#I FINISHED TYPING THE WHOLE THING AND THEN ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED BACK | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

rafedarling · 3 months ago

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𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰

pairing: drew starkey x reader

based on this request: Drew and reader! After watching Outer Banks season 1, out of curiosty because the reader finds him attractive, she goes on his instagram but accidently presses ''Follow'' but panics and unfollows. She wants to play it cool you know, and not be that ''fangirl'' incase she ever bumped into him. Not that she thinks she would ever have a chance, but you know? She is surprised when he follows her a few hours later since she is just a 'normal person' and not a celebrity or influencer. He sends her a message and kind of jokingly being like ''Was I that boring to follow'' or something and a conversation just takes off | word count: 1,2k

warning: english is not my native language.

au: like, reblog, comment & feedback are much appreciated 🥹 | taglist | tagging: @rubixgsworld @rafeyslamb @bisexualcvnt @tracymbcm @maybankslover @mileyraes @akobx @noobmazter69 @xoxohoneymoongirl @xoxosblogsblog @wearemadeofstardust0 @saviorcomplexrry @littlelamy @enjoymyloves @stuffyownswrld

You had just finished watching the first season of Outer Banks, and to say you were hooked would be an understatement. The show had everything—drama, adventure, and a cast that was undeniably attractive. But there was one character who had particularly caught your eye: Rafe Cameron, played by the actor Drew Starkey. You weren’t sure if it was the intensity he brought to the character or just his piercing blue eyes, but either way, you found yourself thinking about him long after the credits rolled.

Out of curiosity, and maybe a little bit of a crush, you decided to check out his Instagram. You were sure it was just harmless fun, a way to see what the actor was like off-screen. After all, it wasn’t like you were ever going to meet him in real life. You were just a normal person, living a normal life, far removed from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

You typed his name into the search bar and quickly found his profile. As you scrolled through his photos, you couldn’t help but notice how different he seemed from his character. He had a warm, genuine smile in most of his pictures, and the captions were often humorous or thoughtful. It was refreshing, and it only made you like him more.

Without really thinking, your thumb hovered over the “Follow” button. Before you could second-guess yourself, you pressed it—almost instinctively. But as soon as you did, panic set in. Oh no, what did I just do? Your mind raced. I wasn’t supposed to actually follow him!

In a frenzy, you quickly unfollowed him, hoping he wouldn’t notice. Your heart was pounding in your chest, and you couldn’t believe you had been so careless. What if he saw? you thought, mortified. You weren’t trying to be that person—just another fangirl who accidentally reveals her crush on a celebrity.

You put your phone down, trying to distract yourself with something else, but your mind kept drifting back to that split-second decision. He has millions of followers, you reassured yourself. There’s no way he would notice one random person following and unfollowing him.

Hours passed, and you had almost managed to forget the whole thing when your phone buzzed with a notification. You glanced at the screen and froze. It was a notification from Instagram: @drewstarkey followed you back.

Your heart skipped a beat. Wait, what? You stared at the screen, blinking in disbelief. Drew Starkey, the Drew Starkey, had followed you? But why? You were just an ordinary person, not a celebrity or influencer. The thought that he might have actually noticed you made your stomach do a little flip.

Before you could fully process what was happening, another notification appeared—a message from him. With shaky fingers, you tapped on it, your heart racing.

Drew Starkey:

Was I that boring to follow? 😅

You stared at the message, completely floored. He noticed. He actually noticed. And not only that, he had messaged you, joking about it. You weren’t sure whether to laugh or cry, but one thing was certain: you needed to reply.

Taking a deep breath, you started typing.

You:

Oh my gosh, no! It was totally an accident. I swear I’m not a weirdo or anything…

You paused, rereading the message. Great, now I sound like a weirdo, you thought, rolling your eyes at yourself. You quickly added:

You:

I was just checking out your profile after watching Outer Banks. But then I got nervous and unfollowed because I didn’t want to seem like a fangirl.

There was a brief moment of silence as you watched the three little dots indicating he was typing. Your heart was in your throat, and you couldn’t believe this was actually happening.

Drew Starkey:

No need to be nervous. I’m just a regular guy who happens to play a crazy one on TV. 😄

You felt your nerves ease a little at his response. He seemed so down-to-earth and genuine, which only made you like him more.

You:

Well, you’re really good at playing the crazy guy. I didn’t think I’d ever root for Rafe, but you made him so compelling!

Drew Starkey:

Thanks! That means a lot. It’s always fun to play characters that are so different from who I am in real life.

You:

I can imagine. It must be challenging, though.

Drew Starkey:

Definitely. But it’s also rewarding when people like you notice the work that goes into it. By the way, what did you think of the show?

The conversation was flowing so naturally, it was almost surreal. Here you were, chatting with Drew Starkey like you were old friends, and he was genuinely interested in what you had to say.

You:

I loved it! It was such a wild ride from start to finish. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And the cast is amazing—I can tell you all have great chemistry.

Drew Starkey:

We really do. It’s like a little family on set. I’m glad that comes across on screen.

There was a brief pause, and then another message came through.

Drew Starkey:

So, since we’re already chatting, mind if I keep following you? 😉

You couldn’t help but smile at the cheeky tone of his message. He was clearly teasing you, but there was something sweet about it, too.

You:

Well, I guess I can allow that. 😏

Drew Starkey:

Good to know I’m not banned from your profile. 😄

You:

Not at all. But now I feel like I have to step up my Instagram game. 😂

Drew Starkey:

No pressure! I’m just here for the good vibes and dog pics, if you have any.

You laughed, feeling completely at ease now. This whole situation had gone from panic-inducing to utterly charming in a matter of minutes.

You:

Well, you’re in luck. I do have a dog, and she’s very photogenic.

Drew Starkey:

Now I’m really glad I followed you. 🐶

The two of you continued chatting for a while, sharing stories about your pets, favorite shows, and the little things in life that made you happy. It was easy, comfortable, and fun—like catching up with a friend you hadn’t seen in a while.

Eventually, you noticed the time and realized how late it had gotten.

You:

I should probably let you go. I didn’t mean to keep you up all night!

Drew Starkey:

No worries, this was fun. I’m glad you accidentally followed me. 😁

You:

Me too. Thanks for being so cool about it.

Drew Starkey:

Anytime. And hey, don’t be a stranger. Feel free to message me anytime.

You:

I will. Goodnight, Drew.

Drew Starkey:

Goodnight, Y/n.

You set your phone down with a huge smile on your face, your heart still fluttering from the unexpected turn of events. What had started as a simple curiosity had led to something much more—an actual conversation with Drew Starkey. And the best part? He’d followed you first.

#drew starkey #drew starkey x y/n #drew starkey x you #drew starkey imagine #drew starkey imagines #drew starkey fluff #drew starkey one shot #drew starkey fanfic #drew starkey x reader #drew starkey smut #drew starkey x female reader #drew starkey x oc #rafe cameron #rafe cameron fanfic #rafe cameron imagine #rafe cameron imagines #rafe cameron x y/n

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wwaheoh · 5 months ago

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"Running Into Them at the Mall", Cunning Hares x gn!Reader, SFW, Fluff

a/n: can you tell i'm even worse at writing happy things?

At the mall, you were perusing through some movie tapes, action, comedy, horror… nothing that you felt was good enough for the Cunning Hares Weekly Movie Night. Usually you’d go to the video store on Sixth Street, Random Play, to find movies, but since you’d heard about them having to make a new account and helping Wise save Belle from the Hollow, you didn’t want to also put pressure on them to get more movies when their main income was basically gone for the time being.

Sifting through the remainder of the ‘New Release’ row, a familiar voice rang out from behind you.

Nicole ///

“Hey! Looking for a movie?” You could hear the smile in her voice. Looking back, Nicole got close, in her usual getup, hair a soft pink, basically pressing against you as she looked at the movie you had been reading the description of. “Ooh~ cheating on Random Play huh?” She spoke with a playful, teasing tone, slyly wrapping her hand around yours to get a better look at the movie you were checking out “No! Just heard about everything and don’t want to impose. I think we've watched everything there ten fold.”

“Mm, and you didn’t want to come with me to the mall?” “You got your nails done, they’d take longer to be finished than it would to check out all the movies in this whole store!” She looks at you with a deadpan expression, “Hey, perfection comes with time (and money).”

After picking out a movie, you rented the tape out for the week, before heading to the food court to grab some food before home. You realize that she had basically gotten you to buy her free lunch for the day before heading back to the base…

Billy ///

“Yo!” An artificial voice of Billy spoke behind you, nearly spooking your soul out of you. For such a loud metal-bodied guy, he was surprisingly quiet. “Whatcha looking for?” He peaked over your shoulder, “Ahh, mm, never thought you’d like this sorta movie? It ain’t Starlight Knights: The Movie but whatever, c’mon! There’s an arcade here, heard they got God•Finger, gotta get my name onto the top of the leaderboard!”

Giggling at his antics you agreed, but you reminded him that you had to pay before leaving. The movie you got wasn’t particularly your kind of movie, more dramatic and less action-y explosion-y type.

He got Number One on the Leaderboard, with you landing at Number Three.

Anby ///

Turns out, Anby was also shopping at the mall, having accidentally taken the shopping list you made- that you’d forgotten at the base.

“Hello.” The usual monotone voice had a happy tone to it, something hard to hear had you not been as close to her as you were. Turning from the movie you’d been reading the description of, you waved with a smile. “Hey Anby! Wanted to try a different spot to find a movie.” She nodded, crouching next to you to read the text on the movie cover you were holding. “This doesn’t seem to be the type of movie you’re usually interested in.”

“Yeah, been just browsing for now… wait. Why are you here? Don’t you pick next week?” “Huh? The shopping list I picked up said I was to find a movie for this week.”

You looked at the bag she held in her hand. You looked at the bag you had resting by your side. You looked at her cute face, soft white hair framing it like a picture.

“That was my shopping list.” You broke the news to her.

“Oh.”

“That was $40.”

“Nicole’s going to blow a lid.”

“Yeah…”

The two of you went through the extensive inventory of movies available in the shop, choosing one the two of you believed Nicole would like. Maybe this would save you two from Nicole’s wrath.

Nekomiya ///

a/n: i didn't forget her this time!

“Ooh? Looking for a movie?” You nearly jumped out of your skin. The sneakiness of a street cat- er, catgirl, was not to be underestimated. “What’re ya thinking?”

“Hey Nekomiya, just browsing. Nothing’s really catching my eye.” “Well, y'know what they say! You can’t think on an empty stomach, meow!” You stared at her with a deadpan expression. “Did you come here all the way just for some free lunch?”

“Aha… no! (Maybe).” You sighed, but understood. Commissions had been low recently, on the account of Nicole- and by extension the whole of the Cunning Hares, working to aid the citizens in the lawsuit against that corrupt construction company. Awful business that.

“Alright, c’mon. I’ll go check out, then let’s get some fish in that belly!” “Hey! Not all of us want fish!” “Then what do you want?” ”Mackerel…” “That’s fish.”

Bringing the video tape to the front, you paid before making your way over to the food court with Nekomiya.

#zenless zone zero #zzz x reader #zenless zone zero x reader #nekomiya x reader #nicole x reader #nicole demara x reader #Billy the kid x reader #nekomata x reader

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pootimedes · 15 days ago

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dude i had a dream that we got another portal game where wheatley comes crashing back down to earth and somehow both him and chell end up in another dysfunctional science facility run by an angry robot, who went mad after a lack of proper maintenance and now runs the facility almost as bad as wheatley ran aperture, that they have to escape. chell fends up finding a very damaged wheatley, barely alive in a room full full of the facility's reject cores. chell uploads wheatley's consciousness to the body of an unprogrammed core, and they set off. during the whole thing, wheatley keeps trying to make it very clear that he's sorry for what happened, and does everything in his power to help chell out.

in the boss fight with the big guy, we see that he has he has somewhat of a humanoid frame, connected to the ceiling by the back with a bunch of wires and circuitry, and is red with rust, from living isolated from the rest of the facility, simply because the task of tending to him was too dangerous of a job for anyone, and the very few staff still alive in the facility had no idea how to shut him down.

his attacks were mostly melee in the first to second wave, utilizing a giant claw hand at chell, which would either try to crush chell by slamming it down from above her, swinging it at her from the side, or try to grab her by the head to crush her.

he would only use one ranged attack in the first to second wave, which were homing missiles that you had to throw back at him. think undertale mad dummy but 3d (you don't get a portal gun so there are some different mechanics, not really "portal" is it then?)

the third and final wave would add electric shock type attacks, big guy weaponizing his own decaying body in a pitiful attempt to take chell down. also lazers. lots of lazers.

chell would do the usual 'throwing the bosses projectiles back at them', while wheatley messes with big guy's controls while he's out to try and weaken him, accidentally making him stronger after the second time big guy gets knocked out.

if you manage to survive the last wave and take him out, big guy explodes, and an ominous 60 second timer comes on the intercom, along the lines of "central core discone-(garbled)-truct initiated in 60.. 59.. 58.." giving you just enough time to grab wheatley before the timer ends, which gives you an option between two endings.

if you chose to use the time to grab wheatley before making a break for it, the counter will end only a few seconds after you make it to him, and you get a sick ass parkour sequence with the facility crumbling and burning behind you as you make a break for the emergency escape pods. once you make it to the end, you get a cutscene of wheatley and chell riding the escape pod to the surface, having a bit of a heart to heart moment with wheatley, him thanking chell for not being mad with him, even if chell doesn't talk. well, you get the option to, by pressing space, (getting you an achievement called "it can talk!?")a little callback to the beginning of portal 2. you reach the surface, getting you the "forgiveness" achievent, and the game ends. congratulations on your marrige, chell

if you choose to leave without him, you can hear him worriedly saying things along the lines of "what are you doing? where are going?" before realizing you're leaving him behind and starts panicking. as the door to the escape pod closes, you get an achievement called "coward's way out" as you hear a distant "don't leave me, DON'T LEAVE ME!" further guilting you for being a greedy achievement hunter, you monster. In the escape pod, you get a whole minute of of uninterrupted silence before arriving at the surface, earning you the "you know what you are? selfish." achievement, before ending the game.

there would also be a shadow achievement where you do absolutely nothing and wait for the self destruct counter to finish, killing the both of you.

ok, most of this wasn't in the dream, i just started getting ideas

(edit: i just had the idea that chell was in a similar kind of situation to ratman, where she was an employee at this facility, working in robotics when uh oh spaghettios all her coworkers are dead and she's stuck in hiding from the giant robot running the facility)

#poot's feather and ink #portal #portal 2 #portal chell #portal 2 wheatley #chelley #< kinda #i encourage anyone who's interested to write a fic about this

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1989stanz · 10 months ago

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Well, two days ago I promised a fanfic to you all, so it is here! It's a inheritance games fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it. I accept any type of criticism, but just don't offend me. Thank you! @aaal-iz-well @myster3y @myfairkatiecat @riddles-n-games@aria-1105 @formulalina15

Prologue:

Jameson lost a 911 and has to deal with his penance.

Disclaimer:

All characters are from Jennifer Lynn Barnes's book The inheritance games. None of them are mine! Mentions of Nash Hawthorne, Jameson Hawthorne, Alexander Hawthorne, Grayson Hawthorne, Avery Grambs, Gigi Grayson and Maxine Liu. There's some cursing and mentions of murder, but nothing serious. The author didn't deep dive in these two delicate topics. No spoilers and no smut!

English is not my first language! So I apologize for any mistakes.

(P.S.: I'm always open for fanfic suggestions.)

Words count: 17K (sorry for being so long. I just couldn't help it 😭)

Jameson was never the type of person you could call “phone addicted.” He didn't spend much time scrolling because he was always busy with his brothers, a riddle, or doing something that the police would certainly arrest him for it. As a result, charging his phone wasn't something that occupied his mind, that's why his phone died often. That's what happened on this day. He was in a phone call with Xander when suddenly his phone went dead. Letting out a sigh, he opened the bedroom he shared with Avery to search for his charger. The room was quite a mess, with clothes on the floor, in the bed and hanging lazily around a chair. It reflected the owners' minds: messy as hell, but still comfortable somehow. There was a colored cube on the floor he accidentally stepped on and kicked away as he continued looking inside a drawer.“Where is it?”, he thought.“I know it's here. I remember the last time I used it and I put it in this drawer. . .” Before he could properly finish his inner monologue, he felt IT before he heard or saw it. He felt it strong and passionately inside of him, and deep inside he just knew what it was. Someone was approaching—HER. He felt her presence almost all the time when she was around. His heart would just stop as a true and genuine felling he had never felt before her took over his entire body and soul. It was exaggerating to describe it this way, but every single thing he felt and thought about her was exaggerating. “Jamie?”, Avery spoke and, oh, he loved her voice, specially when she said the nickname his brothers gave to him. Nobody else beside them had the right to call him this was, but her? Just listening to his nickname set his blood and entire body on fire. Hungry. He was hungry for everything, even for her—specially for her. “Heiress?”, he finally turned around and his heart pounded faster when he finally looked at her and realized why she called him. Her eyes were gleaming—they were always so bright when they stared at Jameson's eyes—, a challenge that he couldn't back down on her face. He clearly wouldn't back down from anything she proposed. “Jamie.” Avery knew he loved when she said it, so she usually did it when she wanted his whole attention to her, and god-damn, she was wearing one of his shirts. She had never done it before, but it looked way better on her. She looked beautiful, he thought to himself. And he FELT how Avery had an enormous effect on him. Forget hungry. He was starving just for a piece of her.

Smirking, he said, “So, now you steal my shirts?”, his green eyes glowing more than ever.

“Only when I want to catch you off guard, like now”, her eyes told what she didn't: Avery was enjoying what she was doing to him. Of course she did, he was acting like a damn dog. They stared at each other and did not break eye contact as she walked up to him and pressed her lips to his. The kiss wasn't soft or slow. It was breathtaking, and when she pulled away, he wanted more. Forget the charger, it could wait, but his hunger could not. And probably the 911 call he received from one of his brothers could too.

Grayson would never admit, but he was terrible. Not physically, Grayson Hawthorne was at no time physically terrible. He always makes to sure to be looking good. But mentally? His mind and feelings were so awful that just “terrible” wasn't an appropriate answer. He was drowning in work—again—, swimming like crazy and doing anything that was humanly possible to stop his brain from echoing a name. Her name. So that's why he was standing again at the place Emily had died, so-and-so far from the ground. He had no equipment and wondered—again— what would happen if he jumped. Of course, it was just a thought, Grayson wasn't going to jump, but just the adrenaline that he felt with this thought kept his entire head quiet. Her name wasn't there for a moment. But moments didn't last forever, so that's why he decided to finally go back to the house.

Once he arrived, his whole body ached for something. Escapism. Her name was there again, and he knew a way to stop it. Grayson quickly took some turns around the house, and before he could even think about it, he was in the cellar. Without realizing, his hands grabbed a Tequila, took off the cover and his nose caught the smell of the liquid. Eve. Eve. Eve. Eve. He took a swing. Eve. Eve. Eve. He took another swing, this time longer than the other one, and… Nothing. It was calm. And he took more long swings. He hardly allowed himself alcohol, but in that occasion he drank it like his life depended on it.

Halfway through the bottle, one thought broke through his shields: “You need someone”. That hit him, hard. But for one second he stopped taking swings and recognized the obvious: he was broken, drowning, but he didn't have to be alone. He had his brothers and Avery and, somehow, that was everything. Eve couldn't touch this, it was totally his and only his. His family. That's what they were. So he picked his phone from his pocket and only sent one message for each of his brothers: 911.

Nash and Xander appeared in a heartbeat and, for reasons he couldn't tell, his heart overflowed with love. He felt it warm and quiet on his chest for the first time in a very long time. Nash was the first one to look at him, raising one of his eyebrows, “So what's the deal, little brother?”. Xander whispered in Nash's ear, “He seems drunk to you too, or did the explosion I caused today already affecting me?” Grayson almost raised an eyebrow when he heard his words. That would explain his clothes that seemed to be set on fire. Instead, he chose to analyze the room he requested their presence. The gaming area was an enormous place full of all kind of games, physical games—like bowling—or just games that required thinking, like chess. Being more specific, Hawthorne chess.

After four rounds of Hawthorne chess and three Grayson's victories later, strip bowling was the chosen game, and he found out in the worst way possible that strip bowling wasn't for him. Nash didn't have his boots and his socks. Since his brothers demanded when they first played strip bowling that Nash's cowboy hat wasn't a piece of clothing, he was shirtless but had his cowboy hat on. Xander didn't have shoes and socks anymore, and Grayson…was winning. He didn't wear a coat, shoes, socks, and his shirt. But he was happy to be with his brothers…or at least two of them. Grayson turned away as soon as he noticed that Jameson wasn't there and asked, “Where's Jameson?”

“Probably doing something very dangerous and assuming risks that could get him to have a meeting with God!”, Xander replied with a smile. Nash frowned his eyebrows, “I called him like 10 times, and he didn't pick up.” Wasting no more time, Grayson reached for the phone in his pocket and called Oren. The bodyguard picked up immediately. “Any problem?”, he asked, his voice calm and powerful and useless for someone like Grayson, who knew the word “power” like the back of his hand. “Where's Jameson? Is he in danger?”. He could hear the way the bodyguard shrugged. “No danger in sight, if you don't consider sleeping in Avery's bedroom a dangerous thing to do.” Jameson was sleeping, and it was almost offensive that he lost a 911, but then he realized. Jameson lost a 911, and he was going to pay for it like Grayson did. He smiled and turn off the phone call. “As much as I love to see you smile, I can tell where this is going”, Nash replied. Xander was amused, his eyes as bright as the sun. “So Jameson really lost a 911?”. They didn't answer, but instead the rest of the evening was wasted between plans and more plans for his penance.

1:00 am

Jameson noticed that he lost a 911 call, and he knew his brothers would come after him with a wicked plan. Surprised wasn't an adjective to describe his emotions when Xander appeared out of nowhere at night and started to play a trumpet. But furious and about to end Xander were appropriate words. “STOP!”, he yelled through gritted teeth, trying to cover his ears with a pillow. Nash put a hand on his little brother shoulder to stop him. “Enough, Xan. Enough.” Grayson was behind him, and Jameson could swear he almost smiled. Reluctant, he got up from the bed. “It's time for my penance.” It wasn't a question, and nobody corrected him. Instead, he just received a devilish smile from Nash. It was going to be a very, very long night.

1:30 am

Max was spending the Christmas holiday at the Hawthorne house in her own wing, where his brothers dropped him. She smiled, a big and bright smiled that he almost feared. Almost. “Hello, little duck.” He snorted. “Not sure about being a duck.” She meant dick, but he chose to ignore it. “However. Just sit in this chair and let me do my magic.” He sat, and she covered his face in a really white foundation, drawing a smile with her makeup pencil, covering his cheeks a really shiny red. “I think I know what you're doing, but I better be wrong.” Max smirked, and he decided that smirking didn't look good on her. Actually, it was never a good thing when someone who wasn't him smirked. “I can't tell you. Xander made me promise.”

“I think so.” And he let her finish, putting a blue wig on his head, covering his hair. Thrilled, she picked a small mirror on the desk, showing his reflection to him. “Do you like it?”. He was right indeed. Xander had asked his girlfriend for a clown makeup for him. She gave him a card with an address written on it as he left her wing. He was going to kill Xander. Suffocated, precisely. With his own damn wig. Opening the card, there was an address that he did not recognize:

Flower Boulevard Street, 89

P.S.: Gigi must drive.

2:00 am

Gigi knew how to drive a car. Of course she did. At least that was what she told him before breaking all the traffic laws. Jameson wasn't a fan of laws and endless rules, but after this 30 minutes painful ride and almost dying more times than he could count, he was a new fan of the traffic law, apparently. She stopped in front of a building, some pop music blasting on the radio, his face so white that it looked like he was a ghost. After a few minutes of searching for his soul that clearly was lost along the way, his eyes analyzed the construction. He had thought about the worst places that his brothers would have chosen as a location for the evening, but a big and luxury hospital didn't cross his mind, not even once. But there he was, standing in full clown clothes in the hospital parking. Gigi grabbed his arm. “What are you waiting for? I thought you liked a challenge.” He did, and that's why he entered the construction.

2:15 am

He managed to get lost inside the hospital, but that was way better than Gigi getting lost four times while driving 'cause she insisted on not using the GPS. After a few minutes, he founded his brothers. Unfortunately. “Wooow! He looks awfully amazing”, Xander shouted. “This isn't your best moment, little brother”, Nash laughed. Grayson just looked, without saying anything at first. Then he raised an eyebrow. “I think you lost something, Mr.Clown”, he told Jameson, pulling out leather pants from his hands. Not common leather pants, but THE leather pants. He was doomed.

2:25 am

Out of all his brothers, Jameson was the leanest, but the leather pants still squeezed him really tight. It was almost painful, and he needed ten minutes to make them fit. “Comfortable?”, Grayson asked, enjoying this moment more than anything else. Jameson gave a Cheshire cat smiled, not giving him the satisfaction to see his discomfort. “More than ever, big brother.” Grayson smirked, and he wondered why everyone was suddenly smirking at him all the time. Nash leaned on the doorway, his cowboy hat hiding his smile. “Ready to put on a show, Jamie?” A show? What the actual fuc...”

“I have balloons!” Xander tossed three bags of balloons at Jameson's face, and he caught each one, his face marked with confusion. “Why do I need balloons?”

“For the kids!”, Xander smiled, thriving. “There are some sad and unfortunate kids on this hospital that need some fun and joy in their lives, and you're going to bring fun and joy. That's what clowns do, isn't it, Mr.Clown?”

He could feel the need to wash off all the makeup in the sink bathroom and take off his ridiculous clothes, including his fancy clown shirt. But he promised it to his brothers. Grayson had called and he didn't come. That was his penance. “Where are the kids?”, he asked.

3:35 am

One hour and ten minutes later, Jameson was at the edge of a breaking down. Sure he could deal with one or two kids playing with his wig, trying to pull his clothes, licking his face when they thought he couldn't see, getting on the ceiling, screaming, crying, popping the balloons, trying to slap him, laughing and making jokes of him, swearing, running and so much more. But twenty? It seemed and felt like hell. He couldn't even judge the kids, 'cause little Jamie was worse than that kids. He looked at Nash after one of them spat on his face, “Please, Nash. Please stop this.” All three of them laughed, Xander more pleased with himself than ever. He had video every time a kid did something to him and threatened to send them to Avery. Jameson didn't even try to stop him, his little brother was going to show Avery one way or another. And he was mortified. “Please. It's been one hour. I can't handle more.” Jameson Hawthorne didn't beg, of course not. But he was about to get on his knees if Nash didn't look at him and decided that the poor boy had enough. “Alright, kids!” He shouted and all of them immediately stopped what they were doing, something that Jameson couldn't do. He felt jealous. “Form a line, so the clown can say goodbye to you all.” They said an audible “noooo”. Apparently, they liked to torture him. He went to say goodbye to every kid when they finally formed a line, some of their names carved on his brain as he passed. Brian. Yasmin. Joe. Kloe. Patrick. Pablo. Iago. . .

“Where's Iago?”, Kloe said, looking behind her. Jameson counted the kids and there were only 19 of them. Oh, hell. “Nash”, he looked at his oldest brother while he nodded, understanding what he meant with just one word. “Go there, Jamie. We'll stay here.” He took a glance at the kids. “So, how are we feeling about dancing?” They screamed in excitement. Jameson couldn't understand how he did it.

4:05

Where were this kid? Jameson had searched absolutely every god-damn room of the hospital, had warned the nurses, and they still had not found him. He couldn't help but remember when he disappeared as a kid. It didn't take a couple of minutes to find him, it took hours. Sometimes even days. He swallowed hard, thinking what would happen if Iago wasn't found. What if he was in danger? How would his parents react? What if he managed to get out of the hospital…

“Oh my god, Iago! Can you calm down for a second? You're going to spill my coffee all over the room.” He heard someone say in a room at the end of the hallway, stopping to look what was going on. Gigi trying to take Iago off of the ceiling with a cup of coffee in her hand. The scene was a one to be recorded, if Jameson wasn't freaking out. “Iago! Get off of there!”, he commanded, and surprisingly the kid seemed to hear. “I don't know”, Iago mumbled and he looked worried. Scared. That shattered Jameson's heart. He picked up the kid, careful to not let him fall or break the ceiling. “Thank you”, the infant wrapped his hands around his neck, not letting go. Gigi was very embarrassed. “I couldn't get him off, he didn't hear me.” Jameson was so confused on why she was still at the hospital, at 4 am, drinking coffee. But all he did was to shrug, “They don't hear me too.” And they walked back to his brothers only to found Nash dancing with them. God has favorites, he thought.

8:00 am

Ten minutes later they arrived at Hawthorne House and Jameson dropped dead on his bed. After taking off the makeup, clown clothes and the leather pant, obviously. But his body naturally woke him up at 7:45, and he couldn't get any sleep after that. And that's why he was on the roof when he heard steps. “You put out quite a show to the kids.” It was Grayson talking.“The hospital called, asking if you're going to visit again.” Not a chance in hell. He liked the kids—actually, loved them— but he couldn't handle them all at once. It was draining. Grayson knew it, that's why he was smirking, almost showing a smile. “You know”, Jameson started, “that I only didn't pick up because my phone had died?” It was basically his way of saying that, if he knew that Grayson was calling, that he needed him, he would appear in seconds. And he always would. Despite all the offenses, the teasing and the fights, Jameson would walk through hell for Grayson. He knew that, and Grayson would do the same. If all that it took to make him laugh, smile or to just take the weight off his shoulders a bit was to see Jameson dressed up as a clown, he would do it a hundred times. And he would do it over and over, no just because “that's what brothers do”, but because that's what you do when you love someone—you show them your love and loyalty. 911 wasn't just a simple code, it was meant to their brothers know how much they loved and appreciated each other, even though sometimes they have a hard time telling or showing it. Jameson knew the meaning behind this simple code, and it would kill him if Grayson thought that Jameson didn't care for his older brother. They all cared for each other, that's what made them the Hawthorne brothers. Not just the DNA because, when you grow up between the Hawthornes, you couldn't care less for biology. “I know,” Grayson replied, and his tone gave something else. Of course, I know, but I won't go deep into it right now, he seemed to say. So they just stood there, watching the sun and enjoying each other's company, without admitting it.

#jameson hawthorne #grayson hawthorne #nash hawthorne #the brothers hawthorne #the final gambit #the hawthorne legacy #the inheritance games #xander hawthorne #best seller books #books and reading #fanfic #fanfiction #gigi grayson

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kaelily · 2 years ago

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I don't know where this idea came from(this might sound weird T^T) but I feel like kaeya thinks his s/o shaving his face is romantic, romantic more than dancing in the rain and bathing together. Romantic in a way where you have a sharp razor against his skin but you handle him with oh-so-much care so it doesn't hurt the way it traces along his skin. The way you're doing it so carefully lifting and turning his head now and then .it's so romantic in his eyes. Plus he gets to stare at you when you are focused on him (he loves staring at you) And he wouldn't mind it if you were to pull out a knife and cut his throat then (you won't he just has a wild imagination for the worst-case scenario ) when you are finished kaeya would pull you by your waist giving you a sweet smile asking you how he looks, earning a peck on his cheek

Kaeya's beard doesn't grow fast like Diluc's but whenever it grows he always tells you to shave his face he just loves it so much (pls I'm desperate for domestic kaeya content 😭)

-✨wish

this is so cute nonnie!! i'm desperate for domestic kaeya content too 😭

short hcs utc: gn!reader, fluff, slight hurt/comfort (please lmk if i accidentally used any gendered terms)

even though kaeya acts like suave gentleman who can be relied on to save everyone's day, he's a lonely soul at heart. romantic intimacy isn't familiar to him. when he finally gets into a relationship with you, the smallest of things make his heart flutter. any type of physical touch results in him burying his face into your neck so that you won't be able to notice his flustered state. he doesn't fail to turn you into a shy mess too as a sweet revenge for the things you do to his poor heart.

a big fan of getting pampered and also pampering you. he's been so used to the sight of an empty house whenever he returns from work and now he just melts in your loving arms after an exhausting day. its very comforting to just relax as you work through the many layers of his clothing and lead him to your shared bed to fetch some oils so that you can massage the sore muscles on his back. has fallen asleep during many of these massage sessions. you can't blame him, the feeling of your hands running along his back to relieve the knots present there is incredibly soothing.

doing self care routines as a couple is very romantic to him. the first time he asked you to shave his face, he was joking around to make you laugh but was taken aback when you took him seriously and offered to do it for him. the way your hands gently cradled his face that night to move the razor carefully along his skin is still etched in his mind. now he just comes to you with a pout on his face when his stubble starts becoming noticeable because nothing else is more rewarding to him that his lovely partner focusing only on making him look prettier.

he adores how soft you're with him during the whole process. the way you gently hold his face to apply the shaving cream and then carefully move the razor along his face with calculated movements to not cause any injuries. he thinks you look very adorable when you stick out your tounge to concentrate and never takes his eyes off you as he gets to enjoy flustering you with his loving gaze. his hands never leave your hips and sometimes they glide under your shirt to squeeze your bare waist and pull you more closer to him.

when you finally clean him up to finish everything, he asks if he still looks handsome to joke around. you're answer is always a yes, accompanied with a peck on his cheek which makes a chuckle slip past his lips and he nuzzles his face into your shoulder to places a kiss on your collarbone, but it doesn't end there. his lips travel further up your neck to finally press against your own for a soft and loving kiss. he then tells you to take a seat because its now your turn to get thoroughly pampered by him.

REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED!!! (づ￣ ³￣)づ

#astronetwrk #lily gets an ask #lily's lovely anons #✨️wish nonnie #kaeya x reader #kaeya alberich x reader #kaeya x you #kaeya x y/n #kaeya fluff #kaeya imagines #kaeya #ᕱ ᕱ — creations

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sukiitoru · 2 years ago

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halloo (・∀・)

if ur writing for the xsoleil member can i request for the boy xsoleil's member about them accidentally expose their relationship (with mc) during live?

u dont have to write if you dont understand it ;-; but if u do, thank you so much in advance (≧▽≦)

Hiyo anon!! I love this idea it's so cute.

I didn't do ver since I sadly don't watch him enough to write for him, also mc is a streamer in doppio's part hope you don't mind.

Thank you for requesting, hope you enjoy reading this ♡︎.

Mc is non-binary pronounce is they/them

WARNING: Please remember that I am writing about Xsoleil based on their characters online and not of the people behind their vtuber avatars, thank you!

Fandom: nijisanji en.

Pairing: Xsoleil boys x mc.

Category: fluff (I need to try writing other things seriously), cuteness overload.

#Exposed.

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

Hex Haywire

Hex is the careful and private about his relationships type.

He never really accidentally mentions about his private life, unless it's something he's willing to share or he's a little drunk.

Today it happens to be the latter, the man was quite drunk, chuckling softly as he rests his head on his knuckles.

Mc was watching the stream making sure their beloved didn't drink too much, they chuckled softly at the man who looked to be drunk, as they got up taking a cup of water with them to give to the male.

Mc entered the boy's streaming room quietly bringing a finger to their lips to shush the man, when he looked back at them as he copied the motion, his lips twisting into a big smile at the sight of mc.

Hex muted stream quickly saying he'll use the restroom before turning to mc, moving his chair closer to them wrapping both of his arms around their waist.

"I think that's enough drinking for today love" mc says, kissing Hex's forehead softly rubbing his hair.

The male hummed leaning against Mc's touch, as he nodded his head, mc giving hex the glass to drink some water.

Hex took hold of the glass taking multiple gulps of water, before setting down the cup and kissing Mc's wrist softly thanking them for the water, turning back to his monitor to continue stream, mc walking out of the room to finish some chores around the house.

After about half an hour Hex was saying goodbye to chat, deciding it was enough streaming for the day, as he gave the chat a few kisses pressing on his mouse to end stream.

Mc peeked through the door of the room, as Hex opened his arms pouting slightly, as he waited for mc to hug him.

Mc took hold of the male in their arms, Hex burying his head into their chest as they patted his head, the male mumbling incoherent sentences.

Mc chuckled at the male asking what he was saying, Hex whining loudly in respond mc laughing more at his silly behaviour.

Hex smirked slightly as his hands tickled Mc's sides, Mc squirming in his grasp giggling softly telling the male to stop.

Hex stops after a few seconds hugging mc again, as he mumbled how much he loves them.

Mc kissed the male's forehead making loud kissy sounds that they knew made the man chuckle, their kisses moving from his forehead to his eyelids, to his soft cheeks then to his soft lips.

"I love you too my darling, now how about we go have some dinner while cuddling on the couch than watch a movie together, yeah?" Mc asks their lips lifting into a wide grin Hex humming in agreement.

"food sounds really good right now" the male mumbled softly letting go of mc to turn his monitor off, only to realize that his stream was still open.

Mc leaned on the back of Hex's chair unaware of what was happening as they stared at the screen making a small sound of confusion, as they saw the chat moving quickly with different emojis and 'aww's from the chat that witnessed the whole adorable interaction.

Hex blinked as he brain slowly proceeded what was happening, yelling a loud 'fu*k' ending the stream quickly.

Mc burst into a fit of soft giggles at the panicked reaction from the male, who put his head in his hands groaning loudly.

Mc took hold of the male pulling him into a hug reassuring him that 'it's gonna be okay' and that 'chat didn't seem mad at all, they were even awwing babe' as Hex sighed softly just wanting to be tucked into Mc's embrace forever.

Later that night Hex released a voice tweet about what happened on the stream and introducing mc who was quite nervous at first but feeling quite happy after all the positive support from the fans that absolutely loved the cute interaction.

This moment was clipped to be one of Hex's softest moments online, and an absolute fan favourite.

Since then mc makes random appearances in Hex's streams, chat loving getting to talk to the absolute angel that stole Hex's heart.

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

Doppio Dropscythe

Dopi is the type to get overly excited about something, and might say things he didn't mean to say in his excitement.

Doppio was doing a chatting stream talking about his day with his chat, giggling as he explained how he saw a very cute dog that kept on running around him in circles wanting to play.

"and then mc started playing with the dog" doppio explained while laughing loudly remembering the funny encounter with the cute dog that day, while he and his partner were out on a date.

The male didn't really notice the chat blowing up in a confusion at the fact that mc was with the male only continuing to talk about his day his laughing quieting down into soft chuckles.

"then me and mc went into the ice cream shop and continued our date, it was really fun..." The male trailed off as he noticed the chat his eyes growing wide as he fully realized what he was saying, awkwardly chuckling as his face started growing red, as he placed his face into his hands groaning loudly as he realized his mistake.

The male quietly stared at his chat as he thought of what to say, deciding to open discord and call the person in question.

"hey dopiiii! Hey chattt! Is everything okay?" Mc asked as they joined the call they knew that doppio was streaming, but wasn't watching the stream due to being busy with work.

Doppio stayed quiet as he felt his face get warmer by the second, mc getting confused thinking Doppio couldn't hear them as they opened the male's stream.

"pio? Can you hear me?? Chat can you guys hear me? I swear my mic is working just fine" mc wondered as chat greeted them happily with hearts and saying they can hear mc.

"pio?? Chat what happened, why is he broken?" mc says chuckling softly as the male felt too embarrassed to say anything the chat explaining to mc what happened as the male had a bit of a meltdown.

"ohhh, so that's what happened pioooo don't worry about it, it's a honest mistake honey, no worries and yes chat we are dating currently. Hope no one minds it because if you do well.... that's a you problem" mc explained cooing at doppio who was trying to gather himself, chat was filled with different opinions mostly positive as people cheered their ship being confirmed to have sailed.

"I'm sorry mc" doppio mumbled softly, feeling embarrassed about revealing his relationship with mc, when they started dating Doppio, they talked about revealing their relationship, and decided to not reveal their relationship until the right time comes.

"hey, it's okay my darling dopi, don't worry about seems like chat really is enjoying this anyways" mc says chuckling softly as the male smiled slightly at the comment.

"well... I'm glad then, Chat I really really care about mc I really love them too so I'm glad this got out of the way" doppio explained his usual bright smile returning to his face as mc chuckled softly.

"okay now that that's settled, I need to go finish work okay hon, good luck with streaming love you, bye chattt" mc says as they made a soft kiss sound leaving the call, doppio's features brighting after as he sighed happily.

"chat how am I so lucky to have you and mc" Doppio said happily chuckling as the chat who gave said male hearts in the chat.

Clippers have made it their mission since then to capture every cute interaction between the two lovebirds, as they did offline collabs and collabs in general together.

Both dopi and mc definitely tell chat stories of their cute dates or things they do together like playing Mario kart together.

It has became the joy of the fandom to listen to the two lovebirds simp talk about each other.

Mc also liked teasing dopi on stream, as they find great joy in seeing the male's flushed face.

Expect lots of tickle fights between the two in offline collabs, lots of hugs too.

Mc also gives kisses to chat to not make them feel like a third wheel, which they definitely are most of the time.

But chat still loves these streams anyways since they're filled with so much love and happiness.

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

Thank you for reading all support is highly appreciated ♡︎.

#nijisanji fanfic #nijisanji imagine #nijisanji x reader #nijisanji en #nijisanji xsoleil #nijisanji #hex haywire #hex haywire x reader #hex #doppio dropscythe x reader #doppio #doppio Dropscythe #nijisanji x mc

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quinloki · 2 years ago

Text

Some Direction

Fem Reader x Roronoa Zoro

CW: Language, stalking, violence, sexual themes and situations, ptsd 18+ only

Chapter 1 - Table of Consent -

Chapter 2: Directionally

"Let me get this straight," you say, your hands pressed together in front of you as you sit in the backroom with Zoro. You had forcefully, and angrily, kicked everyone else out. "You left the dojo with the intention of walking to the main branch, so you could go through your Match Book in peace, and somehow you ended up here?"

Zoro, previously picture-perfected scowl and all, is sitting across from you, and just grunts in response.

"... Which direction did you go when you left the dojo?" You're almost afraid to ask.

"West."

"Okay, but..." No, no you weren't going to say it, never mind. Let's just put the fact that the Main Branch was north of the dojo off to the side for now. He could've actually gone north, thought it was west, and yet somehow ended up taking a large curve to the south and ended up in your library. "How can you be so bad at directions?"

Zoro's tongue clicks in irritation, and you realize you had said the last part out loud. No sense in apologizing, you had meant it and objectively it was true, and you felt like if you were overly concerned about his feelings he'd just get more irritated.

Sighing after a few moments silence, you set your Match Book off to the side. "Do you want to set up a meeting for tomorrow then?" You question. First meetings technically had to be witnessed, and were often attended by at least one family member from each side. You weren't breaking any laws by meeting accidentally like this, but it wasn't going to count for meeting within 48 hours if it wasn't properly witnessed.

"Sure." His face had been in a scowl for the last few minutes, but something about his tone made you think he wasn't angry, just uncomfortable.

"I'll... come to the dojo then. Your father's there, right? It'll be easier for both of you. I'm sure Brook will give me tomorrow off, so I can be by, uh, 1pm? If that's not too early?"

"It's not."

Well, it was a good thing you were used to having quiet nights. This man was certainly the laconic type. You wondered idly what topic of conversation you could get him on that would have him talking, even better - talking with a smile on his face. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't imagine him with a big smile on his face, and some part of you thought that was a shame.

Everyone should be able to smile.

"Alright then, I... uh... look forward to it." You smile, but it probably looks as awkward as it feels. This whole arranged marriage stuff was even more uncomfortable than you had expected.

He grunts, but doesn't argue. "Are you only bringing one more with you?"

"Eh?" You question, stopping in the middle of getting up.

"Tomorrow. Bringing your mom or dad or both."

Oh right, he didn't get a chance to really sit down and read his Match Book before you interrupted him. Well, he'd have some time to read over it today and tomorrow morning. You finished standing up and nodded to his Match Book.

"It'll just be me," you say, and this time your smile is well-practiced. "Let me walk you out."

He grunts again, but doesn't question your or argue. Not that the poor guy had much room to argue, you just hope he was truly thrown off by the Match Book, and not actually that terrible at directions. Otherwise, you might beat him back to the dojo tomorrow.

You get him through the library without incident, and without running into Nami, though you were pretty sure that was thanks to Robin. When you get to the door you hold it open for him.

"Sorry again for just uh, coming up behind you like that." You apologize as he steps past you.

"It's fine, it worked out." He replies, nodding his head slightly, and walking away. You saw him drifting to the left down the wide staircase.

"Ah, Mr. Roronoa?" You call out, causing him to turn around. You smile and point to the right. "Unless you're running errands, the dojo's that way." You didn't stick around to see if he needed the help or not, stepping back into the library quickly.

You spent the rest of your shift distracted, but no one held it against you. Brook hovered around you a little, but he didn't pester you with questions. He spent most of his time intercepting people who came up to you with questions and directing them on your behalf. The old man was surprisingly quick when the occasion called for it. He had even told you to take the next day off before you had a chance to ask for it.

Such accommodations were to be expected, but the whole thing still felt a little surreal to you. Ever since the World Government had implemented arranged marriages, there had been a slew of TV shows and Movies that had depicted how awkward first impressions could be. Inevitably the two people would come to an understanding, given enough time and communication. It was, at its core, propaganda for the masses, to smooth over the whole situation.

Still, you found yourself replaying sitcom episodes in your head and listening to songs about enemies to lovers as you went about your evening once you got home. You weren't put off of Zoro entirely, but you felt apathetic toward things so far. You didn't really want to spend your life going through a routine that just happened to have someone else on the edges of it.

What unsettled you was that your first impression of him was that he would, like you, allow that very thing to happen. A listless life, with no direction and no momentum. The only saving grace would be the government's insistence that you have at least one child, and the energy and chaos of a child was enough to throw any family into motion.

Wild, unstable motion maybe, but life wouldn't be listless.

You soaked in the tub until the water started to cool, tossed on an old over-sized shirt and drifted off to sleep.

. . . . . .

The next day you let your day start slowly, had a light breakfast, and put on a simple dress before doing up your hair a little. You wanted to look nice, but you didn't want to go to the nines and show up to find everyone else in t-shirts and jeans. You slipped on a pair of smooth-fabric tight shorts under your dress, which made walking more comfortable and saved you from any embarrassing moments if your skirt went rogue. Plus, there was just enough pocket space for a bus pass, your id and house key.

Instead of heels you opted for what were essentially leather-topped sneakers. They looked nice enough for work, but they were delightfully comfortable. Most of your wardrobe was practicality over fashion, but you could still manage being fashionable. You made sure your socks were a little on the thicker side, if this was happening in a dojo, you'd need to take your shoes off and still keep your feet warm.

With one last check to make sure you were presentable you caught the bus to cover most of the distance to the dojo. You could feel someone staring at you while you were on the bus, but you did your best to ignore it. It was a short ride between your home and the dojo, but it would've been a long walk.

The grounds of the dojo were walled off, which meant the entire block was. It was more likely that, as the city had developed around the dojo, the wall had been raised to minimize distractions within. This led to there being a large entryway, enough for cars to go through when needed, with a side door for people to come and go through.

It was done well, honoring the origins of the dojo while still having a clean modern sense, as though it was welcoming the city instead of trying to reject it.

Standing outside the main entrance, looking horribly uncomfortable in a suit and tie, was a grumpy looking Zoro. You did your best to suppress the amused smile that was tugging at your lips as you got close enough for him to turn toward you. He seemed a little embarrassed that you'd caught him grumbling about the suit. In some ways, it looked good on him, in more ways though, it looked awkward on him.

"It seems you're more for function than fashion as well." You muse, trying to help ease the tension with levity.

He grunts, but his silence was a surprising response.

"If you want to lose the tie at least, I didn't exactly stick to tradition either." You admit, lifting up your skirt as he turns to face you. His face twists in shock for a split second before he realizes you were wearing shorts under your skirt. You couldn't help the small laugh that escapes you as your let your skirt fall back down.

"Here," you say, reaching for the tie. "Let me wear it. Then your father won't be able to argue, right?"

"How?" He questions, stepping back from you and loosening the tie himself.

You shrug. "Your Match Book gave me some idea, but I did a lot of research when I was looking to learn martial arts, to make sure I had a good teacher." You take the offered tie and slip it over your head. "There's a lot of weight given to tradition and history, which isn't a bad thing, but that's why I assumed your father didn't leave you much room to argue."

You let your hair down, so that it covers the loop of the tie, and covers your shoulders a little. This way you look like you're wearing a tie, and not a noose.

"There! And look, it doesn't even clash with my dress." You offer a smile. "Problem solved, yes?"

The door beside the gate opened and a rather severe looking man came into view. He was wearing a suit, and unlike with Zoro, the look suited him in many ways. It was as tight and disciplined as you imagined he was. The man's face was wholly unreadable, but contained neither anger nor irritation.

You bow, ignoring the tie dangling from you, and straighten with a smile. "Mr. Dracule, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Miss (L/N), I'm glad you made it without issue." Mihawk's appearance and manner might be tight, but his voice was surprisingly smooth. "Please, come in."

"Thank you." You step inside as Mihawk steps aside. You turn to him after you've made room for Zoro to come in and smile as you hold onto the tie. "I hope you don't mind; I stole your son's tie when I arrived."

Zoro's ears went pink as he steps in and closes the door behind him, and the look Mihawk had been giving him melts away. He smiles at you, and the action is disarming, for the first time you think you might be able to imagine Zoro smiling.

"As long as it wasn't foisted upon you." Mihawk says pointedly, his gaze shifting to his grumpy son.

"Not at all," you assure him. "I was feeling a little under dressed and this simply makes us even."

Mihawk makes a noise that leaves you with the impression that he is simply accepting your explanation, despite not entirely believing it. You feel admonished, and almost start to apologize before he speaks up.

"Zoro, show Miss (L/N) to the tearoom." Mihawk prompts.

Zoro offers his arm to you without a word, and the level of etiquette brings a smile to your lips. You murmur a thanks and slip your arm through his. It was the most physical contact you'd had in years, and it was the first real contact you and Zoro had at all. He was warm, or you were warm, but there was no discomfort in that warmth.

Zoro leads you into the foyer, and you tuck your shoes away with the others you could see, putting on a pair of house slippers that had been provided, and stepping up into the hallway proper. You wait as Zoro does the same, and then leads you to the tearoom.

You were simultaneously relieved and disheartened to see a full table set up in the tearoom, western style chairs and all. It had been a long time since you attended a proper tea ceremony, and you were no longer as practiced at sitting properly for one. You could probably manage, but you'd be sore after. It would've been nice to get into the practice of it, but a first meeting wasn't the correct time to do so anyway.

The tea was delicious, and there was plenty of polite small talk. The whole point of a witnessed meeting was to try and shake off the awkwardness of first-time meetings. Generally, there were more than three people at the first meeting, but three was the minimum. You had no doubt that Dracule Mihawk was capable of keeping you and Zoro in check, no matter how things went.

After tea, Mihawk had Zoro take you on a small tour of the property. The landscaping was beautiful. There was a Zen Garden, a small western style flower garden in another area, and a green house in another location. You and Zoro opted to skip the green house, it was warm enough outside, the green house would just be humid on top of it all. There was a study and a small library, you were already in love with the place before that point, but the library was very well organized, and you gave your praise to whomever maintained it.

"A properly organized library is just relaxing." You muse as you leave the library behind and continue the tour.

"You sound like Mihawk-Sensei." Zoro replies, and you weren't sure if it was a compliment or not. He slides a door open, and it gives way to a large open room lined with tatami mats. No part of the property had been, by any stretch of the definition, messy, but the dojo proper seemed extra immaculate.

"Oh wow. Can I go in?" You question.

Zoro nods. "Sure."

You automatically slip your house slippers off before stepping onto the mats and walk slowly around the large open room. There are traditional burned wood planks that denote the Master, his assistants, and the students. The dojo is doing well, given the length of the roster. There are practical displays for shinai and bokken, and a few ceremonial displays that are likely true steel katanas.

Zoro is leaning in the doorway, just watching you move around the dojo. You're too absorbed in all the details of the room to notice anything more about him, but his gaze isn't making you uncomfortable.

"Is it rude to ask how old the dojo is?" You question, keeping your hands laced behind your back as you lean forward to read an inscription under a set of three katanas.

"The millennial celebration is in nine years." Zoro answers. "According to the official records."

"Mm. It's probably older than that then," you state straightening up. "It's good to celebrate what you can though."

Zoro grunts in response. You're starting to get used to it. It's his way of acknowledging that he's listening without prolonging a conversation he doesn't think needs to be prolonged. Time would tell if your assumption was correct, but there was nothing about him that made you feel he was duplicitous. He seemed like someone who didn't even want to waste time with the obvious, never mind wasting energy trying to hide who he was.

"Are you accepting new students?" You question half idly, half curiously, catching Zoro flinching slightly.

Mihawk answers, stepping into view, and entering into the dojo with you. "Are you interested in learning?"

You nod. "I haven't learned a weapon-centric style of martial arts before, but there's a practicality in getting back into the practice."

"Oh? What have you studied before?" Mihawk prompts.

"Tai-chi and Judo. The former more than the latter." You admit, walking over to two of them. "When I was completing my education to become a librarian, I didn't have the time to continue consistently, and after that I fell into my new job and hadn't looked for a new place to get back into things."

"Did you ever compete?" Mihawk asks, and you were starting to get the distinct impression he was asking on Zoro's behalf. Maybe everything he'd done today had been on the young man's behalf. As far as you were concerned that made him a good dad.

You shake your head. "I learned for self-defense and to keep in shape. Admittedly, the idea of hurting someone on accident during a match made me too nervous to try, and yeah I get that if I'm going to use it as self-defense someone is going to get hurt. But that's... different."

"Mm." Mihawk acknowledges shortly. "Your assumption being that in a match, your opponent doesn't mean to harm you."

"Yeah... Ah, I hope that's not rude of me?"

"To some, maybe. To others, no." He answers honestly. "It depends on the ideology of the person in question."

"Then... how would each of you take it?"

Zoro clicks his tongue and looks away with a scowl, and that was really all the answer you needed from him.

Mihawk offers you a small smile. "We are of a similar mind on this, but I don't begrudge you for your feelings."

"If he has learned his lessons well, then he doesn't either." Mihawk adds after a moment's pause.

Zoro grunts but didn't say anything else on the topic. "You've seen everything, are you hungry?"

"Yes, if it's not too much trouble. I had a small breakfast and the snacks from the tea seem to be wearing off." You answer with a strained smile, putting the house slippers back on.

The rest of the afternoon went well enough. You learned that Zoro wasn't much of a cook, but the meal of the day was a joint effort between him and his father. It was good, you weren't a picky eater, but it was as good as you could do, you were sure.

Light conversation continued, and things started to get a little more personal at the end of it.

"If it's uncomfortable Miss (L/N), you don't have to answer, but you brought neither family nor a friend with you today." Mihawk begins, "According to the Match Book, I can understand the former."

You nod, your practiced smile covering your face as you respond. "I'm sure the details were a little vague in the book, but I don't mind explaining." You take in a breath, no matter how often you told this story, it was always at least a little uncomfortable. "My biological parents were murdered by Kuro when I was five."

There was a lot hanging in that sentence, though neither Zoro or Mihawk reacted. Kuro had been a prolific serial killer 20 years ago, and everyone who had survived his bloody assaults had been believed to be cursed. It was simply referred to as being Kursed when people wrote it down, but the heavy emphasis on the word made it remarkable when spoken as well.

Kuro slaughtered nearly 100 people during the decade he was active, but he had double that in actual victims. The people who survived his attacks seemed to have a terrible aura of bad luck surrounding them, and people around those survivors seemed to die at an abnormally high rate. Sometimes accidents, sometimes disease, it wasn't like people around the survivors were murdered, but someone made a connection at some point and the idea of the curse was born.

You were, frustratingly, part of that statistic. "I was adopted some years later, and when I was sixteen my adoptive parents died in a car accident. After that I kept to myself. I petitioned the courts and was able to have myself marked as an adult at 16 and now here I am."

"I see." Mihawk says evenly, after a moment's quiet consideration.

You kept your same practiced smile. "I'm sure you can petition for a Rematch because of this, if you want."

Zoro's default scowl deepens, and you were surprised how neutral his original expression was in comparison. "Rematch? Over some stu-."

"Roronoa." Mihawk interrupts forcefully.

Zoro looks away, seething quietly.

"I doubt such action will be necessary." Mihawk responds. "My apologies for causing you discomfort Miss (L/N)."

"Oh, no apology needed." You assure him, and it was true. You had been dealing with the plethora of ways that people reacted to you being a survivor of Kuro's rage.

The man was still on the loose, though most assumed he was too old to continue, since it had been some years since the last confirmed victim.

Next Chapter

#Some Direction #Roronoa Zoro x Reader #Zoro x Reader #one piece fanfiction #arranged marriage #reader insert

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mugiwara-no-toshokan · 1 year ago

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Some Direction

CisFem Reader x Roronoa Zoro

CW: Language, stalking, violence, sexual themes and situations, ptsd -- surprisingly fluffy despite it all. 18+ only