#UsoVe | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cinewhore · 1 year ago

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From Russia, With Love

Pairing: Captain Jonathan “John” Price x Fem!reader

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: fighting (reader is a boxer), blood, explosives, coma, angst. Reader is roughly the same age as Price, I don’t do age gaps! If I missed something, let me know.

A/N: Finally getting hip to the COD boys! Reader is referred to as “Memphis” which is the name that was given to her while serving with the 141. I have plans for these two teehee. Also dropped in an Oberyn reference! dedicated to @mikeisthricedeceased & @pettyprocrastination Hope y'all enjoy. Credits to the gif creator.

You wish they would kill you already.

You’ve been in this position for at least two hours, hands tied at the wrist, strung up like a goddamn piñata. You try your best to keep one pointed toe on the ground to help with your fluctuating shifting of weight.

The people responsible for you at the moment circle around you like piranhas, their thirst for blood knowing no end.

“You’re stronger than you look.” the bald one mutters, voice rasped by a long nasty habit of smoking. You hang your head as he approaches, wrinkling your nose against the stench of his warm breath. He rears back and punches you in the stomach again, sending you for a small spin. The ropes tug and burn your skin, the calloused material leaving your wrists rubbed raw.

The other man sits towards the back of the room, watching. It’s all that he did. He never interacted with you, letting the others get their hands dirty for him instead. You could hear the clinking of ice in his glass, a rather calming sound in comparison to the broken moans that slipped out of you as you continued to be pummeled. The ice clinks again once more and the glass is sat down, signifying the man's own interest in the events unfolding in front of him. He waves his head and the bastard gets one more lick at you before he retreats.

You cough and sputter, blood steadily trickles down the side of your mouth. The head honcho finally rises out of his seat and makes his way towards you, hands clasped firmly behind his back. He takes one of his index fingers to lift your chin up, eyes penetrating the depths of your soul. You’ve been in plenty of situations where you gave death the bird and paraded around without a single care for your life but this, this was different.

For once in your life, you were afraid of what the outcome would be.

“You are one with the infamous one-four-one, no?”

You nod weakly.

“You are one with me now. I own you. Do you understand?”

Silence.

“You are a fighter and I admire that. Not once did you break your loyalty to your team but yet, you landed here in my lap. Nearly left one of my men for dead. A silly little boxing game! I can take you to the big leagues, get you out of the gutter you were rotting away in. We can make some big cash, you and me. Just do what I say, when and how I say.”

He does something that scares you more than anything. You were expecting a hard slap, maybe even another punch but no. He kisses your cheek softly and leaves. Within a blink, you were cut down from your post and hoisted up by the others, all careful not to agitate your wounds. You had been inducted into a mob and didn’t even know it.

- TWO YEARS LATER -

It’s the fucking bout of the century.

The crowd sounds like the angry wrath of the sea, a constant white noise in your ear. That is, if you could fucking hear out of the left one. You had taken a hit to the side of your head and you were sure you were concussed but adrenaline kept you up on both feet.

Your mouth is pried open by your cornerman, Usov, who squirts some liquid into it before shutting it. You tilt your head back, swishing it around before spitting it out in the bucket shoved in front of your face. The once clear liquid was now rinsed red. His hands are steady as he tries his best to patch you up, your chief second spewing strategy in half broken english.

“I can’t hear you.” you mutter, wincing when Usov touches a particularly tender area.

“What?”

You point to your left ear. “Can’t fucking hear you.”

Solomin sighs but lowers himself in front of you, angling himself towards your right side. “Better?”

You nod. “Better.”

“You can beat this one, eh? You’re pulling your punches! That is not what I teach you.What should’ve been a clean knock from start, last too long. What are you scared of?”

Failure.

“She’s too quick.” you lie through your teeth, knowing that Solomin could see right through it.

“Yes, she is quick but you are quicker. She’s aiming for your left side because that is where you’re the weakest now. You must use that to your advantage and strike back twice as hard. You are the Red Viper! Never lost a match and now is not the time to start.”

Solomon grabs you by the back of your neck and you force your eyes off of the lights and your opponent in the adjacent corner. “Remember what it took to get here. The position we are both in. Death comes first.”

You didn’t need to turn around to know whose eyes were boring into your back. The whole reason you were here. A rumor spread that he put half a billion dollars on your head for tonight's match.

You could not lose. Too many things were at steak.

The bell tolls and Usov and Solomin give final words of wisdom before you're thrusted up off your stool and back into the ring.

Nodding your head furiously, you begin prancing along on your feet, smashing your boxing gloves together in a steady rhythm.

The boss smirks as he senses a burst of energy in you, knowing that you were gonna bring it home to glory. The cigar he puffs on rests gently between his fingers, other hand preoccupied by the drumming of his digits. He could smell the copious amounts of cash you were gonna rake in for him and he desperately needed a vacation to the beach. Russian winters weren’t his favorite.

The ref signals for the next round to start and you’re off. You buzz around the ring like it's nobody's business, landing hit after hit. The crowd goes crazy as you corner your opponent, striking her viciously. The Red Viper never gives up until its prey is defeated.

But today, the Red Viper gets a surprise attack.

You do the one thing you were told to never do and that’s look into the crowd. Even for a millisecond, you shift your focus and gaze up. It’s almost as if your body had been taken over, forcing you to give in to curiosity.

Jonathan Price stands smack dab in the middle of a section, beanie low and chiseled arms crossed against his chest. He sees you and knows that you see him. A mistake so fatal you knew you were done before the moment passed.

A glove crashes into your face, hard, and you are down for the count.

Everyone in the crowd stumbles up to their feet, swarming into a frenzy. The once mysterious now beloved fighter was on the ground for the first time in her entire career. This was not good for business.

One.

You attempt to steady your breathing, eyes glossed over in a hypnotic haze. With a few slow blinks, the ring had vanished. You were laying on the ground amidst rubble, body emitting a low throb. Your brain kept signaling to the rest of your body that you were in danger but you couldn’t react.

“She’s over here!” you could hear the accent of Soap as he began to hurl slabs of concrete out of the way, creating a path that led straight to you.

Two.

Your head was supported as hands grabbed at you, lifting you from what you thought your final resting place would be. You were trying hard to form words but could not get your mouth to cooperate. It was as if you were weightless, floating aimlessly among the dark sky. In reality you were being carried by Soap and Gaz, who had taken you to the waiting chopper that was now clearing ground and transporting your team to safety.

You thought you had enough time to clear the explosive but you just weren’t fast enough and caught the brunt of it.

Three.

You waver in and out of consciousness, the various faces of your team pleading for you to stay with them. You wanted to! They were your family, your safe haven and backbones. You’d take a bullet for each and every one of them. You didn’t expect the bullet to be a goddamn rocket launcher.

The injuries were extensive. The medic was sure that you wouldn’t be able to walk again, much less be mobile on your own. He expected you to make a lengthy recovery if you ever came out of a coma. Days turned into weeks and that slipped into months.

Work never ceased. The boys felt terrible leaving your side but they knew that they couldn’t sit around and wait for your eyes to open, if they ever did. Price was hit the most, an unspoken thing between the two of you. He showed no sign of emotion when others were around but when it was just the two of you, he poured his heart out. He urged you to wake up, to return back to him and the 141.

You never did.

Four.

He was leading a mission in Mexico when you woke up. He didn’t receive the message until a week after and when he returned, you were gone. Upon asking the medic where you went, the poor fellow just shrugged.

“What do you mean you don’t know where she went?”

“I already told you. She was awake, given clearance to continue her healing at home, some guy came to pick her up and she vanished.”

Some guy. Your brother.

You kept your familial background to yourself but had let Price know that you had an older brother who stayed in trouble. He was too smart for his own and that often caused him to get into situations he could never really quite get out of.

Five.

He knew that if he probed enough, he could find out your whereabouts but knew you. If you wanted him to know where you were, you would’ve told him. So, he waited. And waited.

Six.

Your eyes roll around as you regain some sort of composure, legs shaking as you push yourself up off the ground.

“Holy shit.” Solomin whispers as the ref checks in with you quickly before jumping out of the way of your opponent. You smack your glove against your head, trying to get your head straight before you entered hell again.

The ref waves his head and you are back in the throes of war, clinging onto any semblance of hope left.

Your opponent swaggers over to you with a smug look on her face, certain that with another good hit or two, you’d be on your ass for good. You match her energy and smile widely, bloodied mouth and split lips creating a ghastly image. The Red Viper was no longer here, she was now replaced by a dead woman walking.

The hot water stings as you stand underneath the flow of the cascading shower. After a brief examination, you learn the outcome of the fight. You suffered a concussion, temporary hearing loss in your left ear, bruised ribs and cheekbone swelling along with the usual cuts and bruises. Pretty chill for such a huge occasion. You’re easy with yourself as you slowly wander back into your locker room, Solomin and Usov conversing quietly.

You had zero intentions of interacting with the cameras and groupies that awaited you beyond the doors, wanting to go home and fall victim to your bed. You knew that you had to remain alert for a few more hours given your injuries and Solomin normally stuck with you through them.

“You look like hell.” Your coach grins and you shrug him off, dropping your towel to the ground. Solomin turns his back to you as you manage to slip on a shirt and loose shorts, rolling your neck around.

“Been there and it’s honestly not as bad as it seems.” you reply, groaning as you flex a muscle in your arm.

“I hear the boss is very happy. He wants to celebrate tonight.”

You give Solomin a look and he nods, wringing his hands together. You weren’t one for the nightlife and knew that partying with the man who wagered such a high bet on your life wasn’t the best idea. Besides, you were in no shape to be around throngs of people and loud music.

“Maybe some other time, hm? I’d like to crash if that’s ok with you.”

“Doctor says you must rest for a minute,” Usov cuts in. “Are you hungry? I can get us some kebabs. We can eat here and wait for the people to leave.”

You honestly couldn’t stomach anything but nodded politely at Usov’s suggestion. He claps his hands together, patting you softly on the back as he exits the room. As he leaves, he passes by two individuals, brushing shoulders with one.

“Извини́.” Excuse me.

A guard stands at the entrance to your room and holds a hand out as the two men approach.

“No fans past the barrier. Fuck off.”

Price looks at the masked man beside him. “We’re here for a business proposition, per the boss's orders.”

The men looked extremely American, or at least not in the slightest bit Russian, to him and his stance falters. Their accents weren’t American though and he didn’t know what to make of it.

“We’re comrades of the fighter.”

“You’re not friends unless she says you are.” the guard retorts. So much for a smooth plan.

The door behind the guard swings open and Solomin steps out, a cigarette in his hand. He knew you dislike smoking and walked out to indulge in his habit. You feel that sinking feeling return to your stomach and you glance at the door, spotting Price and Ghost being hassled by the guard.

The guard turns to you, clearly flustered. “Do not worry, I will get rid of them.” He assures you but you motion at him to stop. Solomin can tell something is amiss by your cagey stance and lingers, awaiting your instruction.

You stare at the two men from your past, millions of memories flashing through your brain vividly. You had half a mind to tell them to kiss your ass, to have them sent away but once again, your inquisitive side wins.

“Let them in.”

You jerk your head at Solomin who continues on his quest to smoke. The guard makes way and your old teammates enter your locker room, the door clicking shut behind them.

Ghost stands back as Price draws near. Your breathing quickens at his scent, causing your throat to tighten.

“Hello, Memphis.”

#captain johnathan price #john price x you #john price x female reader #captain price x reader #captain price x female reader #captain price x you

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brainyxbat · 4 months ago

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Roronoa Venus- Hungry Days 1

New Friends, and Past Humiliation

One day after school, Roronoa Zoro was pondering a thought over kendo practice. His fraternal twin sister, named Venus, was always lonely; not to mentioned bullied frequently. Other than him, and their parents, she had no one to fall back on. No one to hang out with her during lunch, or after school hours. It didn't help that she was almost cripplingly shy; she had been for as long as he can remember, so he always protected her. Bullies mockingly called him her bodyguard in times like this, but he couldn't care less.

He himself had friends; Franky, Robin, Brook, Nami, boy genius Chopper, Usopp, and the group leader Luffy. Plus Sanji, to an extent... he shook his head in irritation at the blond Casanova wannabe. He didn't know them for that long, but they were all good people... even if Sanji was overeager with every pretty girl in school. What if Venus could join their little circle? Surely they would accept her; and she would finally have friends.

Huffing in fatigue, he set the bamboo shinai on its hooks hung on his bedroom door, and walked down the upstairs hallway to the room next to his. After a minute of waiting, the music from her electric violin had slowed a stop, before he heard her set it down. "Venus?" He knocked on the black-painted door. "Can I talk to you about something?

"Sure, come on in." He opened up, and lingered at the doorway. "What's up?"

One thing to know about his sister: She was a Goth girl. A "Mall Goth", to be precise. They both had queen-size beds with storage drawers, and black exteriors, but hers had a black dress-like canopy hung above the cushioned headboard, over an arch-shaped decal featuring the night sky with a full moon, so it wasn't hidden by the black wall. The window seat, and the small black tent, which was printed with white bats, were littered with small pillows, and stuffies, as was her bed around where her head laid. There were large moon and star shaped lights dangling front of the window, and alongside various cosmetics, her vanity had 4 different jewelry holders, one for more than just earrings. There was also a black and purple jewelry box with multiple sections for rings, bracelets, chokers, and... tragus earrings.

Now, she didn't have either of them pierced, but she planned on having the left done on their 18th birthday. What possessed her to have such a crazy idea, he still couldn't comprehend, but he didn't want to stop her. After all, it was her decision, and their parents approved of the idea when it was first pitched. And he supposed it was better than her actual face; their parents would each have an aneurysm if she came home with a ring in her septum.

"Well, tomorrow after homework, my friends and I are going to the mall for... stuff."

She nodded, while sitting on her bed. "Okay, hope you have fun-"

"Wait," He cut her off, "Do you want to come, Venus?"

Her eyebrows raised in genuine surprise under her green, asymmetrical bangs. "Really? Me?"

"Is there anyone else here named Venus?" He smirked coyly, earning a playful eye roll from her. "There's two girls in my group; you can shop around with them, and you could find some friends in all of them. You did just get paid, didn't you? And you're off tomorrow?"

"Y-yeah," She replied, "I did, and I am." In the same mall, she worked at a shop specializing in the Goth lifestyle, mostly stuff that was wearable, but with the occasional home decor, and some items revolving around witchcraft such as crystals. Basically, it was her dream job, despite it being only part-time, and even with occasional rude customers, she loved it there. "You really want me to come?"

"Yeah, if you want."

"But... what if they won't like me?"

"They will. Trust me; you'll fit right in."

After a moment of silence, she nodded, as a smile grew. "I'd love to."

"Okay. You can meet them during lunch before we go."

"Deal. Do they already know I'm coming?"

"Yeah, I texted them earlier, in our group chat. They're all good with it, as long as you're wanting to come. And they're eager to meet you."

"Awesome; feeling's mutual."

The next day, as the hours ticked by, Venus felt excited, yet nervous at the same time. She was going to not only meet Zoro's friends, but also hang out with them! But... what if they actually didn't like her, despite his assurance? What if they thought she was too strange? Or quiet? She never fit in anywhere, especially here at school; despite the love she received, she felt like the black sheep even in her family.

Before long, lunchtime came. Time to meet the friends. As she walked to the cafeteria with Zoro, her heart beat faster in her chest. He noticed her troubled expression, and her hands being more fidgety than usual. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm... just nervous."

"You'll be fine. They'll like you; I know it." They joined the line in the room, him watching for any bullies on the prowl. His heart boiled with fury at a certain, lilac-haired boy waving tauntingly at her; Zoro wished he could whack that smug grin off his insufferable face, but him getting detention wouldn't help her. When his turn was up, he looked over the pre-watered Nissin Cup Noodles available, while grabbing a Smokey & Spicy Sio for himself. "Looks like there's no chicken ones here, V."

"Yeah, sorry hon," Carmen, the flamboyant cafeteria lady, frowned apologetically. She was also the school's dance instructor, and had some boys, and girls, drooling with her fiery reddish-pink hair, purple eyes, and overall gorgeous looks.

"It's okay," Venus assured, and looked over the selections, "Hmm... I'll try this one. Thanks." She grabbed one of the mild curry cups, along with a pair of chopsticks, before paying for her meal, and following Zoro to the tables.

"There they are," He gestured to a particular one occupied by a certain group, and she looked nervous again, "They'll like you." Keeping an arm around her shoulders, he led her around the other tables, saving her from being tripped when passing one of the bullies. He also saved her noodles from being spilled, and her chopsticks from being dropped. "Damn bastard," He grumbled in irritation, before approaching, and turning to the group he sought out. "Guys, this is my twin sister I told you about, Venus."

"H-hi," She stammered, mentally observing them all, as Zoro introduced them. They all had cup noodles like them, but for the most part, different flavors each. One of the girls, aptly named Robin, had black, shoulder-length hair with even bangs, and an olive skin tone, while the other, paler Nami, had an orange bob, and a pink sweater vest. Luffy had shaggy black hair, and along with his school uniform, wore a straw hat with a red band on his head, while Franky, who looked pretty buff, had light blue hair in a cowlick almost like Ace Ventura, a red Hawaiian shirt with green palm trees under his blazer, and a bandage across the bridge of his nose. Tall Brook had a puffy, black afro, round black shades, and seemed to be merely skin and bones. He seemed to be holding a violin case in his lap.

Sanji was... reaching towards her? "Well hello there, Venus." He took her free hand with a chivalrous look on his face, as she looked on awkwardly. "Who would've thought a twin of Marimo would be so lovely?"

"Uh-" She was about to respond, but Zoro pulled her hand back for her, before the blond could kiss it.

"Back off, curlybrow."

Sanji sneered at him, missing her smirk of awkward gratitude towards her brother. "We were having a moment there, kendo brain."

"Will you two stop already?" Nami scolded, before turning to Venus with a smile. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Y-you guys too," She responded timidly.

"Anyway," Zoro gave Sanji one last sneer, before returning to the original topic for the final introduction, "And this here is Usopp."

"Hi, I-" Venus turned to him, just as he looked up to her from the table, and they made eye contact... and she couldn't turn away. "I, uh..." His mop of wavy, black curls; his tan complexion; his dark grey eyes; his cute, long nose. Blood rushed to her ivory cheeks, turning them pink; he was so handsome. Wait, what? "Um, I-I'm Venus. R-Roronoa Venus."

Usopp in turn, felt like he was looking at an angel, as he lowered his orange headphones to around his neck in a daze. What with her flowing, yet messy green hair, her ivory skin, and her dark green eye; she was beautiful. Her uniform stood out with her white shirt having a black bat collar, and her sweater vest being black with a small, white moon at the neckline. "N-nice to meet you. Um, please sit," He stammered, "Room for one more."

"Thanks." She sat down on the bench, directly across from him, with her brother next to her. She noticed his noodles cup, and giggled at its familiarity. "You got the curry too?"

"Oh yeah, it's my favorite. Yours?"

"Well um, I love the tasty chicken best, but they're out of it right now, so uh, I decided to try this one today." Through her reply, she stuck her chopsticks in, and began twirling some noodles.

"Well, you're going to love it."

Zoro glanced back and forth, as his sister exchanged smiles with one of his friends. What was going on here? Were they... in love with each other? That quickly? From what he remembered, last year, Venus vowed to never date again after a... humiliating incident. But it seemed she was now retracting that statement. "Mm!" Venus' hum of delight snapped him out of his thoughts. "It's great! I do love it!"

"It is, isn't it?" Usopp agreed. "The little kick really adds to it."

"Little kick?" She blinked in genuine confusion, surprising him.

He was also flustered on how her long lashes fluttered from the movements. "Y-yeah, there's a-"

"She has a high tolerance for spicy foods," Zoro explained after a bite of his lunch, "Sour foods too. If her meal came with a lemon slice, like to squeeze the juice out, after getting some on her fish or whatever, she'd eat it like it was an orange."

Nami couldn't help but stifle a laugh. She could imagine the shocked expressions from any witnesses around them during such a thing. Not to mention any waiters realizing the wedge was completely missing from their platter when cleaning up. "Really?"

"Y-yeah," Venus nodded after swallowing some noodles, " I've been able to for as long as I can remember."

"That's pretty impressive," Usopp complimented, "You do take the seeds out first, right?"

"Thanks," She smiled shyly, before hiding it with gulping from her soda bottle. "Oh yeah, I do. Y-you should've seen our parents' faces the first time," She snickered, and they all laughed after she demonstrated.

The rest of the period went smoothly; Venus fit in very well with Zoro's peer group, as she felt less and less nervous by the minute. Needless to say, she was definitely going out with them after school. And she couldn't wait! Once they were seated on the bus later, Venus started on her homework, with Zoro staying alert next to her. He helped her on occasion, and she was done just as their home was approaching.

"See you guys later!" Luffy waved, as the bus stopped at the Roronoa household first.

"See ya!" Venus waved back, blushing again when Usopp shot a smile at her. After smiling back, she went to follow Zoro out, only for another attempted tripping to be successful. She toppled face-down to the floor, with her violin case thumping on her back. "Oww!" Obnoxious rich brat Charlos laughed mockingly, bringing his leg back in front of his seat, as her knee lightly throbbed in pain.

"Hey, you bastard!" Usopp glared, as Zoro helped his sister to her feet. "You can't do that to her!"

"What'cha gonna do about it, Pinocchio?" Charlos taunted him in retortion without looking back, as his sister Shalria, equally horrible, laughed next to him.

"If I had a nickel every time I heard that one," An unfazed Usopp rolled his eyes, "I'd retire at 18. Now leave her alone!" He recoiled nervously with a squeak when the porky bully turned to him with an intimidating, challenging look, but kept his defiant glare, before relaxing when he looked ahead again.

Venus smiled at him again in silent gratitude, with him returning it, as she and Zoro exited the bus. Tera, the twins' mother, turned to them as they entered the house. "Hey, how was school?" She gasped lightly in concern, and rushed to her daughter, as they stepped out of their shoes. She had a scrape on her right knee above her black uniform sock, that was an angry red, and starting to bleed a little. "Oh, Venus. Shalria tripped you again?"

She shook her head. "Charlos, on the bus."

Tera sighed deeply. "When will the principal ever do anything? You better patch that up, dear, before you bleed out."

"I will," Venus nodded, "I'll do that right now. M-my homework's already done." She rushed to the upstairs bathroom.

Zoro watched her go, before huffing in exasperation, running his hand on his short, green hair. "That damn Rosward won't keep them in line, no matter how many complaints I send his way. They get no more than a slap on the wrist; not even detention."

"Unbelievable," Tera frowned, "Something needs to be done."

"Agreed." He glanced up at the stairwell, as he heard Venus go into her room, gingerly closing the door. It was soon followed by her violin music. "So, after homework, my friends and I are going to the mall. Venus hit it off with them at lunch, so she's coming with us."

"That's wonderful!" She smiled joyfully. "I bet you'll have a great time."

"Yeah, and uh, lunch went pretty... interestingly."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember Usopp? Long nose, black curls?"

"Yeah, I remember him. He's a nice boy; what about him?"

"Well... it seems like Venus now has a crush on him." Tera's eyebrows raised in surprise. "And he her; like, when they were first introduced."

"Really? Aww, love at first sight!" She gushed. "Is she going to date him?"

"It's hard to say. I mean last year, she said she'd never date again, but I guess we'll see how today goes. I trust Usopp with her; I just dread something happening, that breaks her heart."

"That's understandable, honey. You're a good brother, looking out for her."

"Thanks, Mom. I do my best." Zoro glanced at the stairwell again. "I'd better get my homework done, and some kendo practice in before we go."

"Alright. But don't push yourself too hard in kendo; just because you can't defeat that Mihawk fellow, doesn't mean you're not amazing at it."

"Thanks, will do." He walked upstairs without another word.

Tera sighed to herself, as she watched him go. She wished he wouldn't push himself so hard; he was hospitalized for exhaustion recently, and had to have his shinai hidden, in order to make him take it easy. Venus was frantic, even having the idea of hiding it, and did everything she could to help.

She didn't want anything like that happening again.

After some practicing, she set her violin down in its coffin-shaped case, and began searching through her vast amount of clothes for something to wear later. This was the first time in years, if not ever, that she had friends to hang out with; she wanted to make a good impression. Especially on... Usopp? Yeah, that was it. She smiled, as her mind wandered; through the short time she'd known him so far, he was so sweet. Not to mention fun to talk with.

After snapping out of it, she stripped out of her school uniform, and for a start, pulled on her black fishnet tights with moons and stars accented all over. She scoured through her dominantly dark-colored wardrobe, before deciding on a black sleeveless dress with a pleather batwing collar, ditching the plain black belt in favor of one with a silver dual-rose buckle. In her hair, she shifted a black thin headband lined with five bows, before adding in ghost flower earrings that dangled with a light, delightful clinking. Noticing the oncoming, beautiful gloominess outside, she grabbed, and pulled on a black hoodie printed with clouds, some having fangs and lightning bolts. Under her tights was a bandage shaped like a Goth Milk carton to cover her small wound.

"Oi, Venus! Are you ready yet?! It's been almost 10 minutes!"

"Yeah, I'm coming!" She grabbed her spiderweb heart purse, lavender shopper tote, and black and purple batwing umbrella, threw her door open, and ran downstairs, oblivious to him tensing up at the latter. "I'm ready!" Zoro waited by the door, as she slipped her feet in a pair of black flats with shiny leather pumpkin faces in a darker black. He himself was in his usual black pants and shoes, with a yellow zip-up t-shirt.

"Mom, we're leaving!" He called out.

"Okay! Have fun, you two! Text me when you're getting home, so I can start on dinner!"

"We will!" Venus promised, before following him out to the public bus. "I'm excited."

"That's good. I told you they would like you."

"Yeah," She snickered, "You did. They're all really nice; though Sanji's kinda strange."

Zoro snorted with an eyeroll. "Do not look behind that curtain, I'm warning you. I'm just glad you like Usopp instead of that dumbass."

"Huh? W-what're you-"

"Venus, we're siblings." He cut her off, not buying her oblivious façade. "Twins at that; I can practically read your mind. And I saw it in your face."

She giggled, and pushed his hand away when he prodded at the side of her head. "Yeah, but... yeah," She caved, and shyly fiddled with one of her earrings, "He's just so sweet, and handsome."

"Well, I trust him, but I'm saying this because you're my sister... just be careful. Remember what happened last year; I don't want you going through that again."

"I know," She nodded, "But I have a good feeling."

Before he could respond, the bus stopped outside the mall, prompting them to disembark. Zoro held his much-shorter-than-him twin's hand to help her off the step without falling on her face, before checking the most recent text from the group leader. "Luffy said they'll be just inside this entrance."

"'Kay." With that, they began walking. In her peripherals, she caught him mindlessly wandering away, and yanked him back on the right path with a stifled snicker. "Going somewhere?"

"Shut up."

She giggled, as they walked through the automatic doors. She may have less emotional maturity between the two of them, but she had always been better with directions.

Less than a minute after entering, they found the familiar group standing close by, waiting on them by a large, digital directory. "Hey, guys!" Luffy called out with an enthusiastic wave of his hand. "Over here!" Venus brightened up upon noticing them, and made a beeline.

Now that they were out of their school uniforms, their real styles showed, and they their personalities quite nicely. Luffy was in blue denim Bermuda shorts, a red tank top, and a pair of brown flip-flops, along with what seemed to be his signature hat. Sanji was in a dark blue t-shirt with the word "Gentlecook" in lighter blue font, black jeans, and black Vans shoes. Franky was in his red Hawaiian shirt from school, dark blue knee-length shorts, and grey sandals. Brook stood out in particular, with his light pink skinny jeans with studs along the front pockets, brown loafers, blue and white striped t-shirt with "Summer Body" along the front in darker blue, and a large, cotton candy tie dye sunhat over his afro.

Robin was in a white button-up shirt-dress accented with purple specks, black shiny knee-high boots, and a black pleather jacket. Nami wore dark blue Bermuda shorts, brown strappy sandals, and a green tank top with darker green flower silhouettes.

She blushed at Usopp, specifically; he was in a white t-shirt, blue jeans with a lighter-hued belt, and patches on the knees, brown combat boots, and a thin, light purple button-up over it all, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. "H-hi, Usopp," She stammered after walking up to him, avoiding eye contact. Crap, she was nervous again. Why did he have to be so cute?

"Hey, Venus," He greeted her in return, struggling to keep his composure himself, "Y-you look great." More than great; she looked adorable. But he was scared of being too straightforward, remembering how Zoro told all of them about her shyness.

"Thanks," Her cheeks flushed even deeper, "So do you."

Nami smiled widely to herself while watching them; something was definitely happening. "Okay, so where to first?" Robin asked around.

As they wandered, and shopped, Venus bonded even more with the group. At certain places, she stuck by Nami and Robin, while the boys did their own thing across from the shop. "So, Venus," Nami turned to the shorter girl, prompting her to look down at her hands browsing necklaces, "You and Usopp are getting pret-ty cozy there."

"W-what?"

"You have a crush on Usopp."

"N-no," She fibbed.

Nami tilted her head with a look of skepticism. "Venus, I may have only met you today, but I can already tell; you're a terrible liar."

Venus was silent, as she moved on to hair accessories. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Robin assured, "You've had crushes before, right?"

She was briefly hesitant, thinking about the previous year. "Yeah, but this time feels... different. Although..." She trailed off.

"Although?" Robin repeated with motherly patience.

"I'm... scared to date again. Since last year; I don't want to talk about it."

"And you don't have to," The raven-haired girl said, "But Usopp is very sweet. He would never hurt anyone. And besides... he seems to be quite fond of you."

Venus looked up at her with surprise, though her gaze stayed downward after a split second of eye contact. "Really?"

"So, Usopp," Zoro approached his long-nosed friend, who was trying to pick out a game to try out next, "You seem to be getting quite close with Venus, huh?"

He was startled out of his internal debate by the sudden query. "Oh, uh... y-yeah?"

Zoro snorted at his wariness. "Chill out, I'm not gonna kill you."

"Oh good," He chuckled nervously, "Sorry, Zoro. It's just when I first saw her, standing in front of me... I couldn't look away." He sighed with a headshake. "She's so cute, and pretty. And very sweet."

"I'm glad you think so."

"Has she dated before?"

Zoro sighed in hesitation. "She has, and I won't go into details for her sake, but they were... never good."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Usopp's heart swelled with sympathy. Who would have the nerve to hurt someone as kind and meek as Venus? She seemed like she wouldn't hurt a fly. "I won't pry, but she doesn't deserve that treatment. And I promise I would never do that to her. I'd treat her the way she deserves; like a princess."

Zoro smiled just a little. "Thanks, man. I trust you."

"No prob," Usopp nodded with a returning smile, before turning back to the two games in his hands, and holding them up for him to see the covers. "Which of these should I get?"

"Found it!" Chopper cheered, holding up the newest Super Mario game in victory.

A few minutes later, the teens regrouped after finishing up. Venus walked straight to Usopp, while he also did for her; it didn't go unnoticed by the others, as they smiled to themselves, and each other. "Can we go down that way?" She pointed to the left-side walkway.

"Sure," Nami agreed, and they headed in said direction. Zoro smirked to himself; he knew the reason behind her request, but kept quiet, so she could explain it herself. "What's down here?"

Venus pointed to a sign straight ahead. It featured the shop's name in a stylized font in black, with a dark blue witch hat bearing constellations on the first M, while the last O was a crescent moon. "You uh, you guys see that shop there, Modern Majo?"

"Yeah," Robin nodded.

"That's where I work."

Nami's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really?"

"Yep, part-time at least. It's independently owned too. At times, there's um, some rude people coming in like you'd expect, but my boss is amazing, as is the shop itself. Can we, uh-"

"Yeah, we can go in," Franky replied, "Seems like a bit of Robin's speed."

The shop was... quite interesting. Not only did it have apparel, jewelry (those for body piercings included), hair accessories, and home trinkets, all in a Gothic style, it also had items commonly associated with witchcraft. The table near the entrance had crystals, tarot cards, and cauldrons. Her boss, Toribia Hekate, was delighted that her kind-hearted, yet lonely and introverted worker had friends; and like them, saw how Usopp looked at the girl.

They witnessed her barking at a particularly ill-mannered customer, effectively scaring him off, and heard sad stories from both her and Venus, about the latter receiving verbal abuse. More often than not, they had happy endings, but their hearts ached for her; especially Usopp's, and Zoro's, although the latter had already heard them all.

They soon left with Robin carrying a small bag, while Venus had one much bigger. Not only was she a hard-working employee there, she may be its best customer as well. "So um, what'd you guys think?"

"Cool place," Robin replied with a smile.

"Yeah, it is," Nami agreed, "I mean, it's not my style, but it's definitely yours; and it's great that you work at a place you love like that."

"Thanks."

Usopp was blushing, as he glanced around mindlessly; before they left, Hekate had pulled him aside by the fitting room, which had a huge, heavy curtain in place of two walls around two large mirrors, for a little, private chat. The short, yet intimidating old woman extracted a promise from him to be good to Venus, which he vowed to inact one day. She deserved all the love; and he wanted to give it to her.

When they passed by a quaint little bakery selling an extensive array of small desserts, he had an idea; he turned to Venus, hoping he won't make her nervous with his offer. "Um, can I buy you a little treat?"

She glanced over behind him, and nodded with a smile. "Sure, thanks!"

"Since you're buying-"

"No," Usopp cut Luffy off, "I only have enough for Venus, and me." With that little fib, he escorted her inside to the back of the short line. While it was just two of them, he couldn't help but notice; she was short. The top of her head had just barely touched the bottom of his chin. That just made her all the more adorable to him.

As a disappointed Luffy pouted, Zoro looked on in bafflement. "What's happening?"

"Oh, I'll tell you what's happening," Nami grinned widely, "They like each other!" She almost squealed.

"Like each other how?" Chopper asked innocently.

Robin patted his shoulder with a motherly smile. "You'll understand when you're older."

"Well yeah, but... th-that fast?" He stammered. "They only met just today."

"Dude, he's smoother with her than Sanji is with every girl in school," Franky laughed.

"Shut up!"

Zoro couldn't help but snicker at the embarrassed blond's expense. "Ah, keep sucking your candy." He turned his attention back to the others. "I don't know, I do trust him; I just don't want her to get hurt... again."

Robin frowned with sympathy. "We get it. You want to protect her; you're a good brother for that."

He smiled a little, as he remembered his mother telling him that same thing earlier that day. "Thanks. She hasn't had any good dating experience, so I worry every time." He didn't want to bring up the particular incident from last year; she could tell them when she was ready.

In the bakery, Usopp and Venus' turn in line came up. "What can I get you, young man?" The guy greeted.

"Hmm..." He looked over the individual cake slices, that almost made him drool, "I'll have the cookie dough kind."

"Mm." He smiled at Venus' hum of delight.

"And for the lady?"

"Um," She followed his lead, before perking up at spotting one of her favorite kinds. One she and Zoro commonly chose together. "T-the Oreo one, please."

"Coming right up." Venus licked her lips, as he promptly paid. "Name?"

"Usopp."

"Alright, once they're ready, I'll call you lovebirds over."

They both blushed deeply at that, before they nodded. "We-we're uh, just friends," Usopp reluctantly stammered, and she nodded with a sheepish grin, "Thanks." After each grabbing a spoon, they had a seat at a vacant table to wait. 'I wish we were more, though,' He thought to himself. Little did he know, she was thinking the same, almost word by word.

"Um," He turned to Venus when she spoke up, "Zoro and I would come here with our parents whenever we had an accomplishment of some kind."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep. Like if we aced a test, Zoro won a kendo tournament, or whatever. I've won a talent show or two, which also brings us here."

"Ah." He had actually never attended any of the shows himself. None of the group did; except Zoro, that is. "What's your talent?"

"I play an electric violin."

"Oh yeah, Zoro brought that up once or twice," He recalled, "That's really cool."

"Thanks."

"Maybe someday, I can come over, and you can practice for me."

She smiled at the idea; that sounded great to her. "I'd like that." She hoped he wouldn't be put off by how her bedroom was decorated, and/or think of her as a weirdo.

He noticed her change of face, and frowned with concern. "You sure?" He must've been too forward there.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure," She replied, "I'm just worried you'll, um..." He waited patiently for her to find the proper wording. "You'll think I'm weird. 'Cause I'm a..."

"Goth?" He smiled warmly, making her blush deeper. "Yeah, Zoro mentioned that too. Plus I saw it in how you dress." His heart fluttered at her looking down at the table, fiddling with her hoodie drawstring. She was so cute; he wanted to hug her, but that would definitely be going too fast at the moment. "It's okay; I really like it on you."

"Oh, t-thanks." She gave a cheerful, teeth-baring grin. "You'll love my room, then," She giggled, and laughed with him.

"I bet I will."

"Usopp?"

"That's us." He stood back up, and as she followed his lead, he took her hand without thinking. She noticed just after she was on her feet; they blushed red, before they both drew back slowly with awkward grins. Little too soon. After getting their respective slices, they left the shop, and rejoined their friends. "We're back."

"We see that," Brook teased, "You treating your new girlfriend?" He laughed with a kind that sounded like a classic pirate, only more joyful.

Usopp rolled his eyes, as Venus giggled awkwardly, taking the clear top off her plastic platter. "I just met her earlier today, y'know. We all did, except Zoro."

Zoro looked over, and stifled a grin at Sanji's dark scowl. "Envy's not a good look on you."

"Shut up, Marimo."

"Mmm, so good!" Venus beamed, interrupting the tense moment. "Like always." She smiled up at Usopp, who began eating his own. "Um, thanks for buying."

"You're welcome."

Nami smirked at them, as they enjoyed their slices. "Trying to mock us there, huh?" She joked. "Treating her, and not the rest of us, Mr. Favorites-Player."

Usopp snickered. "Well forgive me for wanting to do something nice for a special girl," He retorted with a smirk.

Special girl? Venus felt like her cheeks were on fire, as she kept her gaze on her platter. He was so sweet; she wanted to tackle him in a big hug, but was much too timid for such a bold move. Not to mention his cake would wind up on the floor, and she certainly didn't want that.

Zoro raised a brow in her direction, before smirking at her flustered state. She's got it bad for his friend; wait until their parents hear about this.

Before long, the great day came to an inevitable end. "Um, t-thanks for letting me join you guys," Venus stammered, "This was really fun."

"You're welcome!" Luffy beamed. "You can hang out with us all the time! I like you!"

She giggled, as everyone agreed. "Thanks. I'd love that."

"Want me to drive you guys home?" Franky offered.

"You sure I'll fit?" Venus asked nervously.

"Oh yeah," He assured, "Room for one more, half-pint."

"Franky drives a vintage VW bus," Robin explained, "He fixed it up himself."

"Ah, cool!" Venus grinned. "Thanks, that sounds great!" She stepped inside to the back seats with Zoro, and admired the interior, as he shot a text to Tera. When Robin said Franky fixed it up, she wasn't kidding around; the seat was so comfortable, and it had the features of a modern vehicle, while appearing vintage on the outside. It was amazing.

"Go on, Usopp," Nami teased when he hesitated to follow his new crush's lead.

"Yeah, yeah," He snickered, "Don't nag me." After his jest, he climbed inside, and sat next to Venus, before he had to squeeze into her, so Chopper could fit by the window. She smiled up at him, as she held her shopping bags just above her feet.

Once everyone was inside, Franky started driving around the town, to drop them off at their respective homes. Nami was first; outside of her house was a tan-skinned young woman with short, light blue hair, standing by the front door to greet her. Chopper was next, with his adoptive mother, school nurse Kureha, waiting on him. When Sanji was about to leave, his attempt at a chivalrous farewell to Venus was interrupted by Zoro and Usopp, to her relief. "Thanks guys," She giggled.

Her heart sunk a little when Usopp unbuckled himself; she wasn't quite ready to depart just yet. "I-I'll see you in school," She stammered, so he stopped outside the bus.

"And I'll see you," He gave her a kind smile, before walking to his house, and entering.

Venus smiled dreamily, as she watched him leave. "Alright twins, should be you next," Franky announced, after he started driving again.

"'Kay," She nodded.

"You have fun today, kid?" He asked her.

"Absolutely," She replied, "I can't wait to hang out with you guys again. I like you all."

"Especially Usopp, right?"

She rolled her eyes with a smirk through his chuckles. "Yeah, I walked into that one." Before long, Franky stopped outside the familiar house. "Thanks for driving us," She almost stumbled out on the sidewalk, though stayed on her feet, with Zoro following more smoothly.

"No prob! See you guys tomorrow!"

"You too, Frank," Zoro called out, before heading to the door with her up ahead.

Later that evening, the day's events were brought up over an onigiri dinner. "Venus, did you have fun with Zoro's friends today?" Tera asked.

"I definitely did," She nodded after a bite, "They want me to hang out with them again."

"She fit right in," Zoro added.

"I'm glad to hear that," Arashi remarked.

"And Venus has more than a little crush now, on one of them," Zoro smirked, snickering at her blushing cheeks.

"Oh really?" Arashi said in surprise. "Which one?"

"U-Usopp," She shyly mumbled behind her water glass, before shaking it off, "And I heard that he likes me back. Or he could."

"That's great, dear, but please be careful," Tera gently warned, "We don't want you getting hurt again."

"I understand," Venus nodded, before sighing sadly, "I don't want to go through that again."

-Last Year-

"I got asked to the prom!" Venus announced the second she entered the house after school.

Zoro lowered his shintai, and exited his room in curiosity. "By who?"

"His name's Spandam! He said that he likes me, and wants to be my prom date! Of course, I said yes!"

"That's great, honey!" Tera beamed. "I'm sure you'll have a great time!"

Zoro squinted his eyes over the excitement, staying quiet. He couldn't help but feel suspicious; Spandam didn't exactly have the best reputation in the school. He decided to keep it to himself, in fear of ruining his sister's joy. Maybe it could work out...

If only he knew how wrong that preposition was.

After changing to look their best, the two headed for the school, with their parents driving. "Have fun, you two!" Tera called out when they exited the car.

"We will," Zoro called back, and they entered the building. He followed Venus along the decorated halls, until they reached the gymnasium, where the event was currently kicking off. "Want to wait for him here?"

"Yeah," She nodded, "I'll be alright on my own."

That didn't help his suspicions at all. "If you say so. I'll be with my friends."

"'Kay, have fun."

"You too." With that, he wandered off, and miraculously located his newfound friends by the punch bowl, where she happened to be out of their sights.

"Surprised you found us that fast, Moss-head," Sanji smirked.

"Shut up, moron," Zoro dismissed the annoying blond; he was more focused on keeping his ears open, for any sounds of distress from Venus.

Meanwhile, she lingered at the entrance, blissfully unaware of the devious plot she would soon be apart of, front and center. Behind her back hid her so-called "date", looking down at her with evil intentions, while gripping a large pot. Time to put the plan into action...

Venus stood with a small smile, looking for a familiar head of lavender hair, when... it happened. She gasped sharply with a shriek at a disgusting-smelling, off-white, curdled substance raining down on her from the ceiling, leaving her drenched. She panted heavily, tears welling up, and not just from the odor, as certain students broke out into laughter. The substance slid down her hair, arms, and legs, and stained her black dress nearly beyond recognition.

Zoro turned sharply at the commotion. "What happened?" Usopp went to look, but his vision was blocked by some large athletes around all of them. Even Brook and Franky couldn't see.

"I don't know," Zoro sneered behind his back. Though he had a feeling that he did know.

Spandam leaped over in front of her with great clumsiness, but quickly regained his composure, towering over her, as he laughed mockingly. "This is what you get, little freak! You really thought anyone would want to be your date anywhere, much less the prom?! Ha! Have fun stinking up the place!" With that, he joined the other bullies in enjoying her misery.

"That's an improvement!" A portly boy named Hordy Jones guffawed.

Zoro pushed past the burly athletes, and just barely saw Venus running out of the room with her face hidden by her hands. "Guys, I gotta go, now."

"But you just got here-"

"I gotta go!" He snapped, interrupting Luffy, before making a mad dash after her. "Venus!" 'What did that bastard do to her?!' He thought furiously. 'I'll kill him!' He saw her disappear into the girls' room, and quickly followed. "Venus?" He held his nose at the terrible smell, as she hid in the handicap stall, leaving it unlocked. The hell was that? She never had it before; unless... Spandam. "V?" He peeked in, and she was sitting on the toilet, sobbing into her hands. "You okay?" He knew it was a stupid question, but he didn't know what else to say. Her only response was a head shake, which sent some gross lumps sliding from her hair, and splattering on the floor. "What did that bastard do?"

He waited patiently for her to calm herself enough to answer. "He... d-dumped some... sour milk on me."

That certainly explained the smell. Her fancy dress had to have been permanently ruined; nothing would get the stains, or odor out of it. "Go rinse yourself off in the girls' locker room. And throw out your dress; here's my jacket." He stripped it off, so he was in his matching black pants, and navy blue button-up printed with whirlpools.

"O-okay, thanks." She took it when he handed it over, and ran off.

In the boys' locker room, Zoro scrubbed off his sister's heeled shoes for her, boiling with rage. Rosward was going to hear from him; Spandam wasn't his offspring, so he would hopefully be punished for this. While cleaning, he called Arashi; he and Tera had to have been home by now, but they needed to come back. No way were they staying at the prom; not after what had just happened. "Dad, you and Mom need to get back here, now."

"Why, what happened?" Arashi sounded worried.

"I'll explain later. Just get here as soon as you can; we're not staying."

"Okay son, we're on our way." With that, he hung up.

In the girls' shower, tears fell down Venus' face. She should've known it was a set-up; who would want to associate with her? No one, that's who. She was just going to die alone. After finishing up, and putting on her undergarments, she pulled on, and buttoned up her brother's jacket, which almost reached her knees, and shoved her pungent dress in the garbage bin. She never wanted to see it again.

Zoro came back less than a minute later, with her now clean shoes on hand. "You better now?"

"I guess," She almost whispered, "T-thanks."

"I called Dad. He and Mom are on our way here." He set her blocky kitten heels on the floor.

"'Kay, good. I just want to go home." After stepping into her shoes, she took his hand, and walked the halls with him. His heart broke at her sniffles, and shuddering breath; she didn't want to cry at risk of other students hearing, and making her feel worse.

After a minute of waiting outside, a familiar car pulled up, and parked close by. Arashi and Tera jumped out immediately, concerned at their daughter wearing their son's jacket instead of her dress, with her hair out of its former braid crown. "Venus?" The second Arashi knelt in front of her, she collapsed into him, and sobbed in his shoulder. "Oh, baby." He held her close, and stroked her damp hair, as Tera rubbed her back. "What's that smell?"

"Sour milk," Zoro replied, his hands clenched his fists, "That bastard dumped it on her."

Tera gasped in shock. "He what?!"

"She had to rinse off in the locker room, and throw her dress away."

"Come on, let's go home, so you can have a proper shower." After Arashi kissed Venus' forehead, they all piled into the car, and took off. Venus sobbed in Zoro's neck and shoulder during the whole drive.

Once they were inside the house, she made a beeline for the bathroom. "I'm never dating anyone again!" She cried while running up the stairs, and grabbing her bat-print bathrobe.

The moment she disappeared into the bathroom, and the shower turned on, Zoro let his rage out. "I knew it, I freakin' knew it!" He dropped to his knees, and his fists pounded the coffee table. "I knew Spandam was bad news! I didn't want to say anything, because she was so excited, but now I know I should have!" His forehead dropped down between his hands. "Now she's humiliated, all because I-!"

"Zoro, it wasn't your fault!" Arashi cut him off. "It was that brat who caused this, not you."

"Yeah, please don't blame yourself, honey," Tera added, "Venus doesn't, I know it."

"Tell Rosward on Monday," Arashi suggested, "Something has to be done about this."

"Gladly." After several minutes, Venus emerged from the bathroom, now smelling like her lemon shampoo/conditioner; she went straight to her room, and shut the door without a word. "I'm gonna-"

"I think she should be alone for a while," Tera stopped him.

"Okay," He nodded after some hesitation, and walked into his own room. He shut the door, grabbed his shintai, and turned to the dummy he always practiced on. Out of nowhere, he imagined Spandam's smug face on the head, laughing tauntingly; seething with rage, he tore into the dummy with loud grunts and shouting battle cries, almost totaling it in seconds. How could he just humiliate his sister?! And with no shame?! She never did anything to deserve it! She was one of the sweetest, most harmless girls in the whole school! "YOU FILTHY BASTARD!" He screamed with fury over her sobs close by. Along with sword slashes, punches and kicks were added in. "HOW DARE YOU HURT MY SISTER!" Venus sat curled up in the small tent, her face buried in her knees, as her shoulders shook.

Minutes later, the dummy was destroyed, now in shambles scattered about. Zoro panted heavily, tears streaming down his cheeks; he put his shintai away before any other damage was done, and sat on his bed to calm down, with his head in his hands. He wanted to check on her, but he couldn't if he was shaking like this.

Once he was chilled out enough, he walked to her room, surprised to notice the door slightly open, and peeked inside. Venus was still sitting in the tent, but was now silent. "Sis?" He cautiously entered the room, and knelt in front of her. "You doing okay?"

She sniffled, and raised her head up. Her cheeks were blotchy, and stained from the tears, and her eye was red. "I guess."

He pulled her into a hug, which she accepted immediately, her head resting on his chest. "I had a feeling there was something... not right regarding Spandam." He sighed deeply. "I didn't say anything, because you were so excited about having a prom date."

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but I still-"

"You couldn't have seen it coming," She raised her head to look at him, "Neither of us did. It's all on him, not you."

Zoro didn't know how to respond, as he simply kept her close. He felt responsible, no matter what, although it couldn't be fixed. It happened, and it was over. But Spandam was going down for this; he would make sure of it.

After a few minutes, she had fallen asleep from emotional exhaustion, still clutching his shirt. He picked her up from the floor, and laid her down in her bed with one of her many blankets; after loosening her grip, and adding a stuffie under her one arm draped over her chest, he left her be.

Venus sighed heavily at the memories, before shaking it off. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"Good," Tera nodded.

Later that night, now in her pajamas, Venus laid on her bed, lost in her thoughts. She surely didn't want a repeat of last year, but... Usopp was so different from Spandam. He was nothing like that jerk; he was so sweet, and a lot of fun to be around. Heck, he treated her to a slice of cake after they knew each other for only a few hours! And he was a lot cuter too. No way would he ever mistreat her... right?

No, right. He wouldn't. He'd never.

She soon drifted off to sleep, with her new crush on her mind.

Elsewhere, while laying in his own bed, Usopp was thinking hard as well. About Venus, in particular; she was the sweetest, cutest, and most lovely girl he had ever known.

Over dinner, he recalled the day's events to his mother, Banchina, while swooning over the short Goth. She was over the moon at her son having such strong feelings for someone, and her heart broke at hearing how she was bullied in school.

He smiled, as he recollected the day's events; he knew buying Venus a little treat was a good idea. She was so happy, and seemed to enjoy it. He wanted to give her heart a break; show her she deserved all the love in the world, by giving it to her.

He remembered their private chat in the bakery; he really wanted to hear her practice her violin for him one day, hanging out one-on-one. He was eager to learn more about her. And meanwhile, she felt the same about him.

Neither could wait to see each other again at school tomorrow.

#bxb fanfics #one piece #roronoa venus au #hungry days #nissin #roronoa zoro #one piece oc #UsoVe #spandam

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