#[ // alright i'm gonna shut up now. i need a strong and bitter coffee. ]

[ferromagnetiic]

“ you… don’t like me very much, do you? ”  

【 ⚙ 】  |  【 always accepting. 】 question prompts. @lufitaro

What's going on, here? Did Straw Hat learn some kind of hidden Haki technique that he doesn't know about? Some magician's spell shit? Some kind of curse? Kid hadn't detected any approaching danger headed his way, nor had he read any malicious intent from the rubber boy, and yet, inexplicably, for a reason he cannot fathom, there's a fresh pain in his chest. A mysterious sharpness he cannot explain. An intense affliction that causes his jaw to reactively clench.

He doesn't trust this little weirdo. He's doing strange things he doesn't understand again.

❝ ...The Hell is this coming from? What are you asking me for? Why should you give a crap what I think about you, anyway? ❞

He didn't know what gave him that impression. If he genuinely disliked him, he would have told him bluntly. Or, you know, tried to kill him. Neither of which he has done with any legitimate sincerity.

Kid has a very distinct way of displaying that he likes someone. It's subtle, but those who know his nature can probably tell that their relationship isn't built on animosity. They're rivals, and Kid is obliged to treat him as such, but that doesn't equate to automatically detesting him as an individual. He would be infinitely more callous if he actually despised him.

[luminberry]

Can I get a short maw-centric drabble? I'm feeling the TEEF vibes tonight, if you don't mind~

Hell yeah u can bruh, tho knowing me its not gonna be short...

borrowing stuffins lad Jasper for this! (dw i asked ahead of time =w=)

"Jasper stop frettin bout it so much..I already told ya I don't mind helpin ya out with this. It'll keep ya from snatchin someone on accident."

"Ngh..ya'll sure, Ah mean real sure bout this?? Don't feel right ta me..what if Ah hurt ya?? Ah'd feel lower than a dang snakes belly if Ah nicked ya or somethin."

"Jasper, yer worryin way too much bout this..Just open 'er up and I'll take care of tha rest alright? Ya look more wound up than a spring..Jus trust me a lil big fella."

"But-but still Zeke...just worried Ah might do somethin to ya'll, don't like this M4g nonsense messin with mah head.."

The newly M4gnified Jasper gently fretted with his now tiny in comparison friend between two now clawed massive hands. He didn't want to be this damn big in the first place..he didn't mind being able to not have damn urges to grab and devour the first grunt he laid eyes on when his stomach was empty for too long. Zeke and Bull had mentioned after the change there were several side effects..eating smaller coworkers seemed to be the most notorious for more animalistc M4gs like himself and Bull.

Zeke had offered to step in and help however he could when the urges got too strong for him to resist, which was unfortunately growing more and more frequent the longer Jasper tried putting it off. He honestly wasn't comfortable with the entire thing...He had just barely gotten used to letting Bull tuck him away and now this happened. He didn't want to hurt his smaller friend or anyone else on accident however either so now here the two sat.

"It'll get better tha more ya practice Jasp..Least until we can figure out a way ta turn ya back or somethin..Doc mentioned there was a glitch with respawn lately so once that's fixed I'm sure he'll get ya sorted out. Till then we jus gotta make due."

He appreciated Zeke being so optimistic despite...despite more or less nearly always getting gulped down by one of the other M4gs or someone else. Might of been why he was so casual about letting him get this damn urge taken care of.

Speaking of urges, he could feel his damn mouth starting to drool more the longer he held Zeke this close. The scent of coffee coming from the smaller cowboy was unfairly delicious, a warm drink would of helped settle his nerves right about now.

"...Dangit all..Fine fine, lemme get it over with before Ah back out again. Jus-just be careful okay? Lemme know if ya'll need me ta open up or somethin."

"Jus open up a lil wider there and tilt yer hand up a bit more-yeah thats it. Hold er steady Jasp."

Jasper had closed his eyes the moment he opened his mouth wide enough, somehow this just made every move Zeke made more intense to him.

He felt two warm soles slide over his tongue a brief moment, he would of been disgusted had Zeke not cleaned himself off before even letting Jasper scoop him up a few moments earlier. He could faintly still taste the soap as Zeke scooted deeper into his open maw.

The slightly bitter taste of coffee started to roll over his senses, a few splashes of cream and sugar as well? Not his usual cup of choice but here it somehow worked deliciously. His little meal gently pushed itself deeper into his waiting maw, tiny hands briefly gripping his bottom teeth to push himself deep enough to lay flat against his tongue. Mouth now pleasantly full he pulled both it and his treat back inside and carefully closed his jaws shut around both, swallowing shallowly to let that fantastic flavor slide down his throat.

Eyes still closed he found himself humming faintly around the treat he now had, he couldn't remember fully now why he had been hesitant when they tasted so delicious! Jasper began to shift them about after a moment or two, tasting every last inch of the other he could get to. The whole experience was making him drool excessively, forcing him to catch the treats hands gently between his teeth and gulp several times around them until he felt satisfied that neither of them would drown just yet.

He'd happily savor this one, they were surprisingly relaxed tucked between his fangs and readily let themselves be shifted and moved to whatever position he wanted them in. Such a willing snack he couldn't help but think to himself, Jasper couldn't help the deep baritone rumble from starting up deep in his chest the longer he played with his food.

Zeke meanwhile was having a interesting experience of his own behind Jaspers pearly whites. He had started out on his back intially since..it was the most comfortable position for him to be eaten. He had figured Jasper would let him slide back after a moment or two..Only to find himself being gently rolled around by that massive tongue.

He was flipped over and pressed to the roof of his friends mouth, pinned against those sharp teeth again and again..And even had his arms pinched delicately between those massive fangs before the mouth flexed and gulped all around him, squishing him repeatedly before the intense pressure lessened and the whole process began anew. Zeke was thoroughly soaked and Jasper was lost in his own happy world if the sudden skull rattling purrs were any indication.

Zeke tried to call out to Jasper and see if he wanted a break, only to have that tongue muffle his attempts again and again. He could only hope Jasper would give him a break sooner or later right?

Any attempts to move or pry open Jaspers mouth to give a signal were thwarted with a harsh pin to the roof of the mouth and several more long gulps, several of which were beginning to leave Zekes legs a little too close to the back of the throat..and any attempts to move back to safety were proven useless as Jasper unconsciously began to tilt his head back..

"Uh, Jasper ya gonna let me back out big fella? ...Hello? Ya'll said ya weren't gonna sw-"

Jasper swallowed hard as he felt his snack eventually start to tickle the back of his throat..He had teased himself enough and let things take their natural course. One more hard swallow was all it took to send his treat down to his stomach, hands coming up to feel the small form vanish entirely inside of him.

Letting out a deep satisfied sigh, Jasper relaxed and felt his food settle in that strangely wonderful way down in his core that only live snacks could do.

Wait.

Jasper felt his head slowly clearing from the weird blissful fog he had gotten lost in the moment he felt his "food" shift inside.

"...Ah did it again huh..? Damnitall..ya'll alright in there Zeke? Shoot Ah didn't mean ta swallow ya down like that..."

"Yer alright Jasp! Just wasn't expectin all that.."

"....sorry..Wasn't myself jus then. Knew this was a bad idea from tha start."

"Jasper I told ya'll it was alright, I'm still in one piece in here. Ya can let me back out just as easy right?"

"..Ah suppose so yeah. Might need ta find Bull though ta help."

"Well if ya wanna go find him I ain't really goin anywhere. Ya did good though big guy, didn't hurt me one bit."

"This ain't quite somethin ta celebrate but if ya'll say so..Jus sit tight and I'll go find Bull."

Zeke sighed in his new surroundings as he felt Jasper start to move, might be stuck in there for a few more minutes. Not that he minded, something about being treated so gently was a...interesting experience to him. As a minor reward he stroked the nearest wall he was laid against, feeling the muscles around him immediately tense up before a soft purr met his ears.

[emospritelet]

KoL! Prompt! - "I'm sorry, that came out wrong."

What better prompt to use when Gold finally decides to ask Belle out?

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10] [Part 11] [Part 12] [Part 13] [Part 14] [Part 15] [Part 16] [Part 17] [Part 18] [Part 19] [Part 20] [Part 21] {Part 22]

AO3 link

The next day dawned cold, crisp and bright, and Gold decided to walk into town to arrange the Secret Santa present for Belle.  He smiled a little as he walked; he had two days off work, and much to his surprise was looking forward to it. Usually he hated being away from the hospital, but concentrating on a gift for Belle was a pleasant distraction.  The gifts weren’t due to be handed out until Christmas Eve, and he was hoping that he would have the time to make the arrangements that he wanted by then.

Now that he had decided he would definitely be asking her to go out, he felt a little calmer.  Initially the realisation that he had strong feelings for her was unexpected and almost terrifying, but he had come to terms with the fact that since he had met her, his life had changed dramatically, and would never be the same again.  He was okay with that.

There was still the issue of whether she would say yes, but Ruby’s words had given him encouragement, and so he decided to ask her when they were next on shift together.  Dinner. He would ask her out for dinner. Or possibly coffee, but at Granny’s, not at the cafeteria. Coffee was enough to start with. But then would she just think he was being friendly, rather than asking her out romantically?  Dinner. It would have to be dinner. He wouldn’t bother with the flowers this time, though. That seemed like tempting fate. If she said yes, he could bring her flowers on the date.

He took his time with the walk as he pondered his next move, enjoying the chirps and squawks of the few birds that saw out the winter in Maine, and nodding to the people that passed him.  His feet led him to the Town Hall, and he gave his name at the front desk before being asked to go on through to the Mayor’s office.

Regina Mills was dark-haired and lovely, the picture of stylish efficiency in her tailored suit and designer shoes.  He had long admired her taste, and the two of them had a reasonably amicable relationship, developed over several years of him patching up her son Henry, who had a tendency to be accident-prone. She looked up from behind her desk, setting down her pen and giving him a brief, red-lipped smile.

“Madam Mayor,” he said pleasantly.  “Compliments of the season. You’re looking very well.”

“Dr Gold,” she said.  “Please tell me my son hasn’t been in need of your care again.”

“Not this week,” he said.  “Although you may want to consider dressing the boy in bubble-wrap.”

Regina sniffed.

“Believe me, Emma and I have already had this conversation,” she said dryly. “What can I do for you?”

Gold smiled.

“Do you remember when I put you in touch with that adoption agency in Boston?” he said.  “And when I promised to get a friend of mine to consider your application before anyone else’s?  I believe that resulted in you adopting Henry. And later meeting the love of your life.”

“Yes,” said Regina suspiciously.  “I told you I owed you one, as I recall.”

“Ah.”  His grin widened.  “You do remember.”

Regina rolled her eyes.

“Okay,” she sighed.  “What do you want?”

“Oh, it’s not for me as such,” he said.  “It’s something the whole town would thank you for.  It would create a lot of goodwill this festive season.  And with it being election year soon I just thought—”

“Yes, yes!” she snapped.  “You’ve made your point. I’m feeling in a generous mood, so just tell me what it is you want and I’ll see what I can do.”

Gold smiled, and stepped closer to the desk.  Perhaps this would be easier than he thought.

x

Belle hurried to the locker room, sighing as she changed her shoes for heavy boots and pulled on her coat.  She smiled at Dorothy, coming on shift as she was leaving, and held up the copy of the hospital calendar she had been given.  The contents had been a pleasant surprise, although she had to admit that she’d spent far longer staring at the month of December than was healthy.

“The moment of truth, huh?” she said.  “I think we look pretty good. Jefferson says they’re selling like hot cakes.  He’s had requests for orders from all over the country!”

“Yeah, I think those friends of his gave some free publicity,” said Dorothy, with a grin.  “Suits me: his other fundraising option was a bake sale, and I’m not that great a cook.”

“Oh, I think that’s still going ahead,” said Belle.  “After the New Year, though.”

“In that case I’ll limit my participation to buying and eating other people’s creations,” she said.  “Showing my ass seems to be way less painless. For all concerned.”

Belle giggled, pulling a hat down over her hair.

“I’m hoping the townsfolk are gonna be reasonably discreet,” she said.  “I don’t care if some guy I never heard of wants to put the calendar on his wall, but I’m not sure my dad needs to know about his daughter taking her clothes off for charity.”

“It’s for a good cause,” said Dorothy dismissively.  “Hey, did you get your Secret Santa gift yet? You know we’re giving them out tomorrow, right?”

Belle sighed.

“Yeah,” she said morosely.  “I’m not sure I got the right thing.  It’s been a nightmare trying to think of something that’s meaningful and yet doesn’t cost more than thirty bucks.”

“It’s Secret Santa,” said Dorothy patiently.  “It doesn’t have to be meaningful.”

Belle shrugged, and Dorothy pursed her lips as she grabbed a pair of clean scrubs.

“Hey, did you see Gold today?”

“No, he’s not working until tomorrow,” said Belle.  “Why?”

“Oh, no reason.  Just asking. Is Whale in, then?”

“Whale’s there now, Jefferson’s in later,” confirmed Belle, grabbing her purse and closing her locker.  “See you tomorrow?”

“Count on it.”

She headed out, shivering as she stepped into the bitter wind, and hurried home.  Coloured lights twinkled from the houses she passed, lifting her spirits as she shuffled through the snow, but when she reached the small house that she shared with her father, it was dark except for a single light in the lounge.  Belle’s mouth flattened. He hadn’t switched the Christmas tree lights on. Again. Feeling her festive spirit drain away, she opened the door and went inside.

“It’s only me!” she called, and heard a grunt from the lounge over the sound of the TV.

Rolling her eyes, she struggled out of her coat and hat and tugged off her boots, exchanging them for soft sheepskin booties and heading to the kitchen. Her father clearly hadn’t started anything for dinner, and Belle huffed in exasperation. Guess I’m cooking again, then.  One glance in the fridge made her frown.  Cans of beer filled one of the shelves, the remainder being taken up by eggs, bacon and a block of cheese.  She sighed to herself and shut the door,wandering through to the lounge. Moe was slumped in his usual chair with a beer can resting on his belly, eyes fixed on the TV screen.  Belle put her hands on her hips.

“I thought you were buying something for dinner,” she said, and he glanced around.

“You said you would.”

“No, I said I couldn’t because I was working,” she snapped.  “The flower shop is right next to the store! I notice you bought beer, so you managed that.”

“Don’t be a bloody nag,” he groused.  “Just order a pizza or something.”

“We had pizza last night.”

“So we’ll have it again!” he said impatiently, and gestured at the TV.  “I’m trying to watch this! Just order a damn pizza and get me another beer!”

Huffing in exasperation, Belle stomped through to the kitchen again.  I really, REALLY need to get my own place!

x

The next day she was up before Moe as usual, but still later than she would have liked, so she had to rush to cook their breakfast.  He stomped into the kitchen with a bleary look in his eyes, nodding to her as she pushed eggs and bacon towards him.

“I’m working this afternoon, so could you pick up the turkey and the things for Christmas dinner?” she said, when they were almost done.  “Everything’s ordered and paid for, you just need to collect it from the store.”

“Alright.”  Moe looked at her, chewing his bacon.  “What time are you back tonight?”

“Oh, not until eight or so,” she said.  “Can you see to yourself until then?”

“Guess I’ll have to,” he said sourly.  “I’ll go to Granny’s, have a drink with the guys.”

“Okay.”

Inwardly she heaved a sigh of relief.  It meant that he probably wouldn’t be home until late, and she could have an evening of relative peace and quiet preparing the Christmas dinner.  Moe shoved the last bit of bacon into his mouth, following it with a swallow of coffee and pushing away his plate.

“Better get to the shop,” he said, shoving back his chair.  “I’ll see you later, love.”

He sauntered off to pull on his boots and coat, and Belle frowned at the dirty dishes.  Guess I’m doing those, huh?

She took a shower once she was done with cleaning up, brushing her clean hair until it shone and putting on a dark green dress that showed off her pale skin.  The addition of some red lipstick made her feel almost festive as she swirled the skirt in front of the mirror, and she smiled to herself. Her gift for the Secret Santa exchange was wrapped, and she looked it over, chewing her lip before putting it in her bag.  She hadn’t been sure whether it was an appropriate gift, but there wasn’t anything else she could think of that wasn’t hopelessly generic.

It was a sunny day, if cold, and she turned her face up to feel what warmth the sun could send as she made her way to the hospital along the main road out of town.  Her phone ringing made her stop, and she dug in her bag, frowning a little as she saw the number of the flower shop flash up.

“Belle?” barked her father, before she had even had time to answer.  “What the bloody hell do you think you’re playing at?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, bewildered.

“Don’t you bloody play coy with me, my girl!” he snapped.  “What do you think I’m talking about? Were you planning on telling me you’d decided to take your clothes off for money?”

Belle groaned.  The calendar.  Great. Well, I guess it was too good to last.

“It’s for charity,” she said shortly.  “And it’s not like I did a bloody Playboy centrefold!  I think it’s very tasteful.”

“Tasteful my arse!  I just had to put up with bloody Miss Ginger holding it up and telling me this is what happens when a daughter has no mother to keep her on the straight and narrow!”

“The day I care about what Miss Ginger thinks of me it’ll be snowing in hell,” said Belle tartly.  “That woman could find fault with a bloody saint!”

“Why didn’t you damn well tell me you were doing this?” he demanded.

“Because I’m an adult, and it’s my body and I’ll do what I damn well please with it!” she returned hotly.  “Why do you even care? There are eleven other people in that calendar and I don’t see you complaining about them!”

“None of them are my daughter!”

“I posed for a nice picture of my butt so the hospital could save towards a CAT scan,” she said, exasperated.  “Somehow I think your reputation will survive. I’ll see you later.  Don’t forget to pick up the food, okay?”

“Don’t you think I have enough to do in this shop?” he snapped.  “I have to cope in this place alone and you want me to run bloody errands for you?  What did your last slave die of?”

“If you want a Christmas dinner tomorrow, you’ll have to pick up the bloody turkey!” she retorted.  “I can’t be in two places at once!  Alternatively we’ll just eat bacon and bloody eggs all day and you can edge closer to that heart attack the doctors keep warning you about!  Your choice!”

She didn’t wait for his response, hanging up with a huff of indignation and striding off towards the hospital entrance.   Bloody man!

x

Gold was able to collect Belle’s Secret Santa gift on the morning of Christmas Eve, and had had to make a detour back home to wrap it before heading to the hospital for his shift that afternoon.  He had bought a little something extra to go with it, which he thought was fitting, and he placed everything in a narrow box and wrapped it up with shining green paper, tied with gold ribbon and a single tag with Merry Christmas Belle x written on it.  He had decided, after much deliberation, that he would ask her out before the gifts were exchanged; he didn’t want her to feel obliged to say yes, after all.  There was no one in the break room when he entered, and he set the box with the other gifts already under the small tree, slipping out and heading for the ward to start his rounds.

He was mentally running over what he wanted to say to Belle in his head, the words repeating in a loop of what sounded to him like something forced and awkward.  Belle, we’ve been friends for awhile now, and I’d like to take the next step, if you’re willing.  I wondered if you might consider having dinner with me on Friday evening.  He said it over and over in his head, in the hope that it would sound natural when he managed to verbalise it.

He was so busy repeating it to himself like a mantra that he barely noticed the object of his desire approaching, and almost bumped into her.  Belle was carrying a jug of water in one hand, and it sloshed alarmingly. She put her hand on his forearm with a giggle, blue eyes sparkling.

“Whoa there!” she said.  “Are you okay? You looked as though you were miles away.”

Gold smiled at her a little tremulously, feeling as though his tongue had cleaved to the roof of his mouth.  His script, so easy to repeat in his mind mere seconds ago, appeared to have evaporated into the ether, and he could only stare at her.

“Belle,” he said.  “Uh - hi.”  Great.  Great start.  I suppose at least you got her bloody name right, you loser.

“Hi!” she said brightly.  “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m - I’m very well,” he said, wanting to punch himself in the face with something.  “You?”

“Good!” she said.  “I saw the calendar, by the way.  I thought the pictures turned out great, what about you?”

“I - yes.”  He tried to ignore the image of Belle that had just pushed its way into his head.  “Yes, I thought you looked - okay.”  Okay?  Okay, you moron? She’s a fucking goddess, what is wrong with you?  Okay, my sainted backside…

Belle looked as though he’d spat in her face, blinking rapidly.

“Right,“ she said thinly.  "Uh - thanks.  I guess.”

“I’m - I’m sorry,” he said, wishing he had just sent her a bloody letter or something.  "I’m sorry, that came out wrong.“

"It’s okay,” she assured him.  "Really.“

There was a moment of awkward silence, and Gold wanted the ground to open up and swallow him.  She glanced down at the jug of water in her hands.

"Right,” she said again.  “Well, I was about to—”

“Of course,” he said quickly.  “I won’t be a moment, it’s just - there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“What is it?”

He tried to grasp at the words he had carefully constructed in his mind, the right words with which to ask her out, but his brain had run off on gleeful tangents, eagerly pushing inappropriate suggestions at him.  She was gazing up at him with those wide blue eyes, and he was tempted to take the jug of water from her hands and empty it over his head.

“Right,” he said.  “Uh - Belle, you - you know we’ve been friends for awhile now…”

He trailed off, hesitating, and she tilted her head to the side a little, her brow furrowing with mild curiosity.

“And,” he managed.  “And I wanted - I mean I wondered - uh - no, I mean I’d like—”

“Belle!”

Astrid’s sharp voice cut him off, and he stood there opening and closing his mouth, momentarily mute.  Belle turned to face Astrid, who had almost sprinted down the corridor towards them.

“Oh, thank goodness!” she gasped breathlessly, skidding to a halt.  “It’s your dad! They found him collapsed in the shop!  Suspected heart attack!  They’re bringing him in now!”

Belle had clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and fear.

“Heart attack?” asked Gold, a medical emergency returning the gift of speech to his parched throat.  “I’ll come with you.”

“Dr Whale’s there,” said Astrid, shaking her head at him as she handed him the jug of water.  “I just came to get Belle.”

She put an arm around Belle, who shot him a brief, frightened look and allowed herself to be led away at a brisk pace.  He stared after them, holding the water jug in his hand and feeling helpless.

Well, said his subconscious, with an air of satisfaction that made him want to scream.  You blew it.