#or maybe everyone else on the ship knew exactly what was going on between him and the captain

[froggiewrites]

Jealousy, Jealousy

Pairing: Sanji x Reader

SFW

Summary: You spend the night crying into your drinks about how much you want Sanji, and how much it hurts he's in love with someone else. Sanji spends the night crying about much the same. Your friends get sick of it, and decide to help the idiots realize what everyone else already knows. Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Misunderstandings, Sanji and Reader both being idiots Word Count: 4.1k

You are going to get drunk tonight. Plastered, even.

Another day, another victory, another adventure spent staring longingly at Sanji when you were sure he wasn’t looking. You could usually handle the embarrassment of acting like a lovesick puppy for a man you knew didn’t feel the same, but something about today really set you off. Maybe it was the way he so sweetly called Nami’s name when you all reunited, or the way he so carefully prepared Robin her favorite drinks, or some other transgression you can’t quite remember. You don’t know exactly what it was, but you know you’re irritated and hurt and a little heartbroken, and there’s about a half a dozen drinks with your name on them behind the bar.

The tavern is lively and loud, and the rest of the crew is clearly having a good time. Your eyes briefly linger on Sanji at the bar, but you try to force your eyes away. No point in lingering here, yearning for something you can’t have. You instead make your way to the back of the room, wedging yourself between Zoro and Robin, who seem to be drinking in silence together.

You had intended on sharing in the peaceful silence, broken only by some quiet comments and gentle chuckles, but three drinks in you can see them side-eyeing you, brows furrowed.

“What?” Your voice comes out harsher than you meant it to, but you’re a bit too drunk to care.

“Just surprised you’re drinking so much, is all. You normally pace yourself more than this.” Robin’s voice is quiet and controlled, as though she’s just making a passive observation, but you know your friends and you know she is deeply worried about you.

“I had a bad day.”

“Really? You seemed fine earlier.” Zoro sounds genuinely surprised. Robin shoots him a look you can’t read, and he quickly shuts his mouth.

“Does this have anything to do with a certain someone?” Her voice is kind, so kind, but it makes you clench your jaw anyway.

“No.”

Silence.

“Maybe.”

Zoro mutters, “Oh, god damnit,” before taking another stiff pull of his drink.

“What happened, exactly? You both seemed perfectly friendly this morning.”

“I don’t…know. Everything was fine until it wasn’t, and now I’m all twisted into knots and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Well maybe you can start by telling us how you feel, and we can try to help you unravel all of this.”

“We?”

You both ignore Zoro’s confusion and indignation. “Maybe…if you think it will help.” You close your eyes, grounding yourself, and focusing wholly inward. “I just think I’m…tired of wanting things I can’t have. It’s really hard to be on a ship full of people living their dreams, fighting for everything they desire, and I’m here, feeling like I have to constantly hold so tight I feel like my fingers will break or else it’ll all slip through my fingers.”

“And do you feel like you’re holding onto Sanji?”

“Not just him, I guess. To everything. To all of you. But I’m trying to let myself believe that all of this is what I want, and that it’s going to be forever, and then I see him smile at someone else and the illusion just…shatters. I’m not happy. And I know damn well it won’t last forever. I feel like I’m stuck waiting for an inevitable ending that I’ll never be satisfied with. Right now, I’m in limbo, and I can keep pretending that it doesn’t hurt, but every time I think about how hopeless I feel with him it kind of reminds me of how hopeless it all is.”

You put your head in your hands for a moment, taking a deep breath. “And it’s not only about him, right? It’s just kind of a general dissatisfaction with where I am compared to you guys. But I would be lying if I said it wasn’t more about Sanji than it isn’t. He’s both, like, a symbol of it and the source of it. He’s the thing I want most, and he’s the thing I know I’m never going to have.”

“Why do you think you’ll never have him?”

“Because he’s in love with Nami.” You say it like it’s obvious.

Zoro is glaring at his drink, still wondering how he got roped into this conversation and praying you stop, while Robin gives you a gentle look resembling sympathy. There's something behind her eyes though, something you can't read, that makes you feel a bit uneasy.

"It's one thing, to have your love unrequited. For the man you're in love with to be hopelessly smitten with someone else. But god, it's another for him to be right."

"Right?" Robin's voice doesn't betray anything as she keeps her tone to a careful academic neutrality.

"It's just...she is that wonderful. I can't be upset about it because I can't blame either of them. She's beautiful and kind and capable and he's...well. He's everything. It just makes sense. It's somehow harder not to be bitter because I really don't have anything to be bitter about, if that makes sense."

"It would make sense if anything you said was true." Zoro's voice is gruff,  and you look to him in surprise, only to find his expression mirroring your own, as though he can't believe he opened his mouth. "He sucks, and she's great and all but she's no angel. And they aren't in love anyway so I don't understand what the problem even is." You think he's trying to help. Sweet, if ineffective.

"He's in love with her. He has been since the day they met. You know that, you were there."

"That isn't love. He's just a horny idiot."

"He's not an idiot." You hate how defensive your tone gets, how pathetic it makes you feel. You hate even more that Zoro and Robin both look at you with undisguised pity.

"I think what Zoro is trying to say is that you seem to think his feelings for Nami go a lot deeper than they do. They're just friends. He just speaks to all women like that."

"Not me."

You all hate the silence that follows.

"He hits on you too." Zoro's voice is a little weaker than before, knowing his argument isn't exactly rock solid. He's kind to you, complimentary, but he's never rushed into battle alone to save you. He's never ridden in on a blazing white steed for you, not like he has Robin or Nami. And sure, you've never been kidnapped like them, but it's hard not to feel the difference when Mr Prince himself has never played his part with you. He's kind to you, so very kind, but he's kind to everyone. That's just who he is.

“You know it isn’t the same, Zoro. It’s always Nami first. It always has been. He talks to me the same way he would any woman. Less than that, even.” You start tearing up despite yourself, and you hope your friends will blame your fragility on your drink and not your tender heart. “He just…he doesn’t look at me like that. He doesn’t fall at my feet, and it’s not like I want him to but…” You break into a quiet sob, and Robin’s hand comes to your shoulder, rubbing calming circles there.

Zoro leans in a bit, clearly a little uncomfortable but worried and kind nonetheless. “That stupid cook cares about you a lot more than any stranger on the street, and I think you know that. He’s just an idiot.” You look up at him, confused, and Zoro tries not to let out an annoyed sigh at your obliviousness. It isn’t entirely your fault. Who could blame you for thinking what you did? It’s not like Sanji helped with that. He didn’t give you the dramatic love confessions he did Nami or Robin. Nami had asked him once why he sang your praises differently than he did theirs, and he had insisted that he would give you only the grandest speeches, once he had prepared words worthy of you. The rest of the crew quickly figured out what he really meant: he was too nervous to say such a thing when he really meant it.  He would instead tuck his love into the food and drinks he served you, into the jacket he placed over your shoulders when you were cold, into the gentle smiles he gave you when you weren’t looking. Everyone had agreed not to push him before he was ready, to let you both find your way to each other naturally, but it was becoming apparent this was the wrong move.

You keep crying into your glass, and Zoro sighs. You’re both ridiculous. What a pair.

Across the bar, Usopp lets out his fiftieth sigh of the night. He has no idea how he got roped into this. Sanji is somewhere between sorrow and rage, buried in a pile of empty glasses that reek of beer. He's been going on for at least fifteen minutes now, and if Usopp had even slightly less of a conscience he'd leave him here to wallow, considering his problem is entirely self-inflicted. But unfortunately, Usopp is a great friend, so instead he bravely sits on this barstool, a listening ear to make sure Sanji's drowning his troubles doesn't end in Sanji himself drowning after he stumbles his way home alone.

"It's not right." Sanji's voice is shaky with emotion, even with his words slurred.

Usopp sighs, pretending he hasn't heard this exact line of conversation three times tonight. "What's not right, buddy?"

"He doesn't...he doesn't deserve her. He isn't good enough for her. That stupid swordsman...what does she see in him?" He takes another swig of his drink, letting out a deep sigh and dropping his shoulders. "He's just...he's not even nice to her. Not like he should be."

"He's being nice to her right now." Usopp motions over to where you're having your own pity party, one Zoro seems to have become an unwilling guest of. Robin is patting your shoulder in sympathy, while Zoro leans closer to say something to you, care and concern obvious on his face to those who knew him.

"But he should worship her. Everyone should. She's...she's..." Sanji drunkenly trails off.

"An angel?"

"A goddess." Despite the glaze over his eyes, his conviction shines though, granting him a focus he hasn't had all night as he gazes at her. "Someone to be cherished, protected, adored. He doesn't adore her. He should be on his knees right now begging for her attention, and he's just...talking to her. Like he would anybody."

"Probably because they're friends."

"But look at her. She clearly wants more than that. She should get whatever she wants. On a silver platter." Sanji really emphasizes that last part, lips pouting and brow tightening. Usopp looks over again to see you about to cry into your drink, leaning further into Robin. You aren't even looking at Zoro right now, but Sanji is still burning with envy. Usopp would love to set him straight, tell him that anyone with eyes could see who's attention you really wanted, but he knows you'd kill him, and he quite likes being alive. Sanji's so filled with malice and self loathing right now that he probably wouldn't even believe him, anyway. For a man so delusional about love, he somehow can’t see it when it’s right in front of him.

“I think you’re a little lost here, Sanji. She’s not in love with Zoro. She’s just drunk and sad. Reminds me of someone else I know.” He keeps that last part under his breath, and Sanji is drunk enough not to have heard it. Instead he frowns, taking another swig of his drink before trying to stand and falling directly into the counter. Your head pops up across the room, eyes wide and concerned, ready to leap to Sanji’s rescue. It’s amazing how blind that man must be to not see how obsessed with him you are. Usopp waves you off before hooking his hands under Sanji’s armpits and hauling him up. “Time to go, loverboy. You’ve had enough.”

“But she needs me!” Sanji struggles, but he’s so drunk he can’t properly utilize his strength. Lucky, or he’d already be halfway across the room to make an ass of himself. Usopp notices a small trickle of blood on his forehead from where he made contact with the bar.

“She’s fine, I promise. But you need to take a trip to see Chopper.”

“I need to help her! I can’t leave a lady in distress!”

“The lady will be in a lot more distress if she sees you’re hurt, Sanji! So get moving!” Usopp starts dragging him unceremoniously from the tavern, praying Franky will still be awake when he gets back to the ship to help him maneuver Sanji into his cot. Sanji passes out about halfway back to the Sunny, mercifully. Usopp hopes Robin and Zoro are having a better time with their other drunken crewmate.

You wake up with a pounding headache and the worst case of dry-mouth you’ve ever experienced. Your eyes just barely crack open, letting in a blinding ray of light, and you let out a small groan of pain. There’s a large glass of water by your bedside and some pills, as well as a small note from Chopper telling you to meet him in the infirmary once you feel up to walking. You chug the water and take your medicine gladly, touched by the sweet gesture. Your crew takes such good care of you.

It takes a while for the medicine to kick in enough for the light to stop hurting, but eventually you’re able to stand. You can’t remember the latter half of last night, your last memory being Sanji slamming his head into the counter while Robin and Zoro held you back from running to him. Zoro had supplied you with another drink then, and Robin had asked you more probing questions, but you could not for the life of you remember any other specifics. You make your way to Chopper’s infirmary so lost in thought you didn’t notice the mischievous looks in the eyes of your crewmates, the way their gazes subtly followed you as you walked.

“Chopper?” Your voice is still a little hoarse from having cried your heart out last night. You slip through the door, expecting to find your dear doctor ready to fuss over you and scold you for overdoing it last night. Instead you find Sanji face first in a bed, a small bandage wrapped around his head. Before you can ask if he’s alright, or if he knows where Chopper is, you hear it.

Click.

Your eyes widen. Your hand reaches for the doorknob, ready to turn it, and you find it doesn’t budge.

“What the fuck?”

Sanji groans again, slowly and carefully sitting up, before looking over at you. “What are you doing here, darling?” He looks at your hand, up at your expression, then back down to the doorknob. “Why…why is the doorknob backwards?”

Instead of the lock being where it should be, you find the keyhole on the inside of the door. There’s slight scratches around the nails holding it and place, and you realize someone has turned it around. There’s a quiet murmur of voices on the other side of the door, which turns to a yelp when you punch the wood. “What the hell is this?”

“We’re helping!” Nami’s voice rings out confidently from the other side, and you hear a few noises of agreement.

“With what, exactly?” You have a horrible sinking feeling you know exactly what they’re going to say, but you try to push it out of your mind, channeling the relentless optimism of your captain.

“We’re tired of you two being idiots!” Zoro’s voice is annoyed and unfriendly, but after a moment it slightly softens. “Just…talk to each other. Like people. For once in your lives.”

You don’t know why, but something about that makes Sanji’s brow twitch in annoyance. “Let us out, mosshead! I knew you were awful but I can’t believe you’d trap a lady!”

“It wasn’t my goddamn idea! Blame Nami!”

Sanji pauses in his yelling at that, but shockingly enough, he still seems upset instead of instantly kowtowing. He frowns, forehead wrinkling, but doesn’t say anything else.

“We aren’t letting you out until you’ve talked. We’re gonna go so you have privacy, but if you break out we’re putting you right back in, so don’t even think about just kicking down the door!” Nami’s voice is firm and commanding, and you find your shoulders slumping, knowing there’s no real point in fighting her. You’re both hungover, exhausted, and not in any state to continue the conflict. You sigh, making your way to a cot next to Sanji’s. You throw yourself down, the slight bounce you make on landing making you far more nauseous than it had any right to.

“Do you know what they want us to talk about?” Sanji sounds almost nervous, which surprises you. Does he know?

“I…have an idea. Do you?”

“I might.”

You both shift awkwardly in the silence that follows. You fidget with your hands, curling in tighter, anxiety eating at you. This is it. This is the rejection you’ve been waiting for. The final blow to shatter your fragile hopes, to crush your remaining optimism and the wonderful future you’ve allowed yourself to keep dreaming of.

“What do you see in him?” Sanji’s voice is quiet and seeping with vulnerability. His eyes are closed, as though he’s scared to even look at you and get your answer.

“What do I see in who?”

“In that stupid swordsman. Why do you care about him?”

“What?” You blink owlishly.

He finally looks up at you. He blinks back. “What do you mean, what?”

“Why are you talking to me like I’m dating Zoro?”

“Are you…not? Trying to do that?”

“No! God no! I’m–” You barely hold yourself back from saying trying to date you. “I’m not into Zoro like that. Did you think I was?”

“I–um. No?” His dour look turns sheepish, a small bit of red painting his cheeks. Adorable.

“God, Sanji. Zoro is not my type.” You both sit for a moment, before you realize something. “Were you upset because you thought I was into him?”

“He isn’t good enough for you.” He says it so matter-of-fact, like it’s an obvious truth. “No one is, but especially not him. You deserve the best, and nothing less.”

Your heart flutters a little, that little thing with feathers worming its way back into you, but you suddenly see Nami’s face in your mind and you crush it. To dream and watch it die is far worse than never dreaming at all. “That’s sweet, Sanji. But you shouldn’t say things like that. You might give someone the wrong idea.”

His head cocks to the side. “What do you mean, wrong idea? You do deserve the best. No one in the world deserves it more than you.”

“What about Nami?”

“What about Nami?”

“Does she not deserve the best? More than I do? More than anyone? Your sweet Nami-swan?” You fail to keep the bitterness out of your tone in that. Not bitterness towards her, of course, or even towards Sanji, really, just a sour taste in your mouth you can’t quite shake.

His brow furrows, lips downturned. “Well she deserves the best too, of course, but why would she deserve it more? Why wouldn’t you deserve everything you want?”

You let out a frustrated growl. “That’s what I want to know! Why not me?” You slam your hand over your mouth. God, he knows, and now he’s going to reject you, so sweetly and kindly, like he does everything, and it’s going to shatter you into a million pieces. You squeeze your eyes shut like blocking out the sight of him will undo what you’ve just done.

You don’t hear him reject you. You don’t even hear him move. You only feel warm hands on your cheeks, and you open your eyes to see Sanji right in front of you, nose to nose, and you can see reflected in his eyes something you might dare to call hope.

“Do you want it to be you?” You hear a longing in his words, see it in his eyes. You have never known Sanji as a man to want, to desire more than what he’s freely given, but in this moment it truly almost seems like he wants you.

You slowly take your hand off of your mouth. Your voice is meek, mouselike, but you force it out anyway. “Would that be okay? If I did?”

“Oh angel, it would be more than okay.” He slides impossibly closer, thighs on either side of yours, torsos pressed together, surrounding you wholly. “It is you. It has always been you. It will always be you. Is that okay?”

You want to answer him in words, something articulate that would move his heart, but instead you let out a soft squeak of surprise before grabbing his cheeks and pulling his lips to yours. They’re chapped, the dehydration from the hangover still plaguing him. He has morning breath. His movements are uncoordinated, unsteady. His goatee scratches your chin. When he opens his mouth, welcoming you further, he tastes like cigarettes and a hint of shitty beer. 

It’s the best kiss you’ve ever had.

You end up on your back, Sanji’s weight holding you down, comforting and all-consuming. His hands rest on your hips as yours tangle in his hair. You only pull back when the demand for air is too much, and even then you consider ignoring the scream of your lungs. You both pull back, chests heaving, and Sanji buries his face in your neck.

“I never thought I’d actually get to do this.” He buries his nose further into your neck, his arms sliding underneath you to pull you into a tight embrace.

“Neither did I. I kept telling myself to stop dreaming about things I couldn’t have.”

“You’ve had me from the moment I laid eyes on you.”

“You’ve had me for just as long.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

You take a strained breath. “I was…I don’t deserve you. And I thought you knew that. And that you were in love with Nami. That didn’t help.”

He pulls back to look you in the eyes, his gaze boring into you. “You thought you didn’t deserve me?” He sounds absolutely baffled at the idea.

“You’re kind, talented, strong, handsome…you’re everything, Sanji. You deserve everything you want. And I didn’t think you wanted me.”

He blinks at you for a moment, before a small chuckle forces its way out of him. “That’s…that’s so ridiculous I genuinely don’t even know where to start.”

He kisses your forehead. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, and everything I’m ever going to want.”

He kisses your cheeks. “I have wanted you from the moment we met, and I will want you until the day I die.”

He kisses the tip of your nose. “I have never met anyone more deserving of the world than you. And I’m not going to let anyone say otherwise. Even you. So there.”

You lean up to kiss his forehead in turn. “Well there’s nothing in this world I want more than you. Can I really have you?”

He takes one of your hands and places it over his rapidly beating heart. “You feel that? It’s all yours.” He lifts your other hand and kisses it in a deeply princely gesture that fits him perfectly.

Before you can reciprocate, the door slams open, and you hear Zoro’s disgruntled voice call out. “They’re making out! Can we be done with this now?”

Sanji whips around with even more vitriol than he usually reserves for the swordsman. “Piss off, mosshead. Can’t you see we’re busy?” The quick movement makes him sway slightly, and you’re forced to remember how horribly you’re both doing physically. If he picks a fight with Zoro right now he might end up puking all over his shoes.

“Ignore him, Sanji. We need to get some rest anyway.” You pull his face into your chest, which he gladly collapses fully into. When you run your fingers through his hair, he’s practically purring.

“Anything you say, my love.” His content smile grows wider when he hears your heart quicken at the words. Neither of you say anything else as your friends crowd the room, with their finallys and about times. Nothing in the world matters more than this right now: the feeling of each other’s warmth, the softness of each other’s skin, and the feeling of relief in both of your chests that your hopes were finally allowed to thrive.

[pallysuune]

Summary: You have been at the Lion's side since he first walked onto Camarth and remembered who he was. Whatever else anyone says about him, you've seen how human he can be, and try to help him in an equally human way.

Pairing: Fem!Reader/Lion El'Jonson

Warnings: spoilers for The Lion: Son of the Forest, I guess. Some good ol' fashioned fluffy smut. No beta we die like fanfic writers.

A/N: I love how different the Lion is in Son of the Forest, how much more mature and respectful he is. I've got a soft spot for the old man. This, uh, may have gotten a little out of hand.

The Protectorate was nearing a state where it would be self sufficient. Where Lion could step away without fear that 'his people' would once more fall to the predation of chaos. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking most of the time, but everyone near him could tell that he was affected by that notion. How he was affected was up to debate, though. His Risen were of the opinion that he was anticipating his return to the Imperium at large, maybe even excited for it in his own way. But you thought there was more to it than that.

Not anxiety, exactly, but something adjacent to it.

While the majority of the Lion Guard would remain in the Protectorate, there was a small number who would be joining him and his sons in their travels. You were one of them. It wasn't much of a surprise, if you were being honest. While you weren't the captain of the Lion Guard, or any other named rank, you served as close to an equerry as he currently had. You'd dare even say you were close to him. Closer than most.

The ship that would carry you all away from the Protectorate wasn't one many would call worthy of a Primarch, but Lion himself had seemed nothing but satisfied with it, thanking the tech priests and engineers who had gotten it in working order with a sincerity that had left them flustered and star struck. It was still, in fact, a little small for someone like him, especially in the private cabins, which was what necessitated him sitting cross-legged on the floor as he currently was.

He'd been sitting there for so long with his eyes closed, you thought he was meditating, or that he'd fallen asleep, when he spoke suddenly.

"You know you don't need to be here all the time."

You fixed him with a flat look, even if he wasn't able to see it currently. "The last time we were on a ship, you took a walk in the middle of the warp and none of us knew what happened to you," you reminded him, in a sharp tone you only dared to use in private.

He opened his eyes and looked up at you. You blushed a little. He didn't intend it, you were pretty sure, but his attention was always so intense that it got to you every time.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a faint smile. "My sons were quite upset with me about that," he conceded.

He motioned toward a chair, offering for you to sit, and, in a way, accepting the fact that you were going to be staying there. Triumphantly, you sat down.

Silence fell between the two of you for a moment, before you cleared your throat softly. "Can I ask you something, Lord Lion?" He looked over at you again. For how calm he could be, he still didn't like to be kept waiting, so you went on quickly. "Why did you bring the Lion Guard with you? Not just now, but when you first brought us with you from Camarth. You... don't really need us. Especially now that more of your sons have joined your side. So why...?"

He didn't answer immediately, glancing away instead, his eyes lowering to the floor as he thought about it. "I do need the Lion Guard. I cannot protect these planets alone, nor can I traverse the stars to rejoin my father's imperium alone. Even a Primarch is nothing without people who are willing to trust and follow them."

He looked meaningfully at you.

"In truth, I need you just as much as you needed me. I am still human."

You knew he meant 'you' in a general sense, but your heart still skipped a beat all the same.

His gaze seemed just a little more focused on you, and you suddenly recalled a rumor you had heard once that he could hear so well he could even hear a person's pulse. Was it true? Could he hear how yours was suddenly fluttering in your chest?

"Don't you ever get tired, sir?"

He arched a brow at you. "I slept for ten thousand years," he said, his voice so dry you couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"That isn't what I meant," you huffed, flustered.

His expression softened ever so slightly. "I do. But there is too much to do to give in to it."

You hesitated again, looking at him. Your heart was beating so fast, you were almost sure it would break out of your rib cage and fly away. "Would you... permit me to help you with that?"

His expression closed off, becoming more guarded, and for a moment, he just looked at you. And then, slowly, he nodded.

You took a deep breath and rose from your seat. After one last second of hesitation - you could stop this before it started, your brain said, pretend it never happened, and go back to serving him as normal - before you slipped into his lap, sitting lightly on his thighs. This close, you could so clearly see the lines at the corner of his eyes, the silver in his blond hair and beard. He didn't move in the slightest, and his eyes never left yours. Slowly, you reached up, fingertips brushing his cheek, before you leaned in and pressed your lips to his.

He didn't respond immediately, but after a moment, he wrapped his arms around you. He was gentle, almost achingly, as if he was afraid of hurting you. His broad, warm form enveloped you. He kissed you back, slowly, and you could practically feel the tension release in his shoulders as he let himself let go and accept the affection and comfort you were giving him. His fingers slid into your hair, his hand cradling the back of your head.

You had seen the Lion fight before. To think that the same hands you had seen kill daemons with such ease could be so gentle when touching you made your heart ache.

The kiss grew deeper, his tongue slipping past your lips, sweeping into your mouth and gliding over yours. You moaned softly.

He smoothed one large hand down the curve of your back, letting it settle low, where the edge of your shirt had ridden up ever so slightly. He slid one calloused finger beneath, drawing over your skin. "Do you wish to continue?"

You realized it was a genuine question. He would not stop you or blame you if you didn't wish to go any further. That, just as much as the warmth of his body and the way he had responded to your kiss, urged you on.

"I do."

The Lion kissed you again softly, beginning to pull your shirt up. He's wearing a shirt that buttons down the front, something made for him on Avalus to wear when he's not in his armor. You fumble with the buttons, fingers slipping on them in your eager haste. You felt the quirk of his lips in a smirk of amusement, and felt heat rise to your cheeks. When he pulls away to draw your shirt over your head, you take the opportunity to undo the buttons since you could see them. You pushed his shirt back off his shoulders.

He was a broad man, muscular and strong, his skin pale, with the ghosts of freckles dusting his shoulders, waiting for the kiss of the sun to bring them out. Scars mark his body, a long with the metal ports where his armor interfaced with his body. It was strange how different it was and yet how recognizably human. You ran your hand down his chest, marveling at him.

He said nothing, watching you silently as you looked over his upper body. When you glanced up, you met his his eyes. That intense forest green gaze. You flushed.

He leaned in and kissed you again.

Lion lifted you with ease, making quick work of the rest of your clothes before removing his own. Naked, he drew you back into his lap. Your breath hitched at the feeling of skin against skin, his cock resting against your sex. His hands roamed over your body as he held you close and kissed you, in utterly no hurry. He trailed kisses down your neck and over your shoulder. He lavished your body with kisses and touches until you were squirming in his lap, panting softly.

It was only then that he laid you back onto the floor, shifting over you. One large hand guided your leg around his waist. His lips pressed softly to your breast. His beard scratched your skin lightly. His mouth was hot as he took your nipple into it to suck lightly on it. His fingers brushed along your folds. Heat and pleasure rushed through you. You were slick and hot under his hand as he circled your clit and pressed a finger into you.

You whimpered softly, your hips arching up into the movement of his hand.

"Patience," he murmured against your chest.

You wasn't sure how he could expect you to be patient when he was slowly fucking you with one thick finger. But you bit your lip, trying to keep from squirming too much.

"Good girl."

His voice alone was enough to make you whine again.

Lion took his time, patient and thorough, fingering you and playing with your clit until you were practically dripping for him, your arousal slickening your thighs. You were nearly delirious with need when he drew back, slipping his finger from you. He raised it to his mouth, and you watched through lidded eyes as he sucked your essence from his fingers.

"A man could lose himself between your thighs," he rumbled, green eyes locked with yours.

"Lion," you breathed.

He pursed his lips, and you were sure it was to hide a smile, and leaned back down over you. He guided your legs around his waist again. You felt the press of his length against your slit. Slowly, he rolled his hips forward, pressing into you, stretching you, filling you. Your back arched, your hips rocking up to meet his. A long, low moan slipped from your lips.

He groaned softly before his lips met yours. He kissed you deeply. You wrapped your arms around his neck, fingers threading in his hair. He was the only thing that existed to you in that moment. You clung to him, grounding yourself in the strength of his body. And you let yourself get lost in the push and pull of your bodies, in the pleasure that seared through your veins. Nothing else mattered.

He began to move faster, chasing the high both of you so desperately needed. His fingers found your clit once more and you keened, pushed over the edge. Your pussy tightened around him, your juices dripping down your thighs as he continued to fuck you through your release. Everything was a haze of sensation, highlighted with the sound of deep, masculine groans in your ear, as your body began to tread that line between pleasure and pain, too much and not enough. You trembled in his arm. He continued fucking you.

He bucked into you and stopped, filling you completely. You could feel the throb of his manhood in you as he pumped you full of his seed.

For a moment, you both remained like that, twined together. You were panting. He was breathing a little hard, too, his face pressed into the crook of your neck. He pressed a kiss there before finally pulling himself up.

You expected him to pull away, get dressed, and return to his meditation. Instead, he drew you close to him again, back into his lap as he shifted to lean back against the wall. He took his shirt and draped it over you. You hadn't anticipated cuddling but, well, you certainly going to turn down the opportunity. You let yourself lay across his chest as his arms came to settle around you again.

Lion didn't speak. But as you began to fall asleep, you could have sworn you felt the touch of his cheek against the top of your head.

[kpopimaginings]

Compromise - D.O (Kyungsoo)

The day you realised that it was always you initiating physical affection in your relationship was strange to say the least. You had been so happy with Kyungsoo until this revelation shattered the rose-tinted glasses, and doubt clouded your mind.

You made a conscious effort going forward to be less clingy with him and see if it was all in your head. Unfortunately, Kyungsoo didn't pick up the slack and there was just less skin-ship between you. Nothing else had really changed though, leaving you questioning both your logic and your relationship.

Kyungsoo was still inviting you out and planning dates, such as tonight when you found yourself over at his for dinner. When you first arrived, he had placed a gentle kiss on your cheek as you entered. This small gesture helped to calm your anxieties as your mind wondered through all the worse case scenarios.

The two of you began to talk as you followed him to the kitchen where he was finishing preparation for the meal. You exchanged stories of your days so far as usual until your boyfriends mood changed.

"I wasn't going to say anything until after we ate, but I think I need to now," Kyungsoo said, suddenly.

Immediately, the anxiety that had ebbed away returned.

"Are you still happy with me?" he asked.

"What?" you replied, a little incredulous at his question.

"You've changed, you've been really distant lately and I need to know if you still want to be with me," he explained.

For a moment, you froze, wanting nothing more in that moment than to hug him. "Of course I still want to be with you," you told him. "I just thought I was being too clingy and wanted to give you some space."

"Why do think that? Did I make you think that?"

"No," you answered, quickly. "Not exactly, I just- you don't really hug, and I was doing it a lot and I just thought, maybe... I was annoying you."

"You could never annoy me. I know that you just show your affection for me physically. I show mine by buying you things or cooking for you." He gestured at the food currently sat on the hob.

You nodded, knowing that Kyungsoo hadn't once made you actually feel unloved, despite the lack of skin-ship.

"We just have different love languages," he continued. "I know that can be hard sometimes, but we can make it work."

"Yeah," you agreed. "I'm sorry, I should have just spoken to you. You always make me feel loved, even if it isn't with hugs and kisses all the time."

"Good," Kyungsoo said with a little nod and a smile. "Now, come here, you need to make up for all those hugs I didn't get."

You happily shuffled towards him, securing your arms around his waist. "Don't let the dinner burn though," you muttered.

"I won't," he chuckled. There was a pause before he continued, "I'll make more of an effort with physical affection it if will help reassure you."

"You really don't have to."

"But I want to," he pulled out of the embrace and placed a quick kiss to your lips. "I love you, and sometimes that means compromising on things like love languages so that everyone feels happy and loved."

"I love you, too," you smiled at him, resting your hands on his shoulders.

"But now I really should check on dinner."

You laughed, and moved so that Kyungsoo could get back to the hob. All of a sudden you couldn't remember why you had gotten yourself into such a state before. Watching the man you loved carefully preparing food for you, you knew there would be no problem too big with him by your side.

NAVIGATION  |  EXO MASTERLIST

[henrioo]

Hi. How are you? Your imagines are just wow! I would love a Shanks x female reader please. Your Whitebeard’s only daughter. When Shanks comes to meet with Whitebeard, he remembers you from when Roger and Whitebeard fought when they were kids. He remembers that you and him made a promise (what the promise is I’d love to see what you think because whatever you decide it will be amazing). It ends with a kiss and a new member of the red haired Pirates. Thank you! 🧡

✦ ── THE PROMISE: AKAGAMI NO SHANKS

Part one, part two

Relationships: Young! Shanks x Gn! Reader

Synopsis: What would it be like to run into Shanks years after his disappearance and all the events between the two of you? What would have changed?

Warnings: Spoilers! Shanks' past (what we know at least), cannon divirgence, cannon change (my theory of what would have happened), mention of death, mention of running away from relatives (running away from home basically) Shanks is still young has both arms!

Word Count: 2,1k

Notes: Here is the second part of this imagine that everyone loved! Thanks to this ask I decided to continue so thank you, here is a lot of invention of how the facts would have been since we don't know much, I also wanted to make a young Shanks because I didn't want to make them only meet decades later.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ• ────── ✦ ────── •

You sighed tiredly and stretched your arms still sitting in your office chair. Your desk was full of papers and books, you were like a little secretary on the ship, taking care of important papers for Marco and your father, always willing to help. You looked out the small window and knew that it was already dark, you had stopped on a small allied island and you were probably the only one still working.

All of your brothers would already be making out between men and women and drinking until they threw up. Not that you were against parties, especially now that you were in your twenties and old enough to attend, but sometimes you liked the solitude and silence. Just you, your papers and your thoughts about the future and all that may lie ahead.

But well, the night was young and you definitely weren't going to be locked up working! You got up and ran towards your room, ready to change into a nicer outfit than your casual one and have some fun. You intended to drink, eat and well… Maybe you found some man or woman interesting enough to talk to and maybe something else.

After changing into comfortable but beautiful clothes, you found yourself walking through the almost empty streets of the island. There were a few drunks and couples walking around, the bars were packed and the restaurants had all kinds of people in, it looked like a very busy and lively night. You stopped in one spot and looked around, thinking about your next move.

"Now, where would those idiots go…" you pondered, no one had told you exactly which bar the family party would be at and that's why you were lost from the others.

While you were thinking, one hand quickly went around your waist and the other around your mouth. With extraordinary strength you were pulled into a dark alley between the various houses in the area. You were scared when you were caught off guard, but as you always knew that despair was not the solution, so you calmed down to fight back.

When the final unknown stopped, having taken you far enough, it was time to act! You quickly stepped on his foot and turned around, punching the individual square in the face. As if that wasn't enough, you grabbed a small knife that you always carried and positioned yourself, ready to attack whoever was there.

"Auch! Wow my sweet, the years go by and your punch keeps knocking anyone down" the humorous voice confused you, he was thinking it was a joke.

"Ha, nobody ordered me kidnapped, next time it's going to take a lot more than just a punch" you said slyly.

"Kidnap? Isn't that… Funny, y/n? The first time we met I'm pretty sure the situation was similar" he chuckled.

"First time?" You asked even more confused, how did he know your name? How did he know you?

The man chuckled quickly and then walked out of the darkness of the alley, walking closer to the lighted area. His gaze started at his feet, going up to his strong legs, his exuberant chest, one hand on his sword at his waist and the other caressing his face where you'd struck. He had scarred eyes and a wild look, his red hair peeking out from under his straw hat...

"Shanks?!" You practically screamed in shock, was that really him?

"It took you a while to recognize me… Was I so different?" He smiled maliciously and looked at you with a lot of emotion.

"No… But… It's been years" You finally let your guard down and put your knife away, there was no need to attack.

You looked at the man trying to gain confirmation that it really was him, Shanks... How many years had it been since you saw or heard about him?

You had met in childhood, after a funny situation together, and from the beginning the red-haired boy had shown a lot of interest in you, even though you were enemies from birth. The few physical encounters you had were made up for by the letters you exchanged until adolescence, Shanks telling about your adventures with Roger and you talking about your own with your family.

For you, that boy was as important as any member of the ship, but it was different from a platonic feeling. You and Shanks had chemistry, you understood each other like no one else and the more you talked the more you wanted to be together. It wasn't strange the plans you made about the future, Shanks liked to say that one day you would marry him and you would live adventures together, sailing the seas with your own crew.

You believed that for many years, you fell in love with the boy you met and dreamed the most beautiful fantasies... Until that happened, the news that Roger had been captured and that all his crew was missing. You were no more than eighteen at the time and you were devastated... The worry of what had happened to Shanks hit you so hard that you fell ill, not even the crew who were equipped with the best doctors could help you.

When you got better and woke up a few days later, you learned from your father that Roger's crew had been disbanded and that all the crew were missing and lost at sea. Fear and uncertainty hurt you inside, you didn't know what could have happened to Shanks, was he alive? How would you be after losing the man who was like your father? What kinds of dangers was he in now, completely alone?

For a few years you tried to look for Shanks, even if your brothers were against it as it was risky, they knew it was important and helped you as much as they could. But he was completely gone, no one had seen or heard from him, for a few years you decided that Shanks had died... Or that he had suffered so much from the loss that he fled the pirate world completely, the point is that the pain of his absence kept hurting you day after day.

As time went by you learned to live with the pain, to deal with the fact that maybe the love of your life was gone. When you heard the rumors that some pirates who fought together with Roger had returned to the sea, you thought it was just any rumor, nonsense… But there he was, Shanks in all his glory. Completely alive.

"I thought… I thought you were dead" you finally gathered your thoughts and spoke after a few seconds of staring at him.

"I know… I… I needed some time" he said with a light tone but it was possible to see how important that was to him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I wasn't really planning on meeting you… Not right now" he chuckled "But I happened to need to stop by and I heard your family was in town… So why not?" He glared at you.

"Shanks… I…" you tried to speak but all you felt were the tears coming down "I'm sorry… I didn't"

"Hey, hey… it's okay" he leaned closer "Let it out…" he hugged you and started rubbing your back lightly.

"I thought I lost you forever… I'm so glad you're alive…" You let your face rest against his chest.

"If I had known you missed me so much I would have come sooner… I… I missed you too y/n… There isn't a day that I don't think about you…" he admitted.

"Oh really?" You smiled and walked away "I don't know, you were always a joker, I bet you say that to everyone…" you teased, already feeling better.

"No! Of course not! Besides… I really needed to find you and fulfill our promise…" He became more serious again and stared at you deeply.

"Promise?" You asked confused.

"Not here… Come" he offered his hand and you immediately took it.

Quickly he pulled you through the half-empty streets, you walked through the bright and fresh night without worries. There you weren't the heir to the legacy of the pirate king or one of the sons of Whitebeard's crew, no… There you were just Shanks and y/n, two young adults in love who hadn't seen each other in so long that they were almost forgetting one another. from the other. There you can laugh and just live that night together.

"Here's good… I wanted to take you on a real date, but we don't have much time" he turned around, you were in a small square overlooking the beach in the distance. The sound of waves was comforting to you.

"What's going on Shanks?"

"Okay, I need to tell you two things… But you have to promise that you won't answer until I explain everything, okay?" He held both of your hands.

"Okay… Talk soon" you looked at him curious and excited.

"First, I'm putting together my own pirate crew. I've decided that I want to keep sailing, I want to have my own nakamas and sail around the world like I used to with the captain…" There was a hint of sadness in his voice, but he still kept a smile on his face. "So I'm going through some islands and recruiting some people, I have a small ship but soon things will change when we start to act"

You assimilated the information slowly, so Shanks would return to the pirate life... You felt very happy for him, knowing that he would not give up that life he loved so much even after the loss.

"Now… I also decided something else, during these years I kept thinking about you… I couldn't get in touch because it was risky, I was still weak and young and I only had one chance to make everything right…" he sighed "But now I've managed to organize things and I've decided that I want you with me... Do you remember our promise? When we grow up we'll have our own crew and live adventures together? Would you be my companion the same as when we were silly kids and we dated for fun?"

"Of course I remember… Every day I thought about you, our plans… How we were going to live together… But I don't understand what one thing goes with the other… Ah unless you're saying that…" you stared at him blankly.

"Yeah… I know your dad and brothers are probably going to kill me… But I needed to risk seeing you before I started sailing like a pirate, tell me, y/n" he smiled at you "would you mate with me and run away with me to assemble a pirate crew?"

"Shanks…" you were in shock.

"I know, I know, they are your family and I can't wait for you to accept it because we haven't seen each other for years… But I want to make up for everything I promised you, I really love you y/n… Always have, since when you were just a sulky kid wanting to make friends" he laughed "I promise I'll protect you and I won't take you away from your family, but if I'm going to live the adventure of being a pirate captain… I want to live it with you."

You had nothing to answer so you just threw yourself into his arms, squeezing him tight and confirming that it was all reality.

"One thing you know for sure… My father will kill you when he finds out" you laughed.

"It's worth it… Besides, I think I'm old enough to face the old man…" he chuckled back.

"Shanks… I love you too" you said, millimeters away from his face.

"Then come with me, let's start our lives together" he offered moving closer "Be mine."

"Yes I will be" you smiled and your lips finally came together.

The kiss was passionate and slow, you took advantage of every second to kill the longing you had for years. Shanks's hand grabbed your waist and the other held in his hair, like a brief affection but also preventing you from pulling away. You wrapped your arms around his neck and let your body go limp and comfortable against his.

"I've wanted to do this for so long…" he smiled as you pulled away.

"Me too, me too…"

The next morning all his brothers and father could find was his empty room along with a beautiful letter of thanks and farewell. Of course they were worried about you, but you were strong, you were as skilled a pirate as anyone else on that ship. If your wish was to adventure with Shanks and live with him, all they could do was support you and hope that everything works out... But that didn't stop your father from swearing to beat Shanks up if he hurt you.

[tokkias]

anything but vanilla ship: natsu dragneel x lucy heartfilia summary: The cake may be vanilla, but their sex life certainly is not. ao3

authors note: one year ago today, i published my first ever (real) nalu fic. since then i've published almost 70 fics and over 200k words. in fact, this fic will mark 200k words published on ao3 just for the year 2023. thank you for all of your support this past year, it means the world to me, and what better way to celebrate it than with straight up smut? i hope you enjoy <3

If there was one thing Lucy Heartfilia knew how to do, it was how to give a good gift. Being able to pin down what someone wanted was a skill she had honed over the years, and it was certainly one she was proud of. Something about it came so easy to her, but there was always one person who stood between her and the title of Fairy Tail’s premier gift giver.

Every year Natsu’s birthday rolled around, and every year Lucy was at a loss for what to get him. It wasn’t that she didn’t know what he liked, but simply the fact that he wasn’t a materialistic person. He had loved every gift she gave him, but she had yet to hit what she considered to be the bullseye.

It should have been easy—she knew him better than anyone; he was her boyfriend for god’s sake, but she seemed to struggle just as much as everyone else did this time of year. But not this year. No, this year, Lucy decided she was going to cut the bullshit and get it straight from the source. Sure, maybe it undercut the meaningfulness of the gift, but at the very least she would know exactly what he wanted.

He was very busy lazing on the couch when she finally decided to ask, making it his life’s work to ensure that half of the chips would end up in his mouth while the other half would end up as crumbs between her cushions. Fortunately, that was an activity that Lucy did not mind interrupting.

“Natsu?” She called out, pulling his attention to her with a soft hum of acknowledgement.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

Deciding to cut to the chase, Lucy asked her question straight up.

“What do you want for your birthday?”

Natsu’s answer came quick and useless.

“Nothing,” he shrugged.

That was about the answer she had been expecting from him. She’d asked him once or twice in the past and had since given up on trying to get a useful answer out of him since. Natsu simply wasn’t a birthday guy. Sure, he loved to celebrate and party, as did everyone else in the guild, but all he cared about was if the food kept coming and the drinks kept flowing.

“You can’t say nothing; you have to give me an answer,” she replied, her arms crossing over her chest in frustration, truly at her wits end.

Natsu was quiet for a moment, contemplative almost, and Lucy started to feel her hopes rising that this year she wouldn’t have to go through the same struggles she had to push through every year.

Those hopes were quickly dashed, however, when he finally settled on his answer.

“Sex with you.”

Lucy let out a defeated huff.

That was not the answer she had been looking for.

“You are no help,” she grumbled as she tottered back to their bedroom to go back to brainstorming all on her own.

Lucy clenched and unclenched her jaw in time with the frustrated clicking of her pen as she looked down at her empty list of ideas. She had hoped that Natsu could have at least prompted some ideas, but sex with her wasn’t anything special—they did it practically every day, and though she knew he would enjoy it, it didn’t feel like it was meaningful as a birthday gift. It didn’t feel like it would be any different from the cake she got him every year—it was simply expected.

That trail of thought made her pause for a moment. It felt almost as though it had struck a match in her brain that was now burning into a bonfire of incredible ideas.

With a final click of her pen, Lucy began to frantically scribble down her thoughts. What she was certain had started as Natsu’s simple dismissal of her question was slowly beginning to blossom into what she was certain would become his best birthday gift of all time.

Natsu wasn’t at the apartment by the time Lucy arrived home—something she was infinitely grateful for considering the large, white bakery box in her hands that she was certain would have caught his attention had he been home.

Carefully, Lucy placed the box on the countertop and lifted up the lid. Inside sat a decadent-looking cake, lovingly decorated with white frosting, with pink frosted rosettes and ribbons littering the top and sides of the cake. It looked so pretty that Lucy almost felt bad about what she was going to do with it tonight.

Lucy tugged on her bra strap as she adjusted it to sit more comfortably on her shoulder. It wasn’t one that she wore very often—it was a little… risqué for her taste, so it was saved for special occasions. Considering it was also one of Natsu’s favourites, she supposed today counted as one of those occasions.

She desperately hoped there were no peeping toms looking in through her apartment window, where they would find her standing in her kitchen in nothing but a red bra and panties, lighting a single candle on a slice of cake. That view was reserved for one person only, whom Lucy was expecting to arrive very soon.

She made sure to be careful as she carried the cake into the living room, fearing the loss of her deposit if she tripped and scorched the carpet with her dainty little candle.

Once she made it to the couch, she made herself comfortable for however long she would be waiting for him. Really, any wait would be too long, already having gotten herself riled up for what was to come. She could feel the slickness in her panties and she had to rub her thighs together to get just a hint of relief for the ache between them, but she knew it would all be worth it once she got even just a glimpse of his face when he saw his gift.

It was an agonisingly long wait, each passing moment feeling like hours as she watched the flame melt the wax of the candle and thought about Natsu’s hot touch up against her body. She licked her lips at the thought, only managing to pull herself out of it when she heard the turn of the doorknob, followed by Natsu announcing his interest.

“Hey, Lucy, I’m ba-” He cut himself off as his eyes flicked up and he saw what was sitting, waiting in front of him. “Hey,” he breathed out.

“Hi,” she greeted, a smile adorning her lips as a soft blush spread across her cheeks. “I got you something.”

She watched as his gaze moved from the cake up to her boobs, then back down to the cake, almost as if he didn’t know which was more enticing to him. Lucy had to press her lips together to suppress the smug grin that threatened to take over had she not. Without another word, Natsu joined her on the couch, curious and intrigued.

“Happy Birthday to you,” she began to sing as he sat down next to her, her voice soft, slow, and low, almost teasing. “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Natsu.” She paused again to gauge his reaction, but his gaze was still squarely stuck somewhere between the cake and her body. “Happy Birthday to you~”

For the first time since his arrival, Natsu looked her in the eyes, and she got to see the swirl of emotions behind them. It was all joy and surprise, and the little glimmer of lust that she had been after.

“You can blow out the candle now,” she told him after a few moments of inaction.

Semi-heeding her instructions, Natsu grabbed the candle and devoured the flame before discarding it on the coffee table and eagerly moving for the slice of cake. Before he could get too close, however, Lucy pulled the plate away from him, and he glanced up at her with a hint of hurt and confusion.

She was certain that look wouldn’t last long once he saw what she had in store for him. She placed the plate down on the table before digging in, grabbing handfuls of cake before smearing it over her breasts and abdomen. Natsu stared and watched, wide-eyed, as she grabbed another handful and pressed it into her inner thighs before draping herself across the couch, ready for him to feast on.

“Dig in~”

Natsu wasted no time on attaching his mouth to her skin, dragging his tongue over her breast, lapping up the creamy frosting that decorated them.

“Have I ever told you that you’re the best girlfriend ever?” He murmured as he gobbled up some of the vanilla cake that had lodged itself in the valley of her breasts.

His comment elicited a soft giggle from her as he continued to lap her clean.

Though he quickly ate her clean, he promptly decided he had yet to have his fill, his hands slipping behind her back where he fiddled with her bra clasp. Once he managed to undo it, he tossed it somewhere to the side, uncaring about where it landed, his focus entirely fixated on what was underneath. He looked down at her with hunger in his eyes, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t just for the cake.

Lucy let out a small squeal as he roughly grabbed her breasts with both hands before attaching his lips to one nipple, licking and sucking like his life depended on it. His teeth grazed the sensitive peak as his free hand worked the other. With a soft sigh, Lucy arched her back, pushing her breast further into his face, and Natsu let out a moan of approval.

He let go of her nipple with a loud pop, but he didn’t stay detached from her for too long before he was nipping and sucking at the soft skin around her nipple. He moaned into her skin, appreciating her taste as he left behind his mark before moving to a new spot and repeating the process anew.

A trail of hickeys was left across her skin as he made his way to her other breast, feeling that he had left that nipple neglected and in need of some loving. He took it in his mouth, his fang grazing across it, causing Lucy’s hands to shoot up to his head, where she tangled his fingers through his hair as he flicked his tongue across her nipple.

Once he was sure that each nipple had seen equal attention, Natsu dragged his tongue across the valley of her breasts, cleaning up the residual frosting that was left there before burying his face between them. He pressed both breasts against the side of his face, relishing in the feeling of her soft skin against his cheeks.

From his new favourite spot, Natsu looked up at her, his grin wide and from ear to ear showing that he was definitely enjoying his gift. She couldn’t help the fond smile that made its way onto her face as she lovingly gazed down at him.

That loving gaze was quickly cut short when she felt Natsu bite straight into her boob, causing her to squeal out at the brief shot of pain she felt.

“Just wanted to get a taste,” he grinned, a mischievous smirk across his face.

Before she had the chance to reprimand him, he had already slinked down her body, his teeth toying at the top of her panties before he gave a slow, languid lick all the way up her torso. Lucy squirmed slightly at the sight, watching him thickly swallow the frosting as she wished he would do something else with that tongue.

Eyes flicking up to meet hers, Natsu noticed the horny gaze she was gracing him with.

“D’ya want some?” He asked, and intrigued to find out where he was going with this, Lucy nodded her head.

In response, he dragged two fingers through the mess of cake and frosting, collecting a good bite before shoving them in her mouth, where she eagerly took them. She wrapped her tongue around them, sucking off all the sickly-sweet frosting as he pushed them in and out of her. She sucked and licked until he was all clean, and he pulled out of her, a strand of drool connecting them until she closed her mouth to swallow.

Before she knew it, Natsu’s mouth was on hers in a hungry, open-mouthed kiss. His tongue slipped past her lips and tangled with hers. She could taste the cake on his tongue—vanilla-flavoured, though what they were doing right now felt like anything but.

Lucy hadn’t paid much mind to the flavours when she ordered the cake. Natsu didn’t have a preference—cake was cake, and she was certain that he would not give a damn what flavour it was that he was eating off of her almost naked body.

It seemed as though that thought had been proven correct.

She practically had to push him off of her when she ran out of breath, convinced that he would have kept going forever had she let him. Her hands rested on the front of his shoulders, his shirt the only thing between his skin and hers.

Suddenly, he looked much too overdressed.

Without a word, Lucy attempted to tug off his shirt, and Natsu, getting the message, promptly unwound his scarf and shrugged off his jacket, tossing both over the back of the couch. His hands moved to his belt, where he fiddled with the buckle before pulling it off and shedding his pants, leaving him with nothing but a pair of boxers with a pitched tent.

The sight of it had her whining and bucking her hips. She wanted him to fuck her right then and there, to feel him deep inside of her, but Natsu still had a lot more gift to go and, from the looks of things, was going to enjoy every last bit of it.

He dipped back down to her belly, where he picked up from where he left off, placing kisses to her skin and picking up mouthfuls of cake as he did so. He took his time with it, having her squirming beneath him, which she could only assume had him slowing down even more. It wasn’t until she was completely clean that he even dared to think about moving down between her thighs.

Once he was satisfied with his work, Natsu finally positioned himself between her thighs, where he pressed his nose against the gusset of her panties, causing her to gasp in surprise at the sudden sensation, before he took a deep whiff of his favourite scent. For a moment, she expected him to tear her panties off right there and pound her into the cushions with no remorse, but unfortunately, as she felt his mouth press against her thighs, she recalled how she had smushed handfuls of cake between them. Though it had felt sexy in the moment, she now realised that it was the one thing standing between her and getting dicked down by Natsu and his thick cock.

She quickly reminded herself that tonight was not about her—tonight was about Natsu and him getting his fill. With a soft sight, Lucy made herself comfortable as she gazed down at him, watching as he ate the cake off of her bare thighs. His arms wrapped around her legs, holding her in place the same way he did when he ate her out, and being in this position, feeling his hot breath against her skin, so close to where he needed him, was nothing short of torture.

But he was enjoying himself—really enjoying himself—so she stayed put. She let him devour his dessert from between her legs, holding herself back from bucking right up into his mouth.

As he licked up the frosting, he made sure to leave his mark on the newly cleaned surface, biting and sucking on the tender skin until it began to bruise under his touch. With each hickey he left, he made sure to kiss the mark before moving up and starting the process all over again at his agonisingly slow pace.

His teeth grazed the hem of her panties and she expected him to simply nose them out of the way and dip his tongue in for a taste, but she was left disappointed when he simply moved his attention to the other thigh.

Natsu never took this long to eat. By now, he could have devoured the entire cake if he wanted, but he was taking his sweet, sweet time. Lucy could only reason that he was doing this on purpose. He was getting the most of his present by making her squirm until she simply couldn’t take it anymore.

Each lick was slow and intentional, savouring the delectable flavours of the cake (and her)—something she wasn’t sure he had even done in all the years she’d known him. Even when her skin was bare, he continued to lick at it until any leftover residue was gone and there remained not a whiff of evidence.

It was erotic—she couldn’t deny that—but having his mouth work wonders on such an erogenous zone had her feeling needier than she could ever recall being.

Her mind blurred over with need, leaving her so hazy that she hardly registered Natsu pulling away from her thighs and sitting up on the couch besides her.

“There ya go, all clean!” He said,

“What?” Lucy cried. “N-No! You said you wanted sex! I want sex!”

“I know,” he replied, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. “I’m just messin’ with ya.”

She wanted to yell and Lucy kick him into the next decade, but before she could even contemplate the idea, Natsu’s fingers had slipped in the waistband of her panties and were pulling them down her legs. When he had fully removed them, he brought them up to his face, where he licked at the wet patch she had left there.

“That cake was pretty good, but you taste even better,” he said as he readied himself back into position to devour her.

She gasped as she felt his nose brush up against her clit, which was promptly turned into a moan as he ran his tongue along it. Her hands shot down to his head, and her nails dug into his scalp as she thrust herself into his mouth. Any control she might have maintained before was now completely lost to the wind. He had given her a taste of what her pleasures were like, and she was not about to let it go so quickly.

“A-ah! Yes! Just like that!”

She whimpered as she felt him suckle at her clit, teeth grazing across it, making her lose her mind with pure lust.

“N-Natsu!” Lucy cried out, prompting Natsu to dig his nails into her thighs and go at her clit at an even more vicious pace.

There were few things Natsu loved more than to hear her cry out his name in the troughs of pleasure. It drove him nuts to hear her moan out the name of her lover, something that Lucy was more than well aware of. While she wouldn’t say she was necessarily taking advantage of the fact, it was certainly a bonus of giving Natsu exactly what he wanted.

“Yes! More! More!”

She dug her nails deeper into his scalp, and he heeded her demands. He buried his tongue deep inside her pussy, thrusting it in and out, fucking her with his mouth as he rubbed circles into her clit with the pad of his thumb.

“Mmmmhmmm~ Natsu~!”

Her eyes rolled back into her head as she rolled her hips into his face, feeling his tongue protrude even deeper inside her. He was incredibly talented with his tongue and never left her unsatisfied, so it seemed that the wait had been well worth it.

As he flicked his finger across her clit, Lucy felt her legs begin to shake as her grip on reality began to wear away, and she could practically taste the high he was sending her on. He didn’t stop his efforts even as she wailed with ecstasy—not that he wanted to, nor could he if he did—she practically had him locked in with her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his head. It was a welcome feeling to ride out her orgasm with his tongue inside of her, lapping up all the arousal she leaked out through it.

As she came down, her legs fell limp over his shoulders, and he took that opportunity to ease them off of him and hover over her, beaming down at her, looking incredibly pleased with his performance.

“How was that?”

Lucy couldn’t do anything but gape for a moment as she remained up in the clouds, hardly able to register what he had said.

This was meant to be his birthday present, and yet here she was, completely blissed out after he had been the one to service her.

That was something she would quickly have to rectify.

Without giving him a verbal answer, Lucy coaxed Natsu back onto the couch. He looked a little confused but obliged nonetheless until she positioned herself, kneeling between his legs, and began to tug at his boxers, at which point he got the message. He lifted his hips up and let her pull them off, tossing them somewhere to the side before her full attention was on his erect cock, calling for her attention.

She could ride him right now—she could sit in his lap and mount him and make him scream her name until he was seeing white, but if he wanted to pleasure her with his tongue, then two can play that game.

She reached out and gave him a slow stroke from base to head, and she was rewarded with a low groan that put a smile on her lips. Natsu was always so vocal during sex; he loved to talk dirty and whisper filthy things in her ear that had her blushing even as he pounded his cock into her, but her favourite sounds he made were the long moans and groans that told her that she was doing her job right and making him feel good. So often it was Natsu who was dedicating himself to her pleasures, but tonight she was going to return that favour.

She pressed a light kiss to the tip of his cock, looking up at him through fluttering eyelashes as she took more and more of him into her mouth. His hand came to rest on her head, grabbing fistfuls of hair as she bobbed up and down, having him throw his head back in pleasure. She could feel how hard he was gripping on, tugging at her hair so much that it was almost painful. She knew it was his self-restraint, holding himself back from simply grabbing on and fucking her face until he released his seed down her throat. Though she certainly wouldn’t have minded it, she was happy to be the one taking the lead right now.

With her free hands, Lucy grabbed the base of his cock, jerking it off where her mouth couldn’t reach while her other fondled with his balls. She could tell he liked it based on the breath he sucked in and the subsequent moans he let out.

“Fuck, ah- God, Lucy!”

Natsu had a tendency to be vulgar sometimes, and while she never liked to hear him cuss outside the bedroom, hearing him say those words while she sucked him off just got her going even more.

She increased her pace, bobbing her head on his shaft faster and faster, making horribly lewd gagging noises each time he hit the back of her throat. His other hand shot down to her head, dragging his fingers through his hair in an attempt to stop himself from thrusting right into her throat. His hands on the back of her head made it difficult to pull herself off when she did, but she managed even with his white-knuckling grip.

“Lucyyyyyy,” he whined, bucking his hips up in front of her. “C’mon, please, don’t do this to me.”

He probably thought she was about to get back at him for all that teasing, but no, she had a much more enticing idea.

Taking in a deep breath, Lucy took him back into her mouth, taking him all the way to her throat, but as he hit the back of her mouth, where she would usually stop, she kept going, taking him all the way until her lips were at the base.

“Oh shit-” he gasped. “Fuck, that’s good.”

Taking on his praise, Lucy started to move faster and faster until she couldn’t anymore. Her jaw was beginning to ache, but Natsu’s groans were growing louder and more frequent, and she could practically feel him throb in her throat. Before he could finish in her mouth, Lucy pulled herself off before working her hand up and down his cock until he spurted a thick load of semen right onto her chest.

Natsu let out a stuttered but sated breath as he finished and looked down at her to find his cum dripping down her chest, almost resembling the frosting that had once decorated it. While he was watching, Lucy gathered up the cum on her fingers before sucking them clean. The sight of it had his dick twitching again, slowly growing back to size from its softened state.

Lucy wasn’t done with him quite yet.

Resting her hands on his thighs, Lucy crawled into his lap, making herself comfortable before pressing her lips to his. His lips parted easily for her, and she could taste the essence of her pleasure mixed with the vanilla frosting on his tongue. His hands found their way to her waist before trailing down to rest on her ass, where he gave it a quick squeeze. The squeak that she let out was swallowed into their kiss before she pulled away and rested her forehead against his.

She could feel his warm breath graze against her lips as he let out soft pants in the aftermath of their kiss, and she smiled at the reminder of all of his love and warmth. His face was all flushed red from his recent orgasm, and he looked so cute gazing up at her with all of the adoration in the world.

She was going to ride him until he forgot his own damn name.

He sucked in a breath when her hand touched his dick to line him up with her entrance, clearly still sensitive from cumming just before.

“You okay?” She asked, her voice soft and full of concern.

He gave her a frantic nod, which she took as a go-ahead.

Slowly, she sank down onto his cock, taking all of him inside of her until their bodies sat flush with each other and she could feel his tip rubbing up against her cervix. Natsu’s head rolled back as he let out a long moan once he was fully sheathed inside of her.

Encouraged by the promise of more noises like that, Lucy pulled herself up before sinking back down, repeating the motion over and over again until she had a steady rhythm that had both of them clawing at each other’s bodies, wanting, craving, needing more.

His fingers gripped her ass, arms moving along with each bounce of her hips. With every bounce came a roll of her hips, her clit grazing against his skin, sending shivers up her spine, which had her tightening around him. She could hear his breath stutter each time her pussy clenched around him, feeling as though she was milking him dry.

“You feel so damn good,” he grunted through gritted teeth, trying to hold himself back and prolong the experience of Lucy riding him.

Though he frequently showered her with praise in the midst of making love, Lucy was certain she would never tire of it. Though she certainly didn’t need his affirmations to know that she made him feel good, it always felt good to hear him tell her what a good job she was doing. She never really knew if he knew the way it drove her wild or if he simply needed her to know just how good she made him feel, but quite frankly, she didn’t care.

He made her feel good, and she wanted to make him feel just as good in return.

A soft moan escaped her lips as she rolled her hips again, feeling his head hit the exact right spot deep inside of her. He was so big and thick; he stretched her out so well and hit all the places that drove her wild. It was crazy to her just how well their bodies fit together, almost as if fate had moulded them with the intention of them fitting together so well that Lucy was never quite sure where her body ended and his began.

She tried to continue her pace in search of that absolute touch of ecstasy, but even on the plush cushions of the couch beneath her, her knees were beginning to ache, and she simply didn’t have the stamina Natsu did to keep going in this position.

Noticing her heavy breaths and slowing pace, Natsu gripped her ass and pulled her up so that only his tip remained inside of her before slamming her back down and meeting her with a thrust in the middle that had her crying out in pleasure.

She had planned to fuck him senseless, but she supposed this worked too.

The hands that had once gripped on his shoulders for leverage now wrapped around his neck as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. Each thrust he pumped into her was rewarded with a little whimper against his scar, and Lucy revelled in all the grunts and groans that were being let out right in her ear. He sounded so damn sexy, fucking her like he meant it. It made her toes curl and her legs shake, and the mental stimulation alone might have been enough to tip her over the edge if he hadn’t already been pounding relentlessly against her g-spot so hard that she was beginning to see spots in her vision.

“Keep going. Please,” she whimpered into his ear, and he did just as she said.

Unable to contain her pleasure any longer, Lucy felt her release, waves of pleasure washing over her. Her nails dug into his back as she tried to hold some sort of connection to reality, eliciting an almost pained moan from Natsu.

Had she been more sound of mind, she would have apologised, asked if he was alright, but that concern was quickly dashed as she felt him pulse and throb inside of her before she was met with a hot stream of cum coating her inner walls.

When she finally came back to, she felt Natsu pull her off of his cock and set her back down on his lap before resting his forehead on her shoulder. They both sat in silence for a moment, simply content to enjoy each other’s presence and touch, fully sated, having eaten their fill.

The first movement came from Natsu, who placed a soft kiss on her shoulder before throwing his head back, and Lucy pulled her head away to look up at him. He was smiling, beaming brighter than she even thought she had seen him, and it made her heart skip a beat as she felt herself falling in love with him all over again.

“That was the best birthday present ever,” he grinned, reminding her of how they had even gotten here in the first place. “It was exactly what I wanted.”

Lucy had to hold herself back from letting out a giddy squeal now that she had achieved her goal of the perfect Natsu present. Though she managed to suppress her happy noises, there was nothing she could do about the smile that was plastered across her face in her victory.

With a firm squeeze on her ass, Natsu then proceeded to ask the exact question she had been expecting to hear from him this whole time.

“Is there any more of that cake left?”

[the-fiction-witch]

GIRL P1

Media The Artful Dodger

Character Jack Dawkins (Younger Jack Navy Years)

Couple Jack X Reader

Rating Sweet

I sat on my bed inside my cabin and tossed my lucky coin between my fingers my book in hand tried to get this damn reading done but it wasn't exactly going well. A dirty grimy head pops around the door, "You comin'?" Mick asked with a wide enthusiastic smile, "No thanks," I told him, "Jack. Come on." He whined as he leant on the door frame, "Don't be borin'," "I'm fine being boring," I shrugged, "Yeah, and I ain't. Come on! I'll buy ya a drink?" "I'm fine Mick really," "When did ya last get your sorry blonde butt off this boat?" "…uhhh…" I honestly didn't remember, "When did ya last have some beer that weren't watered down?" "You think it isn't at the tavern?" "It'll be less watered down," "… Maybe six months," "We've been at sea longer than that ya lil shit," "Then I don't know," "When was the last time ya even sniffed a girl?" "uhh… I think I saw a girl last time we docked, don't think I was close enough to sniff her though…" "Jack, let's go. walk or I shove ya." "Fine," I rolled my eyes and set my book down, "Yes! Come on I'll buy ya a drink," he said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder so I couldn't get out of this, "Where are we going then?" "Ahh there is this amazing place me and the boys know just down the street we'll be plenty close to the ship, the drinks are strong, the pies are full and the girls…. are gorgeous," He explained as he led me up though the ship, "And trust me ya'll be close enough to do more than sniff 'em, Jack," "Ohh Eerrr…" "What?" "Nothing I just uhhh… I don't think I'll take up on the girls," "Ohh? No?" He asked, "They have boys too?" "No. No, I just…" "Wait," he smirked, he fully stopped as we got on deck and turned to me with this smirk, "Jack?" He smirked as he narrowed his eyes and I just stayed silent sheepishly, "… when did Grimm bring you on? How old were ya?" "…14." I gulped as I prayed he wasn't going to catch on, but his eyes lit up.

"And you're an anti-social little shit ya never come off the ship with us? "Yeah…" "so…" "No." "Oh my god…" "Don't." "You're a- "Don't! Say it!" "No… no… ya can't… you're a-" "Don't. Say. It. Mick." "Okay… okay, our little secret," he laughed, "Okay, thank you." I nodded, "let's just go for a drin-" I began, "Jack's a Virgin!" Mick yelled at full volume which made everyone stop and look at me, "Thanks, Mick," I sighed, "You're welcome," he smirked, At that moment everyone else still on the ship banded together and forced me off the ship, I knew I wasn't getting out of this I could have weaselled out with just Mick but I knew I didn't have a choice now. They all but dragged me down the street all while making jokes at my expense until we reached a little hole in the wall Traven 'The Maidens View' and I was kicked inside. Everyone found somewhere to sit and I tried to hide in the corner but Mick forced me to sit with him at the bar. Mick bought me a drink as I looked around, the place was clean, tidy the scent of beer and smoke was in the air, and I admit the girls were… pretty. Honestly, they didn't need to be I can't even remember the last time I was this close to a girl. Everyone made jokes at my expense and tried to get me interested in one of the girls but I was too blushy and embarrassed to even talk to them. "Come on! ya, pick. Anyone you want. me and Sam are going in," Mick laughed as he sipped his drink,

"What?" I blushed, "we'll pay for it come on it's your first," Sam chuckled as he shoved my shoulder, "I don't know…" I said sheepishly, "Come on, any of them take ya fancy? if not we can go down the street there are a hundred whores places like this." Mick explained, I sighed and for the first time, I actually looked at the girls rather than merely being blown away by them, none of them… really seemed all that interesting, "No," I shrugged, "No? alright, we'll finish up and take you somewhere else." Sam laughed, I nodded as I had some more of my drink kinda half hoping I could keep bar popping with them until they were too drunk to remember about all this and honestly I didn't much like any of the girls here they all seemed like… I don't know, like when you look at an old bed and you can just tell how many other people have laid in it and it just makes you… not wanna lay on it for fear of it breaking, or being gross. But… unfortunately, I stopped short as I glanced up across the tavern and saw a girl, she couldn't have been much older than me in a little sage green dress that she adjusted up her shoulder where it had fallen down her arm, her hair in a sweet braid wrapped around her head, she came down the stairs and grabbed some tankards that she began to take to tables. She was very cute, quite pretty, and… had a little bit more of a refined way about her I guess. the unfortunate part is that as I noticed her pretty much everyone noticed that I noticed her and began their jokes and playful encouragement.

And before I even had time to attempt to protest Mick and Sam were talking to the bartender and paid him. So… I'm not getting out of this. She finished up with the drinks and returned to the bar setting her tray down, where the bartender spoke to her and she nodded. "Which of you was it?" The bartender asked, "This strapping lad here." Mick laughed giving my arm a playful punch, She nodded and smiled as she came and stood in front of me, she offered her hand and for a moment I was too nervous to move, but I took her hand and let her lead me up towards the stairs as I heard everyone from the ship encouraging and making jokes at me, "Take good care of him!" Mick yelled as she took me up the stairs and into a little room with her.

[multi-fxndom446]

Past lives

Zoro X reader

Summary: Zoro seems to save you from falling in multiple lives

Warnings: angst with fluff ending, maybe rushed ending idk

This is not completely accurate. I did this to the best of my ability I am only on episode 135 so I’m not even at the Sunny so plz be kind if I missed details.

Also I thought this was cute hope you all enjoy.

~

Past couldn’t ever hold me down

Lost love is sweeter when it’s finally found

I’ve got the strangest feeling this isn’t our first time around.

Past lives couldn’t ever come between us

Sometimes the dreamers finally wake up

Don’t wake me I’m not dreaming

Don’t wake me I’m not dreaming

The moment you met Zoro it was almost like your whole world fell from right under you and you were left grasping for anything to hold onto, desperate to keep him close to you.

The first meeting almost went exactly as you felt, you were falling and he was the only thing you could see in your sights.

You gasped out a sharp breathe, reaching for something to hold onto. You felt your hands flailing around trying to grasp anything when you felt his arm and you clutched onto it for dear life.

His other arm was quick to wrap itself around your waist pulling you closer to him as you death gripped his other. “You okay?” He finally asked when he made sure you were steady on your feet.

With a few more gasps of breathe you swallowed your fear and nodded slightly, whispering out a quiet thank you and he backed away from you after he made sure your grip was loosened on him.

You looked around the ship, taking in the few other crew members that were present. All of them stood in shock at what they had witnessed. “Who the hell pushed you off that boat?” Another guy piped up, with blonde hair you noticed

Your thoughts were all over the place so much was happening way to fast. “What’s your name?” Another man in a straw hat asked as a red head girl brought a blanket over to you and you seemed to notice now how much you were shaking.

“Y/n.” You said softly glancing back at the man who saved you, your head spun with recognition. “I-I was hiding on the ship, they found me.” You motioned behind you as if to say ‘that’s why they pushed me off’

All you could remember was your heart stopping in fear when you realized the captain found you, then you were facing out towards the water close to another boat when you made eye contact with the man and his face held more concern then you would ever understand.

The next moment you felt hands pushing you and his arms saving you.

“I’m Monkey D. Luffy. Captain of this ship.” You nodded slightly, still unsure if they were gonna push you off as well. “This is Nami, Sanji and Ussopp.” Luffy smiled as he introduced his crew.

“I’m Zoro.” The man who saved you said. Your eyes couldn’t seem to leave him. Like something was drawing you to him, it was almost as if you knew this man before.

He seemed just as confused as you, his arms were crossed but his brows were furrowed in concentration trying to remember if he’s ever met you.

“Where are you trying to get to?” Nami piped in and you clutched the blanket tighter around you.

“Anywhere that isn’t this island.” You finally said and Luffy gave you a bright smile as he went over and patted you on the back.

“Well you’re in luck, we just happen to be leaving.” At the same moment the ship started sailing, some of his crew mates slipping away to go make sure everything was good for a long journey. “Though I’m not sure when we will stop next, are you okay with being with us for a while?”

Your eyes found there way back to Zoro who was still standing close by, arms crossed. “Yeah, I’ll help with anything you need.”

~

You were sat silently next to Zoro on the deck of the Going Merry. The swordsman was laying down, hands behind his head as he snored away.

You looked around at what everyone else was doing. Sanji seemed to be the only one doing anything in the kitchen while the other 3 were huddled around together playing a game of cards.

You lived for these moments with them. The quiet with little bits of laughter and just overall happiness in the air.

When Luffy told you they wouldn’t be stopping for awhile he wasn’t lying. Days had turned into weeks and weeks turned into a few months. But food was running low. You knew they would be stopping at an island shortly, the very same one you would be leaving them.

“You don’t have to leave you know?” You jumped when Zoros voice broke through the silence. “Your thinking to loud I couldn’t sleep.”

You smiled at that. He’d never admit he had woken up awhile ago you were to deep in thought to notice him watching you. “That’s what we agreed on.” You said softly and he sat up, shifting his weapons to move them in front of him.

“That was months ago you can’t actually think we were just gonna let you go?” He unsheathed one and started cleaning them carefully, one by one. “You’re part of the crew.”

“I can’t stay.” You sigh, watching him work. “I don’t think I realized how long Luffy meant when he said it.”

Zoro watched you from the corner of his eye, “why?” You looked up at him in confusion. “Tell me why you have to leave. What’s out there that you think you need to protect us from?”

“I-“ you paused, “just stuff from the past I can’t shake. I don’t want to Involve any of you, I never meant to get close to any of you.”

He scoffed. “You didn’t involve us. I involved myself when I saved your ass from dying, now you owe me.” He sheathed his first sword and pulled out the next. “I saved you. So In return you stay here, with us. With me.”

You watched him silently, eyes widened. He really wanted you to stay. You understood how he was feeling, you both never seemed to want to be to far from the other. But still..

Almost as if sensing your hesitation he stopped cleaning and grabbed your hand. “I promise you I can take care of myself. We all can. So stop worrying for us and promise me you’ll stay.”

You felt your hand tingle where he held onto you, “okay. Okay I promise.” He smiled a smile you would never get tired of seeing and pulled away from you to continue cleaning his swords.

Past lives couldn’t ever hold me down

Lost love is sweeter when it’s finally found

I’ve got the strangest feelin, this isn’t our first time around.

Past lives could never come between us

Sometimes the dreamers finally wake up

Don’t wake me I’m not dreaming

The Sunny rocked gently on the waves. The sun was just starting to rise and you knew everyone else was probably starting to get up.

You knew you should probably get up and start helping around the ship but how could you when Zoro was sleeping so peacefully next to you?

He was facing you, his arm loosely thrown over your waist. You were laid on your side as your eyes scanned over almost every feature he had. Your fingers traced gently across his jawline and over his scar on his eye before they traced along his earrings, admiring the way they just laid gently on his neck.

“What’re you doing?” He grumbled, his arm pulling you tighter against him. Your hand fell just behind his head where you started to play with the ends of his hair. You could feel his goosebumps start running down his arms. “Your being to noisy.”

You laughed, “I haven’t even said anything.” You smiled as he finally opened his eye to look at you. “Goodmorning.”

“It’s to early.” He sighed in annoyance before he tried to turn over and go back to sleep but he couldn’t seem to look away from you, not when you were looking at him with so much love. “What are you even doing?” He asked again

“Just admiring.” You whispered softly. The two of you sat in silence as you continued to play with his hair and he watched you closely. “Hey.”

He hummed

“Do you believe in past lives?” He raised an eyebrow at you and let out a questioning ‘huh?’ You pulled your hand away from his hair with a sigh. “Sorry it’s stupid.”

You went to pull away from him but his arm held you in place. “No keep going I want to hear what you want to say.” You smiled as his determination.

“It’s just when I first met you, there was something about you that felt..familiar.” Your eyebrows scrunched in concentration as you tried to find the right words. “Something about you I just knew immediately I was meant to be with you.”

Zoro stayed silence while he studied you. He could see the look in yours eyes and he knew that look. This was something that must’ve been on your mind for awhile. “I dunno about past lives but I do know we were meant to be together.” He finally said.

“If you did believe in past lives..do you think we were together in those lives?” Your question seemed to take him back. He stared at you for a moment before nodding slightly.

“I’m sure we were. But it doesn’t matter,” he leaned forward to kiss your head before he rolled out of bed. “This is our present and it’s better then any past lives we may have lived together.”

You stared at his back in awe, “come on we better go before Luffy eats all the food.” You slowly smiled at the man before humming in agreement and following after him.

~

“Alright, everyone meet back here before sundown!” Sanji called out to everyone before they started departing from the Sunny to go into town.

This was the first town you had stopped at in weeks and you were hoping they had some supplies you’ve been looking for, for awhile. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Zoro asked you for the third time.

Zoro watched you leave with a frown, he knew you could handle yourself but still, he couldn’t help but worry.

You split off from the rest the moment you entered town. Nami stayed with you for a few moments before she could hear the sounds of Luffy causing trouble and she split off.

You really didn’t mind, you only wanted to go to one shop. You had been looking for this piece to upgrade your weapon for weeks but no one ever seemed to have it.

Right when you were about to turn a corner a body collided with yours making you take a few steps back to balance yourself. “I’m so sor-“ your sentence cut short when your eyes landed on who was in front of you.

“Hm?” The man turned to you, staring you down. “You look familiar.” He had said and you took a step back, laughing awkwardly.

“I get that a lot. Im sorry for running into you!” You went to turn away before you felt him grab onto your wrist tightly.

“I do know you.” He smirked his eyes shinning in excitement. “The captain has been looking for you, I’m sure I’ll get a big reward for turning you over to him.”

He started pulling you with him as he weaved his way around the town. You struggled, pulling, scratching but he didn’t even seem to notice. “Let me go!” You yelled and he just yanked you harder. When you saw the Captain your eyes widened in fear and you became desperate but the grip wouldn’t loosen up.

“Captain!” The man called and your heart fell to the floor when he turned to the voice and your eyes connected.

~

Zoro sat on the deck of the sunny, taking deep breaths as he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as if trying to force himself to meditate. It should’ve been easy to do with the waves rocking the ship lightly but with a sigh he finally opened his eye, giving up.

He’d never tell you this but he was no longer able to train peacefully unless you were somewhere he knew you were safe, usually by his side where he could protect you in a moments notice.

He hasn’t been able to be a peace for awhile now not since the day he was separated from his entire crew for too long, now he’s too scared the same will happen and he can’t let it especially when he just got everyone back, when he just got you back.

“Ah might as well go into town.” He sighed out, jumping from the ship but as he was about to start the walk to town his crew started appearing one by one in the distance.

They all started getting closer when he noticed you weren’t with any of them. “Where’s y/n?” He asked his hand already on his swords.

“I’m sure she’s just running behind she should be back in a few minutes.” Nami said while she pointed where Luffy and Ussopp could put down her bags.

So he waited. Everyone was on the ship putting everything away and still there was no sign of you. “She said she would be back before sundown.” Zoro mumbled when the sun finally disappeared out of sit.

“Still no Y/n?” Chopper called, eyebrows furrowed in worry when Zoro shook his head. “Should we look for her-?”

Right as chopper asked a loud explosion went off in the distance near the other side of the town and Zoro wasted no time taking off, letting Chopper call for everyone.

He needed to get to you.

Don’t wake me I’m not dreaming.

Zoro felt like his world was burning down, which it almost was. Everything around him was engulfed in flames practically cutting his crew off of any chance to escape.

Though he wouldn’t be leaving until he had you back in his arms.

He was breathing heavily, sword held firmly between his teeth and the other two gripped in his hands. He was exhausted, this guy was stronger then he looked.

Nami was on her knees behind him, clutching her arm while Sanji was stood protectively in front of her and chopper was next to her tending her wounds.

Luffy was stood next to him with a death glare aimed at the man who had you by the throat. You were scratching at his arm to the point he was bleeding but he didn’t seem to care he only laughed in your face.

“Let her go!” Luffy shouted while Usopp loaded his weapon and Robin got ready. “She didn’t do anything!”

“Didn’t do anything?” The man barked out a harsh laugh, “she sunk a ship filled with men and all of our treasure. She has to pay those berries back with her life, which she’s now worth.”

“She told me that story once.” Nami spoke up, “she sunk your ship after you burned down her village.” She seethed.

“I-I didn’t-“ you choked, Zoros clutch tightening. “I didn’t kill any of your men.” You finally said gulping in breathes when he loosened his hold enough for you to speak.

He nodded, “I killed them.” Luffys eyes widened even more in pure fury. “After you sunk our ship with the treasure you snuck on board the main ship to kill me. My men were foolish and they let you get away so I killed them. So really, it was your fault.”

He tightened his hold on you again and pulled out his sword. “You caused there deaths.” He seethed and everything after seemed like slow motion.

In the next moments the man pulled his sword back and Zoro watched your eyes widen in horror, while Usopp shot an exploding bullet. The explosion went off in the man’s face and his hold loosened as he dropped you to the ground and stumbled back in shock.

Zoro was running after that. Everything hurt but he didn’t care, Luffy and everyone else could take care of this guy but he needed to get to you.

When he got to you he was staring down at you in disbelief. You were on your side with blood pooling under you, the bloody sword still clutched in the mans hand. He fell to his knees and layed a shaky hand on your arm, pulling you to roll over. The moment he did he let out and anguished yell. “Chopper!” He yelled as he gathered you in his arms, rocking you back and forth. “Chopper!!”

Past lives couldn’t ever hold me down

Lost love is sweeter when it’s finally found

I’ve got the strangest feeling

This isn’t our first time around

Past lives couldnt ever come between us

Sometimes the dreamers finally wake up

Don’t wake me I’m not dreaming

Everything felt cold. Cold and dark. You could faintly hear Zoro yelling before everything went completely still. You thought you might be dead but then you saw a faint light ahead of you.

Everything in your body told you not to go towards it, but your feet carried you anyway. When you got to the light a sort of softness engulfed you.

You looked around to see you were in a small house, a very old one. One that didn’t even seem to be from your time. In front of you was a man with his back turned. Something about him seemed so familiar.

Before you could understand who it was your feet were carrying you towards him. When you were right behind him your arms wrapped themselves around his waist. You felt a sense of deja vu.

When you pulled away from him you went to take a step but tripped over whatever tools he had layed out beside him. The man turned quick and grabbed onto you. He mouthed something but you couldn’t hear anything. Even if you wanted to you were to distracted by the familiar face that stared back at you. It was Zoro.

He mouthed something again something that looked like your name. “Y/n!” Finally you could hear him but it wasn’t from the one in front of you. Suddenly you were thrown in darkness again and you could hear your Zoro yelling out to you but your body was already pulling you another direction.

This time it was bright outside in what seemed to be summer time. Everything this time was bleary like it hasn’t actually happened yet. That’s when you see the familiar green hair in the distance, you want to go to him but everything suddenly became so cold again and your body finally succumbed to the darkness.

“Y/n!” Zoro yelled watching hopefully as your eyes flutter open. You’re pale, all life drained from your body as you gaze up at him.

You could see the tears in his eyes when he looked down at you but all you could bring yourself to do was smile softly at him. “We’ll be okay.” You whispered and he narrowed his eyes. “I’ll see you again.”

“What?” He held onto you tighter when your eyes started closing again, chopper sitting next to you helpless. “Hey, don’t close your eyes! Y/n!”

But it was to late. Your eyes closed and your hand fell limp at your side.

Dont wake me I’m not dreaming

There was no sound other then the waves crashing onto the shore. Everything was dull. Luffy and the rest of the crew made a raft while Zoro held onto your body as long as they allowed before Sanji came to take you away from him.

They stood next to the Sunny and watched Zoro. He stood next to the raft and looked out at the never ending sea.

He took a deep breathe and kneeled down next to the raft, his hand coming up to soothe over your hair while he traced every feature you had as if to commit you to every memory he could ever possibly have.

“You were right.” He whispered, “you were the love of my life in every life.” His eye clouded with tears so he layed his head down on his arm to try and stop it.

“If we found each other in all of those lives, I’ll find you in the next one. I swear to you on my life.” He muttered, lifting his head slightly to lean forward and press one final kiss to the side of your head. “I love you.”

Finally, he stood up and nodded at his crew. They all came forward and helped push the raft into the ocean while Zoro lit it one fire and they all watched you leave the world with tears in there eyes.

~

(In another life)

Zoro was walking next to Luffy as they looked at all the shops. The summer breeze was warm which felt nice to bask in for once.

Luffy was running up to every window in excitement when you came out of one. You both didn’t notice each other at first until you looked towards the green hair, which distracted you.

When you walked past him you tripped. He was quick to turn to you as he grabbed onto you and your grasped his arm tightly. His other arm wrapped around your waist and he pulled you closer to him to secure you. The entire thing felt oddly familiar.

“Are-“ he felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest when your eyes connected finally and the puzzle pieces clicked in place. He was staring at you with as much intensity as you. “Y/n?” He almost whispered out, scared you were fake.

You took a moment to understand and then smiled, bringing your hand to cup his cheek. “Zoro,” you had tears in your eyes. “You found me.”

He pulled you closer and leaned his forehead against yours. Tears were falling from his eyes but he had the biggest smile on his face.

“Dummy. I promised you I would.”

You choked out a laugh and brought him closer, kissing him with as much love of you could possibly muster.

Luffy was long gone somewhere and at this point, long forgotten.

~

Hope you enjoyed <3

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I am now 100% convinced that Zvtara fans haven't watched the show. I just talked Ina comment with one. So far they have said that

a) Zuko was sweet and tried to return Katara's necklace to her

b) Zuko could have used something other than the necklace to track them down like Appa fur but he kept that necklace because he knew it was important

c) Zuko is a bad boy archetype (fanon Zuko maybe, canon Zuko is a very awkward guy) and is similar to Jet (the actual bad boy archetype who was charming, charismatic, generally things that Zuko wasn't)

d) Sokka is YOUNGER than Katara and not as capable as her (when I corrected them they said that I'm right but they made that conclusion because he's more immature and a running gag/comic relief. What the heck, the guy invented submarines!!)

e) Katara initially blamed the Avatar for the war like everyone else did (Katara in the very first episode "The Avatar will return and save the world, I believe it", Katara in "The Storm": Defends Aang when the fisherman blames him for the war and tells him that the Air Nomad genocide is not his fault)

Seriously how can someone claim to watch the show and yet make so many mistakes on key things like SOKKA'S AGE?!? Then at the end of their comment they were like "if you pay attention to the show overall, Zuko and Katara make more sense". EXCUSE ME? How am I the one that has to pay attention to the show??

Holy shit, SOOOOOO much bullshit. I don't know how you and I both didn't go insane reading something so stupid.

Zuko didn't use the necklace to track the Gaang (how would that even work?) and he didn't keep it because he somehow knew it meant a lot to Katara and wanted to return to her just to be kind.

He saw something that he recognized belonged to someone in the Gaang, thought it could maybe be used to bribe/blackmail to get the Avatar if it really was important - and then did exactly that. There's a reason that moment happened in "The Waterbending Scroll", with Zuko manipulating the pirates to get closer to capturing Aang. He was NOT being kind, he was taking a page from Azula's book on "How to get a dumbass to be useful."

Yeah, JET was the charming bad boy archetype Katara couldn't help but swoon over. Zuko was an angry, emotional, awkward guy who was on the wrong side 5/6 of the show, and that Katara tried to convince Aang to just let freeze to death in the North Pole. Once again, Zutarians ship everything EXCEPT Zuko and Katara.

While I wouldn't call Sokka useless or a bad character, I will say that there are situations in which Katara IS more capable than him - and vice versa. Between the two of them, if I need someone to teach me how to use a sword, I'm picking Sokka. But if I need someone to teach me to heal, I'd pick Katara. Different people are more/less capable at different things.

...That being said, goddamn, what's with Zutara fans and shitting on Sokka (or literally anyone that has a positive relationship with Katara)? I remember seeing a dumbass claim Sokka didn't even love her at all, that the Gaang never saw her as a friend but just as their replacement mom, and, of course, the old bullshit that she had to do everything until Karl Zuko Marx, the prince charming himself, came to her rescue in this weird Cinderella AU they made up inside their head.

Bruh, that last point was just... wow. Just wow. Katara had faith in the Avatar before even knowing he was still alive, had the feeling Aang was filled with wisdom before knowing who he was, and in the beginning of EVERY SINGLE EPISODE she tells us about how she 100% believes he will save the world. If that's resenting him and blaming him for the war, I can't even imagine what Katara having faith in him would look like. Girl would straight up start a religion to worship him.

And this gets extra funny when we remember "Crossroads of Destiny", in which Katara says to ZUKO that for the longest time she pictured HIS face as "the face of the enemy."

It's almost like Katara resented the prince of the nation that started the war, the member of a royal family that killed her mom, the guy that threatened to burn what was left of her village and that had spent months trying to capture one of her best friends...

Nah, that doesn't make sense. Instead, she totally hated the guy she was best friends with from start to finish.

"EXCUSE ME? How am I the one that has to pay attention to the show?" I ask myself that question every single day. This fandom has no fucking clue what happened in the very story they claim to love.

[insom-nom-nom-niatic]

IT'S RAMBLE TIME!

I decided to re-watcH FTWD S 3E8 and here are my thoughts:

The chemistry between Madison and Troy is making more and more sense. I was always on the cusp of if that relationship was seeming to be motherly or romantically (I don't like the latter to get that cleared up) but I spoke to someone recently who brought up that it's more of a mentor ship. And now that just solidifies that even more!

I somehow forgot about the scene where Madison is basically laying out what she dealt with and what she had to do in her early life with her father and her mother being who they were and what her father was... which ties in so well with what Troy had to deal with and survive growing up.

In my own eyes, I still think that Troy had it a bit worse, his parents weren't a spectacle in the community and had the community known what was going on with Madison's father growing up, I feel like something would have been done. Whereas, when it came to Troy's up bringing and Troy's father and mother... no one would have spoken out to save him. 

When Madison learned of how Troy had to grow up with his mother hating him and the just mental abuse that that brought on plus also his father constantly being a drunk and abusive in his own ways, she was able to empathize with that. She knew that she made it out of that situation and wanted to help him do the same.

I still think she was also secretly knowing that she was mentally manipulating Troy. I would like to also clear that up.

But in a sense, she was trying to help him get past his past and learn to make use of what he was dealt with.  maybe she even saw a lot of herself in him and that's why she didn't kill him.. until she "did".  But she was given many opportunities to, and chose to stay calm knowing that he wouldn't do it and she didn't fight him otherwise he possibly would have.

 Madison put down her own father for what he did to her mother constantly. She took that matter into her own hands and fixed the problem herself.  and said she would do it again! But then you have Troy on the other hand who did not do that and probably would not have ever done that. And that shows the difference between the two of them and their cases of dealing with trauma.

With that said, both are protective as hell!

Madison did what it took and did what she needed to do to protect her mother. And has done the same thing to protect her children and anyone she loved. She would play dirty, put down whoever needs put down, or die for those that she loves.

Troy does what he sees is needed to protect that farm. Even more, the people that are a part of that farm. He would do anything to protect any of those people which included everything he's done plus also knowing and fully being OK with dying for any of them.  he has always been ready to do what ever is gruesome he needed to protect all of the people he cares about and loves. 

And when Jeremiah said "to hell with them" speaking of his own children and saving them and everyone there at the ranch, he spoke about one being a crybaby (I'm saying that one's Jake) and the other being "a chip off the old block" (which I am thinking is meant to be Troy)... meeting Jeremiah knows exactly what he did to his son. He does seem to have a little bit of remorse, he did thank Madison for helping out Troy, but in someway he almost seems proud that he created a son to be just like him. But Troy ended up doing better than his father. yes, he did some not great things... but that's also some thing he would have been taught. That death is better than handing over the ranch. (I don't know why I felt like this need to be a part of this post, but it should be)

I wish we had more time of seeing Madison and Troy have it out and either an angry conversation or a very emotional, connected conversation where both could just let everything out. Show that neither of them are the villains or the big bad guys that everyone else tries to see them as. ( Madison, not so much the big bad guy that everyone sees because she had most of what she has done from anyone, but Troy has definitely not hit anything which to me is more loveable)

There is so much more to be said and to converse about so if anyone has gotten to this point in the post and would like to chat and go on about this subject or any subject, please don't let me feel alone in this!



[polutrope]

Luthien for the character asks if you fancy?

For this ask game!

Okay I realise I go pretty off-book with Lúthien but it's in the interest of making her the dynamic character she deserved to be. Sorry this is long.

Sexuality headcanon: pansexual like her mum. Demiromantic (Beren-romantic).

Gender headcanon: genderqueer eldritch being

A ship: I already talked about her and Daeron so let's talk about Beren. I have yet to fully rationalise the extremity and depth of her love for Beren. So he offers her something - 'release from bondage', escape from her liminal, lonely identity of being both two things and nothing. But why him specifically? Because he is the only one who really sees her and loves her for exactly who she is? But how is that supported by canon? He straight-up says he wants to possess her, he tries (and fails) to exclude her in order to keep her 'safe' like a typical patriarchal dude (all the men in her story do this, not just him). Maybe she sees the potential for him to let go of this attitude, unlike everyone else? I'm open to discussion here. This is one of those relationships where I cannot settle on a headcanon that satisfies me.

A BROTP A Gen relationship: Melian. The only one who doesn't try to stop her, and yet:

Melian looked in [Lúthien's] eyes and read the doom that was written there, and turned away; for she knew that a parting beyond the end of the world had come between them, and no grief of loss has been heavier than the grief of Melian the Maia in that hour.

- Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad

Actual BROTP: Huan. Now there's a creature who gets her.

A NOTP A rarepairing: not canonically possible, but Fëanor. I have a whole AU plotted (What if none of the Elves ever completed the journey Valinor?) basically just to make this happen. The greatest and the greatest. Meant to be. There would be no stopping them.

A random headcanon: she was not confined to Doriath for her whole life. She definitely explored Beleriand in the starlit years of peace, and probably also ventured abroad during the Long Peace. Daeron was her usual travelling companion (hence why she asks him to go to Tol-in-Gaurhoth with her and thinks 'I'll protect you' mean 'yes').

General opinion: I never used to care for her. I used to think Beren and Lúthien was a rather dull story. But blorbifying Daeron forced me to think about her and now she's a favourite and I love how she does what she wants.

[golbrocklovely]

I was checking an oldish tag on here and saw some of your old asks about Stas where people told you everything she was doing, full transparency and you defended her like no other. Everything they spoke about came to light and we are now or have been seeing since Europe everything and more that people mentioned . So im curious (maybe you’ve said before but i didnt see it) what made you change your stance and open your eyes to her odd behavior especially towards Colby? The asks were pretty blunt and straight forward and you still found a way to curve every answer.

I checked the tag btw because i noticed today that not only did she promote Katrina on twitter, but made a tiktok to her song, told people shes her biggest fan, and has been liking a bunch of C4 edits and pics. I remembered seeing asks talking about her never supporting Kat only Colby so after seeing that i came back here to try and find what else those asks said and saw everything everyone has been saying is pretty legit.

i did say a while back why my feelings changed for stas, but i'll just state them again i guess lol

also holy shit this is long sorry about that lmao

so, originally, when ppl would come to me saying why they didn't like stas, to me it didn't feel like it was a legitimate reason. and i felt that way bc they would come on here, talk about her, but give no proof to their claims. just say that "oh i heard this" or "i think she did this" or "did you see she did this" and to me, none of it was enough proof to throw her off the island, so to speak. i mean, some anons talked about her liking edits as proof enough that she was shady or up to no good. ppl would use her likes on twitter as main example of "see! look how bad she is" and the tweet in question was either not there (bc she probs unliked it) when i would go looking for it or if it was about colby and her… it was harmless and not something like "colby and her should be together. they have something going on".

also, no offense to anyone that sent me asks in during that time period, but i don't exactly have the most faith in the fandom towards ppl outwardly hating on a girl bc she's close to colby. it's happen countless times. the amount of times i've been told that the reason a girl that colby's friends with or hooking up with or JUST STANDING NEAR is bad bc "she just gives me bad vibes"… let's just say, if i had a nickle, i'd be a rich woman. so when it started happening with her, i didn't think much of it. thought of it as jealousy or just over-protective fans.

but things started to change a bit, i would say, by summer. i think after one too many trips to vegas, my liking for her was dwindling. idk if she did something or what (bc at this point i don't remember), but the vibe changed around her and what she was doing. at least to me. not to mention, no matter what she did, it was drama. and that itself was exhausting.

then colby made that tiktok with her. and when he started deleting comments shipping the two of them together, that's when i knew oh, he really doesn't want to be shipped with her and i thought this was him actually laying down the law and finally putting his foot down to all the shipping that goes on between him and stas.

then europe happened. and i fucking KNEW this trip wasn't gonna end well. i felt it in my bones. or maybe i'm just really good at picking up patterns lol

what first started to gross me out, was finding out about her mom posting things. and look, i'm all for a supportive mother. and tbh idk if her mom ever responded to fans. but what concerned me was how much info she was sharing publicly. and then how many fans were searching for her mom, finding her page, and basically narrowing down where they were in brussels and all that. snc have been stalked before, have had their house broken into before, what they DO NOT NEED is someone with them basically giving their every location just bc those fans are subscribers.... or random ppl on her mom's facebook.

that's when i also noticed that her roommate was at least cognizant of fandom drama that had happened not too long ago bc she liked a tweet about it while it was happening. that turned me off quite a bit as well. and i know a lot of ppl bring up stas posting the video from colby's bedroom and honestly…. ngl that flew under my radar. it just didn't feel like anything to me at the time.

and then finally: tomorrowland. the amount of fans that upticked their talks of colby and stas when they were basically forced to hang out with one another the whole time bc kat and sam wanted their own time away (which is fine, don't get me wrong. but it just really didn't help the already existing issue of colby and stas being shipped) was super fucking annoying. i basically was getting upwards of 10 asks a day, and that's a light guesstimate, about the situation. and while i don't mind talking about something…. i don't want to talk about it that much.

then, the malishka thing happened. i literally ignored it on here bc i just couldn't talk about it. at first, i was angry at colby. like why would he post this this is so stupid. but as time has gone on, i've basically come to the lovely realization that stas is the one that posted it (also, according to some whispers i've heard she basically told her subs that she did. idk tho that's alleged). realistically, colby doesn't understand russian. he probably filmed her, showed her the video, and she typed that and posted it. she also had earlier post the pic on his story of her face zoomed in. at least, that's what i personally believe. and when asked what malishka meant, she probably lied or just didn't tell him bc he probably didn't rewatch his story.

bc something to note is that they had terrible wifi in tomorrowland. so he might not have even known about this whole thing until a day later or so.

and what made all of it worst was the fans' reaction on twitter. and the fact that a lot of the fans that came out and congratulated colby and stas for "finally being together" after "all this time of us knowing" were both ppl i followed and ppl my age……….. i basically was about done with the situation. and then of course she had to like a tweet about the malishka thing. and that solidified it for me.

and if THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, they came home from the trip and colby hung out with her one more time right before moving to vegas. he literally told us on xplrclub that he was gonna be THIRDWHEELING in vegas (aka laying it on AS THICK AS HE COULD that he was single), and that fucking night stas told her subs that she was going on a date. and wouldn't you believe it, but it was her and colby hanging out ! along with others, but no one saw them on her story. just her and colby.

after that, colby mentioned multiple times about being single, being young, and wanting to have fun while in vegas. and i think that's when the tides personally turned for stas. she had fun playing house with colby in europe, she had her fun of living the fantasy of what it would be like to be colby's gf, to be Y/N. but reality set in when they came home. i think the last night they hung out, i think she confessed how she felt, and he rejected her. and look, she has every right to be upset about being rejected. i get being rejected, especially by someone you feel you have a connection to, SUCKS ASS. i'm not denying that. however, you caused your own delusions. colby was literally hooking up with six flags girl multiple times this past year, LITERALLY BROUGHT HER TO A HANG OUT SESSION WITH THE CORE FOUR, …..and you think he was into you???? the same man that deleted comments about the two of you together????????? the same man that FOR YEARS has begged the fandom to stop shipping him with every girl he's friends with??????? that man… was into you?

i mean, he went on a (assumed) date with a girl in vegas and stas tweeted like four things that night about being hurt or whatever (idk at this point i don't remember all the details) and then on top of that deleted said tweets. maybe something happened between them. i doubt it wholeheartedly tho. i think she loved the fantasy of them being an item, but he wanted no parts of it.

bc that's the thing: colby loves to tease us sometimes. like with amber. he loves making the fans freak out. but when he does shit like that, he chose to be part of the game. this is the only time he asked not to be included…. and she did it anyway. i don't think he knew the extent of breadcrumbs she was leaving for fans to speculate. i think when he saw what happened with the malishka shit (bc again he probs didn't see it until a day or two later bc of wifi and just wanting to enjoy his vacation) i think stas left a soured taste in his mouth. and then she made it worst by telling fans that her and him were going on a date…. and that was enough for him to be done with her. that's why at kat's bday party he sat as far from her as possible and seemed to not want any parts of the party. and that's why she's talking about being rejected now. bc i personally think they are done being friends as of rn.

i mean… it would make sense too. bc the moment he was hurt by what stas did, who did he run back to after all this time? shea, the original stas lmao

and as for stas all of a sudden being up kat's ass, to be as bluntly honest as i can be, i do not fucking care. i've gotten a bunch of asks about it. i can't be more frank than literally telling yall i don't care. i'm tired of talking about stas. bc even tho i don't like her, and i do think she is a bit of a snake, not everything she does is newsworthy or needs to be talked about. she liked something that implied feelings for colby? who cares. she wrote a poem about him? who cares. she wants to leave comments about how much she loves kat? omg who cares. we all know at this point she wants attention.

STOP GIVING IT TO HER.

[unmakingandincorporeality]

So Captain FitzRoy called Charles Darwin "Philos" in many of his letters to him. This is, obviously, an abbreviation of "philosopher," as in "natural philosopher."

But also, philos is literally Greek for 'lover.' FitzRoy's nickname for Darwin was "lover."

[writtenfromhawkins]

hoax - part two.

ship: steve harrington x fem!reader

summary: as you had feared, your fake date changed the dynamic between you and steve. but maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. 

word count: 2.7k

warnings: swearing, alcohol, princess bride spoilers (kind of? i don’t know, it’s been thirty years, watch the movie and then talk to me about it because it’s my favorite).

author’s note: it’s finally here! hope everyone enjoys it. @taylorsmylover​ @sllooney​ @cheerupbarry​

part one.

all's well that ends well to end up with you.

After Steve dropped you off at home, life went on. You worked, you studied, you spent time with your friends—including him. Nothing felt off per se, but there was a shift, a change in routine, a difference maybe not dramatic to you, but something the others definitely picked up on.

For movie night, your suggestion The Princess Bride lost handily. Despite that, though, Steve still showed up with a copy.

“Oh,” he’d said, almost sheepish, “this isn’t the one we agreed on? Sorry, guys.”

The two of you sat a little closer on the couch, whispered softer, and giggled more. He rolled his eyes and grumbled when you talked about how cute Cary Elwes was, you playfully smacked his bicep in response. It was a nice, quiet night, totally typical, so you couldn’t figure out why Robin looked so perplexed when you caught her eye from across the room.

Maybe if that had been it—just one weird night of affection—your friends could have left it alone, chalking it up to a lapse of judgment on your part. But it didn’t stop. Hugs went on for too long, and smiles lingered. Any time you passed, his hand somehow found the small of your back, guiding you by. Sure, Steve was known to be affectionate with you, boundaries long abandoned, so it wasn’t that weird. But the way you’d lean into each touch was a new development. Although not as alarming of one as Steve’s very recent lack of flirting.

Cute girl after cute girl passed through Family Video without receiving so much as a wink or a terribly delivered pick up and Robin was becoming increasingly concerned. If he wasn’t sick, and he wasn’t, he wasn’t whining enough for that, it meant something else was going on.

“Harrington,” she hissed one day, eyes wide, “that total babe was throwing herself at you. That, like, never happens.”

“Was she?” Steve’s bewilderment was genuine, he simply hadn’t noticed.

“Come on, you didn’t see that? I could feel the sexual tension from here.”

“Nope,” he answered, popping the ‘P’. “Guess she just wasn’t my type.”

But Robin knew better, he wasn’t exactly discerning; anyone with a pulse and boobies was his type. Something was up and, after conspiring—gossiping—with Eddie, she was determined to figure out what exactly it was.

—     

You’d probably never admit it, especially not unprompted, but Tuesday was your favorite day of the week. Sure, you were stuck at work for far too long—three doubles allowed you the freedom to study while also affording you the luxury of paying your bills—but it was also heavy metal night. Pickings were slim in a town the size of Hawkins and, as a result, Corroded Coffin got the chance to basically do a full set and you got to see your friends.

It became routine ever since Eddie joined your little group. You, of course, had no choice but to be in attendance. But Steve and Robin would come by too. Your regulars hadn’t been too receptive to the band—you’d been asked what is this ruckus? too many times to count—so, while none of you were exactly metal heads, you figured three confused, but supportive faces in the crowd couldn’t hurt. Besides, you found if you cheered loud enough, you could get most of the other bargoers on board. 

So it was no surprise to see Eddie step through the dinged door, followed promptly by Robin. Even if they were a little early.

“Hey, guys,” you call out, waving. 

You duck below the bar where the sanitizing bucket and rags were located. The very brief lull after Happy Hour didn’t allow for much dallying and you were stuck doing your regular tasks in a very short window of time: clean the bar, get clean glasses, and cut up your garnishes. 

You grab a torn piece of fabric, dip it in the cleaning solution carefully and stand. You’re barely back to your full height when you’re greeted by Eddie and Robin’s faces just inches from yours. They’re leaning forward, elbows resting on the very surface you need to clean. 

“Jesus Christ!” You rear back, free hand jumping to your chest. 

“Are you going to tell us what’s going on?” Eddie asks, raising his brows. He can’t help it—he’s curious.

“Yeah,” Robin encourages with a nod, “we don’t keep secrets here.”

You sigh, reaching out and pushing them back gently so you can wipe up rings of condensation and spilled booze. “I’d really like to play along but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Robin laughs. If it sounds like she doesn’t believe you it’s because she doesn’t. “Uh huh, sure.”

“Something’s up with you and Steve, we can tell.”

You freeze. “I—what?”

“You’re not denying it,” Eddie points out, grinning.

“No, she’s not,” Robin agrees.

It was then you realize what was going on: you were being interrogated. “Nothing’s going on. We’re friends.”

“We’re friends and he’s not all over me,” Robin points out.

“Yeah, I wonder why that is,” you quip.

“The Princess Bride!”

“What?”

“The Princess fucking Bride,” Eddie repeats himself, eyeing you knowingly. “I was finally gonna get you guys to watch Labyrinth and he showed up with that.”

“He grabbed the wrong movie, so what?” You pause. “And you loved The Princess Bride!”

“Yeah,” Eddie admits with a chuckle, “I really did. It has some really badass sword scenes and Andre the Giant, what’s not to like?” All very fair points.

Robin sighs, poking at his shoulder. “You’re getting distracted.” She fixes her gaze on you. “Steve is the worst liar. You gotta know he did that on purpose.”

Alright, yeah, you kinda did. He wasn’t going to be getting any Oscars any time soon. But it was an act you didn’t—couldn’t—think too much about.

If you really considered it, after that night with his parents, a switch flipped, and never went back. You weren’t together, you were still very much just friends, but the touches, the unbridled affection, the soft moments didn’t stop after the facade ended and you weren’t complaining.

The dam had burst and you didn’t think you could go back. You worried if you brought it up, shining a spotlight on the niceties, that it would all end. You were selfish—you wanted it all.

“Okay…” You let out a huff of air. “So, we did kinda go on a date.”

The revelation sends Robin spiraling. “What?” She exclaims, dramatically throwing herself on the bar—she couldn’t just feel her despair, she had to show it too. “And here I thought you were the one girl in town left immune to the Harrington… uh, charm, I guess?”

“Shush,” you admonish, shooting her a warning look. You turn, flashing your customers an apologetic before your focus turns back to your friends. “It wasn’t real.”

“Alright, you lost me now,” Eddie pipes up.

Robin raises her head just enough so she can look up at you through long lashes. “What does that mean?”

“His dad was being a dick about some work dinner and he needed a plus one.” You shrug. “I just had to act like his girlfriend.”

“Oh god,” Robin groans. “Can’t believe we gave him that much credit.”

“Huh?”

“He’s been making goo-goo eyes at you for ages.”

“Mhm,” Eddie hums in agreement. “It’s kinda gross.”

“We thought he finally did something about it. Even though I always thought you were too smart for that.”

They kept going but your mind was reeling. “Goo-goo eyes?”

“You’re still on that?” Robin can’t hide it, she was enjoying this. “Yes, he practically turns into a Bugs Bunny cartoon with giant heart eyes every time he sees you. And, in true dingus fashion, he asks you on a fake date instead of a real one.” She shakes her head. “Makes no sense but it obviously worked on you somehow.”

“It didn’t—I—”

“Oh, come on.”

You blink, there’s nothing for you to say. You can’t exactly argue with Robin but actually agreeing feels wrong too. You’re stuck, two pairs of eyes trained intently on you, and you’re desperate for escape. You scan the crowd of bored-looking customers, none of which seem to eagerly need you, before you catch glimpse of the empty stage.

“Don’t you have a show or something?”

Eddie smirks. He knows what you’re doing but, in an act of pity, he decides to play along. “As a matter of fact, I do. Think the boys should be here by now. Wanna help us set up, Rob?”

“Sure.” She spins around on the stool and, when she gets up, you think you’re free. Until she calls over her shoulder, “Better figure it out soon, lover girl.”

—

Less than an hour later, the stage was full of instruments, microphones, and, most importantly, the band itself. The crowd increased, although not entirely for the music, and you didn’t notice Steve arrived until he was standing right before you.

Your grip on the bottle of Southern Comfort you were holding slackened a bit. All you could think was goo-goo eyes.

“Hey. sweetheart,” he grins, plopping down and claiming the nearest bar stool as his own.

You hold up a finger, letting him know you’d be with him in a minute, as you replace the bottle of whiskey with sloe gin and amaretto—with both hands officially occupied, you poured an ounce of each into the shaker.

“Crazy night,” you let him know, voice just barely able to be heard over the screeching of electric guitars and booming drums. You’re talking but you’ve yet to really look at him.

Orange juice fills the rest of the metal cup before you’re sliding a cover on, throwing it over your shoulder, and shaking the cup from side to side. Once it’s mixed and chilled, you drain it out into a Collins glass, admiring the brightly colored liquid that trickled out. Prettiest Alabama Slammer you’ve made yet.

That drink belongs to the redhead at the end of the bar. You slide it over to her with the friendliest “there ya go, love” you could muster before walking back over to your newest customer.

“Want your regular, Stevie?”

When he gives you the affirmative, you get to work. Whiskey sour, very light on the sour.

It’s easy enough and you’re handing him his drink in record time. In exchange, as always, you get far too much money. You used to argue, your attempt at letting him know he was being too generous, but he’d never budge—if he could, he’d give you even more, you were worth every penny.

He sips it casually while studying you over the rim of the glass. You looked pretty, that never seemed to change, but your shoulders were stiff and your jaw clenched. He could tell something was up. “You seem tense.”

You got that right. “I’m fine, just a little tired, I guess.”

It’s an easy lie after being at work for nine hours but it was one Steve didn’t really buy. Not that he pushed it. The two of you were close enough that he knew if you wanted to talk to him, you would. So he changed the subject. “Where’s Robin?”

“She’s around here somewhere. She showed up with Eddie to help set up.”

“Weird, we always come together.”

“Yeah, weird,” you agree. But he had no idea just how strange it was.

The mention of your mutual friend gets you thinking, though. You have no idea how Steve felt or if what they said was true, but you knew what was going on in your heart and your mind—and it was enough to alarm the people closest to you.

For the sake of the whole group, maybe it would be a good idea to just clear the air.

“Steve?” When he looks at you, you avert your gaze, focusing instead on the hanging wine glasses above the bar.  “What are you doing after this?”

“Hanging out with you.” The delivery was smooth, easy. But panic set in as he sat on the words, unease seeping through at the idea that you weren’t asking because you wanted to get together. “You, uh, know if that was like.. what you meant.”

It definitely was. “Come by my place after closing?”

“Yeah, yeah, I can do that.”

—

When you pull up outside your apartment hours later, Steve is already there, leaning against his car, waiting for you. You take a moment just to enjoy the sight—he looked like he belonged there, outside your home—before throwing your car in park and getting out.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Let’s go inside, yeah?” You suggest. “It’s late.”

You lead the way up rickety stairs, past long dead plants you’d since abandoned, and to your front door. It certainly wasn’t Steve’s first time at your place, but you couldn’t help it—you were nervous, unready for the conversation you were going to have to initiate. 

You look around for a moment, hoping for a distraction, one that would never come, you nod towards the living room. “We should sit.”

It’s a suggestion, but one Steve eagerly takes. As if it’s not your own home, he places his hand on your back, urging you forward until you’re both on the couch, almost touching. 

“You’re freaking me out with how quiet you are.”

You don’t mean to. It’s the one time in your life that you don’t know what to say. Still, you try.

“I talked to Robin and Eddie earlier.”

“The gruesome twosome,” Steve mutters. “They didn’t upset you or anything, did they?” Lord knows when they got together, especially alone, they could be a lot.

Not that he was complaining. Sure, they were a handful, but so were you and Dustin and the rest of the kids. He found himself in more trouble than ever and his blood pressure had certainly risen, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. After years of shitty friends and sycophants, he considered himself lucky to have a group of people who genuinely care for him.

None of that stopped him from worrying about what they could have done, though.

“No, no, nothing like that,” you answer quickly, assuaging his concerns. “I’ve just been thinking about what they said.”

“Uh oh, what was it?”

“This is totally crazy, but they think there’s something going on with us.” You expect Steve to laugh but he doesn’t. His cheeks flush and he looks away but he doesn’t seem to find it humorous. 

“They’re too nosey for their own good.” He shaves his head. “If they made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” you assure him. “I guess I just worried about things getting weird with us or, God forbid, the group.”

“Nothing will ever make things weird with us, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“The thing is... I don’t want anything to change either.” And you really don’t. “I, uh, I really like whatever we’re doing. Maybe too much?” It comes out like a question but it isn’t—it’s just the truth.

“I do too.”

There’s electricity in the air, a good tension.

“I always have,” Steve adds, emboldened by the disclosure. “I know we—I— joked around a lot but I think there always was some truth there.” He reaches over, grabbing ahold of your hand. “Then that night with my parents... which really was a favor, by the way. I didn’t have any gross ulterior motive.”

You squeeze his hand, not needing the assurance. You didn’t know a better human being; there was never a doubt about his intentions. “I know, Steve.”

“It was kinda the same, you know? You were still ridiculously pretty and I got to call you all those cutesy little names you love to hate. But it also felt serious. Like, it wasn’t real but it felt like it was.”

“I get what you mean,” you agree. “It just felt natural. I didn’t really want it to end.” 

“What if it didn’t have to?” Steve pauses for a moment, considering his words. “What if we tried it for real this time?”

You smile—big, bright, genuine—and Steve’s brain practically short circuits. “Are you asking me on an actual date?”

“I sure am.”

You can’t help yourself, the confirmation makes you giggle. He looks alarmed and you cover your face. “Hey,” he says, hands gently wrapping around your wrist, pulling your hands back down. “What’s so funny?”

“Robin is going to hate this.”

That gets him to laugh too. “God, you’re right. Especially when we tell her it’s all her fault.” 

“If only she kept her mouth shut,” you agree, your shoulder bumping against his.

“But thank God she didn’t.” Steve wraps an arm around you, pulling you even closer. “I might have to send her a fruit basket or something.”

—

[benevolentcalamity]

Code: S.O.S (Xenomorph x Female!Reader) [1/2]

I actually wrote this already but deleted it so it never made it to be a published post. So have the (hopefully good) rewrite of what’s essentially Alien: Blackout!

This isn’t connected to Rescue Mission, just wanted to get used to writing Xenomorphs. This is what the people want yo.

CURTAINS!

You must have been crying since forever.

You failed them. Every single one of them.

In a mission meant simply to be a ‘find and retrieve’ rescue mission, you and the crew - you're just acting second in command, or were - went out to find the ship The Ambassador for emergency crew extraction. The exact message was an S.O.S, stating an unknown threat on the ship. They didn’t know what exactly this threat was, nor did they seem to want to. All they wanted was to, and you quote, “Get the hell off this bitch.”

To make it short, it turns out that two of the rescued astronauts were infested with some sort of parasite. When those parasites emerged, your captain, Weiss, crushed one under his heel in reflex. The other sadly got away - and that was just yesterday. Since then the ship’s been on lockdown. It’s a good size one, belonging to some of the best in the company, so this is viable.

So why are you here, pulling yourself together at your captain’s desk?

Well... The one parasite that made it grew up faster than anticipated. You’re genuinely not sure what happened, only that you woke up to Weiss shoving you into a locker. You remember he told you to be quiet, and then nothing from him.

... He was dead. You just knew it.

When there was a lull in the noise, you crept out of the locker, darting between different covers until you made it here.

So now you’re here, in a locked room, staring at a camera system you’ve never worked with until now. While you’ve learned how to flip between cameras on the different monitors you don’t know it like Weiss did. Not a notebook of directions, not even a Microsoft Word sort of program to direct you on how to use it. Suppose Weiss was counting on coming back.

Swallowing, you straighten your back, flipping through cameras with trembling fingers.

Finally, after moments more like eternity, you find the creature.

It’s black and towering, something that can’t possibly be real. Only having seen such beasts in those comics you saw in minute peeks at the bookstore, you can only wonder, if for a moment, that maybe it’s one giant prank. But then you recall Weiss, recall the blood reeking from the vents, and finally you’re snapped back to reality.

This thing killed everyone, down to the strongest people you know. Whether it knows you’re still alive is beyond you, but once you start taking action against it is when the real show begins.

... 

You swallow, a bead of sweat falling onto your sleeve.

“I’m going to die here...” You mutter. “... But I have to try.”

Managing to figure out the system, you find an option to send out a distress signal. If someone responds to it, you’ll be able to hear it - by some miracle someone will come by. Deciding it’s now or never you press it, and to your relief there’s no blaring of alarms to set anything off, just an icon blinking on a smaller monitor.

Setting your lips in a firm line, you keep your eyes on the creature. Resolute acceptance of death isn’t fueling you, but the basic instinct to survive. If you want to live, you have to act. If you don’t act, you will die. So if you want to make it back home, act.

“Ok, let’s do this...”

---

Just like the crying earlier, you’re not sure how long you’ve been at this.

As predicted, the moment you set off an alarm and trapped the creature, it knew that something else was in here with it. Despite not knowing the full extent of its abilities or capabilities - you don’t even know what it’s called - you’re willing to throw what you have out to keep it occupied long enough to get out of here. Comms are still open, and the distress signal is going strong, so this will continue until a ship comes and gets you, or one of you drops dead.

You aren’t strong, and you’re not brave. Matter of fact becoming an astronaut of any kind was better than anything that posed genuine danger. If anything you wanted to do something that’d get you somewhere, even if it was in outer space.

Quite honestly, you’d prefer being on the moon than in here.

“That’s some bullshit, [Name].” You can hear Weiss’s voice in your head. “A minute of bouncing on your damn head and you’ll be begging to be back here.”

It’s one way to keep something else than the fear in your head.

Blinking, you notice something... off-

“Where is it?” You about fly upright, flipping through the cameras. “Shit, shit, shit-! Where are you?!”

Frantically looking between the monitors, your ears are open wide just as your eyes, fearful adrenaline sharpening your senses and hands. With laser precision you’re pressing the buttons you need to, eventually noticing the motion trigger in one of the overlays.

That’s the Medical Bay - directly down the hall. Hurriedly you find that camera, seeing the creature creeping towards the exit. A quick jab, and you overload and close the door to the bay. In response you swear you can hear it scream through the walls, the vents... It’s reverberating in your head and it’s not even right next to you or anything.

Swallowing, you take a deep breath. “Crisis averted... But I have to be more careful.”

Of course your confidence is up a little considering you’ve made it this long, but you’re still jumping at your own shadow from time to time. Every movement still means death is incoming, and your clock is running low. Fuck, you’re not even sure if you can make it without risking a trip to scrounge for food and drink. It’s something you never thought about.

Wiping some sweat from your brow you take a moment to survey the other cameras. If you can cut the power in certain places, you can likely limit this thing’s visibility and give you some safety... But you also need to consider you might not have that luxury. Even if it can’t see in the dark, you can’t solely depend on that to keep you safe. Sending it somewhere would buy you some time while you meander in the dark.

Then again, is there a point to being in the dark if it’s somewhere else?

“If I can lure it over to the maintenance bay, I should be able to get to the canteen,” You murmur. “I can get some water and something to survive on until a ship comes.” You hope it lasts that long.

Deciding to take the risk, you find the maintenance bay security overlay. With a quick tap of a button it sets off some steam in the corner- ... Oh yea, the maintenance bay also deals with hot water. Oops. Hurriedly setting it to max before tapping it closed again you check on the medical bay - just as the creature hops up into the vents.

Oh that’s... that’s the opposite of good. If it can get into the vents, then...

You shake your head. No, no. It’s fine. I just need to be really careful and mind the vents... Let’s see...

For security and safety reasons there is indeed a camera overlay in the vent system. It’s moreso to make sure the maintenance guy is unharmed and doing his job, but also to see if there’s anything else to be aware of before calling said maintenance guy. You never understood the logic behind it, but it is saving your ass right now - your heart just doesn’t know it yet.

You glance above you, eventually noticing a vent right behind you on the ceiling. “... That’s just perfect...”

If Weiss were here, you’d have so many questions...

Checking the maintenance bay cameras, you about swoon when the creature lands in there. Now’s your chance-!

Getting up, you scurry over to the door, disabling the emergency override lock system. Swallowing, you about hold your breath as you creep down the hallway. It’s quiet - deathly quiet. With light steps you cut corners and keep looking back and around. At any point it could get back in the vents and track you down, so you have to be quick but also mindful.

Blinking, you turn the corner and swoon at a pair of lights, red and blue, at the far wall. “Bingo.” Closing in, you make out that damn Pepsi logo, beside it the bright red snack thing, because that was needed in space. (Davidson, the engineer, liked joking that it was like being in college, given it screamed redundancy.)

Reaching, you find your keys - more habitual than convenient - and unlock both machines. Opening them you find some bottles of water, some protein bars, chocolate, and other non-noisy things. Putting them in your pockets snug as a bug, you turn and scurry back down the halls.

This is genuine madness, possibly buffoonery as well. But if one thing’s going to give you away, you’d rather it be your own stupidity than your empty stomach. Practicality’s also at work, considering you stayed away from the chips and soda, appealing as it was. You can’t afford being careless. Though, when you make it home alive you will have the biggest coke of your life and the juiciest steak money can buy-

thump, thump

“Shit...” It’s in the vents. “Ok, double time.”

Deciding to get a bit more ballsy you quicken your light steps, at this point realizing how close you are to detection. As the thumping continues, seeming to reach into your brain, you eventually find the office-

A particularly loud thump, followed by a thud and then a hiss, just a good distance behind you. Whirling around, you-

... There it is. With a flick of its tail it looks around, back to you. Swallowing you back into the office, trying not to loudly slam your hand into the emergency override as the door closes. When the red light symbolizing the lock lights up you sigh in relief, rushing to the monitors and finding your office overlay.

Hell yeah. You press the button to close the vent. “This is gonna mess with the temperature, so I can’t leave it long... But that should give me some breathing room.”

Swallowing, you retie your hair in a ponytail, checking comms.

Your heart leaps, seeing a blip on the monitor. Holding down the communicator button, you lean in towards the mic.

“Hello? Is anyone there? This is [Name] [Last Name], acting second-in-command of The Far Reach. If anyone can hear this, please respond immediately!”

[itsclydebitches]

So I know we’ve all talked about how badly the ropes around Izzy were tied and how maybe that means the crew never intended to drown him, just scare him a lot little.

And the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that this is the case, largely because this is exactly the kind of mean fuckery that Ed would pull – and what has the crew been doing for the past several weeks except learning how to maintain authority via the expertise of Blackbeard?

Ed has a fairly consistent pattern while spending time on The Revenge:

Oh no, oh dear, the Spanish are going to kill us because Stede hasn’t come up with a plan :(

          ... lol jk, I knew the fog was going to roll in ;)

Oh no, oh fuck, there’s some sort of evil, flying creature descending on the ship in a cloud of supernatural smoke!

          ... lol jk, it’s just me in a harness ;)

WHERE’S THE LOOT? WHERE’S THE FUCKING LOOT? TELL ME WHERE IT IS OR I’LL STAB YOUR FUCKING EYE OUT!

          .... lol jk, I’m just showing Stede how to give his threats oomph ;)

We can even throw the second part of the lighthouse plan into the mix. Given that no one else overheard the discussion between Ed and Stede, for all they know the, “Oh no, oh shit, we’re all gonna die and if you know how to swim you should totally jump overboard now :(” is just another part of the dramatic production, considering that he comes out mere minutes later with, “lol jk we’re gonna be a lighthouse ;)” Though we know of course that Ed is very capable of dealing out the violence he threatens others with (snail fork) and that many of his stumbles are legitimate mistakes (wrong date, Boss), his captaincy style is very much in the vein of, “Scare the shit out of someone and then swoop in with a brilliant plan or a laugh, depending on what the situation needs, sending the message that you’re the one who’s always in control.” That’s how he impresses others and, by extension, maintains a lot of his authority. I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility that everyone took that to heart, especially when we already saw, back in Episode One, that lying about being tougher/scarier/more badass than you actually are is an easy way to get others to listen to you: Just tell everyone you stabbed him, Captain. You did this on purpose!

What’s Izzy’s mutiny then if not a way to scare the shit out of him, looking impressive/dangerous in the process and (hopefully) getting him to treat them better?

I mean sure, everything can be explained away with “The knots are just a safety measure for Con” (even though this is a very detail-oriented show and there’s no actual water on set to be concerned about) and “Of course they all want to legit murder Izzy, he’s the antagonist!” (even though he’s deliberately framed as a sympathetic one and most characters, like Lucius, prefer needling him over actively getting rid of him), but wouldn’t a fuckery make more sense for everyone’s characterizations? I know we joke about them doing a 180 into murder, but the enjoyable humor of that aside, it does test my suspension of disbelief a bit to picture this as a legitimate attempt on Izzy’s life. Because right from the start the crew was looking for excuses to back down when they were plotting Stede’s murder. Because Ivan and Fang both display a certain amount of respect and even care towards Izzy. Because Oluwande just got done saying how much he didn’t want to be Captain. Because in about an episode’s time the crew will honestly and enthusiastically yell that they “talk it through!”

So which seems more likely? That this group of violent, but ultimately not very murder-y individuals decided in a day’s time to drown Izzy, which requires two of his own, fairly loyal crewmen to be on board with this, Oluwande goes from hating the idea of being in charge and being kinda awkward about it to coldly having his “own style” in a single scene, they all ignore Izzy’s screamed promise that he’s open to discussion now despite believing in that philosophy, Lucius is outright grinning whereas in every other violent situation he cowers or looks distinctly uncomfortable...

...or that the crew went, “Izzy’s being an asshole. We should totally pull a fuckery and make him think we’re going to kill him. That’ll make him chill out and we can either deal with a less than perfect captain like we did with Stede, or Oluwande can really take over and Izzy can just, you know, be here.”

An actual drowning attempt seems even more unlikely to me given that they never try to do away with Izzy between Ed’s interruption and the return of the Kraken. He’s still basically in charge! Ed has been hanging out in a blanket fort for days, leaving Izzy to not only command the ship precisely as he was before, but arguably be more of an asshole about it given the additional stress he’s under. If making them work for a few minutes and a threat to Wee John (after he made fun of Izzy, I’d like to add) is enough for a mutiny... shouldn’t swabbing the deck over and over, only for Izzy to spit his drink out on it be pushing them over the edge? I suppose we could theorize that they’re too afraid to kill Izzy with Ed back on board, but it’s not even a consideration. No one is weighing that danger over keeping Izzy around. It’s just a given that he’s here to stay.

So... yeah. Ed’s tendency towards fuckeries as a form of authority/amusement. The badly tied ropes. Fang and Ivan supposedly not giving a shit. Lucius’ chill attitude. Oluwande suddenly embracing his new position like whoa. The lack of murder attempts following this one. The lack of real murder attempts prior. The way they just sorta set Izzy down all careful like when Ed arrives and let him get on with making tea, swabbing the deck later on his say-so and only grumbling a little when he gives them more work. Even when Izzy is full on screaming at them, absolutely deranged post-maiming, making them get rid of all Stede’s stuff in an act of both physical exhaustion (there’s a lot of books here, Boss) and sentimental loss... all they do next is ask when the others will be here for the talent show and continue to poke fun at his name. This group doesn’t act like a crew out to be rid of him. They act like long-suffering siblings whose great joy in life is making Izzy miserable. Basically, there’s a lot that just doesn’t add up for me if I try to read this as a legit murder attempt. 

I believe fully that if they’d gotten him into the water, Izzy would have bobbed back to the surface like a pissed-off cork as everyone laughed.

Either that, or our often inept crew wouldn’t have taken into account how far the anchor might drag him, even with ropes he could untie, and when Izzy fails to re-surface quickly there’s an “OH SHIT DID WE ACTUALLY KILL HIM??” panic that results in someone jumping overboard who doesn’t actually know how to swim and Fang bursting into tears.

[softguarnere]

A World Without Color Is A World Without You

Eugene Roe x reader

A/N: What's up y'all?! @brassknucklespeirs and I have been talking about soulmate aus, and now they're living rent free in my brain. I had a wild day at school, and using those feeling to create angst was strangely therapeutic, I won't lie. I hope you enjoy this, and my requests are always open if you have something specific you would like to see! (As always, this is written for the fictional depictions from the show -- absolutely no disrespect to the real-life veterans!) 💕🕊️

Warnings: ANGST ANGST ANGST! The usual HBOwar stuff: war, guns, injury, blood, language. I also didn't really proof read this, so take that for what it's worth.

"So is it like, a cultural thing?" George asks. In between his shivering, he gives you a sideways glance, watching you tense up as you continue staring straight ahead through the darkness, watching the line. He shrugs. "I've just always wondered."

"About what?"

He shrugs again. "Well, back in Toccoa, I kinda thought maybe you were just shy. But I know that's not true; you're pretty chatty after a few drinks. I remember reading somewhere once, before the war, maybe back in school, that in some cultures it's rude, or even taboo."

On your other side, Joe huffs. The cool air in front of him clouds up with what little warmth he can muster. "George, I'm sure if she wanted to talk about it, she woulda told ya by now."

"Yeah, Luz," you agree. "If I knew what the hell you were talking about, I probably could have answered you twelve different times."

The radioman knocks his shoulder against your own. "Awe, come on (Y/N). My brain is frozen -- gimme a break."

"Okay. I'll answer if you actually ask the question."

"Okay." Luz nods. For someone who was so eager to find answers a moment before, he seems unsure of himself when you give him permission to ask. He stops looking at you and trains his own eyes on the line, voice softening when he asks, "Why do you never look anyone in the eye?"

There it is.

Toye reaches behind you to smack Luz on the back of his helmet.

"Ow!"

"You can't just ask that!" Joe reprimands. "Besides, you could probably just figure it out from context."

Joe is right. It seems like most people should have figured it out by now. Maybe then you wouldn't have so many sweet-talking replacements sauntering up to you with calls of, "Hey, Shy Girl, you found your man yet, or are you playin' hard to get?" or "Baby, I bet I could be the one to make you see color."

Because that's the thing: your world has always been shades of black and white, and it will remain that way until you look into the eyes of your soulmate. The first color you ever see will be the color of their eyes, and then -- according to everything you've heard your friends and family describe -- the rest of the world will follow as a whole universe of color is revealed to you. But therein lies several problems for you.

Problem one: you didn't find your soulmate back at home before the war. Which, you initially thought, might be okay. Maybe you would meet them after. Or during, some of your more romantic-minded friends told you dreamily before you shipped out.

Which made problem two all too real to you: if you meet your soulmate and then they die, the world will go back to being black and white.

The realization had hit you like a punch in the gut. Everyone else seemed to think it was tragically romantic, but not you. You had always known the world as shades of plainness and shadow. How could you stand it, if you discovered the beauty of the world, only to then have it stripped away from you? And worse, how could you stand to lose the person that you loved -- that you were destined to be with? Something that was all too possible in the middle of a war.

So you made a decision. A hard one, but one that seemed necessary -- you wouldn't look a stranger in the eye again until after the war.

Under the blanket of night, huddled together with your friends for warmth, you tell them exactly that. No one can tell if the slight shake in your voice is from emotion or from the cold, and no one calls it into question. You've never told anyone before. You're not sure how they might react.

Joe pats your knee. He's not a man of words, but his action says it all.

"I'm sorry," Luz whispers. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay," you reassure him, trying to smile, more for yourself than for him. To lighten the mood, you decide to do what he would do if he weren't in an awkward position -- you crack a joke. "Why does it matter, Luz? You worried we might be soulmates?"

Taken off guard, he laughs. "I won't lie, (Y/N), the thought has occurred to me."

It had taken a lot of strength to tell them your secret. Now though, they know -- secrets rarely feel so heavy when there's someone who can help you carry them. Your burden reduced, you turn towards him in the darkness. "Well, let's find out."

"What?" Out of reflex, he turns to you.

Your eyes meet and . . .

Nothing. The world is still black and white.

"That answers that question," Luz says.

"Toye, you wanna find out if we're destined to be together?" You tease.

"Eh, why not." You blink owlishly at each other in the darkness, searching each others eyes for something that might not have been there before. Nothing happens, but neither of you breaks eye contact.

A smile pulls at the corner of Joe's mouth, and before you know it, the two of you are giggling at the idea of finding out that one of your oldest war-buddies might have been your soulmate all along without you realizing it. Who knows if it would have been funny anywhere but Bastogne -- the environmental pressures are starting to get to everyone -- but in that moment, it's the most hilarious thing in the world. Even George is shaking with laughter.

"Shhhh!" Only the sound of crunching snow rushing towards your fox hole can stop the joke. Compton leans down, his eyes never leaving the line in front of him as he hisses, "Keep it down! You wanna give away our position?"

"Sorry, Lieutenant," you giggle.

For all your trying, it's not until he's long gone that the three of you manage to catch your breath. Somehow, it feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders, however slightly. You can look your best friends in the eye. That's something.

You fall asleep between them, the world still black and white, but not quite so dismal as you once imagined your dull color scheme to be.

--

"I've been workin' on the railroad, all the livelong day," you sing along with the other men, your grin the widest it's been in a while. Finally out of the fox holes, finally haven taken Foy, finally moving on.

"I've been working on the railroad, just to pass the time away --"

You're just beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, things will start to look up for Easy Company when something zings by your ear. One of the men beside you falls to the ground, and suddenly, the world around you descends into chaos.

A few more men drop like flies. Others tumblr over each other like dominos, some of them trying to flatten themselves to the ground for cover while others trip over each other to duck behind one of the nearby buildings.

"Sniper!" someone calls out. A body slams into yours as you try to scramble away from the tank you had been sitting on. The force of their body against yours sends you stumbling. It's just enough to hold you back from safety, and you feel the hot metal rip through your thigh.

You cry out as you hit the ground. Around you, bullets still race to find new marks as the sniper's rifle peppers the air with the sound of rounds being fired. You're face down on the dirty snow. It's harder than it should be not to roll over and call out for help, but the image of Julian back in Bastogne enters your mind and you settle for clenching your right hand into a fist and shoving it over your mouth to muffle your cries as you wait for it to be over.

More gunshots. Some cheers. How long have you been on the ground? A few minutes? Hours?

Someone grabs you by the shoulder and flips you over. Only then do you gasp out in pain.

"(Y/L/N)! Where are you hit?" Sergeant Lipton demands.

"Thigh." You try to sit up, but the Sergeant holds you down as he calls out for a medic. "Are the others okay?"

"Shifty got the sniper," Lipton assures you with a weak smile.

"But what about the others who got hit?"

"Alright, where'd they get her?" Spina asks as he appears beside you. From your awkward angle on your back, you can see him grimace as he looks at your thigh, which is pulsing with white hot pain.

"Is it bad? Is it --" you have to stop and swallow before you can continue. "Did they get an artery?"

"Roe's got the morphine," Spina says, looking over his shoulder and calling for the Louisiana boy before glancing back down at you. "Just take it easy, (Y/N)."

You grit your teeth through a spark of pain. It's hot and bright -- probably what stars feel like as they burn out.

"Hey --" Lipton pats your cheek with his hand, trying to keep you grounded. "Stay with me, (Y/N). Roe's comin', okay? Hey, at least you didn't get shot in the ass like Perco, huh?"

"Mighta hurt less," you hiss.

"She got morphine?" A thick accent asks as Doc Roe appears above you. He glances down at your thigh and then at you. And then --

Something happens.

Roe must sense it too, because just as his eyes start to move back to your injury, he stops short. Something about his eyes . . . it's hard to describe. It's unlike anything you've ever seen before.

They're not black and white, you realize with a start. You gasp sharply, not sure if it's from pain or from the shock. Then, slowly, the world around you draws into focus in a way it never has before. The blacks and whites you've become so accustomed to fade away as color seeps in, like water paints bleeding onto a fresh sheet of paper, filling in the world in ways that you didn't even know was possible.

"Doc, are you gonna help her?!" Lipton asks as Roe falls to his knees beside you, still staring straight into your eyes. Neither of you take note of Spina cursing in confusion, grabbing Doc's bag and tearing through it for morphine and bandages.

"It's you," you gasp at the same time that Roe whispers, "I found you."

Lipton looks between the two of you in confusion. The minute it clicks, his jaw drops into a capital O. "Oh shit."

"Right --" Spina pats your leg and stands up as more people approach. " -- Didn't hit an artery, but she'll need to visit an aide station to get this cleaned up. I've done what I can."

Aide station?

"Wait, no!" You try to push yourself up, try to prove that you're fine. If you get taken to a hospital, it might take forever for them to let you out. And then how will you get back to Easy? Something could happen to Roe before you return.

You grasp the Cajun boy's hand as you're lifted onto the piece of wood that's serving as a crude stretcher. Over the rumbling of the approaching Jeep engine, you plead with him. "Don't let them take me, Doc. I'll be fine. I'm fine! I don't wanna go."

"You gotta," he says sadly. "Your leg . . ."

"I want to stay here," you insist. "Please. Please, Gene."

"I'll find you." He presses a kiss to the back of your hand as they load you into the Jeep. "I promise, we'll find each other again, okay? But you gotta go now, (Y/N)."

Your tightly knitted fingers unravel as the vehicle starts to move, unnoticing and uncaring of your feelings on the matter. For the first time since you got hit, you feel your eyes grow hot and watery. There's no use trying to hold back the tears that slip out as you're driven away from the boy who colored in your world.

From the boy who's your soulmate.