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Your Comprehensive Guide To Commercial Roof Types
Explore the different types of commercial roofs with McClellands Contracting and Roofing LLC. Our comprehensive guide to commercial roof types covers everything from flat roofs to metal roofing systems. Learn about the pros and cons of each option, their costs, and which type might be the best fit for your business. Whether you're planning a new construction project or need a roof replacement, understanding your options will help you make an informed decision.
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#commercial roof replacement#roof leak repair services MN#commercial roof maintenance#roof installation proces#types of roofing materials#professional roofing company#roof inspection services MN#commercial roofing company MN#Best roofing company in MN#Best roofing services in MN
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**"The Necessary Overview to Roofing: Picking the Right Roof for Your Home"**
When it involves home enhancement, couple of tasks are as crucial as roof. Your roofing is your home's very first line of defense against the aspects, shielding you from rain, snow, wind, and extreme temperatures. With a myriad of materials offered-- varying from conventional asphalt roof shingles to modern-day metal and environment-friendly options like solar tiles-- selecting the appropriate roof can be frustrating. Comprehending the benefits and downsides of each type can aid house owners make informed choices that boost both the visual appeal and power performance of their homes.In addition to
product option, appropriate setup and regular maintenance are crucial elements of a successful roofing strategy. A well-installed roofing can last for decades, while ignoring upkeep can result in costly fixings and even early replacement. Home owners must take into consideration working with professional roofer that can give skilled recommendations, high quality workmanship, and warranties that guarantee the long life of their financial investment. By prioritizing roof as a vital element of home treatment, you not just secure your residential or commercial property yet also improve its worth and aesthetic allure for many years to come.
Read more here Types of Roofing Materials
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**"The Essential Guide to Roof Covering: Choosing the Right Roof Covering for Your Home"**
When it comes to home improvement, couple of tasks are as crucial as roof. Your roof covering is your home's initial line of defense against the aspects, shielding you from rain, snow, wind, and extreme temperatures. With a wide variety of materials readily available-- varying from traditional asphalt shingles to contemporary metal and eco-friendly choices like solar tiles-- selecting the right roof can be overwhelming. Recognizing the advantages and drawbacks of each kind can aid property owners make notified decisions that enhance both the visual charm and power efficiency of their homes.In enhancement to
material choice, appropriate installment and normal upkeep are crucial components of an effective roofing technique. A well-installed roof can last for decades, while disregarding maintenance can cause costly fixings and even early substitute. Home owners must take into consideration hiring expert roofing service providers that can supply expert guidance, top quality handiwork, and warranties that guarantee the longevity of their financial investment. By prioritizing roof as a vital aspect of home treatment, you not just protect your residential property yet also enhance its worth and visual allure for several years to find.
Read more here Types of Roofing Materials
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**"The Crucial Overview to Roofing: Picking the Right Roof for Your Home"**
When it concerns home improvement, few jobs are as crucial as roof. Your roofing is your home's initial line of defense against the elements, securing you from rain, snow, wind, and extreme temperature levels. With a huge selection of products available-- varying from standard asphalt tiles to modern steel and eco-friendly options like solar ceramic tiles-- selecting the appropriate roof covering system can be frustrating. Comprehending the benefits and downsides of each type can help homeowners make informed choices that boost both the aesthetic allure and power efficiency of their homes.In addition to
material option, appropriate installment and regular upkeep are vital components of an effective roof covering method. A well-installed roof covering can last for decades, while ignoring maintenance can bring about expensive repairs and even early replacement. Home owners need to take into consideration employing specialist professional roofer that can give expert suggestions, top quality handiwork, and guarantees that make sure the longevity of their financial investment. By focusing on roofing as a vital facet of home care, you not only shield your home but also enhance its value and visual appeal for several years ahead.
Read more here Types of Roofing Materials
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**"The Vital Overview to Roofing: Selecting the Right Roofing System for Your Home"**
When it comes to home renovation, couple of jobs are as vital as roofing. Your roof covering is your home's very first line of protection versus the elements, securing you from rain, snow, wind, and severe temperatures. With a variety of products available-- ranging from conventional asphalt tiles to modern-day steel and environment-friendly alternatives like solar ceramic tiles-- picking the ideal roof can be overwhelming. Understanding the benefits and negative aspects of each kind can assist homeowners make informed choices that improve both the aesthetic charm and power effectiveness of their homes.In enhancement to
material option, proper setup and routine upkeep are vital components of an effective roof approach. A well-installed roofing can last for years, while disregarding maintenance can cause pricey repair services and also early replacement. House owners must take into consideration working with expert professional roofer that can supply professional guidance, top quality handiwork, and warranties that guarantee the durability of their investment. By prioritizing roof as an essential aspect of home treatment, you not just secure your building yet likewise enhance its value and curb charm for years ahead.
Read more here Metal Roof Types
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** The Important Overview to Selecting the Right Roof Covering for Your Home **
When it involves securing your home, the roof is your very first line of defense versus the aspects. With a myriad of roofing materials offered, from asphalt shingles to metal and clay ceramic tiles, selecting the best roof can seem overwhelming. Each product has its own set of benefits and downsides, affecting not only the visual appeal of your home yet also its power performance, durability, and upkeep demands. Understanding these factors is critical for property owners looking to buy a roofing system that will certainly stand the test of time and enhance their residential property's value.In enhancement to
product choice, it's vital to consider the roof covering installment procedure and what it entails. Working with a specialist professional roofer with a solid reputation can make a substantial distinction in the high quality of the installment and the durability of your roofing. In addition, regular upkeep and timely fixings are vital to lengthening the life of your roof covering and stopping costly future damages. Whether you're building a new home or changing an old roof, making the effort to research study and recognize your options will aid make certain that your roof selection is both functional and visually pleasing, giving satisfaction for several years ahead.
Read more here https://www.lorddecor.com/blog/how-to-prepare-your-business-for-a-commercial-roof-restoration-project
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** The Necessary Overview to Choosing the Right Roof Covering for Your Home **
When it comes to protecting your home, the roofing system is your first line of protection against the elements. With a myriad of roof covering products offered, from asphalt roof shingles to steel and clay tiles, choosing the right roof covering can appear overwhelming. Each product has its very own set of benefits and downsides, influencing not just the visual appeal of your home yet likewise its power effectiveness, toughness, and maintenance demands. Comprehending these elements is vital for property owners wanting to purchase a roofing that will certainly stand the examination of time and enhance their residential property's value.In addition to
product choice, it's important to consider the roof covering installation procedure and what it entails. Hiring a professional professional roofer with a strong credibility can make a substantial difference in the top quality of the installment and the longevity of your roof covering. Moreover, normal maintenance and prompt fixings are crucial to prolonging the life of your roof covering and preventing costly future problems. Whether you're constructing a brand-new home or changing an old roof covering, making the effort to research and comprehend your choices will certainly assist make certain that your roofing selection is both practical and visually pleasing, providing assurance for years to find.
Read more here Commercial Roof Restoration
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** The Necessary Guide to Choosing the Right Roof Covering for Your Home **
When it pertains to shielding your home, the roofing is your initial line of protection versus the components. With a myriad of roof covering materials readily available, from asphalt roof shingles to metal and clay tiles, picking the best roofing can seem overwhelming. Each product has its very own set of advantages and downsides, influencing not just the visual appeal of your home but also its energy effectiveness, durability, and upkeep requirements. Understanding these aspects is important for property owners wanting to purchase a roofing system that will certainly stand the test of time and improve their residential property's value.In addition to
product option, it's vital to consider the roof covering setup process and what it requires. Employing a specialist professional roofer with a solid track record can make a substantial distinction in the top quality of the installation and the longevity of your roofing system. Furthermore, routine upkeep and prompt repair work are crucial to extending the life of your roof and preventing pricey future damages. Whether you're constructing a new home or changing an old roof covering, taking the time to research study and recognize your alternatives will certainly aid guarantee that your roof covering option is both sensible and visually pleasing, supplying tranquility of mind for several years ahead.
Read more here Commercial Roof Restoration
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**"The Necessary Overview to Roof: Picking the Right Roofing System for Your Home"**
When it pertains to home improvement, couple of tasks are as essential as roofing. Your roofing is your home's very first line of protection against the aspects, safeguarding you from rain, snow, wind, and extreme temperature levels. With a wide variety of materials available-- varying from conventional asphalt shingles to modern metal and environmentally friendly choices like solar floor tiles-- choosing the ideal roof covering system can be frustrating. Understanding the benefits and negative aspects of each type can aid home owners make informed choices that enhance both the visual appeal and energy effectiveness of their homes.In enhancement to
material selection, appropriate setup and regular upkeep are vital elements of an effective roof technique. A well-installed roofing can last for decades, while disregarding maintenance can result in costly fixings and even early substitute. House owners need to consider employing professional roofer that can give professional advice, quality handiwork, and guarantees that make certain the durability of their investment. By prioritizing roofing as a crucial facet of home treatment, you not only protect your residential or commercial property but also enhance its value and curb charm for several years ahead.
Read more here https://www.e-architect.com/articles/types-of-roofing-materials
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**"The Crucial Overview to Roof: Picking the Right Roofing System for Your Home"**
When it concerns home renovation, few jobs are as crucial as roof covering. Your roofing system is your home's first line of defense versus the elements, shielding you from rain, snow, wind, and extreme temperatures. With a huge selection of products readily available-- varying from standard asphalt shingles to contemporary metal and environmentally friendly alternatives like solar floor tiles-- choosing the best roof can be overwhelming. Understanding the benefits and disadvantages of each type can aid house owners make educated choices that improve both the visual charm and energy effectiveness of their homes.In enhancement to
material selection, appropriate setup and routine upkeep are essential parts of a successful roofing technique. A well-installed roof can last for decades, while overlooking maintenance can cause pricey repair work and even early substitute. Homeowners ought to take into consideration working with professional roofing contractors who can offer professional advice, quality handiwork, and warranties that ensure the long life of their financial investment. By focusing on roof as a vital facet of home care, you not just secure your residential property however also improve its worth and curb charm for many years to find.
Read more here Metal Roof Types
0 notes
Text
** The Necessary Guide to Picking the Right Roofing for Your Home **
When it comes to safeguarding your home, the roofing is your very first line of protection versus the components. With a myriad of roof covering materials offered, from asphalt tiles to metal and clay floor tiles, selecting the right roofing can seem overwhelming. Each material has its own collection of advantages and downsides, affecting not just the visual charm of your home but additionally its power efficiency, durability, and maintenance requirements. Comprehending these factors is essential for property owners aiming to purchase a roofing system that will stand the examination of time and improve their home's value.In enhancement to
product option, it's necessary to consider the roofing installment process and what it requires. Employing an expert professional roofer with a strong reputation can make a substantial difference in the high quality of the installation and the durability of your roof covering. Additionally, normal maintenance and timely repairs are vital to extending the life of your roof and avoiding pricey future damages. Whether you're building a new home or replacing an old roofing, putting in the time to research study and recognize your options will certainly help ensure that your roof selection is both useful and cosmetically pleasing, offering peace of mind for years ahead.
Read more here https://www.lorddecor.com/blog/how-to-prepare-your-business-for-a-commercial-roof-restoration-project
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#Top Questions to Ask to Hiring a Roofing Contractor#Top Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Roofing Contractor#Hire Roofing Contractor MN#Hiring Roofing Contractor MN#type of roof material#roof inspection services MN#right commercial roofing contractor#Choose right commercial roofing contractor#Hire right commercial roofing contractor#right roofing contractor MN#Choose right roofing contractor MN#Hire right roofing contractor MN#commercial roofing company MN#Best roofing contractor MN#Best commercial roofing contractor MN
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#Global PV Racking and Mounting Equipment Market Size#Share#Trends#Growth#Industry Analysis By Type( Roof Mounting#Ground Mounting)#By Applications( Industrial and Commercial Roof#Ground Power Station)#Key Players#Revenue#Future Development & Forecast 2023-2032
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forgive me, for i love being bad for you.
sanji x reader (ft. platonic!zoro)
summary; everyone agrees that you and roronoa zoro are like two peas in a pod: cool, unbothered, hitting pubs on the regular. everyone, except your boyfriend sanji—who’d try anything to distract you from your visibly chaotic lifestyle. even visiting a potion shop. or: sanji needs to get out of his head in four acts.
contents; angsty vibes, lowkey love triangle, miscommunication™, abandonment issues, drinking, sex pollen, a little dubcon tbh, piv, oral sex (both receiving), facesitting, multiple orgasms, creampie, college/modern!AU, witch!sanji, jealous!sanji, afab!reader, wc: 7.3k (wheezes), mdni. spooky carnival is still in town, go catch it if you’re in for a bad time.
masterlist.
i.
Zoro sets his glass back on the table with a forceful clink. There’s liquor rolling to the corner of his lips.
“I still don’t get it,” annoyance hangs from his voice as he speaks. “How the fuck you put up with him?”
Your reflection looks back at you from the amber in your glass.
“He’s sweet and he cooks for me,” you mean it. Despite Zoro’s lack of trust in your newfound romance, slightly taking to repulse, Sanji has been nothing but a dream to you. Resting his cheek on yours as you were watching some movie you borrowed for the night, swinging hands as he took you grocery shopping. Everything about him buzzes with the type of comfortable affection one meets in magazines, or in Christmas commercials, and you’re sure to fall harder for him by the day. “Have you taken the time to cook for someone you dated?”
“Yeah?” Zoro washes the accusation away with another sip. “You into cooks?”
“Apparently.”
“‘s he a good cook?”
A smile, prideful. “Nothing but a wizard in the kitchen.”
“Christ, you’re even starting to sound like him,” he teases further. “Putting random words together and expecting to make sense.”
“He’s a good cook, Zoro,” you tell him again.
There’s a pause.
“No kidding.”
At a loss of what to say, you clumsily try to fill the silence.
“Yeah.”
“As long as you like him or whatever,” defeated, waving his hand. “Just keep him outta my sight, will you?”
“Deal,” you say, downing your drink as you do. Bitterness lingers on the roof of your mouth, throat burned and numbed out. Suddenly your mind wanders somewhere else. “Care for another round?”
Zoro’s smirk is sly, devilish. “Now that’s more like my language.”
So you get yourselves a second refill that turns into a third, and a forth, until there’s no more use to bother about keeping count. Your surroundings seem to start whirling for a second. You close your eyes, then open them. And everything gets back into place.
On the day you met him, somewhere around campus, basking in the sun like a stray cat on trim lawn, you and Zoro hit off immediately. Scruffy hair, bomber jackets, eyes looking like he’s about to fall asleep any minute, Zoro is the type to never dwell on things for longer they’re worth. Always a guy of instinct, speaking truths others might opt to stay away from. On the other hand you have a knack for chaos he easily complements, so for over a year now he’s been a good and loyal friend to you, your time together something neither of you would regret or give up on.
He’s the one who introduced you to Sanji. Now it’s clearer to you that Sanji had most probably asked him to. Neither of them expected it when you agreed to go out with him, “It’s just a fucking date, chill out. Free meal you know?”; and to your own surprise, your heart skipped a good beat when you saw him that night.
Sanji. Annoying, perverted, absolutely fucking delusional Sanji, lighting up a cigarette in front of his car. Light fell nicely on his rings as he kept a hand around a flower bouquet—the pretentious kind, with a wrapper and ribbon and all. Red button-up, black jeans, coat. Heart-warming smile.
Everything about the scene felt like something taken from those really sugary rom-coms you and Zoro make fun of when drunk. Yet somehow you admired Sanji for putting in the effort. His hand quivered on the door handle, “You look sensational, my dear.” Adjusting your seat belt, you told him that he didn’t look so bad himself, and by the pink crossing his face as you did, you deduced he might not be used to having flattery thrown his way.
At dinner he told you he was raised in a small restaurant down east, and that they sold soy wax candles and herbs right next door. Wiping up your mouth with a handkerchief, you tried to come up with a quip around it, “And you stocked healing crystals and runes as well, right?” But then he just propped his hand in a palm, a wide smile blooming on his face that made you unsure whether he was playing along with the narrative or simply felt happy to talk about his past. “Sometimes we did, yeah. But we were more into the culinary side of things.”
When, a couple days later, you told Zoro that you and Sanji had spent the night together, he didn’t hesitate to let you know that he thought it a bad idea. He warned that Sanji was weird—not in the sense that he had a wandering eye or spent a rent-worth on cigarettes. He was simply weird. Fingers drumming on wood, “Caught him mustering some nonsense crap to a jar once. Like he was enchanting it or something.” Soon you were reliving the conversation you had on your first date. “You mean he’s, like, Sabrina the Teenage Witch?” Zoro didn’t catch it. “Who?” he said, and you waved him off. “Nevermind.”
The sneer he wore back then was similar to the one he makes now, seeing the blue light of your phone fill the room with a notification.
“It’s him,” you say, fingers instinctively hovering to your lock screen. Neither can you help looking at the hour displayed in blinding white: 01:51 A.M.
Zoro keeps himself from rolling his eyes. “Tell him I’m bringing you to your dorm.”
You text; the reply comes in a beat.
“He asks if you even know where my dorm is.”
“Of course I—” Zoro clicks his tongue. Then he snatches the phone from your hands and presses ‘record’. “Of course I know where to go you jackass,” he snarls, throat pulsing.
Taking your phone back, you check the message popping in not long after. “He says he’s coming over.”
“Fine then. Whatever.” It’s low. He sounds irritated. “Let’s pay and we’ll wait for your princess outside.”
And that’s exactly what you do; take care of the bill, grab your jackets and throw yourselves out. Feeling the crisp air on your cheeks, you realise you’re so much drunker than you’ve felt inside. You’re light, feathery, persistently on the verge of being blown out. Concrete flounders around you and you have to put in some additional effort to maintain your balance. Time becomes harder for you to register or something Zoro has just said made you cackle for too long because here is Sanji, your sweet boyfriend Sanji, parking his car not too far away from your forms. You can tell he put on himself the first things he saw in the wardrobe. His hair is slightly disordered, his step heavy as he rushes to your direction.
“Evening Angel,” Sanji chirps, pulling you into a hug, and you cannot help but dig your nose into the soft fabric of his hoodie, closing your eyes, glad to finally have something to lean your weight onto. His tone drops when he looks at Zoro. “Mosshead.”
Zoro’s hands are sunk into his pockets. “Told you I got everything under control.”
“Pardon me if I didn’t believe you.” Sanji is sardonic. “Looking at the state of this slump, seems like I was right not to.”
“Not my idea to come here, bitch,” Zoro drones. His breath fogs the air as he speaks. “Next time get your head outta your ass and listen to people before running your mouth.”
Some of Sanji’s cologne still hangs from the soft fabric. “This was the only place that allowed us to play cards,” you say against his chest.
“Aha,” he flattens his hand across your back. “At least tell me you played for money and bled this loser dry. Tomorrow will get yourself something pretty with stupid mosshead pocket change.”
“You done talking?” Zoro says through gritted teeth.
“Yeah,” Sanji’s lips press into a thin line. He’s slowly urging you towards the car. “We’ll be off in a beat.”
“We didn’t play for money,” you tilt your head to look at him, trying to match his steps as you distance yourselves from the pub.
“What a pity.” Between wry and affectionate.
You raise a loose fist in the air. “Till the next one, Zoro!”
“See ya daredevil,” Zoro shifts his weight from one leg to another. “Tuck your princess in and give him a sweet goodnight’s kiss, yeah?”
“Fuck you,” Sanji heaves, closes the door behind you.
On the way to your dorm, he doesn’t ask about how many you had or lecture about being alone—with Zoro—late at night. Why would he? He’s aware this is a part of you, and he’d lie if he said he doesn’t melt watching the glimmer in your eye and your lips curling into a wicked smirk each time you tell him how much fun you had. Though he does worry about you, sometimes, when you willingly throw yourself in all kinds of dangerous shenanigans. Seeing your head slipping down the backrest, silently Sanji casts a spell on your eyelids to make sure you sleep unbothered until tomorrow morning. Tucks some strands of hair behind your ear, yet his eyes are still fixed on the road, and his hands are both rested on the steering wheel.
Normally, he wouldn’t have been so exhibited with his magic had you been awake. But for now he takes the liberty to carry himself as if he were alone or in the company of the shitty bunch at the Baratie that taught him the craft to begin with. Foliage and plains and cottages move remotely in his wingspan while he continues to think of you. Your smile, your laughter, the nonchalant way you coil your arms around his own to show you around the places that you have so many stories to tell about. To him you are a bundle of new experiences and joy, something pleasant and airy he wishes to emanate himself someday. Always honest, always so easy to approach. Dandelion seeds whirling loosely in the wind.
But the one thing he cannot seem to take his mind from is that having a bent for partying also means having a bent for Zoro.
Lazy, shabby, perpetually absent-minded Zoro.
His hands tighten on the steering wheel.
Sanji has never really liked the guy, for reasons he doesn’t have the time or energy to list. Tolerance is perhaps too much to describe the compromise he’s willing to take; but he attempts it, for your sake. Because no matter how he tries looking at things Zoro adds something to this life of yours he certainly doesn’t have, or doesn’t know how to make up for. No matter how well you fit in his arms, early in the morning with sleep still heavy on your lashes, throaty voice narrating a dream so bizarre it plucks a laughter from his lips, the nights will always be reserved to someone he wouldn’t even bother to understand. Because he doesn’t want to.
Window rolls down; he lights up a cigarette.
Moments pass. His car stops by a pair of victorian-esque gates he doesn’t take long to recognise. He carries you on his back all the way to your dorm room, putting to sleep everyone he stumbles upon as he does; he isn’t supposed to be here, and certainly you aren’t supposed to return this late at night. He’s thankful you chose to sleep in the bottom bed. With this thought in mind he arranges your pillow and places you under the covers, slowly, gently almost like you were made of glass. From his tote bag he picks out a flask and a piece of paper he scribbles on: “for your hangover—sanji <3”
ii.
The sun bleeds through stained glass in dazzling shades of pink and blue and yellow. Wind chimes, cluttered shelves. Dusted books. The air is thick with the smell of wood and incense. Sanji picks at the fingers that he keeps tucked into the pockets of his hoodie. He isn’t allowed to smoke in here, but fuck does he need a drag. Light catches across the variety of bottles and jars lined up in front of him, all displayed in eye-catching colours and labelled in alphabetical order.
Would I? He tries his best not to pick up the light blue piece lingering a little too at hand not to be a work of fate. Should I? Sanji kisses his teeth; he takes the thing into his palm.
There’s a piece of paper attached by lace ribbon. Writing is dainty, yet small and hardly intelligible.
Truth shows itself in wicked colours;
betrayal, freedom, promise.
For they who shall drink this wicked brew
take a night in their beloved’s embrace.
Is their bond seen pure and true,
the Garden sees no place for others.
Like the first lovers on Earth—
runaways from Eden, they shall be.
Sanji takes a deep breath. Flips the flask on all sides, reading and rereading, biting his inner cheek. It’s not like he doesn’t trust you. He does, with all his heart. And yet he cannot help but shamelessly wonder: if Zoro hadn’t introduced you, would you and him have ended up together? Does he stand in the way of something which is meant to be? “I’m pathetic, fuck.”
He tastes blood.
Talking to you about this is out of the question, since that would mean admitting Zoro is a better match for you. Plus, honesty is one of the things he admires about you. He’s sure you wouldn’t cheat. To bring this up would only lead to conflict and the sort of disappointment he’d rather choke to death than see reflected in your eyes.
“This shit is ridiculous.”
The flask makes a frail sound as Sanji throws it in his basket. Stomping the floor with his foot, a cold sweat bobbing at his nape, at checkout he’s greeted by a gorgeous woman dressed in a velvet dress and speaking with a faint voice he doesn’t care enough to pay attention to. There’s a black cat sleeping on a shelf behind her.
“Is this everything you needed?” she asks, carefully placing the goods in a paper pag.
Sanji drops some cash on the counter and leaves without saying a thing to her.
iii.
“What do you think, my dear?” Sanji asks you on the other side of the table. The potion he bought a week ago forms a bump inside the pocket of his dress pants.
You want to be sure of your answer, so you take another forkful of your food, still steaming hot and methodically arranged on the plate. It’s good. No, it’s tremendously good, better than you imagined it to be.
“Sanji, this is incredible,” you say, not allowing yourself the time to fully swallow. “And I’m not only saying this because I like complimenting you.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” His face brightens, a mix of pride and the unpretentious joy he takes from cooking to other people. However he still looks to be preoccupied by something else you never find the right timing to ask about.
Embarrassment hitching up your throat, you drag your fork across ceramic. Sanji stays silent for a moment; his plate is barely touched. In hopes to escape the tension, your eyes wander to look at his curtains, his shelves, an enframed picture with a gruff old man and a much younger Sanji cheerily holding out a slice of lemon cheesecake. The apartment is small, but tasteful, with decent flooring and a rent anyone your age can afford. White walls, light blue cushioning. A closed balcony where he grows basil and rosemary.
You are going to sleep over tonight. It’s not that you've never done this before; have dinner together before deciding on a movie you’ll never get to watch because his hand grips on your thigh a little too tightly and your knee presses itself somewhere too bold to go unnoticed. But something feels different now, you cannot quite tell why. He feels different. With his avoidant eyes and stuttering words and index finger that frequently climbs to scratch an eyebrow.
“If you wanted to break up with me you could’ve chosen a café, you know?” you hear yourself saying, arms folded.
“What?” His chair scrapes the floor; he tries not to cringe from the sound. “No, no.” It's ferm. It's rushed. “Why would you think that?” goes unsaid.
Fingertips digging into the table, Sanji doesn't know how he ended up on his feet. He takes the opportunity to take the seat next to yours, plate and cutlery clanking along as he does. “No one's breaking up with anyone, sweetheart,” words fight their way through the knot in Sanji's throat.
Sanji shoves his fork in his food which now looks less parmigiana and more like something a primary school kid would make for their art class assignment. Fuck, adding wasted food to his trainwreck fog of thoughts is the last thing he wants for tonight. After he swallows it down, his tone finally relaxes.
“I was actually thinking of proposing something, now that we’re soon to move up to dessert. Something I'd like us to try,” he says.
It registers quickly. “Like in bed?”
“It might sound a little weird, though.” Sanji avoids meeting your eyes. His chest rises and falls in a disjointed rhythm as he tries his best to empty his plate.
“I like weird,” you say, propping your head on a fist, curiosity pushing your mouth a little higher.
He cannot help but mimic your smile. “Well I bought us something.”
“You did.”
“Yeah, I did.” Not wasting any more time, he pulls the flask out of his pocket, displays it on the dinner table—clear liquid bottled in cerulean crystal, ribbon unfastened and label removed. Your eyes widen. “I was doing some grocery shopping, and stumbled upon this,” Sanji explains.
You take it in your hands, blinking, carefully not to damage the contents. “Is this an aphrodisiac?”
“You can call it that,” he says. “It stimulates the senses, so everything should feel a little more intense than usual. I know I haven’t been necessarily adventurous with you, dear,” looking into his plate, then at you. Inevitably he starts thinking of Zoro. “Thought maybe I can start from somewhere.”
Your hand reaches his. “You don’t have to go out of your way for me. You’re perfect for me, yeah? And I have fun with you. Lots of it, actually.”
“I know—” heat rising in throat, he reaches to loosen his shirt collar. “I mean, you’re perfect for me, too, hell I cherish each and every moment we spend together. Kind of felt intrigued to experience this with you, is all. However it’s definitely ok and understandable if you don’t feel comfortable doing it.”
Inspecting the flask in your hands, you give it a second of thought. You know the kind of shops Sanji frequents: equipped with dust and smoke and mysteries. The between-buildings types you have asked about before, and received a response either too vague or too straightforward to be taken seriously. Even still, trust has never been an obstacle. You trust Sanji; he has trustworthy eyes and a soothing voice that feels like a kiss on one’s eyelids. He’s good to you, always has been, when he cradles your face in his palms and calls you his sun and moon and stars, stardust dripping from his eyes as he assures you’re the best he’s had.
“Does this have any side effect or some sort?” you look up to search for his gaze, and like pulled by a magnet Sanji returns it.
“No,” he says. “Wears off in the morning. Like nothing happened.”
If you don’t end up running to Zoro, that is. There’s a sinking feeling in his stomach as the thought snipes through his mind. He’s not sure how to feel about lying to you, either. But maybe it’s for the best; if it turns out he isn’t your meant-to-be after all.
Decisive, “Fuck it. Let’s do it, then.”
Sanji’s smirk fades out the anxiety. “In this case our next course will consist of one more secret ingredient.”
Feet swinging, tapping against the floor. Walls drifting apart and closing in. Moments have passed through you like sequences from a dream, and you fiddle with the sleeves of your sweater as Sanji sets the dessert on the table—two delicate things, like they were long intended to play the highlight of your night, light pink and beautifully decorated with dried rose petals and pomegranate seeds. For a minute you marvel at Sanji’s attention to detail, the love he puts into any dish as he turns them into something special and palatable.
“Baby,” your laugh is a casual play at fragrancy Sanji takes in with a one-sided smile. “There’s no way I can run my teaspoon into this.”
He takes the seat to your right. “The real deal happens when you taste it, sweetheart,” he says, reaching for a teaspoon of his own, strands of blonde hair brushing one cheek as he does.
And when you eventually do it, run tableware through moulded cream, you relish the sweetness that melts on the roof of your mouth. Sanji asks if you can tell the other thing apart from the dish. You say no, I don’t, do you? I think it’s the pomegranate, he acts like he’s uncertain even though you’re sure it shouldn’t take more than a few seconds. I only used some as decor. But here it’s rather pungent, not that I’m complaining. Child’s play. Halfway through your tasting, a second question comes.
Do you feel anything?
I don’t.
Do you?
No.
Sanji’s heart clutches in his chest. He’s impatient, laughable even, he knows he is, since spells like this should take longer to surface. Three times he mouthed the chant and the potion gracefully vanished into steam as it poured down the servings, no drops left. By the look of that, Sanji might at least expect something to happen. Either bad or reassuring.
Yet you stay your familiar comfortable selves even after you’ve eaten the whole thing, carrying on as such when you help him—at least attempting to, he never lets you lift a finger—clean the table and watch him washing the dishes from one of his counters. Sleeves pushed to elbows, fingers sunk into the sponge, hair pushed into concentrated, concentrating eyes. Water rolls off his wrists—drip, drop. He tells you something, but you cannot hear him. It hovers towards the ceiling and in the back of your head, a muffled sound engulfing you not less like the numbing feeling of being underwater. Shamelessly you ask him to repeat.
Okay, maybe you do start feeling some way.
Sanji turns off the tap. A crushing silence.
“I was wondering if you thought of something to watch tonight,” he turns to look at you, and stops.
He cannot tell if it’s your eyes, suddenly looking bigger, or your collarbones, stretching in and out in anticipation, wet lips looking wetter, slightly parted as you breathe, but he feels helplessly drawn to you, like you’ve been tied up by some invisible rope that keeps rolling up, more and more, thinning the space between your bodies. Air catches in his lungs as he lets himself be torn apart by his awe and not knowing what to do with it.
Just as indiscreetly you wrap your eyes around his shoulders, his chest, his biceps, looking so much more strained under his shirt. Watching him make a step towards you, it seems like his eyes have gotten brighter, cheeks catching a faint tinge of pink, and you have to fight the impulse to dip a hand under your sweater and see how those long fingers of his would feel on you.
Your fingertips bite into the front edges of the counter. “Not yet, no,” you say, a little disconnected from yourself. Sanji’s scent is an intoxicating mix of rosemary and sandalwood. “Guess we’ll have to browse and see what comes our way.”
“Sure. We’ll look.” Stepping forward, Sanji is the most relaxed he’s felt in days, his limbs and shoulders so much lighter as he moves, comfortably numb in the absence of a thought which has weighted on his back like a fiend draining him of his life force. He knows he has been waiting for something tonight, an answer, you calling a name he cannot bring himself to remember, and yet his mind is blank with nothing but the image of his lips crashing on yours.
His presence radiates need, and it sends an electric shiver down your spine as he comes closer to you, fingers running over your knuckles. When your eyes align with his, you find it impossible to look anywhere else. So you sink into the blue and drown. Sanji leans further in, and his breath is sultry against your earshell as he speaks.
“Fuck knows what’s happening to me, dear,” he says, a hoarse sound that makes your thighs squeeze together. “But please tell me you’ll ride my face before anything else.”
But he sure knows what’s going on. He put a spell on you; or something along these lines.
Your body moves by its own as you push forward, biting your bottom lip, pressing your chest against his. “Want me to fuck your mouth, pretty?” your tone echoes the urgency of his request.
His lips trail down your ear and across your neck. Suddenly your legs are wrapped around his torso. “Oh, and even more,” he tells you. “I want you to cream on my mouth so much that you’ll never find any other to please you just as good.”
“Then why am I not in your bed yet?” It comes out more desperate than it should. Without realising your fingers have unfastened at least two of his shirt buttons, and now they seem to cling onto his collar for dear life.
Something flares in him; powerful, primal, which he hasn’t been aware he’s had before, sliding a hand under your hips and picking you up before slamming his lips against yours. The kiss is deep, all tongue. You return it with closed eyes and a breathy moan that pulls Sanji in a frenzied daze. Hands curled at his nape, you lose yourself in the taste of nicotine and pomegranates as you let him carry you past dim lit walls and into the bedroom. He doesn’t bother to turn on the lights. When he hurls you in bed, it’s with a deliberate movement, careful not to bruise you in any way but not the less forceful altogether.
Then you take care of the rest of his buttons and belt, and he moves his focus to your pants, tugging them off while your mouths can’t gather the resolve to leave each other. Your fingers rake themselves through his hair. Smoothing the skin under your sweater, his hands stop to flatten around your breast. As Sanji presses his weight on you, it becomes impossible not to notice how fucking hard he is, greedy and throbbing against your soaked panties. He’s at his most unbridled tonight, and yet he touches you with the ritualistic devotion of a priest, mouthing syrup into your ear like lighting candles on an altar. The full moon spills in her light through the window, blue and delicate, and for a moment there you are sure Sanji’s contours have caught a prismatic glow, colourful flashes whirling in your vision, wavering around him like some sort of aura.
After he breaks away, you are still tied together by a thin thread of saliva. He pushes your panties aside, and your back arches when he slides a digit, and then a second one, into your slit. There’s lust in his eyes, the kind you’ve never seen on him before, drinking in the sweet faces you make while his fingers press in and out of you in circling motions, rubbing your clit just so sweetly as he does.
“Look how wet you are, dearest,” he mutters, more to himself than to you. “Always such a lovely mess for me.”
“I want you, Sanji,” you say, aware that you cannot hide the way he makes you feel by looking at him alone.
It’s you, Sanji.
Your voice echoes in his heart like water dripping in a cave, let it melt inside him with something close to relief. He wants to thank you; and yet he cannot tell exactly what for. What he does instead is pull you into another kiss, less vicious and more affectionate, keeping you close with a hand flattened on your nape.
The more you kiss him the brighter the room looks. Spectral rainbow fading behind his form.
“Could you shift your hips for me?” Sanji eventually suggests. “Let me taste you, honey.”
It doesn’t take long to figure out what he means by that. Like a thing of habit, you let Sanji take your spot on the bed, then climb your way onto his face. You take yourself a moment before starting to move, but all wariness disappears the moment he drags a flat tongue across your slit. His voice vibrates into your core as your taste has him mumbling seared praises against your folds. Further you drop yourself on his mouth, and more he laps at your pussy, wet and desperate, coaxing you those sounds that fill the room and blend in with the moonlight.
Sanji’s tongue has always managed to make you shiver. But this time is different, because you can feel everything; nose and beard and lips, drenched in your slick, white-hot as they rub themselves against your favourite spots. You can feel it when his eyes close and open, taking his time to savour the moment, and when he lets out a pleasured sigh to let you know how grateful he is to be allowed the luxury of tasting you, there is a delirious sensation rushing from your heat and climbing to your back like an electrical shock. It makes you thrust your hips harder against his mouth, call out his name with the urgent solemnity you didn’t know your voice could be able to reproduce.
Looking at the way Sanji’s lower body tries to helplessly grind against nothing, cock straining in the confines of his boxers, bulging and stained with precum, you come to realise he must be feeling the same as you do. Oh, but Sanji revels in seeing how sweet you can be for him, and how good he can make you feel when he eats you out. He doesn’t mind the pain as long as he gets to lick you off his chin after he’s done. Never someone to dismiss your pleasure over his own. And yet.
As his mouth diligently works on the heat that is now building in your stomach, and your movements pick up in pace to reach the high, you cannot help not to stare at his cock, thrusting the air to catch up with your rhythm. Hands running a touch across his stomach, you lick your lips. Sanji moans into you when you lean down to tug at his boxers.
“Angel, what—” you hear him saying.
Not allowing him the time to protest, you press yourself onto his face. “I’m so close, please,” you inform him, in a voice you don’t recognise. “Please don’t stop.”
So he doesn’t, running his tongue around your clit, not letting a single drop go to waste. You’re almost there.
“Good goddess, fuck,” he huffs, feeling your hands on his balls, and shortly after your mouth kissing him at the tip.
He comes that instant; let heat shoot in your mouth and down your throat as you wrap your lips around him, swallowing and licking off everything you can. There is something wrecked in his voice as he’s taken through his crescendo, something like a prayer sent to an all-mighty, and even then he continues to kiss your folds and drag his tongue across you until you come to climb a peak of your own. With Sanji’s taste lingering on the roof of your mouth, tears begin to well up in your eyes, blurring your vision as you call for him, over and over again, enveloped in pleasures you never thought that existed.
Only when you’re brought back, a panting mess, you realise Sanji remained just as hard as you left him—something only that weird sex drink could’ve made it happen. You take the opportunity to lift your hips from his mouth and better adjust yourself at his crotch; he starts shifting awkwardly the moment you do.
“There’s no need to, really.” Sanji is hesitant as he looks down at you, lips red and goatee still soaked with your slick.
“But I want my meal,” you say, already licking at the tip. “It’s only fair you let me have one too.”
He’s having a hard time saying no to you; but how can he, when you talk with that voice, and when you look at him with those pleading eyes that reflect the gates to Heaven and more? Your mouth takes a little more of him, hot tongue trailing up and down his cock, and his eyes roll back into his head in visible defeat.
Sanji runs his fingers through your hair. His tone takes to yearning, “So my precious darling is hungry, huh? Cute and silly for my cock?”
“Mhm,” bottom lip rolling up, wetly.
Half smug, half dazed. “Then it’d be cruel of me not to keep you fed.”
Deeper you push your mouth around him, until he’s twitching in your throat and you start to gag. Sanji’s thumb finds your cheek—please don’t do anything you don’t want to. But you wouldn’t stop. You cannot stop. Not when you get to hear the whimpers he makes as your lips press around the skin ever so slightly, when you look up at his heaving chest, his parted lips, pushing out a broken exhale, the eyes that now flood with wavering reflections of the moonlight and tears threatening to wet his lashes.
“Oh, my angel.” It’s coarse, struggling for air. His eyes shut close. “My sun, my everything. Yeah, like that. So fucking good.”
Hands coated in spit, you reach to give his balls a gentle squeeze, continue to fill your throat. Once praises have started to spill from Sanji’s mouth, they don’t stop, and they touch a point at which the words feel like no more than babbling, trashed and incoherent, with his hair blown in both of his eyes. His hand sometimes runs to his forehead, other times he uses it to caress your face and pet your hair, but no matter what Sanji stays loud in letting you know how good whatever you’re doing to him feels.
The moment he sets both of his hands on your head, you know it’s because he’s getting close. With a fearful thrust of his cock into your mouth a growl leaves him, and soon after his second release spills down your throat, warm, somehow sweet. You swallow; his chest expands and contracts in attempt to catch his breath.
Specks of light dash off Sanji’s lips. Pulling you at his level, he clashes them against yours into yet another kiss, sloppy and greedy as he runs his hand down your curves, sinks his fingers into your skin. The touch sears everywhere it reaches; and you cannot do anything but melt in his arms, let yourself be moulded by this growing need that somehow can never quite satiate you.
“Hope you don’t think you won’t be rewarded for that,” Sanji breathes into your mouth.
Your lips rolling to his jaw, you say, “Hope you don’t think I’ve had enough of you.”
“I’m here for you to take,” with a quivering hand Sanji squeezes your pussy. “Will always be.”
His fingers send a delightful shock throughout your body. Something close to a moan tears from your throat. “You're such a whore for me, Sanji.”
“Can you blame me?” Sanji rubs his tip against your inner thigh. “Darling, please look at yourself.”
“For the love of god—” wet and breathless against his ear. “Don’t make me wait any longer.”
Your impatience endears him, has his heart beating so much faster than it already does. Still he starts slowly, pushing you onto the pillows, taking his time to relish your expression as he lifts your legs and lovingly sets them atop his shoulders. Sanji almost laughs at himself, because even under the influence of this potion that brings out anything wild and viscerally troublesome he has in him, nothing delights him more than getting to unravel you with the same care one deseeds a pomegranate in the kitchen.
Placing a kiss on your calf, he croons, “Say, sweetheart, what about you? Who do you crave for just so?”
Not wasting a beat, “You, Sanji.” It’s you.
He could get off by these words alone.
“And what do you want from me?” he starts to coat himself in your slick, pressing the tip on your clit every now and then. “Do you want me to fuck you, maybe? Fill you up and call you beautiful?”
You can only nod, legs coiling around his neck in anticipation. “Yeah, yeah. Please fuck me.”
Then you can feel him burying himself into you, and it rips a sound from your mouth as soon as he does. Your hips lift to increase the friction. You accommodate him easily, trembling under him and through the persistent knot in your stomach that has you wanting for more.
When he bottoms out, his voice is low, hypnotic. “Like this?”
“Like this,” you echo, drowning yourself in the wild glimmer flaring in his eyes.
Fingers dug into your legs, his temples sweaty, Sanji pulls out, then drops himself back in, each motion steadier than the other. Wet sounds fill the sheets as your bodies coil and flatten together like nothing matters in this world but you and this moment and the moon capturing your contours in ethereal glow. Nothing, no one. Sanji speeds his hips, chest flushed and sweltering. Usually you’re not as permissive with your sounds as he is, but tonight they seem to just pour themselves out of your mouth, every sigh and moan and whimper, sugar waterfalls thickening the air as Sanji moves you into each thrust.
“Ah,” you hear him say, a man aflame. “Refresh my memory, would you, angel? Who did you want to fuck again?”
Through an exhale, “You—” a pause. “Only you.”
“You feel so good,” he whines, collapses with a slapping sound. “So sweet, so perfect for me.”
Blue and pink and yellow; just as vivid when you close your eyes. He goes in deep, deeper, and your thighs are shivering against his torso.
“Yeah? You like that?” legs tightening their grip around him. “Like it when I take you good and confess?”
“More than that,” Sanji is breathless. “Makes me insane. You’re making me go insane.”
You wouldn’t admit it, but you know how it feels. To have your sanity run scarce by a voice telling you how faultless you are, that no matter how you see yourself you will always be a cosmos in someone else’s eyes. If anything, you should know this better than anyone else, the maddening feeling of being fed honey and sugar glaze as your thoughts are pressed against body heat. Lost in his trance Sanji picks up the pace, and there’s a wet, debauched mewl that overrides even the careless crash of your skins.
Lip caught under your teeth, “Want to, mh—wanna hear another confession, baby?”
“What’s on your mind, my sweet?” Sanji’s lips ghost over your calf.
“Think I—” with a thrust your eyes are hurled to the ceiling. “Fuck, I think I love you.”
Vulnerable.
Suddenly his chest drops against yours, a chance for your legs to flatten across his back, pulling him the closest you can. His fingers interlace with yours as he sinks into the crook of your neck.
Reckless.
The pace doesn’t slow down, but you can very well tell it’s become sloppier than before. A lost rhythm. When you look at him again, you are quick to notice the dampness pushing at the corners of his eyes.
“I love you too,” glad to finally word it this way. “I love you so much.”
Then he continues to rut into you, shaky voice fogging your neck the moment your nails pierce into his back. Your hips thrust themselves up, desperate for tandem. Heat erupts inside you. Another peak you’re yearning to chase.
“‘m gonna come, ‘m gonna come,” you tell him, cheek brushing over his hair.
“Let go, my dear,” in a frail tone. “Let me hear you.”
With a squeeze of your hand Sanji fucks you the way you need him to—viciously.
He could try. He could at least try to make you fall so hard for him that you will keep your words even after the spell wears off.
You pull at his hair, mean and senseless as a sudden burst of pleasure tears through you. Your lips move without being able to hear the words. There must’ve been something you said, though, you’re sure there was, because Sanji’s soon chasing after, hung on a mournful vowel, flooding you through his end.
The moon soaks into your bodies.
iv.
Sanji wakes up with tinnitus. He blinks, once, twice, waiting for the specks of colour before his eyes to rearrange into furniture. The next thing he recognises is your breathing, small and lukewarm on his chest. Instinctively his arms wrap themselves around you, and there’s a long exhale when they do. You’re naked, both of you. His head becomes heavy with flashes of last night, lips pressed together, bending sternum, and soon they are replaced with the sound of a name he thought he couldn’t remember. Sentiments he thought he discarded.
He thought he would lose you.
But you are still here.
Before knowing it, his arms are shaking, and like he’s done many times when he finds it impossible to contain himself, he covers his eyes with an elbow.
He starts crying.
Muffled, subtle, more worried about waking you up than about having to figure out an excuse for his tears. Droplets roll off his cheeks and onto his collarbone. His chest jerks up and down in a pathetic staccato. He wishes he were someone with more control over his emotions, sometimes, during moments like this. But he isn’t, and he cannot change, just like he cannot be many other things.
A soft rustle beneath the sheets. Arms squeezing his torso.
“Sanji, hey.” The words come out rasp, still filled with sleep. When he doesn’t answer, there’s a thumb wiping across his cheek. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“I’m sorry,” is all he can manage.
Warmly, concerned. “Sorry for what?”
“I’m sorry,” he hiccups again. “I’m so sorry.”
Because he doubted you. Because he cannot fucking stop doubting himself. Heaven knows he’d tell you all these things, were he a braver man. Instead there’s only one thing that seems to be coming out of him, a broken record.
“I’m sorry.”
You wouldn’t want to pressure him. Without saying anything else you keep Sanji in your arms, squeeze him tighter as his tears blend with your hair and your fingers move to soothe his frantic shoulders. Salt pours on his bottom lip. Sanji accepts the comfort despite his better judgement, burying his face into your neck, trying to focus on the sound of your breathing. You stay like this for a while.
There are so many things he’d want to tell you; the kind of things that eat through his guts and tear him apart. Silly images of him taking you to the Baratie, teaching you the way around potions, topping your hand as you sign your name in blood and knowledge, are you to feel rebellious enough.
And he will, one day; talk to you about everything he’s ever seen and touched. Now, however, he closes his eyes and hopes you will somehow catch a flicker of all the love he has in him; everything that makes him foolish.
by far the longest thing i've written in years & it's a boring au. now excuse me but i need to go lie down for a while.
#one piece x reader#sanji x reader#vinsmoke sanji x reader#black leg sanji x reader#one piece smut#sanji smut#mdni#spooktober 2024
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What Are Little Girls Made Of
“How far to the lifesigns, Thunderbird Five?”
Virgil stopped the rest behind the ‘mini-Mole’, as he waited for his older brother to respond.
“About twenty meters, Two. You need to veer five degrees right, and one degree down. That will have you breaking through their air pocket at the corner diagonally opposite from their position.”
“FAB, Thunderbird Five. Five degrees right one, one degree down. Moving out.”
Virgil keyed in the course change on his wrist controller, and activated the mini-Mole. With a high pitched squeal, the small ROV again started drilling into the concrete and rebar of the collapsed building. It captured all the detritus, mixed it with a quick setting binding agent, and extruded it against the ‘walls’ of its tunnel, ensuring that the resulting space wasn’t going to collapse immediately behind it.
Virgil eyed his wrist controller as he crawled after the machine. Time was still of the essence in this type of rescue. They hadn’t been able to ascertain exactly why the commercial complex had collapsed, and that made Virgil very unhappy.
In front of him, the mini-Mole chirruped, slowed its pace and drill, and pulled forward to show a hole in the ‘wall’ facing a void. Virgil activated his passive line to John, then crawled up to the entryway and cautiously poked his head through. “International Rescue. Is anybody here?”
Stupid question, he knew there were two human life-signs in this space, but the enquiry served multiple purposes. Firstly, it identified him, and stopped anyone from trying to brain him with a rock – it had happened. Trapped people panicked, and if they had fears about running out of oxygen, another person in ‘their’ space, breathing ‘their’ air was a threat that had to be ‘dealt’ with.
Secondly, it told him if the lifesigns were conscious. No conscious victim could resist responding to the magic words...
“International Rescue!”
And there it was. One of the two lifesigns was currently bouncing towards him, a little girl about seven years of age, rushing across the space, her pigtails streaming behind her, pink ribbons fluttering. Virgil watched carefully as he crawled into the space. She was moving freely, despite concrete dust liberally coating her body, and bloody red grazes on the sides of legs and palms of her hand. Her dress, once a pink frilly layered affair was now torn and lank.
She must have felt like a princess when she left her home this morning.
The little girl grabbed his hand and started trying to drag him back with her to the far corner. “You have to come, Mummy’s stuck! She can’t get out!”
“Judy! Calm.” The voice was laced with pain but firm and calming. Two conscious resucees. That was good.
Judy stopped her insistent dragging, but didn’t let go of Virgil’s hand. “Please, Mister International Rescue. My Mummy is stuck. Can you help her get out?”
Virgil smiled, it was a practised smile, confident and calm. “That’s why I’m here. Now, where is your mummy, and what is her name?”
A deep breath. “My Mummy’s name is Jennifer Robson. My name is Judy Robson. Mummy is over in that corner,” she pointed. “And her legs are caught under the roof. Mine were, too,” she added, “but I’m little so I managed to wiggle my way out. Mummy can’t.”
“Thank you, Judy. You’ve been very brave, and very helpful. Can you keep helping me by staying here, while I go and see what’s got your mummy stuck?”
A determined nod, but her fear was betrayed by small teeth gnawing at her lower lip and bright water gathering in her eyes.
Virgil smiled again, and lowered himself down beside her mother. “Mrs Robson?” he asked, it never hurt to check names with parents. Judy had spoken clearly, but a misunderstood name at a rescue site could have consequences later.
The woman smiled up at him from where she lay on her left side. “That’s right, please call me Jenny. It’ll save time.” A glance at her daughter. “It’s a bit more complicated than just being stuck. I think something’s gone through my left leg.” A frown. “My right leg is lying in front of the left, and I can move it freely, but…”
Virgil nodded. “Okay. I understand.” He pulled a device from the satchel he had been dragging under his chest, clipped to his harness. “This is a snake,” he showed Mrs Robson. “I’m going to slide it behind you, and it’ll let me see what’s holding you in place. Then I can come up with a plan to get you out.”
“That would be appreciated,” Jenny smiled.
Virgil eased his way behind her, and activated the snake, sending it slipping down next to her back, and relaying what it ‘saw’ to a little 2D screen on the control box.
He frowned at what he saw. A piece of rebar – entirely too thin for what it was presumably doing, he noted absently – had been freed from it encasing concrete, and had stabbed through Jenny’s left calf. He sent the snake bobbing down, to examine beneath.
They were in luck, the rebar had only just broken the skin, and hadn’t pinned her to the slab below. One cut, a slight jacking of the slab above her, and Jenny could be pulled out.
He informed Jenny as much, and then paused. Judy was sitting cross legged where he had left her, her apparent calm betrayed by the clean furrows tear tracks had carved down the concrete dust coating her face. He couldn’t send the little girl up the tunnel on her own, there were too many side branches that had been carved to reach other victims of the collapse. He couldn’t take her himself, and leave Jenny alone. And they really couldn’t afford the time to have one of his brothers come down and collect Judy, but she was still only young, and he didn’t really want her to see the state her mother was in.
Jenny saw where he was looking, and smiled. “If you’re worried about upsetting her with blood, you shouldn’t. Your biggest problem will be keeping her out of the way to wrap up a wound. Little girls come in two flavours, precious princesses who kick up and fuss at the mere mention of the word ‘blood’, or perfect little ghouls, who delight in it, and must be shown any wound the instant they learn of it.” She raised her voice so her daughter could hear. “Judy wants to be a doctor when she grows up, she is very interested in first aid and how to treat injuries. Judy the Ghoul, we call her.”
Judy perked up. “Oh, does Mummy need first aid? Can I help? I know how to apply bandages! Please, can I help? I’ll be super helpful!”
Virgil glanced at her mother, who was all but laughing at his confusion. “Judy, tell Mister International Rescue how you treat someone with a stab wound.”
“First, never ever ever take the object out of the wound. Take a bandage, and make doughnut, like this,” she held up both hands to make an ‘O’ shape, “slide it over the foreign object, and then wrap other bandages around it to keep in place.”
Virgil nodded approvingly. “Very good. That’s absolutely correct. First I’m going to have to get your mom out, and then we can do the first aid together, okay?”
A determined nod. “Yes, sir.”
“Okay, then, let’s get cracking.” He turned to his satchel, and pulled out a jack, setting it up, again behind Jenny, and then pulling out a version of Mini-MAX. This one programmed for exactly this kind of scenario, and kitted out with a miniature version of his shoulder mounted laser.
Virgil always had trepidations about ‘his’ Mini-MAX. It had taken Brains a lot of trial and error to tone down MAX’s natural enthusiasm. That coupled with a high powered laser had had … interesting results. International Rescue’s high energy equipment testing protocols and test chamber had both needed serious overhauling.
As was his habit, Virgil held his breath as Mini-MAX attached the heat absorbing shield, and activated his laser. But the little robot did his job perfectly, flying back out to his ‘travel’ case, leaving Jenny with a half-inch of rebar sticking out of her leg.
Virgil again held his breath as the jack slowly, so slowly, eased upwards just enough for him to slide Jenny out without jostling the rebar, and, once she was clear, slowly easing the slab back down to its original position.
As Virgil turned his attention to his charge’s injury, he found the little girl, kneeling beside her mother, her face mere inches from the ground, as she examined the injury with a bright-eyed intensity that made him just a little bit uneasy.
Gently pulling the girl, back he helped her sterilise her hands, and they both made a ‘doughnut’ out of bandages, and while Judy held them in place, Virgil started the binding bandage. He then turned to give Jenny painkillers, while keeping an eye on Judy as she completed the binding.
Quickly assembling the hover stretcher from its folded up state in his satchel, Virgil explained his evacuation plan to his patient and ‘assistant’. Jenny was soon installed on the stretcher, and strapped firmly in place, while Judy was more loosely strapped to her right side, so she could ‘monitor’ her mother on their trip to the surface.
Bringing the mini-Mole around to face back up its tunnel, Virgil tethered the hover stretcher to its back, and sent the Mole, the stretcher and its occupants trundling back towards freedom. Quickly packing up his remaining equipment, Virgil started crawling after the Mole, quietly confirming with John the condition of his rescuees and confirming that there was appropriate resources waiting for them top side, and that there was no-one else to pull from the wreckage of the building.
The trip back up passed quicker than had the one down, with Judy chatting happily to her mother, and then relaying regular ‘updates’ back to Virgil. The dying rays of sunlight bathing the scenery in reds and golds seemed unnaturally bright to Virgil as he crawled out of the hole, accepting Gordon and Scott’s help to stand upright again, and pull off his helmet. His back cracking as he straightened, but he bit back the groan as he twisted. That was just a bit too ‘old man’.
Ambulance crews, already briefed by John as to Jenny’s condition, and treatment already provided, had shifted her from the IR stretcher to their own gurney, and Judy was standing, watching intently as they took her vital signs, and unworriedly alternating between talking over, and talking to the little girl.
A woman, dressed in the ambulance’s uniform, drew Jenny away, and briefly examined the grazes on her legs and hands, and Virgil was briefly concerned that he had missed something in his haste to free the mother. But as the woman realised Virgil was watching, she offered a smile, and a thumbs up; and Virgil relaxed.
Beside him, Gordon nudged his arm, pressed an object into Virgil’s hand. It was one of the buttons Virgil had had made up, a test run of item he wanted to propose to Scott for distribution to kids at Danger Zone. A small button with a pin back. In the centre was the IR logo, an around it, in – naturally – Thunderbird Two Green was the words “I Was Brave For International Rescue”.
Virgil frowned at Gordon. These weren’t supposed to be here, but Gordon just nodded to Judy. “She’s earned it. Scott’s busy, go on, Virg.”
Virgil walked over, and knelt down beside Judy. “I wanted to thank you, Judy. You were very brave and very helpful back there.” He held up the button to her. “You’ve earned this. Can I pin it to your dress?”
Judy’s eyes went wide as she saw the button, and she nodded. Virgil reached forward, and very carefully pinned it to the dress, probably a bit high, it was near her collarbone. But Judy stared down at it a moment, before launching herself at Virgil and nearly strangling him with a hug. “Thank you, Mister International Rescue. Thank you for helping me and my Mummy.”
Virgil cautiously returned the hug, “Thank you, Judy.” A shout from the nearby ambulance had Judy’s caretaker gently pulling her away from Virgil and leading her away. Judy bounded as she went, pigtails streaming behind her. Back to her mother.
Twenty Years Later
Virgil lay back, watching the flickering pattern of light tiles rush past over his head. Whatever drugs they had given him on the way to the hospital were working a treat, what had been a fiery burning pain was now a dull throb, annoying but he could live with it.
A new body joined the lineup alongside his gurney, and Virgil turned his attention to the newcomer. A woman, about thirty, her long dark hair was caught in a plait, a pink ribbon incongruously woven into the braid, and formed the tie, candy pink scrubs that stuck out like a beacon amid the soft blues and teals.
A photo ID card at the end of the lanyard bounced about as she ran, and Virgil couldn’t make out then name, but recognised from the colour stripe along the right edge that the woman was an Emergency Department Trauma Surgeon. Attached to the lanyard, near her collarbone, was a pin, and Virgil strained to see it. He frowned, and reached up a hand to tug on the lanyard so he could get a closer look at the pin.
A IR blue clad arm reached about and caught his hand. “Hey, Virg, no grabbing. Hands to yourself, even when drugged, bro.”
There was a laugh, and the woman pulled off the lanyard one handed, and held the pin for his inspection. It was an old button, faded from exposure to light, but Virgil instantly recognised it. Scott had quickly forbidden them when he had found out, but the IR logo in the centre, and the words, “I Was Brave For International Rescue” ran around the edge in Thunderbird Two Green was unmistakable.
A name came to him, an image of a cement dust covered little girl in torn pink dress and pigtails, peering in fascination at the rebar piercing her mother’s leg. “Judy the Ghoul,” he said, voice slurring.
Above him, Judy – Doctor Judy – laughed. “That’s me. I’m honoured you remembered me.”
Virgil lay back and closed his eyes. “Never forgot. Little girls are ghouls. Important lesson t’ learn.” He opened his eyes. “My little girls are even worse. Had’ta keep infirmary locked. Was tryin’ to play ‘doctor’.”
She laughed again, turning her attention to his lower body. Virgil really didn’t want to know what she was seeing. Feeling what had happened was bad enough. A thought. “Did y’ Mum keep th’ leg?”
“No,” was the absent reply. “Sepsis infection at the hospital meant she lost her leg, at the knee. She has a prosthesis; reckons it’s the best thing that ever happened to her. Says it reduced her footache by fifty percent.”
She turned back to Virgil. “But I’m afraid we’ll not be reducing your footache, Mr Tracy. But if you can be very brave and helpful, we’ll have you back rescuing little girls from collapsed buildings in no time.”
Virgil smiled, as half of the people surrounding him, including his brother, fell away, and he was propelled through double doors into the gleaming sterility of a surgical theater. “I look forward to it.”
Notes:
I have five nieces, aged between ten and two. Any bandages or bandaids must be immediately removed for them to inspect the damage. Ghouls. The lot of them. Unless it’s their blood!
The standard disclaimers, I do not own Thunderbirds, either the TOS or CGI Series. (Although I do own copies on DVD.)
I do not do this for money, but for my own (in)sanity and entertainment.
#fanfic#my fanfic#thunderbirds are go#virgil tracy#john tracy#gordon tracy#collapsed building#first aid#amputation
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