#op canonverse

[kana-daydreams]

𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 || 𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨(𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐀)

summary: Zoro surprises you with a compliment and you express your appreciation with a surprise of your own—by unintentionally stealing his first kiss. genre: fluff cw: added just a li'l bit of spice wc: 3.3k kana's notes: This was originally suppose to be a drabble, but ig I couldn't help myself😓. Anyways hope you enjoy my fellow Zoro lovers :D

“Told you it was a waste of time.” Nami drawls as she continues to peruse through racks of clothes searching for an outfit to wear for tonight’s dinner while you sit, sulking in a corner next to a discarded heap.

“You don’t have to rub it in y’know.” You lift your head from off your knees to peer up at your friend with a pout. “I’m already regretting all my past decisions.” You say, feeling heat bloom at your cheeks as you recall the couple of model worthy poses (well at least you think they were) you’d mustered up the courage to perform in front of a certain green-haired individual as you tried on multiple styles of clothes ranging from cute to elegant along with a few that showed off some skin— none seeming to had piqued the swordsman’s interest. Not even shamelessly batting your lashes had been enough to earn an ounce of a reaction from him except for his concern that something might have gotten stuck in your eye.

You release a stifled cry at the embarrassing memory, plopping your head back down onto your knees.

“Why did I have to fall for someone incapable of giving a girl a decent compliment?” You say, your words muffled by the fabric of the outfit you’re wearing.

Fishing for compliments wasn’t a habit of yours and seeking validation for your appearance, especially from a guy, definitely wasn’t either. You knew you were a hottie— by your standards anyways. It’s just that you really had somewhat of a thing for Zoro who you’d known for some time now, and hearing him compliment you for just once in your life, no matter how small it was—even if it was only a single word—would be more than enough to send you, having lived a fulfilling life, right to heaven’s pearly white gates.

“C’mon, it’s not the end of the world.” Nami crouches down at your level, giving you a tender pat on the head and you peek an eye open at her to notice that she’s changed into a beautiful and traditional chinese dress; its red colour complementing her ginger-orange hair. 

“I’ve already told you, you look great. Sexy and cute— a deadly combination.” She gives you a wink and you giggle lightly at the action. 

“Thanks, Nami.” You smile.

“No problem.” She lightly pinches your cheeks before standing to her full height. “Now let's finish getting ready, shall we?” She extends a hand down at you. “I have a bet to win.”  

You playfully roll your eyes, remembering her bet with Luffy before taking her hand, the two of you making your way out the grandeur of the closet.

Later at night, under the dazzling lights of a grand chandelier, you and the rest of your newly formed crew along with Usopp—a boy you and the others recently befriended—stand scattered about the spacious foyer of Miss Kaya’s home, awaiting the birthday girl’s presence as you mingle and indulge your taste buds with lavish delicacies being served around on silver platters. 

While you and the crew wine and dine, Zoro stands amongst his own company near the staircase, nursing in his hands, his fourth glass of cocktail—deep brown eyes pinned on your form standing beside Luffy and Usopp.

He watches as you converse with them and as you chow down on platter after platter of food like it’s the last meal of your life alongside Luffy, his gaze drinking in your every smile, your every laugh and the adorable expressions you make as you stuff your cheeks full with every bit of food that comes your way.  It makes him wonder if you and Luffy are having a full on eating competition at the rate the two of you are going.

He only takes his gaze off you when he realises his glass is empty after he goes to chug some of the liquid down, discarding it onto a nearby end table laden with a few more empty glasses alike.

His eyes then search across the room for the server, wanting to satiate his taste for more alcohol, flitting over in your direction when he hears the sound of your voice calling his name. 

“Zoro, you’ve gotta try these!”

Zoro watches as you approach him with animated steps and glances down at the tray you carry in your hands to see chocolate, pink and milk-white covered squares.”

“Is that cho—”

“Yes! And it’s really good!” You bounce on the balls of your feet, the action making Zoro suspect that you’d had way too much chocolate than your sweet tooth could handle. 

“Here, you should try this one.” 

“Chocolate isn’t really my th—” Zoro cuts himself short when he sees one of your hands pick up a chocolate-coated square, offering it to him.

He looks down at the piece of chocolate pinched lightly between your fingers, then back up at your face beaming with a wide smile and then around the room at everyone occupied either in conversation or eating, before returning to settle his gaze back onto you. 

He heaves a sigh. “Does it have alcohol?”

“I don’t think so, but I can go ask if there's any wi—” 

“No, it’s fine.”

Zoro stops you before you can leave, and you watch as he leans forward a bit, shuts his eyes and slightly parts his lips, his actions causing your head to tilt slightly in confusion.

Your questioning look, however, doesn’t last long, slowly fading away and morphing into one of surprise when your brain registers the purpose of his actions.

You almost heave a cough, feeling heat creep up your neck; burning at your cheeks while your hand remains extended with the chocolate held between your fingers as you continue to stand there, unmoving, simply staring up at him— up at a sight you never quite expected to see or would ever see. 

When Zoro doesn’t feel any sign of sugary sweet pressing against his lips, he peeks an eye open to see you staring at him, wide-eyed and mouth agape.

“What are you waiting for?”

“N-Nothing!” Your voice immediately squeaks out.

Zoro only lets out a hum at your response before once again closing his eyes, waiting for you to feed him the chocolate square.

You swallow hard. And your heart rate picks up as you inch the chocolate closer to his mouth, its beat increasing more so when the tips of your fingers brush against his soft lips.

When Zoro feels a sweet warmth mixed with a hint of salt melting against his tongue, he doesn’t have much of a reaction and simply opens his eyes to look down at you.

“I-It’s good? Isn’t it?”

Zoro nods. “Yeah.”

Silence.

“Okay, well, um..I’m gonna go,” you say with a nervous chuckle, pointing a thumb behind you. “Gonna see what else they uh, gotta eat.” You slowly start to reverse your steps, bumping into the server behind you as you do, almost knocking her over along with the full platter of food in her hands.

You profusely apologise to the woman who sends you a disapproving glare before continuing with robot-like movement back in the direction you came, unable to see the hint of red that colours the tips of Zoro’s ears and also the way his gaze lingers on your retreating figure, all the while he stands there regretting that he still couldn’t find the courage nor the right words to tell you how beautiful you were in the outfit you’d chosen to wear tonight, and how cute, pretty—and sexy you looked in the many more he had watched you try on. 

When Kaya’s birthday dinner unfortunately comes to an early close due to her outbreak of rattling coughs, she’s kind enough to allow you along with your friends to stay the night unlike her overprotective butler who wasn’t keen on extending your stay, especially after Luffy and his big rubber mouth revealed that you were pirates.

However, instead of lying, snuggled under the thick, warm blankets of a queen size bed, you traverse through a dim-lit hallway in search of the kitchen to help yourself to a midnight snack.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have given up on looking for Luffy.” You murmur to yourself as you continue to amble along the empty halls with no sense of direction as to where you were going, involuntarily releasing a gasp when your body suddenly collides into another, one more firmer than your own, just as you round a nearby corner.

You look up at the figure that slightly towers over your form, a much less startled expression on their face. 

“Z-Zoro?!” You breathe a sigh of relief at the swordsman’s presence. “Thank the heavens you're not that scary butler. What are you doing here?” Your eyes dart down to the three swords attached to his right hip.

“I’m looking for a drink.” Zoro watches as you place a hand across your chest, attempting to calm yourself down from the jumpscare he’d unintentionally given you. “What about you?”

“Food hunt.” You look back up at him with a small smile.

“...Right.”

There’s a lull in the conversation as you notice Zoro’s gaze fall behind you and on instinct, you turn around to see where his eyes follow. 

“Where’s Luffy?”

The swordsman expected that if you were here; Luffy was here, as the two of you seemed to be joined at the hip everywhere you went, especially when food was involved.

You turn your gaze back to him. “Back in his room, I guess.” You say, your hand no longer attached to your chest trying to calm your racing heart. “I did plan on inviting him, but I don’t know where his room is.”

Something that wasn’t your fault since you were the first to be assigned a room and didn’t get to see where the others’ rooms were. 

“So…” you drawl and Zoro glances down at you to see your lips curve into a mischievous smirk. .

“Since Luffy isn’t here...” you continue. “Wanna be my partner in crime instead? You know, help me scour the kitchen for some gold?” You suggest, with a slight wiggle of your eyebrows.

Your words seem to pique the swordsman’s interest as similar to you, a smirk pulls at his lips and he makes a gesture with his head for you to lead the way and you do, him falling in step beside you.

Apparently, you taking the lead was not the best idea when it came to navigating through a house designed like a maze—a fact you should have known with hindsight—as you and Zoro still continue to roam around the mansion like headless chickens for what seems like about an hour. 

“Why is this place so huge?!” You groan and release somewhat of a frustrated cry, already feeling the urge to quit your endeavour of a kitchen raid. Though, you do not act on the tempting idea since you have no clue of the direction you and Zoro came from—the soft grumbles of your stomach doing little to curb your frustration.

Zoro, as he walks beside you, remains silent at your mini-breakdown, his head craning in your direction when he hears you speak again.

“By the way,” You start. “How was the party?” You ask, trying—key word, trying— to keep your mind from being occupied by the thought of food and mostly because you couldn’t let the opportunity of your alone time with Zoro slip past you.

“The alcohol was good.” 

You wait to hear if he will add more, but he doesn’t, not surprised that his reply ends rather abruptly.

“Yeah, it was.” You agree.

Zoro arches an inquisitive brow. “You drink?”

“Not exactly. But the mocktails were great and so was the food.” You smile and so does Zoro, one so faint that your eyes fail to catch it, when he recalls the happy expression on your face as you devoured any and everything that passed your way; continuing to listen at the soft and vibrant melody of your voice that fills his ears.

“...and what I loved most of all were the desserts, especially those choco..lates.” Your voice suddenly falls when the memory of you feeding Zoro pops into mind, together with how soft his lips felt when your fingers brushed against them.

“Something wrong?”

You glance to your right to see that Zoro is looking at you with a concerned expression, your face warming from his attention.

 “Ah, N-No. Nothing’s wrong.” You reassure him with a small smile. “Just got sidetracked, that’s all.”  You go silent shortly after your response when your eyes make the mistake of flickering down to his lips and quickly turn your attention away from him, dropping your gaze to the ground.

Zoro doesn’t know what causes your sudden silence which prolongs as you both continue down the hall, but he does know that he misses the sound of your voice which leads to him racking his brain for a topic that might be interesting enough to get you to speak again, blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.  

“That outfit you wore tonight—It was nice.”

The words you think you hear Zoro say makes you slow to a stop.

When Zoro notices you’re no longer walking beside him, he turns to see your shock-filled features, immediately feeling himself go pale, and starts to regret the words that just spilled from his mouth—words he’d held back from telling you at Kaya's birthday dinner the entire time his eyes were glued on to you. 

“W-What did you say?” You recover just enough to ask.

Zoro, who stands no more than a few feet away from you, looks back at you and ponders if he should just play it off due to your reaction, but tells himself that doing so would be a cowardly move—and he was not a coward.

He directs his head to the side to keep his face that flushes a light shade of red away from your view. “The outfit you wore at dinner. It looked really nice on you.” He says again, his voice seeming to struggle to get the words out.

You feel heat rush to your skin.

So you did hear him right the first time.

You replay Zoro's words in your head before nervously raising your gaze to look at him. “So, um…” You fidget a bit where you stand. “You think I looked pretty?”

Zoro visibly flinches at your question, still very much avoiding any eye contact.

“Yeah.” He manages an answer after what seems like a couple of seconds. “You always look pretty.”

At his response, a full and goofy smile blossoms on your lips. Then, without thinking—so overcome with joy at Zoro’s one in a lifetime compliment of you that it pushes most of your nervousness aside— your footsteps start moving closer towards his direction, and you tip-toe, just a little to reach his height, aiming at showing your appreciation for his words by gifting him with a kiss on his cheek. 

However the supple softness that your lips meet when you kiss Zoro is not the softness of his cheek, but that of his lips instead when he suddenly turns his head in your direction.

Both Zoro’s dark eyes and yours widen at the realisation and you stumble back, away from him, watching as he touches a finger to his lips.

“I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that!” Your face steams as you attempt to explain yourself for the accidental kiss. “I-I was just trying to give you a kiss on the cheek—not on your l-lips.”

Dread fills you when you realise that Zoro doesn’t have much of a reaction towards your words and all sorts of thoughts race through your mind at what he might be thinking about the indecent act.

Though all your worries subside when Zoro eventually decides to speak.

“Can…we do that again?” 

Your eyes become saucers at his request. “W-what?”

“I..I want you to kiss me again.”

You almost choke.

Never in this lifetime or any lifetime would you think the stoic swordsman would utter such a request—one that you will be more than happy to fulfil, despite your buckling knees.

 “A-Are you sure?” 

In a few steps, Zoro closes the distance between you both; a gasp leaving your lips when you feel his strong arms snake around your waist pulling you into his larger frame.

“Yes, I'm sure.”

Your heart races as he silently stares down at you, noticing his gaze flicker down to your lips, then slowly back up to meet your eyes.

Heat creeps up your neck at the action, settling on your face and increases ever so slightly at the feeling of the heat that radiates off of Zoro's skin through his clothes from his body being flush against your own.

"You don't want to?" Zoro asks when he notices your somewhat hesitant expression. "It's fine if—"

"No. I do, I do." You rush out, reassuring him that the feeling is mutual. "It's just..." You hesitate. "I've never kissed someone. Well except for you—just now." You smile sheepishly. "I...I might be bad."

Zoro's gaze softens at your words. "Same goes for me."

You feel your heart swell and warmth rise to your cheeks. "That..I was your first?"

Zoro answers you with a single nod, the blush deepening on his face.

You let the revelation sink in: You were Zoro's first kiss.

A reality you can't help but take a moment of silence to relish in as you remain caged between Zoro's arms and the comforting warmth of his body, a warm smile subconsciously gracing your face.

"Can you close your eyes?" your voice comes out barely above a whisper when you're finished relishing in the moment.

Zoro's face wrinkles in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I want to kiss you. "Your voice quavers a bit as you speak. "Won't it be weird if we do it with our eyes open? Though if that's your thing—"

"No. I'll close 'em." Zoro says as his eyes immediately flutter close. And with his eyelids pressed shut, you can't help but stare back at him, admiring every inch of his handsome face and the deep blush that paints its tan skin.

Gingerly, one of your hands reaches up to caress one side of his face as you lean in, swallowing lightly when your lips near his, but pause just before they could meet. "You're really sure about this, right?" You can't help but ask the question again just for good measure.

Zoro shudders a little from the soft touch of your hand against his cheek, and also when he feels the warmness of your breath brush against his lips a few inches away from your own.

He doesn't answer your question immediately and it makes your heart sink that he might be having second thoughts until you feel his lips press tenderly against yours in a feather-light kiss.

The sudden action renders your body somewhat into a state of surprised stillness. But only for a beat, before your eyes flutter close, hands circling Zoro's neck as you lean into the kiss that starts off slow with you both savouring the taste of each other; before it escalates into one more confident, filled with longing and passion.

And the next day after you and Zoro shared a heated kiss at midnight in the dim lights of a lone hallway—forced to pull away, when Luffy unexpectedly popped out from nowhere— you both sneak a quick kiss at the shipyard, where eyes cannot lurk, before joining the rest of the crew who’d acquired a new member to its team, aboard its first ship—The Going Merry.

© 2024 kana-daydreams

reblogs appreciated🥰

[chenziee]

Front-Row Seat

Written for the @opmlmzine 🤍 Hakuba's gonna need a good night of wine and murder after this

Last chance to grab the zines! Store closes on July 1 🌸

Also, check out the amazing spot art done by @majoraop!!

[ READ ON AO3 | KO-FI | COMM INFO ]

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Hakuba was a simple man with simple needs. With Durandal by his side, he only needed enough humans in his hunting grounds to keep him happy.

He was a simple man with simple needs—needs which did not, however, involve bouquets of roses sprinkled with sugar ‘for better flavour’, wine, candles, snarky little notes, or oh-so-romantic walks on the beach during sunset.

Okay, maybe the wine he would accept but everything else? Absolutely not.

So why exactly was he stuck here, cursed to watch from the actual front-row seat as Cavendish prepared to go on yet another stupid ‘date’ with his idiot little boyfriend? He was sick of it. So, so very sick of it.

Literally; Hakuba felt like he was going to puke the next time the two of them kissed.

As if on cue, Cavendish reached the meeting place, the horse themed fountain in this island’s largest port city. To no one’s surprise, the annoying, ugly mess of green hair was already there, shining like a beacon and letting everyone know to steer far away from the pirate. But them, oh no, of course not.

“Cavendish! You’re three damn hours late. Again,” the pirate, Melonomeo—or something like that—hissed the moment he noticed Cavendish strutting towards him.

Cavendish sighed dramatically, tossing his long, voluminous hair over his shoulder. “I keep telling you that beauty can’t be rushed, Bartolomeo.” So that was his name. Close enough.

Bartolomeo rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, your favourite excuse, I know.”

Huffing, Cavendish looked away—seemingly in offence… but Hakuba knew it was to hide his embarrassment. After all, he did spend two absolutely agonising hours picking an outfit and then another two hours doing his hair. To be ‘his most beautiful yet’. 

The giddy lovesick fretting was downright sickening and Hakuba would have jumped out the window of the captain’s cabin if he could have.

And here he thought Cavendish with his beauty and popularity obsession was bad before. Now, Hakuba would give anything to go back to the days when Cavendish’s delusions were the only thing he worried about. Since meeting this guy… it was all about what he might think or say. Not all the time—or even most of the time—, of course, but on days like this one, it was like no one else’s opinion mattered.

As if Bartolomeo was capable of higher thought or cared about his or anyone else’s appearance, as proven by the absolutely godawful pants and the ugly Straw Hat pin on his coat.

Suddenly, warm fingers wrapped around Cavendish’s wrist, making Hakuba hiss like an angry cat. 

“It’s a damn good thing I know your slow ass and booked a table for four hours later than you said,” Bartolomeo announced with a smug smirk before pulling on Cavendish’s hand, forcing him to a walk. “Come on, Cabbage, we’re gonna be late ‘cause of you.”

“Don’t pull me, you brute!” Cavendish scoffed… but frustratingly made no effort to break free of his hold.

“What, should I offer you an arm like you’re a damn princess or something?” Bratolomeo threw a look at Cavendish over his shoulder, his eyebrow raised in a mocking fashion.

This little shit.

Hakuba knew the look wasn’t aimed at him but oh, how he was going to enjoy dicing this guy into little pieces… eventually. For sure. He’d get an opportunity any day now.

Not for the first time, Hakuba cursed the way these two met. Why did that trip to Dressrosa have to deteriorate into a bloody war? If they just met casually over coffee or something, Hakuba could have had killed him the first night but as it was… Bartolomeo was all too aware of Hakuba waiting for the first opportunity to take control of their body. Going so far as to have his underlings tie him up in sea prism stone chains.

The humiliation.

Oh, revenge would be sweet.

Cavendish clicked his tongue, dragging Hakuba back to the harsh reality. “Most people would thank me for gracing them with my dazzling presence, you know,” Cavendish said with slight annoyance.

“Yeah, well, you’re stuck with me. Sucks to be you, I guess,” Bartolomeo retorted without missing a beat, that irritating smirk back on his face. Showing off his stupid fangs and all.

A beat of silence passed… before Cavendish burst out laughing of all things.

Seemingly just as confused by the reaction as Hakuba, Bartolomeo stopped in his tracks before letting go of Cavendish's wrist so he could turn to look at him. A frown on his face, he tilted his head to the side questioningly like a dog. “What’s up with you?” 

“You’re impossible,” Cavendish let out in between chuckles as he shook his head.

“At least I’m not insane, unlike you,” Bartolomeo said slowly, confusion still apparent in his voice.

“Sure, sure.” Cavendish waved his hand dismissively before he stepped forward again, easily passing by Bartolomeo. “Come on, stop holding us up! We can’t keep my fans at the restaurant waiting.”

“It’s a reservation, not a fanmeet! Also who’s the one—argh!” Bartolomeo stopped himself with a frustrated shout. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath… before burying his hands in his hair and ruffling it roughly, muttering to himself something about ‘annoying princes’ and ‘why the fuck do I suffer this’.

Honestly, Hakuba had to ask the same question—both to Bartolomeo… and to himself.

—————

The day seemed almost never-ending.

By the time Cavendish and Bartolomeo finally finished eating—with candles, to Hakuba’s horror—and left the restaurant, Hakuba was already at his bloody limit. Seriously, there was only so much leg touching and badly disguised, terrible flirting that he was physically capable of witnessing before he needed to murder a person or twenty.

It wasn’t fair. Why was Cavendish the one in control most of the time? And why did Hakuba have to be conscious while he was at it while Cavendish got to sleep while Hakuba had his fun?

What did Hakuba ever do to anyone to deserve this treatment?

Unfortunately for him… the dinner date wasn’t the end of it. Of course it wasn’t. That would be letting Hakuba off too easy.

To be fair, it could have been a lot worse—when they passed through a street that was so full of hotels if felt more like a Red Light District, he honestly feared the absolute worst—but even just the handholding and bickering while Bartolomeo saw Cavendish to the Sleeping White Horse of the Forest was about enough for Hakuba.

“—so then I replaced Red Hair’s flag with Luffy-senpai’s and handed out our Straw Hat Boxes to people. Soon, everyone will know just how awesome the Straw Hats are,” Bartolomeo rambled on, waving his free hand around and clenching his fist in adoration for his idol.

Cavendish, who had only been humming noncommittally the whole time, blinked, turning his head to stare at his companion blankly for a moment. “‘Straw Hat Boxes’?” he repeated.

“Yeah! You want one? I always carry a few on me, hang on.” He started fumbling with his bag, obviously searching for the box in question.

“Absolutely not!” Cavendish refused immediately. “I’m just astonished you successfully came up with a name that managed to take something ugly and terrible and make it something even uglier and more terrible.”

“Are you insulting Luffy-senpai?!” Bartolomeo bared his teeth as he demanded an answer.

No, he’s insulting your stupid ass, Hakuba thought to himself.

“No, I’m insulting you,” Cavendish said at the same time.

Well, there was at least something they could agree on.

At that, Bartolomeo… nodded. “Oh, okay. That’s—” he paused for a second, before the words finally clicked in his empty head. “Man, you are such a bitch.”

“A beautiful person others admire so much it makes them hate themselves? Why, yes, I am that indeed.” 

“No,” the green-haired caveman retorted immediately, giving Cavendish a look.

Cavendish only laughed conceitedly, dismissing the denial as jealousy, and Hakuba honestly wasn’t sure if his other half was really that dumb or if he was just deflecting. Not that it mattered that much to him. The only thing that did matter to him was the ship, which was now finally within reach. Very soon, he would be free from this… cutesy hell.

Hopefully, without lasting mental damage.

Hakuba barely finished the thought when the two lovers stopped to say goodbye. With Cavendish getting on his tiptoes, pulling Bartolomeo closer.

If he could, Hakuba would be smashing his head against the nearest wall but as it was… he could do nothing but watch helplessly as the inevitable happened.

The moment their lips met, butterflies began to flutter in Cavendish’s stomach, warmth gathering in his chest. The kiss was so soft and impossibly sweet… It made even the deepest parts of Hakuba’s entire being shudder.

It was in that moment that Hakuba decided. The next time he was in control, he would be killing Bartolomeo first.

And then… then he was killing Cavendish.

[pickalilywrites]

Okay okay you know stern and serious Gunther? A valentines request of him being in love with another guy (perhaps SC) and at some point he loses his cool and gets all flustered and people (his squad) figure out he is gay and in love?

thanks :)

wingmen

gunther x oc. special ops squad. canonverse. 2010 words.

Gunther is usually more attentive to his surroundings, but lately he’s been a little distracted. Because he’s constantly daydreaming, simple tasks such as retrieving a teacup from the cabinet takes Gunther minutes when previously it would have only taken him a few seconds. He wouldn’t say it’s anything in particular that’s caused his lack of focus, but he’s usually tight-lipped with his business to begin with. He’d never admit that these days his mind has been wandering, daydreaming about calloused hands caressing his skin, his own fingers tangling through dark brown locks, or ravenous kisses pressed against his lips as if they cannot get enough of the taste of him. Even now, his mind lingers on the memory of their last kiss and Gunther lifts his fingers without thinking to brush his fingertips against his lips.  

“Hey, Gunther,” a voice says, startling him and making him jump backwards with a yelp. 

“Wh-what are you doing here?” Gunther stammers, shoving his hand into the pocket of his trousers. He tries to regain his composure, but he can already feel his cheeks flushing. He turns around to see the rest of his squad entering the kitchen, much to his dismay. It would have been difficult enough to fumble around one member, but now he has to deal with all three of his friends and they’re all too helpful and conversational for their own good.  

“This is the kitchen, a communal area. I think we’re allowed to be here,” Eld laughs. He walks to the kitchen but leans against the table instead of taking a seat. “Did you want us to leave?”  

“N-no, of course not. It’s a communal area, like you said,” Gunther mumbles. He doesn’t know why he’s so flustered. It’s not as if the squad has caught him doing anything embarrassing, but he finds himself at a lack of words and searching for an excuse for accusations that haven’t been thrown at him yet.  

“Drinking tea?” Petra asks. She bounds across the kitchen floor, footsteps as light as ever, and picks up cup easily. She selects another one and holds it out to Gunther. “Want me to make you a cup?”  

“Sure,” Gunther says. It’s not out of the norm for Petra to make him a cup of tea — it’s not out of the norm for the squad to do small favors for each other — but something about Petra’s offer unsettles him. Maybe it’s the fact that she’s smiling a little too wide as she fills the tea kettle with water or the subtle glances she casts his way as she prepares the tea leaves for steeping. Then again, maybe he’s being paranoid and it’s all in his head.  

“Do you have any other plans today, Gunther?” Eld asks. He’s still casually leaning against the table, arms crossed against his chest and an easygoing smile on his lips. “We’re all just going to be hanging out together this evening, you know, sitting around the fireplace and shooting the breeze.”  

“Yeah, you should join us,” Petra says brightly.  

“We can discuss how our weekend has been and anything else that’s on our mind,” Eld continues. He’s speaking a little more than usual. He’s typically the one to hang back and throw in a smart quip here and there in between Petra and Auruo’s bickering. “We should catch up sometime, Gunther. I feel like we’ve been seeing less of you lately.”  

They’re clearly ramping up to something. It’s making Gunther nervous and his palms are beginning to sweat. It’s not like he’s purposely been keeping his business a secret from his friends. He had just been putting it off because he had wanted to find the right timing, but it seemed like the longer he waited the more difficult it became to reveal his unintentional secret.  

Right now, Gunther has two choices: to play it off as if nothing is happening or spill the details of his life that his friends are clearly itching to know. He chooses the former.  

“We do see each other every night. Isn’t it more a surprise that we aren’t tired of each other?” he jokes, laughing lightly even though the sound of it isn’t genuine when it reaches his ears. No doubt his friends can tell that his laughter is feigned as well.  

“Aw, I could never get tired of us,” Petra says. Her lower lip wobbles in fake pout. “But if that’s how you feel, I guess a little space between friends can’t hurt.”  

Gunther does feel a little bad for turning his friends down, especially once he sees the way Petra’s shoulders slump ever so slightly and the way Eld gives him a tight-lipped smile in acknowledgement of his wishes. Normally, he would accept their offers. It’s not unusual for him to spend his evenings with the rest of the squad just speaking casually by the fireplace until the Captain walks in and tells them to clean up and go to bed, but he’s not sure he’s ready to disclose certain aspects of his life to his friends at the moment and right now they’re a little too close for comfort. Gunther knows that his friends will be more than accepting of what he has to tell them, but he just hasn’t gathered up the courage to tell them outright.  

“Alright, I’ll just spit it out since Eld and Petra are too afraid to say anything,” Auruo says suddenly. He had been hanging by the doorframe in uncharacteristic silence. Now, he pushes himself off from the doorframe and swaggers over to Gunther, hands stuffed in his pockets and his chest puffed out to make his shoulders seem broader than usual. “We’ve seen you sneaking around with that other soldier, hiding in alleyways and empty stairwells when you think nobody else is looking. You think you’re being clever, hiding him away from us, but we know. It’s so obvious with the way you’re so starry-eyed all the time after seeing him, and those hickeys on your neck.”  

“Hickeys?” Gunther yelps, his hand immediately flying to his neck. He tries to remember the kisses pressed against his neck, but it’s impossible for him to recall where any love bites might be.  

Petra tries to help Gunther locate them by gesturing to the other side of her neck right above her collarbone. She turns the stove off and steeps the tea leaves in the kettle before saying to Gunther, “It’s okay, it’s cute.”  

“Cute?” Eld mouths at Petra, who just shrugs.  

Gunther winces when his fingertips brush against a tender spot above his collarbone. A groan escapes his lips. “It’s not like I was trying to hide it. I just couldn’t find a good time to tell you guys,” he mumbles. 

“It’s fine. It happens,” Petra assures him. She sidles up against him, eyes sparkling with excitement. “Tell us everything. What’s his name? What trainee class did he graduate in? How did you two meet? Who confessed first?” 

“Er, Emil. He graduated two years before me,” Gunther says, trying to remember all of Petra’s questions and answer them in the correct order. “We met one time after a memorial following one of our expeditions. We were gathering supplies together and bumped into each other in the storage room -”  

Eld waves off Petra. He throws an arm around Gunther’s shoulders. “You don’t have to answer all of those questions. Just tell us in due time. I’ve seen this guy around. He seems pretty decent. We’d love to get to know him better. You should bring him around. Maybe we could have dinner together.”  

Gunther can feel his cheeks warming up once more. He’s not sure how he feels about all of this, but it is nice that his friends are so eager to meet his partner. “Maybe sometime. He’s pretty shy about meeting new people,” Gunther mumbles.  

“I’m not sure how I feel about it yet,” Auruo says. He pulls out a chair and sits in it backwards, arms resting across the chair’s back. “I’m pretty surprised, though. I didn’t think someone like Emil would be your type.”  

The comment makes Gunther stiffen. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Gunther asks. “What kind of person do you think would be my type?”  

“Commander Erwin,” Petra and Erwin say at the same time that Auruo replies, “Captain Levi.” The three of them exchange looks.  

“Gunther asked who would be his type, not who’s your type,” Petra tells Auruo who sneers back.  

“Who wouldn’t like Captain Levi? Why would you two even pick Commander Erwin?” Auruo sniffs.  

“He’s just objectively handsome,” Eld replies. “That height, that golden hair, those strikingly blue eyes, that jaw, and those amazing eyebrows. Probably the best-looking guy in the whole Scouting Legion.”  

Gunther has to laugh as Eld and Auruo argue back and forth about who is the more handsome of the two men, Captain Levi or Commander Erwin. Every once and a while, Petra interjects with her own opinion. As he observes his friends, he can’t help but think that Emil would also find this conversation amusing. He’s sure that all of them would get along well. He’s considering setting up a time for all of them to meet when a voice suddenly speaks from the doorway.  

“What are you all doing in here?”  

They all flinch at the sound of the Captain’s voice. All their hands move at once to press a fist against their chest to salute their superior, but the Captain waves them away. 

“You’re all being too loud. I can hear you from the end of the hall. If you have that much energy, go clean the castle,” Captain Levi says. He nods at Gunther. “At least it’ll be more productive than interrogating Schultz on his love life.”  

Gunther’s face flushes once more, embarrassed to have his romantic life revealed in front of the Captain.  

“Sorry, Captain,” Gunther’s friends mumble. Although they all apologize, only Eld and Auruo begin to shuffle towards the door.  

“Ral,” the Captain says to the ginger that’s lingering by the tea kettle.  

“I was making tea,” Petra says, gesturing towards the kettle.  

“Ral,” Captain Levi says a little more firmly this time.  

Petra is usually the one who can get away with a lot when it comes to the Captain, but even she knows when to push her luck and when to just do as she’s told. With a little pout, she shuffles out the door after her companions.  

Gunther is about to leave as well but the Captain gestures for him to stay. As Gunther shuffles from foot to foot nervously, the Captain pours himself a cup of tea and takes a long, slow sip.  

“She steeped it too long,” Captain Levi sighs. Nonetheless, he pours another cup and offers it to Gunther to drink. He doesn’t speak until Gunther gingerly takes the tea. “You should bring  your partner here sometime. I can put in a good word for you.”  

“S-sir?” Gunther stammers. He’s unused to such offers from the Captain, who typically keeps to himself unless they’re training, cleaning, or out on the field together. Gunther clears his throat. “I can see when he’s available and arrange a time.”  

The Captain simply hums in response. He takes another slow sip. “Of course, let me know if he ever gives you any trouble. I’d be more than happy to take care of him.”  

The Captain’s words make Gunther nearly choke on his tea, but he manages to swallow it down. “I’m not sure that will be necessary, sir,” Gunther says weakly. 

Captain Levi looks unconvinced. “Well, my offer stands if the occasion ever arises,” the Captain says.  

“I will,” Gunther says. He takes the Captain’s nod as a signal to leave, so he shuffles out of the kitchen as quickly as possible.  

It’s not the reveal he was hoping for when telling his squad about his relationship, but he feels oddly warm and pleasant about the whole experience and it’s nice to know that he has four perhaps overzealous wingmen ready to support his relationship. 

[cheswirls]

i love putting them in my sandbox

[mayskalih]

Do you still ship yourself with characters? Or have OCs you ship them with? Much respect if so! I do the same.

Not really, I guess it's complicated. I don't ship myself or have OCs per se. But I definitely project onto the female characters in my het or femslash ships. I like how it gives the opportunity to not be myself, to not have my body.

I do, though, self insert myself into canonverse sometimes. But mainly to just have an imaginary play with different powers (e.g. I would have eaten a water fruit (mizu mizu?) in OP universe hehe)

[she-who-the-river-could-not-hold]

rubatosis [a Chrissy-centric ficlet]

rubatosis - the unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat [from this prompt list] Chrissy Cunningham POV | tags: canonverse, episode one | TW: eating disorder references, references to body horror and panic attacks | wc: ~900

Chrissy’s been too aware of her own heartbeat all day. 

She hates it, the awareness of the organ inside her. The way it thuds against her ribcage, as if trying to escape her own body. An unsteady rhythm that leaves her breath caught in her throat as she tries to self-regulate. Her usual breathing exercises aren’t working. Her veins pulse and the pounding of her headache has synced with her rapid heartbeat, as if to echo it in a painful reminder.

The hallways move in as she walks between classes, head woozy. Has she eaten since dinner yesterday…? Has anything stayed down since yesterday?

Her heart thuds again, the thick muscle clenching. She hates that she knows what it looks like, a slick red thing that feels entirely like a thing of its own. Out of her control, unlike the contents of her stomach.

The voices haven’t stopped. They’re louder now. But she’s afraid to tell Ms. Kelley much more of the details. She kind of even regrets telling her as much as she has, but Chrissy’s also not sure how much more spiraling that she can handle right now. She’s not sure what to even tell her at her appointment with her today. 

Her heart thumps in agreed panic.

––––– &&& –––––

How no one saw her slip a note into Eddie Munson’s locker is beyond her. How did anyone miss the sight of a cheerleader, decked out in her uniform, standing at the high school’s (long-term) resident misfit’s locker? 

Her heart had pounded so much before she had the courage to shove the carefully folded paper that she was surprised no one heard her either.

Chrissy nearly hyperventilated once her fingers let go of the paper and it slipped through the crack of the metal locker door. It was too late to turn back now. Or well… she could just not meet him. But that would mean standing him and that felt cruel. And she was desperate. So fucking desperate. She needed the voices and the headaches to go away, she needed to feel real again.

She could only hope that he had something that would help her.

––––– &&& –––––

She hadn’t planned on going to the Eddie Munson’s house but if this stopped it all, even if for just a little bit, it would be worth it. Besides, he’d made her laugh. His presence had snapped her out of a trance of horror and now she found herself clinging to it. In fact, she hadn’t seen or heard anything the rest of the school day.

Chrissy’s heart had flip-flopped for what felt like very different reasons, actually. Strange feelings that felt a little like when she’d first had a crush on Jason––who was hard to think of at this moment.

Not while she was following Eddie into his house, feeling floaty and strangely giddy (if still a bit nervous).

But now Eddie is gone. Not gone, gone. Just gone from sight and at first Chrissy had used it as a chance to look at his place. This was a home that was truly lived in and she greedily tried to absorb it all to battle the returning feelings of anxiety. Her study was cut short though and now she can feel herself spiraling. 

In between heartbeats, a clock chimes again.

The window gives nothing away but the clamminess has returned. Sweat beaded on the back of her neck while the rest of her shivers. She felt so safe in between all of those moments leading to here, when she’d been just with Eddie. Maybe she’d never needed the drugs, just him for whatever reason, but now the clock had returned. 

Her heart pounds furiously. A ticking time bomb in her chest.

Fuck, where is he??

She feels like a cornered animal.

If Eddie doesn’t come back, her anxiety may truly kill her. Maybe she shouldn’t take any drugs. What if she doesn’t live long enough to try any of the drugs either way? Maybe he’ll come back and find her splayed on the ground, rib cage broken open and her heart missing. She won’t be able to explain to him the sound of the clock that’s been reverberating through her for days now. How it synced up with her heart to countdown to… something, and how it had to get out of her body.

She wants to believe that it’s irrational. 

But Chrissy knows she’s losing her mind.

He’s not answering her.

Why isn’t he answering her?

Her mind, losing its grip on what’s around her, only manages to barely recall that she’d read a short story that felt like this. But the guilty protagonist had heard the heartbeat below their floorboards. Chrissy’s is still inside her.

Her heart is back in her throat, pumping blood erratically through her as she half-jogs down the hallway towards where Eddie had gone. Why is he ignoring her?! 

The staccato thud of her heartbeat echoes her new mantra: He’s just in his room, he’s just in his room, he’s just in his room––

––if she threw up now, it would be a pool of blood and maybe the pulsing muscle inside her––  

––she wants to see Eddie’s smile, his big eyes widening as he shows her the stash that’s going to make her forget about all of this. He’s going to be with her the whole time. He will be, she knows it. He promised to keep her safe.

Her heart’s heavy pounding only goes silent as she hurries through the open door.

“Mom?”

[withered--s0uls]

The pipeline of "Dormant" Absolute Solver Cyn except it is in Roblox bc I am too lazy to art

Pre-Canon - Before the Solver

This is the initial "Cyn" (not called Cyn back then) who was built and programmed to fill in the spot of a human couples deceased daughter. (NOTE: The optics would be pastel blue, not white. Also she has a low Ponytail).

At the Manor - Cyn

Cyn after being taken in by Tessa. This is still the real Cyn as herself, even if infected with the Solver. This would be the time DAS!Cyn can remember the most of. (NOTE: opposed to the weird 4 ponytail hairsytle Cyn and Tessa have in canon, DAS!Cyn has a low bun during her time as a maid whilst Tessa has two braids. However the front sidetails still have that same style as in canonverse).

At the Manor - The Absolute Solver

Whilst typically still looking like Cyn herself, at the point where the robo tentacle stuff happens it is no longer her. DAS!Cyn has very very limited memories of the time when the AS basically co-hosted her body.

Pre & Post Body Transfer - Cyn

Cyn wakes up on another planet with amnesia. Tessa has been evacuated here and they slowly re-build their relationship & Tessa build the Oil Canister to help Cyn deal with the AS. At some point Cyn tries to rid herself of the AS by transferring her core to a backup body. She does not remember what happened after that. (NOTE: After the body transfer, Cyn takes out the bun. However the sidetails in the front remain the same as Canonverse)

Reunion - Cyn

Cyn as op Episode 6-8. She still has severe amnesia of most AS related things but is triggered (ptsd) by visible signs of it. She avoids using her own Solver abilities (+ Solver form) until the end of ep 7 / possibly ep 8 depending on what canonverse does.

Post Canon - Cyn

I can not say a lot about post-canon for now, it all depends on what Episode 8 brings to the table. BUT what I can say is that Cyn probably would ask N to cut her hair short if they both make it out alive. After seeing Flesha it would be a reminder of Tessa and make her terribly uncomfortable if not pacicked. N would ask her how short she would want it and she would say she wants it similar to Uzi's lenght bc at that point she also got attached to her. If all 3 make it out alive at the end of this then N would end up as her legal guardian which by extension causes Uzi to take on a similar role due to their relationship. If not then I will update you on how this would change when Ep 8 releases. :) (NOTE: despite the much shorter hair, the hair would still have sidetails in the front styled the same as canonverse. Just a lot shorter [think the typical tomboyish sidetails anime hairstyle])

Also I have some ideas I am playing with where Pre-Canon "Cyn" may make an apperance later on too again,,, but no promises. It is just concepts I have until I know what direction Ep8 will take bc that will affect the "Dormant" Absolute Solver AU outcome :)

[oakgreenoak]

WIP snippet time!

here's some Green and Leaf talking from a gameverse canonverse-adjacent wip!

“Red’s a better battler than me. You’re a better researcher than me,” Green groaned, flopping limply back in his chair. “What’s the point of me doing anything?”

Leaf pursed her lips for a moment, thinking how best to tackle Green’s crippling image issues this time. “Quit thinking of it as being second all the time, first off.”

He threw his hands in the air. “What is it, then?”

“It’s a balance,” she said, leaning onto the front of his desk. “I’m good enough at battling, but I don’t have the passion for it you and Red do. And Red, he’s smart, but you couldn’t really see him sitting inside doing labwork all day, could you?”

He tried to picture Red, bedecked as always in adventure gear, hunched over a desk looking at a spreadsheet, and snorted. “He wouldn't last an hour before running for the nearest cave.”

“My point is, you’ve got a unique skillset. Neither of us could do all of the things you can. Most people couldn’t, probably. Gives you an edge when you understand Pokemon on an intellectual and practical level.”

“I guess.”

“You know, the only other Champion-rank trainer I can think of that’s ever went into research is-”

“Gramps, I know,” Green sighed.

“And you see how successful he’s been,” Leaf says, straightening up.

“Yeah, yeah,” Green says, leaning forward to rest his head in his hands. “Then I’ll finally move out of your brother’s shadow and straight back into my grandfather’s.”

Leaf gave him an exasperated look. “Where’s all the self-confident ego you had when we were kids gone?”

“You know damn well how honest it was,” Green laughed bitterly.

Leaf rolled her eyes and checked her watch. “Well, that’s all the time I have for your pity-party today,” she said. “Seriously think about that research op, will you? If you stay cooped up in the gym all week again I’ll send Ethan after you.”

“Arceus forbid. See you, Leaf.”

“Smell ya later,” she chortled back, out the door before Green finished groaning.

[heich0e]

liv…. i eat up your dialogue EVERY TIME like a crazy person.. if you post smth for someone i dont go here for, i read it just because 🤍 i 🤍 love 🤍 your 🤍 writing 🤍 but that being said……. i must know the details of the canonverse levi wip you posted. what did erwin do! what was levi and r’s relationship! how!!!!

if you're genuinely interested, i really don't mind telling u what the plot is because i will quite literally never post it. it was the first fic i ever wrote for any anime, and i hadn't even gotten very far into the actual show at the point of writing—so while some aspects are (tenuously) canon-compliant, there are also many very clear ways in which it is not.

so, to reduce that terrible levi x reader fic (it's so bad and i MEAN that!!) down to its barest bones, start to finish:

[WARNING: THERE IS AN ENTIRE FIC SUMMARIZED UNDER THIS READ MORE AND IT IS MULTIPLE THOUSANDS OF WORDS LONG. THEMES INCLUDE: DUBCON, CANON CHARACTER DEATH, VAGUELY MISOGYNISTIC TONES, AND EVERY SINGLE CRINGE-Y FANFIC CLICHE U CAN IMAGINE. BYE.]

at the point where the fic opens, reader is a young, low-ranking soldier in the survey corps on her way to mitras with levi and erwin to attend a small gala being hosted by a very wealthy family that they're petitioning (effectively wooing) to provide funding for the corps

the reason reader is asked to come along is because she comes from a very good family in mitras and is connected to the "high society" folk—though never explicitly stated, erwin very much intends to use her and her social graces as a sort of poster child and mouthpiece for the corps, in hopes that she can charm ppl and help them gain favour to accomplish their goal

all things considered, reader was very privileged growing up and had as comfortable/luxurious of a life as anyone (at least anyone in paradis) could possibly hope to have. her family is aristocracy/noble and comes from a long line of "wealth." her father is a doctor who consults with the military in a high ranking capacity—though he's never actively been a soldier, and it's largely just a cushy job where he doesn't do much actual grunt work, just gets consulted on things and sits on boards or whatever

reader graduated from school and enlisted in the military when she came of age—to the shock and horror of her family (especially her mother) and their noble peers. but she felt an impetus to do something with her life that wasn't just sit around docilely and look pretty until eventually her father handed her over to an advantageous husband and she went from daughter to wife and surely then eventually mother—while never actually having any agency or choice for herself

because reader was well-educated from childhood, she did well academically at the cadet academy, and because she grew up in a comfortable home she is physically very competent as well (though truthfully her skill as a soldier is often very OP and cringey to read back now... but it was my first fic! sue me!)

levi and reader don't interact much in the corps (as he's not her squad leader) but when they do they're constantly at odds—he thinks less of her as a result of her silver spoon upbringing, and while she doesn't dislike him, per se, she definitely resents his treatment of her

on the trip to mitras (alongside a very uncomfortable homecoming to her estranged family's home with two men who are effectively her bosses) they attend the gala/banquet and it's revealed that the family hosting it is the most wealthy in mitras (save for the royal family, though they're sort of unofficially considered the second-in-command) who reader is very familiar with—they have a son her age, and a few daughters slightly younger, who she grew up close to (i made all these characters up btw.... first fic liv was rly going wild)

the son from this family was always sort of sweet on reader growing up, and they have a vaguely romantic history in their teens (before reader enlisted.) reader very quickly surmises that she was brought along (or at the very least is able) to possibly sway the son in their favour, as the eldest and heir to this family's fortune, who would in turn convince the father to support the corps

the son (his name is adam btw. if anyone cares? lmao) is actually very sweet, and earnestly cares for her. he's just blinded by his own affluence to a lot of realities—like most extremely wealthy people are

reader is a good soldier and she's cunning, and she knows that what she's doing is ethically/morally questionable but in the interest of the greater good she goes along with some flirtation/manipulation for the cause

the story progresses and reader continues her work in the military, but the heir from this family is clearly infatuated with her and he (and his father/family by extension) begin implicating themselves more heavily with the military as an excuse to see her/spend time with her/etc though of course it's all under the guise of official business

so it's like the life she fled is bleeding into the one she built for herself, and it's stark juxtaposition becomes very clear in those instances where they overlap and she's forced to juggle them both

she just wants to be a soldier and do good. erwin is (in so many words) pressuring her to do her part and keep up the charade. levi is watching this all unfold from the wings and starts to feel some genuine sympathy for her

lots of very dramatic things happen, yadda yadda yadda. levi grows less hostile over time, and reader becomes closer to him. she's always respected him and that grows into something mutual. there's a lot of unspoken tension brewing between them

it's revealed that reader threw her cadet exam results so that she wouldn't be in the top of her class, and therefore couldn't become an MP and had to join either the garrison or the scouts. she did it intentionally (erwin knew and used this to his advantage) so that her family wouldn't be able to force her back to mitras. when levi realizes what erwin did/knew and how he used it to his own advantage it really upsets him, because he's basically pimping reader out for the betterment of the survey corps. this is the first time you really see levi get angry about the way she's being used (and you can infer in this moment that he maybe cares about her a bit)

more dramatic stuff happens!

the story culminates in the reveal that the son is planning to ask for reader's hand in marriage. her own family has already agreed. part of the financial agreement the powerful family has made with the survey corps is that reader will effectively be retired once she marries (and transferred to a clerical role with the MPs. desk work, basically. fake work, for all intents and purposes, because the position was made up just for her)

reader goes to erwin, understandably extremely distraught when she finds out, and begs him to stop it from happening. she doesn't really care about getting married, but she doesn't want to leave the scouts. he effectively (though not explicitly/in these particular words) implies that maybe if she fucks her "fiance" he'll be more open to compromise and let her stay in the corps

she does it, but unsurprisingly loverboy is not about to let the woman he's obsessed with (who he has now officially boned lmao) go back to risking her life every day in the military, and it's almost immediately revealed that her plan didn't work at all

(erwin pretty much knew the whole time it wasn't going to work. bastard.)

reader feels betrayed and helpless. she goes to levi the night before she's set to leave—who basically is like "uhhhh i told you so??" upon finding out what's happened—and they end up sleeping together anyway in a very emotionally fraught and vulnerable moment

she leaves the next day

a timeskip happens. turns out that the ENTIRETY of the wealthy family was killed in the attack in mitras (like between annie and eren's titans i think? don't remember what season that is. a lot of ppl get smooshed in a church. they were there.)

but reader had already been married into the family. she wasn't in the church and inherited the entirety of their wealth as the sole surviving family member.

she was also.... pregnant :) (of course she was! this fic hits every trope and bad fanfic cliche! maybe it's twins!)

levi is back in mitras years (??) later (listen.... i didn't know where the hell the canon storyline of this manga was going at the time so FORGIVE ME for the fact that obviously this is not canon compliant l m a o)

reader has become sort of a recluse since everything happened in mitras, but having inherited the wealth she's become a key figure politically and particularly with respect to the military because of her influence as a donor.

levi tracks her down to this surprisingly humble property on the outskirts of town.

there's a little boy playing in the yard. no more than four or five. he has dark hair and slate grey eyes. levi looks at this child and sees his mother's face.

the little boy speaks to him but levi is (understandably) very confused and disoriented. reader comes outside and is shocked to see levi there. like she's seeing a ghost.

reader tells the little boy to come to her and scoops him up in her arms, and she quietly reminds him (his name is Teddy btw... short for Theodore) that he's not supposed to talk to strangers.

and Teddy leans in real close and says "but mama... he has your wings" because Levi is wearing his survey corps uniform with the insignia on them. you've kept your own patch (a parting gift from erwin when he sold you off... how thoughtful) and treasure it.

all of which is to say that basically Levi is the kid's father, but because reader was already married when her pregnancy was discovered and the timeline still checked out—so no one ever questioned the paternity (especially because she was a WIDOW by the time she gave birth.)

teddy is now the "legitimate" heir to the entire fortune that was left by reader's husband/his family, but until he comes of age it's reader's to manage, so she can provide a safe home for him to grow up in—though notably removed from the society that she was raised in.

it's heavily implied (though not actually confessed) that reader and levi have been in love with each other for all these years, and there's a kind of optimism about what future is ahead for them now that their paths have crossed again. (present day canon-knowing liv is laughing at this part in particular.)

the end.

[phoenixyfriend]

2. A fic you've reread several times?

Fic Recs (Ask Meme)

I want to answer with more than one because lbr I love doing recs. (I've tagged those I could find a tumblr for, but some don't have immediate links that I can find with a cursory search.)

Catvengers by nyargles (@defractum) - I read this probably once a year because it's just an eternal favorite

Bargaining by proantagonist - no longer available on AO3 (not actually sure why), has made me cry every time, which I've found is pretty hard! EDIT: It's back on AO3! Also, op has a tumblr, @proantagonista.

#standbylegion by esama (@esamastation) - a haunting but hopeful fusion of the MCU and Kingsman.

(The rest are Star Wars, promise.)

Lion Jinn, also by esama - I'm a sucker for a reincarnated-as-animal fic. This one is incredibly cute.

edge of providence by adiduck (book_people) (@adiduck), whimsicalimages (@keensers) - I am perhaps at this very moment rereading this one. Shhhh don't tell.

the massive machinery of hope by Killbothtwins (@killbothtwins) - I've read this one SO many times, it has one of my absolute favorite Qui-Gon&Obi-Wan dynamics of all time.

Dead Peanut Gallery by tanarill - IDK what to say about this one other than that it's very fun. Ghostly Obi-Wan pokes Vader into defecting when he finds out Luke is his in Episode V.

Kneading by Threebea O (ThreeBea) (@threebea) - Have you ever wanted a canonverse bakery AU that's actually undercover work and ends with our precious idiots getting kidnapped to Kamino? Because this fic is great. Everyone's got idiot moments, and also Boba is three, and adorable.

R2-D2 Saves the Galaxy (Okay, so Obi-Wan helps a little) by kj_feybarn (@feybarn) - One of my absolute favorite fics. Nothing liked Artoo POV, especially when interspersed with Obi-Wan.

there is no death (there is a wedding) by virdant (@virdant-writing) - one of my early forays into Jangobi, and generally just a very fun approach to things like Petty Legal Battles With Grandpa Who Thinks You Married Wrong.

Encrypted Channel by qigiined (@deniigi) - Do you want OT-era Rexwalker, but infinitely more stupid despite theoretically being too old for this shit? Do you want it in chatfic format? Do you want Vader to be following Rex around (metaphorically) with puppy eyes (less metaphorically) and being upset that Rex doesn't want to get with him after all the many crimes? Yes. You do.

A Star to Steer By by dogmatix, norcumi (@dogmatix, @norcumii) - I have reread this so many times. I'm not even in Stargate fandom, and yet this crossover verse owns me. (Still thinking about how Ventress and Narec and the entire Rattatak situation might have gone down ngl.)

Although He Smiles by AutumnChild22 (HonestlyHelen) (@autumnchild22) - we love a time travel fic that has people redefining the natures of their relationships to one another.

Blue Tooka Guy by Millberry_5 (@the-writing-mill) - This one is just a very fun little feel-good romp.

The Desert Storm and Rise and Fall by Blue_Sunshine (@blue-sunshine-mauve-morning) - Okay I admittedly haven't reread this multiple times, but I have reread parts of it multiple times, if that counts? (The two series together are one and a half million words, so.)

Realign the Stars by CrystalRainsWriting, TerinAngel (@terinangel) - afaik this is discontinued but it's so good and shaped a lot of my early approach to SW time travel fic.

Of Queens, Knights, and Pawns by chancecraz (@chancecraz) - Do you love Leia? Do you love hypercompetent future Leia who's cranky about being nineteen again because nobody takes her seriously? Read this.

Shifting Sands also by chancecraz - still a hypercompetent Leia, but further back and Still Old and also the most recent chapter was 65,000 words.

Don't Look Back by acuteneurosis (@this-acuteneurosis) - another Leia time-travel, this one focusing very heavily on political maneuvering and things like trade routes. We got economics and supply route fic.

Force of Many Sights by DAsObiQuiet - There's something magical about fics that go into such detail about the time and effort that therapy, especially therapy for Darth Vader, takes.

Viridescent Skies by DarthSnug (themikeymonster) (@themikeymonster) - listen I just really love age/role swaps and this is a REALLY good one.

Living in Borrowed Time by smug_albatross (@scribbling-albatross) - Another one of those fics that I'd say really shaped my early approach to characters of this era. The handling of Rex and Ahsoka is magnificent, honestly, and we all know I love a good time travel plot.

Senator Obi-Wan AU by BeanieBaby - incredibly fun. Yes there's Senator Kenobi, but there's also Fox being pursued by two different Jedi (Kit and Quin), a variety of topsy-turvy character interactions that make sense in a funhouse mirror sense (e.g. Obi-Wan preferring blasters to sabers because he didn't grow up with the Jedi), and Anakin repeatedly almost kills Palpatine by accident.

Soft Wars by Project0506 (@thefoundationproject) - no explanation needed. Is cute.

Dominoes by meridianpony (@meridiansdominoes) - we don't need to go over my intense love of time-travel fics again. really.

Sith Lord Swell by AMournfulHowlInTheNight (has a blog but not for fandom stuff) - Luke falls back in time and decides to handle it by pretending to be a Sith Lord. It works (somehow).

[kana-daydreams]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞

[ 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐈 ]

summary: this piece follows the canon plot of Enies Lobby arc in which you are a marine unfortunately under Spandam's command, but happen to be on the side of the enemy. genre: gen cw: violence, mild swearing wc: 2k Kana's notes: This is my first attempt at a reader-insert fic, so read at your own risk. Also, this is a one shot. I just chose to divide it into three parts as personal preference. Anyways~ enjoy my little rose petals. 🥰

Specks of ashes pollute the air around you from atop the Tower of Law and the faint scent of smoke wafts past your nose as your wide eyes stare up at what was once for decades, a universal symbol of justice.

I can’t believe it. They burnt the flag!

You continue to watch in horror as the flames eat away at the blue and white fabric of the World Government flag until you’re suddenly torn out of your stunned state at the shrilling scream reverberating against your eardrums from beside you. 

"Are you insane?!"

You turn to look at your boss, Spandam, a man with lifeless lavender hair and a leather mask, flourishing his arms angrily at the six individuals standing in line several feet across from you atop the parapet of Enies Lobby's courthouse.

"Don’t think that you’ll be able to survive after making the entire world your enemy!" Spandam finishes, shrinking back when one of them lets loose, a war cry in response.

"Bring it on!" 

You direct your gaze at a young boy donning a red vest paired with blue knee-length shorts and a straw hat dangling from a string around his neck, his face more than familiar to you, even though this is the first time you are seeing him in the flesh. A boy with one of the largest bounties and the captain of the infamous Straw Hat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy. 

"Robin! Say you want to live!" He screams at the top of his lungs, directing his attention at the tall, slender woman with dark hair to your right. 

At his words, you notice her bite down onto her quivering lips as uncontrollable tears gush down her tan face stained with bruises, and your own lips subconsciously tilt into a frown. 

You fold your arms and think to yourself that the boy pirate was wasting his words on a dead woman. Dead because she'd given up on life due to a fate she could never outrun. However, you're taken aback when momentarily the voice of said woman echoes throughout the once tense air, an underlying and longing desire clinging to every word that cries its way out from within the deepest depths of her soul. 

"I want to live!" She steps forward, and without a care, leans over the partially damaged stone wall in front of her. "Take me to the sea with you!"

A wide and satisfying grin graces Luffy's expression as well as his crew's and as if on cue, the drawbridge of the courthouse starts gradually lowering, stirring up panic in your boss and excitement in the CP9 members who, like you, had been silently observing the entire scene.

One of your hands reaches to rest on the hilt of your sword, preparing yourself for the pending fight. Though, as the drawbridge reaches barely halfway across to the tower where you stand, it stops, and you hear Spandam heave a sigh of relief from beside you.

Cowardly bastard.

He pulls Nico Robin harshly by the arm before barking orders at you to secure Cutty Flam standing further to your left who’d earlier somehow broken himself free from his chains.

Keeping your hand still on the hilt of your sword, you step forward approaching him with tentative steps, but you stop when you hear a click, followed by the subtle sound of whirring and your eyes flicker down to his exposed abdomen which to your astonishment, opens to reveal some kind of compartment. 

You're both freaked out and amazed by the sight, but only for a moment as your hand moves to unsheathe your sword when he reaches into his augmented body, retrieving weathered parchments of paper. 

He reveals it to be the blueprints for the ancient weapon, Pluton, which Spandam demands he gives to him, but like the flag, it is incinerated within minutes and by Cutty Flam himself. 

Spandam fumes at what was his chance for a promotion and in his dramatised rage, stalks up to him and with a hard shove, pushes the machine man off the tower.

He is however saved from falling to his demise when a train with a painted face of a shark, hurls off the courthouse, midair at lighting speed and crashes into the storey beneath them.

Sheer panic grips Spandam. Not due to the train crashing into the building, but rather because of the Straw Hats who’d hitched a ride on it, meaning that they were here, in the Tower of Law.

Spandam with a firm grip still around Nico Robin’s arm, drags her along as he paces towards the gaping hole in the wall behind them, destroyed earlier by Cutty Flam when he attempted to escape with her.

He then bellows out to you and one of the CP9 members, Rob Lucci, to act as his sword and shield, ordering the remaining CP9 agents to eliminate the Straw Hats.

"Why are you stopping?" Spandam stops to look at his prisoner behind him in the dim light of an underground tunnel.

You and Lucci who flank either side of him, follow suit looking at Nico Robin whose attention is fixed in the direction of the entrance you came through minutes ago.

He calls out to her once again, but she continues to ignore him, too occupied with whatever it was that had caught her attention.

Spandam grits his teeth at her stubbornness and orders you to get her to start moving. You send him a curt nod before moving to grab her by the arm and start pulling her gently towards you. When she doesn’t comply, you tug on her arm again, this time with a bit more force.

"Keep moving," you say, your voice stern.

She follows your instruction and you keep behind her as she walks, but she instantly stops when she’s met with Spandam’s face mere inches away from her own.

"Don’t tell me you still think the Straw Hats are coming to your rescue?" He cackles and Nico Robin recoils to dodge the rain of saliva that falls from his mouth. "How stupid!" He continues to tease her for holding onto the vain hope that her friends would come to her rescue, since there were no signs of them throughout their entire journey through the tunnel, and because he firmly believed there was no way the pirates could find their way around in the tower’s maze.

"We should get going chief." Your voice abruptly cuts him short of his deranged laughter and although he casts you a frown, annoyed that you’d interrupted him, he relents.

As the four of you ready yourselves to continue on your endeavour to reach the Gates of Justice, a familiar voice rips its way out from the distance behind you, echoing off the stone walls.

Spandam’s eyes widen and his motions become frantic when he recognises who the voice belongs to.

Monkey D. Luffy.

It seemed that you were up against an intelligent opponent, your thoughts surmised. He had to be if he was able to find the secret passage that led to the tunnel, but since you didn’t know Luffy personally, you didn’t know better.

"I’ll take care of the pirate, chief," you tell Spandam, but before you could move, Lucci puts a hand on your shoulder, and you crane your neck to look up at him.

"Take the chief and Nico Robin to the gate, I’ll handle the straw hat," he says, not giving you time to respond as he begins to saunter in the direction of the entrance.

You watch as his tall figure recedes further down the tunnel. "Show off." You scoff under your breath before grabbing a hold of Nico Robin, ushering her and Spandam in the opposite direction.

Minutes later you’re marching up a winding staircase, your view of the outside world still concealed by tall brick walls.

In front of you, Spandam yells into a transponder snail trying to get into contact with the other CP9 agents he’d left behind to deal with the Straw Hat pirates.

"Hey! Are you listening? Say something!"

No response comes from their end and your expression shadows one of dread realising why when you notice the golden transponder snail in his left hand. 

"Chief?"

"What?!" He snaps around, giving you a disapproving look. 

You point a finger at his hand. "That’s not the correct snail."

"Huh?" His brows crinkle in confusion at your words and he looks down at his hand, his expression soon mirroring your own.

Robin, who comes to realise the situation due to Spandam loudly announcing his careless mistake of requesting a buster call, screams at him to cancel it, her expression overtaken with pure fear.

"Cancel it now or it will be a disaster!"

Spandam doesn’t listen to her pleas, not even when she recounts her devastating, first-hand experience of the catastrophic effects that follows a buster call. 

Instead he argues that his mistake served a virtue highly valued by the World Government: Justice.

You fight the urge not to scoff and roll your eyes at his alleged reason though you can't hide your grimace at what he says next.

"If we need one hundred deaths in order to save one thousand lives, we’ll kill those hundred without hesitation on the spot. Besides, those incompetent soldiers who couldn’t stop the invading pirates are better off dead!" He cackles in hysterical laughter, but it fizzles out when he realises everything he said was broadcasted to the entire island of Enies Lobby through the regular snail transponder in his other hand.

He tries to play it off, though you know only a fool would believe his lie and right after he finishes his fib, Robin takes the opportunity to warn everyone to evacuate the island. 

Aggravated by her insolent action, Spandam slaps her, the brute force of it sending her toppling down a couple flights of stairs.

Below you, her body lies limp and Spandam leaves your side, making his way towards her. 

He looms over her, his cold harsh voice ordering her to get up, not caring about the injuries she had just sustained.

Robin winces as she peers weakly up at him. "Cancel the buster call right away. There might still be time." She continues to persist, but Spandam only responds that his pride is worth more than the life of his subordinates. 

Still her resolve doesn’t waver, and irked by this, Spandam grabs her by the collar of her leather zip-up dress, pulling her up and after they exchange a few words which involved him mostly bragging about Lucci’s strength, he raises a leg preparing to punish her for her unyielding spirit, but finds himself unable to do so at the hand that seizes his leg.

His eyes trace their way up to the arm of its owner, coming to rest on your face. "What the hell are you doing marine?!" He tries wriggling his leg out of your firm grasp.

"Stopping you from killing her, chief." You let go of his leg and he staggers back falling with a heavy thud onto the stairs. "Don’t you need her alive?" You reason. 

"I wasn’t going to kill her, you idiotic woman!"

Your expression remains passive at his insult, though inside you rages a war to keep yourself from bashing in his head for insulting you.  

You should have already gotten used to his abrasive words considering you've been working under his command for a few years, but they—he—always tended to test your patience. 

"My apologies chief. I misread the situation." You reluctantly outstretch a hand to help him up.

He ponders whether or not to accept your help, still salty that you stopped him from unleashing his anger on Nico Robin.

He eventually takes your hand and while you help him up, Robin uses it as an opportunity to escape down the stairs.

Alerted by this, Spandam pushes you aside when he rises to his feet and starts chasing after her.

You mumble out a curse at his ungratefulness before following behind them, almost crashing into his back when he suddenly comes to a halt.

You watch as he reaches for the sword slung over his shoulder and mutters to it, a command. 

He then brandishes it forward and the blade immediately transforms into the head of an elephant with a razor-sharp trunk.

The creature extends out of his sword and surges forward like a serpent at high speed, aiming at Nico Robin and upon contact, it slams her against the wall, which cracks under the strength of its force.

Part II - Part III

© 2023 kana-daydreams

[chenziee]

Here's my preview for Surgeon of Death: A Trafalgar Law zine!! Some good old post-Dressrosa fluff (with amazing spots by @nightlydecaf too!)

POs are open right now, check it out! 🐯🤍

[blue-thief]

i'm almost done the beast au x canonverse skk crossover fic so

[wangxianficfinder]

How do you feel about itmf recs not quite fitting the prompt? On the one hand I understand that people just want to be helpful and they are excited to share good fics that sort of kind of fit the brief, and oftentimes you can broaden your horizon by reading these kinds of fics, but on the other hand it can be very disappointing to ask for apples and receive bananas. (ex the most recent itmf where one op asks for canonverse and received nearly a dozen modern au recs)

It can be disappointing, yeah, and we do try to keep it as close to the prompt as possible. I, unfortunately, didn't catch the Canon only part of the ask before I added those fics.

I apologize to the asker, I won't take them off because other people might want to read them, but I will cross them out and bold the Canon part of the ask.

Again, I'm sorry for not catching it in time.

- Mod C

[levi-supreme]

PSA: Rei's Kinktober 2023 ✨️

Hi everyone!!!! After lots of thinking and planning, this will be my finalised writing plan for Kinktober this year:

Week 1: Sawamura Daichi x fem!reader, breeding kink, modern!au

Week 2: Rengoku Kyoujurou x fem!reader, oral sex (fem!receiving), kny!canonverse

Week 3: Roronoa Zoro x fem!reader, gagging, op!canonverse (pre-time skip)

Week 4: Levi Ackerman x fem!reader, phone sex, modern!au

If you wish to be tagged in any of these works, please feel free to leave a comment on this post, or you can fill up my taglist too!

I will post every Thursday during the month of October, and any additional triggers or warnings will be on the actual fic itself. I will also be using the tag #rei's kinktober 2023, so please block this tag if you feel uncomfortable!!

I'm so excited to share these with everyone, and I hope you're equally excited to read them too!! 💋

With love,

Rei 🌻

[fandom-hoarder]

"My ex cheated on me, so I fucked his mom."

Where the ex is Dean and the OP might be:

Sam

Lisa

Castiel

Donna

John

_

Where the ex is Sam and the OP might be:

Dean

Lucifer

Castiel

Jody

John

_

Where the ex is John and the OP is canonverse Dean with TW!John's mom when he's on his little interdimensional field trip that didn't happen