#hair frizzy from the ocean water

[hiort]

retired piranha esque levi

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Primer on writing Ed's hair care!

I love writing about Ed's hair! He has lots of beautiful hair, and it's obviously very well taken-care-of. I love reading fics that include Ed's hair care routines, too, but I know that a lot of white authors might not be confident about writing a man of color caring for his hair.

So, I wanted to put out a quick cheat sheet to help! This isn't an in-depth guide, but I hope it's a good primer so you can confidently include scenes touching on Ed's hair care. I really recommend checking out some natural hair subreddits if you want to go more in-depth so you can get ideas for the everyday frustrations and styles Ed might have.

Common misconceptions:

Ed will not need to wash his hair as often as you might assume he should. Natural hair textures tend to get very dry and brittle when washed too frequently because over-washing removes protective oils from our scalp and hair and dries it out. Ed probably only needs to wash his hair a couple times a week at most (he'll have figured out what works for him and his hair). This doesn't mean he's dirty or unclean, and it doesn't mean he won't shower or clean himself - he'll just probably put his hair up in a shower cap to keep it dry when he showers on days that aren't wash days.

Ed's hair care will look different than Stede's, and if he wants to let Stede help him care for his hair, he'll probably need to teach him how. Ed might have different brushes for detangling and styling his hair, and they'll definitely look different from Stede's. He also won't be able to use the same products as Stede does, or he might damage or over-dry his hair because many hair products meant for white/straight hair will over-strip the oils from natural hair.

A few things to avoid: Ed's hair is always depicted in the show as clean, well-styled, and perfectly presentable. It is not wild, untamed, or unmanageable just because it's got some texture.

Everyday care!

On the daily, Ed will probably rely on a few products to help him keep his hair looking beautiful. Coconut/castor oil is a go-to for locking in moisture (he can also use moisturizing creams or sprays in a modern AU), twisting creams and butters will help him style his hair into twists and braids, detangling sprays and/or creams help with bad hair days, and a curl-defining spray will help him get his hair looking great in the mornings.

On wash days, Ed will want to use a hydrating shampoo and a nourishing conditioner. Between wash days, leave-in conditioners will help him keep his hair moisturized and control frizz (leave-in conditioners don't get rinsed out, and he'll typically apply them after lightly wetting his hair).

Ed will likely want to put his hair into a protective style before bed so it doesn't get tangled and frizzy during the night. Putting his hair up in a sleep bonnet can help protect his hair while he sleeps, but as a fellow guy with longer hair, I can guess he won't like how he'll wake up with a bunch of his hair looking and feeling flat from sleeping on it. Putting his hair up in braids or twists are great ways to protect it while he sleeps so he wakes up with defined, happy hair! Pro-tip: he probably knows that wetting his hair before putting it into protective styles will help define his curls.

Around the water!

In canon settings or in AUs where Ed lives on or visits the beach, hair care is especially important! Salt air and swimming in the ocean can be very hard on natural hair, and Ed will want to be diligent about moisturizing to help control frizz and keep his hair from drying out.

Before swimming, if he can, there are a few things Ed can do to keep his hair happy. Natural hair really absorbs water, so wetting it before a swim can limit the amount of saltwater (or, in a pool, chlorine) his hair is able to soak up. It's also a good idea to put his hair in a protective style like braids before swimming.

After being in the water, again, Ed will want to wet his hair! After a swim in salt water, rinsing his hair with cool fresh water will keep his hair much happier.

If he's going to be swimming a lot, Ed will want to be very intentional with keeping his hair moisturized! Leave-in conditioners will be his best friend.

Why does this matter?

For people of color, our hair really matters. Our hair is an important way we express ourselves and feel connected to our culture. And controlling natural hair is one way that colonized societies continue to oppress and marginalize people of color. We're often policed and exoticized for our hair - like how the rich assholes on the party boat in s1e5 tried to touch Ed's beard without his permission. Taking care with how we depict Ed's hair isn't just fun and interesting, it helps make this fandom a more welcoming, inclusive space for fans of color.

[jeon-ify]

precious star - j. yunho

a/n: my baby yuyu :( this is inspired by one of my favorite songs ever !!

warnings: swearing

genre : fluff

“yunho! over here!” from across the beige sand beneath your feet, you yell for yunho to face you from a few feet away.

you’re both invited to play beach volleyball with a group of friends, yunho and you were put on the same team— the both of you being compatible on the team— yunho’s height being an advantage, as well as your years of volleyball skill.

“babe! get it get it get it! no!!” you’re shouting and cheering your pretty boyfriend on, in hopes that he’d get the ball over the net to earn your team another point. he gets hopeless at the ball, waiting for the right moment to spike over the net and receive the point to make up for it.

“yunho that’s not fair, you’re too tall. get away from the net man,” though he’s not really close to the net, wooyoung is annoyed at the fact that his team is losing, but that had nothing to do with yunho. he pauses to look his friend up and down, sharing a sassy moment between the two.

“excuse me? not you getting mad because your team sucks,” yunho laughs.

“how does it feel, wooyoung?” you tag along with yunho at picking on the opposing team, wooyoungs attention drifting to you.

“how does what feel?”

“being a loser,” yunho laughs a little too hard, as well as mingi and jongho. jongho literally cannot stop laughing, eyes squinting from the bright sun above him.

“stop laughing, dumbass. we’re on the same team. yunho, watch me kick your ass. give me the ball.” wooyoung ducks under the net, snatching the ball from his hands. wooyoung backs up to serve the ball across the net— completely missing the serve.

“interesting,” hongjoong just watches all of this, he butts into the conversation. it’s almost as if they separated each other by height on purpose, thinking that the shorter they are, the quicker they can be.

“this dude…” mingi laughing with his best friend, seonghwa has is forehead in his hands, embarrassed at their friend’s misery. the game ends at that, the score at a 15 point difference is enough to make wooyoung hide in the body of water.

“i’m just gonna go get something to eat. text me what you guys want from the restaurant down the street.”

yunho just walks away, not even acknowledging what went down.

“wait! no more volleyball?”

“guys?”

“guys come back!”

“this is so embarrassing.”

wooyoung yells as everyone else— including his team— walks away from the area. you and yunho are busy laughing and trying to catch your breaths from what just happened. yunho holds your hand in his, pulling you in to hug you as he walks towards the nearest restaurant.

you finish ordering everyone’s food, sitting patiently with your boyfriend while you wait for your order to be called. he sits in front of you with his white flowy button up; his hair is flowy and frizzy, but in the prettiest way possible.

with your head resting on your hand, you watch the way yunho’s eyes light up at your voice. like a puppy, his ears perk up at the sound of your voice. his cheeks turn red when he notices you staring at his face.

“baby,” you mutter. you take his hand in yours while your other fixes the few strands of hair on his forehead sitting loosely.

“mm?” his eyes are closed as he feels so safe when you touch him. he feels at peace, like he doesn’t belong anywhere else but with you.

the beach was his favorite place, it’s where he met you— where he fell in love with you and never fell out— only falling harder every time.

you take in a deep breath, the saltiness of the air from the ocean hits your nostrils, the sound of waves and seagulls sending you into a trance. yunho being in front of you as the peaceful beach environment makes your heart race in gratefulness for where you are right now; especially that yunho is here with you. “you are so pretty, my beautiful beautiful boy.”

you caress his cheekbones as he rests his head in your hand, your favorite thing that he does. you are his safe space and he would never trade it for the world. yunho had plans of marrying you. he also had dreams of you carrying his children, waking up this morning and being emotional.

you really had been head over heels for each other. nothing would ever keep the two of you apart. having such a peaceful relationship like your’s and yunho’s made you feel like the only woman in the world to yunho. he never failed to make you feel loved every day.

“i love you, y/n.” his eyes are closed, his pearly skin glistening in the sunlight as his hair loosely falls onto his forehead once again. you let it sit, the strand making your heart twist in admiration.

you just watch his chest rise when he’s taking deep breaths. his heart beating out of his chest from the way he’s watching you admire him.

“why are you crying, y/n?” he holds his hand up to hold yours, moving it from his face and resting it on the table where the two of your hands collide.

“i don’t know, i’m so overwhelmed by how much i love you. i love love love love love you. i don’t think you understand, yuyu.” yunho wipes your tears with the pad of his thumb.

“baby! i’ll cry oh my goodness!” he smiles as his cheeks flush red, leaning in to plant a kiss on your sharp nose.

“order #117!” the waitress calls out. you both get the food and sit where everyone else is seated.

you can’t imagine your life without yunho. you are his star, his precious star.

————

AWWWWWWW

[static-fucking-mess]

Eddie couldn't help himself. He stared at Billy Hargrove sometimes; the gorgeous curls and wild grin lit something inside of him the first time Eddie had ever laid eyes on him.

Billy's plush lips sucking in the smoke from his Marlboro reds, broad shoulders, tight jeans. Eddie couldn't help himself from focusing on the way Billy's tongue flashed out to wet his lips as the smoke billowed off into the sky from his nose.

Billy washed into Hawkins and Eddie's life like a hurricane from California. His loud car, crashing music, and Eddie knew just from catching sight of him once that he wanted to know everything about him. He imagined if he got close enough he'd still be able to smell the ocean air on his sun kissed skin. He wanted to know his favorite bands, his thoughts on media, God he'd even sit through talking about cars if it meant Billy would look his way. (It wasn't like he wasn't interested, just that his own knowledge was limited to keeping his dinosaur of a van alive, and he didn't want to sound like an idiot. Not in front of Billy.)

Everything about Billy attracted Eddie to him. Eddie Munson had never considered himself shy. Fuck, he was a bit awkward about social boundaries, but he'd never felt shy before. Then, there were rarely ever new people that came to Hawkins to stay. And Billy made it clear that he had no intention of staying. Hawkins was small, and desperately choking on its shallow gene pool, in Eddie's opinion. Fresh faces were hard to find, especially ones that were willing to look his way, after all.

Billy hadn't been willing. To look his way, that was. He took to the social hierarchy like a wrecking ball, and sent it all asunder. King Steve seemed no more, Tommy and Carol seemed to fight more amongst themselves these days instead of making biting remarks at others. But Billy? He still wouldn't spare a breath on Eddie the Freak Munson.

Eddie had tried once.

He'd been utterly tongue tied in approaching Billy, picking at his sleeve. The two stood awkwardly behind the school dumpsters as they had their smoke break. Eddie's hand shook as he rolled his wrist, searching for the right words that refused to come.

"I really— I mean... fuck— sorry. Hold on. Uh—"

Billy's cool gaze slid up from where his zippo burned the cherry of his cigarette. He flicked his wrist to close his lighter before he tucked it away, utterly unimpressed. Eddie would probably be unimpressed with himself too. But damn; Billy Hargrove was a God carved of marble and gold, blessed by California sun. Eddie was a home grown weed from an Indiana backyard. His brown hair frizzy, unkempt, and his skin a touch oily from his aversion to water. It wasn't like he skipped showers because he wanted to. But in that moment Eddie felt painfully aware that Billy Hargrove was miles out of his league.

"Beat it," Billy grumbled at him. "I'm not in the business of making friends with people like you," he hissed. Those beautiful blues steeling into something dangerous that made Eddie's insides go cold. He swallowed back his words and the shaking in his hand seemed to intensify.

"No um... no that's. Fair. People like me?" Eddie inquired, head tipping a bit. He wanted to know just what part of his stigma had reached Billy first. He'd seen the saints necklace dangling in the open neck of his shirt. "The Satan worshipper? The freak?"

"Queers," Billy snapped. He looked at Eddie like a hostile and wild animal. Like his smiles were more reflective of the animal kingdom than the humanity he bore to charm others. Eddie swallowed dry air and dropped his gaze? Putting his cigarette out under his shoe.

"Right," Eddie affirmed. Billy had seen the way the guy looked at him. It was impossible to miss those dark, chocolate doe eyes when they lingered on him. It tickled the inside of Billy's ribs something real funny when he noticed Eddie in class. Distracted, but gazing his way like he was looking at art in a museum.

Billy was used to people lusting after him. He was hot, and god he knew it. He utilized it more often than he probably should have, but his good genetics in the physical appearance department had gotten him into, and out of a lot of trouble.

But Eddie wasn't lusting.

Eddie looked like he was trying to figure him out. Wondering at him. And that was dangerous. Because Billy had caught himself wondering too. What calloused hands would feel like holding down his wrists, or what those pouty lips would feel like stealing the breath off his. Thoughts like that were what had led to them having to leave California. Thoughts that turned to action, action that had made Neil so angry that he gave Billy two options:

Leave California, and the boy behind...

Or go to Summer Camp.

The two seemed like impossible evils to wrestle with. And in the end, with defeat, Billy had chosen to leave his home behind. It had hurt more that the boy had moved on before Billy could even explain himself. He swore, man or woman, he wouldn't date. Dating just brought trouble. Laying roots was dangerous. Ripping them free just hurt more.

So, he broke Eddie's heart before it had the chance to bloom. So he thought.

Nearing the beginning of November, Billy struggled one morning to light his cigarette. Shivering from the cold, and possibly the pain in his ribs. The pain that curled up through him and reminded him that defiance tasted like iron and copper on every breath in.

"Here—" the voice was steeped in sweet honey. Eddie lit his cigarette for him, and Billy flicked his eyes up to meet with Eddie's.

Eddie cupped his hands around Billy's while the cigarette dangled from his lips. Eddie rubbed his rough hands over Billy's to warm them, breathing softly over them to fight away the frost and chill in the air. Billy stood stiff and still like the early frost had taken root in him.

Eddie gazed up at Billy and offered him a smile, almost sheepish as he stepped away. He mourned the loss of that warmth as soon as it was gone, the fleeting action stirring something inside that Billy didn't want to fan the flames of.

"Shit, sorry," Eddie snorted. "I'm kind of a touchy guy, and uh. Social boundaries? Not my strong suit."

Billy chuffed, shaking his head before he took his cigarette loosely between two fingers and spat onto the pavement.

"Don't fucking touch me, freak," he hissed to Eddie. His frustration sizzling as his voice lacked the ire he wanted it to have. He wanted Eddie to flinch and run. But he didn't. Instead he just... shrugged his shoulders, unbothered, and turned away to smoke his own cigarette.

The next time Billy had contact with Eddie, it happened so quickly that Eddie wasn't even sure what had happened. It was just something small. Something... simple. But as they passed in the hall, Tommy had shoulder checked Eddie hard enough to knock him on his ass, laughing like he was looking for Billy's approval. That was not what happened.

The loud crash against the lockers had startled Eddie back to himself from the position he was in on the floor.

Billy had Tommy pinned to the lockers, speaking to him in a low and deeply venomous tone.

"Hands off, Hagan. The only person who gets to mess with the freak is me," he snarled.

Eddie wondered what that meant, but it felt like stepping closer to a warm fire in a way. He knew Damm well it might be dangerous to get too close. But Eddie didn't mind the way Billy burned. He wanted to be caught in the rush of Billy's storm.

Eddie had held that warm feeling in his chest for a while. It felt like a glow, and it was something that made him look Billy's way, even when he was shoved against lockers, shoulder checked in the hall, or had his books knocked out of his hands. Eddie always caught it.

The smile that wasn't mocking, even when Billy would insult him. It was like he couldn't put the same vitriol in it that he used to.

"Freak" felt more like a term of endearment. "Loser" felt like an invitation to squabble. And God did Eddie take every chance to bicker with Billy Hargrove.

Mid December, their words had turned into a tussle.

"You wouldn't dare—" Eddie had invited, grinning at Billy who had every intention of dumping Eddie into a snowbank.

"I think you need to cool it," Billy had snarked back, looking less than threatening with his red beanie on his head, puff ball and all. It had been Eddie's. The beanie. But Eddie hadn't said a word about the gloves, scarf, and hat he'd left in Billy's locker after he had noticed that the boy from California didn't have clothes suited for Indiana winter.

"Don't do it, Billy," Eddie laughed.

"Do what? I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Billy said back, casual as he took a step closer.

It happened, in a crash of flailing limbs and shrieking laughter. Billy saw Eddie for the first time. He saw the bright smile that was punctuated by dimples on either side. He saw the way Eddie's fuzzy hair fanned out in the snow as he was dumped into the snow bank, and god he couldn't help but notice the way flakes stuck in his eyelashes. His cheeks and ears red from the cold; Eddie wasn't wearing gloves, a hat, or a scarf. He'd given up his warm clothes to keep Billy warm.

And that sure made something inside Billy warmer than the sun in California ever could.

It was mid January when a knock resonated number 12 at the forest hills trailer park. It brought Eddie out of dozing. The alarm clock read an ugly 2am back at him that made him groan.

He pulled himself up and out of bed as the knock grew more irritated and insistent, swiping his hands down over his tired face.

"Jesus christ, I'm coming! Fucking relax!" He bellowed. Eddie shoved his feet into his slippers and shuffled to the front door, ripping it open.

"My hours end at 11 pm on week... nights..." the irritation in Eddie's voice gave way to a shocked whisper as he was met with a ghastly sight before him.

Billy Hargrove standing on his porch, braced against the side of the trailer to stop any swaying. It looked like he had bruises littering half of his face, and Eddie imagined it was worse, with the way the bruises on his neck seemed to bloom down under his jacket.

"Hey," Eddie whispered, unsure if he could say more. When he reached to push a curl out of Billy's face, the man flinched like Eddie was about to put a knife to his throat.

Instead, Eddie put his hand on Billy's shoulder and guided him to come inside.

That was the night that Eddie learned about Neil Hargrove. It was the same night that Eddie slept, curled around Billy. Like he could protect him.

Billy slept with his nose pressed against Eddie's collarbone, sinking into the scents of cinnamon and cigarette smoke. Eddie was warm, and even though he was more elbows and knees than plush and soft... Billy felt like he fit perfectly with his head tucked under Eddie's chin. Eddie gave good hugs. Great hugs even. Enough of them that Billy felt drunk on the scent of cinnamon and the comfort of his best friend's arms.

They continued as best friends for a long time. Until the Tragedy of Starcourt. Nobody called Eddie. Nobody had thought to at first, really. With the chaos and the news of Russians under the mall— not to mention how the last week or two, Billy had been avoiding Eddie like he was a Germ.

"Get the fuck away from me—"

"Stay away from me Munson."

"Get the fuck out of my face."

"I won't warn you again, if you come near me, I'll break your fucking neck."

Eddie had been sulking about it. Well. More than sulking if he was honest. Had he cried on Wayne's shoulder? Absolutely. Did he get a speeding ticket on his way to the hospital once Max had called him? Absolutely.

Eddie stood in the doorway of Billy's hospital room, looking in on his best friend like the universe had put a knife through his heart. Billy looked barely alive. Fragile.

Eddie was one of the very few visitors that Billy got. Neil Hargrove hadn't shown his face once. Max had told him in a hushed voice that he had packed his things to leave town. Billy was a hero for saving so many people in the mall fire, and Neil still hated him. Didn't want a disabled son.

Billy woke up alone. He wasn't surprised to wake up alone, in a hospital room without a single card on his bedside. Sure, he wasn't surprised... but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. It hurt like being cracked open from the inside out. A glaring statement that told Billy Hargrove:

'You don't matter.'

Even alone, Billy stifled his sobs so he wouldn't be noticed.

"Easy tough guy," the gentle voice came from the doorway, making Billy's heart jump up into his throat. Eddie came in with the nurses, who checked his vitals and pain levels. But Billy barely noticed them. He was focused on the boy whose smile cleansed the tar clinging to his heart.

"Thought I told you to piss off," Billy snorted through his tears, managing a shaky smile.

"I've never been good at listening," Eddie replied, rubbing his hand through Billy's bed messy curls. "Can't shake me that easy, sweetheart. I thought you'd have learned that by now. That grouchy bullshit isn't gonna shake me," he assured. Eddie was determined enough to stick out the hurricane.

"You're annoying," Billy spat at him, pushing his hand away.

"And I'm determined to continue to be," Eddie replied as he snatched Billy's wrist. He slid his hand up to lace their fingers and squeeze.

"Give it time," Billy said, seemingly unimpressed. He refused to look at Eddie, only because the idiot was gazing at him like he was someone precious.

"I've got time," Eddie replied, unshaken.

"Jesus, Munson, why don't you just— just leave me the hell alone?! Why are you always," Billy's breath hitched as his voice broke. Eddie was always there. Like a balm to his wounds. He didn't flinch when Neil beat him. He opened the door or answered the call no matter how late. Eddie Munson was a rock in the hurricane, ready to weather his storm.

Billy thought back to the memories El had shown him in that pit of darkness. His mother, the beach, the waves... and the snowy December day that Billy had fallen in love with Eddie Munson.

Billy didn't resist when Eddie placed his hand on his neck, thumbing his jaw like he was brittle. Fragile. And Billy supposed he was.

"God damn," Eddie whispered, smiling at Billy with tender eyes.

"What? Quit fucking looking at me like that. Like— like... pity. Jesus or like I'm gonna break. I don't need your bullshit sympathies, or your God damn coddling, Munson."

Billy felt like a wild animal, backed into the corner of a cage. Snapping and growling at the tender hands that wanted to hold him. Especially if that monster still lurked inside him somewhere. Ready to hurt.

That fear washed away when Eddie kissed Billy's knuckles, something soft. Endearing. Billy could only hitch a sob as his forehead thudded in to rest on Eddie's collarbone. He squeezed Eddie's hand, and to his relief... Eddie squeezed back. It felt a whole lot like someone saying:

'You matter. I love you.'

And for once, Billy wasn't afraid of it being a lie.

[deuces-sunglasses]

Zosan Au- Pearl Divers

(Request from @sampaisleyriot, I strayed from your idea a little bit sorry 😭)

• The Going Merry crew consisted of Luffy- the Captain, Nami- the navigator and Usopp- the mechanist and “protector”.

• Luffy had also found two pearl divers, named Zoro and Sanji. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to get along much.

• “I want to offer one of you a six month contract. So, you’ll have to compete to show me which one of you I should choose.” Hearing this, they both eyed up their opposition, scoffed and agreed to the challenge.

• Sanji flirts with Nami as she steers them across the ocean. Zoro rolls his eyes and settles into a nap despite the noisy engine.

• Luffy soon calls for the anchor to be set down as he peers off the edge of the bow, which had a strange goat head on it.

• As Sanji gets into his white diving costume, Zoro opts only for a tiny pair of shorts which causes the blond’s breath to be caught in his throat.

• “You ready to watch a professional, cook?” Zoro taunts as he pulls on his leather finger guards and slides on his nose clip.

• Sanji cackles at his voice change due to the nose clip and replies, “We’ll see whether you’ve got any brains under that moss.”

• Usopp lets out a cough and hands them their rope baskets for collecting oysters and stone weights for bringing them to the sea bed.

• Then they both dive in and their competitive nature grows. Zoro’s advantage lies in his upper body strength, while Sanji’s toned legs make him glide quickly through the water.

• Despite the opportunity at stake, they aren’t stupid and regularly check that the other hasn't somehow drowned.

• On one of his trips to the surface, Sanji spots Usopp fishing on the port side. He’s about to offer to make Nami a refreshing drink when Luffy yells affectionately-

• “Sanji! Get back to work!”

• They take a couple of longer breaks, where they enjoy dates and coffee. Sanji smacks Zoro’s hand away from the Saké in the cooler.

• Zoro likes how the saltwater makes Sanji’s hair frizzy and curly.

• As the sun goes down, they both shuck their own oysters and let Nami count them. Zoro cuts the fish caught by Usopp for Sanji to cook. Luffy happily chatters.

• “Even! You got an equally small amount of pearls, but at least we can keep the meat to eat,” proclaims Nami.

• “Nami-Swan, how would you like a pearl necklace? I think-“

• “Luffy, you don’t want a pervert on your crew do you? You should just make your decision now.” Zoro fires out.

• “I am simply appreciating her beauty. You don’t get to insult me while you’re happily eating my cooking!” Sanji retorts.

• Over the next couple of days, they continue this routine. The crew becomes increasingly close and comfortable with each other.

• Sanji comments how Zoro’s body is exposed to stingrays and Zoro replies that he doesn’t need to worry about his body.

• When Luffy accidentally falls into the ocean, Sanji jumps in and saves him.

• At one point, they both spot the same oyster. Glancing over to one another, they make angry eye contact and immediately race towards it.

• Zoro reaches it first and swoops it up, only for Sanji to kick him and take it from his basket. The mosshead wraps his arms around his waist and drags him down. Sanji kicks free and swims to the surface, with Zoro’s hand on his oyster.

• They gasp for air as Nami reprimands them for their stupid antics. In the evening, they discover that the oyster was pearl-less anyway.

• When it’s finally time for Luffy to sign one of them on, both are on edge. This contract is a dream come true.

• “I won’t make you wait any longer. I’m signing you both on! Welcome to the Straw hat crew!”

• Zoro’s eyebrows rise and Sanji’s furrow.

• “We’re not actually calling ourselves that, are we?” says Nami.

• “Alright! I won’t ever actually have to go pearl diving then? Because I might have slightly lied when I was listing my skills.” Usopp scratches the back of his neck with a grin.

• “Guess you’re stuck with me, Marimo.” Sanji sings as he shakes Luffy’s hand.

• “I’ll pick up the slack whenever your little arms get tired, bastard.” Zoro gets an immediate kick to the face.

• A few months later, after they get together, they definitely try an underwater kiss and it is awful.

• Zoro gives Sanji pearl cufflinks as a gift at some point.

[daisyrb-gvf]

Cruising Into Love-Part 3

d.r.w. x f!reader

Okay, you guys...here it is. I always get nervous about the first smutty chapter. Hope you love it!

Words: 9k

Summary: After your passionate moment with Danny on the island, you both are eager to spend more time together.

Warnings: 18+ readers only

explicit sex, oral (f receiving), language, little sprinkle of life threatening situations, passing tf out, smoking hot Daniel Wagner.

You plop down on your tiny bed, a huge smile on your face. He’s coming tonight, and if you’re honest, hopefully in more ways than one. Danny said he needed to stop, but you didn’t want him to. You would have had sex with him right then and there under the waterfall. You imagine the loud crashing of the water drowning out your inevitable moans and cries. What is it about this man that makes you so electric? You feel out of control, but in the best way possible. You feel alive and young and sexy, feelings that you haven’t had in longer than you can remember.

Your mattress is getting damp from your rain-soaked clothes. You didn’t beat the storm, but racing Danny through the rain, seeing his white muscle tee sticking to his back and shoulders made it all worth it. A wave of warmth rushed over you, even in the unseasonably cold storm. You wondered what it would be like to kiss and suck and worship every single inch of his body, the thought making you falter and slow your pace, your breath hitching. Yeah, it was worth losing the race. Absolutely it was worth it. 

You force yourself to get up and shower quickly. You have to rush to get ready for the show…the show that Danny will be at in all of his fine-ass glory. Oh God, you hope you can keep it together and make it through the performance. You’ll probably have to do a few more faster songs just so you don’t jump out of your skin from excitement.  

– – –

Danny paces in his room, cold from the air conditioner that is still running while he is soaking wet. He opens the door to the balcony and steps out for a moment, breathing in the salty ocean air, grinning and closing his eyes, grabbing onto the railing and leaning back again, daydreaming about the hottest make-out session he’s ever had in his life. The ship horn blasts, indicating that it’s almost time to leave the port, snapping him out of his memory. Looking at the time, he runs to the shower, hoping he has time to wash and style his hair and consider what he’s going to wear tonight. He’s fighting his growing erection while the hot water washes over him, trailing down his body and reminding him of the waterfall. “Snap out of it,” he mutters to himself, trying to fight off the urge to relieve the ache building in his cock. There’s no way he’s doing that right now. He isn’t even sure if you would want to sleep with him tonight, but he’s taking no chances, keeping the electric energy building in his body. All he knows is if you do want to, he wants to try to make it the best you’ve ever had because he has a feeling it’s going to be for him. 

– – –

“You coming, Danny?” Josie asks through the door leading into the hallway. 

“Yeah just a minute!” He double-checks his hair, making sure there are no stray frizzy curls. Thank God for Sam’s girlfriend, Hannah. She taught him how to take care of his curls and gave advice on skincare, not that it was bad before, but Danny does love looking pretty, not just for the girls and guys, but for himself too. It gives him extra confidence. He used to struggle with that much more than he does now, although it’s still there and creeps out sometimes. 

He grabs his room key and heads out to meet Josie. “Wow! You look nice, big brother!” Josie says with a smirk. 

It is one of his favorite outfits. Short-sleeved, fitted, black mock-neck shirt and black skinny jeans with black boots. He’s rocking the Johnny Cash look tonight with his own spin. Deciding to ditch the shark-tooth necklace, he switched to a silver chain, matching the permanent dainty silver bracelet that he, Sam, and his sister got together.  

“Thanks! You too, sis.” 

Josie sports a beautiful blue maxi dress that has a cutout in the back, tied together with a matching string. She has a natural beauty, wearing light make-up and letting her loose curls fall down her back. 

“I know,” she replies with a wink as they turn the corner for the elevators. “You nervous?” 

“Yeah, a little,” Danny confesses, not even trying to deny it. 

“I can tell. You’re practically jumping out of your skin. I take it today went well?” she asks, looking out at the chandelier through the glass elevator. 

“Yeah, really well, actually,” Danny’s face is bright red as he turns away to look at anything that is in the opposite direction of his sister. 

“I’m not going to ask for details,” Josie assures, kindly. 

Thank God. Not that he would have answered, but he already felt awkward enough. Even if she is his best friend, she’s also his sister. He can’t talk to her about certain things the way he talks to Sam and the twins. 

They meet their parents in front of the piano bar and make their way in, getting closer seats this time. Danny wants to see as much of you as possible. 

When you walk out you see him immediately. Well, fuck me sideways-he looks like a dream in that outfit. Not that it would have made much of a difference, but it would have been nice if he could have looked a little more casual. That would make it at least a tiny bit easier to keep your composure. Josie looks beautiful, as well. If Danny wasn’t on this cruise, you have a feeling you may have been feral for her instead. She smiles at you encouragingly while Danny drinks you in-a hungry look in his eyes. God, please stop. You can’t look at him with that gaze on you. 

You settle in at the grand piano and gently place your hands on the keys, grounding yourself. 

“Did everyone have a good time exploring Nassau today?” you ask the audience, this time your cheery expression is completely genuine. You get a cheer and a few “yesses” from the crowd. “Glad to hear it! Well, take some time to relax and unwind from your day while I play a few songs for you.” 

You start upbeat playing “I Feel The Earth Move” by Carole King. Unable to keep your eyes away, you look over at Danny who is beaming and singing along, drumming his fingers lightly on the table again. 

I feel my heart start to trembling

Whenever you’re around

Ooh, baby, when I see your face

Mellow as the month of May

Oh darling, I can’t stand it

When you look at me that way

Josie giggles and grins, glancing over at her brother. She seems like such an amazing sister. A sibling who genuinely loves her brother and wants him to be happy. It makes your heart ache. 

FInishing up the song, you get some cheers and a couple of “whoops” from Danny and Josie, causing you to blush. 

“Let’s slow it down for just a minute, sound good?” you ask the audience. They clap in encouragement as you start the next number. “This one was a request,” you say, not looking over at Danny at that moment. Fraternizing with guests is definitely frowned upon here, and you don’t want to cause any suspicion. 

Daniel is driving tonight on a plane

I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain

Oh and I can see Daniel waving goodbye

Oh it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes

Danny’s mom taps his shoulder, looking excited, but oblivious that this song is actually for him. Just a happy coincidence. As you close out the song the audience claps and starts calling out requests. Maybe you shouldn’t have added that little detail. You decide to just go ahead and play requests for the rest of the performance. More Elton John, John Legend, Norah Jones, and a few others. 

“Okay, one more request for the night. What is it gonna be?” 

“Light My Love!” someone calls out immediately. 

“Hmm…who is that by?” you ask. You think you may have heard that title before, but you don’t remember the tune. 

“Greta Van Fleet!” they call out. 

“Okay, let me see if it’s in the book, and if so I’ll play it!”

You flip through the binder of approved songs and find it. Looking over it quickly, you hear the tune in your head. “Okay! We will close out with this one. I’m not entirely sure how the lyrics are sung, so could some of you help me out?” You get some more cheers and feel confident that the audience can cover for you. You start to play and realize how beautiful of a song it is. Why haven’t you heard this before? You’ll need to check out more of their music. You glance over at Danny and see a nervous expression. Why would he be nervous? Maybe because the show is almost over and he feels anxious about being near you again. You know you do. The audience sings along, sounding much better than the audience from your previous performance. Danny’s parents sing along excitedly, apparently loving this song. Danny and Josie seem to be unfamiliar with it, but clearly enjoy the tune. The crowd cheers loudly as you wrap up the song, and you make a mental note to put that one into the rotation. The audience seemed to love it, and you can see why. It’s one of the most beautiful songs you’ve heard. A few people approach you after the performance telling you they loved the show, and give more requests for next time. You graciously thank them and make sure not to let your eyes wander over to Danny until they approach you. 

“Hey! Remember us?” Josie asks, extending her hand. Yeah, she’s a great sister. She knows the drill. 

“Uh, yeah I do! Josie, right?” you reply warmly, shaking her hand. “And you’re..Danny?” you ask as you look over to him, shaking his hand. 

“Yeah! Good to see you again. We had to bring our parents to your performance. We knew they would love it,” he says, gently placing his hand on his mother’s shoulder. 

“We did love it!” she replies with a bright, warm smile. Now you see where Danny and Josie get it from. 

“We really did,” their dad chimed in, shaking your hand. “I’m Dan, and this is my wife Lori.” 

“Wonderful to meet you. I’m y/n,” you reply with a bright, genuine smile. Something you haven’t had to offer lately…until these last few days. 

“Well, we should probably get going for dinner,” Lori says. “It truly was a wonderful performance. Thank you, y/n.” 

“You’re so kind, thank you,” you say, shaking her hand again. She really is very warm and gives off a comforting vibe. 

“Would you all mind if I skip dinner tonight,” Danny asks his parents. “That hike today really wore me out, and I want to make sure I’m not sluggish tomorrow when we go play golf, dad.” 

“Oh yeah, of course honey,” his mother says, stroking his arm. “Go get some rest. We’ll see you for breakfast in the morning.” She leans over and kisses him on the cheek before heading out the door. 

Making sure her parents aren’t looking, Josie turns around and winks before sauntering out of the double doors, joining them. 

“So…you wanna hang out,” Danny asks, his voice impossibly soothing. Like a beautiful song you feel like you’ve been waiting to hear your whole life. 

“I’d love to,” you reply, a little breathless as you beam up at him. Your face falls slightly. “I’m not really sure where we can, though. We can’t be too obvious with this, unfortunately.” 

“Well…how about my room?” he asks, nervously, putting his hands in his pockets as he rocks back on his heels. 

“Yeah, um..that sounds nice. What room are you in? I can meet you there in about twenty minutes or so?” 

“720," he smiles, "Are you hungry?”

“Starving, actually." You didn’t even realize until just now that you haven’t eaten since breakfast. 

“Okay, I’ll order something for us,” he says with that boyish grin that makes you feel like your heart could beat out of your chest. “Is there anything in particular you’d like?” 

“Oh, no. I’ll eat just about anything. You pick.”

“Okay, sounds good. So…I’ll see you in a bit.” He walks backward for a moment, hands still in his pockets before pivoting around to head toward his room. 

“Damn, that ass is adorable,” you mumble to yourself, letting out a puff of air. 

Walking over to the bar you see Chris again, serving the last couple of guests before he walks over to you. 

“Tequila?” he offers, already pouring. 

“Yes, and make it a double.”

He chuckles and slides over your shot. “So, are you gonna hit that tonight, or can I shoot my shot?” 

“Chris!” you whisper loudly. “Shut up!” 

“Oh come on. There’s no one around who can hear us,” he rolls his eyes, crossing his arms, leaning forward on the bar. “So, are you?”

“I don’t know. I want to, but…I’m not sure he does.” You fidget with your hands for a moment. 

Chris pours another shot and holds it out for you. “Here’s some more liquid courage, and trust me, girl. That man was eye-fucking you all night. If you want to go for it, it’s happening. Report back and tell me if he’s as big as I think he is. ” 

“Good lord, Christopher!” you whisper loudly again. You both chuckle and you take the shot, feeling the burn as you shudder. “but I absolutely will.” 

– – –

You head back to your bunk to brush your teeth and run a brush through your hair. Shaking slightly, you throw a couple of condoms in your purse and head up to the 7th floor. Honestly, it’s been months since you’ve slept with someone, and that was a disappointing experience. You desperately hope this won’t be the same way, but you highly doubt that will be the case, especially after that hot as hell make out session earlier. 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” you say under your breath. “It may not even happen. Just relax.” 

Once you make it to the seventh floor you take a deep breath and step off the elevator. What if he doesn’t want this? Can you even keep from attacking him and climbing his body like the perfectly carved statue he is? 

“Easy, girl. Relax. Relax. Relax,” you repeat over and over before knocking on the door. 

You go weak in the knees when you see him. He doesn’t look any different than he did at the piano bar. Maybe it’s seeing him in the confines of the bedroom, or just knowing you have total privacy. 

“Hey y/n,” he says with that impossibly heart-melting smile. His kind voice is smoother than silk, and you can feel it wash over you like a warm rain on a summer’s day. He extends his arm and steps aside, gesturing for you to come in. 

“Hi, Danny,” you say back, your voice barely above a whisper. That’s all you can muster up at the moment. 

You walk through the door and see a ton of food spread out on the coffee table and counter space where the vanity is. Hozier is playing softly on his phone. 

“Whoa. I know I said I was hungry, but I’m not sure I can eat all of this,” you giggle, walking over to the couch, the fabric feeling slightly scratchy on the back of your thighs. 

Danny lets out that adorable, goofy laugh and your stomach does a flip. How, in God’s name, does this man manage to affect you this way? You’ve never felt anything even remotely like this before. 

“I know, but I just had no idea what to get, and I wanted to make sure I had something that you were in the mood for. Sorry, I know this is a huge waste of food,” he smiles with a guilty look. 

“Oh, it’s okay! Don’t apologize. Maybe we can throw it out to the sharks,” you laugh. 

“My friend Sam would lose his mind if he saw how much we are about to waste.”

“Well, your friend Sam isn’t here, so don’t worry about it. It all looks amazing. Thank you, Danny.” You gaze into his eyes for just a moment before blushing and looking away. If you can’t even look at the man for this long, how is this evening going to go? 

“So…” he begins, that same adorable nervous look that he had at the piano bar on his chiseled face, “what are you in the mood for? Chicken, steak, fish, macaroni and cheese, I think I have some lasagna over here somewhere…” He stands back up and walks over to the countertop. “Ah, yes here it is! What will it be, m’lady?” he offers, placing a cloth napkin over his arm, acting like a waiter at some fancy-pants restaurant. He's clearly trying to break the tension, and you appreciate that. 

You giggle (so so giggly again), “I think I’ll take the steak, kind sir,” you reply with a horrible British accent. 

“As you wish,” he replies, bowing and placing the plate in front of you. He really is a dork. Thank God. “It’s a beautiful night. Do you want to go eat out on the balcony?”

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” you reply, reaching to pick up your plate. 

“Oh, I’ve got it y/n,” Danny replies with a smile, picking up both of your plates as the two of you make your way through the sliding glass door. 

The moon is full and bright, the water sparkling and glinting with the rise and fall of the little waves that the ship is creating. “Hmm,” you say with a contented little sigh, “he’s right, and I never really thought about it before now.” 

“What’s that?” Danny asks, setting the plates down on the little table between two chairs. 

“Oh, there’s this song by Incubus. Brandon says ‘the ocean looks like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket.’”

“Wish You Were Here.” Danny gives you a soft smile before looking out at the water with you. “One of my favorites, actually. The lyrics are beautiful. I think the other verse applies too. ‘The sky resembles a back-lit canopy with holes punched in it.’” Quoting Incubus to you. Your stomach doesn’t have butterflies right now, it has pterodactyls.  

You turn and admire him for a moment as he searches the sky, the bright moonlight shining on his face. He looks angelic right now, and you wonder if maybe he is. He holds onto the railing again and leans back, feeling the ocean breeze with a smile as he closes his sparkling hazel eyes. He likes doing that. 

“Sorry,” he apologizes, standing straight and looking over at you. “You’re starving. Let’s eat!” He rubs his hands together and offers your chair before sitting in his. “Oh! Drinks. What sounds good? I got us champagne, white or red wine, and beer.”

You’re already a little tipsy from the shots, so you opt for a glass of champagne. He goes inside to pour two glasses, and you turn your head as little as possible to watch him. The cork pops off of the champagne bottle before he carefully pours it into the glass flutes. How, on God’s green earth (well, God’s blue ocean), does he make pouring drinks look this hot? You wonder if he actually is a waiter at some high-end restaurant, because he could probably bring in a ridiculous amount of money in tips. 

You thank him as he walks back through the sliding door, handing you your drink. You both are silent for a moment as you eat, the sound of the waves and hum of the ship’s engine breaking the awkward tension. 

“So, how long have you been performing?” Danny asks, taking a sip of his champagne. 

“Since I was about four years old, but I've been professionally performing since I got out of college, so three years. I wanted to travel and I wanted to perform, so I figured cruises would be the way to go. What about you? What do you do?” You take a bite of your steak, awaiting his response. 

He takes a bite and another sip before responding. “Oh, well, uh…I’m actually a musician too.” He looks nervous. You wonder why, though? 

“Oh! Seems like we do have quite a bit in common. Are you a singer? Do you play any instruments?” you ask, excited that you can bond over your careers together. 

“I play guitar, drums, bass, piano, mandolin, ukulele, a few others” he chuckles. “Just a little of everything. Nothing major,” he’s staring at his plate, seemingly searching for the best bite of lasagna. 

“Wow! Have you recorded at all? Anything I may have heard before?” 

“Oh, I doubt it. I just play random shows here and there and jump in to play guitar or drums for smaller bands every once in a while. I live in Nashville, so there’s always something to do there.” 

“That’s so cool. I would love to live in Nashville one day. I’m debating on stepping away from the cruise life after my contract is over in a few months. I really want to record an album of my own. I’ve written a few songs, but I would be happy just being a recording artist for hire as well.” 

“Oh, I bet you could get a lot of work there. You’re incredibly talented, and you have a beautiful voice too,” he says, genuinely as he smiles and looks into your eyes. 

You feel a shudder move down your spine as you turn bright red and smile. “Thank you,” you reply, barely above a whisper. You feel confident in your skills as a musician, but hearing it from him makes your heart pound. “So, did you grow up in Nashville?” you ask, moving the conversation along so you can breathe normally. 

“No, I grew up in a small town in Michigan called Frankenmuth,” he breaks eye contact, taking another bite. He could tell he made you nervous by your blush. 

“Oh! I think I’ve heard of that place. It has that big Christmas store, right?” 

“Yeah! I’ve gotten lost in there a few times. It is outlandishly huge,” he laughs that adorable goofy laugh. 

“Ugh, that sounds like a dream. I LOVE Christmas. It’s my favorite time of year on the ship. All of the garland and lights and Christmas trees everywhere. It’s beautiful, and I get to play mostly Christmas carols for my performances.” 

“That sounds wonderful. I love Christmas as well. It’s hard not to love it back at home in our little town. It's like a winter wonderland, plus I always go up to spend a couple of weeks with my family. That’s the best part.”

Your heart aches hearing him talk about his family and see how they interact. “That sounds perfect.” 

He notices the sadness in your eyes, and decides to move on from the topic. “So, where are you from?”

“Also a little town, but in Colorado. Erie. It’s basically a suburb of Boulder, so ‘little town’ is relative,” you chuckle. “Was it a big adjustment? Going from a small town to a big city like Nashville?” 

“Sort of. It was definitely different, but exciting. I moved with a few of my friends, so that made it easier to settle in. We did move right as Covid was spreading around, so having them there really helped a lot through that.”

“Yeah, Covid was tough. I had to move back home for a while with my family until the cruise lines started booking again. It was so boring, but I did get some writing done during that time, so I suppose something good came from it.” You start to feel more comfortable, your nerves settling down. 

“I would love to hear some of your originals. Are you able to play any of them during your performances here?” he asks, setting down his fork and leaning back in his chair. 

“Sometimes. Nothing with lyrics, but I can play the melodies. I usually save those for when I play the lunch shift. Most people just come to relax and chat at the bar during the day. It’s a little more informal.” You set your fork down as well and lean back, matching his posture. “I don’t think I can eat another bite. That was delicious.” 

“Same here,” he says as he glances out to the ocean again. After a moment he leans in, hands clasped with his elbows resting on his knees. “So, y/n, tell me more about yourself.” 

You talk for hours, the conversation flowing organically, both of you sharing stories about your life. Family, friends, hopes and dreams, your favorite movies and musicians. 

“No! You are absolutely wrong!” you argue, trying to look offended through your huge smile you’ve had plastered on your face for hours. 

“I’m not!” he replies, smiling as well, his hand movements exaggerated as he argues his point. “Carole King wrote ‘You’ve Got A Friend’! No one performs it better than her!” He’s so adorable when he’s passionate like this. 

“It’s a beautifully written song, absolutely, and Carole performs it wonderfully, but there’s something about James Taylor’s version that just…makes it better. I think it’s a song that just sounds better on guitar.” 

“This coming from a pianist. I’m appalled!” he laughs. 

“I know. I’m a traitor to my own kind,” you laugh with him. 

“Well, we can agree to disagree on this one. Sound good?” he asks. 

You pretend to ponder the question for a moment, crossing your arms and tapping your finger on your chin. “I suppose so,” you concede with a giggle. 

You’re both silent for a moment, but it’s a comfortable silence. It’s been nice getting to know him more. You feel at peace with him, but somehow also still feel the magnetic pull and electricity coursing through your veins. 

“Do you want to dance?” he asks timidly. 

“Oh, uh…yeah. Yeah that sounds nice,” you smile. “There’s not a lot of room here though.” 

“That’s okay. I don’t mind getting close to you,” he winks, stepping inside to grab his phone. Your stomach flips again, the nervousness creeping back in, but it’s an exciting nervousness. One that you happily welcome. One that makes you feel alive. You feel so alive. 

He steps back out and slides the door open all the way so he can pull in the chairs and small table, leaving the whole little balcony for you to move around on. You step in front of him, flashes of your dip in the swimming hole earlier racing across your mind. You have to glance away at the ocean for a moment to pull yourself out of it, tearing your eyes away from his body. Damn, he smells amazing too. Kind of musky and warm. Almost like the mahogany teakwood candle from Bath and Body Works. Your favorite. His scent mixed with the ocean air makes you a little dizzy, your eyes fluttering. 

He turns on “Like Real People Do” and sets the phone on the table, just inside of the room past the balcony. 

“Is this okay?” he asks, nervously putting his hands in his pockets again. 

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s perfect.” Your voice is breathy and you smile at him, no doubt looking like a smitten little school girl. He slowly approaches you, holding one hand up and placing the other on your hip. You gently place your hand in his and rest the other on his shoulder, swaying to the music. 

“I’m actually not much of a dancer, but it just seems like a perfect night for it, don’t you think?”

The bright white smile he flashes makes it hard to respond, but you manage to breathe out a “yes.” 

After a minute or so he moves his hand around your waist, and pulls the other to his chest. You can feel his heartbeat against your fingers. You lean in and rest your head on his chest so you can hear the steady rhythm of it, closing your eyes. He’s so warm, so sturdy, so…safe. 

“So, you’re a big Hozier fan, huh?” you ask. 

“Oh yeah. He’s one of my musical idols. One of the greats,” he replies, his voice smooth and soft. Like a blanket of silk gently caressing your skin. You hear the deep rumble in his chest with each word, sending a vibration through your whole body and you falter, missing a step. 

“Oh, sorry,” you mumble, pulling back again. 

“No, it’s okay,” he urges, pulling you close to him again, this time one of his hands cups your cheek, the other wraps around your waist again. “You know…I…I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I saw you performing that first night.” 

You let out a slow, shaky breath, placing both of your hands on his chest, the steady rise and fall of his breathing keeping you calm. “I’m glad I’m not the only one.” You sigh out a little chuckle and gaze into his eyes. You feel so safe with him in this moment. 

He leans in and moves his hand from your cheek to the back of your neck. His fingers are calloused, but soft, and you realize just how big they are as he cradles your head. “Can I kiss you?” he whispers again, just like he did under the waterfall. 

“Absolutely,” you reply, your voice a little louder and more eager than you expected. 

He smirks and leans in further, closing the gap. You whimper the moment his lips touch yours, and you feel him smile into the kiss. He’s so tender and gentle that it makes your heart ache, but you need so much more. His kiss unleashes something in you that you didn’t realize was aching to get out. 

Pulling back, and somehow already out of breath, you ask, “Earlier today, when you said you didn’t know if you would be able to stop, is that…something you wanted to do?”

“What, stop? Or not stop?” he chuckles. 

“I suppose you could answer either way, but to be clearer,” you bite your lip nervously, “at what point do you, uh…want to stop tonight? Because I…I’m okay, y’know with…not stopping.” God, you’re so nervous, but you need to know right now before you lose all control. 

He leans in again, brushing his lips along your cheek until he reaches your ear. “I don’t want to stop, y/n. Not at all.” His voice in your ear is so much sexier than you imagined (dozens of times over the course of three days, if you’re honest), and you can’t help yourself. You whimper and run one hand up his back until you reach his hair, gripping it tightly. Your other hand practically claws at his shoulder, pulling on his shirt as you crash your lips into his. Your lips lock together perfectly, just like before, but with more desire behind it. He pulls your hips flush with his, digging his fingers in ever so slightly. You feel every bit of it though, and you start to unravel even more. He begins to match your intensity and groans as you softly bite and suck on his bottom lip. 

“Please touch me Danny,” you beg in the most pathetic whimper. You would be embarrassed, but you are so desperate to feel more of him that you don’t care. 

“Yes ma’am,” he groans into your mouth, barely able to pull himself away.

He runs his hands up your hips and back, memorizing every curve. Once he reaches the zipper at the top, he pulls it down at a frustratingly slow pace. You whimper again, begging him without words while you slide your hands underneath his skin tight black shirt. The ripples of his muscles on his back and shoulders, causing your panties to dampen even more.

“God, please Danny,” you whine, frantically reaching behind your back to yank the zipper down further. 

“Shhh, pretty girl. Just let me savor you for a while. Please?” His voice is impossibly soft and sexy, instantly calming you down as you catch your breath. 

“I’m so sorry,” you say, pulling away again, shaking yourself out of this feral trance he has you under. 

He gently grasps your arms and pulls you close again, cupping your cheek and kissing you slow and deep. You don’t understand…how is this kiss even hotter, but making you more calm? 

“We’re going to get there, okay?” he assures, as he moves his lips down to your neck, barely brushing them over your flushed skin. “I promise,” he whispers, moving up to your ear. 

You nod, unable to speak as you feel his teeth graze the soft skin of your earlobe before giving it a gentle kiss. You melt into him, your head lolling off to the side and your eyes fluttering. He kisses that sweet spot right behind your ear and works his way back down your neck, licking and sucking every inch. Finally, he pulls down your zipper the rest of the way, stopping at your tailbone. He pulls back and slides the straps off your shoulders, peeling the dress down and off your body as he drinks in the shape of you. He saw this much of you earlier, but now his eyes are dark and he looks fucking hungry. Kneeling down in front of you, he helps you step out of the dress, probably worried your knees would buckle and you’d fall over based on how badly you’re trembling right now. 

“Are these heels bothering you?” he asks, glancing up at you with sweet, innocent eyes, the sight of him kneeling before you causing your mind to race with all sorts of unholy thoughts. The switch from his predatory stare to this almost submissive one is giving you whiplash, and you wonder…how easily could he switch in bed? 

“Easy girl,” you whisper to yourself, quiet enough so the sound of the waves keeps him from hearing. 

“Yeah, actually they are.” You didn’t even realize until he asked. His fingers are long and calloused, but nimble. Quickly undoing the clasp of your strappy, black heel, he holds your ankle steady and carefully pulls the shoe off, worried your feet may be sore. Such a gentleman, and it feels incredibly intimate. He repeats his actions with the other foot and stands back up, towering over you more than before with the loss of three inches of height you had. He reaches out to caress down your shoulders and arms with the backs of his fingers, goosebumps creeping up the path he’s taken. 

“You are…” he starts, as he takes his time looking at every inch of you, “absolutely breathtaking.” 

Your heart catches in your chest at the tenderness and sincerity of his words. You know what it sounds like when a man is just trying to get you in bed. This was not that. He meant it. He was almost worshiping you. 

He steps forward and places his hands on your collar bones, covering your entire chest as he gives you the sweetest, slow kiss you’ve ever felt. You whimper as you feel his hands move down to your bra, cupping your breasts and running his thumbs over your nipples that are peeking out of the sheer, black fabric. You shiver and arch your back, aching to feel more. 

“Are you cold?” he asks. 

“Definitely not." Your entire body is on fire right now. 

He smirks and bites his lip as he pulls his shirt off in one swift motion, tossing it on the ground. You drink him in, aching to feel his skin against yours. Reaching around, you unclasp your bra and let it fall to the floor. The fabric wasn’t hiding much, but you feel very exposed just standing in front of him like this. You step forward and place your hands on his lower abdomen, running the backs of your fingers along the soft trail of dark hair leading down into his pants. He sighs when you run your hands along the muscles of his back, torso, and shoulders, exploring him. 

“Come here,” he whispers, pulling you in at your waist, cupping the back of your neck. His hands are large enough to reach around and place his thumb under your jaw, gently pressing upward to meet his lips. This kiss is deep, hungry, passionate. Whimpers escape from the two of you as you reach around to grab his ass, pressing him into you, and he slides his hand down your chest settling between your breasts. He walks you backward, until your back is up against the railing, the top bar hitting your shoulder blades. Breaking your kiss, he moves his mouth down your chest, over your breasts again, licking and sucking as you bury your hands in his hair, arching into his mouth. He groans in appreciation and continues his journey down your stomach, alternating between kisses and licks until he gets to your belly button. He runs his lips over to your hip bone and softly bites, causing you to gasp and jump in surprise. Glancing up at you with mischievous eyes, he kitten licks the spot. Keeping eye contact, he glides his tongue along the waistband of your panties, teasing you. You reach to pull them down, but he grabs your wrists, pinning them to your sides. “Not yet, pretty girl.” 

You whimper and fight against his strong grasp, knowing it’s futile, but unable to stop yourself. His eyes darken and he bites the same spot on your hip, but harder this time, causing you to yelp. “I said not yet, y/n.” 

Oh. Oh. You debate on fighting back again just to see what he would do next, but he stops your train of thought when he starts to run his perfectly angled nose up the inside of your thigh. You relax your arms and your head falls back, eyes fluttering as you look up at the sky. The moon and stars witness to the pure ecstasy you’re already feeling. Danny reaches your core and runs his nose up your embarrassingly wet panties, his tongue following suit. You struggle against his grip on your wrists again, but he doesn’t punish you this time. He just brings both hands to rest on your stomach, and holds them in place with one of his, while he moves the other to pull your panties to the side. He taunts you agonizingly by kissing the creases between your thighs and your lips, your clit already aching and swollen. He chuckles darkly when you move your pelvis forward trying to meet his mouth. 

“God, Danny please,” you beg, pathetically. 

“So eager, aren’t we?” He kisses the inside of your thigh again, but lower this time, making you whine. Your mind is reeling over the difference between the Danny you made out with under the waterfall and this Danny, somehow dominating you while you are towering over him. You relax again, brow furrowed and whimpering. 

“That’s a good girl,” he praises. He offers sweet relief finally as he presses his tongue through your folds, gliding it upward and flicking it over your clit. 

“Fuucckkk yes,” you moan. You’re dying to break free from his grasp so you can touch him, or even just touch yourself. Touch something, but you don’t want him to stop, so you endure it. He dips his tongue deeper inside of you, dragging out the juices and spreading them over your clit, flicking his tongue faster before flattening it and shaking his head back and forth furiously. Your legs start to shake and you can already feel your orgasm building ridiculously fast. 

“Please, Danny,” you whimper. “Please, not yet.” 

“Why not?” he sounds genuinely curious, but still looks so fucking dark and mischevious-slmost devilish. 

“Be-becuase I can’t…I can’t cum more than once,” you reply, nervously. All of the other women you know can have multiples, but you’ve just never been able to. 

“Yes you can,” he says matter-of-factly before diving back in, devouring you. 

“OH God! N-no no I can’t. R-really…please please stop. I’m begging you, Danny!” 

Oh he fucking loved that, but he stops, being the gentleman that he is. Standing up to meet your face, he gazes into your eyes, his lips glistening with your juices, looking so fucking enticing. “Y/n, I promise I can make it happen. Will you please let me?” His expression softened and you feel so safe again.

“Y-yeah…can’t hurt to try I guess,” you reply with a weak chuckle. 

“Do you trust me?” His dark eyes sparkle in the moonlight and your heart melts. You would let him do just about anything right now, so I suppose that means yeah. You trust him. 

“I do,” you whisper. He kisses you so lightly you wouldn’t even be sure it actually happened if it weren’t for the tiny string of your wetness connecting your bottom lip to his as he pulls away. Kneeling back down, he throws one of your legs over his shoulder and releases your hands. They immediately dive into his hair as he sinks his middle finger into you and grazes his lips over your clit. You’re panting and whimpering at this point, gazing down at his work, his soft curls tickling the insides of your thighs. You moan as he slips in another finger, curling them upward, stroking your g-spot infuriatingly slow, barely flicking his tongue over your throbbing clit. You’re trying to savor the moment and remember every detail, but your body is screaming for more. A sob releases from deep in your chest, launching him into action. 

“You’re doing so well, pretty girl, letting me take you there. Thank you,” he praises. 

Wow. You’ve never had a man, or a woman, thank you for letting them give you brutal ecstasy, but then again, you’ve never had anyone come close to how he makes you feel. Maybe you actually are the one in control here. 

“Do you trust me?” he asks again, sincerity and concern in his eyes. He’s double-checking to make sure you feel safe, and it is possibly the sexiest thing he’s done all night. 

“Absolutely.” 

He slowly pulls his fingers out of you, causing a whimper to escape from your throat, but he stays in place, keeping your knee over his shoulder. He places your other leg over his opposite shoulder, causing your body to raise a few inches, the center of your back now at the top of the railing. Your eyes go wide and you grip onto his arms for dear life. He has a vice grip on your thighs, though, and you know those muscles that are flexing in the moonlight aren’t going to let you go anywhere. He keeps his eyes locked on yours, gauging your reaction to this position, and stays still until you nod your head softly. This time, he dives in hard and fast, mercilessly sucking and licking your clit. You cry out and throw your head back, your whole upper back falling over the railing. You can see the ocean with your head tipped all the way back, your chest heaving and glowing in the moonlight. The power and intensity of the ocean matches the way Danny is making you feel deep in your core. You can feel that coil tightening inside you as your orgasm builds. God, you feel fucking alive. Throwing all caution to the wind, you let your arms fall back, feeling the wind between your fingers before clenching your fists, your orgasm so close. 

“I’m gonna cum, Danny! Oh-oh fuck, fuck, fuck!” you cry out as your entire body shakes around him. His tongue continues to lash mercilessly inside of you and you bury your hands in his curls, holding him as tightly to you as possible. You can hear how wet you are over the ocean's waves until suddenly you can’t hear anything at all. Everything goes silent as you gaze at the moon until it goes dark. 

– – –

Danny is holding you in his arms, stepping through the doorway as you come to. You hear Hozier playing in the background, and it takes you a moment to realize where you are, but once you do you feel immediately embarrassed. “Oh my God. I am so so sorry,” you say, turning bright red as you try to escape his embrace. 

“Will you stop that?” he asks with a chuckle. “Why do you keep apologizing? Do you know how fucking amazing that was for me?!” 

“For you?!” you ask, incredulously, unable to stifle the laugh bubbling up from your chest. 

“Hell yes! I thought I was going to cum just watching you. That was the sexiest, most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”

His boyish look of shock and bright smile on his face has you reeling. There’s no way this adorable 25 year old boy is the same angel (or possibly) devil that sent you over the edge just a moment ago, in more ways than one. 

He lays you down on his bed and hovers over you, his elbows just above your shoulders as he cradles the crown of your head. His face is so angelic right now as he admires you. You lean up and kiss that little freckle just beneath his eye like you wanted to earlier that day. He chuckles and sweeps a piece of hair off your forehead, leaning down to kiss your cheeks and nose. 

“So…how are you feeling?” he asks knowingly with a smirk, causing you to giggle. 

“Pretty fucking good,” you reply, running your hands down his back, stopping at his rock hard ass and pressing down so you can feel his throbbing cock between your legs. Your eyes widen when you feel how thick he is causing him to blush and turn red. “Okay, your turn now,” you say eagerly, pressing him up and off of you. 

“Wait! Just…hold on,” he says softly, laying you back down as he settles in next to you. “There’s no rush.” 

“You sure about that,” you giggle nervously as you glance down at his rock-hard cock aching to get out of his tight jeans. 

“I meant what I said earlier, and I won’t break a promise.” He leans in to softly place his hand on your throat, his thumb barely pressing on your pulse point. “I’m going to make you cum again, and I would like it if we could do it together, so just be here with me, okay?” 

You’re melting under his touch and his gaze right now. You’ve actually never felt so desperate to get someone off in your life, you're practically salivating for him, but he kisses you deeply again, and you relax and sigh into his mouth, so content to just stay there for hours. He pulls you on top of him, but with no urgency. Just to reposition and savor you some more. His hands lazily run up and down your back and hips, every so often moving to your shoulders and collar bones. You don’t know how long the two of you stayed that way. Just contentedly tasting and feeling one another. You move off of him to lay by his side and slowly slide your hand down his stomach. Once you reach the waistband of his jeans you glance at him to make sure he is okay if you keep going. He nods and bites his lip as you sit up and undo the button of his jeans, shoving them down with his boxer briefs just enough for his cock to spring free. You can see how painfully hard he is right now, the soft tip of his cock purple and dripping with pre-cum. The sight of it turns you on and you feel a rush of heat in your core. Leaning over, you kiss him hard and fast as you slide your hand down to grasp his length, rubbing your thumb over the tip. He groans and holds your hand still, his brow furrowing. “No, not yet.” 

“Yes, Danny. Now. I need to feel you inside of me right now. Please make me cum again. Please.” you beg, in between kisses that you can barely tear yourself away from. 

He lets out an animalistic sort of grunt and flips you over on your back, hovering over you again. “You sure you’re ready?” he checks, his eyes going back and forth between yours, searching for the answer. 

“Yes, I’m fucking ready. Please I have to feel you,” you whine, gripping at his back and shoulders, trying to pull him down on top of you. 

“How do you want me?” 

“What?” you ask, confused. You just want him to feel good right now. You don’t care. 

“I said, how do you want me? What makes you feel the best? Tell me and I’ll do it. Trust me, I’m going to get off either way, but I’m not sure exactly how long I can last, so tell me. How do you want me?” 

His voice is so steady and sure. You’d never know how badly he is aching for release. You gently press him up and off of you again and silently move to the end of the bed, bending over and resting your elbows on the mattress. “Like this,” you say, as steadily as possible, gazing into his eyes. He jumps up and quickly pulls off his pants and underwear the rest of the way before walking over to his toiletry bag, pulling out a condom. You can hear him tear the wrapper and slide it on as he moves to stand behind you. You brace yourself, preparing for the stretch, but all you feel is a soft kiss on your shoulder and a gentle hand resting on the small of your back. 

“Are you ready?” he whispers in your ear. You grind your ass against him in response. He lines himself up and slowly sinks into you, both of you moaning in response. Fuck. Yeah, it is definitely a stretch, but you are craving his release even more than yours, so you immediately start moving back against him, but he grips your hips tightly, holding you steady. His breathing is uneven and you realize he’s trying to keep it together and last long enough for you to cum. 

“Fuck, you feel so much better than I even imagined,” he mutters under his breath and you smile to yourself, loving the way you’re making him feel. He slowly thrusts into you at a steady pace. You let him take the reins for a bit, until he starts to move faster. You match his pace and bounce back onto him, your bodies slapping together, the obscene sounds of his dick fucking into you filling the room. His whimpers and moans are the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard. Better than any song ever written. You can tell he’s getting close when his rhythm falters slightly and he reaches around to circle your clit, trying to coax another orgasm out of you. Your eyes widen in shock as you feel that coil again, tightening with each thrust, each circle of his finger. Your legs start to shake and you whimper and moan, matching his beautiful song.

“Danny, I-I think..I think I’m…” you try to speak between labored breaths, but you’re almost in shock at how quickly you’re about to get there. 

“I know,” he says, his voice deep and raspy. “I can feel it.” He grits his teeth and closes his eyes, brows furrowed as he digs his fingers into your hip. His hand on your clit is starting to falter, so you replace his with yours. He grips your shoulder, pushing you back onto him hard and fast. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He repeats over and over, his voice getting higher with each word before his whimpers take over. 

That does it. His pitiful whimpers and moans send you over the edge, and you cry out his name with choked out moans as you bury your face in the sheets, gripping them until your knuckles turn white. He falls down on top of you, breathing heavily on your back, drops of sweat dripping from his brow onto your shoulder. You don’t know how long you two stayed that way, slowly steading your breathing together, unable to move as he softens inside of you. After a while he pulls out of you gently, walking to the bathroom. He comes back out a moment later with a wet washcloth, offering it to you before stepping away again. You clean yourself up, shocked at how much of a mess there is even with him wearing a condom. Standing up, you head over to the balcony to gather your clothes before heading out.  

“Are you leaving?” he asks, walking up to you and handing you a glass of water. 

“Oh, well…I just thought-” you start. 

“Stay. Please?” You get lost in his eyes for a moment, so enamored with him your heart aches as he grazes his knuckles along your cheek.

“Okay, yeah. I’d love to stay,” you smile sweetly. 

You both lay back down in bed, the door to the balcony still open and the moonlight shining in after Danny turns the lamp off. You turn onto your side and he spoons you, reaching around to hold your hands against your chest. 

“Thank you, Danny,” you whisper, feeling a little silly, but vulnerable at the moment. He thanked you, right? 

“Oh, sweet girl. Trust me, the pleasure was all mine.”

He kisses your ear and within seconds the waves and rocking of the ship lull you off to sleep.

I hope you guys liked it! Chapter 4 may take a bit longer, but I'm so eager to continue with this story!

@dazeebean @spark-my-nature @smoking-jakelane @jakekiszkapunchmeintheface @geekgirlinthegreen

[brights-place]

Synth dating an Goth! S/O

Pairings: Synth X Reader

Warnings: Fluff, Synth being an cutie

A/N: I just imagined Synth dating an GOTH! S/O! Since I'm a goth person myself I wanted some with Synth anyways! ໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১

- Goth trolls were known to be broody and obsessed with suffering and death not many other trolls interacted with goth trolls unless they were close to sharing the same interests in their various subcultures as the goth trolls were seemed peculiar

- Synth was swimming in the water and was heading up to the beach to just explore out of boredom

- Until he saw you on the dock

- You were sitting on their staring at the dark night sky as you were writing in an black leather book with various gothic stickers

- Synth stared at you confused on your appearance until he felt something spark - You were wearing an an Gothic High-Low Swing Cocktail Party Dress Women's Vintage Goth Lace Smocked Elastic Waist Pleated Flowy Bodycon Dresses while your h/c hair was frizzy as your makeup was messy which made him blush lightly for an moment

- He stared at you until your eyes caught his noticing his glow in the water below as you spoke "hey?" Synth stared at you before lifting his head up smiling and waving his hand excitedly "hello!"

- Synth couldn't help but swim up towards you as he put his head against the dock while you stared at him

- When you asked him about himself his eyes sparkled happily as he perked up quickly "OOHHH!" he talked about his music genre and about being an techno troll as you listened smiling at the new troll you had met at the dock

- When he questioned you about well your genre he couldn't help but notice your smile... Other then your creepy appearance he loved how you smiled. - You told him that Goth was an Music and a fashion style, a lifestyle, and is often characterized by an affiliation to a ‘dark’ aesthetic. Goth developed from various other youth subcultures, including punk, and evolved from these underground origins in the late 1970s to a more commercial visibility in the 1990s. - You told him your music contains scything guitar patterns, high-pitched basslines that often usurped the melodic role [and] beats that were either hypnotically dirgelike or tom-tom heavy and 'tribal'

- Each night at the exact same time you would visit eachother since you said you enjoy the dark more then the light

- You offered to let him to listen to goth music he listened and was interested before glancing to you and your smiling face showing your black lipstick and gorgeous makeup

- He once pulled you into the ocean for fun and laughed at your face before seeing your wet face you stared at him coldly as he looked away before you pulled him into the water aswell laughing

- He offered you to come see an rave but you told him you couldn't breathe underwater

- You were the polar opposite of Synth in many ways. - You had a dark, brooding demeanour and are often seen as moody and serious. - You were incredibly attracted to Synth's carefree, upbeat attitude and sense of humor. You love that Synth is always ready to brighten your day and make you laugh. - Although how you dress may appear to be complete opposites on the surface, underneath it all, the two share a deep connection and understanding of each other.

- Synth would ask about your outfits and sometimes choose some out for you and would try to do your makeup but he finds it hard sometimes and when his hands were shaking it would mess up but it would fit your style as you do the same to the other side of your eyeliner as he laughs

- When he finally one days get you to come down to watch an rave you looked so stupid well in your opinion but Synth thought you looked gorgeous

- You two were officially dating after that night when Synth placed you back on the dock as you laughed telling him how much fun it was

- Synth stared at you and held your hand his green pixelated heart beating fast as he kissed you which left an black lipstick stain on his lips as he laughs with you as you kiss his cheek

- If it weren't for you two meeting at the night on the dock you wouldn't be this close

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2023 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact!

[z0m813]

do you miss it?

do you miss when your mom would get home from a late night out and kiss you on the cheek?

do you miss when your nana would take you to the the gazebo on the water and point to the crabs?

do you miss climbing in your best friend's treehouse reading spy books together?

do you miss watching your dad work on his truck, wishing you could do more than hold the flash light?

do you miss hiding behind the trees in your backyard with your sister, examining the bugs?

do you miss church on sunday mornings because it was the only time you were allowed to drink coffee?

do you miss sleeping in the hallway where the floor fan was, bundled up under the same blanket as your sister?

do you miss walking to your neighbors house uninvited to play nerf with them?

do you miss the big hill in your neighborhood where you learned to ride your bike with no hands on the handles?

do you miss staying up late at night to read the latest book you got from your local library?

do you miss sneaking upstairs to use the pool table your dad forbade you from touching?

do you miss the stories you wrote with you friend in middle school that the librarian proof read for you?

do you miss sleepovers, the kind where everyone brought their own sleeping bags and left with little goodies?

do you miss attending your sisters dance classes and climbing the shelves in the back just to get a glimpse of them dancing?

do you miss swimming in your grandpas pool, tracing the outline of his poorly done dolphin tattoo?

do you miss sitting on the floor of your great aunts house for christmas, and eating mac n cheese in the garage while they smoked cigars?

do you miss helping your papa sam bottle feed a calf abandoned in the fields the night before?

do you miss riding the bus on a winter morning, forehead pressed against the frost-bitten windows?

do you miss the fairy gardens that lay between the courtyards of your old school?

do you miss hand-making everyone's gifts for the holidays because you were young with no sense of money?

do you miss your eccentric art teacher with frizzy hair, who was never afraid to let you experiment even if it was unorthodox?

do you miss the neighborhood cookouts when the adults would gather by a fire, drinking beer and exchanging stories?

do you miss swimming into the ocean waves, getting knocked around and going home with sand in your underwear?

do you miss your aunt's cat that died when you were 6, who you mourned in your mother's arms?

do you miss sneaking into your parents room in the middle of the night and sleeping at the foot of their bed?

do you miss bunco nights, when the older ladies let you throw a few dice so you'd leave them alone?

do you miss that field trip, exploring the creek behind the library in tall boots and overalls, searching for pretty rocks?

do you miss going to the river and pointing at the big barges passing by?

do you miss the honey suckles that grew through the fence around the track field at school?

do you miss scraping your knees on the gravel driveway when you were learning to ride a bike?

do you miss the sun?

do you miss the laughter?

do you miss the innocence?

do you miss the people?

i had forgotten it all.

i do.

what can i do to get it back?

[danosrosegarden]

Haiiiii!! I’m happy you got requests open again! I’ve been loving the angel Eddie series! Eli my beloved would you be willing to do something cute and fluffy about taking Eddie on a date. I don’t think he’s ever been to a zoo or an aquarium and I love those places. So tl:dr Eddie and Reader going on a date to the zoo and them just being excited and happy to show him something innocent and fun

Some Sweet Day - Edward Nashton x GN!Reader

Contains: minor descriptions of anxiety, but mostly fluff!

Note: thank you for the request, Savvy! Eddie deserves some fun fluff, doesn't he? :-)

Maybe it was a mistake, bringing him here. His cheeks were dusted with an anxious crimson, and his grassy eyes darted around as groups of people walked by. Their mindless chatter was bouncing around his brain in a cymbal crash crescendo, you were sure of it by the way he grabbed onto your hand and held tight.

"It'll be fun!" you'd told Edward as you handed him his ticket into the zoo. But now, you were wondering if this really was a good idea at all. You were determined to make the broken child inside of his soul smile today.

You started in the jungle. The ground was slicked with murky mist. The lush green trees appeared empty at first, until a monkey with fiery locks of orange fur swung from an obscured pocket of bushy leaves.

"Look, Eddie, he's showing off for us," you laughed as the monkey tumbled from branch to branch.

Edward offered you a small smile and nodded. "Silly," he mumbled.

The caves chirped with brown bats and smelled of old water. Edward held tight onto your hand as you stumbled through the darkness and listened to the bats flap about.

"I think bats are cute," you whispered to him.

"Me too, honey."

You were most excited for the aquarium. Edward noticed where you were leading him as you made your way down a flight of stairs.

"We're going to the aquarium?" he asked softly.

"We sure are." You grinned. "Why? Did you want to go somewhere else?"

"No," he answered. "You just seem extra excited."

You smiled brightly at him and squeezed his clammy hand. "The jellyfish are my favorite."

The longer you looked at the fish, the more amazed with nature you became. The streaks of popping color dancing around their smooth skin flowed so freely and gorgeously. The cloudy tangles of tentacles streaking down from the jellyfish, the gently pulsating gills of the wide-eyed sharks, the spots splattered on the flat tops of the stingrays...it all combined in a spectacle that made your heart grin.

"They're all so beautiful, Eddie."

"I think so, too, sweetheart."

"I wish I could take one home as a pet."

"A shark?!"

You laughed and then turned your head as the pitter-patter of tiny feet ran up beside you. A young girl with frizzy hair and thick glasses smiled up at you. She was missing multiple teeth and had a few shining silver ones in the back.

"Did you know sharks don't have bones?" she yelled at you. "I think sharks are the coolest things in the world. They live on every ocean in the whole planet! How awesome is that?!"

You giggled at the little girl's enthusiasm and nodded. "Huh, that's amazing! Did you know that there are about 500 species of sharks?"

She nodded furiously. "My favorite are great white sharks. A lot of people are scared of sharks, but more people die putting on their pants every year than by shark attacks! Did you know--"

A frazzled woman with a phone pressed against her shoulder and cheek ran up behind the girl and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Franny, for God's sake, how many times have I told you to stop running off?" The woman looked at you and Edward apologetically. "I'm so sorry. She hears the word 'shark' and goes running away in that direction."

Eddie shook his head. "No, it's no problem," he said. "She's a smart girl."

The mother looked down at a beaming Franny and gave Edward a small smile. "She is, isn't she?"

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

By the time you left the zoo, the sun was wavering with the heat of the evening, leaking bright tangerine and coloring the clouds the same orange glow.

"Thanks for taking me here today," Edward said as you trudged through the packed parking lot. "It was fun."

"Honestly, Eddie, I was a little worried at first. I thought it might've been too peopley for you."

Edward chuckled softly and shook his head.

"I'm happy I went."

You studied his side profile for a moment as you made your way back to your car. The nervous, blood red rouge had long faded from his cheeks. And he was smiling. He ended the day smiling. That's really all you could've asked for; a happy day with your sweet guy. No matter where he went, no matter how fearful and daunting it seemed, all he really needed was you by his side. <3

[yawn-junn]

hi there I hope you are having a good day! please may I request big o!cean ot3 reacts to you’re having a bad day?

˚₊·➳100 Bad Days = 100 Good Stories ִֶָ

ᝰ.ᐟThanks Too: Anon, Big ocean

ᝰ.ᐟNote: so sorry for not writing anything, I've been busy so im finding time in my day to write as much as I can, if this isn't what you wanted youre more than fine too resend the ask or DM me with what exactly you want, Im not sure how you'd act if you're having a bad day so I'll go off my own experiences.

ᝰ.ᐟTaglist: @mxlly143 - @babigriin

ᝰ.ᐟCW: bad days : comfort : zoning out : use of pet names "baby" "princess" "sweetie" : kissing :

ᝰ.ᐟDivider Credit's: @saradika-graphics : @strangergraphics-archive

ᝰ.ᐟgenre: Boyfriend!Big Ocean, Fluff, Comfort

07/16/24

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩Hyunjin

At first Hyunjin wouldn't notice the bad mood you're in, as you tried not to drag down his own mood. He kept joking and laughing with you, his smile faltering when he noticed you zoning out, he tapped you're arm getting no response he spoke up "you ok?" He asked softly, snapping you out of you're daze. Taking a deep breath you nodded "yeah...I'm fine" you said pursing you're lips together with a heavy sigh. Hyunjin tilted his head to the side, a dead expression on his face, obviously not believing you. "Don't lie" he said scotting closer so he could hold you're hand in a comforting manner.

"Not lying Jinn" you said, facing away from him, a deep sigh was heard from you're boyfriend, twisting you're face back to face him he spoke again "Baby...I don't want you to hide things from me, tell me what's wrong so I can help" he said gently running his thumb across you're cheek, you're shoulder dropped as you're eyes closed letting out another sigh "just a bad day, that's all" you spoke you're voice barely above a whisper. Hyunjin laid you both on the couch getting you comfortable "tell me about it" he said gently rubbing you're arm, letting you release all you're problems to him.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩Chanyeon

Chanyeon immediately noticed something wasn't right, as soon as you walked through the door. You're eyes slightly Droopy from lack of sleep, you're hair frizzy and messy, you're clothes lacked character only, sweats and you're boyfriend's hoodie. Chanyeon's shoulders fell seeing you look so sad, without saying anything he sat you on the couch, running to the kitchen. Clanking of bowls and silverware was heard, before he came in with a bowl of ice cream and you're favorite drink. "Here sweetie" he said softly, giving you blankets and throw pillows, making you comfortable on the couch before he crouched next to you.

"I'm not gonna force you to say anything if you don't want too, but just know I'm here for you ok?" He spoke softly running his fingers through you're hair as you ate you're ice cream, you're heart swelling through the horrible mood, at the actions of you're boyfriend. Falling even more in love with him, you let everything out, from last night all the way too you slipping coming up the stairs to his dorm.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩Jiseok

Jiseok, noticed when he heard you sigh over the phone, not saying anything he wanted you to come to him if you were comfortable. He quietly monitored you, throughout the day, subtly giving you extra stuff, or holding on tighter and longer than usual, pressing extra kisses on you through the day. Gently rubbing you're arm he spoke "princess....you know you can come to me about anything?" He said dropping hints as more time went by, all you did was nod then sigh. Suddenly letting everything out, Jiseok's heart dropped hearing about you're terrible day.

Holding on to you tightly he quietly rocked you two as you cried on his shoulder, once you were done he gently wiped you're face before taking you on a nice relaxing walk, when you two got back he drew a warm bath for you. Bringing you whatever food and drink you wanted while you sat in the water.

[thefireintheshadow]

SmallishBeans was slain by Zombie

Gem stiffened. Joel was dead. Joel was red.

She changed screens on her communicator, and her mouth went dry. She was the only living person online at the moment. Her name, starkly white contrasting the handful of greys and two very ominous red names.

Joel and Etho.

Her heart slammed into her ribcage. This was okay. She was out on the ocean, harvesting coral. She hadn’t told anyone where she was going. So they wouldn’t be able to find her way out here. She’d had to go so far to find this, and she racked her brain trying to think if she’d mentioned she was coral hunting at all.

Everyone knew she had the permit… but surely they wouldn’t just comb the map for her, right? Surely Joel had things he’d been working on when he’d died and he’d continue to work on those and not jump immediately to murder…

Right?

The chat was eerily quiet. After the standard post-demise ribbing everyone seemed to have gone back to their tasks. Gem couldn’t stop checking it. If there were messages she could get a read on what they were doing, where they were.

But there was nothing.

“This is stupid,” she said out loud, feeling even more stupid for talking to herself, but continuing anyway, “I’m GeminiSlay. Nobody can mess with me.” Somehow a chill coral-gathering session didn’t feel all that badass, but the words bolstered her and she dove down with her silk touch pickaxe to continue her work.

It was peaceful, beneath the water. Warm oceans were so clear, a bright blue backdrop splashed with brightly-coloured coral. Gem let the tension leave her body and lost herself in her task, enjoying the grind.

When she’d gathered enough to fill her dredge-inspired boat, she changed into dry clothes and wrung out her hair, leaving it long and loose to air dry on the way back. The warm breeze as she drove would feel so good, and damn the frizzy mane her curls would become. The secret to happiness was making the most of the little things, right?

As she emerged from the cabin, her blood turned to ice at the sound of laughter in the distance. Two very distinct laughs, one an ominous chuckle, the other a cackle with an edge of hysteria.

Her heart rate tripled. How close were they? Should she go for her sword or for the throttle? The moment of indecision cost her the choice anyway as a shadow fell from above her. She whirled, taking a step back and looking up at Joel’s silhouette, standing atop her cabin.

“Etho, look what I found,” he drawled, eyes blazing red as a feral grin took over his face. “Treasure.”

[read on ao3] - mind the tags, ssc everyone

[h4venpha]

↳ 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 — chigiri hyoma

i most definitely couldve written this with anyone else, but yk me i gotta go with chigiri. okay and YES its so overly poetic and deep BUT IDC !!

my old writing style btw

listen to snowfall by oneheart while u read bc i said so

the sand is wet and cold as you walk side by side with chigiri. his hand is tender and warm in yours, fingers intertwining and tangling together. you walk close to the ocean as you let the shallow waves lick at your feet. the dark water mirroring the lights in the sky: high and bright, a full moon illuminates the beach and ocean in a twilight film. the stars twinkling around the moon like fireflies, they are small and yet so bright. there are so, so many. chigiri chuckled at you when you pretended to count them all, you said you would give him all the stars in the night sky if thats what he wanted.

except the boardwalk lights drowns out the stars. half of the sky lit as other memorable moments were happening. others enjoy their night singing or drinking or simply just being together. of course, it was never possible to completely forget about all of the other tourists at the beach. they were always so rowdy and loud. but here, under the moonlight with chigiri, it felt like you and him were the last people on earth. how you wished you could walk along the endless beach with him forever.

in a haze, you glance sideways at him, watching the way his hair blows in the salty breeze. you could see the frizziness from today when he was playing in the water with you. it had a kind of tangled volume to it, different from his silky, smooth look. he was loud and excitdd earlier when he splashed you with ocean water before declaring “i win” after you surrendered. but now, he was quiet and reserved. he walked quietly and calmly by your side, his fingers squeezing yours lightly as he let you swing his arm back and forth.

he was most beautiful at times like this. the way his eyelashes cast dim shadows over his eyes, the way he blinks slowly and calmly. what you were seeing, was the real, vulnerable chigiri hyoma. the version of himself who likes to bury is head in your chest at night and who likes to press his lips against your forehead when youre asleep. the version of himself he only shows you.

“hyoma,” you say in a soft voice, brushing your hand against his.

“mm?” he absentmindedly hums back; his head slightly hazy as he takes in the salt and moon light, just as lost in the atmosphere as you are.

“carry me?”

lightly shaking from his trance, he laughs softly, “what? now?” and when you pout he immediately kneels down in the sand. “okay, okay, here,”

with a content face, you wrap your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist before he lifts you up with ease. and oh his body warmth is seeping through his thin shirt soaking into your skin and suddenly you feel a yawn part from your lips.

“‘m getting sleepy now,” you say in a sing-song voice, letting your chin rest on his shoulder. “you’re really warm, hyo,” you unintentionally end up whispering, already feeling half asleep.he only hums back, ignoring the way your chilly skin against his made him shiver.

“do you want to go back?” chigiri slows in his steps, feeling sleepy himself from the white noise of the ocean that sang in his ears.

“mmm…” you swing your feet lightly. and you feel drunk on him. maybe it’s his body against yours, or the fact that his scent makes you hazy. you feel so loose and weak, if he put you down, you feel like your knees would simply give in. it feels so raw and real here, just you and him and the ocean. like as long as you stay at the shore, nothing could ever break or hurt the bond you share with him.

when you don’t respond, he continues walking. he wills himself to walk even as exhaustion takes him over. hearing your soft breaths by his ear and your weight pressing into him, he realizes he wants to cherish this moment forever. there were no other thoughts or emotions other than the feeling of belonging. finally feeling like all of the hardships he had endured were all for this exact moment: arms wrapped around your thighs as you cling to him while he walks on.

he would walk forever on the beach if it meant he could have you by his side, if it meant he could have you forever. he hoped that, even asleep, you would let him carry you til dawn breaks over the endless horizon, til the ocean eats the land, til all thats left are the remnants of moonlit memories.

he hopes that even after thousands of nights pass, even after you start a new life in a new universe, when you visit the beach and feel the ocean calling, you think of a boy with pink hair, you think of the endless path and piggy back rides, you think of wet sand and salty kisses. he hopes that you think of love and the rawness of carrying it along the tide, letting it spill into the ocean where it will live on forever.

[boneappleteethsplural]

RAMBLE TIME! not a serious post whatsoever

my headmate, Astophilith/Astro, is a Kraken Cat. half octopus, half kitty. he loves the sea and sea creatures and when he fronted we all knew he would fixate on the ocean in some way

its mermaids. its mermaids and their potential biology, this is what he has determined:

mermaids are pale. pale pale pale. assuming they have human skin, no light gets down into the ocean so they dont need melanin to protect them from the sun

mermaids are FAT! theyre plus sized. if you look at any sea mammal (whales, dolphins, walruses, seals) they are fat they have tons of blubber to keep them warm in those freezing ocean temps

pupils are HUGE! there is no light down there, their pupils are either massive or their entire eye is pupil

meemaid hair is not the same as human hair, the damage from the salt water would be BAD bad itd be frizzy and horrible. they are either: bald (lots of hair slows swimming down)(competitive swimmers wear swim caps and shave off ALL hair on their body), they have octopus/squid tentacle hair like medusa or the inklings from splatoon, they have hair that functions like cat whiskers (cats whiskers can sense things, if mermaid hair is super long they could use it to sense when something is behind them. useful due to no light down there), or they have jellyfish tentacle hair (stings and catches pray for them, also good reason for how long it is)

if we go with the jellyfish tentacle hair thing, their hands and forearms, shoulders, back, most of their body would be scales. like hard hard scales to resist the stinging of their own hair.

they have webbing between their fingers (like duck feet) to help them swim

if mermaids *are* mammals (and therefore chonky), theyd need some sort of thing like turtles where their nostrils close up so they dont get water in their lungs. i personallt love the concept of mermaids with human mammal lungs *and* gills. im thinking that the way this would function is that underwater their nostrils close up and stop taking in above water oxygen, their gills would have some sort of function where between lung and gill the H2O stops being H2O and is converted into water and the water part just goes back to the ocean (like through the skin or through the mouth, maybe back out through the gills the way human lungs take in oxygen and push out carbon dioxide. have not worked that out yet). above water im thinking that their gills close up and they revert to using their nostrils and take in oxygen etc etc

obviously mermaids are fantasy creatures and therefore not real so you do you! these are i guess just headcanons that made me and astro go Oooooooo and i wanted to share them

again do whatever you want with mermaids design them however, this is just speaking on a more scientific level (or as scientific you could get with fantasy creatures)

anyone is free to reblog and add onto this or (politely) correct me (i wont reply to aggression or anything mean. this is for fun.)

if anyone takes inspo from these ideas for mermaid art please show us we would LOVE to see! theres no need for credit either, we saw some headcanons a few years ago and simply expanded on them and turned them into our own thing :)

-Maelstrom

[devils-little-sista]

Ok I seem to somehow be the only one to see the differences between all the blonde boys in riordanverse so I’m gonna explain

Luke is 6’2 lanky tall build very tan very noticeable narly scar on his eyes deep/dark blue eyes defined angular features sharp triangle jaw line hooked nose is crooked from being broken several times sharp cheekbones short hair looks like he either cut it himself or a 12 year old did it sandy color (becomes paler in the titans curse and battle of the labyrinth and last Olympian as he probably spends a lot of time underground in the labyrinth or just not outside in the sun like he used to)

Jason is 6’0 beefy build paler skin even though he spends time in the sun he’s just doesn’t tan he’s naturally paler than the other blondes icy light blue eyes square and robust features square jaw line smooth flat cheekbones faded small scar on his lip and usually glasses short military buzzcut hair natural bleach blonde

Will is 5’8 lanky very tan and softer rounder features eyes are very bright blue no scars has freckles on his cheeks and nose button nose chubby cheeks no bones wavy slight frizzy hair longer than Jason’s and Luke’s it would be curlier if he took care of it properly but ocean and lake water have damaged it bright golden blonde in the right lighting may look strawberry blonde/red highlights blonde

Magnus is 5’10 a little tan but not as much as Luke and Will gets paler in the winter like Jason gray eyes not blue no scars on his face soft square features flat cheekbones angular nose longer shaggy straight bleach blonde hair used to lankier before he died but eats the right amount of food now

Octavian is 6’0 very lanky skinny angular defined triangle features sharp jaw pointy cheekbones so shard look like he’s wearing contour hooked nose seems to be a little upturned but it’s not it’s just the way he holds his head back he stands up tall good posture pale very paler than everybody else short buzzed bleach blonde hair

Apollo is 6’2 beefy build defined square robust feathers square jaw line cheekbones for days hooked nose very tan all the time long golden blonde kinda looks strawberry blonde at golden hour/sunset

Show Percy is 5’8/5’10 (probably going to be taller later he’s only 12/13) blue eyes and curly kinda long blonde hair angular features

@the-asexual-winter edit: terribly sorry I forgot about Hearthstone but here he is: Hearthstone is very tall lanky build very light bleach blonde almost white short hair light gray eyes long thin angular features square face (more like rectangle) and sharp pointy jaw

And that’s it I hope this helps someone tell the difference between them. Also I just realized that the Kane chronicles is the only series that has a lack blonde boys.

[luckyluan]

Chapter 4.3

Livingston made out Oswin’s silhouette while he moved a bar of soap up his enormous thigh. He tore his eyes away and crept across the hardwood floor into his bedroom and unplugged his phone. The phone unlocked with a soft click after he held it at eye level for several seconds and he dialed his best friend’s phone number. The line connected after three rings and Livingston launched into speech. 

“Oh, thank God!” Livingston whispered. “There’s a unicorn in my shower, Canaan!” 

“Why are you whispering? Wait, a unicorn? Like a unicorn unicorn?” Canaan asked. 

“Yes, nigga! A fairy princess, magic kingdom, king of the forest, glistening Black man is using up all my hot water.” Livingston explained. 

“Well tell him to turn it off! Your water bill is already high as hell!” 

Livingston puffed out an annoyed grunt while Canaan laughed. Several minutes passed before his best friend regained his composure. Livingston rolled his eyes. He dropped the smartphone by his side and back to his ear. Livingston swept back across the shadowy hallway and down his creaking staircase. 

“Are you high?” he interrogated. 

“Yes. And you’re calling to tell me you got some. I’m proud of you! You calling dude a unicorn already is a good sign. He must be magical.” Canaan chortled. 

“No, negro!” Livingston hissed. “I am calling to tell you there is a unicorn—a goddamn horse with an antenna—clogging my shower drain with the most incredible head of hair I have ever seen. Canaan Amari Blanchard, say something!” 

“Okay, okay. Calm down, for Bae’s sake. Unicorns are benevolent as far as I know. They spend most of their lives in mythic form seeking genuine companionship. Most of them never find it and resolve themselves to solitude. It—he—found you for a reason, Liv; and if he shifted for you, that is a really good thing.” 

Livingston let the knife slip through his fingers, and it clattered into the sink with a sharp shriek. He put his head in his hands and filled his lungs with the scalding Morgan air. 

“It’s a tremendous honor,” Canaan explained. “Look, I gotta go, Liv. Cameron is trying to conjure himself a new truck in my room. Take a deep breath. Ride the wave. Unicorns are an extremely good omen. Love you.” 

Livingston tucked his phone into the pocket of his sweatpants. He rinsed off the knife and set it in its wooden sheath near his unused oven. He yanked the refrigerator door open, and the cool air stung his sweat stained face as he touched his forehead to the tallest shelf. 

“Pardon me.” Oswin called. 

Livingston’s head knocked against the refrigerator’s ceiling when he heard Oswin’s voice. He caressed the back of his head as he turned to the melodious sound. Oswin stood in his kitchen wrapped in his striped towel. His chiseled form dripped pools of shower water onto an ocean-colored floor mat; and his frizzy locs clung to his skin. 

The unicorn’s serene face split into a mischievous grin when he caught Livingston’s roving eyes. The doctor traced a line from Oswin’s navel up to his shifting eyes. 

“Is clothing optional in your home?” Oswin asked. 

[fox-buried-in-maple-leaves]

MerMay Day 10 ; Recycle

Prompt By: @/mossypidder

It started as just a little thing.

An accidental tradition.

But as their family grew, so did their ability to give back to others. 

An initiative presented by the orphanage, a beach cleanup day every August. 

Money raised for the beach cleanup went towards ocean cleanup too, ensuring it was more than just their city that benefited from the Destan-Mixtio’s charity. 

Alee slumped into the sand, his hat doing little to keep him cool against the forty degree heat. He brought his water bottle to his lips, watching the children as they picked up garbage on the sand. It was way too hot and he was barely surviving with the sunscreen coating his delicate skin. His heavy long hair wasn’t helping him either.

He had to remind himself it was for a good cause as he watched Marilla and Araceli argue over whether a piece of plastic was clean enough to recycle or not. The two girls bickered between each other when the plastic container in Marilla’s hand was drenched in water.

Serafim simply went on his way, heading off to assist some of the younger orphans with their garbage bags. Marilla threw the plastic into one of the labeled recycling bins, beaming at her sister as if she’d somehow won something.

Alee blinked in surprise when a familiar head of orange hair hit his shoulder, also very warm. “Too hot?” The prophet inquired, looking down at his child slumped pathetically against him. River nodded pitifully, their pale skin already burned despite the sunscreen still casting a visible sheen on their skin.

He unscrewed his water bottle again, offering it to them. They were quick to take it, downing whatever water may have remained in the bottle much to Alee’s amusement. They handed the bottle back and he took it, setting it back down beside him now that it was empty.

Even their signing was sluggish as they lifted their hands.

“Too hot.”

Their hands dropped back down to their lap, huffing quietly. Like father, like child. Alee nodded. It was too hot.

“Come on you two!”

Vesper called from nearby, one of the orphanage girls on xyr shoulder limp and overheated, no doubt. Alee whined, falling backwards onto the sand, his hat covering his face. River huffed in annoyance at having their pillow so rudely removed from them.

Before either could react, water soaked the two of them, causing River to gasp and Alee to shriek in surprise. Vesper whistled innocently, turning and quickly taking off towards Mieran who was in charge of the organization aspect of it all.

Alee set up, wet hat falling to his lap, red eyes flashed in the sun as he looked for his spouse. And despite the relative lack of normal human beings, Vesper’s choice to run to Mieran meant he couldn’t just fireball xem. Mieran had all the paperwork.

“I’ll get you Mixtio!”

Cirino waved his hand lazily as he walked by, drying the two off with relative ease. River ran their fingers through their hair, trying to pat down the now frizzy orange strands sticking up into the air. Alee smiled apologetically at their child, nothing would save either of their hair at this point. An unfortunate truth.

At least Lumio was having fun.

Their inhuman form being climbed by various children to hang kelp and pop can plastics like decoration on their various branches. Their purrs sounded more like growls as Nerezza petted their head, clinging to them like a lifeline from her position somewhere between their neck and shoulders.

Before Alee could get up to continue helping however, Faer dove into his lap, the young boy clinging to him immediately.

Like father, like child and son.

River laid their head back down on Alee’s shoulder.

taglist: @cerasus--flores