#【 NOW LOOK AT ME | STRIKER ( VISAGE ). 】 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

updownlately · 1 year ago

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it’s gonna take me a minute (but i could get used to this)

| alessia russo x reader | fluff (fluffity fluff fluff) | 2.8k | inspo: used to this by camila cabello | a/n: first req! lets gooo! s/o to @awfcolivia for this one! this was really fun to write and i hope i did it justice! couldn't decide between fluff or fluff overdose so i just went with the latter :)

~~~

You weren’t a morning person. You really weren’t.

The idea of waking up early, to be cold, to be miserable, was frighteningly unappealing to you. Plus, the mere thought of having a to-do list pester you mentally before the rest of the world was awake was downright abusive in your opinion.

It’s why you had been a late riser all your life, why you had dreaded high school and why your one and only year at university solely consisted of afternoon and evening classes.

All in all, you really didn’t enjoy early mornings. Not until now at least.

Now? Now, you chose to wake up early, albeit more by force than by choice.

These days, your mornings dutifully started at 7am, an outrageous time protested not only by the old you, but your official cuddle buddy as well, yet it was something you chose to stick to.

Surprisingly, ever since you had signed your first pro contract in the NWSL, you had taken the initiative to take soccer even more seriously, if that was even possible. Altering your whole daily routine, diet, and especially sleep schedule, you had strived from your first official practice to be a better you, a better player.

Your transformation had been difficult for you, taking months to perfect and leaving a hole in your wallet from when you paid your teammates to help keep you in check, but it had been well worth it. The eventual betterment of yourself had not only helped you improve on the pitch, but it had led you to a starting spot in a top WSL team across the pond, playing high class football. An even better result of your efforts though, you thought, was the bed you got to share on the nightly with your own human teddy bear.

Said human teddy bear who was still tangled in the sheets beside you, sleep shirt half ridden up, face scrunched up adorably.

As you slowly gained consciousness, the cold waking you, you let your eyes wander over to your lover. The taller girl was sleeping soundly next to you, her golden locks disheveled, lower back on display as she faced away from you.

Your eyes traced the curves of her barely visible visage, following the slope of her jawline, appreciative of how it met so perfectly with the slope of her nape. You took note of how the crook of her neck looked so inviting, the one spot you knew drove her crazy tempting you, nearly begging to be kissed.

However, your admiration was soon cruelly interrupted, a gust of a chilly English breeze that you still hadn’t grown accustomed to making you shiver and hug the comforter a tad bit tighter whilst a few profanities silently slipped past your lips.

Accompanied by a grimace, you mentally cursed the weather, then yourself for not closing the window properly the night before as another blast of ice cold air came in, resulting in you further snuggling under the covers in search of warmth.

Taking a few measured deep breaths in, you reached for your phone, willing yourself to check the time. You knew for a fact your alarm for six forty-five hadn’t gone off, yet you prayed that maybe, just maybe, you had magically missed it, and it was in fact later in the morning.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for you, your memory served you correctly, the bright digits on your screen read a mere quarter past six, much earlier than you needed to be up.

Quietly groaning, you gently slammed your phone on the nightstand and contemplated between sleeping for the last whatever minutes you had left or getting your day started. In the end though, neither option won, your attention quickly getting stolen by the striker beside you who had just sleepily shuffled over onto her right side, inching closer to you and extending an arm out in search of your body, almost as if she could sense your displeasure.

You shook your head in amusement, your mood indubitably improving, leaving you smiling softly to yourself at the limb that was mindlessly shot out in your direction.

Reaching out, you intertwined your hand with your girlfriend’s, fingers caressing the ridges between her knuckles. Craning your neck down, you placed a gentle kiss on each of the joints convincing yourself that maybe this early morning wouldn’t be so bad after all if it got you your fill of your Lessi cuddles.

Making your decision then and there, you dropped your interlaced hands down to your chest once more before delicately tugging Alessia’s arm in a wordless invite, knowing she was just barely awake enough to understand.

Shifting your body in order to comfortably catch the oncoming ‘Lessi-bear flop’ as you infamously called it, you screwed one eye shut, anticipating the force that you knew was undisputedly headed your way.

Within seconds of you opening your arms to the slightly conscious striker you could feel the whole mattress shift as a tired Alessia comprehended your tug and body movement, putting two and two together to comply with your silent request, much to her enjoyment.

Even in her fatigue, she managed to lazily pick up her body, balancing in almost a plank position for a split second before pushing off her hands and pivoting at her knees, letting herself fall onto you with a loud thump.

And even though you had braced yourself for the impact, it still managed to knock the wind out of you, leaving you slightly wheezing, adjusting to the weight of the 5’9” striker now near-completely resting on your body.

“Good morning to you too love,” you chuckled softly, your breath evening out slowly.

In lieu of her raspy morning voice however, you instead were met with a gentle grunt, the blonde clearly not awake enough to be holding conversation, not that she wanted to be.

In fact, if Alessia had it her way, you both would be staying in bed till at least nine, if not ten, especially on days like this where you had no training or events to get to. She knew that you weren’t a late riser anymore and she wouldn’t tell you this, but if she had it her way, if she could, she’d hold you hostage each morning, wrapping you in her arms, forcing you to stay if it meant she’d get to spend a little more time with you.

It was the way you’d softly wake her up on the rare mornings where hers and your alarm would align, tiresome trainings causing you to skip the early morning run. The tender kisses you’d press to her face, quiet cuddles being shared, seeking out warmth before the coolness around you would cause shivers down both your spines. The way you’d whisper her name, calling out to wake her up. How her name never sounded sweeter than when you’d say it after you’d kiss her a final time, a promise of more unsaid but communicated thoroughly as you’d pull her out of the shared bed, leading her to the bathroom.

Regardless of how much she yearned for those calm mornings on the daily, she let you be, for your sake if anything.

She knew that your career was important to you, as much, if not more than hers was to her, so she understood. Thus, each morning that you opted rather to go on a run and leave her alone, cold, with nobody to cuddle with, something she would tease you about whenever given the opportunity, she never minded. She would be more than happy to let you spend the next few years waking early so that the pair of you could spend the rest of your lives waking up late, a promise of forever in each morning that she woke up to an empty bed.

It’s why when you let Alessia cuddle you as she was now, her whole body on top of your smaller frame, her head tucked in the crook of your neck, legs intertwined, an arm wrapped around your midriff, she drowsily basked in the moment, knowing it was few and far between.

“Sleep. Stay…sleep,” she mumbled, tightening her hold on you, slowly succumbing to the sleep that plagued her, hoping she could enjoy this moment for as long as possible.

You hummed in response, choosing not to outwardly say anything, running your finger over her tattoo, aware that you’d have to leave your koala of a girlfriend in a little bit to go start your day.

Deciding to indulge for a short while however, you chose to instead stop your mindless tracing and reach your hands up, one coming to graze the blonde’s back, the other running through her messy locks, gently working their way through the tangles and scratching her scalp, a tried and true method you know would calm your girl.

Faithful to the past, you could hear the blonde sigh at your ministrations, sinking imperceptibly further into your hold, her grip just slightly loosening up as sleep overtook her once again.

You didn’t doubt that when it came time for you to get up that it would be a battle, if not war, especially now that the forward had you in her favourite cuddling position. And you weren’t wrong.

As the clock struck closer to seven, you mentally prepared yourself to extract yourself from the endearing girl wrapped in your arms.

Taking one look down at where she lay, not having moved an inch from where she fell asleep a short while ago, you couldn’t help but place a gentle kiss on the top of her head, letting your lips linger, not wanting the serene moment to end even though it had to.

However, when you shifted slightly while trying to angle your torso in order to somewhat slide the Englishwoman off of you, you realised your misjudgement. You should’ve known better. It wasn’t going to be that easy. Not with the stubborn blonde that you called yours.

“No…stay,” a whine rumbling against your neck, the arm holding your waist quickly tightening.

“Less, my angel, I need to get up,” you whispered, heart melting at her display of adorableness.

“No you don’t. It's a day off. Day offs are for rest.”

“Lessi, baby I-“

“No. Stay. Please.”

You willed yourself to not look down at Alessia's pleading, already feeling a pout on her lips from where she was nestled against you.

Eyes cast upward, the ceiling currently your best friend, you tried to reason again.

“My beautiful snuggle monster. Less, my love, my angel, the love of my life, my pretty girl, I need to go on my run. Please let me go? I promise I'll make it up to you later.”

You knew that if you stayed in bed any minute longer, you wouldn’t be making it out until much much later, something, it appeared, that your girlfriend was also aware of.

“Five more minutes…”

“Love, we both know it’s not going to be just five…”

“Then stay. One day of rest won’t kill you…” This time, Alessia lifted her head from where it was resting, calloused fingers lovingly grasping your cheek, pulling your gaze down, drawing your attention to her. Letting her aquamarine eyes meet yours, she tried one more time.

“Please? I want you here. I want you to stay,” The whisper of words, accompanied by the return of her pout, this time in full force, to her sleep-dazed face hit you hard. The Englishwoman looked absolutely precious if you had to say yourself, truly testing your willpower, and you knew for a fact that it would be something that she'd win against.

“You’re a bad influence aren’t you Ms. Russo,” you sighed, a smile fighting its way onto your face as you give up, knowing you weren’t going to emerge victorious from this one, especially not when you couldn’t even move. Alessia had held you captive in more ways than one, unaware of the grasp that she had on your heart.

Doing a little shimmy to celebrate her success, something that resembled more of a struggling worm due to her laying down on top of you, the blue-eyed girl let a drowsy smile appear on her face at your statement, paving the way for you to mirror her with a matching grin adorning your own.

“Y’know you’re lucky you’re so cute? Can’t do anything when I got you in my arms I swear,” you jest, faux exasperation lining your tone.

Lowering herself once more, Alessia positioned herself on top of you, settling into the space between your legs, her torso completely engulfing yours, blonde head comfortably tucked under your neck.

As you let your arms circle her waist, wrapping around her once more, pulling her impossibly closer to you, Alessia continued to smile in triumph.

“They say bad girls are attractive don’t they?”

You let out a quiet chuckle, shaking your head fondly. “Well you have the attractive part down already, I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” you tease, cheeks beginning to hurt from how much you were smiling.

“Alright flirt…calm down now,” the words being accompanied by a gentle smack to your bicep, followed by a yawn. Dear god the duality of this woman was going to kill you.

“Hey...you started it. Anyways, I think you at least owe me a kiss now,” it was your turn to pout, the ghost of a smirk playing on your lips. “If I kiss you, you have to stay in bed till I'm ready to get up.”

“That's quite an offer. let me think about this…” you smiled, the both of you aware you were just messing with her.

The striker moved onto her arms, trapping you between the mattress and herself, lips inches apart from yours, her forelimbs acting as a cage. Leaning in, you could feel her breath fan across your lips. “How about a few kisses?”

“Hmm. I don't know…”

“Baby…” She dragged out the word, causing you to nearly break your facade.

“You drive a hard bargain but you got yourself a deal pretty girl.”

This time when Alessia pressed close, you gladly accepted her warmth, reaching up and pulling her in to yourself, soft kisses being traded between the pair of you. You let the faint scent of her perfume envelop you in a tender bubble, her body providing you comfort, the familiar arms and lips nudging you to rest, to relax.

When Alessia eventually gingerly pulled away, air becoming a necessity, you made sure to take a note of her eyes, the calming orbs laced adorably with sheer drowsiness.

Wanting to make sure that regardless of your early morning shenanigans, that your love still got her rest, you quickly laid a loving kiss to her forehead and ushered the forward to get comfortable once again, your hands working to cover your entangled limbs with the comforter once more.

You began to run your fingers through her hair once again, the other hand finding purchase splayed across her back, faintly rubbing the expanse of skin underneath her sleep shirt.

Feeling her heartbeat slowly even out, you whispered out a quick admission of your love, hoping that even in her drowsy state she would be able to feel the never-ending love you held for her.

“I love you so so so much Less. Don't you ever forget it."

The way Alessia hugged your t-shirt just a little tighter, hands coming to fist the sides, pulling you closer, you knew she understood.

And when you’d wake up again a few hours later, inevitably before Alessia, you’d let yourself smile, amazed at how what once was you fighting demons to wake yourself up early turned into you begging the universe to dedicate you a few more hours of morning light, a few more hours of soft times, of murmured confessions of love and sweet kisses with the indisputable love of your life.

Finally allowing yourself to relax for the time being however, you loosened your muscles and let your thoughts run free, mind imagining the future of your dreams with the angel in your arms.

You could vividly picture a series of perfect mornings, a handful of years down the line where the pair of you would stay wrapped up in each other’s arms, in each other’s love long after the sun has risen. Gentle mornings where cuddles would be a must, after which the pair of you would start your days slowly, never too far apart, never too rushed, nowhere to be but bathing in the glowing warmth of your love.

You knew it would happen all in due time. You knew that it was your stubbornness of the sport that withheld those flawless mornings from you. But you also knew that it would be worth it in the end. That those perfect mornings would eventually come, that the love between you two would extend far beyond your love for football ever would.

One day at a time, a couple hundred more mornings to go, then your love would be all yours, and you hers. You’d just have to patiently wait to achieve it.

It would take you a minute but you’d eventually get used to it.

#alessia russo x reader #alessia russo imagine #alessia russo #woso fanfics #woso x reader #woso imagine #fluff #x reader #reader insert #my writing #fic #igtmam #fic req

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xpyre · 6 years ago

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@xpuriity / roo!

| ♪ Clear midnight skies and loud cheers as their family counted down to what would signify the end of the year but as every year, the hummingbird had been looking for something else entirely, attention completely immersed in but one boy that everything else faded entirely — no voice escaping plump glossy lips while a petite figure remained attached, inseparable from the source of warmth resembling the sun to her, literally and metaphorically even on the cold winter night — her firefly.

Indigo would remain transfixed on enticing silver orbs, all too mesmerized by a vision deemed brighter than that of exploding fireworks and all the fear they summoned within her — refusing to permit the background noise to steal this moment from them and just as the descend of numbers would come to a halt, she would deafen her fears and explosions alike with but one simple gesture: claiming the lips of her beloved birthday boy, passionately.

All around wishes for the new year were exchanged but his little lady would provide him a wish of her own. ❝I wish I could start and end every year like this with you.. Happy Birthday, Ace..❞

With said confession spoken, his little bird would disappear into the crowds, leaving her special boy to celebrate with the rest of their family for the time being while she had much left to set up — it had become somewhat of a tradition for them to spend his birthday in a place of sanctuary, a secret the lovebirds shared alone, however being pirates meant that option would not always be viable hence her determination to mimic the magic he shared with her in that place as best as she could.

Finally returning to his side, a childlike tug would linger upon his hand, silently demanding his attention away from his brothers. ❝Come with me?❞ she would ask; selfish never had the hummingbird been, except when it came to her special boy, as she now whisked him away from to keep for herself the remainder of the night. Teasing remarks in the background completely ignored as she had been focused on none other than her freckled ray of sunshine.

Rather than any special location, she would merely lead him to the confinement of their own chambers — their home, where he is welcomed with vibrant rotating lights of color changing lamps emitting aurora resembling reflections upon the four walls and ceiling — not identical to the real piece of heaven yet still serving to provide a romantic enchanting glow to the pillow fort picnic setting she had waiting for him.

Next to the picnic, sat a box with holes on the lid — seemingly rattling and shaking to break open as though the gift itself had been alive — quick strides she would take to rush to it❝I’m sorry — I thought it would be okay to keep him in.. if it’s just for a little bit... ❞ she speaks hurriedly as the item she referred to as ‘he’’ is handed shyly to Ace, urging him to open it.

She knew her beloved cared naught for materialistic items, yet carried immense love for animals only paralleled by his natural kindness, hence why as soon as the lid is lifted, a feline like creature would charge out — or had it been a bird? A blend of sunset peach and orange hues that is shimmering fur coated its cat like ears and tail while the softest feathers extending from its back to shape angel wings and its beak resembled a bird. A creature so unlike any other yet so minuscule in its size would take flight in their room, causing the lights to reflect even brighter before finally taking its seat upon his new friend’s hand, attracted to his exuding warmth and pouting comically to him as though snitching that his girl had him in a box.

❝Look — he’s both a bird and a cat…❞ she says enthusiastically, hoping that clarified her choice — it had been part her, and part him. ❝He’s the last of his kind… I found him while trying to track one of his feathers… thought since he’s so small he could keep you company when you go off alone on the striker.. — I haven’t named him, thought you would like to?❞ the suggestion is made before a mischievous smile coats her lips and she gets up, spins in her little dress and skips over to their dresser to pick up yet another wrapped gift, this one doesn’t rattle when handed to him.

A compass — not the log pose but a traditional kind used in olden days is wrapped with a small white ribbon.

❝They say it’s supposed to lead you to your heart’s innermost and deepest desires — It has to be true because ever since I’ve picked it up

— it’s only ever pointed me to you❞

Stolen —– From the boisterous bunch in their surroundings and the chanting of numbers counting down till the very stroke of midnight —– The upcoming new year summoned only excitement across the deck of pirates, while to this specific pirate tonight, there was only but one scenery, one event, one girl in his atmosphere, and she, more than the stars above, illuminated beautifully beneath this generous ray of moonlight.

As though a magnet, vivid indigo effortlessly colors both his vision and any track of thought he had prior in his head; silver simply now just utterly unable to rip from the captivating pair of eyes he knew were also in a similar predicament —– A love so overwhelming was felt in the pit of his stomach, knowing all too very well of the mutuality that was her immense love for him in return. One he deemed nothing short of a miracle for one as undeserving as himself —– Or so was his mindset before this very love filled the empty spaces inside his heart and whispered to him he was her only one.

Unlike the previous years where his little lady did well to catch him entirely off guard, Ace would anticipate her sneaky plans right before her abrupt leaning in —– Candy pink lips so soft to the touch now generously granting him just a taste had prompted the immediate reaction of fishing for both a delicate pair of arms, pulling her petite figure against his own for an embrace so tight. And triumphantly, he smiles against her kiss so passionate, savoring all that she was.

Prompted by her spoken wish deemed ever so sweet to his ears, her beloved firefly would respond without a voice yet in a manner obviously very positive as he allows his hands to speak for themselves and trail her curves before cupping of both rosy cheeks and planting yet another loving kiss to his favorite pair of lips —– Only once parted does he flash her a grin rather smug.

❛❛ —– We’ve got the rest of our lives for that, don’t we? ❜❜

An unexpected promise hinting he was in this for the long haul would fall sweetly from his mouth like honey. It wasn’t an option he ever thought possible before this relationship as merely just contemplating the very topic of forever when he was a man despised by the world was but a dream deemed impossible. Never did he ever imagine burdening another with his load by allowing them into his life in such an intimate manner —– This being yet another example of just how much she truly changed him.

Escaping his hold, his hummingbird slips past the crowd, leaving him rather lonesome, wondering of her absence while left to stare towards the skies of exploding lights in the company of his many brothers and very few sisters. Some of which that would find the opportunity to present to him with congratulatory words and a familial hug. Perhaps even a drink or two.

Her return in the form of a gentle tug of his hand was one to catch him by surprise, soon to elicit delight to his expression—– her request even more so as he allowed her to lead the way and whisk the two away from the crowd, leaving their loud, cheeky voices of support for the couple to become but a distant murmur now.

Upon entering their room, silver is taken aback by the luminous colors now projected across their four walls like decoration. He takes time to admire the aurora indoors; the sight being a reminder itself of the familiar scenery that was their secret place of sanctuary. The cozy setting around them as well, almost as though to recreate the memory that was previously outdoors and several islands away from where they currently sailed.

❛❛ ..Rosa, this is—– ❜❜ Interrupted, his attention is immediately seized by what seemed to rattle energetically, or say, desperately inside a box he now watched her reach for —– Immense curiosity colors a gaze of silver as he is handed the source of the sound, promptly quick to open the gift of which seemed to now fly out at him like a speeding vehicle —– although minuscule, the speed alone was shocking enough to make any human to pull away and reject the unknown as reflex, however Ace did not. Nothing of the fearful emotion could be seen, only his mouth was agape in wonder by the tiny creature he could not yet determine the type of.

An explanation for the coat of orange and peachy hues mixing feline and bird traits into one, and whatever initial curiosity and surprise would disperse into that of utter amazement upon a visage of stars —– The last of his kind, she would inform him and his expression would transition into one quite thoughtful as he whispers to himself in a volume barely audible. ❛❛ ..We’re the same then.. ❜❜ The similarity being that he too, was the last of his bloodline.

She would suggest their new friend accompany him on his striker and there’s a faint smile upon his features before brushing off his previous thought entirely, now proceeding to play with the unnamed friend with but a lone finger, hoping to smudge off it’s adorable pout for being forced inside a box —– A name she would now allow him the honor of granting, and Ace was left to seriously contemplate one suiting of the flying furball in the palm of his hand. That was, until she was up and moving once more, prompting both his train of thought and a pair of silver to follow after her petite figure like a magnet he couldn’t quite control.

Yet another gift —– surely by now she should have realized that just her presence alone was more than enough for her firefly on this special day. Though that may be true, still he felt of anticipation crawl at his expression, immediate in unboxing what was handed to him. And to his astonishment, when revealed to be an olden day compass, initially, there is a pause and look of wonder towards Rosa, silver utterly awed by the sickly-sweet honey to now pass her lips.

While no words in his vocabulary were even closely capable of conveying his gratitude, his free arm reaches across her back, pulling her into his embrace before allowing silence to fill the air —– one of which that felt only natural for the two as he savored the moment simply with her in his hold —– look closely, and a soft smile adorns a visage of constellations.

❛❛ ..Looks like I finally figured out a name for this little guy—– ❜❜ he finally releases his hold and protrudes the silence with a name she so kindly permitted him the honor of. ❛❛ Arrow. ❜❜ Like the compass of which she spoke of pointing to him always. He beams while pointing to the tiny creature who seemed rather pleased by the given name. ❛❛ You like that name, huh, little guy?? ❜❜ He laughs, now smiling so loving towards his little lady.

❛❛ —– Thank you, Rosa! You’re always going the extra mile for me.. I’ll keep this with me, always! ❜❜ The compass he meant just before a leaning down was on cue, claiming glossy lips with all he had, heart included. ❛❛ Ah, and Arrow too! ❜❜ An adorable laugh.

#xpuriity #╳ living fire ; in character #╳ rising above the flame ; main #╳ a song like summer ; rosa #╳ stay with me awhile ; acero #╳ that time again ; birthday #submission #( I WAS LIKE )#( !!!!!!!!!!!!!! )#( SQUEALING AT THE PET )#( I LOVE THIS SO SO MUCH )#( THANK YOU FOR KNOWING MY BABY SO DAMN WELL )#( AND SPOILING HIM EVERY DAY AND EVERY YEAR )#( HE'S SO SO HAPPY ADASFDSASDA )#( IM SO SHIT AT WRITING IM SO SORRY IT TAKES ME FOREVER OTL )#( ALSO also my ace muse isn't the best these days gomen if it's off or anything shfsads )#( also also also its 5am so excuse any mistakes;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; )

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forcedapotheosis-blog · 7 years ago

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Gloomy Days Chapter IV

Sooo .. yeah, I finally finished the next chapter, don’t know if anyone’s still reading it, but yeah, here it is. In my personal opinion, it’s lackluster, but I needed to get it out of my system anyways so that I might be able to write on the next chapters and a conclusion of the story before the year’s over. If you’re looking for an explanation why I consider it ‘bad’, it’s probably because I’m not emotionally invested in the characters this time. At least, not AS invested as in other characters. Have fun and have a fantastic day.

Chapter 4 – The Free Spirit and the Idealist

We've had enough

This is the end

Try to break us, we won't bend

No matter what

Your way of life will never save me, no

You always try and drag me down

I WON'T LET GO

And I'm coming back for more

Save yourself

Cause I'm gonna take it all

All the way

Striker – All the way

"That's some awesome mane, bro!", the moment the man turned around to see who was taking to him, he had to smile. As was the usual, the guests at this wedding were dressed up for the occasion. After all, the heir to a wealthy and venerable family got married to a beautiful wife. Almost nobody gave a second thought to her questionable past, anyway. In fact, many people belonging to the island's high society solely arrived to strengthen their bonds with said family. This one, not so much. Not that it was a surprise, as this man's past would have given the average person cause for enough concern to fill a lifetime.

"I'm taking a wild guess here, but I'd bet my life on you belonging to the bride's family.", the stranger replied with a smirk. Some things were just too obvious. And the huge .. man replied in kind, crossing his massive arms in front of his chest. Actually, he struck a comically serious pose that just begged for a reaction. He didn't have to wait for long, as several children immediately cried out in collective awe.

To be perfectly honest, they rightfully did so. The man's proportions weren't entirely human and at first glance, one might have asked how his rather slender legs were able to support an upper body that was so wide and muscular, it could've put a smaller giant to shame. The next moment, the person asking said question might have recognised that these lank legs were supported by what might have been steel. The questions wouldn't have ended there. One could only see that his legs were supported by some machinery made of steel because he didn't wear any pants but a red bathing slip, appropriately coloured to match his Hawaiian shirt of a ground of red, adorned with green palm trees.

Maybe there was a reason to all of this, maybe he just wore it loose and open to put his impressive, muscular chest in the spotlight, or the two fine but incredibly long scars that ran from within his bathing slip up to his neck.

He let a few seconds pass until he lowered his arms – they, too, seemed to be made of steel, not only supported by it – and nodded solemnly.

"You'd have won this bet, bro. Wouldn't be cool to stay absent when my little sis is getting married, right?", well, one could say whatever about this huge man, but at least he had enough manners not to wear his black sunglasses within these halls. The stranger nodded, still smirking. "That's absolutely right. It's her big day, isn't it? I hope that she's taking the pressure well enough.", these words made the huge man break out in a booming laughter that might have raised the dead. At least, some angry people turned their heads towards the two and quickly came to their senses when they saw the sheer size of his upper body.

"You don't know my little sis, man! She's as tough as nails, I promise you! Gotta be sharp to match the storms on the Grand Line, bro. Girl's been without equal, I tell you, she was able to outsmart friend and foe alike and was riding our ship on top of the storms like she never did anything else in her whole life.", a rather dramatic pause followed and when he spoke again, he exchanged his booming voice for a whisper. "It's a shame that she's giving up this life to settle down, if you ask me.", realising what he just said and that he said it to a stranger who might as well be a relative of the groom, an awkward silence followed.

"Ehm .. no offence to the broom, bro.", the huge man tried to defuse the situation a little. To no need, as it turned out, as another player hit the stage.

"FRANKY!", the high voice was fitting for another contender for the title of oddest guest to this wedding. In fact, one could say that these two guys, some might consider them freaks at such an elevated event, were hitting both diametrically opposed ends of the weirdness scale. Surprisingly enough, that didn't stop ties that might have been long forgotten, but never severed, from coming back in full force when their eyes met.

��Oh .. I can’t believe it! It’s really you, Chopper!”, both ‘men’, if one could call them that, were moving towards each other and an unknowing bystander might have feared that if that huge man tried to hug the .. reindeer that walked on two legs, he might have crushed him. That fear would’ve been proven insubstantial, though. For reasons that are not easy to explain.

When the two reached each other, the reindeer .. changed, for lack of a better word. Wearing fur, it didn’t have the need for clothing besides short trousers and a huge hat. This was probably to ease the difficulties of said change. The reindeer that went by the name of ‘Chopper’ was relatively small, so small indeed that its antlers might barely be able to reach the thighs of a human of normal height. Within a second though, possibilities were thrown out of the window and a magnificent transformation took place.

Within the blink of an eye, the small and rather cute reindeer was no more, it had been replaced by a hulking bruiser of a .. very hairy man. Its body was completely changed, the reindeer’s small forelegs had grown into strong arms that were able to put trained legs to shame, the entire upper body resembled that of a – hairy – body builder and even its face had changed. Surprisingly enough, it was more humanoid after the transformation, a grim, hairy visage that might have given the impression of it being the precursor to what people thought of mythical monsters like the Big Foot, full of inhuman strength. That strength, though, was necessary as the following scene emphasised.

Both ‘men’ threw their arms around each other and embraced the other in what doubtlessly was an emotionally charged hug. The muscles on the man-reindeer’s arms were clearly showing as they seemed to have a little brotherly contest regarding strength. This contest was short-lived, as they realised that their forces evenly matched and both men finally let go, staring at each other in a mixture of disbelief and happiness.

“Hrmpf. Friends of the bride, I guess? Somebody should have taken the time to teach these .. people proper manners! No surprise, huh, Father? Given that we barely know anything about her past.”, the voice was raised from slightly behind the man and he turned around, a knowing smile on his lips. The complainer was a well-dressed man of advanced age, wearing a tailored, black suit and receding, greyish-white hair. A pair of gold-rimmed spectacles was sitting on his nose and the face he made was full of disdain. Talking to this man might have been an interesting pastime, but the clock was ticking.

“Actually, they’re her family. That, and I fear that I might not have the capacities to talk to you right now, pray excuse.”, then, something very strange seemed to happen. They were both looking at each other and without any sign of alteration, all colour left the older man’s face and his eyes widened. Whatever he had seen in the stranger’s timeless face, it did make a lasting impact on him. To no surprise, he was the one to break away.

“’cuse me, Father. Think the wine’s getting to my head. Beg my leave.”, the man bumbled and left his presence within seconds, quickly enough to not have been noticed by the cyborg and the reindeer. By now, both of them were on their way back to the man, Franky having slung an arm over the equally muscular shoulders of the man-reindeer.

“Oi Bro, let me introduce the greatest physician on the Grand Line and all the Blues to you, Doctor Chopper!”, the compliment resonated visibly with the doctor, even though in a hilarious and unconventional manner. He danced rather childishly and his muscular arms wavered as if they had neither bones nor muscle inside, all the while he spoke with a shy, high voice.

“I don’t need your stinking compliments, you idiot!”, but the cyborg didn’t stop there.

“I’m not lying to you, bro. You’ve got your limbs cut off? He’ll sew and glue them back on, you’ve caught some random disease on a remote island? This guy will nurse you back to health and won’t catch a second of sleep until you’re alive and kicking again, I literally haven’t seen anything he wasn’t able to cure!”, even though the stream of compliments continued, the reindeer-man’s dance ceased and sobriety replaced happiness.

“I wish you were right, Franky. No matter how hard we try and tried, no matter how many lives one can save, there will always be the one you fail to do anything. The one that’ll haunt you for the rest of your life.”, as it happens so often within these lines, the general mood of the reunion turned into a gloomy one, at least for the reindeer. His friend, though, was showing an incensed look on his face.

“Goddamn, Chopper! You’re a physician, you cure people’s ailments and heal their bodies, a damn broken heart isn’t something that you can nurse back to health with some tonics and medicine!”, Franky finally let go of his old friend and they were giving each other a sombre stare-down. Whatever it was, it seemed to be bringing back memories that should have better remained buried. Or not.

“You’re right, it was not my task alone to mend his heart. As you said, I’m just a physician, but we were family! Their family! I .. I just have the feeling that none of us tried hard enough to comfort these two in their hour of need. Franky, .. we just .. we just could have done more. So. Much. More.”, the man-reindeer had great difficulties holding his tears back, so much was obvious. A rather peculiar sight in the face of something that might have been the reason that humans believed in monsters that hid in the woods. It was just as surprising that the cyborg had his own tears to fight.

“Just remember the times, bro. The situation was terrible overall and we couldn’t have done more, and it was his decision to leave with all the ghosts he gathered to weight him down over the years. Maybe it was right, maybe we were not destined or considered worthy to follow these big dreams of ours. I don’t know, I don’t even want to know! All of us are free now, are we not?! Still, nothing has become of it! Just look at the two of us, we thought that our sheer combined will was enough to reach our goals. What now? We left Sunny on her own, as the only one never to disappoint us. She might as well be sunk right now. So much for my glorious dream.”, this time, there was no stopping the tears. That, and he didn’t even try.

“I know that, Franky! I know that we left her behind. I have not forgotten a single line of everything. And you’re not the only one with shattered wishes! I wanted to be able to battle every illness on the whole world, but look at what has become of me. I’m just sitting around on an island and try to do my best to help the people, but there is just so much that I don’t know, so many ways to cure sickness that I’ll never learn because I don’t travel anymore!”, an awkward silence followed the conversation and both of them were still staring at each other. The perfect time for the stranger to join in.

He cleared his throat to get their attention.

“So .. you two seem to be having a history of travelling together, if I take that right. It also seems that you’re not exactly happy with how things are now, but, if I may, let me ask this one question: What’s holding you back from going back to how things were? Both of you are still young and strong enough to take to the seas again.”, contrary to the overarching mood, the stranger still held a firm smile on his lips, watching the both of them, and they answered at once.

“Because we’re not whole anymore. We can never be whole again.”

“That’s not exactly precise. Would you mind to elaborate?”

It was Chopper who took the initiative.

“It’s kind of a long story, are you sure? Yes? Well .. I mean, it all kinda began with .. with the heroic sacrifice of one of our nakama, he gave his own life to save others, one of them being the bride herself”, whatever he was waiting for, astonishment or maybe a shock, didn’t appear, thus, he continued.

“Brook’s final .. death was what triggered our breaking. Another friend told me that he took his demise right on, stared into the abyss until the abyss shied away. To help, to support his family one last time. He couldn’t have known that it was in vain.”, the reindeer turned his head around for a short scan of the surroundings, an easy task due to his massive size. When he found what he was looking for, a shiver ran down his spine and within the blink of an eye, he transformed again. Back to his old, small form that could have reminded people of a fluffy teddy bear, grabbing for the cyborg’s leg, barely controlled excitement accompanied his voice.

“He’s here, Franky! Have you seen him? Spoken to him? Do you think he’d be willing to .. maybe?!”, but the delight didn’t pass over to the cyborg who had followed his gaze and was now shaking his head in a slow fashion.

“Don’t think so, Chopper. Don’t think so. See, bro, blondie over there ..”, he nodded into Sanji’s general direction before he continued, “.. he’s a .. special case. He was one of the last people to leave our crew, but the first one to .. to break away from it. So, before we continue with our little story, you might want to tell us if you belong to Nami’s side or her groom’s. Can’t remember ever meeting you, but that means nothing, right?”, he was watching the stranger carefully, only to interrupt it from time to time by looking at Chopper and the back of Sanji’s head.

“Oh, I’m no one of consequence, the literal unexpected guest, if you grant me that joke. To whom I belong is a rather complicated question, I admit, but let’s just say that I grant allegiance to those who have lost their way.”, that was neither a precise answer nor had anyone asked for mysticism, but not belonging to the groom’s side did seem to be enough.

“Alright, Mr. Mysterious Stranger, that’s good enough, I assume. Well, after .. Brook’s end, my friends finally made it back to our ship and we were reunited, but blondie was bleeding from more than a dozen deep wounds and .., he nearly lost it during treatment. Really wasn’t a nice sight at all .. especially not for her.”

The last few days had been rough and nobody really talked to one another. Understandably, taking the into account that they had just lost a member of their small crew to some ancient, pelagic abomination. Nobody had been able to help him and trying to retrieve him had been proven vain, as the whole island was swallowed by water as soon as the group had reached their ship.

They wanted to come back in force. To rescue, to save or even to avenge him. All that was taken from the Straw Hats when the island was engulfed by mighty waves and torn back into the deep as mythical Atlantis was. Midnight was upon them when Chopper entered the infirmary to look after his one patient. A dozen wounds from sharp teeth and claws had not rendered him as feeble as the single thought that because he had failed for once, another was lost. Guilt’s weight was lying upon his shoulders and dragged him down, seemingly taking his ability to speak at all.

“Are you feeling better today, Sanji?”, the reindeer asked while putting his stethoscope on, but he never received an answer. As was the usual for the blonde cook since their return. He had his eyes closed and was lying still, bandages covering his limbs, his throat and his chest. Chopper quickly went through the check list and wasn’t surprised to realise that the wounds were already healing, blood pressure was normal again and his fear that he might have caught an infection was put aside. The Monster Trio, so much was a given, was barely human anymore, their wounds used to heal as quickly as those of a forest’s beast.

The doctor already wanted to pack his tools and leave Sanji to rest, when the patient finally opened his lips to speak in a voice that was robbed of all its strength.

“We’re going after him .. right?”, Chopper feared that he might ask this question. The thought appeared to all of them as soon as they arrived back on the Sunny, but the ship’s coating was used up and there were no streams in the nearest vicinity that would be strong enough to drag her down. Franky tried to figure something out, but, as of now, to no avail.

“I hope.”, was the answer Chopper gave, staring at the ground he was standing on. Sanji’s mental condition was out of his area of expertise, though he was sure that telling him outright that the chances of even getting revenge on that monster were so slim, they could be called non-existant. The doctor didn’t want to be the messenger of these grim news, actually he didn’t want anyone to bring them, as he feared that it would break Sanji completely.

“I need a cigarette.”, there, Chopper made his first mistake. If the situation was not as dire as it turned out to be, he would’ve beaten Sanji for the thought of a cigarette alone. This time, he granted him the request, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed. The cook placed the small, white coffin nail between his lips and incinerated it, invigorated either by the smoke or his assumptions. His voice was louder now, leaving his mouth with more force and suppressed rage.

“So, there’s not a chance in Hell we’re able to get him back?!”, the sudden surge of power that found its way into his voice was enough to startle Chopper, nearly making him fall to the ground. He held his balance, for the moment.

“That’s not what I said, Sanji. There is always hope!”, he replied, raising his voice in kind but still remaining in his fluffy form. Things might have escalated quickly otherwise. Nobody could have said how this situation would evolve and nobody needed to, as a sudden knocking on the infirmary’s door brought silence on both of them. Only a moment later, said door was opened and the frame was filled by the massive upper body that belonged to the cyborg. He wasn’t alone, though, as slender legs followed behind, entering the room just after him.

It wasn’t Franky’s voice that was raised in an accusing fashion, targeting nobody in particular but Sanji and Chopper both.

“Why is he smoking?! Who allowed that?”, her voice .. oh, her voice. In literally any other time, it would have elevated Sanji into the highest heavens, soothing wounds, sickness and even an over-abundance of death. Not this time, though. Just hearing her voice was a reminder that he had failed. If everything went according to his plan, to sacrifice himself to the eldritch abominations found deep within the island, Brook would still be living. He should have been the one who to make the ultimate sacrifice. One simple act of honour and love for the goddess and his true family.

Yet, he was still here to listen to her voice, while Brook was not. The fates had decided to sculpt the most wonderful sound in the entire world into a living reminder of his failure. Sometimes, all it needed was a moment to burn down an entire lifetime of faithfully doing your duty. In his own mind, Chopper knew as much, Sanji had always styled himself as the knight that would conquer Hell for his goddess and give his life in the moment of need.

Even though no one but him cared or even noticed that fact, it didn’t matter. He knew of his failure. His image was shattered when they dragged him out of the tunnels. His purpose was denied when he had to listen to Brook’s signature laughter for the last time.

“Franky .. when will we be able to hunt down that beast?”, it surprised all three of them that he didn’t talk to Nami first. A sign for the terrible things that should haunt the crew for the rest of their time together, some of them being affected long after they split up.

“Bro, you’re not in the condition to hunt anything other than a bed. Get rested and we’ll figure something out, don’t worry.”, Franky’s usual optimism was as faux as it could be, and anybody knew. Yet he still tried.

The cook was about to raise his upper body, maybe even wanted to stand up to do whatever, but he was stopped in his tracks by a force so much stronger than all the physical strength he had acquired over the years.

The gentle touch of the woman he loved with all his heart, all that was him.

“Don’t, Sanji-kun. Franky is right, please, rest a little.”, he closed his eyes as opposing powers fought for dominion over his body. On one side, the fierce and fiery love he felt for the goddess by his side, on the other one, though, the knight that had fallen from grace. The knight that had to face his failure every day, until his last breath. The problem was that both his love and the graceless knight drew strength from Nami’s presence, but only one of them was nourished by his survivor’s guilt.

Many would have fallen in the face of chaos. But not this one. Not today.

The blonde’s body calmed under her gentle touch and he let himself sink back into the pillows, all the time struggling for control. Nami herself was exchanging short glances with Chopper and Franky, both of them got the clue.

“Nami .. may I leave you two for a little while? I need to fix some ointments for the wounds, otherwise they’re still going to leave very ugly scars.”

“Yeah, and I’ll try my best to see the ship being coated or otherwise able to dive again. That’s going to take some time, I guess. See ya later, bro.”, Franky said as he held the door open for Chopper before both of them left the room. Outside, though, they went a few steps away from the infirmary and quietly began talking to each other.

“You think cook-bro, will make it, doc?”

“Yes, Sanji is inhumanly strong, these wounds won’t stop him for long. He’ll be ready to fight again very soon.”, Chopper replied, taking the obvious path that made it necessary for Franky to specify his question.

“Not his injuries, man. You know what I’m talking about. Have you seen his eyes? They’re empty, there’s no fire in there anymore. It’s like his will to live has been taken away instead of Brook!”, before the conversation could run rampant, though, Chopper raised his hoof.

“Shh, they’re talking. Nami might be the only person able to bring him back from where he is right now. Maybe we should just put our trust in her and do whatever we can to support it?”, the reindeer’s fine sense of hearing wasn’t stopped by the infirmary’s thick, wooden door. An advantage he had over the mechanically enhanced body of Franky. The cyborg nodded and slowly approached the door for the off-chance of hearing parts of their conversation himself, but to no avail.

“You sure they'll be able to work something out?”, he asked again after returning to chopper, lowering his voice as much as possible. If the cook was able to use his Haki right now, he'd know of their presence anyway, but the sheer thought of eavesdropping on their nakama felt disquieting.

“Can't tell, Franky, I really can't .. but he's talking to her, at least. More than a few words at a time. More than simple accusations. Isn't it strange how he's able to open up to her? It's like she really is someone special to him, like .. like a sister!”, to that, the more experienced and – at least in some ways – more mature Franky burst into laughter and softly padded the reindeer's shoulders.

“Well bro, 'sister' might not be the word you're looking for. You know, doctor, sometimes a man might not be able to open up to his closest kin, but if there's a woman holding dominion over his heart, she'll burn down all the walls and get right through to him. I'm sure that you're going to understand that in due time.”, the thought alone seemed to shock Chopper, that even within all of their true companionship, there was still a different level of relation to reach.

“YOU MEAN HE'S IN LOVE WITH HER?!”

Sometimes, when the night is at her blackest, a single, endless void that seemed like an ocean, one could still find a star. A beacon of light.

Sometimes, that single beacon of light was all that was needed to lift the spirit, to keep it going.

At other times, this beacon of light was nothing but a ghost light.

When Nami rushed out of the infirmary to shout at the eavesdroppers, they thought that things would get back to normal soon enough. They were wrong.

“See, bro, for about two months we thought that things might get back to how they were again, sure, blondie talked a little less than usual, but he got back to cooking and fighting and flattering the women. None of us realised that we began to rot from within, until it was too late. For a few weeks, I even thought that blondie and the bride might have something good going. Probably not going to have to mention that I was wrong, and things went downhill from there.”, Chopper nodded in agreement.

“Guess you could say that our time together simply ran out. Brook's last stand had made an impact on our crew that none of us was aware of .. until we were falling apart. You know, bro, I'm actually happy to see that my sis found someone to spend her life with, because she deserves happiness. It's just that I think that her true purpose is still out there, on the sea. She might be content with being wed, but to the last of her days, I'm sure she'll ask herself what could have been ..”, again, the hilarious sight of seeing tears running down in streams from a cyborg's face.

“He's torturing himself.”, even though Chopper was in his fluffy form, the one that possessed a rather high voice, too, he sounded as sombre as it gets. A fact that surprised both of his conversational partners.

“What? Who?”

“Sanji. You've implied it yourself, didn't you, Franky? That he might be in love with her.”, he was looking up to the cyborg's face, not waiting for an answer.

“I now think that you've been right all the way. That, and we both know Sanji. He isn't one to change, at least not by a lot, not when it's concerning something that is important to him. The ladies, the All Blue, cooking, I'm sure that all of these will never cease to be of utmost importance to him. Still, if you take a look at him now, he's just sitting there all by himself instead of courting any of the young ladies here. This has to mean something! She's the one who carved her name onto his heart, Franky!”

The cyborg wanted to reply something, he might have even wanted to tell the reindeer to stop dreaming. Instead, he looked at the stranger, of all people, for help. He smiled.

“I don't have all the answers, my friends, but .. after all, you're still pirates, aren't you? Freedom does have a different, one could say a more 'extreme', meaning to you than to other people. Maybe, maybe, maybe .. there is so much more to see, so much more to do. What use are dreams if you never chase them? Oh, and I personally think that it's better to go regretting to have said something than to regret not to have said it, these are not the times for things to remain unspoken.

All of you are still young enough to take back the night.

Maybe it is your purpose to inherit these seas.”

#Sannami #SaNami #SaNa #Fanfiction #One Piece #Sanji x Nami #Nami x Sanji #OP fanfiction #OP fanfic #OTP #Franky #Chopper #OC #shipping #Vinsmoke Sanji #Nami #Alternate Timeline

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