary:

When last we left them, Crowley and Aziraphale had been discovered in flagrante-ish, or least in somno (...after flagrante) by Shax and Hastur. (At least they had their pants on? Mostly?) They meet the man behind the lab. Extortion ensues. Aziraphale attends Crowley’s class and does science badly, Crowley experiences some odd perceptions, and the next formula is ready to be tested. Also we may have gone from the rapid-fire burn of last chapter to a bunch of cool coals. Oh, dear.

See AO3 for full work summary and tags!

Excerpt:

Something was welling up in Crowley like a giant balloon. Was it hope? Relief? It was heady and huge. He remembered the word angel burning in his mouth, and the glow of Aziraphale’s forehead. Could it be that once in his life Crowley had actually judged someone accurately? And that someone had also judged him and found him to be something other than treacherous? “I did bring you over to Ashbury in the first place,” he reminded Aziraphale.

A tiny smile flickered over Aziraphale’s face. “Are you trying to convince me of your guilt?”

“No. I just – no.”

“Fine. Good. I’m still going to audit your course. You can still audit mine as well, if you like. Not sure what to do with this independent study nonsense, though.”

“I could help. I’ve set up loads for Bea, they have me work with masters’ students on it.”

“No, I’ll speak to Ana.” Aziraphale looked as though he were steeling himself, and then in a rush, he said: “I just want to be clear. I don’t want to do that again.”

And just like that, wheeeeee the balloon punctured. “Okay,” said Crowley. “That, meaning…”

“What we’ve been captured doing on live and uncensored late night camera. I mean. I’m not sure what will happen next with this absolute madman playing God and apparently no consequences, but I don’t want – “ Aziraphale sighed. “That wasn’t me. I don’t do that.”

“What,” Crowley said unkindly, “sleep with blokes? A little late in life for panic, eh? Maybe I’m the one who should be asking about STIs, you know studies have shown closeted gays are just as promiscuous if not more so — ”

“Oh fuck off, you know what I mean,” Aziraphale snapped. “I’m not in the closet. I meant I don’t sleep with people like that, like you.”

Oooh, this just got better and better. Crowley couldn’t help smiling a bit even as his chest constricted. “Like me. What, sexy?”

Aziraphale put a hand to his temple. “Bloody hell. Yes, I despise giving head to sexy men.”

His lips still looked soft, as soft and warm and wet as they’d felt when he’d kissed Crowley’s belly, bent down and closed them over the head of Crowley’s cock. Crowley gulped. What had he been about to say? Something smart. Quick, say something smart. “Big apologies. I am what I am.”

“I forgive you,” Aziraphale said, with so much sarcasm that it practically deluged the quad.

“Ahhhh. You’re one of those pining-for-ages types, then. In love from afar and all that.” Crowley couldn’t stop, his mouth had taken something smart and launched into the void. “Distance makes the cock grow harder. Wanking every night, wishing and hoping.”

Aziraphale flushed deeper at each word. Crowley stuck his knuckles between his teeth to shut himself up. He wanted to curl into Aziraphale, press his mouth against the heady warmth of that blood rising beneath the skin. He settled for scooting around on the bench, stretching his legs.

#high pollen count event #good omens events #good omens #good omens fanfiction #sins of knowledge #aziracrow #MIND THE TAGS #sex pollen #aziraphale and crowley #good omens after dark #writers guild presents #writers of after dark

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stuffymcstuffsworld · 1 year

Text

Pierced my heart part 3

The sooner the better. You watched as your elder finished setting his traps along the border line. Everything needed to be ready before the energetic demon returns.

Elder crow stood up examining his work. It was just before midnight. He turns to you. And while you can't see his face due to his mask you know he is scowling.

You bow your head as he disappeared into the trees. The Hum-in-oda tribe had been avoiding demons since the beginning. It was how the clan stayed safe. The clan had to be thought of as a whole and no individual could be favored over another. Especially if one was to be labeled as a hazard to the tribes safety.

You were a hazard now. A demons interest was not a good thing to have. You sat and waited. It was the only thing you could do at this point. The moon hanging high over head.

You heard heard the tell tail signs of wings. Your only clue that he had arrived. You sat patiently. You knew he spotted you because his steps got careless instead of stealthy. You drew out a knife and threw it.

The blade cut through the air and embedded itself into the ground in front of him before he could take another step. He's smiling again. You could have stabbed his foot and he was smiling.

Demons were strange... especially this one. "That's as far as your getting." You try to keep your voice flat and your heartbeat calm. He dropped his bag. His green eyes never left yours.

♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧

They were here! They were waiting for him! He thought he had been super early by arriving at midnight on the dot but nope!

Ah! Maybe they were waiting the entire time for him to come back. His heart raced. He wanted to hold them! But they threw a blade at him before he could get further. He pouted.

"But I missed you!" He whines. They look so pretty standing there in the moonlight. He knew they would be even prettier without the mask.

"Is it because I took to long getting back. I'm sorry next time I'll come back right away!" He says egarly. "Go back to your clan and stay there!" They hissed. "No way!" He shakes his head.

He couldn't leave! He didn't even know their name yet! "I have so many questions!" He tries to advance further but they throw another knife. This time it lands in a trap that would have most likely taken his leg. THEY DID CARE♡!

"What's your name? Do you like flowers? Which do you like better fish or meat?" He shoots rapid-fire questions at them. "Why do you want to know that?!?" They snapped at him.

"Well I think I should get to know my future spouse!" He says happily. He's met with silence. He looks at them. He can't tell what their thinking with the mask on.

♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧ Your brain was broken. That had to be the most logical explanation. You misheard. Definitely misheard.

"What did you just say?" You asks in a tight voice. "Ah I said I should get to know my future spouse!" He said it again. 'AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH' you threw your hands up into the air. Spirits give you strength.

"Who said I was marrying you!" You pointed an accusing finger at him. Embarrassment flooding your body. "I did just now!" He has the nerve to be cheerful about this!!!??!!

"I didn't agree to this!!!" You snapped enraged. "You haven't disagreed either!" You froze. Blinking and thinking back you realized you technically hadn't rejected him.

"To late can't change it now! We're getting married!" You sputtered and gasped at the conviction he held in his eyes. This wasn't fair! Not at all!

"Don't worry, I'm gonna court you properly. So by the time we get married, you'll be head over heels for me too!" He declares. You just stare at him. You should have just killed him when you had the chance.

He's gonna haunt the border forever at this rate. You could practically hear Elder Oak laughing about this when Elder Crow would report back.

Maybe it wasn't too late to drown in the river? You were dealing with an internal crisis. You were gonna die anyway, and you might as well put yourself out of your own misery.

"So what's your name?" You looked into the demons' bright green eyes. They glowed in the moonlight. It was beautiful... just a name couldn't hurt... right?

"They... they call me... Y/N." Of course. That would be the moment. That is the exact moment you are pierced through the heart by an invisible arrow.

Cause in that moment... there in the moonlight. He gave you a smile so bright it oushined the heavens. All from knowing your name.

"Y/N...? I like it! It's beautiful!" He cheered. You blushed behind your mask. He was just... just so...? Enchanting. How could a demon like him possibly be bad?

#mairimashita! iruma kun #welcome to demon school iruma kun #reader #oc #robin bars x reader #robin sensei #robin bars #robin x reader

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tiny-maus-boots · 1 year

Text

Down South pt 3

Stacie:

Stacie peeked around the back corner of their house and took note of where the remaining shooters were located. There weren’t that many but a few had taken cover behind still living tumbleweeds that ringed their courtyard. Without a good line of sight Aubrey would be hard pressed to pick them off. In the end each side would resort to potshots at the other until someone ran out of ammo or they lit the house and barn.

Well that sure as hell wasn’t going to happen on her watch. They had spent good long hours together, sweating and bleeding to build a home from nothing but dirt and clay. It was the proudest work she’d ever done and the most peace she had ever felt and she wasn’t willing to let anyone ruin it for her. For any of them. Stacie gave a soft bird whistle and smiled when a volley of shots rang out from the second floor. Just enough fire to give her cover as she scooted the exposed span from the house to the barn.

She ducked inside and closed the door behind her. Shouts from the bushes let her know they’d seen her and they were planning to flush her out. Stacie chuckled and rolled her eyes at the predictability.

“Men. Always in a rush to get ‘er done.”

The tall brunette ducked down behind a squat platform on wheels and pushed it forward to center it to the door. She stepped up behind it and yanked away the heavy canvas tarp covering her newest baby. Stacie’s fingers traced over the calligraphy lovingly etched on the side of one of the six barrels of her gatling gun.

Southern Hospitality.

Each piece was crafted by her own two hands with the help of the local blacksmith. It had taken her weeks just to figure out how to get the lock cylinder to work and truthfully she’d hadn’t had the chance to try her out. There was a very real possibility that it would blow up in her face from misfires when she turned the crank. And it was still the sexiest damn hardware she’d ever laid eyes on, making her hands itch with anticipation.

“Hello gorgeous.”

Rough voices barked out orders in short staccato bursts. It didn’t worry her none. Stacie whistled a tuneless melody as she lifted the hopper full of rounds and clicked it into place. The activity on the other side of the door became frenzied when the men had finally made their way past the barrage of bullets from the house.

“We know you’re in there, woman. Come without a fight and make this easy. Don’t make us have to hurt you.”

If she had a peso for every time she’d heard that. Stacie snagged a long stalk of hay from the abandoned pile and stuck it between her smiling lips. Well, they’d learn just like the others, she never went down without a fight.

“Well boys, if ya want me you’re gonna hafta just come and get me.”

The doors to the barn rattled ominously, a threat of what would come if they had to come in and get her. They would come in with guns drawn and ready, that was for sure. They might underestimate who exactly they were dealing with but not enough to be that careless and stupid. Stacie didn’t intend to give them a chance to shoot. The moment she saw the doors buckle and start to bow out she started to crank her girl up.

Her lips tugged back wider as her grin turned to a grimace from the loud crack of rapid fire shots blasting through the doors of the barn. Acrid smoke from the gunpowder stung her nostrils, the heat of combustion left her face feeling warm and raw like she’d been too close to a blacksmith’s forge.

Stacie kept cranking until the hopper was empty and the only sounds left were the echoing clacks of spinning barrels rotating through the locking gear. What was left of the lower half of one of the doors creaked in the breeze and promptly fell to the dirt. From where she stood she counted four sets of legs on the ground and none of them were moving.

Careful steps brought her around Southern Hospitality toward the doors. The woman cautiously pushed the door open and peeked out at the damage. They’d need to replace the doors before the cattle arrived, maybe a plank or two out of the front wall but the building stood strong. Stacie gave a testing kick to the foot of one of the men and nodded with satisfaction. Movement by the porch caught her eye and she drew her pistol without thought and fired.

He dropped to the ground with a groan and a curse. Gut shot. No bullet wound was a good one but a gut shot was the worst. The man raises his gun and fired back wildly, making her have to duck back into the barn for cover. Now she was pinned until he either bled out or one of the girls came downstairs to deal with him. She was guessing the latter would be happening very quickly.

It wasn’t long before she heard the soft fluttering chirp of their all clear call. Whatever end that man had met it ended silently and likely by one of Beca’s blades. Stacie pushed the door open wider and scanned the area. Nothing moved save for Beca wiping a knife on the shirt of the man on the porch. They shared a solemn nod as she closed the distance to the house.

“We get all of them?”

“Aubrey says yes.”

“Good enough. Who the hell are they?”

Beca knelt by the man and searched his vest pockets. She sighed and ripped off the badge pinned to his shirt to hold it up. Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Well shit. Stacie holstered her gun and kicked at the man’s leg just out of spite. They looked at each other over the Pinkerton’s body, each refusing to say the smartest course of action.

They could run. They should run.

But she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Stacie couldn’t even bring herself to voice the idea that felt like admitting so much defeat. They broke eye contact when the front door swung open and Chloe and Aubrey shuffled out. Beca silently held out the badge to Chloe and stood back. The redhead shuddered and dropped the badge on the ground as if it burned.

Aubrey wrapped an arm around Chloe’s shoulders and nodded to the men laying scattered around their property with her chin. Her nose wrinkled daintily as she considered all their options. Stacie hoped the blonde wasn’t about to suggest a Christian burial for any of them. She was far past being done with breaking her back for a man. Any man.

“They’ll come looking when this lot doesn’t come back to the pueblo. If they come here they will burn it to the ground if we’re inside or not.”

Chloe shook off the memory that had prompted her statement and hooked her thumbs in her suspenders. If they ran now it wouldn’t matter, everything would still be destroyed. They’d lose everything but their lives and even that wasn’t guaranteed. Stacie tossed her long locks over her shoulder and looked up at the position of the sun. It would be dark soon enough and that would provide them a measure of cover.

“I don’t know about y’all but I’m all out of run. This is our home now, we built this, and I’ll be damned if I like some shiny metal scare me off our land.”

Aubrey gave her a long measuring look before nodding her agreement. Her soft voice carried the weight of all their thoughts.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. A time to be born…”

“And a time to die.”

They finished the verse solemnly. Stacie imagined those Pinkertons would agree. Right up until they realized they would be the ones doing the dying. Aubrey mumbled a soft prayer for them all and placed her hat on her head with firm conviction.

And so their time for peace was at an end, as they were certain to ride into a time of war. Stacie watched the light that had grown in Aubrey’s eyes dim with cold resignation. For now. For now they’d give up their peace. But Stacie would spend every minute until her last bringing that light back if she had to blow up every single Pinkerton that crossed the border.

#pitch perfect #pitch perfect au #stacie conrad #aubrey posen #chloe beale #beca mitchell #wild west series #staubrey #bechloe #bella squared maybe?#maus writes

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thegreatcaptainusopp · 3 months

Text

The Separation

Ao3 link

The Seer, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Sanji

“Fucking shit!”

Sanji staggers to his feet, trying to control his trembling legs. “Shit. Fuck. Fucking shit!”

The adrenaline is still coursing through his system, feeling like fire in his veins. He’d flown for…well, he’s not sure how long, but it had hit him hard again when he’d landed, like he’d been frozen in place and restarted once he met the ground again.

He turns in place, trying to take in his surroundings. He’s in some kind of forest: the trees and plants are all grouped together in close quarters, poking at his back, his knees, his face. He keeps flinching as he moves, the plants brushing against his skin feeling like hidden fingertips, ready to attack him as his back turns.

He stops, squinting out among the trees and trying to find a way out. The sun is out, but the plants are packed so close together in this forest that he’s covered by darkness. Everything seems to converge on him, looming up and out, covering him in shadow, staring down at him with eyes that resemble…

Sanji threads his fingers through his hair, closes his eyes, and shakes his head viciously. “What are you doing?” He hisses to himself, “You’ve been separated from everyone and you don’t know if they’re okay, and you lose it over a forest? Pull yourself together!”

He tugs on his hair, trying to make the pain and the pressure ground him a little, shake feeling back into his bones. Okay. First thing’s first. He needs to get out of here. But how?

He opens his eyes, slowly letting his arms fall back down to his sides. Forests are dangerous: you could be wandering in one for years, right up next to the edge and never know it. If he’s going to pick a direction and move, he needs to be sure he’ll hit the shore. Once he’s there…maybe he’ll hunker down somewhere, then figure out his next move.

Sanji glances around again. Now that he has…some sort of a vague plan, it feels lighter, somehow. The trees don’t loom as large, and he can breathe a little again.

Well. He’s alive, at least, and not badly harmed. He can work with that.

He looks up at the trees, and their vastness, and thinks a little. Maybe if he can get to the top somehow, and look around…maybe he can find out which direction the shore is and head that way.

Plan decided, Sanji makes his way to the closest tree, the lays a hand on the bark, testing its texture. It’s not slippery, not shiny, and seems like it wouldn’t be too difficult to climb.

A memory flashes in his mind. Robin-Chan, laying her hands on the bark of a tree in Skypeia, giving him the vaguest hint of a grin. I can see where we are from the top, She had said, crossing her arms. Just give me a moment.

The memory fills him with warmth. She had still been so new to them then. So quiet and reserved and baffled by them all, slowly coming out of her shell to bless them with true, genuine smiles, and even laughter…

The image of her hands on the tree bark and are abruptly replaced with a different set of hands, bigger ones, that grow and grow and grow, coming towards him at a more rapid pace, until—

“No!”

Sanji comes back into himself, and the pressure on his knees and palms tells him that he’s fallen to the ground. He grips at the dirt, then pushes himself back up, brushing at his shaky knees. I’m fine, he tells himself. So if I’m fine, they’re fine. They’re fine. They’re fine.

He takes a deep breath, then grabs onto a branch, pulling himself up into the tree. He climbs, carefully trying to find a grip with his dress shoes, wincing as his suit gets caught in the branches and rough bark. It’s going to get destroyed for sure…he’s going to have to try another way to put himself back together later.

Unfortunately, the top of the tree can’t handle his weight, so he slowly makes his way back down, muttering, irritated, to himself the whole way. He’s going to have to just pick a direction, at least until he finds a better tree.

Sanji orients himself in a direction and goes, keeping an eye on the trees as he walks past. The crew make their way back into his mind, as they tend to do, and he can feel the simmering worry start to boil over.

It’s possible they didn’t all get hit, right? Brook had, and Franky, and poor Chopper, and—

The image of Robin disappearing right before his eyes slams back into his memory, and it’s enough to almost make him lose his breath. She…he had a duty to protect her, and he had just…

He’d failed. He’d failed her, he’d failed the others, and he’d failed Luffy…

He purposefully draws in a deep breath. The rest of them have to be okay…they were probably on another island too, and they would all make their way back out. They’re smart, they’re capable, and they’re part of Luffy’s crew. He’ll see them again. He will.

The back of Sanji’s neck prickles. Somewhere in the distance, there’s a sharp scuttling sound, getting closer and closer and closer, until…

Sanji whirls around, leg up, a yell of “Hey!” Building in his throat. It dies before it gets out his mouth, and he freezes in place, eyes wide and a sweat instantly breaking across his forehead.

Because there, in front of him, is a giant cockroach. All legs and arms and clicking mandibles and huge.

Sanji breaths out a shaky “oh, hell no,” turns around, and books it. He’s not sticking around to deal with a cockroach, especially a giant one. No way in all the deepest hells of the sea is he dealing with this one.

He can hear the angry chittering behind him, and the falling trees and trampling plants behind him as he’s pursued. “No!” He pants out, continuing to run as fast as his legs can take him. “Go away go away go away go away—”

Another prickle at his neck, and he hears a subtle thwip in the distance. Months of time in Usopp’s company has prepared him well for the sound, and he can feel his body tense in panicked readiness.

With another call of “shit!”, Sanji throws himself to the ground, covering his head just as he feels something fly over him, breeze fluttering his hair. A shriek of…something emerges from behind him, then a thump, then another, before it all goes quiet.

Sanji leaps back to his feet and turns around, battle readiness pumping through his veins, preparing himself for the worst—

There, in front of him, is the corpse of the giant cockroach, half-stuffed into the dirt. It sends a chill up his spine and he instantly averts his gaze. He lands, instead, on another half-buried figure in all black, legs twitching.

Sanji takes a cautious half-step forward. “Hello?” He calls out, hesitant. “Oi, are you—?”

The earth seems to rumble for a second before the figure gives another large twist, and then pops back out of the dirt. Sanji stops in place, body going tense instantly.

The figure turns around, and it looks like a man, a man in full length black armor and a helmet obscuring his face. He stands still for a moment before lifting his arms then maneuvering himself into a self-assured pose.

“Hello!” The man cries, twirling the weapon in his hand. “Are you going to eat that?”

Sanji feels his brow twitch. The man’s energy seems…familiar. “No!” He exclaims, a shiver running up his spine. “You take that!”

The man shrugs. “Suit yourself!” He says, tugging at the cockroach’s large legs.

Sanji quickly looks away. “Oi,” He says, to the general direction of his left. “Who are you, anyway? And where are we?”

The man instantly shoots over to his line of sight. “My name,” he begins, striking another overcomplicated pose “Is Heracles! And you, my good sir, are currently in the forest of Greenstone, on the Boin Archipelago.”

Sanji sighs. “Haven’t been having the greatest luck with Archipelagos,” He mutters, suddenly feeling the great need for a cigarette. “I’m Sanji, by the way. Nice to make your acquaintance, I suppose.”

“Oh yes!” Heracles says, giving a flourishing bow. “How wonderful, how wonderful! If I may ask, how did you get here? And, in all honesty, why would you want to be here to begin with?”

Sanji digs around in his pants pocket, searching for his cigarettes. “It’s kind of a long story,” He says, not really wanting to get into it. “But in summary, I was not sent here by choice, and I need to get out as soon as possible. Oi, Heracles. Know a way out of this place?”

Heracles strikes another pose, somehow even more overstuffed than the first. “It will be treacherous!” He cries, putting a hand to his forehead. “This whole island is inhabited with creatures that will try to eat you…even the plants! Watch out, Sanji-n, or they will defeat you, and you will become food on this island.”

Sanji’s hand hits a mysterious piece of paper in his pocket. “Sure,” He says, distracted, as he fishes it out. “Don’t get eaten. I’m a cook, I think I can handle that. I’ll eat them, instead, nicely seasoned and plated.”

“A cook?” Heracles says, voice rising. “Oh my! Well, you must be extra cautious, as I’m sure the lure of food will appeal to you. You must make sure you stay away from the plants, or my name isn’t,” And here, he goes through the rigmarole of a performance again, ending with a flourish of “Heracles!”

Sanji’s eye twitches again as he folds open the paper. “So you’ve said,” He sighs icily, and peers closer at it. “And—”

He cuts himself off as he recognizes the paper, feeling his eyes widen underneath his bangs. “What the hell,” He mutters, shaking his head. “How do I have a Vivre card?”

Maybe…?

Well. He needs to find a way out of here before he figures out whatever the hell is going on here. “Okay,” He says, leveling a sharp look at Heracles. “I need to get to the shore, all right?”

“Well,” Heracles says. “About that. The island gets more treacherous the further out you go, so you should wait a moment. And I swear to you, upon my name of—”

“I get it!”

“Sanji-n, please reconsider—”

“No.” Sanji says shortly. The cigarette between his fingers has done wonders for his shot nerves. “I told you, I don’t give a single shit about whatever monsters are around here. I’m a bigger monster than any of them. They’ll run away from me, and then I’ll get to the shore and get out.”

“But, if you will wait a moment—”

Heracle’s words at abruptly cut off by the sound of a warbled screech, and a huge plant suddenly leaps at Sanji, petals opening wide to reveal a mouth with jagged, sharp teeth.

Sanji stubs out his cigarette, drawing back a foot and leaping forward, destroying the plant with one kick. “Goddamit,” He laments staring at his half-smoked cigarette. “I could’ve kept this on.”

“Incredible!” Heracles says, sauntering towards him. “You have the heart of a warrior indeed! However, Sanji-n, we’re approaching the Forest of Gluttony, so you may want to remain cautious.”

This makes Sanji stop in place. “The forest of what?”

“Gluttony,” Heracles confirms, then points to the distance. “Look”

Sanji looks. There, beyond the rows and rows and rows of trees is something different. Something colorful.

He breaks into a run, heart beating in double speed as he approaches closer, then stumbles out into a cook’s paradise. There are trees and crops as far as the eye can see, of every color and variety.

“See?” Heracles-n says, crossing his arms like a proud father. “Gluttony. Everything you could ever want to eat, all in one place.”

“How?” Sanji breathes out, staring at the miles and miles of food around him. “This doesn’t make sense. The crop distribution alone…”

He trails off, staring into the distance. Now that he’s closer, the river looks…not right. The color is off, and the smell…it smells like home-cooked meals and comfort.

Heracles nudges him, and he jerks away. “Go look,” He says simply. “You will not believe your eyes.”

Sanji glares at him, but moves closer anyway. The smell grows stronger, and Sanji is strongly reminded of Zeff, and of the times he’d given him lessons on comfort food.

You feed the body, He’d said, putting broth into a pot. But you also feed the soul. Food for comfort is the best thing you could offer a soul.

Sanji kneels down near the river, stares at the noodles and broth and vegetables, then collapses back into a sitting position in shock. “That’s ramen,” He says, stammering, then again. “That’s ramen.”

“Yes,” And that’s Heracles next to him, out of nowhere. “Fascinating, isn’t it?”

Fascinating? Hah. Fascinating…

Sanji leaps back up instantly. “Quickly!” He says, glancing around desperately. “Bowls! We need…anything that can hold this! Before it goes bad!”

“It won’t.”

Sanji clenches his fists. “What?”

“It won’t,” Heracles responds, shrugging. “I don’t know how it works, but it doesn’t go bad. It never smells off. All the food here is perfect, in pristine condition. Well. That’s the Grand Line for you!”

Sanji shakes his head, numb. “How? Why?”

“How, I don’t know,” Heracles says. “Why? Well. The island need to fatten up its prey before it eats them. This is how it does so.”

Sanji crushes the half-finished cigarette still in his hand. “Food?” He asks, voice hoarse. “It uses food? To kill people?”

“Well,” Heracles says. “Indirectly, I suppose. But yes. So be cautious, will you?”

Sanji stands there for a few moments, takes a few shallow breath, then turns on his heel and storms in the opposite direction.

“Sanji-n, wait!” He hears behind him, but he ignores it. Instead, he moves forward with even more renewed energy and motivation, body so tense that he’s starting to get a headache.

I have to get out of here, he thinks, then says aloud “I have to get off this fucking island!”

“What kind of fucking island is this?”

“Language!” Heracles protests, shaking his head. “Foul words won’t solve anything.”

“Who asked you?” Sanji growls, squinting in the distance.

“Who am I? Well, I’m—”

“That’s not what I asked!” Sanji snaps. “Anyway. Are you going to help me or not?”

Heracles is behind him, so Sanji can’t see what he’s doing. The tone of his voice sounds hesitant, though. “Sanji-n, I would of course he honored to help you, however—”

“If you’re not going to help,” Sanji snaps. “Then leave me alone. I need to get out of here, I have people who need me!”

He thinks about all that food, just lying there in the distance, luring people in until they’re ready to be eaten themselves. His jaw clenches.

“You’re going to the shore?”

Sanji glances back. “Yeah,” He says gruffly. “Like I said. I’m going to leave. So I need to sail out. Is it this way, or not?”

“Yes,” Heracles says, still hesitant. “We should arrive any moment, actually. But—”

Sanji just goes faster, practically running at this point. He can get there, try to figure out to do with a vessel, and then just…

Just what? Just go, without navigation?

He clutches the Vivre card in his pocket. Well. He does have some sort of navigation, right? He can go until he gets to the destination, or until he finds something familiar. Either way, it’s the best plan he’s got.

“Sanji-n, wait—”

The forest runs out with a suddenness that trips him up. One moment, he’s fighting through the trees, and the next, he’s stumbled over a tree root and fallen onto sand and open beach, and it’s so unexpected and welcome that he feels a smile grow across his face. “Yes!” He cheers, forgetting his hanger-on that follows him onto the beach. “Made it!”

He hurries right up to the surf, squinting into the distance. If he can chart some sort of path that’ll lead back here, then maybe he can try to see if Heracles has a vessel he can use, then—

A hand grabs the back of his jacket. “Sanji-n!”

Sanji can only squeak out an indignant “Hey!” before he’s dragged backwards with a speed that shocks him. There’s a prickling at the back of his neck, and then everything begins to shake, sudden and strong, and Sanji is instantly thrown to his knees.

“Get up!” He dragged back to his feet and tugged back and back and back until he’s surrounded by green again, by trees and forest and flora.

Heracles flings him towards a tree. “Hang on!” He cries, and Sanji does, clutching as hard as he can as the ground ripples and shakes, and muted roar sounding in the distance.

He doesn’t know how long he hangs on, but eventually the shaking lessens in intensity, before gradually wearing down and stopping completely.

Sanji takes a breath to find his solidity before shooting back up on his feet. “What the fuck was that?” He yells, marching towards Heracles, who had been clutching a tree of his own. “What the fuck?”

Heracles doesn’t mention his language this time. “It’s the island,” He replies, pulling himself back up and dusting himself off. “I’m sure you may have noticed…it’s alive, you know. You think it’ll let us go again that easily?”

Sanji’s teeth clench. “I don’t care!” He snaps. “I’m not letting this shitty little island make me stay. Like I said, I have people who rely on me, two of which are the most gorgeous women you’ve ever seen!”

“Oh?” Heracles says with interest. “Really?”

“Yes!” Sanji exclaims, heart filling at the thought of Nami-San and Robin-Chan. “They’re beautiful, and kind, and wonderful and need to be looked after! The others too, I guess. But, you see, I’m the cook. They all need me!”

“Sanji-n,” Heracles says, tone serious. “I understand. I’m trying to leave as well, but you must listen. This island is going to try to get you to stay. This island is going to try to tempt you into growing so that it can eat you with satisfaction. This island is actively working against us, trying to keep us here. It will take time.”

Sanji shakes his head. “I don’t have time!” He snaps. “I—”

“You don’t have a choice,” Heracles says, gentle, but firm. “Look. I have been working on a way out. I have a vessel that I’m working on. I have a route out that I’m planning. But, so that I don’t die in the process, I need time to build the plan. Help me, and we will leave together. That’s a promise from me, Heracles!”

Sanji barely notices the pose this time. It’s like there’s a line of panic running through his brain, and it’s chanting leave leave leave leave and it’s difficult to keep it quiet.

But on the other hand…

Sanji knows, logically, that Hercales is right. If he’s learned anything during his time on the crew, it’s that sometimes, lying in wait is the best thing he can do. How many times has he separated from the crew, then reappeared at the best time to help them? It’s a concept he’s very familiar with. It’s just…this time, he doesn’t know where they are, what they’re doing, if they’re okay…

He can’t spiral. The sooner he cooperates with Heracles, the sooner he can leave. This is his only shot.

“So?” Heracles asks, arms folded, cocking us head to the side in a move that evokes Chopper, somehow. “What are you going to do?”

What do I do?

The question plagues him. It plagues him as he follows Heracles through the forest, gathering supplies and building shelter. It plagues him as he attempts to put meals together from the things they hunt and plants they pick, even though Heracles gushes over the food. It plagues him as he fights day and night, defeating giant carnivorous plants and insects that he can feel crawling all over his skin, even after he kills them. It plagues him as he tries to stay clean and put together, desperately but delicately washing his suit daily even though he knows it can’t be saved. It plagues him whenever he catches the telltale smells of the forest of gluttony, making sure to turn away as soon as he can. It plagues him as they slowly work on the ship that Heracles had marooned on, trying to get it back to working order without altering the island to their plans.

It plagues him for a few weeks, following him around like a shadow, sneaking its way into his dreams.

He hasn’t known Heracles for very long, but the man seems to have keen enough senses, and knows instinctively that something is wrong with him. So, he gently tells him it’s time to leave the suit behind (we’ll get you some new clothes, Sanji-n) and follows his lead to avoid the forest of gluttony (ah, it was that way, Sanji-n), and tries to console him as they slowly work on their escape plan (soon, Sanji-n. The ship will be ready soon. You’ll see.)

At some point, though, enough is enough. And enough happens during a very normal day, consisting of Sanji looking up at the trees again.

This has been happening more frequently as of late, but Sanji can’t help it. As they trudge through the forest, his mind keeps going back to the image of Robin-Chan, hand on the bark, saying I can see where we are from the top.

He tugs on his new, hastily cobbled shirt, trying to get used to the itching. Maybe if he could do that, could navigate this goddamn shitty forest by himself, maybe he could actually make this thing go faster…

“Sanji-n? Are you thinking of the trees again?”

Sanji is snapped back to reality by Heracles’ concerned voice. “Yeah,” He shrugs. “When am I not? Can’t escape them here, after all.”

Heracles looks back at him, and then back up at the trees. His pace doesn’t slow as he leads them through with sure steps. “And you want to get to the top, you say?”

“Yeah,” Sanji says. “That way…I’ll have a good lay of the land. I’ll always know where the sea is.”

“Then why don’t you go?” Heracles says, still looking up at the trees as he walks. “Go up. What do you have to lose?”

“What?” Sanji asks, bewildered, looking back down at the ground. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Heracles says, voice steady and sure. “That you’re stuck here for the foreseeable future, correct? So, you might as well make the best of it. Learn how to make it to the top. Learn the fastest way to defeat the new enemies here. It’ll serve you well when you return.”

Sanji pauses mid stride. His gaze lifts from his new, wooden shoes, up to the tree closest to him.

I can see where we are from the top.

A grin spreads over his face: some joy, mostly determination. “You know what?” He says, crouching low. “You may have a point there, Heracles. And you know what I think?”

Heracles has paused too, a little ahead of him now. “What?”

“I’m not the strongest climber,” He says, tensing his legs. “I save my upper body strength for my food. But…if I can jump high enough…”

“Yes!” Heracles cheers, catching on to his plan. “Yes, indeed! Learn to fly, Sanji-n! Learn to fly!”

A few days after Sanji’s newfound determination, something happens.

He’s made good progress during the last few days: going up is not all that different than going through, with the exception of the extra enemy that is gravity. But he’s working on it: gaining height every day, getting closer to the top, using everything around him for momentum.

Heracles had also introduced him to a species of plant on the island, one that he called Pop Greens. “They’re useful as ammo,” He’d said, then visibly drooped. “You don’t use ammo though, do you?”

“No,” Sanji had said, staring at them thoughtfully. “I know some people who do, though. I’ll get back to you on those. For now: I have others things to work on.”

It’s at that moment, as he’s readying himself for another try, that something hits the top of his head. It’s not heavy, and doesn’t hurt much, but it’s enough for him to stop in his tracks, out a hand to his head, and stare indignantly at the sky. “Oi!”

“What?” Heracles pops up, covered in some sort of gunk from the aftermath of a bug battle. “What is it?”

“Something fell,” Sanji mutters, scanning the forest floor. “Fell on my goddamned…”

He trails off, seeing a small heap of white paper somewhere next to him. “What is this?”

Heracles approaches it cautiously, picking it up from the forest floor. “Oh!” He says. “Its a newspaper. Well, I haven’t read one of these in ages!”

Sanji had, in the month and a half or so he’d been here, filled Heracles in on some things here and there, but not more than that. Heracles is nice enough, but he doesn’t quite know if he can trust him with everything yet. Including certain world events, and his own identity and crew.

Heracles flips open the newspaper. “Hm,” He says. “It’s a bit of an older one…must’ve fallen out of a trash heap somewhere. I see there’s been a confrontation between the pirates and Marines…oh. Whitebeard has passed. A damn shame…”

Sanji sidles closer, curious despite himself. “What are they saying?” He asks, peering over Heracles’ shoulder.

Heracles steps to the side, allowing him access. “Look,” He says. “It was at Marineford.” He flips over a few more pages. “Several crews were involved, it seems, including…”

He flips another page, and Sanji’s heart drops. “Wait!” He says, and pulls the paper closer. Because there, on the page, is—

Sanji takes a shuddering breath. He can feel a relieved smile break across his face. “You’re all right,” He breathes out, automatically reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigarette. “And…okay. Fine.”

He returns the newspaper to a befuddled Heracles. “It’s okay,” He tells him, lifting a slightly shaking cigarette to his lips. “We’ll go on your schedule. I have about a year and a half or so in time now, so I can wait a little longer.”

“A year and a half?” Heracles asks, still baffled. “Why?”

Sanji blows the cigarette smoke out through his mouth, letting the nicotine calm him. “Heracles,” He says, “I’m going to tell you the story about a pirate in a straw hat…”

It doesn’t take long after that, only a few weeks, for the worst to happen.

“No,” Sanji says frantically, knees pressed up to his chest, one hand in his hair, the other clenched over the object in his palm. “No no no no no…”

“Sanji-n!” And there’s Heracles, shaking his shoulders, clearly terrified. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Unwell?”

Sanji lifts his head up, feeling the wetness in the corner of his eyes. The late afternoon sun’s rays dip, visible even beneath all the trees. “It’s happened,” He says, voice breaking.

“What?” Heracles says, looking seriously concerned now. “What’s happened?”

Sanji’s hand clenches, and he lifts it up, showing Heracles the empty box in his palm. “My cigarettes,” He says, voice shaking. “I’m out. I’m completely out.”

“Oh,” Heracles says, a slightly puzzled tone to his voice. “Ah, well. You’ve been smoking less these days, anyway.”

“Yeah,” Sanji wails, putting his head down on his knees again. “Because I had to! Because I was running out! Hey,” And he looks back up, a sudden thought occurring to him. “You think that we could find any nicotine growing around here?”

“I do not,” Heracles says, an amused note entering his voice. “Ah, well. Not to worry, Sanji-n. I, Heracles, will assist you through any withdrawals you may have. And who knows, you may find that your sense of taste may be altered by this change, which will help you with your cooking skills.”

Sanji humphs. “I suppose so,” He aquiesces, leaning back against the tree. “I’ll get more when we return, I guess.”

“I can check again,” Heracles offers, sitting on the ground in front of him. “The forest of gluttony sometimes has—”

“Pass,” Sanji says stiffly, avoiding eye contact. “I’ll just wait until we’re out of here.”

He sees Heracles shrug from the corner of his eye. “Whatever you say, Sanji-n,” He says. “It’s your choice, completely.”

Sanji nods, settling back out against the tree. Silence falls between them, but Sanji can practically feel Heracles preparing to say something.

He’s proven correct soon after. “So, I’ve noticed something,” Heracles says, leaning forward from his sitting position. “Now, you don’t need to explain anything to me at all, Sanji-n. Not if you don’t want to. But…I’ve noticed that the forest of gluttony makes you uncomfortable. And, as you are a cook, this surprised me. I would’ve thought you’d be interested in the food there.”

Sanji really wants a cigarette right about now. “It’s none of your business!” He snaps. “So I don’t want to go there? So what?”

Heracles puts up a hand in surrender. “It’s fine,” He says. “You don’t want to go. No problem with that. I just noticed, that’s all.”

“Oh, you noticed?” Sanji says, voice rising abruptly, without his permission. “You noticed that it’s all sorts of fucked up that this fucking island is using food to kill people? That it’s taking advantage of hunger? That it just…creates food out of nowhere and so many people don’t have that but it still uses that to hurt and kill? That it—”

He catches himself mid-yell, almost swallowing the words back just as they emerge. Heracles just sits and watches without saying a word. Sanji wishes he could see his face, get an idea of what he’s thinking, what expression he’s wearing.

The guilt hits him quick. “Sorry,” He says, dropping his voice down to a normal volume, hushed even. “I didn’t mean to do that. Sorry.”

He really needs a cigarette.

“Not to worry, Sanji-n,” Heracles says, and the gentleness to his tone makes Sanji feel even worse. “We all have our things to work on, hm? You can tell good old Heracles about them any time. Or not. Whatever you want.”

Sanji hadn’t known how badly this was affecting him, even now. “Yeah,” He says. Then, even more quietly. “Thanks.”

He’s going to have to face it at some point. He’s got over a year left here, he’s going to have to go back there eventually. And face it. Eventually.

Sanji looks back up at the sky. But not today.

“Hey, Heracles,” He says, maneuvering himself back to his feet. “I’m gonna work on getting up there, okay? I’ve been doing pretty well with that.”

“I noticed!” Heracles says, standing up with him then shooting him an enthusiastic thumbs up. “I saw you run up into the sky! You’ll get this in no time at all.”

Sanji nods at him before turning, revving up, and running, putting on a burst of speed and power that propels him into the sky. He goes, up and up and up and up, until he finds a sturdy branch.

He sits, watching as the sun sets into the tops of the trees in the forest around him. He’s almost there, almost reached the very top of the forest, but that hadn’t been his goal today. He just…he needs to think. To remember.

He takes a deep breath, faces of his crew flipping though his mind. That, more than anything, works wondering on steadying his racing and anxious heart. You better be safe, he thinks, for what feels like the millionth time. You better be safe.

They’re all strong, they’re all capable, they’re all—

The image of Usopp, eyes bandaged, throwing rocks and stumbling around, unsure, slams into his mind. I’m trusting you, He thinks. And in all your capabilities to be okay. If not, I’ll kill you myself.

He has to admit, he does miss them. All of them. Even the Marimo—

Sanji scrunches up his face in disgust. Ugh. Never mind.

He leans back against the branch, chuckling softly at the slowly darkening sky.

“Won’t be long now,” He tells the forest. “I’ll see you all soon.”

Everything changes on the day that she appears.

He’s about a year and a few months in now, he thinks. And in that time, he’s been laser focused on getting better. Better at everything. Better at fighting, at facing the bugs and plants head on. Better at running, and flying. He’d made it to the tops of the trees ages ago, and now he’s thinking bigger, beyond the trees and into the sky.

Better at managing the forest of gluttony, at walking in without feeling the overpowering urge to run, at using what he can find in there to make the dishes he can string up here more interesting. He’s been forced back to the most basic of ingredients and techniques, which has proved a welcome challenge to keeps things fresh, new, and different.

Sanji is…well, he’s not all right, per se. He’s managing, he’s fine. He’s counting down the days until he leaves, until he can put what he’s learned here into practice but also while feeling like himself again.

There’s been one thing, besides the obvious stuff, that’s been bothering him, though. And that is…

“It’s been over a year!” Sanji laments, flopping dramatically to the ground. “A whole full year!”

“So you’ve said,” Heracles says, distractedly gathering his pop greens. He’s used to this countdown by now.

Sanji stares up at the visible sun from beyond the trees. “A full year plus,” He groans. “With no women!”

“With no anyone,” Heracles chimes in, tone completely unbothered. “It’s just you and I on this island, partner.”

Sanji snaps back up into a seating position. “I know!” He yells. “And that’s whatever. But not a single woman for over a year! I’m dying here! I’m so empty! Meaningless!”

“Sure,” Heracles says mindlessly, examining a pop green critically. “Less than a year to go, Sanji-n. Do not worry.”

“Oh,” Sanji cries, falling on his back again. “If only my will was strong enough. Maybe, just maybe, I could summon a woman here to—”

“Watch out!”

Sanji doesn’t even register the words, too used to hearing just his and Heracles’ voices than anything else doesn’t even seem to reach him. By the time he realizes something has been said, a large weight has hit his face and he instantly gasps in pain, sitting up as it leaves his face. “What the hell?” He said, siting back up, clutching his smarting nose and readying for battle. “What was—”

“I said watch out!” The tone is upset, weary. “You didn’t listen!”

The voice knocks around Sanji’s skull, starting with not-Heracles and moving to not-man leading to…

Sanji’s head snaps around, all pain instantly forgotten. “A woman!” He cries, searching for her. “My prayers have been answered! Thank you, gods above, for listening to—”

He trails off as his gaze finally lands on the new individual, the first person he’s talked to outside of Heracles in over a year. His mouth snaps shut instantly.

Because standing in front of him is not a woman, but a girl. A little girl, no more than ten, with bright pink hair, small drawn lips, and a truly impressive scowl. She looks bedraggled and waterlogged, but that doesn’t seem to faze her one bit. “Hey!” She snaps at him. “What gives?”

Sanji tips his head back to the sky. “That’s cruel!” He wails. “You know I meant!”

“No matter,” Heracles says, cautiously approaching the girl. “Young one, how are you here? When did you arrive?”

Sanji looks back to the girl. Horror instantly fills him as he sees tears form in her eyes. “I’m a pirate captain,” She burbles out, angrily swiping at her eyes. “And…and I got caught by another pirate. A bad one. Blackbeard.”

Sanji stills. “Blackbeard?” He asks softly, images from his time in Marineford filling his memories.

“Yes,” The girl says, locking him in a defiant, teary glare. “But…they were gonna take me and my crew to the Marines. And…their ship flipped over and I was drowning and couldn’t control where I was going and then—”

“And then you ended up here,” Heracles continues, hand over his heart. “Oh, you poor child. Not to worry, you’re safe here. Sanji-n and I will protect you.”

The girl sniffs, wiping at her eyes again. “I don’t know you,” she says angrily. “How can I trust you? Stay away from me!”

Sanji stands up slowly, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible. “Hey,” He says, trying to stay calm. “I understand. We’re strangers, and you do whatever you need to do to be safe.” He moves a little closer, waiting until he’s a couple paces away to crouch down so that she’s at eye level. He makes sure to stand out of reaching distance. “But it’s dangerous here, so let’s stick together, okay? We’re the only residents of the island, and it’s carnivorous.”

“Wait?” The girl says, eyes widening. “The island? It wants to eat us?”

Sanji gives her a small smile. “Yeah,” He says. “We’re tying to get out of here too, but it’s going to take time. When we leave, do you want to come with us?”

The girl stays silent, eyeing him wearily. “Okay,” She finally says. “For now. But, if you cross me—”

Sanji nods. “Understood,” He says, mind whirling. He needs to make sure she doesn’t stay scared of them. “What’s your name, anyway?”

“…Jewelry Bonney,” The girl says after a slight pause. “And you?”

“I’m Sanji,” Sanji says, pointing towards himself. He gestures in Heracles’ direction. “And that’s—”

“My name! Oh, you wish to know my name, Bonney-n? It’s—”

“That’s Heracles,” Sanji interrupts, to Hercales’ disappointed wail. “We both got marooned here too. He’s been here longer than me, though.”

“How long?” Bonney sniffs, curiosity helping keep her tears at bay.

“Oh,” Heracles says, always recovered from the disappointment of not saying his name. “Ages, Bonney-n. Ages! But, if I may ask, how did someone as young as you become a pirate captain? It’s quite an impressive feat.”

Bonney’s young face grows serious. “Cause of my dad,” She says. “I want to be a great pirate so that we can meet again. And,” She looks around conspiratorially. “I have a devil fruit ability.”

Sanji nods enthusiastically. “That’s interesting, Bonney-Chan!” He says. “What do you have?”

Even though it’s unusual to be a pirate captain at such a young age, Sanji has seen stranger things during his time on the Grand Line. He’s not sure if he believes her 100% yet, but he thinks he does, mostly.

Plus, she’s a little girl that needs help. Sanji will never, ever ignore that call.

“This!” Bonney says, scrunching up her face. There, right before their eyes, she begins to transform: shooting up taller, face thinning out, hair growing longer, until…

A young woman stands before them, early twenties at most, waving happily. “See?” She says, and even her voice has matured, although there’s a lilt of childishness to the quality. “I can do it to me, and other people too. I can make anyone younger or older!”

“Incredible!” Heracles exclaims. “Phenomenal! What an fabulous ability!”

“Really?” Bonney says, scratching her head disbelievingly. “I mean, it’s cool and all, but maybe not that cool.”

Sanji smiles at her. She seems to be getting comfortable, at least. “I think it’s cool, Bonney-Chan,” He says. “But keeping a different form all the time must get tiring, right? You can switch back to yourself if you want.”

Bonney nods, face scrunching up again as she grows shorter, regaining her baby fat and youthful expression.

“I still don’t trust you,” He says suddenly, eyeing them wearily. “But I guess we have to work together to get out of here, right? So…let’s work together, for now. If you mess with me, I’ll make you a hundred years old!”

Sanji nods encouragingly. “Deal,” He says. “Do you have any more questions for us?”

Bonney nods. “Yeah, I have a question.”

Sanji grins at her. “Yes, Bonney-Chan?”

“Where’s the food?” She asks, a sunny grin finally splitting her face.

Getting Bonney-Chan changes life on Boin entirely.

For one, having someone under his protection on here has a huge impact on his day to day life. It’s dangerous here, even more so for children, and Sanji has to make sure that Bonney-Chan stays safe and that she can get back to her family.

So, he takes night watches where he hadn’t before, faces the bugs he’d rather not face (as it turned out, Bonney-Chan was also terrified of them), and goes into the forest of gluttony with increasing frequency (growing children need more nutrients, after all).

It’s funny how having a child around can change you, practically overnight.

Bonney-Chan herself also changes the more they get to know her. At first prickly and cautious, she slowly grows to trust them as they continue to show her that they are no threat, and can even be allies. Her true personality starts to shine through: cheerful, hopeful, and extremely intelligent, especially for her age. She also loves a good meal, to Sanji’s joy.

Getting to know Bonney-Chan also confirms that she is, in fact, an actual pirate captain. She begins to tell them stories of her adventures, of getting her crew, of her worries about their safety and their whereabouts.

Sanji can definitely relate, and tells her so. She’d heard of their crew before, and had not been pleased about it (their reputation, Sanji learns, is not particularly stellar, especially after Marineford) but Sanji had brought her around, particularly with his recountings of Luffy’s exploits. They’re so alike that Sanji needs to double take about it sometimes.

The biggest shock of all, however, is learning of Bonney’s father. She had been, as she often did, waxing poetic about her father and his kindness and love.

“…and then Dad used his devil fruit power,” She says, cross legged and grinning toothily. “And sent the guy far away, and—”

Sanji’s heart drops to his gut at the words. “Bonney-Chan,” He interrupts gently, jaw clenching in his attempt to keep calm. “What did you say your father’s devil fruit power was, again?”

Bonney-Chan blinks at him. “Oh,” She says, only a hint of suspicion in her voice. “He has a paw that sends people away.”

Sanji’s heart beats faster. “Is your father,” He begins, hesitant. “Bartholomew Kuma?”

Bonney-Chan’s eyes widen. “Yes,” She says cautiously. “Do you know him? He’s a warlord and all, but—”

“Kuma?” Heracles pipes in, swinging into the conversation with gusto. “Bonney-n, this is wonderful news! He’s a friend of mine, you know?”

“What?” Bonney-Chan says, sitting up straighter.

“What?” Sanji echoes, an ominous feeling growing in his chest.

“Oh, yes,” Heracles says, launching into his tale enthusiastically. “He’d come to visit here on occasion, and would meet me! He’s a good man, Bonney-n.”

Bonney’s smile grows tearful. “Yeah,” She says. “Which is why I need to save him, you see? I need to save him!”

Sanji sighs, running a hand through his hair. Maybe this is a bad idea, but…the coincidence is too strong to stay silent about it. “I know him too,” He finally admits. “He sent me here. He attacked my crew and sent each of us somewhere different.”

There’s a short silence, then:

“Oh!” Heracles says, a hand over his heart. “What excellent news bring us together today, my friends! We all have in common a good friend in Bartholomew Kuma.”

Sanji shoots a quick side glance to Bonney-Chan before replying. “Well…he did attack us, though. I’m not sure why, however, and he did seem to give me a Vivre card as he sent me away…”

“The Vivre card is from Kuma?” Heracles asks, and Bonney-Chan immediately runs to Sanji’s side.

“My father gave you a Vivre card?” She demands, crossing her arms sternly. “Will it lead to him?”

Sanji shrugs helplessly. “I don’t know,” He says, mind whirling with the possibilities. “It’s possible, I guess. But I don’t know why, because I don’t know why he would give it to me. Why would he attack us, then provide us a way out?”

“He was trying to help you!” Bonney-Chan exclaims, eyes fiery. “I don’t know why or how, but he was! Why else would he send you here to Heracles and make sure you could leave? My father is a good man, and whatever he was doing, it was to help you.”

Sanji sighs. “If you say it, Bonney-Chan,” He says. “Then it’s true. I believe you.”

“So will you help him back?” Bonney-Chan demands. “When I come back with you, I’ll follow you to him. And then help me save him? He’s in trouble, and I need to save him!”

“I suppose,” Sanji says, deep in thought. “I can’t make you go there by yourself.” He gives her a searching look. “I’ll help you get better at fighting too, if you want.”

Bonney-Chan’s chest puffs up in indignation. “I can fight!” She says hotly. “I can use Haki, too!”

This catches Sanji’s attention. “Haki?” He asks, remembering Rayleigh’s words on the subject, Usopp’s extraordinary abilities, the prickling he sometimes gets on the back of his own neck…

“Haki,” He repeats, frustrated. “Why does it always come back to Haki?”

“It’s accessible to anyone, Sanji-n,” Heracles chimes in. “A good tool to learn in a world full of devil fruit users.”

Sanji nods, a plan forming in his mind. “Bonney-Chan,” He says, crouching back down in front of her and meeting her eyes. “I need to ask a favor from you. Will you help teach me how to use Haki?”

Bonney-Chan nods fiercely. “Yes,” She says. “And…fine. You train me to fight better, deal? So I won’t be captured by any other pirate ever again. We’ll help each other, and then help my dad.”

Sanji sticks out his hand, pinky up. “Deal,” He says.

Bonney-Chan grins, then sticks out her own pinky, giving his a firm shake.

Sanji nods at her, then moves out of his crouch, stretching. “Ready to start?” He asks.

“I’m ready whenever you are, Sanji!” Bonney-Chan says, grinning wide. “Let’s work on some Haki!”

“All right!” Heracles stands on the completed ship, pointing at the sea. “Are you ready to set sail, my fellow seaworthy comrades!”

“Ready!” Bonney cheers, arms in the air.

“Let me finish inventory!” Sanji snaps from the back of the ship. “We need to make sure we have everything we need!”

Heracles glances at the two of them, hands on his hips. “Bonney-n!” He proclaims. “Tell Sanji-n to have some fun for once!”

“Have some fun for once!” Bonney parrots as Sanji finishes the last of his count.

“Oi, old man!” Sanji snaps, making his way to the front of the small ship. “You’re a full grown adult! Don’t bring her into your idiocy! We’re all ready now, anyway.”

“Excellent!” Heracles says, voice dropping its boisterous quality. “Now. Do we know the plan?”

“Yes!” Bonney cheers again.

“Yes,” Sanji says, with less enthusiasm.

Heracles claps his hands together. “Good, good,” He says. “Excellent. This plan has been a long time in the making for me, and I trust nobody more to help me execute it. Both of you have saved my life, enriched it in so many more ways than one. I owe you both more than you will ever know.”

“Heracles…” Sanji begins, but Heracles puts a hand out to silence him.

“Please accept my gratitude, Sanji-n,” Heracles says, laughing back to his regular, boisterous self. “Now. Hoist the sails, team! Let us sail out into the sea, and back home! Sanji-n, the Vivre card if you please.”

“Aye aye!” Bonney says, saluting.

Sanji ruffles Bonney’s hair. “Aye aye” He repeats, passing the card to Heracles. He looks out to the sea. I’m on my way he thinks, breathing deep. I’m coming home.

Chapter 6

#one piece #op #Sanji #one piece fic #op fic #speaks

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casualjacobwrites · 20 days

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FFXIV Write 2024 Prompt #3 - Tempest

Continued from Prompt #2.

More specific spoilers for patches 5.4 and 6.0 in this one. Didn't make the deadline on this one, but fortunately the deadlines don't start until September 8. Also, these are unedited and rushed (which is the idea!) so there's likely some mistakes, grammatical and otherwise.

Reminder: I'm taking on the added challenge of trying to weave the prompts into a continuous story rather than separate little entries. I probably will write other things during this month, but the idea for bringing Emmanellain and Sicard together amid a huge crisis is, for right now, really making my brain happy. If it works, I'll edit it all and make it a proper story.

Word Count: 1,537

Sicard lowered the spyglass with a curse then shouted, "All hands on deck!"

The collected crew rejoined with a collective "Aye aye," and ran off in separate directions. The Roegadyn woman who'd reassured Honoroit earlier began pulling at a large canvas cover to reveal one of the cannons aboard the ship. The lalafell man climbed the mast with surprising nimbleness for one of his diminutive stature. He managed to reach the crow's nest within half a minute and set up with a spyglass aimed in the direction of the smoke. A moment later a bell sounded, the rapid clanging loud enough to rouse anyone from the deepest sleep. A slender elezen man with deeply tanned skin repeated the captain's call for all hands on deck.

"Lafotal, the moment you see anythin' you tell me," Sicard shouted to crow's nest.

"Aye, captain!"

"Wastgeim, get the cannons prepped, an' don't be stingy with the powder this time."

The roegadyn woman paused in her work long enough to give a quick salute. "Aye, captain!"

"Cannons? I-is that really necessary?" Emmanellain followed Sicard back to the helm so closely the hyur swore he could feel the lordling's breath on his neck.

"Don't know yet," he said, his eyes locked toward the bow. "But I'd rather have 'em ready and not need 'em than to have a hole blown in my ship."

"The ship is on fire. They need help, not weapons."

Sicard inhaled sharply while grinding his teeth. Even in the middle of a crisis he manages to find a way to vex me. Out loud he asked, "And how does a ship catch fire?" He gestured in the direction of the distressed vessel.

"I-I don't know," Emmanellain stammered. "An accident?"

"Could be," Sicard allowed. "But could also be they were attacked by another ship we can't see waitin' to ambush and rob us. Worse, it might be someone set it up to lure in unsuspectin' crews so they can kill everyone on board and take our ship for their own. So forgive me for thinkin' about protectin' ourselves first."

"That's ludicrous! Who on earth would set their own ship on fire in the middle of the ocean as a trap?"

For a long moment Sicard was too stunned to respond. When he regained his ability to speak, his words came out in a roar. "Pirates, you bloody imbecile!" A throbbing pain shot through his temple and he knew his face must be red. " There's no trick in the book too low down or dirty for anyone greedy enough to try, an' I should know. I used to be a pirate."

Emmanellain stared at him, his mouth twisting in horror. "Did…did you ever hurt people like that?"

Sicard started to say, "Of course I did," but when he noticed the way the other man looked at him, his speech failed. Emmanellain had of course known he was a pirate, but this was the first time he'd been forced to consider what that meant and it had repulsed him.

Never before in his life had Sicard been so consumed by shame and guilt. Sure, he had turned over a new leaf after running afoul of the Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. He and his crew had provided vital aid during the End of Days and for the first time he could say they had made a positive difference in the world. Yet, in the back of his mind he carried the reminder of his past misdeeds and the knowledge he could never truly atone for the many terrible things he had done. Each day since his duel with Admiral Bloefhiswyn he'd dealt with a constant swirling undercurrent of regret, but now it was turning into a raging tempest of sorrow and self hatred. To know Emmanellain de Fortemps thought lesser of him as a man cut far deeper than he wanted to admit.

"This is hardly the time or place to discuss that," he snarled. So what if some Ishgardian noble thought he was a monster? What did the spoiled second son of House Fortemps know about his life? No one who lived in luxury could ever understand why he made the choices he did. "I've got a job to do. You and Honoroit need to get belowdecks 'til I give the all clear."

"No."

Sicard swore his neck muscles creaked as he slowly turned his head toward Emmanellain. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I want to help." His reply was earnest and spoken as if it was the most natural thing.

"Did you miss the part where I said we might be headin' into a trap?" He shook his head. "No offense, mate, but you have neither the stomach nor the skill for fightin', an' if this all goes to pot I can't be worried about you gettin' a splinter."

"I'll have you know fought in the Dragonsong War alongside the Warrior of Light!" Emmanellain's voice grew higher in pitch, an obvious sign of his wounded pride.

Sicard slammed his hand against the wheel and whirled to face the elezen. He leaned in until their faces were mere ilms apart and growled, "Get your arse belowdecks 'fore I kick it down there for you."

Just as Emmanellain's mouth opened to respond, another voice interrupted. "I got the supplies, my lord." Amid all the chaos and arguing Sicard hadn't noticed Honoroit had slipped away. The manservant stepped onto the quarterdeck carrying a large leather sack.

"What in the hells is that?"

"Apothecary supplies," Emmanellain replied. "Potions, poultices, bandages, and anything one might need in an emergency."

The smug grin on his face was doing little to keep Sicard's urge to deck him at bay. "An' what am I supposed to do with that?"

"You said it yourself. You don't know what might happen when we get to that ship, but regardless of if we're rendering aid or drawn into battle, you're going to need healing." He waited for Honoroit to set the bag on the ground then crouched down to rifle through its contents. After pulling out a selection of vials, he slipped them into slots in his belt and stood. "I'm no conjurer, but I am trained in basic field medicine and can still help."

"No, no, too dangerous." Sicard refused to budge. The thought of Emmanellain being injured or worse filled him with an odd sort of anxiety. He ignored the little voice inside him that said his worry had nothing to do with the potential loss of profit from their new business venture. "Both of you should stay below."

"Now see here--"

Honoroit raised his voice to interrupt his master. "If I might make a suggestion, Master Spence?"

Sicard scrubbed a hand over his face. It was bad enough to deal with the lordling's thick skull, but the younger elezen was too clever by half. "What? An' keep in mind we don't have much time."

The manservant nodded. "What my lord said about his experience in the Dragonsong War is true."

"Thank you," Emmanellain cut in.

"Yes, my lord is quite adept at keeping himself safe in battle to the point where he has never needed to draw his sword."

"Yes, that's ri--hey!"

Honoroit ignored Emmanellain's protests. "But he has seen a variety of injuries both on and off the field and knows which medicines to use. I myself have studied a bit of alchemy and anatomy, and I'm quick on my feet."

Sicard considered the page and rubbed his chin. "What you're sayin' is he knows how to avoid a fight, an' you'll keep him out of my way?"

The page smiled. "Yes."

The hyur sighed. "Fine, but if either one of you causes a problem for me, I won't hesitate to toss you overboard, profit or not." It was an empty threat, but they didn't need to know that.

"I see flags, captain!" Lafotal called down from the crow's nest.

"What colors?" Sicard asked.

"'Ard to say with the light." The lalafell's silhouette leaned forward with his spyglass firmly attached to his eye. He muttered something unintelligible then shouted, "Garlean, sir." Below him the crew fell silent. Though Eorzea was now allied with what remained of Garlemald, it was hard not to feel some sort of apprehension upon encountering one of their ships at sea. Decades of imperial invasion and oppression couldn't be forgotten or forgiven in such a short time.

"Anything else?" Sicard asked.

"Ship's still aright. No sign of anyone on deck." No one spoke while Lafotal continued reporting. "Smoke, no fire."

"No fire. That's good, right?" Emmanellain asked.

Sicard shook his head. "Just means we don't see the flame. Could be an engine fire." Above him Lafotal was adjusting the focus on his spyglass. Sicard saw him jump backward as if startled.

"There's a body, captain, an' it's not a Garlean."

That was a strange observation to make. There was not enough light nor were they close enough for Lafotal to see a uniform. "How can you tell?"

"Fishback, sir. There's fishbacks on the ship!"

Both Sicard and Emmanellain took a step back then looked at each other. An already strange evening had just become even stranger.

#ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite 2024 #casualjacob's writing

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tacticalhimbo · 1 year

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Howdy @comrade-botanistman ! I was assigned to celebrate @sstewyhosseini 's Resident Evil Gift Exchange with ya, and I come bearing a gift!

This fic was really fun to write out, and I had a lot of fun exploring the idea of transfem!Jill with Carlos. I hope you like this bittersweet little moment between them <3

Let me know if you'd like a more permanent copy of this, too! I'd be more than happy to slide ya a PDF version or something like that :)

Under a cut for length!

The mornings were always the hardest. Watching that sleepy fog lift and give clarity to the mirror hanging just above the sink, lights shining down to illuminate every exposed inch of Jill's features. The slowly fading shadows beneath her eyes. The texture of her skin. The way her brows knitted as blonde strands of hair fell into her view, unable to shield the way the image before her morphed. The way the room turned and grew cold as an all too familiar feeling of panic settled.

'Jill. Jill—Come on. Snap out of it!'

Knuckles paled as fingers dug into the slick ceramic. Eyes narrowed at the distorted reflection. A shadow loomed just behind her, though she remained unaware. All she could see was the husk that Wesker had left in her place.

'Come on, Jill!'

A hand rose to clutch at her chest, fists balling around the loose fabric of her shirt. She winced at the empty feeling, shrinking in on herself as she finally broke her gaze and came to rest her shoulder against the adjacent wall. Breaths grew rapid as she sunk to the cooled, tile flooring. Eyes darted to the space before her as she felt herself growing dizzy. Felt a warm feeling just beside her. She froze, just able to raise her gaze enough to see a familiar face by her side.

"Are you alright?"

"Carlos..."

The man smiled a bit at the recognition, worry stricken in his features as he cautiously touched at her arm. He used his leg to nudge the discarded pair of scissors away from her side, opting to place himself between them as he kneeled. Gentle eyes met her gaze, and the mercenary found himself gently guiding her into a loose hug.

"What happened? I heard something fall, then I came in, and you were... I don't even think you saw me, but you were lookin' right at me. Least it seemed like it."

Shoulders dropped as she leaned into his side, hands hesitant to reach out and touch at his arm. To guide him closer to her as she caught her breath. She watched his hands as they moved, focused just enough to react in the event he tried anything. Deep down, she knew he wouldn't. She told herself that countless times. She was safe; Carlos was safe. Still, her nerves were taut. Drawn like that of a bow, ready to fire. She shook her head a bit, taking a breath before speaking.

"I didn't realize how much my hair's faded..."

"Huh. Yeah... It looks good." Carlos smiled a bit.

Jill scoffed, watching as the movement of her head guided the light locks to rest against her shoulder.

"I hate it."

"Because of—?"

"Yeah."

Carlos nodded a bit, watching as Jill rested by his side. Watching as she brought her knees closer, hugging them as her gaze rose to the dye on the counter. He followed, wheels turning as he reached for the scissors beside him.

"Hey, how about I help you fix it up, then? Just a warning, I didn't exactly go to cosmetology school." He laughed, nudging her arm as he stood and offered a hand.

She couldn't help the ghostly laugh that escaped her, nor the way her hand seemed to find his on its own. And so she stood with him, slow to sit herself on the counter as he’d retrieved the discarded tools and set them down beside her. Yet even that bit of comfort seemed short-lived as the nausea resettled in her gut. Conflict etched itself onto her face as Carlos finished setting up a little station, and it didn't escape him.

"Hey," his voice was soft, and his touch even softer. Calloused fingers brushed the back of her hand. "What's on your mind, supercop?"

"I..." The words failed to escape Jill as she peered over her shoulder and toward the mirror again.

She remained present this time, allowing herself to reach up and brush a few stray hairs aside. For a moment, there was euphoria. A comfort in what she saw. But as always, Wesker lingered behind the sensation. He was there to ruin it, just as he’d (effectively) ruined her. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I should be happy it's gotten this long. I used to always have trouble growing it past a few inches. Hell, your hair's longer than I've ever managed back then." A faint laugh, accompanied by a subtle nudge to his arm.

He laughed with her, offering a playful 'hey!' as he nudged back.

"But?"

Curse him for knowing her so well.

"... But even though it makes me feel more feminine, more like me, I just can't shake that asshole from my head. This," she held up a thick string of hair, so close to just yanking it from its root," is because of him. Whatever the hell it was he did to me, this was the result."

'That's not true'. That's what he wanted to say at the moment. To tell her as he wordlessly grazed his hand against hers. Yet the words didn't escape him. He couldn't lie to her like that. Couldn't put himself in her shoes to figure out what exactly happened. She knew better than him. She was there; he wasn't. Silently reassuring her was the best he could do. To offer his hand as he stepped back and looked her over.

That was when the gears began turning.

"Well, what if we compromise on it? Cut it real short like you like it... Maybe leave some of the blonde in?" He watched her eyes snap to his face. Curiosity shone in them. "Ease ya into the idea and all."

It wasn't a bad idea. Jill could almost see it forming before her as she gathered a handful of strands and pulled them back, hiding them behind her head as her bangs fell into place. Seeing less had already made her feel more secure... and it wasn't a bad color on her. Not for the moment. Perhaps not anymore. Fingers unfurled, and lengthy strands fell back into place.

"Yeah... Okay. Maybe a little bit in the bangs? Right around..." Brows knitted together as she leaned closer to the mirror. Her fingers grasped at the loose strands just above her brow. "Here?"

"I like it." Carlos clapped his hands together, practically beaming as a hand gently tilted Jill's upward. His expression softened, lips pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead as he got to work.

Scissors sliced through hair, quick to make work of the overgrowth and allow it all to pile on the floor by the former commander's feet. Sections were pulled and set aside, though a tad lopsided, no thanks to the way Carlos' head would tilt as he attempted to find the natural parts beneath the layers. It was rough, but it was an attempt. And not a terrible one, if Jill said so herself. She did. Practically leaped at seeing the vision come to life. Already, it had felt like the weight on her chest slipped off. She ran a hand through the short cut, sighing a heavy breath of relief at the choppy feeling of the underlayer against her fingers. Those same fingers made their way forward, moving alongside her partner's to section off the small bit of bang that would remain undyed. She smiled to herself, peering at Carlos' reflection and nodding. He nodded back, grabbing the box of dye to begin the next stage of their plan. Of course, even the included set of gloves didn't stop either of them from making a mess of themselves. They shared soft laughs and playful teases, pointing out the splotches of brown that coated their hands. Jill was the first to begin the cleanup, wetting a rag and guiding Carlos to offer his hands so that she could scrub them clean. Their shared touches lingered, fingers intertwining as their lips brushed together.

Carlos smiled, then Jill. They kissed each other tenderly, hovering tensions dissipating as a comforting blanket of warmth surrounded the duo. Hands cautiously wandered along the other, tempting the other closer to savor that warmth. Jill gripped at Carlos' shoulders lightly, attempting to distract herself from the building fire behind her eyes. The moisture building on her eyelashes. Carlos noticed the squeeze, drawing back just enough to ask if she was okay. She nodded, thanking him softly before pressing one last, chaste kiss to his cheek as she withdrew entirely.

Soon enough, idle chatter was cut short by the sound of a phone going off. The timer had finished, and Jill abandoned her post on the countertop to lean over the sink and rinse her hair. It would have been easier to shower, but she didn't quite feel like kicking Carlos out of the bathroom just yet. So he stayed, helping her reach the back of her head and washing all the excess down the drain. He offered her a towel to wipe her face and dry her hair, to which she gladly accepted. For a moment, she considered simply keeping the towel there. Hiding herself from the reflection that eagerly awaited her. What if she hated it more? What if she didn't look any different?

What if all of this was some sick dream? A faux memory implanted into her?

'No.' She winced at the thoughts, shaking her head before taking a deep breath and removing the towel.

And before her stood herself. The Jill that awaited her was... her. She had that signature short, brown hair. Those focused eyes. And, a streak of blonde that only added to the inquisitive spark in her gaze. Beside her was Carlos, who seemed to beam at seeing the result of his handiwork. Lips curled into a bright grin, eyes squinting as he squeezed his partner's arms excitedly.

"Well? Not too bad for a hired gun, huh?" He paused, leaning in to press his cheek against hers. "What do ya think, supercop?"

Her lips mimicked his, head bumping against his as she squeezed at his hand. She looked happy. At peace with herself again. And god, was it a beautiful sight.

"Could be more even, but I like it. It has that Carlos charm." The pair laughed, exchanging yet another series of playful bumps and nudges. "I like it... Thank you."

"Anything for you, Jill. You know that. I love you."

"I love you too."

#txt #resident evil #valeveira #my fics #comrade-botanistman #re gift exchange 2023

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