#Leap Day Trio

[lovelyladyabsinthewrites]

Pairing(s): Rhysand x Reader, Cassian x Reader, Azriel x Reader

Summary: When the bat babies experience nightmares, Azriel coaxes you back to bed with reassurance that he and your other two mates will take care of it. Who better to protect them from monsters under the bed than their powerful fathers?

inspired by the song stolas sings to his daughter in helluva boss

Azriel jolts awake.

Something wasn’t right. His shadows located in the nursery ward sends tremors of agitation.

First things first, he checks to make sure that you were still asleep beside him. There was so much room when Rhysand and Cassian weren't laying in it too. They were up late finishing documents, Azriel taking it upon himself to cuddle up to you for bed. Your day had been full. You had meetings of your own to attend to and councils to hear out. That was a pro to having three mates, there were plenty of babysitters to keep an eye out for your rambunctious triplets.

They were at that sweet age where they were experimenting with their powers and the extent their wings could take them. Lacking wings yourself, you found it tricky to catch them when they misbehave. They could simply fly off, deaf to your half-hearted threats.

Confirming you're still sound asleep, Azriel leaps from the bed and hastily rushes out of the master bedroom. Nearly bumping into Rhysand and Cassian who'd left Rhysand's office in a similar hurry.

Wasting no time, they cleared the quick trek to the nursery wing of the house and throw the door open.

Two beds were empty. Their occupants were huddled together in the middle bed. Dagen, Rian and Baila cling to one another, small little sobs echoing in the dark. It broke their hearts.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Cassian takes the initiative to enter the room and kneel beside their bed. Soothingly rubbing Dagen's back, the little boy releases Rian and instead buries himself in Cassian's expansive chest. The General nearly breaks down himself. Tufts of signature shadows remind Cassian of fuzzy black lint as he brushes his callused fingers past them to envelope Dagen.

"Papa-" Dagen sniffs.

"The room is clear." Azriel murmurs to Rhysand. When that potential threat is cleared, they rush to the other two kids who scramble to jump into their arms.

Baila, face covered in tears and snot, wipes her face on Rhysand's shirt. He didn't care. If it made his sweet girl tell him what happened then so be it.

Through a congested nose, Rian lifts his head from Azriel's shoulder to whimper "It happened again. We all had the same bad dream."

Oh.

The Bat Boys exchange worrisome glances. They'd hoped it was a one time thing. Their first joint bad dream happened five years ago when they were three. It was happening more often now the older they got. Madja didn't possess any helpful information.

"And it was the same one from last time?" Azriel brushes Rian's bangs out of his face. Rian nods and lets Az clean his face with the hem of his night shirt.

Cassian and Azriel avoid Rhysand's gaze this time. The dream was always the same. The triplets couldn't find Rhysand. They search far and wide through Prythian but its like Rhysand vanished into air. Only ever Rhysand was the subject of this dream.

Pressing her small hand against Rhysand's chest, the little girl is relieved when she feels his heart thump back against her palm. Her daddy was still here. It was just a dream and couldn't harm her. Her daddy was there and she would never let him out of her sight again.

Rhysand kisses the crown of her head.

I'm right here, starlight.

She nods and relaxes in his arms.

The fatherly trio spend some time talking to them. They were still reluctant to go back to bed.

"Put your shoes and jackets on." Rhys sets Baila down. "I've got something to show you now that you're old enough to fly some distance."

That perks them up. Happily they obey Rhysand and follow the three males outside of the townhouse. Night still hung in the sky. Multitudes of stars twinkle back down, glittering against the dark.

Dagen and Baila unfurl their leathery wings, enjoying the air that kisses the delicate membrane that separated the 'fingers' of their wings. Rian, taking after Rhysand, conjures his wings with ease to match his siblings and fathers.

"Stay close to us, alright?" Cassian instructs, taking on his general persona. This act caused them to giggle a little bit, knowing how unserious Cassian was a majority of the time.

Azriel reminds them "And if you get tired, let us know. We can't having you falling out of the sky."

"Your mother would kill us." Rhysand jokes (though if he ever did happen to let one of your children die under his watch, you most certainly would end him).

Six pairs of wings take off into the sky. Strong and self-assured.

Baila is mesmerized of Velaris' aerial view. Her fingers traced over the lines of rivers and peaks of buildings. Velaris' inhabitants liked to call her the Princess of Stars.

Dagen and Rian dart around each other in a playful chase, uncaring of the destination.

After a while, the six of them find a place to perch and rest. Each triplet finds a comfortable spot to catch their breath on the lap of their fathers. Baila cuddles up with Azriel, who gently places a kiss on the crown of her dark head. "Are your wings tired, princess?"

"A little." Her small mouth opens into an 'o' shape as Baila releases a yawn.

"Papa," Dagen tugs on Rhysand's shirt. The fluffy whisps of dark shadows that cling to his wings tickle the underside of Rhys' chin. "Why do we always have those scary dreams about you?"

Simpering behind Cassian's chest, Rian nods in agreement. "I don't like them."

Rhysand purses his lips. He didn't have the heart to tell his children that those dreams were perhaps premonitions of what would happen to the high lord in the future. It may not be true, but the nature and frequency of the dreams plaguing his children couldn't be ignored. Glancing at his brothers for help, Cassian offers him a sympathetic shrug.

His silence is enough to scare Rian as the young fae stares at his father. "If we keep having them. . . will they come true?"

"You mustn't think those things," Azriel whispers, finding himself the only one of the three males who could respond. "They are just dreams." His words felt dead and heavy on his tongue, though. He shared the same sentiment with Rhysand. None of this was a coincidence.

Rhysand holds Dagen closer to himself in a protective grip and lets out a low hum that settles down his children. "When you're scared and you don't know where I am, you must remember, no matter what happens to me, I will never be far away from my special little starlings. The three of you will always be protected. Papa Cass, Papa Az, Mama, and so many others will lay their life on the line to ensure your safety."

"Always." Cassian murmurs, his lips pressing to the back of Rian's head.

The stars above heard this promise and took it as a vow. For it would be put to the test in the very near future.

[channelsurfinng]

⋆ ★ 𝗂 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌.. ★⋆

𝖻𝖺𝖻𝗒 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗅𝖾𝗍 𝗀𝗈... 𝖻𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝗎𝗍 𝖾𝗆 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄, 𝖿𝖺𝗌𝗍!

𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 ✧ 𝗑𝗂𝗅𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗇, 𝗆𝗎𝖺𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗂, 𝗇𝖺𝗏𝗂𝖺, 𝗅𝗒𝗇𝖾𝗒

𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗎𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝗁𝗒𝗌𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅 𝗍𝗈𝗎𝖼𝗁. 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗀𝗈 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗂𝗍!!

𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌, 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝗉𝖺𝗋𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗌 𝖻𝖼 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗌𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗍 𝗈𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗈𝗈 𝗆𝗎𝖼𝗁 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝖾 𝗂 𝖿𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝗅𝗈𝗅. 𝖻𝗎𝗍𝗍𝗍𝗍𝗍𝗍 𝗂 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗎 𝗀𝗎𝗒𝗌 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗅𝗈𝗅 𝗂 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗆𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 2 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗈𝗇 :)

𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 ✧ 𝗇𝗈𝗇𝖾! 𝗉𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿

𝗑𝗈𝗑𝗈, 𝗅𝗂𝗅 ୨୧

xilonen would much rather sleep the day away holding you than she would anything else, which is why her love language is physical touch.

xilonen heard her name being called from the bottom of the tree. she found she couldn't doze off by herself anymore, which made her a little upset trying to fall asleep under the warm gaze of the sunlight.

"xilonen, are you up there?" ah, it was your voice. she peaked her head over the tree before gesturing for you to climb up.

you settled into your spot next to her in the tree once you made it up safely. ever since you two started to date, she found a different tree with a wider base so you could accompany her in her naps.

"i was wondering when you'd come. i couldn't fall asleep," she chuckled, grasping onto your waist as soon as you settled in. "which is weird, because normally i can sleep the day away."

now it was your turn to laugh. "maybe you just can't sleep without me here anymore."

she sighed, nuzzling her face into your shoulder and closing her eyes. "archons, maybe not."

she moved you around, eventually finding a good spot for you on the base of the tree, her head on your chest, laying almost right on top of you. you stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head occasionally as her grip around your back only got tighter.

"you're eager today, xilo'," you smiled, taking her braid into your hands and smoothing over it.

"guess i am," she mumbled into your chest, her eyes closed once again. "but i'd rather be here with you than doing anything else. those forgery projects can wait until you have to go."

you nodded, moving to scratch her scalp. that went on for a few more minutes before she eventually fell asleep, her breathing evening out into soft snores occasionally.

"goodnight, xilonen, even though it's just the afternoon."

mualani always has to end and start every day with a hug and a kiss. or, when she randomly spots you in the middle of the day. that works too.

you weren't really expecting to see mualani until later during dinner time.

she was out fishing with kinich and kachina. oh, and we can't forget ajaw. it wasn't a trio, silly you, it was a quartet.

you walked up to them, kinich being the first to notice you. mualani seemed very wrapped up in whatever bait she had caught, yelling to kachina to grab the bucket to put the fish she caught in. you greeted kinich, asking him how his day was before mualani finally noticed your presence.

"y/n!" she shouted before leaping into your arms, wrapping her legs around your waist and hugging you tight. she didn't seem like she intended on letting go, so you staying standing there for a little while before she jumped off and motioned for you to sit in the sand, watching kachina fish and ajaw get pissed off about "not receiving a turn" or whatever.

mualani got comfortable, laying her head on your thighs as you leaned against a bigger rock on the sand. she held your hand in hers, talking about all the fish she caught and what dinner was going to be tonight. you nodded along, congratulating her on her first time fishing (hard to believe, but she was persistent on making you believe it).

she eventually stopped talking, simply watching kachina reel in bait of her own (with the help of kinich, because kachina got a little nervous with the fish flinging around on the line). mualani laughed and buried her head deeper into your lap, your legs covering her ears. she took both of your hands and kissed them before holding them close to her face.

you decided to stay like that for the time being, watching her doze off. her nap started with a simple "i love you" mumbled between breaths. you smiled, whispering an i love you back before closing your eyes against the rocks.

navia, in her opinion, thinks physical affection is the best thing in the whole world when she gets home after a long day of helping people throughout fontaine.

you were laying down on the couch, waiting for your girlfriend to get home. huh, she's never this late. it's almost 8:00 at night and usually she gets home about a half an hour beforehand.

all of the sudden, somebody runs through the door, panting and laughing. you suddenly sit up, scared by the commotion that broke the silence, seeing navia, leaning against the kitchen countertops.

"navia????" you're almost in a state of disbelief when she starts laughing again, wondering where the hell this woman has been to elicit this kind of behavior.

"yeah???" she keeps laughing before coming around the couch, collapsing against your body. she makes herself comfortable on top of your figure, wrapping her arms around your neck and giving you little kisses along your cheek and jawline.

"what happened??? you look so disheveled and with the way you ran into the house just a moment ago???" you were still so confused, but she simply giggled before patting your shoulder.

"that's a story for tomorrow. i'm tired, can we just go to sleep?" she sighs, yawning before putting her face into your neck again. you nodded before looking down at her.

"then why don't we relocate to the bed-" "no. here's fine!!!" she sighed into your shoulder, moving one of your hands to the top of her head while the other stayed resting against her back. you took this as a silent asking to scratch her scalp.

you laughed a little, massaging her head until she fell asleep. you basked in the silence, waiting until she's steadily breathing indicating she's asleep before hugging her closer, whispering a final "i love you" before dozing off yourself.

lyney thinks that he performs better with a long, comforting hug and a kiss before his shows.

as soon as he got news that every prop had been checked and the show was all prepared, he went to go find you. he had an hour before the show, so he chose to spend it lounging with you.

he found you in one of the dressing rooms, lounging around on the couch. he immediately joined you, giving you a hug, silently hoping you'd reciprocate. and when you did, he melted.

he stayed like that with you for about 45 minutes more. laying his head on your shoulder, watching whatever show you have on your phone with you. that was, until lynette came in to warn him he had 15 minutes left until he was to be onstage.

you both got up, lyney leading you to behind the curtain for your little talk of encouragement.

"okay, lyney, you got this, like always," you smiled, taking his face in both of your palms. you could hear the crowd talking to one another, waiting patiently for the twins to come onstage. "go out there and wow them."

you brought him in a hug, holding him tight for around 5 minutes before lynette gave him a cue to head out. you kissed his lips for a moment before letting him go and giving him a little wave, standing by the curtain to watch him introduce his show.

without that hug, he thought, his show would go a lot worse. thank the hydro archon herself, he thinks, for blessing him with you.

[beddybites]

The horrors have returned D: I hope you get better soon!

Anyway if you're up to it I'd love to hear about the pint sized pillars "kid modes" that they have. It's so cute :( I just want them to have happy childhoods

hi anon! im so sorry i took so long to respond to this ask— this ended up in my drafts with how often i was going back to edit it haha ;u; i had to brainstorm a bit!

in order of eldest to youngest—

gyomei

sweetest soft spoken sensitive teenager ever

he really doesn’t change all that much— he’s definitely less “leadery” and “old” though. he acts like any other kid

very gentle and humble. he gets easily flustered

amane gave him a kiss on the head and gyomei had to excuse himself

sanemi and tengen found him knelt down and trying to hold back tears. he was not expecting such affection since he’s used to always being the caretaker

one day he was deep in kid mode while everyone else was fine. and him being so naturally kind and loving caused several of them to drop down with him

tengen

he’s 10x more silly and playful

however it’s also obvious he has some self confidence issues

tengen doesn’t go kid mode a lot but when he does he gets really embarrassed and upset about being seen like that

he’s like those disney channel cartoons where the little kid thinks someone is really beautiful so he constantly gives them flowers and gifts. thats him with suma, makio, and hinatsuru

“honey you don’t need to do that… we’re all married to you in the future!”

“WE’RE MARRIED?”

when tengen recovers from kid mode he is as red as a tomato while his wives fawn over him and reassure him its okay

kid mode tengen loves playing with the little ones, and rough-housing with sanemi and rengoku

giyuu

ohhhhh he’s a happy little thing. it freaks everyone out at first

very friendly and compassionate, though he mostly keeps to himself

kid mode giyuu is a little more talkative, but only after he comes out of his shell

usually it’s one of the older boys or shinobu who can get him to engage with everyone

if one of the other kids struggles he will awkwardly shuffle over and give them a hug

kid mode giyuu is fairly close with rengoku, kid mode or not

he also really likes being around sanemi and obanai, since they are his age

if all three of them , or if just sanemi and obanai , are in kid mode, they’re a trio of best friends

sanemi

he is so god damn helpful

sanemi is pretty sweet and smiley, and he always leaps at the opportunity to help one of the other kids

kid mode sanemi tends to constantly wander up to kagaya (or whoever is babysitting) and ask what he can do

but every time they just reassure him its ok, and he should go be a kid and play with the other ones

he’s disappointed but then he gets really excited when tengen and rengoku invite him to play and he’s the happiest little thing

kid mode sanemi likes hanging out with the big kids, especially tengen. tengen (and kid mode tengen) think its sweet, and make a point of including him whenever they can

he’s weirded out by genya being older and taller than him but genya makes up for it via piggy back rides

obanai

shy and jittery little thing. he doesn’t drop his guard until a bit into the transformation, even in kid mode

usually the telltale sign of obanai being in kid mode is how small he looks. he curls in on himself and his eyebrows furrow with anxiety

he’s also way more flustered around mitsuri. he has a big crush on her. kid mode mitsuri and mitsuri both find it adorable— though she doesn’t recognize the “crush” aspect. mitsuri just finds obanai very sweet and open

he is also really sensitive. you break a rule in a game? he’s upset. you take someone’s spot? he’s upset. you try to steal food from mitsuri? run

he always needs to be warm … if obanai is the only one in kid mode, you better believe everyone is offering him a warm hug or snuggles

obanai has a hard time choosing who to go to, so then half of them/all of them have a group hug

he whispers a lot. it can be hard to hear him sometimes

when he wants something, he frames it as “kaburamaru wants x” or “kaburamaru says y”

rengoku

think regular rengoku but now a literal child

honestly people cannot tell when he’s in kid mode or not. rengoku is sweet and chaotic no matter what

though kid mode rengoku tends to address everyone in a very polite manner. he calls gyomei “mr. himejima,” despite gyomei telling him he didn’t have to

he does get a little sad when people mention his dad. he will straight up start crying his heart out if he’s reminded of his mom in any way

kid mode rengoku tries to be a big brother to senjuro, and senjuro plays along, but then it cuts to rengoku being fast asleep and senjuro tucking him in, or senjuro having to help his brother get ready for bed

rengoku talks about senjuro whenever he can, kid mode especially. he has no filter at all

he would be a leash kid purely because he has a habit of forgetting small things and getting distracted and wandering off because he saw a cool butterfly and wanted to tell senjuro about it

mitsuri

similar to rengoku she doesn’t change all that much, but she’s even sweeter and more emotional than before

and like rengoku she’s more polite, though she doesn’t really have any problem asking for things or communicating her needs

kid mode mitsuri wanted to rough house too, but the older boys thought she would get hurt. she proceeded to lift sanemi up and hold him above her head

since then she has been invited to play with them every single session

she thinks obanai is super cute and is less filtered about it. same with muichiro, though mitsuri will just walk over and pinch his cheeks or scoop him up into a hug

when they play house, mitsuri is always the mama, and muichiro is always her baby

she and shinobu regularly team up to do the boy’s hair and makeup

shinobu

mischievous little beast

scary smart, but way more obvious about it

this four year old will casually list all the elements on the periodic table then pretend nothing happened , as to intimidate the others

everyone fears her

LOTS of batting her eyelashes and an extended “pleeeeaaaaassssseeee”

she has her rage and can be a grumpy kid. she’s usually well behaved, but if she didn’t get a nap, or if she’s hungry, that’s when she gets more bristly and sensitive

shinobu tends to be more open too. there’s multiple instances where she started getting really sad out of nowhere, and when pulled aside by gyomei, she would start crying about how much she misses her big sister

she and kanao are still extremely close. kanao loves having a little sister, and does her hair and plays dress up with her

she still pesters giyuu. though when giyuu is also in kid mode, the two can usually be found giggling and chatting, and giyuu will give her piggy back rides and what not

muichiro

literally a one year old baby

the sweetest and happiest little baby. he is usually seen smiling and his giggles will fill up the room

he loves being around the others. he especially loves “play time” because he’ll crawl around on the ground and go right up to people

mostly gyomei. he mostly approaches gyomei

but as happy as he is, he cries pretty easily. can’t find his stuffed bunny? cries. cant fall asleep? cries

everyone spoils the hell out of him. they love when he goes baby mode. he is the cutest little thing

lots of idle babbles and muichiro making one-worded sentences that mostly consist of him saying someone’s name or pointing out something

amane and kagaya are extremely paternal to the point baby mode muichiro refers to them as his mama and papa

it breaks everyone’s heart

the baby always wants someone’s attention. even if its as simple as being in their arms. he especially loves being with gyomei

there have been several instances where he noticed obanai wasn’t eating, and would try to feed him his baby food so “obi” could get a full belly

tengen and sanemi started laughing and it resulted in the two getting a face full of mushed up veggies and rice

[mydearlybeloathed]

── 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑! 𝐈 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑!

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: your people have a legend: mermaids only ever fall in love once. you never put much thought into it, until you come across a band of human pirates.

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: romance dawn trio x mermaid!reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: sleep who's she? ~7k baby (1.7k intro, 1.4k luffy, 2k nami, 1.9k zoro)

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: my contribution to mermay... on the last day of may, it gets increasingly more unhinged, sanji kinda gets bullied, robin is carrying the last two relationships, my own made up mermaid courting rituals, biting, a bit of violence

𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: i had this playlist on repeat while writing 🙆

The last island had warned the waters to come were infested with dark creatures of slithering scales and tempting voices. Creatures that pull you in deep and leave you out to dry a corpse. Born from seafoam, storms, and desire. Mermaids.

“Mermaids?” Zoro drawled. 

“I met a mermaid once,” said Usopp, and everyone groaned unanimously. “She tried to take me down, but my charms were just too much, so she let me go.”

Everyone surely believed him, of course. 

And of course the motley crew ignored every reservation and warning and sailed headfirst into the treacherous sea. At first, nothing at all was out of the ordinary. The morning fog hung tentatively over the water splashing at the ship's hull as it powered through. Sure, the sun could’ve shined a bit brighter through the thick clouds, but it was a lovely day for adventure.

Nami stood at the helm keeping an eye on the horizon, relishing in the breeze hitting her face, when you heard an odd buzzing in her ear. She swiped at the air and rubbed her ear on her shoulder, but the sound only grew louder. Puffing her cheeks, she turned to ask Sanji to get her the bug spray, when she noticed he too was messing with his ears. 

She laid eyes on each of the crew scattered around the deck, enjoying the cool weather. Everyone shifted uncomfortably, faces screwing up as though in pain. 

“Do you guys hear that?” she asked needlessly, gathering their attention.

Zoro cupped his ears, nodding. “Yeah, it’s like…”

“Buzzing,” Luffy finished. He kept swatting at the air, searching out for some fly assaulting him.

“No, it’s… it’s singing.” Sanji faced the waters, the words of the village folk coming back to him as his eyes widened. He whipped back around to lock eyes with Nami just as she put everything together too.

She gasped. “Mermaids.”

The ship rocked and the weather shifted drastically in seconds. Already thick clouds doubled in number, drawing close and creating a swirling mass in the sky. Waves rumbled and rose to crash over the deck, sending the crew into hysteria to grab their bearings. 

And on top of it all, the most beautiful melody rose above the chaos, filtering into the ears of the crew and blocking all else out. Usopp’s hands slackened around the rope he held steady, eyes glazing over as he leaned toward the far off sound. Sanji’s eyes flickered up to the sky, roamed over the gray clouds, and fell to the waters below, his mind dizzied by the beauty and lithe of the voices. Zoro stumbled drunkenly over his own two feet, desire furling in the pit of his stomach, legs carrying him to the edge of the ship to catch a glimpse of the one singing to him. Luffy froze midclimb up to the crowsnest, head darting this way and that, mind clouded. Nami gritted her teeth, resolve formed to not give in to the angelic, mystifying, amazing song sung just for her—she left the helm unguarded, leaping to join her friends in calling out to the seas. 

The crew’s voices overlapped in thier pleading for the woman to come near, to give them all that the song promised. Their every dream would come true, if only the mermaid would help them into the water. The pod of mermaids encircled the ship, their harmonies intertwining in one mind. The ship might have kept on drifting, guided by rough waters manipulated by the mermaids’ hand, and crashed right into the reef and all the crew would be scooped up by the she-beasts, thrust into the deep to drown,

If not for one voice which rose above the rest in a demanding, desperate order: “STOP!”

Instantly, the clouds parted and sun bled through. The song fell through to indignant shrieks, splashes dying down to ripples as shiny tails descended into the blue. Nami blinked awake, feeling hungover and headached, looking blearily out on the water. Vision clearing, she caught a sight she would never forget; a woman lain on the far rocks, a single beam of sun illuminating the vibrant scales running along her skin till they met at a tail dipping into the water. 

The fact that their ship was headed right for those jagged rocks was an afterthought. She lurched back and sped into motion, barking out furious orders and smacking the men upside the head to push them into gear. Sanji stood frozen at the ship’s rail, gripping the wood in a vice, eyes glued to the creature. “Nami, it’s—”

“I know!” She gripped his shirt and whipped him around, slapping the side of his face a few times. “We’re going to crash!”

Sanji blinked, shook his head, and raced to grab a flinging rope, jumping high and tying in down in one swoop. Nami bolted to the steer, an eye out the window as she pulled with all her might to change their course. Usopp soon joined her, guiding the ship bit by bit to the left’s clear passage. She fell backward when Zoro’s shout reached them, “We’re clear!”

Risking a moment of peace, the navigator cupped her hands over her face, allowing her body to calm all its flighting-fighting instincts. The calm lasted for all of five seconds before the screaming began.

“Luffy! What—Why—What?!”

Nami sprang upright, locking eyes with Usopp, and the two sighed in unison before heading above deck. Whatever Nami expected, it wasn’t the terrified, shivering form of a mermaid baring her two fangs at a looming Luffy. The others stood a ways away, unsure what to do with themselves, but certain they didn’t want to get involved with this.

“Luffy!” Nami cried. “Did you drag her up here?”

Given the mermaid’s following hiss, Nami assumed that was the case. Luffy inched closer still, and the mermaid lost all her gusto, face falling as she scrambled away form him, dragging her tail behind her. 

The mermaid was beautiful; that was the common thread of thought. Her damp hair hung all around her face, nearly covering her deep eyes. Scales creeped up her torso and faded into skin around her chest. Her every movement was caught by the sun, her scales shimmering rainbow reflections into the air around her. 

“Stay back,” she hissed out, eyes narrowing upon Luffy. “Demon.”

Usopp scoffed, grabbing the mermaid’s sharp attention. “What, long-nose?”

Ruffling, chuckled awkwardly, he looked around at his friends for help, receiving nothing but raised brows. “I just mean—you’re the mermaid.”

The mermaid blinked slowly. She seemed to have forgotten the threat before her, all attention directed at a quivering Usopp. “I’m the demon? I’m the one who saved you. You think my people decided to let you live on their own?” She laughed, and the sound had a pretty ring to it. “No. I commanded them.”

Her eyes darted back to Luffy as he took to sitting criss-crossed in front of her. “I should have let you and this demon-child die on the rocks.”

It soon became obvious she knew Luffy ate a devil-fruit just by one look at him, and she was not happy about it. Luffy only tilted his head at her hostility, a little frown on his face. “Are all mermaids this rude?”

You balked, gaping before snapping your mouth shut, not dignifying him with a reply. Luffy persisted. “I like your tail. What do you mean you saved us? Why?”

Curling your tail closer to yourself, hands holding your upper body up, you glanced from the pirate captain to each of his crew. They didn’t look too threatening, but you’d learned long ago to never trust a human’s looks. Many a mermaid died on the grounds of humans looking nice. So Luffy’s question begged an answer. Why did you save them?

You shrugged a shoulder, eyes drifting out to sea. “My people need to eat.”

Usopp gulped. “We’re very gamy. You wouldn’t like us—”

“I wasn’t done speaking,” she quipped back, a brow raised. “Mers are carnivores by nature. Normally, we steer clear of humans.” You sneered at the word. “We find your kind to be a predator, and we’re a peaceful people.” The swordsman scoffed and rolled his eyes at that. 

“But times have changed. The fish have fled this sea.” You took a deep breath, shakily letting it out. “My people are starving, and they look to me as their princess for guidance.” Quickly clearing your throat to hide how the topic gloomed you, you snapped, “All that is to say that I strictly forbade the hunting of humans despite the starvation. They disobeyed me. That is why I helped you.”

You faced them all as your tail began to glimmer even brighter, slowly but surely parting down the middle. Your face contorted slightly as your scales seemed to mold into your skin, leaving you bear before the crew of pirates. You shivered in the breeze, raising your gaze once more. “Any other questions?”

There seemed to be none, silence running around the deck, and you prepared to jump back into the water before your parents sent the guard to find you, when the demon-child spoke up.

“Yeah,” Luffy nodded, face taken by seriousness. “How do we bring the fish back?”

You blinked once, then twice, and then a third time for good measure, but nothing in his expression betrayed hilarity. He wasn’t pulling your fin. The devil-fruit eater meant to help you. 

Demon. That’s what he was. You knew this fully well. It’s what your parents taught you from a young age. Devil-fruit eaters are the enemy of the sea, and thus the enemy of the mers. You’d followed this rule all your life… but then you looked at the one they called Luffy, you really looked at him right in his face… and none of that made any sense anymore.

Sure enough, Luffy led the charge against the oil corporation mining near your peoples’ home, threatening convincing them to move elsewhere. Within a few days of the miners’ departure, some mers managed to coax schools of fish back to their reefs. With the ecosystem and chain of life restored, the Straw Hat Pirates had no reason to stay.

And really, neither did you. What you did have, however, was a reason to go with the pirates. Adventure, the life you’d always dreamed of, away from the reef you’d felt tethered to for so long… and a certain member of the crew who had caught your rapt, undying attention.

There’s a legend that mermaids only fall in love once, never to find another who would fill the gap in their hearts. You would always call it foolish romance… but really, there might be something to it.

LUFFY

You were a goner the moment he offered to help you with those big, genuine eyes of his. As much as you tried to deny it—and you did try to deny it—you were falling in love with a human. A devil-fruit eater at that. What had you been reduced to?

And yet, there was no denying it. Especially not when you couldn’t bear to go an hour without laying eyes on him. Your mother said it was normal for mers to feel… possessive over the one who holds their affection, and that fact was not lost on you as you slithered through the water, approaching the pirate lazed out on the rocks he’d dragged you from about a week before.

Your eyes rose above the water first, little grin still below the surface. Luffy looked so relaxed, eyes on the clouds, every once in a while glancing at his crew on the anchored ship nearby. You braced your hands on the cool stone and launched yourself upward, fanged smile gleaming as water splashed Luffy’s legs. His laugh had you keening closer, dragging your tail along the rocks. Luffy grinned for all of two seconds before the seawater sunk in. Instantly drowsy, he tried to offer up another smile as you winced.

“Sorry,” you giggled. “I always forget.”

He laughed it off, already recovering as he shifted to face you. Luffy’s eyes followed your tail to where your fins dipped into the sea. “If only I could swim with you. Bet it’s fun.”

“If only.” You shared a smile for a little too long, but it never grew uncomfortable. Lingering in the moment, you gazed over at his ship, melancholy taking over as your smile faltered. “So… you’re leaving soon?”

“In the morning.” You clicked your tongue and tried your best to act nonchalant, failing miserably as you pursed your lips and combed through your hair.

“Why not tonight?” you offered with a tight grin. “You should get away as fast as possible. I don’t know how one becomes pirate king but it's not by sticking around a boring reef and its boring princess. Ha! I’ll even help bring your anchor up faster! Then you can be out by sundown.”

The silence crept up your spine, getting you all antsy as you lowered your gaze to the rippling waters. Shoulders tense, you could feel Luffy’s eyes on your profile as you picked at the algae along the rocks. He probably thought you were an idiot, rambling like that. And if so, that was fine. It would make him leaving so much easier. 

Luffy inched toward you and ducked to meet your gaze. “Come with us.”

“What!” You hit an octave the best soprano would envy, losing your grip and slipping right off the rock back into the water. Your hands grabbed at the slippery stone, panic all over your face before you plunged under the surface. 

You drifted under the waves, unmoving as the words replayed over and over in your head, leaving no room for misinterpretation. Glancing up at Luffy’s bright laughter, you caught sight of him peering down into the sea, his face muddled by reflections and ripples. He couldn’t be serious. He just couldn’t. 

Luffy grew nervous when you didn’t resurface, leaning over the water to catch a glimpse of your shimmery tail, when as quick as lightning you broke the surface and came nose to nose with him. Blinking wide, you breathed deeply, so close you felt his every exhale on your skin. “You mean it?”

“‘Course!” Luffy offered you his hand despite the fact he’d lose all his strength the moment he touched your sea-soaked skin. “Wanna join my crew?”

Yes. You wanted nothing more than to follow him to the end s of the earth and then some. Part of you had been hoping he would ask. The rest of you longed to take his hand and smother him in hugs till he pried you off him. But… the water swirled around your tail, threatening to carry you off in a current, and your lips quivered down. 

“I… I can’t!” you cried, dipping underwater before he could catch you, darting off into the blue. Panic bubbled in your chest, strangled gasps sending pops of air into the water around you. No matter what you wanted, you were bound to this reef. Your home, your kingdom… and above all that, to ever think of running off with a human was foolish beyond measure! So you wasted away all night long, lamenting around the sea, hiding above the coral and sands. 

Luffy watched the water all morning, trusting you would show despite your disappearance implying otherwise. Nami set a hand on his shoulder. “Luffy, she’s not coming.”

He had to hope. You wanted to go, he saw it in your eyes, and he wanted you to go too. Luffy didn’t think he could bear leaving without you, and he wasn’t exactly sure why. He knew from the moment he met you that he needed you on his crew—but why? He searched his head for an answer, coming up short. Giving the sea one last hopeful glance, Luffy sighed and gave Nami the go-ahead. 

The ship had barely sailed off when a shimmery, sparkling thing leaped out of the water, shouted his name, and plunged back into the blue. Luffy raced to the ship’s edge, a smile creeping up his face. You raked a trail of seaspray behind you as you darted just below the surface. Again, you propelled yourself out of the water. “Wait!”

Luffy threw his head back laughing, holding down his hat on his head. He shot Nami an I told you so look, to which she rolled her eyes and turned, lest he catch her pleased smirk. A round of chuckles ran amongst the crew as they slowed the ship’s leave, not that it mattered; Luffy was already slingshotting his rubber arms out at you, and the next time you appeared arcing through the air, your shout turned into a yelp as his arms wrapped around you and pulled you in. Another panicked shout of his name left you before you collided with the rubber man, the pair of you rolling to the deck.

You worried your tail crushed him, the hefty weight of it landing on his legs, but all reservations fizzled out the moment his arms wrapped you up in a warm embrace. Luffy’s head found your shoulder, your hands hooking around his shoulders. “I’m covered in seawater…”

“Don’ care,” Luffy muttered into your skin even as he weakened and sank into you. “I knew you’d come with us.”

“With you,” you corrected instinctively, pulling away to stare right into his eyes. “I’ll follow you anywhere.”

He giggled softly. Luffy’s arms unraveled as he opted to instead cup your shoulders. “Good.”

From then on, where one went, you’d soon find the other. Not only on your end; Luffy quickly grew so accustomed to your presence that he began to wait for you to start eating, much to the amazement of his friends (Zoro almost admitted he was jealous before he saw the hints of puppy love in his captain’s eyes, and decided to let it go for now). 

You still had some things to wear off before you fully let yourself admit you were falling for a human. Luffy seemed to be completely comfortable just going around holding your hand, swinging them between your bodies as your cheeks warmed. Luffy never strayed far from your side, comfortably resting an arm on your shoulder or some other contact. You never completely told him off for it, somewhat liking how his warmth contrasted with the cold of your sea-ridden body.  

Now, it’s a given that Luffy cannot swim. He ate a devil fruit—everyone knew this fact very well. But now Luffy had his mermaid with him! All his faith went into knowing you would always swim to his rescue should he need it, so what’s the harm if he got a little bit more reckless surrounding the sea?

(The harm is to your stress. By God, he would be the end of you one way or another).

The number of times one of the crew has called your name, given you this tired and sorry look, and pointed out to sea. Luffy was likely to be flapping about in the distance. The most recent occurrence, Sanji set a hand on your shoulder and went to let down a rope ladder. “I’ll help you back up, lovely.”

Outwardly, you might gripe about holding his hand and having to save his devil-fruit ass from drowning every other week—but inwardly? You’d turn hell over before you let Luffy die. So you held his hand tightly in yours, wearing a smile so small only Luffy’s keen eye could see. 

NAMI

Without really realizing it, Nami had fallen headfirst for your awkward, waterlogged, fishy kind of charm (and she wasn’t at all going to complain). She first started feeling it when the freshly victorious crew met your mer royalty parents at the surface, your tail mesmerizing as it dipped just into the water, your upper body propped up onto some scattered rocks. Your eyes filled with hope the longer you spoke to them in words too far to reach. Majestic. That’s the only word to describe you.

Well, majestic and graceless. That second descriptor was added when you rolled off the rocks into the water, beaming up at your parents before doing a figure eight around the sea and vaulting into the air. You flipped tail over head, cackling as you hit the water with a splash. A tiny laugh left Nami, eyes shining.

She was the first to help haul you up a rope ladder, hands clutching your damp arms. Nami met your smile steadfastly. “What’d you tell them?”

You giggled, cheeks warm at how you practically laid across her legs, the rest of the crew gathered around. “I just told ‘em I found something worth leaving for.”

(You’d told them you found a pretty human girl and had to leave with her or else you would probably die).

You promised to return for your birthright throne one day, though that promise hurt you. You had a duty to your people after all, no matter how pretty Nami was. But until then, you had today, and you would make the most of it. 

Love wasn’t enough of a word to describe what you felt looking at Nami, and obsession was a bit too extreme (though Usopp would teasingly disagree). You simply… couldn’t help but gravitate toward her any chance there was, ever in her orbit. Where Nami was, you were soon to be found. Nami never told you to screw off or give her space; on the contrary, when your shoulder brushed hers, she pressed into you fervently, skin to skin and warm.

It only took a month for you to throw all caution to the wind and do the only thing you knew—go forth with the mer courting rituals (you were hopelessly at a loss, only doing what you’d seen the older mers do to beckon the attention of their intended).

Nami, clueless, accepted each gift of dazzling seashells and shimmery pearls with alighted smiles, taking you in her arms even when you smelled of the kelp forest you’d swam through to find the treasures. She laughed off the bites you gave her wrists, arms, and sometimes shoulders, snickering about how it tickled. And she sat and listened to every song you sat her down to listen to, closing her eyes as the melody calmed her, never needing any actual enchantment to draw her in. 

In turn, you assumed her habir of buying you things was some sort of human ritual. Why else would Nami’s cheeks be so rosy as she handed you a luxury hairbrush you’d raved about seeing in a shop window? 

“Did you see this new pearl she brought me?” Nami leaned toward Robin giddily, rolling the pearl in her palms. Her lip between her teeth, she stifled a too bright smile. “I’ll have enough to make a bracelet if hse keeps this up.”

“Then I’d say you’ll soon have a bracelet,” Robin mused, turning a page in her book. Nami tilted her head, eyes narrowed.

“What’s so funny?”

Robin’s lips curled up into a grin, eyes darting up to meet Nami’s. She barely contained her mirth as she flipped the book around and handed it over. “Nami, she’s been courting you.”

Jaw slack, Nami poured over the open page, heart stuttering. She slapped a hand to her temple, huffing a laugh. “So by giving her gifts, I’ve been courting her back?”

Humming, Robin took her book and closed it gently. She turned to face Nami entirely, brows raised. “You don’t seem upset.”

“I’m not,” Nami quipped, cheeks warming instantly. Robin chuckled behind her hand. “I—I mean—Uhm…”

The older woman stood and set a hand on Nami’s shoulder. “I’d expect an invite to swim fairly soon.”

Sure enough, not a day later, you shyly slinked up to Nami as she headed to the galley for dinner. Your hand found her wrist, tugging her aside as Zoro and Robin passed by wearing matching grins. You stared at your feet uncharacteristically, shuffling back and forth. Nami felt hot all over. She reached out a lissome finger to wrap around your pinky, whispering, “What is it?”

Swallowing thickly, you huffed a confident breath and snapped your head up. “Would-you-go-on-a-swim-with-me-tomorrow?”

A little smile worked its way up Nami’s face. Your eyes squeezed shut the second you finished your sentence, wincing like she might lash out. “I’d like that.”

Your whole face lit up, eyes wide as saucers. “O-Okay. At sunset. We’ll be docked at that island by then, right?”

Nami nodded and pulled you into the galley. Right as she passed through the door, before she could catch the teasing glances of the others, she turned and mumbled, “It’s a date.”

Nobody questioned it when you hissed your fangs at poor Usopp, booting him out of his seat right next to Nami, and promptly plopped down next to the grinning navigator.

Sunset came to slowly, in your opinion. All day you’d been tripping over nothing, nervous hands making your awkward legs even more coltish than usual. Around evening, the ship tipped too far left far too quickly, sending you careening right into Nami. You dragged the both of you down to the deck, face hidden in your hands as she laughed brightly.

And finally, the sun descended across the sky, shooting oranges and yellows and pinks into the clouds. 

The wind kissed your face as you leaned against the ship’d railing, eyes darting back and forth over the rippled waters below. Fish flittered at the surface, bubbling her and there, muttering awful curses at each other. Nami sidled up beside you, eyeing your profile before gazing down. 

You snickered, drawing her attention. “Fish hear all sorts of swears and insults from the sailors. I wish you could understand them because I will never be caught translating that mess.”

Your laugh trickled off as you looked at her, eyes trailing up and down her form. She wore one of her bikini tops and a pair of shorts, nothing too special, but something flared up in your chest at the sight of her. Skin prickling, you whipped around and found Sanji not too far away. The cook took a drag of his cigarette, admiring eyes set on Nami. Your fangs peeked out of your lips, trilling a low hiss. Sanji choked and nearly dropped his cig into the sea, catching it betwixt his fingers at the last second.

Nami’s laughed gently, taking your arm and swinging one leg over the ailing, then the other. You gazed into her eyes deeply. “C’mon,” she smiled. “I thought we were swimming?”

With that, she jumped off the ship and plunged into the sea. You jerked forward, watching bubbles fizzle up from the deep before Nami’s head popped back into sight. She kicked into deeper water, calling for you. Taking a moment to sike yourself up, you stood precariously on the ship’s railing, preparing to make a graceful dive after her—when your foot slipped.

Yelping, you tottered offbalance and fell face first off the ship, just barely flipping around to land feet first in the water. The water fizzled and bubbled all around you, the usual sting of scales surfacing from the depths of your skin causing you to squirm slightly. Your senses enhanced instantly, so Nami’s rich, boisterous laughter flowed down from the air to the sea, embarrassment flooding your body. Slowly, you swam upward, water parting over your head and dripping donw your face. 

Eyes hooded, you came to face to face with Nami’s state of hilarity, clutching her sides as she struggled to remain above water. You waded toward her, hands finding her sides and giving her a break from kicking even as your eyes avoided her own. She hooked her finger under your chin, grin cheeky. “I thought it was cute.”

“Wasn’t meant to be,” you grunted. 

Nami rolled her eyes and kicked away form you. “I thought we were swimming?”

“Not here,” you said, coming back to your sense. You reached for her hand and led her along the coast. “This way.”

You placed her arms around your neck and sped through the water, taking the pair of you far from the prying eyes of the crew and nearby sailors. Nami tucked her face into the crook of your neck, chuckling as seaspray stung her skin. Your tail propelled you toward a secluded cove you once visited with your aunt’s migrant pod, and you reached your destination in no time at all.

Now, Nami had done her research. She knew what to expect… But then you actually started to swim, your tail not making the usual constant up an down movements. You took a deep breath, eyed her hopefully, and parted the water by arcing your arms outward. Using a single, powerful thrust of your tail, you glided through the water like a piercing arrow, rotating in a spiral corkscrew. You circled Nami, who treaded water with a confused furrow in her brow. 

She had been picturing the Dance of Sea Hearts all day, and yet she hadn’t come close. 

Taking a breath, Nami gulped some air and ducked under the surface, flinging open her eyes. The salty water stung her eyes but she remained wide eyed, gaze trailing after your lithe curves and spirals. She caught your eye and the whole world seemed shifted all at once.

Suddenly pickiing up speed, you swam on your side round and round Nami, creating a current that spun Nami in a circle. Cheeks puffed of air, she went up for another bout of air and sank back down in one fluid motion. It was odd sort of dance, your fins brushing her skin and your hands tangling in her hair, taking her hands and spinning Nami in circles till the girl’s lack of oxygen and dizziness created a euphoric lightedheadness. But she trusted you, so she rose up for air and descended under the waves once more. 

When you finally started to sing, Nami wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to return to the surface. You were one person yet your voice sounded like a choir, echoes forming under the water and overwhelming every living creature in the vicinity with the beauty of your vocalizations. She remembered when she heard your people singing her crew to thier watery depths… and this was nothing like that. Their voices beckoned her forth with promises of jewels and safety of wealth… but you didn’t promise anything other than the safety of your love. 

Nami’s lips returned to the surface, sucking in as much air as she could. As the water closed around the crown of her head once more, you floated right in front of her, careful to not allow any enchantment into your voice. You wanted to do this right, not the way your people usually took the hearts of humans. Lips parted, you strung out your song—the song your father sang to your mother, and her mother to her father, and his father to his partner, and so on. 

The dazed look in Nami’s eyes was nearly concerning, and you nearly feared you’d let slip some magic, when her hands cupped your cheeks and her forehead collided with yours. Bubbles flew form your mouth, song halted instantly. Nami gave you a tilted grin, picking up the melody where you’d dropped it, and you were putty in her hands. 

Deeper the pair of you sank into the waves, your arms enveloping her body and holding her close, your tail curling around her legs. Noses brushing, your voices twinned together as your smiles rose to greet each other. Nami tapped your arm rapidly, on the brink of suffocation, and you swiftly swam the both of you back to the surface. 

Gasping in air, Nami curled her arms round your neck, lungs no longer straining under the power of the sea. “Are we, like, mermaid married now?”

You laughed awkwardly, nosing her cheek. “Not exactly… Do you understand what I’m asking?”

“I do.”

“And?”

She pecked your lips. “I like you too.”

Though your heart threatened to sink, you accepted her kiss wholeheartedly, vowing to someday make her understand the depth of what you felt for her. The night grew long and full of laughter, splashing water hitting your faces as you committed a dance of your own making: having fun.

ZORO

Zoro knew the moment he laid eyes on you that you were dangerous. 

With sharp fangs, fins that flared when angry, and the most hypnotizing eyes that made him feel things when he looked in them—you were close to the myths he heard growing up on his home island. Except, unlike the myths, you were kind, and maybe that’s what made it worse.

Zoro also knew something else the moment he saw you jump in the way of a sword strike from an oil miner and proceeded to tear him to shreds. With a mumbled curse and flushed face, he felt a thump in his heart as you heaved, dark eyes taking him in like you intended to devour him whole. But then you smiled, corners of your mouth curling to reveal shiny teeth that should have been threatening, and all he could think was a very firm shit.

He wasn’t getting a crush on a mermaid. 

Yet, he found his eyes always drifting to you one way or another. And that voice—you swore you never used your enchantments on anyone, finding it unethical, but you had to be doing something to him. Each morning you went up to the crows nest and sang a song. Zoro was able to name every single one by now, but he’d rather die than admit it. 

(But you knew, having a keen eye to catch his eyes fluttering closed whilst you spun your melodies).

You composed yourself far better despite feeling a similar tug in his direction. You were a princess, after all—albeit a feral sea princess, but you held poise nonetheless. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that every time you laid eyes on Zoro you had this innate desire to bite him. Maybe then the cook would get the message and stop staring.

Either way, it was really only a matter of time before the culmination of looks, touches, and songs took its final toll on you both. 

You sat with Robin on the steps leading up to the helm, you head propped in your hands, eyes unabashedly laid upon the swordsman training on the deck below. Robin’s eyes drifted up from her journal, flicking between you and the source of your admination, before shaking her head. “You could talk to him, you know.”

Blinking, you glanced her way. “I do talk to him.”

“I mean,” Robin laughed. “Talk to him. About you and him.”

“Oh no, I can’t do that. It would complicate things.”

“And constantly undressing him with your eyes doesn’t?”

You cast her a little glare. “Don’t test me.”

Rolling her eyes, Robin shoved your shoulder, nearly sending you falling donw the stairs. “I’m sick of watching you two. It’s sickening. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you of your own romantic customs?”

Cheeks burning, you stammered over incoherent words and wobbled to your feet. Pausing to breathe, you peered over your shoulder, losing yourself for a moment as you caught sight of the grace with which he moved. He moved on from lifting weights, instead going over his katas and form with sword, the Wado Ichimonji. 

Robin’s chuckles brought you back to reality. Pouting, you gritted out, “Shut up.” You whirled around and meant to march right up to Zoro—what you were going to say was the issue of future you—but you walked head first into a broad chest and fell in a heap of limbs on the ground. 

Zoro’s eyes went wide, motionless as you glared up at him only for your eyes to soften instantly. Zoro huffed a laugh and reached out his hand. You eagerly accepted his help, jumping back to your feet and falling right into your habit of admiring every detail in his face. Your surprisingly strong grip remained on his wrist, your eyes darting between the flesh of his arm to his chesnut eyes. Zoro frowned deeply, confused, trying to tug his hand away and reeling at how strong your vice was. 

Blinking quickly out of your trance, you released him, stared blankly, and bolted below deck. Zoro watched carefully, having half a mind to call you back; he’d walked over to talk to you, after all. He liked talking to you (it was a shocking revelation he was still having trouble accepting).

Robin felt like an intruder on such moments, yet always found herself in the middle. She snapped shit her journal and Zoro’s head snapped in her direction, quickly darting his attention elsewhere. Robin let loose a sigh of exasperation. 

“Ridiculous.” Before Zoro could process whatever that meant, Robin was gone, leaving Zoro clutching his hand ot his chest and wondering why his skin crawled with the lingering sensation of your touch. He really couldn’t take much more of this. And neither could the crew.

“Every time they speak I feel like I’m walking in on a hook up,” Nami complained to Sanji. “They make asking about the weather feel sensual.”

Sanji chuckled to that. “Patience. Not everyone is as emotionally aware as you, darling.”

A week passed, and the usual brief glances and looks of longing exchanged readily. And then came the night of your watch. Everyone always knew when you had watch because you made it everyone else’s problem the whole day. Groaning and grunting, you lamented your lost sleep, and the others usually chuckled behind their hands whilst you sighed.

Usually, you spent your watch alone, charting the stars to pass the time and singing old sea shanties to keep yourself awake. But tonight was different; tonight, someone joined you.

Zoro’s footsteps thunked against the deck, startling you from your daydream. Shoulders dropping, you sent him a smile and went back to leaning against the mast. “Can’t sleep?”

“Nope,” Zoro sighed. He followed you gaze to the night sky. “Have they moved?”

“Have they—?” You paused to stare at him, mirth glittering in your eyes. “Have the stars moved?”

He flushed from his neck to his nose, only worsening at the sight of your blue-moon smile. “You know—are there new ones? Constellations. Don’t new ones appear when we’re in different areas?”

His frantic explanations only humored you more, dragging tiny chuckles out of you even as you nodded. “I know what you mean. Sorry for laughing… There are new ones. See there?” You sidled up to him and pointed to the left side of the sky. “There’s the South Mother. I could never see her back at my reef.”

Zoro’s brows met. “South Mother?”

“I think you call her Ursa Major,” you explained. “To us, she’s our ancestor, banished to the stars for loving a human.” Realizing how close you’d drawn to him, you glanced at Zoro before swiftly clearing your throat and stepping away. The tranquil quiet filled the space between you, before the stories of your childhood rose to the surface of your memory.

“My mother always told that story as a warning. Never deal with humans. They get you cast among the stars.” A tiny scoff left you, smile forming. “But my father? He told me South Mother was a revolutionary. Why shouldn’t she have loved a human? If she found one worth her time, then that’s her choice.”

You chanced a look at Zoro, locking eyes with him. You found it in yourself to not look away. “I always liked my father’s version better.”

Zoro nodded tentatively, unsure what to say if he should say anything at all. He settled for sitting against the mast, motioning for you to join him. You dropped down quickly, taking a spot on his right and resting you head against the wood. Minutes went by in blissful silence.

“Can I bite you?”

The question caught him off guard, Zoro lurching up to stare at you. His jaw agape, he found your expression to be one of utter seriousness, blinking at him expectantly. His swallowed thickly. “I—In what context?”

You shifted around to face him, waiting for him to do the same. “In the context that I want to bite you so no one else does.”

Reeling, Zoro managed a laugh, lips curling upward. “I don’t think you have to worry about anyone else biting me.”

“So you don’t want me to?”

“I didn’t say that.” Gods, what was he doing? He lowered his gaze, watching your hands fidget nervously with your boot laces. You were nervous… Glancing up, he saw that same nervous energy swarming your face. “Can I ask why you’re worried someone else will bite me?”

You thought back to your conversation with Robin, and her advice, and regretted ever bringing any of this up in the first place. It was all so stupid. You’d done so well of pushing all of this down… but he was waiting for an answer, and you’re quite certain you’d give Zoro anything he wanted.

“In my culture,” you started, “we bite those we… feel things for. It lets others know they’re talking with someone.”

Zoro understood what you actually wanted to say, no matter how hidden in your words it was. “And you want to talk with me?”

You wanted so much more than that. Honestly, you were clinging to your composure. He’s lucky you even asked first. “Yes. I do. And I don’t want you… talking to anyone else.”

Squinting at the space over Zoro’s shoulder, you awaited the blow of rejection. Surely, Zoro had other options. He was a warrior—strong, wise under all that moss on his head, and kind. Yet slowly, Zoro moved into your line of sight. His heart thundered around in his ribcage, his next sentence feeling silly, yet true. 

“Humans do something similar,” he offered. “You bite me… and I’ll bite you.”

You hadn’t expected to get this far. Nodding gently, you threw caution to the wind along with all the pretense. “All that is to say… I… Well, I understand the South Mother because I met you.”

Zoro’s gaze softened, his hands drawing you closer till his exhale fanned your face. You knelt before each other, a single question in his eyes, to which you nod and lean in if only to be near him. His hand cradled the back of your head, lips dancing across the skin of your neck, finding the spot that made you squirm and biting. Zoro had no fangs to sink into your flesh but it hardly made a difference; the mark was there, along with several others littered along your shoulder.

Letting out a shaky breath you gripped Zoro’s jaw before he could go any further and brought his face level with yours. Running your tongue over your two jutting fangs, you muttered, “Where?”

Zoro craned his neck to the side, his breathing heavy and pupils consuming his irises. You gently traced the line of his jaw, completely enamored, before latching onto the skin where his neck met his collarbone. Careful to not wound him, you bit down just enough to leave your mark. Zoro’s slight hiss had you soothing your tongue over the mark, remembering the feel of his lips on your skin, and copied his earlier ministrations. Zoro would deny it over and over, but he whined, and you would take that knowledge to your watery grave.

Come morning, imagine the crew’s surprise walking into the galley expecting the usual dance of awkward feelings, only to find the pair of you thick as thieves showing off the fresh territorial markings splayed across your necks. 

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭:

@100520s @murnsondock

[bitter-me]

The Never Ending Rain

Imbibitor Lunae . Dan Heng | M. Reader as Neuvilette [Genshin Impact]

----------

"It's raining... Why is it still raining..?"

----------

The day Imbibitor Lunae decided to do the unthinkable was a tragic one.. So many people have lost faith and trust.

But one thing stood out from the rest...

It's raining... How..? This is the first time the Luofu ever rained... Is it even possible? For the ship to rain like that...

The Vidyadhara was as clueless as them. They don't remember ever doing something that may cause rain to happen. Even the Divination Commission was confused. In the entirety of their lives, never had they thought they'll ever see rain as a thing they now should worry about. It was strange.. A phenomenon of great mystery..

And so, the Seat of Divine Foresight search day and night for any information that might tell them what's happening, was it a prophecy? An old legend?

That's when they found it, in an old scroll, they say...

The legend says that, a dragon of water once resided in Luofu. Though the Luofu doesn't know where the dragon went, every time they weep the skies will cloud up and pour out rain. And they say that if you want to go out while the skies are clouded, yell out toward the sky at the top of your lungs.

"Hydro dragon, Hydro dragon, don't cry!"

Soon this Hydro Dragon became a normal legend you'll hear everywhere on the Luofu, even visitors had become accustomed with the legend.

Some poets write about it, some storytellers make up some stories about the legend, and so on and so on. Some even made theories as to why the dragon cries on that specific day... The day that Imbibitor Lunae was banished...

Some of them made sense, while the others are just words being put together and hope something sticks.

.

.

Then... The Nameless arrived...

Kafka had informed them about the Stellaron but she never said anything about the rain.. At first they thought that it was the Stellaron's doing until Miss Tingyun told them about the legend.

Never have they thought such a legend exists but here it is, the cloud up skies and the pouring rain.

March was more than excited when she found out about the legend, yelling out those words in the efforts that the dragon heard it and stopped crying. She expresses her sympathy to the dragon, talking to Mr. Yang and Stelle of how sad it is and start to make her own theories as to why the dragon is crying.

.

.

But on Dan Heng's side...

He was immediately met by rain the moment he steps on the Luofu, he knows full well why that is, his chest hurts at the thought of it before mumbling out an apology and heading out to wherever the trio is at.

During the course of his journey, Luocha and Sushang talk regarding the seemingly endless rain. Some say that it hasn't stopped raining since a specific day, sure there are some days where the skies are clear but that's only for a moment as rain pours out once again. As if the pain and suffering the dragon felt won't go away no matter how hard they try to forget about it.

This got Dan Heng thinking...

It hasn't stopped raining since back then..? This only adds up to his guilt.

To think that... That man cried that much... For a man that was banished...

He can't help but feel guilty because of it.

.

.

While the trio's journey continues, they soon meet the Chief Justice, [Name] [L.Name].

The man could be seen as aloof, distant, maybe even cold as his expression never changes from a neutral one. But despite that he's quite kind to people. As March would put it "Nicer Dan Heng."

They were surprised when the Judge leap from his seat and took care of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus that invaded the courtroom, they never thought the ever so calm Judge could fight.

As time went on, [Name] insisted on going with them with the excuse that they needed all hands on deck with this crisis. Which isn't wrong.. So they let him. Then... They finally arrived at Scalegorge Waterscape... The flash of hurt and recognition on [Name]'s eyes as he saw the very person that had abandoned him...

As if clockwork, the skies began to cloud up once more.

"It's going to rain again." Stelle says as she looks up to the cloud sky. "Yeah you're right, and here I thought the sky's going to be clear a lot longer. Hydro dragon, Hydro dragon, don't cry!" March yelled out, looking at the sky with hope in her eyes, she actually likes that phrase because it sounded like she was comforting someone.

"Miss March I would appreciate it if you focus on our main objective here, I believe the Stellaron is a much bigger threat than the Hydro dragon." Jing Yuan spoke up, reminding them of their current objective.

"Not to mention it's just a legend, I don't think the skies will clear up just because you say that." Fu Xuan added.

Dan Heng only stays silent before approaching [Name] with a heavy heart. He knew what caused the rain.. Or rather... He knew who the Hydro dragon is...

[Name] is standing far away from the group as if he's collecting his thoughts, this doesn't surprise the group as the man would usually be like that. Like March says, a "Nicer Dan Heng." With hesitation, Dan Heng wrapped his arms on the dragon's waist as he hugged him from behind, burying his face on the taller man's back and mumbled out. "Hydro dragon, Hydro dragon, don't cry."

This caught the Judge off guard, did he hear that right? Did Dan Feng—No... Dan Heng just said that to him? As if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders and maybe his heart...

The skies cleared up.

"See! Did you guys see that!" March pointed out with excitement, her words have reached the dragon!

The group looked up at the clear sky with wide eyes, the sky had cleared up... So the legend is real..? People from the Cloud Knights usually think that the legend is just that.. A legend... But to see it for themselves as the skies cleared up once March said those words...

...Unknown to them it was Dan Heng who had comforted the dragon.

[Name] placed his glove hand on top of Dan Heng's before mumbling a small "thank you." But what was it for? Thank you for comforting him? Or was it a thank you for coming back?

Only [Name] knows.

He then patted his hand as if silently telling him to let go, Jing Yuan's right they have more important matters to attend to and Phantylia needs to be stop. Dan Heng reluctantly let go as he took a few steps back. He needs to separate the sea to get to Scalegorge Waterscape.

As Dan Heng gets ready, he tries to use his powers. Only for it to falter as if he's missing something.

Dan Heng tries again. "Hearken, as arbor revives and foe nears, we call forth the mighty waters of ancient sea, to flood abodes of heaven and quell roots of evil. We etch this in stone for all to heed."

It didn't work.

He tries to remember what he was missing he had said the incantation perfectly, and his power is completely at its peak... so what is he missing..?

He tries again, with his hand reach out he say the incantation one more time. "Hearken, as-"

Dan Heng stopped himself once he heard [Name] saying the incantation with him, he turn his head to the side and saw the other man standing next to him with his right hand stretched out, [Name] looks at Dan Heng and gave him a small nod before looking straight ahead. Giving a small nod in return, Dan Heng looks back at the ancient sea.

"Hearken, as arbor revives and foe nears, we call forth the mighty waters of ancient sea, to flood abodes of heaven and quell roots of evil. We etch this in stone for all to heed."

And just like that... the ancient sea separates...

The group was taken aback by this sudden revelation. Dan Heng wasn't able to do it on his own... and needed [Name] to do it with him...

But that can't be... a normal man can't just separate an ancient sea...

Unless...

"Your Honor... are you...?" Jing Yuan spoke up as he looks at [Name] in disbelief. The said man only sigh before giving him a firm nod. Jing Yuan smiles at the answer he was given, a confirmation.

[Name] [L. Name], the Chief Justice of the Luofu... a Judge in a courtroom... is the Hydro dragon.

[deadghosy]

🌊⛰️🔥🌪️

MODERN! READER WITH GAANG

𖤓PROMPT: you fell inside your comfort show.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩it was during book 2, you were happy to see toph show her father that she can take care of herself. You had wished to see it in person. And booom! You were suddenly in the show where you can see Aang get busted free from the metal cage.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩after the whole fight scene, toph noticed you and pointed you out. You knew there was no chance in running, so you outed yourself out. By calmly saying you are from another world. As much as you sounded crazy, they laughed while Toph knew you weren’t lying by your heart rate. You showed them your phone and that’s when the main Trio stops laughing and got curious

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩Sokka most definitely will ask if the ladies back in your time era are attractive, you said yes and this boy was asking to see what they look like on your phone 😭

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩and that’s how you got into the gaang. You were the therapist of the group, always listening to their troubles and helping them with all the knowledge you knew about their characters.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩katara always likes to rant about her day to you, and you don’t mind which makes her feels comfortable around her. Book 1 katara was very open on making friends. Book 2, I’ll say the same. If you had meet book 3 katara, YOU BETTER HAD PRAY FOR MERCY LMAO.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩aang likes to play with you with his airbending, and you enjoy the hell out of it. Literally you would smile with the brightest smile, and Aang smiles with you along. Just two sunshines having fun.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩toph likes how you taught her swear words. You and toph curse like sailors😈 lmao. Aang accidentally got influenced and that make katara step in and shut shit down 😭😭.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩you love appa and momo! These furry cuties love you too as appa always licks your face when you show up. Momo sometimes leaps on your shoulders, maybe even trying to share a fruit with you.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩Aang steals your big shirts, and you would try to match with him which makes him even like you more as a friend. You turn into his best friend right there and now.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩with you being a non-bender..protectiveness is to the roof! Literally even if you can fight. There’s still bending that can take you down without a single thought. The people who at your body guards are Aang, toph, Katara, and Zuko. The four powerful benders. But the ones who stick the most are Zuko and toph. Toph because she likes how fierce your personality is. Zuko, Zuko is just himself. Plus he needs more friends.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩Zuko awkwardly ask you a lot of questions from your generation. Like a lot to the point you grabbed his lips shut. That’s when Zuko knew, you weren’t playing games.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩headcannon on zuko and you just being awkward teens not knowing how to start the conversation so all he starts off is, “so, is war a thing in your world?” The way you gave him a wild side glance.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩I can see you making the gaang learn slangs LMAO. You made katara understand the wordings of “What you being messy for?” And she started to use on toph and Sokka 😭😭 you’d probably give Aang a short ass but wholesome slang.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩if you had curly hair, and not some katara curly hair iykwim. I mean like 4c ass hair that I possibly have 😭. I can see katara just amazed and ask in g to comb it which you quickly say no to. Toph, just stands there but probably does touch it when bored. People who ask to touch it is suki, Zuko, and Aang. Those three are people who I can see ask before doing it. Sokka will ask, but will touch it as it ask after 🧍🏾

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩big headcannon Sokka training you on sword fighting, but then Zuko comes in because Sokka is apparently “showing” you the wrong way lol.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩suki most definitely would love to teach you her ways of fighting. Plus chi blocking. Once you mastered it, she would take it up a notch and have you spar with her. In honor of her teaching, you agree. You had the upper hand until she practically cheated by distracting you. Making you lose your focus, she nailed you down. But in all warfare, it was full of laughter and friendship.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩imainge you showing them that “car” comercial..(of course toph can’t see it lmao) 😭 ZUKO PROBABLY BURNT YOUR PHONE 😨 ALL BECAUSE HE GOT SCARED

[meangirls-imagines]

Leap of Faith

Description: Part 2 to "Best Friends?" The roommates call an audible when they see how much the aftermath of the Incident™️ is affecting both girls. Help comes in the form of the Murray family.

WARNINGS: buckle up, this is a 2.4k word RIDE, realizations of love, reader being sad, sports injury (reader breaks her ankle), first kisses.

a month.

that's how long it had been since what leighton had deemed "d-day".

this was the longest she had ever gone without talking to y/n and leighton was hurting. she broke things off with alicia after the incident happened. it wasn't pretty. 

hurtful things were said, alicia flipped a coffee table and had to be escorted out of the dorm building by jackson, who kimberly luckily had at the ready when things turned south.

her roommates could see this was taking a toll on the blonde, the trio trying their best to keep leighton's spirits up. whitney was really the only one who got to see how it was affecting both girls. 

y/n, in whitney's opinion, was doing worse than leighton was. whitney rarely saw the girl outside of practice and the one class they had together. she had heard through the grapevine that y/n hadn't slept in days, maybe weeks. all she had been doing was going to class, practice and the gym.

had she tried to talk to y/n? yes. but to no avail. the girl had brushed her off every single attempt. whitney had no idea what to do. she talked to bela and kimberly and they formed a plan.

they were going to get the girls together.

leighton was pleasantly surprised when she saw her dad and nico sitting outside her dorm on a bench, seemingly waiting for her. she walked up to them and immediately was pulled into a hug by nico.

"leighton! there's my beautiful sister." the blonde was confused but hugged her brother back. once he released her, her dad pulled her into his arms. "hi guys. not that i'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" the two shared a secret look with each other. "we wanted to visit and say hi. your mom is here too, but she went to talk to the kappa president about something."

the blonde looked suspicious but shrugged it off. the two men kept talking as they guided leighton to their suv that was parked near by, planning on taking her to lunch. the blonde allowed them to, finally relaxing for the first time in weeks. 

y/n shot another ball into the back of the net at full force. practice had ended over an hour ago and she was still kicking penalty shots, trying to get her frustration out. her body was exhausted and threatened to shut down at any moment, but y/n stayed fueled with energy drinks. she had jogged after the ball she had been practicing with when a voice yelled out.

"i knew you'd be here." 

y/n froze. she hadn't heard that voice in a while. she slowly turned to see a woman taking off a pair of designer sunglasses, staring into y/n's soul.

there she stood, in all her glory. mimi murray. y/n audibly gulped at the woman staring at her. she slowly walked towards the woman, kinda like a scared puppy. the woman looked at y/n and cupped her cheeks. "have you been sleeping? eating?" y/n opened her mouth to answer when mimi put her hand up to stop her. 

"no. you don't need to answer, i already know. grab your stuff. we have plans." y/n nodded and quickly grabbed her stuff, not wanting to disappoint the woman more than she probably had.

with leighton, nico, and henry, the trio were out eating at an italian restaurant half an hour away from campus. the two men noticed how quiet leighton had gotten, asking her if everything was okay. she spilled everything to them, the men looking at her sadly. "leighton, i'm gonna be honest with you, i'm surprised it took you this long to catch on."

leighton looked at her dad surprised. "what do you mean?" her dad sighed. "i had a feeling a while ago that she had feelings for you. and then the feeling was confirmed last year. remember when that alex guy came to our house to ask you to prom?" leighton frowned. "yeah?"

y/n and leighton were hanging out in the living room of the murray household. since it was the spring, soccer season had taken over most of y/n's schedule, leaving her barely any room to hang out with the blonde. so, every rare weekend that y/n had off, she spent at leighton's house. 

as the two sat on the couch cuddling and watching a movie, the doorbell rang. thinking it was one of nico's friends, the girls ignored it. until leighton's dad came in. "hey leight, there's someone here for you." confused, the two girls got up, walking to the front door where alex hightower stood at leighton's door with a huge sign and a bag of leighton's favorite treats. the sign read "it would be a treat if you went to prom with me". y/n's heart dropped to her stomach as leighton smiled at the boy, accepting his invite. 

she was hoping to gather enough courage to ask leighton if she just wanted to go together as friends. she visibly deflated as leighton spoke excitedly with alex about prom plans. henry was standing off to the side watching it all unfold. he saw how y/n reacted to the proposal and his heart broke a little bit. 

alex eventually left as leighton dragged y/n up to her room to have the girl help her plan her dress. henry saw as y/n plastered on a fake smile and allowed the girl to drag her up the stairs. 

when he woke up the next morning, y/n had already left. a few weeks later, as leighton danced with her date and scanned the room looking for y/n, her heart breaking when she didn't see her anywhere. y/n sat at home alone, looking on instagram and seeing how happy leighton looked. in that moment, y/n made sure that leighton kept that happiness with her, no matter how much it hurt her.

leighton's heart broke at the revelation. she had no idea she was the reason y/n didn't go to prom. it broke even more when she thought of y/n wanting to ask her to prom. she definitely would've had the perfect prom with y/n. nico and henry looked at leighton. nico spoke up. "leighton, y/n has been in love with you since you guys met. she has dedicated this friendship to making you happy, even though it kills her. and i think you love her too."

leighton was crying at this point. henry scooting closer to her and pulling his daughter into his side. "leighton, honey. you wanna know what i think you should do?" the blonde sniffled and nodded. "take the leap. go after her. you two are made for each other. you need each other more than you know. take the first step and get your girl." leighton sniffled and nodded. 

they paid for lunch and headed back to campus. on the drive back, ideas ran through leighton's head on how she could take the leap. a light bulb went off in her head and she smiled. 

she knew exactly what to do.

with mimi and y/n, the older woman took the girl to the best spa in town. after she had received a mysterious phone call from leighton's roommate, she listened as the girl told her what happened between y/n and her daughter and how y/n wasn't taking care of herself. her protective mom side came out and she cancelled any meetings she had for the rest of the day and headed to essex. 

now, the two sat in the steam room together, fresh out of their swedish massage sessions. mimi decided to break the ice first. "so, what happened between you and leighton?" y/n froze again. "we had a fight last month. i haven't talked to her since." mimi nodded. "did this fight have to do with the fact that you're in love with my daughter?"

y/n's head whipped around to look at the older woman nervously. "w-what?" mimi looked at the girl smirking. "i know more than you think. i also know that my daughter is also in love with you." y/n's jaw dropped. "no she doesn't. she's dating someone else." mimi shook her head. "nope. she called me the night you guys had the fight and told me that she broke up with that anna girl." 

y/n chuckled. "you mean alicia?" mimi waved the girl off. "same thing. she told me that the breakup didn't go well with alicia." y/n's heart dropped to her stomach at the thought of what might've happened. she shook her head. "so what if she broke up with her? she's not in love with me." mimi sighed. "yes she is. don't you remember what happened a couple of years ago?"

leighton murray was NOT a school spirit person. 

except when it came to y/n. 

when it came to y/n, leighton and her parents would be in the front row of the stands. leighton would be draped in whatever jersey y/n wasn't wearing, her soccer letterman, and the blonde would even go the extra mile and paint her face in school colors. she loved watching y/n play soccer. especially when y/n got extra sweaty. (leighton would daydream about other instances where y/n would be sweaty but she would never admit that.) 

this certain game, spence was playing their cross town rivals, st. john academy. the game was intense, both teams receiving multiple cards before halftime. y/n was getting pushed around and tackled more than usual and every time she hit the ground, leighton would lose a little off her life.

it all culminated in the 40th minute of the game. y/n was sprinting down the field with the ball at her feet, no defenders in front of her, ready to put spence in the lead. a defender from st. john had caught up to her and slid into a dirty tackle. y/n was blindsided as the defender's cleat came in at full speed and force to y/n's ankle.

there was a pop, a scream, and a thud as y/n fell in a heap to the ground, not before bouncing her head off the field. leighton couldn't breathe. she squeezed nico's hand extremely tight as the boy tried to calm her down. the second the ref waved her hand for the medics, leighton was out of her seat, sprinting to the field. 

coach smith met her at the sideline and ran over to y/n with her. the girl was writhing in pain on the ground, tears streaming from her face. the medics began prepping her ankle to transport her to the hospital. leighton kneeled next to her head. "y/n. hey, you're gonna be okay. i promise." the blonde took y/n's hand, squeezing it gently to let her know she was there. y/n squeezed back as her head pounded and her ankle throbbed. 

the medics eventually moved her to the ambulance where leighton demanded to ride with them, texting her parents to meet them at the hospital.

leighton never left y/n's side during her recovery. so when senior year rolled around, leighton was where she always was, front row, letterman on, watching her best friend take the field for the last time in her high school career. 

y/n was pulled out of the vivid flashback by mimi. "i knew leighton was in love with you when that happened. she was glued to your side that whole year you recovered. she had multiple guys ask her out on dates and she always shot them down. she always drove you to physical therapy. i knew then that if leighton, who refused to go near one of us when we're sick, was doing all of this for you being hurt, she loved you." 

y/n's heart raced. maybe mimi was right. but, had she ruined it with the fight they had last month? mimi noticed the hesitation on her face and stood. y/n looked at her confused. "where are you going?" mimi turned and smiled at the girl. "i'm taking you back to campus to get your girl."

y/n walked back to her dorm, more relaxed than when she left that morning. maybe she would sleep on it and make a decision from there. she pulled her keys out to unlock the door, eagerly wanting to get into bed. when she opened the door, the sight before her took her breath away.

leighton had crafted a blanket fort in the common room of y/n's dorm, fairy lights and all. y/n could see that leighton had gotten her favorite takeout, including dessert, she had a bottle of wine (that she convinced her dad to buy), and her laptop had disney plus queued up with the movie they always watched together, cinderella.

y/n looked at the blonde, who stood nervously by the couch. she was wearing one of y/n's soccer hoodies and some sweatpants. y/n had never seen her look more beautiful than she did in that moment. leighton smiled shyly at her. "hi. i know you're probably still mad at me but i've missed you and i couldn't stay away from you any longer so i did all this so hopefully you would forgive me? it's totally cool if you don't-"

y/n strode across the room and pulled leighton into her arms. she was taller than the blonde so she buried her face in leighton's hair. the blonde relaxed into y/n's arms, tucking her face in the crook of her neck. "i missed you too bubbles." leighton smiled at the nickname. they pulled away from the hug as leighton looked up at y/n. 

in a last second idea, leighton leaned up and kissed y/n, catching the girl off guard. y/n quickly relaxed into the kiss, sparks flying behind her eyes. the two kissed for a few minutes and pulled away. 

"i love you. i think i always have but i was too scared to admit it. but i've always had this weird feeling when i'm with you. i can't explain it, but i know it's a good feeling. and it's a feeling i don't want to ever lose. i wanna be yours, y/n. forever, if you'll have me."

y/n smiled wide and pulled leighton in for another kiss, this one more passionate than the last. "you have no idea how long i've waited to hear those words, bubbles." leighton smiled at the girl. "well, buttercup, get ready to hear them forever." the two kissed again, their passion slowly bleeding into the night.

the couple could never figure out what came over leighton's family to show up that day. 

they would find out years later.

in a speech, surrounded by their friends and loved ones.

with matching rings on their left hands.

[honest-moth-of-silver-grove]

Tiefling Trio Love Language Headcanons (w/ GN! Reader): 

Fandom: Baldur’s Gate 3

Characters: Rolan; Dammon; Zevlor

Pairings: Rolan/GN!Reader; Dammon/GN!Reader; Zevlor/GN!Reader 

A/N: This wasn’t a request, but it’s something I wanted to write ever since @fanaticofmany popped up in my notifications. I swear, ever since I wrote my other tiefling pieces, they've been in my notifications reblogging them at least once a week! I’m so touched! And since I know what it is like to be starved for more content starring your favorite characters, I’ve decided to go ahead and write a little treat for all the Zevlor lovers, all the Rolan lovers, and all the Dammon lovers out there. (Especially fanatic.) 

I hope all of you enjoy it! 

➽ 𝓡𝓸𝓵𝓪𝓷 ➻ Words of Affirmation 

Rolan thrives in an efficient routine where he gets to order others around. He’s a natural leader, and he thrives on his hard work paying off. 

When he’s in love with someone, he tends to be resistant to the romance at first, before eventually succumbing to his undeniable attraction, and when he does, be forewarned, he tends to become engulfed in his passion for you. 

For Rolan, words have great power— and he doesn’t just mean that as a wizard— he means it as a lover. Cruel words were what drove him away from his blood relatives and into the arms of Cal and Lia. Persuasive words were what made him stay in the Emerald Grove and fight. Kind words… Well, they’re what made him fall all the more in love with you. 

To him, admitting how he feels outright is one of the bravest things he could ever do to express his love for you. He’s always been terrified— terrified of saying the wrong thing, of reciting the wrong spell— he just wants his words to reflect a perfectly disciplined mind. But romance is messy, so Rolan does his best to understand. 

He’ll give you compliments here and there— not factitiously either, he genuinely means all that he says to you. He’ll be upfront about his thoughts and feelings for you, verbalizing them as they come. 

It may not seem like a big deal to naturally affectionate people, but to Rolan, it’s one of the greatest leaps of faith he’s ever had to take. 

And he’s ever grateful that he gets to take such a leap with you. 

➽ 𝓓𝓪𝓶𝓶𝓸𝓷 ➻ Gift Giving 

Dammon is a very practical and detail-oriented person. He’s very meticulous in his work, and his relationships are no exception. 

When he’s in love with someone, he shows it by giving them one of the two most expensive things in his life: time, or forged goods. 

As a blacksmith, time is money for Dammon. If he doesn’t make swords and other items to sell, he doesn’t have any income. Because he’s working hard to make a living, and to build a nest egg he can safely rely on for his future life in the city, he’s seldom available for a spontaneous date night or snuggle session. 

However, because you are the most important thing in his life (along with his newfound freedom), he will set aside special time for the two of you. He plans your dates to a ‘T’. He wants every second to count because he knows how little of his attention he has after a long day of forging to give to you. 

Dammon will also give you beautifully detailed and very practical items that he’s forged. Sure, he’ll make you pendants or necklaces or earrings if you’re so inclined, but Dammon likes things he makes to be useful in more than one way, so don’t be surprised if the gorgeous comb he gives you has a hidden blade inside!

In all honesty, Dammon would build you a replica of the moon if you asked. His hands may be scarred and rough, but he promises to treat you like the precious priceless gift you are. 

➽ 𝓩𝓮𝓿𝓵𝓸𝓻 ➻ Quality Time 

Zevlor has always been the responsible one— amongst his peers, amongst his colleagues, and his refugee people. He has always taken the weight of the world, the weight of doing ‘the right thing’ onto his shoulders, without ever being asked, and without a single word of complaint. 

When Zevlor is in love with someone, he finds himself initially inclined to lighten the load of that person, so to speak. Because he’s so used to suffering silently, he assumes his love must be suffering too. 

But what Zevlor doesn’t quite realize at first, is that this obsessive need to do for others isn’t what their partner chose him for. 

With his people and the city safe, Zevlor finally gets a chance to relax— to be the kind of man he never got the chance to be. Outside of his Oath, Zevlor may not be sure who he is. So he takes the time to explore, and try different things, experimenting in all the ways he can show his loved one that he loves them.

Zevlor finds his favorite way to show affection is by spending quality time with his loved one. He much prefers just being near you, in a peaceful environment, as opposed to any gesture or declaration he could give you. 

Letting someone in, and letting someone in when he’s chosen to be vulnerable, is the most intimate act, in Zevlor’s mind. He’s endured so much, and he’s kept up a strong front for so long, for so many. The fact that you want to see him happy, you want to see him relieved— it fills him with a joyful longing he thought he had lost long ago. 

The simple act of looking up across the kitchen table, his reading specs on the bridge of his nose as the two of you read your respective novels, it’s enough for a serene and comfortable warmth to fill his heart. 

Zevlor views every second spent with you as a gift— because to him, being near you, being able to reach over and grab your hand as he witnesses your joy and your wonder— is just like how the wildflowers grow towards the sun. 

A/N: @fanaticofmany — I hope you enjoyed it! And I wanted to say thanks again for reblogging my work. The reblogs mean so much to me, and I enjoy reading your tags every time! <3 

As always, for everyone who reads this, Likes & REBLOGS are most appreciated! 

Like My Work? Wanna Support Me? Buy Me A Coffee? <3 

[notapradagurl7]

Sick Day In.

Black! Fem Readr x Orlando Johnson from All American: Homecoming.

(a/n: he is so fine. I loved writing this one.😫❤️)

Taglist: @lavnderluv @harmshake @sageispunk @soft-persephone @megamindsecretlair @westside-rot @siqueth @liatreads @torsiar @mypointlessdays @justhornyyme @cristallizednmesmerized @satoruya @planetblaque @hoodbarbiesims @harlemheiress @glitterperms @amplifiedmoan @avoidthings @judymfmoody @life-in-the-slut-house @keyera-jackson @tryingtograspctrl @nzia-writes @multiversefanfics @thecookiebratz

Summary: You were feeling under the weather in your college dorm so your boyfriend Orlando visited your dorm and helped you get better.

——————

You lay slouching against the white bed sheets, cocooned in light green blankets. Your fingers plucked another dark green tissue from the bedside tan table, as you blew your nose with a sniffle. Sliding off the twin bed, you peeled back the covers, revealing white socks gliding over the grey carpet. Frustration set in you as you tossed yet another tissue into the overflowing mint green bin, rolling your brown eyes, and pursing your lips.

A quick hand wash in the compact bathroom, and you returned to your bed, surrounded by the eggshell white cinder block walls in the average-sized dorm room, The walls were adorned with your own artwork, and a cherished family photo. Just then, a few gentle knocks on the door pulled your attention.

"Who's there?" you asked, you weren’t in the mood for company right now.

You were an art major and college student at Bringston University, an HBCU in Atlanta.

You were dedicated to your studies and held the position of club president in the art club.

Your strict academic schedule and demanding leadership role left you with little time to rest. Unfortunately, you fell ill and were forced to spend your summer cooped up alone in your dorm room, unable to enjoy the sunny Atlanta weather. Your hard work and dedication have taken a toll on your health.

You had been looking forward to the summer break to relax and recharge, but your plans were ruined by the cold. You missed your family and friends, who were all back home, and wished you could be there too.

Despite feeling sick, you had still managed to inform your boyfriend, Orlando about your not being able to make it for their date tonight. Although he empathized with your condition, he was still eager to spend some quality time with you. You appreciated your boyfriend's concern.

During your art class, the two college students crossed paths and soon became partners on a collaborative project. It was then that he witnessed your natural artistic talent, admiring every stroke and technique you used.

The two of you worked together, you found it endearing that he took such care in learning how to handle a paintbrush. Your partnership blossomed into a friendship, with you cheering him on at his baseball games and him buying your art supplies when you lost them.

Eventually, your friendship evolved into a romantic relationship and he proved to be an exceptional boyfriend. Attentive to every detail, he never missed a beat when it came to you.

You were grateful for Orlando's support and love and he was grateful for yours too, especially during times like this when you felt helpless and alone. You knew you could always count on him to lift your spirits and make you feel better.

In her comfortable attire, you sported a grey tee shirt that was matched with a pair of grey sweatpants that clung to your legs. You wore white tube socks on your feet, while your raven box braids, gently swayed in front of your face. Your hands were tucked away in your pockets, and the room was filled with the sweet aroma of vanilla, emanating from the trio of candles on your nightstand. The thin, white blinds allowed the gentle sunlight to peek through and shine upon your brown skin. Serene silence fills the room.

"It's Orlando." He said outside of your dorm room, made your heart leap with excitement. You practically skipped over to the door, your hand eagerly grasping the metal door handle.

You slowly swung the door open, your face broke into a smile at the sight of your boyfriend standing there. Without hesitation, you welcomed him inside your cozy dorm room, his hand holding a bag filled with everything you needed to combat the cold you had. Orlando holding a bouquet of red roses. You couldn't help but smile at the sweet gesture as you closed the door behind him.

"Hey, baby," Orlando greeted you with a gentle kiss on your forehead, "I brought you some soup, medicine, and your favorite snacks, your favorite movies. A bouquet of red roses to cheer you up."

"Orlando, Thank you. You're the best." Your eyes glinted with gratitude as you took the bag and bouquet from him, carefully placing it next to the nightstand while putting the flowers in the purple vase. He wrapped his arms around your waist, hugging her from behind. You felt your heart fill with affection for him as your cheeks grew hot.

"How are you feeling Y/N?" Orlando asked in a gentle tone, as he leaned in and rested his chin on your shoulder. His thumb gently rubbed over your stomach, hoping that his presence could bring some good to the summer that had been tough for you.

"Still pretty crappy, this cold won't go away but don't you have a baseball season this summer? I hope that I didn't get in the way of your games," you spoke in a gentle tone, shaking your head as you looked at him.

Orlando gently shook his head, his hands cupping your face as he turned around and

Faced you forward to meet your gaze. He locked eyes with you, his tender touch causing her chest to flutter with nerves. He didn't want you to think he didn't care about your well-being.

"I only care about being with you this summer. You've been overworking yourself and it pains me to see you like this. I'll skip another season." he mentioned softly, his thumb swiped over your cheek.

"Let me take care of you baby," Orlando said in a sultry voice, his gaze fixated on your. He nibbled on his lower lip, as if contemplating the next move.

Your heart raced as you soaked his words, understanding both senses but feeling unprepared for what he had planned. He leaned in for a kiss, but she quickly turned your head, redirecting his lips to your cheek. "I don't want you to get sick," you pouted.

"Let's wait until I get better." you added, you didn't want to risk his health for momentary pleasure.

Orlando let out a contented hum and turned his attention to your bottom lip. After a brief moment, he looked back into your eyes and uttered, "One of the many things I love about you." He then leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on your cheek.

You knew you were lucky to have someone like him in her life and so was he. The two of you sat on your bed, watching movies and enjoying the soup and snacks, you felt your cold slowly start to fade away. But more than that, you felt the warmth and comfort of your boyfriend's love.

—————

The night sky crept up on them faster than anticipated, but with the help of medication, a steaming bowl of soup, and some cough drops, your cold went away.

Orlando's back leaned against the light green plush pillows with your back nestled against his chest and he gently laid his chin on top of your head while he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer to him. "Feeling better?" he asked, his voice low and soothing.

You nodded, snuggling further into his embrace. "Yup, thanks to you," you replied, your voice still a bit hoarse.

Orlando chuckled. "I'm just glad I could help." They lay there in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company. The only sound in the room was the soft hum of the air conditioner.

Orlando placed a gentle kiss on your cheek and used his index finger to lift your chin. "Now that you're feeling better, can I take care of you?" He whispered in a low tone. You flushed and nodded, "Yes, of course, baby."

Your lips met in a passionate kiss as you tilted your heads in different directions, exploring each other's mouths with your tongues. You let out a soft moan as the kiss intensified, leaving a trail of saliva between your lips as you parted.

"Orlando can you lock the door really quick?"

——————

Your naked back laid flat against the white bedsheets with his hands held your hips in place while his slim hips rocked into you, while your fingernails sunk into back muscles and your mouth hung open to let a chorus of moans, "Oh shitt! Orlando!" you moaned loudly, your eyes locked intensely, your thumb traced the outline of his lips while he smirked against your brown skin, he trailed kisses up to your breast. The bed creaked from their movement, you shivered with pleasure, sending tingles down yourr entire body. He plunged deeper into you while you arched your back off the bed.

Orlando lowers his head to pepper warm kisses on the sides of your neck and sinks his teeth into your neck gently, leaving hickeys on your brown skin while he gyrated into you making your toes curl in the air, "Talk to me, tell me how good it feels.." Orlando lulled to you, you gasped at the sensation of his tongue swiveling around your erect nipple while his other hand gently kneaded your other breast and the wet sounds of your skin colliding filled the room.

Orlando's mouth enveloped your nipple, the warmth of his lips sending shivers down your body. You pulled him closer, your hands moving to the back of his neck. "It's so good, Don't stop," you sputtered, pulling him closer to you as you whispered, motivating him more as he quickened his pace, your wet walls clenched around him so tightly "Damn...you're taking it so good baby.." he praised lowly, his nails digging into your hips while his middle finger circled her clit. Tilting their heads together to deepen the kiss, you moaned, "Mmhm!" unable to control the pleasure that was building inside of you.

His hips lunged faster, you could feel yourself getting closer and closer to your climax, "I'm gonna cum baby..." You gasped, He didn't slow down, instead, he pushed you over the edge with a few slow, sloppy thrusts. You cried out his name while your essence gushed around his dick, your body shaking with the intensity of your orgasm.

Orlando pulled out of you, "fuckk.." Orlando gripped the covers and laid them on their naked bodies while pulling you into his arms and he nuzzled his face into your neck, peppering kisses along your brown skin. "You're so beautiful," He hummed, his voice husky. You smiled, feeling completely content in his arms before kissing your lips tenderly again.

———————

[ztarvokwrites]

How the rest of the Strawhat Pirates propose to you.

Cross Guild, Monster Trio

a/n: you guys seem to enjoy these, so i decided to continue! this list includes the rest of the strawhats, minus chopper because that would be really really weird.

not nsfw! a lot of fluff and love and omg i'm blushing.

enjoy and don't forget to reblog if you like it!

Nami

You knew something was wrong when she began rummaging through her treasure haphazardly, as if looking for something.

No, don't ask, she looks stressed enough.

Proposing to you means she needs to find the best ring possible, but she can't find it when you're in the room with her, so she reluctantly pushes you out.

When she finally finds the ring, she realises that she has no clue how to make this proposal perfect — the chaos of the crew was certainly going to fuck things up.

Who does she go to for advice? Jinbei. Because she assumes he's been married before, right? Nope. But, he does give her some tips on how to make the proposal perfect — which surprises Nami.

And so, on your nightshift on The Sunny, Nami decides to take one of his tips and use it to her advantage.

You're surprised to see her awake at this hour and even more so when she grabs a tangerine from one of her trees and peels one for you.

She halves the tangerine, but in your half, you see something shiny. Something that makes your eyes well up.

When you look at her, she's down on one knee as she nervously swallows a slice of tangerine.

"Y/N, the moment you stepped on board, I knew you were gonna be amazing," Brilliant start (sarcasm). "You fit in right away and, before I knew it, we got closer and closer. I know that it'll be awkward because we're Pirates, but..." She takes the ring out of the tangerine and wipes it clean, despite it being a bit sticky. "Will... Will you marry me?"

The moment you say yes, she begins crying tears of joy. The ring is a perfect fit and you two spend the rest of the night together beneath the stars and sharing a few tangerines.

Usopp

Oh boy. He is SWEATING.

He's good with tinkering and gardening — not proposing! The mere thought gives him the nervous-to-propose-to-you-disease!

But, at the same time, he knows he must. After all, you're the one his heart truly belongs to.

He can't talk to Franky about it, or anyone for that matter, in fear they'd tell you first and ruin the surprise...

Surprise! He'll make it a surprise! He'll make an exploding star and come out of the smoke with the ring in hand and-- No, no. He'd mess that up for sure.

In fact, every single scenario he can think of, he'll most likely mess up.

Oh... He's just gonna have to do it, isn't he?

"H-Hey, Y/N," He calls out to you, legs shaking. This concerns you, visibly so. "D-Don't worry, Sapling, I'm f-fine... Just wanna ask you somethin'... Pleasesitdown-"

The two of you sit down on the floor, and Usopp takes a moment to breathe. Your hand on his knee is NOT helping!

He places his hand on yours and immediately feels at ease for a moment. Within this moment, he comes right out and says it.

"I don't have a ring," He begins and your heart leaps. "If I did, Nami would take it and claim it as hers... But I don't need a ring to tell you exactly how much you mean to me. Y/N, you are my Sapling — I watch you grow as a person day by day, hour by hour, and I can never get bored of you. Cheesy analogy, I know, but it's true."

He speaks from the heart without stuttering and you feel like you've woken up in another dimension.

"Y/N, I want you to marry me," He says, looking deep into your teary eyes...Wait, YOU'RE CRYING?! "W-Wait! Did I mess it up?! Oh god, please don't cry--"

You shut him up with a kiss so hard it makes him fall on his back. When you pull away, he's stunned as he looks at your happy face.

"...So I'll take that as a yes?"

Well duh.

Franky

Bro knows EXACTLY what to do (he doesn't).

When I say he goes all out, I mean it.

PDA. PDA EVERYWHERE.

Franky loves you and wants the entire world to know how SUPER you are!

Which is why you're suspicious when, during the evening when everyone's around the dinner table, he subtly has his hand on your thigh, his grip trembling.

You can feel his anxious stare on you through his sunglasses, which he decided to keep on for today.

If you think he's going to propose in private, you're wrong. Dude is eccentric as shit.

He proposes right there in front of the crew, gets down on one knee and presents a ring he made that can.... double as a weapon?

Doesn't give a massive speech as he cries halfway through lmfao.

"Y/N, there's somethin' I should ask you in private, but I'm too damn impatient," Tries to say how much he loves you as he gets down on one knee, begins to choke up. "I... Shit- No- Can't cry-" Presents the ring and just outright says it. "Will you be my super spouse?"

The moment you say yes he's absolutely bawling like a baby... So is Chopper and Brook... Speaking of....

Brook

You'd think because he's the oldest, he's had more experience with this sort of thing, right? Nope!!

I like to think Brook has only ever had partners and not spouses, so he's never actually been married before.

That being said, he decides that if he's going to ask you to marry him, he's gonna do things right and not ask anything perverted.

He forms a plan, writes it all down and keeps it in his head — literally.

When the crew arrives at an island, Brook insists that he stays on The Sunny with you. His insistance works.

He's a lot more touchy with you, but not in the perverted way. He's always holding your hand or your hips and gently squeezing your warm flesh. You pay no mind.

When lunchtime rolls around, Brook is already in the kitchen making Churrasco for you both while he asks you to lay down a blanket on the grass on deck.

You're surprised when he comes back out with the meal in one hand, two glasses in the other and a bottle of wine beneath his arm.

During the meal, he suddenly stops talking, turning to you.

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever laid my eyes on," He begins, and lets out a little 'Yohoho' as he thinks of a dead joke, but refrains from saying it. "You're beautiful on the inside and out, and I truly love you for that. In fact, I don't think I've ever loved someone more in my life than I love you. That being said, there's something I must ask of you..." Brook opens his head and pulls a ring out. "Don't tell Nami, but I snooped to get this," He whispers with a 'Yoho' before getting down on one knee. "Will you marry me?"

The moment you say yes he's leaping for joy and celebrating before putting the ring on your finger and placing his lips... teeth to it.

"You've made me the happiest man alive! Except, I'm dead! Yohoho!!"

Robin

One of the few who actually knows what she's doing.

Yes because she's read books.

The first thing she does is act normal, there's no need to worry you over nothing.

She spends as much time with you as she can, holding your hand or occasionally kissing you.

It's when you two are alone in the aquarium library that she asks you, taking your hand in hers.

She doesn't do a big speech, seeing as you already know how much she loves you by her actions alone.

"I've been thinking," She begins. "About how our lives will be if we got married," Pulls out a ring. "What do you say, Petal?"

The moment you say yes she kisses you with so much passion you think you've died and gone to heaven.

Nami took photos of the entire thing so Robin can look back at them later and feel that same happiness over and over again.

How did she get so lucky?

Jinbei

Does he have experience in asking someone to marry him? Yes, actually.

I like to think he proposed to someone in his like, early 20's but got rejected because he grew up in the Fishman District :( How mean!

Anyway...

You don't think too much about it when he's suddenly by your side 24/7, in fact, you embrace it.

But, sometimes when you look into his eyes, you can see a hint of anxiousness.

You want to ask him what's on his mind, but he seems so focussed on you that it's making you hesitate... And blush a lot.

Later on, as the sun begins to set, he invites you over to spend some time watching the sun go down with him.

So, you join him on the deck and sit on the railing, legs dangling over the edge and his arm wrapped around you for security.

You stare off into the sunset, chatting away happily, until you noticed he went eerily quiet.

You turn to him, half-expecting him to be entranced by the sunset, only for him to be entranced by you.

You blush, he blushes, you both turn away with him mumbling an apology for staring.

He's not usually shy, but when it comes to you, it's a different story.

Which is why it takes him a few minutes to actually ask you.

He scans the area, making sure that only Brook is there, who gives him a bony thumbs up.

Nodding to himself, he clears his throat and gently lifts you from the railing, placing you gently on the deck.

The moment you look at him, he's on one knee and Brook is behind him, gently playing Salut d'Amour on his violin.

"My Siren," He begins, the nickname making your heart flutter as he took your hands in his. "My time with you makes my days a whole lot brighter. Whenever I look at you, into your eyes, I see a fulfilling life."

Brook sniffles, a tear falling from his eye socket, but he turns away to prevent himself form bursting into tears.

This amuses you, so you smile, but you catch Jinbei's eyes soften from your expression change.

"You never fail to make me fall in love with you all over again," He continues and suddenly your eyes begin to water. Jinbei reaches behind him and pulls out a small box handed to him by Brook, who's whimpering softly to himself. "Y/N, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honor of being my spouse?"

You say yes and he puts the ring on your finger before lifting you up in his arms with a boisterous, joyful laugh.

Yes, Brook finally bursts into tears upon hearing your positive confirmation, accidentally breaking one of his violin strings in the process.

starnote: miss me? :P i didn't realise how short robin's was compared to the others. since i tried to keep them as in character as i could, i couldn't really see robin going over the top with it at all. anywho, i missed u guys <3

dividers and banner made by me!

[chatnoirsss]

☽｡⋆ debonair pt. 2

🐈‍⬛ chat noir x reader

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ syn: you and chat become closer after an unfortunate encounter whilst fighting a villain

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ author’s note: this is pt. 2, please go check out pt. 1 for context! Also I’m sorry the og syn is very misleading 😭 this will maybe have 3-4 parts before we get Plumera and Chat interactions so please be patient.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

It’s been a few days since you’ve last talked to chat; a few days since he made it clear he only sees a duo in your superhero trio. Although you and chat are always yapping during missions, things have been quiet lately. You only talk when needed during battle, or to respond to ladybug, and you leave immediately after the mission is done. Even though chat has tried calling for you, you can’t stand to look him in the eye.

“I’m not in love with him anymore roaar! I’ve decided that he’s no good for me. I deserve to be loved by someone who’s not obsessed with another girl!” You angrily said to your Kwami. “But y/n! Ever since your first mission together, you’ve always been pining over chat.” Replied roaar. “Well apparently he was pining for ladybug the whole time. I can’t disrupt that. They’re really cute together and I think they’re meant to be.” You replied sadly. Roaar just sighed as she knew there was no getting through to you.

Adrien’s side:

“Plagg, I’ve really messed things up with Plumera! I don’t think she’ll ever speak to me again. I feel really weird about it. Since it was me talking about ladybug and I as a duo that made her upset, i haven’t flirted with ladybug in a while. Whats wrong with me?” Adrien said as he plopped down on his bed. Plagg could obviously care less about romance, but he always replied to his owner as he cared for him. “Blah blah blah, you’ve had feelings for ladybug since forever Adrien. You’ve always been in love with her so why does Plumera matter now?” He asked while scarfing down his favorite cheeses at once. “Well… I don’t know. All I know is that I really hurt her feelings on Monday, and I can’t seem to get her to even look at me anymore. I miss our jokes and her sly remarks!” He said, letting out a sigh.

“Just go for what your heart desires or whatever.” Said Plagg, rolling his eyes. “But I don’t know what I desire anymore. I feel strange after what happened on Monday. Although I’m in love with ladybug, seeing how upset I made Plumera really upsets me. Do you think what I said had to do with something personal?” Adrien asked. “As I said, do as your heart desires Adrien. If you love ladybug, then you love her, but if you think Plumera is stopping you from loving ladybug, then why not think about your feelings for her and go for her? Maybe you’re starting to love Plumera. Sometimes Adrien, you realize that your favorite cheese ever starts getting boring. So try other options and maybe you’ll find your perfect snack!” Said Plagg. “But me? In love with Plumera? She’s just a friend Plagg. Just.. a friend.” Adrien said with a bothered look on his face. “In love with Plumera…?” Adrien said to himself.

Later that day:

It was currently 6pm and you were just finishing up some homework and the last touches of a school project with roaar before you heard a loud boom. Looking out your window, you saw a villain shooting black arrows at helpless couples all across Paris. She had a boy in her hands but you couldn’t identify who it was. “If I can’t have my one true love, then no one can!” She yelled agonizingly.

“Tell me about it girl.” You scoffed before transforming. You leap to a rooftop and begin running towards the villain, before you noticed the boy she was holding was your classmate Adrien. Although you weren’t super duper close with Adrien, you’ve always sort of admired him distantly, never making a move though since you loved chat but also becuase you would never do that to Marinette. You quickly ran towards the villain, your main goal being to get Adrien to safety first. You jumped at her and began throwing kicks and punches, trying your best to avoid Adrien. You could tell in his eyes he was fearful but there was also a gleam, like he was admiring you?

Adrien’s side:

“Plagg what do I do? I can’t transform right now!” Adrien whispered, hoping the villain was distracted. “Just relax Adrien, Plumera and Ladybug will handle it.” Said Plagg. “But I need to be there to help them. And… I also need to talk to Plumera.” He muttered. Adrien sighed as he just accepted the fact he wouldn’t be able to assist in this mission. He hated that more than anything, being left out. All of a sudden Plumera charged at the villain, attacking her. The villain dodged most of all the attacks but would not let go of Adrien. Adrien could tell Plumera was holding back a bit so as to not harm him, which made him feel bad because as chat noir, he knew just how powerful you could be and how easily you could’ve fought this villain, but instead because of him, Plumera wasn’t fighting to her full potential.

Adrien began looking down before he felt the villains grip collapsing. He immediately looked up to see Plumera above him, reaching for him. She grabbed Adrien by the waist and leapt towards a safe rooftop.

Your POV:

You had successfully acquired Adrien and placed him at a safe location. “Please stay here, you’ll be safe until Ladybug, chat noir, and I resolve this.” You said. Adrien seemed to be out of it, not responding to you but instead just staring at your eyes? You were confused. “Hello? Adrien, right?” You asked. “Hmm? Oh yeah!” He jumped a little. “I-I’m sorry, I’m kinda out of it.” He said frantically. You chuckled. “Huh yeah, I would be too. Anyway please stay here. I already see Ladybug so this should be over soon. I’ll come back for you so please don’t go anywhere.” You said. You purposely left him on a rooftop so he had no other choice but to rely on you to get home. Smart, right? You thought. Although you did feel a bit bad for “taking” Marinette’s crush, you assured yourself. “It won’t hurt just to flirt with him a little as Plumera, right?” You thought. “After all, youre not y/n right now, you’re Plumera! Marinette won’t even have a clue.” You assured yourself nervously. You still had a bit of guilt in the back of your mind but brushed it off as you joined ladybug in battle.

Adrien’s side:

“Plagg, it’s time to join the action!” Adrien said after he saw Plumera leaving the rooftop. “Oh come onnn,” whined Plagg. “Didn’t Plumera tell you to stay here?” Plagg asked. Adrien gave it a thought. “I mean.. I guess? But it doesn’t matter, I need to save Paris!” He exclaimed. “I’ll just quickly detransform and meet her here after, easy peasy.” He said. Plagg rolled his eyes and Adrien quickly transformed and jumped into action.

Your POV:

You and ladybug began attacking the villain, both perfectly synchronized. You were successful until the villain shouted “Adrien will be mine!”

Ladybug was taken aback and quickly got anxious. “Adrien? Like Adrien Agreste?” She asked, letting her guard down. The villain pushed ladybug down, ladybug hitting a nearby wall. You grunted, jumping towards the villain and continuing to fight. “I have to go save Adrien!” Yelled ladybug. She seemed extremely worried for this boys safety. “It’s alright, I already have him in a safe spot.” You replied. Ladybug sighed with relief as she quickly jumped back into battle.

Chat noir jumped in and joined the two of you and together, all three of you took the villain down with chat using his cataclysm to destroy the akumatized object. Ladybug used her miraculous ladybugs to repair the city and the three of you put your fists together.

“Well I better get going, I have someone I need to take home.” You said. Chats facial expression immediately changed and he looked very nervous. “I’ve gotta bounce too, see you guys later!” He chucked nervously, quickly using his stick to get by. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later Plumera,” said ladybug. The two of you exchanged nods before you both left.

You jumped on the safe rooftop you left Adrien. You didn’t see him and your heart immediately sank to your stomach. You were mortified, looking everywhere for him. “Hey.” You heard a voice say all of a sudden. You quickly turned around to see Adrien standing behind you. You let out a just sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off your face. “Oh I thought you had left, thank god you’re still here. Very sorry for the tardiness,” you said. “Oh no it’s okay, you didn’t keep me for long.” He replied.

You paused for a second and smiled at him, noticing that he was blushing. “Well thank you for your patience. I’ll take you home now.” you said before reaching for his hand. You dove off the roof with Adrien in your arms and headed for the Agreste mansion. Being this close to Adrien made you really nervous. You knew you would never be confident enough to get this close to him as y/n, so you enjoyed it in the moment. You could feel your crush for Adrien growing as well as the guilt.

“Plumera,” Adrien said breaking the silence.

“Yes Adrien?” You replied.

“Have you ever developed feelings for someone new even though your heart originally belonged to another?” He asked. You were taken aback by this strange question and paused to think. Although you couldn’t quite relate, you wanted to validate his feelings and let him know he wasn’t alone. “It seems like whatever you’re going through is really complicated Adrien. All I know is that emotions can be tough and it takes time to understand them fully, but I want you to know you’re not alone.” You said. “Yeah, thanks.” Said Adrien. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have been more helpful. All I can say is that if the girl you’re developing feelings for resonates with you and cares about you then I think you should go for it.” You replied giving him a smile. “What if, hypothetically, the girl is currently ignoring me?” He asked. “Maybe try and talk to her. If she’s ignoring you because something upset her then talk it out with her. If you truly believe that girl is the one you want to be with then fight for it.” You suggested. Adrien smiled at you.

Adrien’s side:

“As chat noir, I never really got the chance to be so close with Plumera since we were always fighting a villain.” Adrien thought. “I also never realized how beautiful her eyes are, or how strong she looked while battling.” He thought.

Your POV:

You had finally reached the Agreste mansion and gently placed Adrien down at the gate before you two exchanged your goodbyes. You reached your house and detransformed. “What a long night Roaar.” You sighed before jumping on your bed. “You did amazing y/n!” Said Roaar as she hugged your face. “Thank you Roaar! I’m sleeping now.” You said yawning.

The next morning you saw Adrien at school. “Oh dear god.” You mumbled to yourself as the memories from last night flooded back. Luckily for you, Adrien didn’t know your secret identity so you’d be the only one with this memory.

“Yo Adrien I saw Alya’s ladyblog post from last night,” Nino said smirking at Adrien. “What?” Adrien asked confused. “The one with Plumera! You didn’t tell me you were on a date ;)” Nino said. You immediately got on your phone and checked the ladyblog. “Plumera spotted last night on a romantic getaway with Adrien Agreste on rooftop.” Read the cover title. “Ughhh Marinette’s gonna definitely hate me now!” You muttered to Roaar. “Who cares?? You got to be with Adrien that’s all that matters!” Said Roaar. You rubbed your eyes and began walking to the steps.

“Alya take this down right now!” You heard Marinette say. “What was Plumera thinking?!?” She followed. You groaned and hid your face before walking into class. You knew Marinette didn’t know your identity but you still felt bad. You felt as if you betrayed your friend. You sighed and sat down in your seat, taking out your books before class began. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and let this pass over.” You said to yourself before putting your head down.

[marymary-diva17]

She is the one we chose & love

neteyam x reader x aonung

Love can be true and beautiful and that has been seen a young mated couple, that had some differences in the trio but there is a pure and strong bond. A young woman who had won the hearts of young warriors and future leaders, even due there had been some jealousy towards her. She had been chosen for many reasons and she will also be the one her mates would want, no matter what anyone said or did even it was family or a fellow navi.

y/n " breakfast is almost done it needs bit more cooking, and then it will be perfect"

?????" there you are yawne the bed left empty and cold without you" you had looked to see your mate neteyam standing there, he gave you a smirk as he soon sat down.

y/n " good morning ma teyem breakfast will be ready soon"

neteyam " it seems good and having this morning with you, makes me very happy" neteyam soon kissed your check and lips making you smile.

????? " so while I'm getting up from bed you decide to steal some kisses from our wife, you play a dirty tricks neteyam" aonung had stepped out of the couples shared bedroom, and was looking at neteyam.

neteyam " aww aonung I thought we were friends"

aonung " oh we are friends but I hate seeing you romance our wife and show off"

neteyam " don't hate me because I'm her favorite husband"

y/n " you both are skywangs right now I don't have a favorite mate or husband you both know that right"

neteyam & aonung " yes"

y/n " good"

aonung " breakfast smells wonderful ma y/n and it will taste good as well"

y/n " thank you I had leaned this recipes when I was very young from my family, along with some other clan members as well I even had made some with my clan recipe alongside yours as well"

neteyam " there had been many gifts your family and clan, haad given you when you came here after our ceremony ... that you use to help decorate our home"

y/n " if it to much I can place some of them away"

aonung " no we love it as it help tell everyone of our beautiful union"

y/n " thank you breakfast is ready do you both want some" neteyam and aonung had nodded their heads your family, were in nice words very serious and intimidating as well. It was hard for many to believe that someone like you had came from the family and clan, as well there were a handful of people in your clan like you but not that much. The couple had breakfast together and once that was over, they cleaned everything up and soon left the home.

Tisreya " good morning" the trio had been gather some fruit when they heard tsireya voice, they had soon turned around to see tsireya and there others standing there.

y/n " good morning"

kiri " we came to do some gather as well and saw you three and thought we could join"

rotxo " if we are not interrupting your time together as a couple"

y/n " no you all are free to join us if you still wish to"

tuk " thank you"

lo'ak " I swear you three still acted like a newly mated couple when, even if it been half of year"

neteyam " oh like you and tsireya act all lovely dove together"

lo'ak " hey"

aonung " what you brought our relationship we can brings you up as well"

spider " wow they got you good bro"

lo'ak " so you want to make jokes to what about your relationship with kiri and rotxo"

kiri " shut up skywangs you are speaking to loud"

rotxo " our relationship is perfect"

tuk " you are all very funny and I hope one day to have a good and beautiful, relationship like you all"

y/n " in time you will tuk it might come now at your age or later on in life you will know it and take the leap of faith"

tuk " thank you y/n"

tsireya " are you still love living here y/n even being away from your home and clan"

y/n " yes I love being here but I still miss my home, but I we still keep in touch even when we are far apart there also the Annual visits as well"

tsireya " that wonderful"

lo'ak " so when is your family going to pay us a visit again"

y/n " I don't know it matters when they can find the time to come"

y/n " they have said in previous conversations that they love, the clans I have joined along with the rest of you and that something we all should be happy about"

neteyam " thanks for telling us that ma y/n but we always feel like we might disappoint them"

y/n " I will always love you all no matter what happens"

tsireya " well you are love by us all and the rest of our families as well, see how happy you make my brother and neteyam"

lo'ak "well if you include our mothers that might be a stretch"

kiri " hush"

y/n " ......" lo'ak words had gotten everyone attention and as her words are speaking the truth.

????? " hey there everyone"

sully kids " dad"

tsireya/aonung/ rotxo " baba"

spider " dad" Jake sully had come walking over with tonowari and tsutey with him.

Jake " it seems like you all are having a good time over here"

neteyam " yes we are"

lo'ak " well dad if you most know we had interrupted neteyam and aonung time, with y/n"

Jake " leave them be"

tonowari " hello y/n"

y/n " hello it good to see you three today"

tsu'tey " yes it good to see all of you are hangout even due some responsibilities have changed for you all"

Jake " well we also had come here to see if our sons will like to come on portal with us"

neteyam " yes that sounds good"

aonung " yes we will love to go it will be good to get outside of the village for a while"

lo'ak " yes if the ladies are fine dealing with the task together"

kiri " if this means I get time with my sister in law and best friend I'm good"

spider " then it seems like it set"

aonung " we will be home later on tonight or whenever we are done with portal"

y/n " enjoy your time out and I will see you all later" the group had gather their stuff and soon left, the village together. As you soon looked at the girls and laughed, As the group soon took off to get on with the rest of the task.

tuk " y/n may I ask you something"

y/n " sure you can ask me"

tuk " how do you deal with all the looks your get from others, and the whispers that happened before and after"

y/n " I just deal with it all tuk tuk even after I have become neteyam, and aonung mate I'm still deemed an outsider to everyone"

tuk " well I don't think you are outside because you are different I love that because of you"

y/n " thank you"

Kiri “ well we love you y/n and it good to be different” 

Y/n “ thank you kiri” 

Tsireya “ yes and with you here with us it has become good”

Tuk “ yes I love having you as a sister in law, you you teach me things about your clan and hangout with me”

Y/n “ well I love hanging out with you as well tuk tuk”the group had started having some fun in the water, just taking a break to have some fun. 

????? “ girls”

Tuk “ that mom voice”

???? “ tsireya” 

Tsireya “ here comes my mom as well” soon neytiri and Ronal had shown themselves.

Ronal “ we had heard your voices and came to see what going on” 

Tuk “ we are just taking a break from our tasks y/n said she can help, me with a new hairstyle” 

Y/n “ hello Neytiri and ronal” you have been doing your best to get along with your mother in law.

Neytiri “ hello y/n it good to see you with our daughters” 

Ronal “ yes it for all of you to be social alongside getting know of your home here” 

Y/n “ thank you” 

Ronal “ it seems like you are feeding our sons well so that something good as well” 

Y/n “ thank you” 

tsireya " mother remember the promise you had made aonung"

kiri " mom please be nice to y/n as neteyam had asked"

neytiri " we are being nice we just came to have some words with her and you all, can a mother speak with her son mate"

tuk " well I think y/n is a good for my big brother and aonung"

Kiri “ well we love you y/n and it good to be different” 

Y/n “ thank you kiri” 

Tsireya “ yes and with you here with us it has become good”

Tuk “ yes I love having you as a sister in law, you you teach me things about your clan and hangout with me”

Y/n “ well I love hanging out with you as well tuk tuk”the group had started having some fun in the water, just taking a break to have some fun. 

y/n " good morning neytiri and ronal" neytiri and ronal had came across the group, and right away you had greeted them.

neytiri " hello y/n"

ronal " yes hello y/n and girls we had come to see what you all were up to"

tsireya " well we had been doing some task with the guys but they soon left, with their fathers and maybe others to scout"

ronal " oh"

y/n " yes but they said they will return home later on today"

neytiri " yes our husbands had mention going on scouting mission with our sons since out oldest sons lives have changed this year"

kiri " yes and now we have welcome y/n into the clans and our families"

neytiri " yes but there is much more work and time that needs, to be done"

ronal " yes but it good to see our sons happy with the one they have chosen" the two women had looked at you since you had become mates, with neteyam and aonung it was hard to tell if their mothers like you. It was well known that it might take longer for you and your mates mothers, to have a relationship like you have with the rest of the family.

Later on that day

y/n " ......" you are standing in some water collect shell fishes at the moment, learning some the lessons you had done when you were smaller and with aonung.

navi women 1 " I still can't believe neteyam had chosen her as a mate, she would barley survive the forest"

navi women 2 "yes and not only as she taken your clan future olo'eythan she has also taken our clans olo'eythans as well aonung"

navi women 3 " she has been with them for half of year now and still hasn't, give them a child or shown signs she is with child"

navi women 4 " maybe she can't have a child that will be good, because we will need eywa help if the child looks like the father and not her"

y/n " ......."

navi women 1 " I heard even neytiri and ronal didn't like their sons picking her and wish, they had chosen others verse someone like her seeing her clan and family" you had gotten use to some of the bad treatment you had been given, by other here as they really didn't like you.

navi women 2 " they should of picked someone from their clans or neighboring clans not some outsider, who will bring ruin to their families and us all"

y/n " when are you all going to stop speaking about me like I'm some demon"

navi women " because you are one your whole navi clan is unlike the rest of us and then you, did something to make future oloeythans pick you over many other perfect candidates"

???? " I don't remember anyone else having a say on who has become my mate"

y/n " neteyam aonung "

aonung " we came back and saw you were not home, we then came looking for you and saw this disgraceful situation how dare you all speak to our wife like that"

navi women 2 " we didn't ..."

aonung " oh you did speaking to her like that if you all have forgotten she is our chose and will always be put chose"

neteyam " she is the one we chose the one we will love"

y/n " my mates"

neteyam "We are leaving now don't come near my mate or us until you have a proper apology to her" aonung and neteyam soon walked away with you, they were mad about the whole situation.

aonung "You are the one we love and chose no matter what anyone says we love you"

y/n " thank you"

neteyam "Now let's get home and prepare as it seems like words will change fast and we will have guests that will need answers"

aonung "Let's pray we can get this solved before your mother finds out" The couple had heard home the great worry of parents knowing had happened to your mate's parents and their siblings as well. Everyone came to check up on the couple, they all clamed down after a while and spoke about the situation over a good dinner. A dinner from your clan that eveyrone seem to love right away. The ladies from before will be dealted with later one, but there was a major worry and fear of your mother ane clan finding out because they will want answers right away. There no way disrespecting someone will go away easily.

[cha-melodius]

hi Sara! No. 8 (the back hug) for Alex/Henry please <3

(Hey there! Thanks for this one, I have a bit of post-canon domestic fluff for you! hug ficlet prompts; read all the hug ficlets)

8. The back hug.

Alex is in the kitchen, standing over a pot of sauce with Otis Redding playing on his bluetooth speakers, so he doesn’t hear the front door open. David, however, leaps up from where he’s been sitting hopefully at Alex’s feet and skitters away. A moment later, a loud groan echoes down the hall, and Alex smiles to himself.

It’s become a routine, on Henry’s long days at the shelter—Alex takes the time to make something a little more involved for dinner, the process itself as much as an indulgence as the meal at the end. Henry will come home and kick off his shoes, groaning as he stretches, then bend down and give David a scratch behind the ears. Alex has only seen this part a couple of times, because usually he remains in the kitchen and waits for Henry to join him. Two wine glasses wait on the kitchen island, and Henry will take his time to peruse their slightly-embarrassing wine collection before he selects a bottle to open.

Alex doesn’t turn at the sound of footsteps behind him, or the pop of the bottle. The anticipation has become part of the pleasure. The click of the wine glasses as Henry sets one next to him by the stove. And then—

Arms slide around his waist and broad shoulders cover his as Henry plasters himself against Alex’s back. A trio of soft kisses pressed from his collar to the tender spot behind his ear, warm breath washing against his skin. Then Henry’s chin hooks over his shoulder and a contented hum rumbles through his body, so low that Alex feels it more than hears it.

“Welcome home, baby,” Alex says as he glances over at his boyfriend. “How was your day?”

“Good. Tiring. Better, now,” Henry murmurs back.

He won’t move this position until he’s forced to do so, usually because Alex has to do something in the dinner prep that’ll be impeded by having a limpet attached to his back. Then he’ll take a stool with his glass of wine, remaining in the kitchen so they can chat about their respective days until dinner is ready.

It’s routine. Almost boring.

Alex wouldn’t change a thing.

[kairilov3]

Chaotic Storyline

Liv, Rhea x Reader ft. Damage CTRL x Reader , (Raquel and Domimik)

What could possibly be so chaotic? Oh, this relationship.

The arena buzzed with excitement, the atmosphere electric as the reader and Iyo Sky prepared for their tag team championship match against Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. The stakes were high, and the pressure was palpable. Yet, the reader’s mind was clouded, haunted by the recent turmoil between former allies.

Once upon a time, you had stood shoulder to shoulder with Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley, a powerful trio united in their fight for dominance. Until that incident where Real betrays both Liv and you, causing the team to break up and each person goes their own way. You join Damage CTRL, Rhea join The Judgment Day, and Liv seeks revenge on Rhea.

After suffering an injury, Liv returned to WWE and quickly ascended to the top of the women's division, capturing the Women's World Championship and take everything that Rhea love; Her friends, her champion, her place, her team, even Dominik(don't even know why) after she injured Rhea so Rhea have to take some action off for 3 months. All that was on Liv Morgan Revenge Tour.

And now Rhea came back wanting to get back her Championship, which she claimed she never really lost. But all of that have nothing to do with you.. because you on your own now... right?

___

As you stepped into the ring, they exchanged determined glances with Iyo. Yet, a sense of unease lingered. Memories of camaraderie were tainted with betrayal, and you felt the weight of your fractured friendships bearing down on you.

The bell rang, signaling the start of the match. Iyo took the lead, showcasing her agility against Bianca. The crowd roared with approval as she executed a flawless maneuver. But your attention wavered, fixating on the ringside where Liv stood, her expression a mix of excitement and expectation.

“Come on, Y/N! You got this!” Liv shouted, her voice cutting through the noise of the crowd. Instead of encouragement, you felt a wave of confusion wash over you. Why is she here?

Just as Iyo gained momentum, Rhea’s music hit, made the crowd went crazy. Rhea strode down the ramp, her eyes burning with intensity. She had her sights set on Liv, the tension thickening in the air.

“Liv! you think you can get away from me?” Rhea shouted, a venomous edge to her tone. "Come back here!"

Liv’s expression hardened. “You’re the last person I’d listen to! You're so annoying!”

With Rhea at ringside, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. You felt the tension snap as Rhea’s focus turned entirely to Liv. In a moment of impulsiveness, the reader jumped off the ring, unable to hold back their frustration.

“Enough!” you shouted, stepping between the two rivals. “Get out of my match! Both of you!”

But before you could defuse the situation, Rhea shoved you aside, causing you to stumble. The moment you get pushed, the referee immediately calls the match no content. Liv took the opportunity to leap at Rhea, igniting a brawl at ringside. Fists flew, and chaos erupted, as Bianca and Jade watched, momentarily stunned.

In the midst of the chaos, Iyo stood at the rope, dazed and irritated by the disturbances of both Rhea and Liv.

As the dust settled, you found yourself standing in the ring, breathing heavily, anger simmering beneath the surface. Liv stood at ringside, a mix of satisfaction and defiance on her face. You couldn’t shake off the irritation coursing through yourself. Why can’t she just stay out of this?

Rhea glared at Liv, her indifference piercing. “You think you can just take what’s mine?” she taunted, her voice icy.

You stepped forward, frustration boiling over. “Both of you need to grow up! If you guys want to fight, go fight somewhere else that's not in my match!” you were caught in the crossfire, torn between the two women who had once meant so much to you. But now just pain in the ass

Liv turned to you, her eyes pleading. “I just wanted to cheer you! But look at what Rhea did! What a BITCH !"

Rhea scoffed, her tone laced with contempt. “First of all, I'm sorry for the match, And secondly, Liv, I'm just gonna take back what I never lost, that championship."

You can feel the frustration bubbling up inside you towards both of them.

The following weeks were filled with confrontations and verbal jabs. You found themselves embroiled in the chaos as Liv and Rhea fought for dominance, each trying to sway you to their side.

___

THREE-WAY MATCH

After weeks of getting involve to the storyline, you finally find yourself in a three-way Macth with Liv and Rhea.

The arena pulsed with energy as the reader prepared for a highly anticipated three-way match against Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley. Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky stood at ringside, their cheers and support palpable, while Liv had Raquel Rodriguez and Dominik Mysterio by her side. The tension was thick, and you felt a mix of excitement and irritable about facing two former allies.

As the bell rang, Liv immediately approached you with a determined look. “We need to take down Rhea first. We can do this together!” she urged, a hint of desperation in her voice.

You hesitated, torn between the memories of their former bond with Liv and the irritation that had brewed over time. You nodded, deciding to play along for the moment, but tou had your own agenda.

Liv and you teamed up, delivering a series of strikes that sent Rhea staggering. The crowd roared as they coordinated their attacks, momentarily forgetting the fractures that had divided them. Rhea hit the mat, and for a brief moment, hope surged through the you. Maybe you could put the past behind you.

As Rhea lay on the mat, Liv turned to you with a triumphant grin. “See? We’re unstoppable together! Just like old times!” She moved in for a hug, but in a surprising twist, you pulled her close, delivering a DDT that sent Liv crashing to the canvas. The crowd gasped, caught off guard by the sudden action.

You dropped down to pin Liv, determined to capitalize on the moment. “One! Two!” the referee counted, but just before he could reach three, Rhea surged up, grabbing you by your hair and yanking you out of the ring.

The match quickly devolved into chaos. Rhea unleashed a flurry of strikes on you, her eyes blazing with anger. The crowd cheered wildly as the momentum swung back and forth. Iyo and Kairi shouted encouragement from ringside, their voices rising above the chaos.

Liv recovered and re-entered the fray, targeting you with renewed focus. “come on, Y/N! You have to join me! You know who caused all this!" she called, trying to persuade you as you and Rhea exchanged blows.

The match continued fiercely, and tensions soared as alliances shifted. Raquel, growing impatient at the ring side, decided to intervene. As Rhea attempted to regain control, Raquel dragged her out of the ring, launching a brutal assault that led to the referee calling for the bell, declaring the match a disqualification. The audience erupted in disbelief as the chaos intensified.

Frustrated with how things had unfolded, you charged at Raquel, ready to retaliate. But Raquel swiftly countered, hit you with Tejana bomb into the commentator's table, which sent a jarring impact through the arena.

Seeing the chaos unfold, Iyo climbed the turnbuckle, eyes blazing with determination. “look who you mess with, you idiots!” she shouted, preparing to jump down onto everyone involved in the brawl with cross body sent everyone to the floor. But before she could leap, Kairi rushed to you, helping you to your feet. “come on! Get out of here!” she urged, pulling you away as Iyo get up and followed.

As the dust began to settle, you and Kairi managed to escape, avoiding the fray and regrouping just outside the chaos.

Backstage

Later, in the dimly lit backstage on Damge CTRL locker room, you leaned against a wall, trying to process what had just transpired. The match had ended in a chaotic flurry, but the ramifications of the night were just beginning.

Liv approached, her expression softening as she took a deep breath. “I know things got out of hand, but we can still work together. You know what Rhea is like. And another thing, we don't have any bad feelings towards each other, right, Y/N?” she said, her tone earnest but without the anger that had characterized you earlier exchanges.

You crossed you arms, feeling the weight of Liv's words. “I'm done with the games you guys play. You think that I'm a pawn to be picked up?" You replied, irritation creeping into your voice.

Liv stepped closer, concern etching her features. “No, I don't see you as a pawn, but as a friend. Just think about all the things Rhea has done to you, to me, to us,” she urged, her eyes pleading.

Rhea stormed into the room, her expression cold as she glanced between them. “Oh look, now you're trying to get her on your side? You don't even dare to face me on your own, Liv.” she sneered, arms crossed defiantly.

You felt caught in the middle, torn between the two women. “I don't care about your games, I have my own path.” you stated firmly, trying to assert their independence.

Liv's frustration simmered beneath the surface, but she quickly masked it with a smile. “Just think about it,” she said, holding your gaze for a moment longer than necessary, the tension palpable.

As Rhea turned to leave, she shot one last glare at Liv. “You won't live happily ever after, Liv. I’ll reclaim what I never lost, and mind your own business, Y/N. For your own good.” she spat before walking away, leaving Liv and the you in the silence of the backstage area.

With Rhea gone, you sighed, feeling the weight of the moment settle in. “I guess this won't end easily, huh?” you asked, looking at Liv, who shook her head.

“No, it’s just beginning. But I’ll be here, ready when you are,” Liv replied, determination in her voice as she moved to leave.

As Liv walked away, you couldn't shake the feeling of being pulled in multiple directions. You had choices to make, and as the echoes of the night played in their mind, one thing was certain: you would forge you own path, no matter how tangled the alliances became.

"Who the hell do they think they are? Hasn't anyone ever told them not to mess with other teams?" Iyo's voice complained from behind you. She had been sitting there listening to the whole conversation, along with Kairi, who nodded in agreement with Iyo. "But just so you know, no matter which way you choose, we will support you." Iyo added. "But really, someone should tell them to stop coming into our room like that."

Kairi added, "And don't worry about the tag team championship, Iyo and I will handle that. So you can focus on that." She always has that smile on her face and gives you support.

"thank you." You gave both of them a bright smile before sitting down next to them and chatting happily as usual with laughter echoing within the Damage CTRL locker room.

__

That's really long, isn't it? I hope you guys like and enjoy it!

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Lucky Break Chapter 6

Yandere Straw Hats x Fem!Reader

3.6 words

Beginning / Previous / Next (to be written)

Sorry that this is a little late and kinda short. On the bright side, the next chapter will be posted a few days early, so there will be less of a wait for the next one.

Unsurprisingly, convincing a bunch of kids that you aren’t actually a band of cannibalistic pirates is not an easy task to accomplish. Especially not when Luffy and Zoro are only adding to it. It only stopped when the old man running the inn interrupted the yelling and terrified screaming to say that no one was eaten.

With that established, the children were shockingly calm now, all things considered. Now that your names were cleared, all of you were lingering outside of the inn.

“Do all pirates make jokes like that?” Ninjin was gawking at Zoro. After realizing that the swordsmen had just been messing with him, his terror had morphed into awe. Now he was seeing Zoro as some hardcore pirate to aspire to be. At least he wasn’t horrendously traumatized.

Zoro rolled his shoulders and shrugged, “The cool ones do.”

The response made you roll your eyes, but it’s not like you were about to waste your precious air trying to scold him. That would truly be a useless cause. He would probably just ignore you entirely.

Luffy tapped one of the kids, Piiman, on the shoulder, “Hey, do you know where that longnose guy went?”

“Usopp?” The green haired boy hummed in thought, “He’s probably visiting Miss Kaya right now.”

“Miss Kaya?” Nami raised an inquiring brow.

“She lives in that huge house on the hill,” Tamanegi pointed at that mansion that Zoro and Nami had asked Usopp about before. Ah, that made sense now. The reason he had gotten so defensive all of a sudden was because he knew the people living there.

Nami didn’t appear to be done with her questions and pressed on, “What’s he doing over there?”

All three of the kids spoke in unison and with great enthusiasm, “Lying!”

“That’s awful!” Nami scolded the children as if she didn’t steal someone’s wallet mere minutes ago.

Ninjin was quick to leap to Usopp’s defense, “Nuh-uh! He goes over there to tell Kaya stories to make her feel better!”

“Feel better? Is she sick?”

Piiman grins proudly, “Yeah, but she’s also been really sad since her parents passed away after getting sick. Usopp tells her all kinds of fun stories to make her smile and laugh!”

Oh my god. If that wasn’t the most wholesome shit you’ve ever heard. Luffy agreed with the sentiment openly, “Oh, so he’s a really good person?” That was putting it mildly. Luffy stepped closer and crouched down next to Piiman, “Can you take us to him? I wanna talk to him again.”

All three of the children agreed and led the way towards the mansion. Your group trailed behind the trio at a leisurely pace, minus Luffy who was bouncing around and checking out every little thing he saw with significant enthusiasm. 

The village was, admittedly, quite quaint. You felt charmed by your surroundings. From the looks of it, this was the village’s mainstreet. Various stores spotted either side of the path you were traversing down. A bakery, some carpentry shop, a toy store, and- 

You gasp and grab onto Zoro’s arm, “Look! A doctor's office!” Without wasting a second, you run over, dragging Zoro behind you despite his protests. You come to a stop in front of the door and reach forward to open it, only to notice the sign on the door. Out, come back later.

“Shit!” Just your luck that the doctor would be out when you just so happened to be passing by! You kicked the dirt under your feet in frustration. “Do you think the doctor will be back soon?”

“How should I know?” Zoro tugged his arm free and shot you a questioning look, “And why are you dragging me with you?”

Is this guy dense? “Oh, gee, I don’t know. Maybe because you have a stab wound?!” 

“I already told you, I slept it off.” The way Zoro rolled his eyes and spoke made it sound like you were the irrational one here. Before you could yell at him that, no, you cannot just sleep off a stab wound, he pulled up his shirt. The wound was where you remembered it being, but something was off. He was stabbed yesterday, but the wound looked like it was a week old, at the least. “See? It’s fine. Quit fussing about it.”

You’re no doctor, but you know that this can’t be right. You stare at him in shock and horror, “What are you?”

Zoro quirked a brow, “A swordsman?”

“More like an X-Men.”

Your words visibly threw him off. He frowned and his eyes narrowed. “A what?”

“A… It’s like…” Not for the first time, you found yourself confused about the meaning of words out of your own mouth. Where did that term come from? You strained yourself to track down what that word meant. “Superpowers? It’s someone with superpowers… I think?”

“So it’s someone with a devil fruit?” You guess that’s about right. Maybe you just got mixed up? You nod at Zoro’s statement. Zoro sighs and fixes his shirt, ��Then just say that.”

“Yeah… guess I just got confused.” You scratch the back of your head. Calling your current state of mind confused was the understatement of the century. The mysteries of your mind shall go on to confound you another day.

“Hey! Are you guys coming or not?” Nami had stopped and turned to face you and Zoro with her hands on her hips. 

“Come on, maybe the doctor will be back in before we leave this island.” One of Zoro’s hands rested on his swords, while the other was on your upper back and firmly encouraging you to keep walking. Having no reason to object, you go along with it.

The walk to the mansion continues, but you pay very little mind to it now. It was hard to focus on your surroundings when your mind was zeroed in on your failing memory. All of the fragments you were getting were effectively useless, at least as far as you could tell. Well, you suppose there was that inkling of a memory you got back at the restaurant, but you stomped that one out for feeling too uncomfortable. Admittedly, that was probably a stupid move. What were you going to do? Block out your whole life if it turns out it wasn’t great or something worth remembering?

Dwelling on this was far from pleasant, however necessary it may be. You sigh and look around, wanting to scope out where you are now. The town was long gone, and you could see a tall fence not far from where you were, separating the estate behind it from the rest of the community. A ways away from where you guys were was the gate that allowed entrance. Two guards were posted outside of it, and you doubted that they would let your group in.

Tamanegi ran up to the bars of the fence and pointed through them at a tree right next to the home, “See, he’s talking to Kaya over there!”

You step closer to the fence and look where he’s pointing. Sure enough, you can see Usopp sitting on a branch next to a window. There’s a pale, blonde woman in the windowsill, who you’re assuming is Kaya. It’s all well and good that you’ve tracked down Usopp, but it looks like you’re going to have to wait for him to leave before you can talk to him. Sneaking into the estate would be out of the question, obviously.

Then you look over and see that Luffy has stretched his arms to reach the top of the fence and was taking some steps back. His rubbery arms were taught with tension. You gawk at him, not liking the look of this one bit, “What are you doing?”

Rather than anyone trying to answer this question, Luffy keeps stretching his arms while everyone else grabs onto him. Your voice raises, “What are all of you doing?” Nami grabs your arm, forcing you into whatever weird-ass plan was in the works here. You squirm and look around frantically, “What are we doing? What’s the plan here?”

The next thing you knew, Luffy jumped up and used his arms to send all of you sailing over the fence and through the air. Naturally, you’re screaming at the top of your lungs. But the children are too, so at least you aren’t alone in your terror. Instead of landing not far beyond the fence, you guys were maintaining a high speed that was bringing you closer and closer to the home. Mercifully, instead of crashing through the walls like a wrecking ball, you landed mere feet from the structure. People were colliding with the ground all around you. Nami had let go of you at some point, and you fell onto Luffy and then bounced off of him. His body had done a little bit to soften the blow, but it still knocked the wind out of you. You groaned in pain and curled into a ball while trying to catch your breath and make your head stop spinning.

Tamanegi crouched down next to you and poked your shoulder, “Are you okay?” Aside from some grass stains on his clothes, he looked completely fine. Ah, the resilience of youth. Blinking the spots out of your eyes, you force yourself up onto your feet while nodding wordlessly. By the time your ears stop ringing, you can make out Usopp’s voice desperately trying to explain your group’s abrupt arrival.

Kaya was leaning out of her window and staring at all of you with apprehension and confusion. Even with only part of her upper body visible, you could plainly see how frail her build was. The poor thing looked deathly pale, it was honestly more than a little concerning.

“Oh, these guys?! They’re just… my newest crew members!” The high-pitched, nervous laugh Usopp let out did little to help make his case.

“No, we’re not.” Luffy killed that lie instantly and with zero hesitation. He stood up and brushed himself up, seemingly unbothered from you essentially body slamming him. “I wanted to ask you for a favor, actually!”

“A favor? What is it?” Kaya, for whatever reason, was actually entertaining the idea of helping out someone who just slingshotted himself and his cohorts onto her property. What a shockingly understanding person. Luffy started to ask about getting a ship, but was interrupted by someone shouting.

“Who are you people? You aren’t supposed to be here!”

You look over your shoulder and see a tall, slender man in a dark suit rapidly approaching. Judging by his appearance, you feel like you can assume he is a butler or something of the like. The second he yelled, all three of the kids shrieked and hid themselves in your obnoxious looking coat. At least it’s getting some use outside of helping you blend in with clown pirates.

The man adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand while sneering at all of you, making absolutely no attempt to hide his contempt for your presences. Which, admittedly, is fair given that you guys are actively trespassing. He glared at the large tree by the window before calling out, “Usopp, I know you’re there.”

Usopp slinked out from behind the tree, looking like he would have his tail between his legs if he possessed one. The man stared at him coldly, “Of course someone with as troublesome a reputation as you would be involved.”

Kaya attempted to ease the situation, “Klahadore, please! He doesn’t mean any harm!” That was one hell of a name. It sounded almost comically pretentious.

Luffy was entirely undeterred by the butler’s demeanor. “We just wanted to ask that girl something.” 

“You will do no such thing. All of you need to leave immediately.” His eyes narrowed at Usopp, “Especially you. Someone with a father like yours has no business being around Miss Kaya.”

“Excuse me?” Usopp was taken aback by that jagged statement.

“You’re the son of a filthy pirate. It’s distasteful for you to even be in the vicinity of the lady of the house.” 

Just like that, any understanding you had for this man being irritated with your group curled up and died. He isn’t a man doing his job, he’s just some classist prick that thinks he’s better than everyone else here.

“Klahadore, stop! That’s enough!” Even Kaya sounded appalled by his behavior.

Her words did nothing to stop Klahadore, who appeared to be taking great delight in this, “You two are from entirely different worlds. I can only assume that you interact with the lady with the intent of gaining something. Money, perhaps?” The accusation stunned everyone into silence, which he took as his cue to continue, “If I’m being quite honest, I pity you. It is truly unfortunate how you’ve been forced to live since your father abandoned his family and home for nothing more than the pursuit of treasure. You must hate him for it, surely.”

Usopp stormed towards Klahadore while Kaya was yelling at her rude-ass butler to stop and apologize for his words. Usopp came to a halt right in front of him, “Don’t you dare talk about my father like that! He’s a good man!”

Klahadore smirked, “Is that what you tell yourself? Another one of your lies, presumably. Though, I suppose that a lot of people would resort to such measures if stuck with a father like that. Well, assuming that he is actually your father.”

In an instant, Usopp’s fist connected with Klahadore’s jaw and sent him back several feet. Your mouth was gaping after hearing all of that. What a dick! Get his ass, Usopp! The kids using your coat for cover all popped their heads out and looked as shocked as you were.

Usopp took several steps forward, shouting at the butler, “Shut up! I am proud of who my family is! I’m proud that my father is a pirate and chasing his dreams! I might lie and tell stories, but I’ve never exaggerated a single thing about how I feel about my blood!”

Klahadore gritted his teeth and got back up, “Just like I thought, you’re a savage that resorts to violence at the drop of a hat. I suppose you must be the son of that pirate, you’re certainly acting as such, and that’s all the proof that I need to assume that you’ve been cozying up to the lady of the house in an attempt to get her fortune.”

“Why you,” Usopp lunged forward and grabbed him by his suit and pulled back his arm like he’s about to deliver another blow.

“Stop, Usopp!” Kaya pleaded desperately with him, “Please, there’s no need for violence. Klahadore isn’t a bad person, he’s just…trying to do what he thinks is best for me.” 

You shoot her a questioning look that you’re fairly certain she doesn’t even see. You’re not sure what insulting Usopp’s entire family tree has to do with “doing what’s best for her”. In your humble opinion, Usopp had every right to deck that stuck up prick one more time. Instead, he relented and backed away from him. A shame, really.

“You need to leave this place and never set foot here again.” Klahadore dusted off his clothes and was trying his damndest to look dignified despite just getting his shit rocked by a teenager.

Usopp walked past him, speaking lowly, “Fine. You don’t need to tell me twice.” He stomped away without another word, his shoulder hunched and fists clenched.

In a flurry, the trio taking refuge in your coat sprung out and ran up to Klaha-dick to defend their captain’s honor. Ninjin opened strong by calling him a stupid butler insisting that Usopp would never do any of that. Then all three of them dissolved into chanting ‘stupid head’ at him, so you’re pretty sure he’ll never emotionally recover from this.

Their brave verbal assault crumbled the second that Klahadore looked down at them. In the blink of an eye, they turned tail and returned to the sanctity of your coat. The butler’s gaze scanned over all of you with palpable disdain. He readjusted his glasses and waved an arm dismissively, “All of you need to leave, too.”

You had no problem with that. The less time spent here, the better. You carefully herded the kids hiding in your coat as you walked, which was not an easy thing to do with six more feet right under you, but you’ll manage.

After leaving the estate, you all congregated by a quiet field next to an unpopulated path. The boys have dispersed, mercifully, so you are now perched up on a fence. Luffy ran off a few minutes ago after one of the kids had told him where Usopp may have gone.

The crisp, clean air felt refreshing as you inhaled it deeply. You exhaled and tilted your head back to look up at the sky. In the back of your mind, you wonder if another weapon and mysterious note will fall out of it like in Orange Town. The note… Your hand dips into your coat pocket and digs out the folded up piece of paper. You unfold it and decide to read it again.

“Lucky”

What an interesting event

Losing your memories was not my intent

To aid in your journey

Please take this urumi 

“A”

You had hoped that reading it a second time would jog your memory, but it didn’t. You still have no idea who “A” is supposed to be. Were you two supposed to be close? Was this person a mere acquaintance? A weapons dealer with very unique methods? You can’t say.

Suddenly, the paper is plucked out of your hands. Your head snaps up and you see Nami standing next to you. Her brows furrow and she flips the paper over before shooting you a confused look, “Why are you staring at a blank piece of paper?”

What? You stammer as you try to speak, “B… Blank?”

“Yeah? Why are you staring so intently at a blank piece of paper?” Nami was alternating between staring a hole into you and glancing at the paper. Her eyes were looking right where the words were, yet she was seeing nothing? How is that possible?

All you can do is stare for a moment. Then, you laugh nervously and scratch the back of your head, “Oh, right! I was… I wanted to write something down on that, but then I remembered that I don’t have a pen on me!” That sounded dumb as hell.

Nami’s expression reflected that sentiment, “Really?”

“Yeah! You know me, I’m so forgetful!” You force out another unnatural laugh while snatching the paper out of her hand to stuff it back into your pocket. Hazarding another glance at Nami, you saw her looking at you with an extremely doubtful expression. Her stare was hard and it felt like she was seeing right into your soul. Fortunately, she sighed and looked away. 

“Alright, whatever you say.”

Something tells you that she’s going to bring this up again later, and you can only hope that you’ll have come up with a better excuse by then. Your mind was running in circles trying to rationalize how insane your most recent revelation was. Apparently, you have a magical piece of paper with words on it that only you can see. Sure! Why not?! This might as well happen with all the other weird shit going on right now! How your situation was able to progressively get weirder and weirder was beyond you, and at this point, you’re afraid of what else is going to happen next.

“Guys! A really weird man is backwards-walking this way!” Tamanegi comes sprinting over the hill spouting off that incredibly ominous warning.

You and your big mouth inside your head. Are you cursed? Are you experiencing the effects of a curse put on you? Hesitantly, you crane your neck to see what he’s talking about. Sure enough, you see a man wearing a blue blazer and a hat moonwalking right at you.

“Michael Jackson?”

The man stops mid moonwalk with one hand grasping his hat. He looks at you like you’re insane- which you may be, but that’s beside the point. The heart shaped sunglasses and weird cylinder-thing on his chin only make his whole vibe even stranger. His glasses slide down a little as he makes eye contact with you, “Michael Jackson? That isn’t even close to my name. I don’t know who that is, but he should only be so lucky as to be compared to me.” His neck snapped around to then regard the children, “And which one of you brats called me weird?! I’m not weird!”

“I’m going to have to side with him, you do seem pretty weird.” Nami was now focused on him, and you hoped this encounter would make her forget about the paper incident.

The totally-not-weird man did what looked like a dance move and glared at Nami, “I’m not! I’m a perfectly normal traveling hypnotist!”

“A hypnotist? That’s so cool! Can you show us something?” Piiman was staring at him hopefully, very much intrigued by the man’s profession. You just rolled your eyes. He was probably a con artist. 

“What? You really expect me to show off my abilities to any snot-nosed brat who asks?” The weirdo stoops down to stare menacingly at Piiman. Then, he stands up straight and pulls something out of his pocket, “Very well, watch this ring closely. I’m going to swing this back and forth, and on the count of one, two, Jango, you’ll feel sleepy.” Well, he certainly changes his mind easily.

You quietly snorted but watched the display nonetheless. This guy was absolutely full of shit. Your eyes follow the silver ring that looks suspiciously like a blade as he starts to count.

“One. Two. Jango!”

And then you promptly passed out.

[eatmycodbetty]

{You again?} ~ 2

part two. . . one

pairing: anthony lockwood x gn!reader

word count: 2.7k

summary: Your first time helping the trio goes well, but some resistance at your attempted aid spurs a personal challenge.

DISCLAIMER: I headcanoned mobile phones. Not smartphones by any means- more so a pager that can display text. still in the same vintage ish vibes it just makes it easier for what i want to achieve in the first few chapters. think of those little blocky personal phones we see in the show but if it had the worst little radio display or something for little messages. lmk if it’s too distracting and ill write it out lolol

notes: dialogue is hard. :pp ALSO this is the end of the INTRODUCTION phase of the story- there is soooooo much more to come.

Two . . .

11:47. Middle of London

Running down the street, you see the park sign. You recall what George had told you earlier that day, and you enter from the east of the entrance, a hidden path that kind of slopes from use over the years.

At first, there’s nothing. It is dark, obviously no ghost-lamps around, and terraced with trees. This is practically a jungle at night, no wonder they lost a source here. You could lose your own two feet if you weren’t so careful.

As your panic finds a fake lull, you hear a yelp from across the park, over an old cobbled half-wall. You sprint to the area, seeing a streak of orange and hearing George’s calls for mercy.

When you leap up over the wall, rapier in hand, a scared George is running at you. He sees you and trips, grabbing you on the way. You two stumble but you get up swiftly in time for the onslaught that was behind him. Two smaller ghosts coming out of a thick fog followed him, but you make quick work with a few jabs into their figures, them quickly dissipating with horrible screams.

You turn and help the poor boy up from behind you, his fingers still grabbing your jacket. “Oh my BLOODY god y/n thank you thank you THANK YOU. You came just in time” He stutters, out of breath, and takes a second to gulp down some air and stand back up. “We were so close…but that damned cluster almost ruined it for us. We ran up this hill with the…wait.”

He stops to search and pat his orange hoodie quickly, coming to a disheartening realization as he looks back up at you. “We lost it again. I might just leave it if I am being honest- it’s too fucking much.”

As he rambles you take a breath, shushing him with a hurried question. “Where are the others, G. We need to make sure you are all safe before worrying about this stupid trinket.”

He quickly realizes that he left the other two, looking to the left of your current spot. He points as you two begin to run, rapiers in hands. You toss him a salt bomb and with a nervous nod he takes it and readies as you two approach the scene.

You almost stumble over a bush to see the same girl from earlier- Lucy, was it?- and the slender boy you can only assume is Lockwood. They are caught in the middle of a whirlwind of activity, fighting well- but not quick enough- as spirits reach out at their blind spots.

You take a jump into the action, yelling for them to duck as you fight from Lucy’s side first. George throws the salt bomb whilst you dissipate the area around Lucy. She sits back up and you acknowledge each other with a quick smile and nod, fending off the near liquid-like fog on Lockwood.

As you do this, the salt bomb goes off right above you, nice shot George, and the whirlwind you’re in starts to falter. You three run out, shouting at George to run as well.

Running up the back of the group, you jump back through the brush and into the area where you found George earlier. As you make a b-line towards the rest of the group, a thick ghost-fog starts to fizzle in front of you, but you throw another salt bomb hastily and dive back over the cobbled half-wall.

As you steady yourself, a shimmer catches your eye. Without thinking, you dislodge the item from the stones and keep running, narrowly missing the foggy spirits that linger above you.

The four of you keep running until you’re out of the park, back through the small passageway and into the street, where you find a resting area under some ghost-lamps. Perfect. Lucy and George immediately sit on a bench, laying out and catching their breath.

You catch up to the group, deciding to lean on the lamp pole behind them to catch your breath as well. The tall and slender boy stands in front of the two sitting agents, rubbing his hands which eventually land on his hips. You see his jacket open a little at this, is he wearing a suit? In the field?? Yeesh, you think. The rumors around this guy might just be right. For now he just loiters and thinks, gaze wandering between the group and you.

George speaks up first, eyes locked on the pavement guiltily, “hey so..I might have dropped the eyeglass when I had to run.” He looks back up at the two others, “BUT we can come back in the day- I never want to come back here at night ever again. Even if the ghosts can help us find it, they can all go to the shitter.”

You think as he’s rambling, and absent mindedly take out the object you picked up out of your pocket. You twist it around in your fingers, focusing when you realize the smooth texture- it’s a brass eyeglass. Before he can keep going you speak up, “Uh hey G…is this what you lost?”

He looks at you for a second and leans over, confused…until his eyes widen and he snatches the trinket from your palm. “Y/N you are a saint! How did you even find this in between fighting?!” He is obviously relieved, holding the eyeglass with his forefingers in the light for the group to see.

You smile and lean your back on the pole, “I just saw it lodged in that old wall when we were getting away, I didn’t even think about it really.” And you didn’t, you just thought it was a big coin or something.

“Well it doesn’t matter if you thought about it or not-you saved our arses.” He gives you a friendly jab on the arm and hands the trinket to Lucy, who stuck it in a small silver sack to prevent a longer night.

He jests as he’s handing it to Lucy, “Seeeee..safe and sound. Can we leave the house alone now when something goes missing…”

She quips back, “Well it seems y/n was the one to actually get it, but next time I will be sure to leave your precious books on the lounge table alone.” She smiles sarcastically and puts the silver pouch in her bag as he huffs.

“I guess that’s fine..I might as well just bring them back up to my room if they’re only going to be destroyed in the lounge…you are all animals.”

As he complains, Lucy looks back to you, ignoring him, “Hi y/n! You were surprisingly fast, thanks for the help back there- George was right about you.”

You smile at her and cross your arms with a reply. “You didn’t do half bad, we should train together sometime. We need to stay sharp…literally.” She smiles this time, a silent agreement between you two.

Then, a cough.

Lucy’s gaze is disrupted from you and you all shift to the tall and silent boy standing with his hands in his pockets. You honestly forgot he existed for a moment, what is up with him? George huffs quietly, “oh yeah..”

The boy shifts on his feet before turning to you, standing at full attention and extending a hand. “Hi there. I’m Anthony Lockwood, and this is my agency Lockwood & Co. Although, I can boldly assume you know these two already.” He squints at the two on the bench, of which Lucy shrugs and the two meekly feign ignorance.

You quietly snort at their remarks towards the boy, but then turn to him in the same manner- you feign your own confidence. He is, after all, the boss of another agency, and you feel the need to show your resilience in your lonesome.

As you take his hand and shake it once firmly, you reply, “Hello, Mr. Lockwood. I am Y/n L/n. I run my own ship…and I know George. Nice to finally meet, I’ve heard wonders.” You make a little explosion expression with your hands as you say this.

He has an inquisitive look to that last bit, underlying charm in his face, but he just nods and looks at you, analyzing your gear. “Nice to meet you too, Mx. L/n.” He smiles thinly, “I’ve seen your work in the back of the papers, and, well, word gets around when you challenge the higher agencies…dicks.” You sniffle to restrain a laugh at that. He hesitates as you start to rifle through your bag, continuing only as you hand him a business card. “You’re George’s old mate, right? We are on the same team it seems, you know if you ever-”

George cuts him off, “Y/n is one of my friends from Fitts, or rather one of my only old friends outside of you lot. You can trust them, we’d probably be another sob story if it weren’t for their saving the day anyways.” He looks to you and you wink in an obviously heroic manner, you both chuckle. Lockwood smiles a bit more genuinely at this, stopping only at Lucy interrupting.

“I don’t know them that well if it makes you feel better, Lockwood.” Lucy explains as she stands up now, between the bench and Lockwood. “But from what I’ve seen, we could learn a thing or two.” She looks to you again, “…or maybe we need the help- you did a great job playing the hero after all.”

You rub the back of your neck, but before you can reply to her sudden advertising, Lockwood intercepts: “I don’t think we need help. Having connections is nice but we work just fine- I mean we would have been fine back there with or without them- no offense.”

You roll your eyes from the obviously beaten boy over to George and Lucy, who have a kind of disdain on their faces at this remark. Lucy scoffs at Lockwood. “I think you just can’t accept anything. If you get out of your neurotic thick skull for one minute to see that we were in the trenches back there then maybe you’d be a bit more accepting.”

He is, surprisingly, not much wavering by this. Must happen often. You speak up on your behalf, as it seems Lockwood doesn’t have much to say to the girl. “Well, I don’t want to join you lot or anything, if that makes it better. I work well on my own, I don’t want to do the agency thing again. I just like helping, especially for an old friend and for a couple pounds.”

Lucy and George hear you and immediately make a “see?” face at Lockwood, who eventually butts in. “Well…only if we really need to. Agent L/n is an exceptional fighter, thank you for your help tonight.”

You nod at this with a small smile whilst the other two celebrate a silent victory, yet he continues. “Just as long as I’m let in on it, okay? No going behind my back- we’re a team. Got it?” They nod and quietly fist bump- he notices but ignores them once more, a kind of compassion wavering behind his eyes. What is even going on with them?

You pipe up again, “Well...I am glad that is handled. I will be making my leave, you all have a good night. George has my contact if there’s any night you want me to be on call or whatever, just let me know.” You want to go to bed and leave the awkward circumstance, but someone persists as you start to pick yourself up and head off.

“Y/n wait- before you go.” A hand on your shoulder turns you, just as you had tried to leave. Lucy is there, holding about 30 quid, taking your hand and placing it in your palm for you. You like her confidence, it's a wonder how she puts up with the other two. “Remember, we’re still paying you.”

You take a second to look at the money, before gripping it and patting her shoulder, “thank you Lucy.” You then peek over her shoulder at George, who is now getting off the bench, and Lockwood, who is somewhat still lost in thought. Weirdo.

You call out to them as well, “Thanks everyone, keep in touch. Goodnight!” You start to bound off as everyone is exchanging goodbyes and you split from the party, them going off in another direction back to their home.

1:23am. Closer to home

You breathe a full breath for the first time since leaving your flat earlier in the night. You're almost home, but you stopped in a busier part of the city to take a look at the stars. Barely visible. You sigh and keep going, eventually landing back at your flat.

Taking off your dirty clothes and settling your supplies in their usual spot, you go to take a well deserved shower. After, you swiftly lie back on your bed, letting your legs dangle in your fuzzy slippers.

You stare at your walls, your pictures and bundles of dried lavender to help protect (and refresh) the dingy flat. All these memories of when things went wrong, but more importantly, when things went right. Memories that morphed you into the person you are today.

Tonight was different, but it was kind of...fun. You were already used to being deemed a "hero" in your endeavors for as long as you can remember, but this felt different. You wanted to show them that you could be great- but why?

You already knew you were great, you didn't have to prove it to anyone. It had been clear for the many years working your way through countless different people and places that you excelled independently.

You decide to turn in for the night, to actually rest. It's almost 2 am, so it's easy to spiral into these kinds of mindless thought bubbles. You turn off the lamps and tuck into your sheets, with only the subtle glow of the moon dimly lighting the one room flat you occupy.

Then, another glow joins it. You look over, your phone is lit up. Who could even be texting you this late? You turn the phone over, seeing a new message from an unknown number. You pick up the phone and open the message.

Unknown Sender: Hello Mx. L/n. George gave me your number. Could you be on call the night of this coming Wednesday? The other two were persistent about it on the walk home. You'll be paid 30 quid if you're called, and 15 if we end up not needing you. Unknown Sender: Oh, and Luce wants to meet up sometime. Something about your rapiers. She might text you about it, but she is already asleep. Just wanted to let you know. Unknown Sender: Goodnight. - LW

You sit there in a kind of standstill at what had just occurred. Why did he sign off like it's a letter? Everything about this boy screams strange, but he's not your boss so you aren't going to pay it too much mind. It's nice that Lucy remembered, you smile at the thought of training with someone else. You reply quickly, just in case you forget in the morning.

You: Hey! I told G that I have nothing this week, so it's all good. Thank you for letting me know! You: Also...go to bed. It's almost 2:30

Here is where you see him start to type, then stop. You get a message about a full minute later.

A.Lockwood: You too. Looking forward to working again. Have a good night, y/n.

You give a tired chuckle and set your phone on your chest. He stopped the formalities? He must be tired. Whatever. You take your phone once more to turn it off, no more interruptions tonight.

As you go in and out of consciousness, you can only think of a few things. You're happy that George is doing well for himself, you enjoy the presence of another strong individual in Lucy, and most notably you're wondering what you even got yourself into.

Whatever the week brings, you have a feeling that it will be just fine. And maybe even...fun.

~fin~

thanks for reading pt 2 guys :)))) this is the end of the introduction part, we're gonna get into the juicy bits later. I'll be gone for two-ish days but I'll be back in no time- don't forget about me!!