#i have been dreaming about a septum for A WHILE

[moonchild-in-blue]

All this piercing talk is making me wanna get more done like NOW. I'm legitimately one mental breakdown away to get my nose pierced.

[murobrown]

.

[frenchkisstheabyss]

♡ ｓｗｅｅｔ ｎｏｔｈｉｎｇ ♡

♡ Pairing: tattoo artist!ex boyfriend!chan x chubby!fem!tattoo artist!reader, best friend!stray kids

♡ Genre: angst/smut/fluff

♡ Summary: After a year abroad spent perfecting your craft, you decide to return to the shop that you started at to reconnect with the people you love but how will your friends react to your sudden return? And how will your ex feel when he finds out your back in town attempting to reclaim your place in his shop and maybe even his heart?

♡ Word Count: 5.8k-ish

♡ Warnings: chan's really down bad for you and the littlest bit posessive, strong language, unprotected sex, penetrative sex, male masturbation, creampie, oral sex (m&f receiving), overstimulation, a lil nipple play, orgasm control if you squint, pet names (beautiful, pretty, baby), a lil hair pulling, and that's about it.

♡ A/N: So somehow I've written myself into a series of sorts all taking place in one tattoo shop. Seungmin's here if you'd like to read it. I'll for sure be doing one for all of the boys because why not? This one's a lot more angsty than the other one but I had a nice time writing something different so, as always, I hope you enjoy it, babes.

You stand with your back to the night, casting your starry eyed gaze upon the soft white glow of the neon sign that hangs overhead. It reads Social Path Tattoos & Piercings. This place isn’t new to you, even if the nerves rattling through your system might imply otherwise.

You’re more than familiar with it. You used to spend every waking moment in this place. Even slept here a couple times when you were a bit too tipsy to drive. And coming back to it after a year overseas is surreal. You dreamed of this a thousand times before finally biting the bullet and hopping on the next plane back here. Back home. 

You made it. Through the chaos of the airport, racing through crowds to make it to the Uber you may have called a little too soon. Through an hour of bumper to bumper traffic, listening to your driver give you dating advice you definitely didn’t ask for. Through a hell of a check in process at the hotel and lugging half your life up to the 8th floor of the lavish building.

You survived all of that to make it to this moment and you can’t even bring yourself to step inside. What if you aren’t welcome? What if the men you once called “family” consider you nothing more than a stranger now? It’s only been a year but so much has happened. There were so many tears the day you left, so much sadness—so much anger. Maybe you should’ve stayed away.

“Next time you have to get one. I’m telling you, it didn’t hurt at all” a tall girl with a septum piercing tells her friend as they exit the shop. 

The shorter girl by her side stares at the fresh tattoo on her friend’s arm with equal amounts admiration and fear. “Liar. It’s needles stabbing through your skin. There’s no way that doesn’t hurt.”

Noticing the tattoos peeking out of your strappy crop top, the taller girl turns to you for some back up. “Tell her it doesn’t hurt,” she pouts. 

In all your years as a tattoo artist you’ve never once lied to a client but you aren’t on the clock right now and can’t bring yourself to kill whatever glimmer of hope this girl might have of winning her friend over. 

“It doesn’t hurt” you lie to her friend, knowing damn well that, while it isn’t torture, it’s far from painless. “It might sting a little but you’re tough. I can tell. You’ve got it.”

“Thank you” the tall girl smiles, holding the door open for you. “Headed in?” 

“Uh…” you hesitate, chewing at your inner lip. There’s so much weight to that question. A weight she can’t possibly fathom. Swallowing your pride, you give her a smile and a nod, slipping into the shop. 

“Have a good night!” the girls say kindly, going about their night and abandoning you in the doorway. 

Breathing in deep, you take a few more steps before stopping to take in the scene around you. The shop is as alive as it's ever been, the lobby buzzing with customers busy picking out jewelry or waiting their turn to be seen.

The front desk is still straight ahead, marked by a small statue of an orange cat named Cheese. It’d been Minho’s idea to get it when you all went on a drunken flea market adventure and none of you were sober enough to shoot him down. The walls are still adorned with elegant, hand painted art courtesy of Hyunjin, the best photo realistic artist in the shop. The city even. 

The checkered floors are the same, an expertly polished black and white patchwork to match the charcoal color of the walls. Even the couch you bought in from your apartment is still positioned in the corner where a bunch of college kids are currently lounging. A lot has happened on that couch. A lot more than they know. God you hope the boys have cleaned it.

Everything is just as you remember it but the energy’s something new entirely. It’s the contradiction of finding familiarity on an alien planet. 

“You need something, babe?” the bubbly girl at the counter asks, waving you over. This is new. They used to force you to work the front desk on weekends, the guys alternating weekdays based on whoever lost at rock, paper, scissors. But now there’s a new face. She seems sweet though so you make your way over to her. At least one person’s happy to see you. 

“Yes but no but yes? I guess” you ramble, indecision painted all over your face. Observing your appearance she doesn’t take you as the kind of girl to be hesitant about what she came to a place like this for but she comforts you nonetheless. 

“It’s okay” she says, reaching out a sympathetic hand to touch yours, “Everyone gets nervous sometimes. I mean, I work here and even I almost freaked when I got my bellybutton pierced but it’s okay. You know what you wanna get done?”

“Actually, I’m not here to get anything done. I used to work here a long time ago and I just thought I’d drop by and see…”

“You’re fucking joking” a voice from your past interrupts. Before you even turn to look, you know exactly who that voice belongs to. Seungmin. 

“It can’t be. I’m hallucinating” he gasps, clutching his chest. “A ghost? In our shop?”

You roll your eyes at the dramatics. You’ve missed them. “A ghost? Am I dead now? Is that what you consider me?” you sniffle, pretending to cry. 

“Oh, my god. Stop it. Come here” he says, smiling bigger than you’ve ever seen. He throws his arms around you, squeezing you into the tightest hug. In an instant it melts away your worries of not being welcome here. This is the warmest you’ve ever seen Seungmin greet someone and you feel special for being the recipient. 

“Squeeze me any tighter and I will be a ghost” you tease, pulling back the slightest bit to get some air. As you do you notice something new on his face. “When did this happen?” You marvel at the shiny silver jewelry decorating his eyebrow. 

“You hate it don’t you?”

“Ssh, I don’t hate it. I like it. It’s cute.”

Seungmin blushes, rubbing his cheeks in a failed attempt to hide it. Out of the corner of your eye you catch the girl at the counter staring daggers through Seungmin’s soul. It’s easy to see that there’s something going on here and she doesn’t like him blushing over other girls. 

“Ooh, someone’s got a girlfriend” you sing and the counter girl giggles. You can’t help but adore how sweet it is when Seungmin lights up at the sound of her laughter. But you can’t deny that it drags up bittersweet memories of when that was you and...

“Follow me. Everyone’s here tonight. I know they’ll be happy to see you” Seungmin says, ready to escape the lobby before his cheeks overheat from all the blushing. It’ll kill his reputation if the guys find out. He leads the way to the back, as if you need the guidance. You remember exactly where you’re going.

“So…” he sighs, feeling the weight of your return for the first time, “How was Japan?”

“Oh, it was wonderful. It’s beautiful over there and I learned so much from my apprenticeship. I was super nervous at first, you know? But everyone at the shop was…” You stop yourself short, fearful that your fond memories of your time there might come off as bragging. You may have had fun in Osaka but it still paled in comparison to the place you come from. 

Seungmin picks up on it, glancing back at you to give you a comforting smile, “Hey, it’s okay. I’m happy…we’re happy that you did what you needed to do. It’s nice to have you back though. You are back, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know. That depends on what he says. You know how he was when I left.”

Seungmin says nothing, only nods. He knows oh too well how his best friend was when you left. And those months after spent stewing in a bitterness that only thinly masked the pain of losing you. He watched it play out until the sting had faded but only enough to pretend that things were okay when they weren’t. 

“Yongbok, what’d you do with my kit?” Changbin shouts across the room, tearing his station apart in search of his prized possession. 

A few stations away a busy Felix rises from his chair, directing his client towards one of the full body mirrors in the corner. “Why are you yelling at me? I don’t have your kit!”

“I’m not talking to you! I’m talking to him!” Changbin points a finger at a shocked I.N who’s been innocently prepping for the next person in line.

“You called my name!” Felix snaps and it dawns on Changbin that he’s been calling the wrong person. 

Changbin fights himself not to laugh at his own mistake. He puts his head down, discovering his kit tucked away under his table. “Oh, I did, didn’t I?”

I.N querks an eyebrow at him, arms folded across his chest, “Why do you always do that? You can never call me the right name.”

“Because he’s old” Hyunjin mumbles under his breath, still loud enough for the others to hear. Changbin picks up a towel to throw at him but hesitates when he notices Hyunjin’s in the middle of a tattoo. 

“It’s okay, old man,” Han teases, patting his friend on the back. Hyunjin might be busy but Han on the other hand is free enough to invade his personal space so it’s a slap on the back of the head for him. 

“Can you guys be adults for a second? We have a guest” Seungmin announces but you hardly mind. This was what you missed while you were gone. No matter how kind the artists at the other shop were to you, they could never replace your boys. Even in their most chaotic moments there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. 

Seungmin’s voice draws all of the attention in the room to you and everyone falls silent. If there’s anything else they needed to say the thoughts have evaporated in your presence. It’s quiet for long enough that you begin to worry. Thoughts creep back in that maybe this wasn’t the best idea. Seungmin may have been happy to see you but the others?

Just as you begin to doubt yourself, the room erupts in cheers and you find yourself at the center of the world’s biggest group hug. Their joy overflows as arms wrap around you, one set swapping out for another and then another swiftly enough to leave you dizzy. 

“You’re back! Why didn’t you tell us? Ugh, I missed you” Han says, pinching your cheek in an act of cute aggression he simply cannot control. 

Felix hugs you so that his cheek is flush against yours, “You’re staying, right? You have to stay.” 

This is nothing that you expected it to be. You’re flooded with enough joy to make a girl cry and you can already feel the tears welling up, you’re right on the verge of it. A year of wondering if you’d made a mistake. A year of worrying that the people you loved hated you for your decision. All of those doubts are shedded in the arms of these seven men. 

“What’s all this noise?” Chan groans, his eyes barely open as he steps out of his office, “I was trying to sleep for once.”

“Sleep? Shouldn’t you be working?” I.N says, never one to miss an opportunity to be a smartass. 

Chan lets out a yawn, stretching those muscular arms you very vividly recall drooling over and on. “You’ll pay for that, kid. But seriously, what are you guys doing out here?” 

The guys step away, gesturing towards you and his arms drop to his sides. Suddenly he’s reminiscent of a balloon at the end of a party, melancholy and deflated. You watch the light in his eyes die in real time and it makes you sick to your stomach to be looked at this way. It wasn’t always like this. In the old days he’d have you in his arms right now, showering you in kisses. But these aren’t the old days, no matter how badly you wish it were. 

He starts in your direction, one slow, agonizing step of his black boots after another. He stops a few feet away from you as if some invisible barrier is keeping him at bay. His expression is hard as stone as he studies you like you’re a creature he’s never seen before. 

“Hi” you manage in spite of the sudden lack of moisture in your mouth. You get the sense that you’re on trial for some horrible crime and Chan, the judge that he is, has no intention of offering you leniency. 

“It’s really nice to see you. You look…good.” There’s such a softness in the way that you are with him. The wisp of a smile on your lips, the gentleness in your posture. You’re soft as a marshmallow for this man and the fire of his anger’s enough to burn you to a crisp. 

“Chan, don’t be…” Changbin tries to reach his best friend but Chan snatches away, sparing you one last glance before disappearing into his office.

The door slams hard enough that the hinges creak and the wood seems to splinter. The others? They don’t hate you. In fact, they adore you with all of their hearts. But him? You’re positive he does and now you want to cry again but for a different reason altogether.

Han pats you on the back, bringing you close to him, “I’m about to work on my sketch for my next client. Will you help me?”

“I don’t know, Jisung. It might be better if I go.”

“What? No! You just got here!” Hyunjin pouts, his bottom lip quivering. “You’re really gonna walk out and leave some poor soul at the hands of his drawing skills?”

Hyunjin’s attempt at making you laugh works like a charm and a giggle escapes you. 

“Does that mean you’ll stay?” he asks, poking his lip out even more. 

“Yes, that means I’ll stay.”

“Yay!” Han cheers, grabbing onto your hand and dragging you over to his station.

He hops right into it, spilling all of the details about the tattoo and asking your opinion on it. At first you struggle to focus on helping him. As much as you want to, you can’t shake the mental picture of how Chan looked at you. He didn’t say a word but he didn’t need to. He said everything he felt without so much as parting his lips. 

Periodically you find your gaze drifting over to his office door, the pit of your stomach twisted with the anxiety over his next appearance. But the door never opens, not even a crack, and before you know it you’re fully engrossed in helping Han work on his sketch. Your styles are different but he admires you as an artist and soaks in every drop of your input like a sponge. 

As the night rolls on you find yourself at one station after another, helping the guys with what you can. You slip right back into their group dynamic with ease. It’s as if your spot was always here waiting for you to hop right back in. It’s like you never left. The minutes melt into hours and you find yourself lingering behind with them far beyond closing time. 

“We’re all going out for drinks. You’re coming right?” Felix asks as you group filters out of the shop, filling up the space on the sidewalk. 

“Yes, she’s coming. She doesn’t have a choice!” I.N answers before you have a chance to. The boys have already begun moving towards their destination and he drapes an arm around your shoulder to make sure you keep up. 

“I’m coming” you laugh, tapping him on the back of the hand, “I do need to run back to my hotel and change first though.”

Changbin looks you up and down, finding not a single thing wrong with your current fit. “Why? You look beautiful.”

As flattered as you are, there’s no way you’re going out on the town in a crop top and a pair of sweatpants. You might not be planning on switching into a ballgown but a change of wardrobe is definitely in order. 

You bat your eyelashes, grateful for the compliment, “Sweet but no. I still need to change. Just text me where you’re going.” Reaching into your pocket for your phone, you realize you must’ve left it behind. “Shit, I left my phone.”

They all pause, prepared to turn back and help you find it. “We’ll just go back and grab it” Han insists but you shut him down, not wanting to delay their plans. 

“It’s okay, really. I’ll just grab my phone and I’ll meet you there in a few.”

I.N opens his mouth to protest but you throw a hand over it before he can speak. “I’m not a baby, you guys. I got it. I’ll be quick, I swear.”

Shared glances between the seven of them play out a silent conversation that you aren’t in on. They want to look after you, especially after you being so far away for so long, but you’re stubborn and they know you won’t give in no matter what they say.

“Fine” Seungmin relents, “If you aren’t there in an hour we’re coming to get you!”

“Yeah and we’ll raid your hotel room, eat up all your snacks…” Han throws in for extra impact. 

“I’ll be there. I swear! One hour!” you promise, skipping back towards the shop. 

“An hour!” Hyunjin shouts after you, waiting until you’re safely back inside to continue on.

Inside the shop the lights are turned down, not completely off but dimly lit enough that you almost trip on your way to the back. You frantically search every station—in things, under them—but your phone’s nowhere to be found. 

“Fuck, where is it?” you shout in frustration.

Standing in the middle of the floor, you take a deep breath and contemplate where it could be. You were at Han’s station first and then you went to sit with Felix for a bit but Changbin called you to the front for something. That’s it. Maybe it’s there.

You turn to jog back up front when a sound from behind you stops you in your tracks. It’s the sound you’ve been dreading all night. The slow creaking of the door to Chan’s office. Your heart almost stops dead in your chest. You’re frozen, stuck right where you are. You can’t even bring yourself to turn around when you feel the weight of something on your shoulder.

“Looking for this?” he asks, tapping you on the shoulder with your phone. 

Hesitantly, you take it, turning to find yourself face to face with the man you used to call yours. Chan seems less angry now but his nose is red and his eyes are puffy. You can tell from the gloss dancing on the surface of them that he’s been crying. 

“Thanks. Sorry for leaving it behind, I didn’t mean to—”

“Why are you here?” He asks the question so bluntly that you���re stunned, unsure how to respond. 

“I don’t understand—”

“Why’d you come back? I thought you were confident in your decision. I thought that was what you needed. But now you’re standing in front of me so why?”

“Well, I…” you sigh, giving yourself a moment to process your own feelings, “I missed it. The shop and the guys and you.”

Chan’s jaw tightens, your profession placing him right back on edge. “You miss me?” he scoffs, “That’s not the truth. Try again.”

“But it is.”

“No it isn’t.”

“It is.”

“It isn’t!” he finally snaps, raising his voice at you in a way he never has before. “If you missed me then you would’ve called. You would’ve texted me. Do you know what that felt like for me? I haven’t heard your voice in a year.”

“Because you told me you didn’t wanna hear it!” you shout back, the tears you’ve been suppressing all night pouring from your eyes. It hurts to cry this hard. The tightness in your chest is unbearable. You’ve never cried this hard in front of someone before, not even him, but there’s no holding it back. “I blew up your phone all day every day for weeks begging you to talk to me. I might’ve left here but I didn’t leave you. You left me. You broke my heart and I’ve cried for you every night since. So hate me all you want but I won’t torture myself for you anymore.”

Four hours. That’s how long he spent pacing in that office spiraling down an emotional hole. He thought he knew what he’d say to you if he had the chance. All of those words left unsaid would come tumbling out. Those feelings of abandonment. That pain. He’d have the words to put to them that’d make you understand what you did to him.

Watching the tears stream down your face, none of those words matter now. He’d worked you up in his mind to be a villain, totally opposite to the girl he fell in love with. Blinded by his own bitterness he couldn’t see that you were still her. You are still her. And now he can’t ignore it. 

Tucking an arm around your waist he pulls you in, your face pressed into his chest. His fingers find your hair, stroking the soft strands. It feels like it’s been an eternity since he’s touched you. His body’s flush with the sort of warmth flowers must feel on a sunny day.

Chan leans in, his plush lips skimming your ear, “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just had so much anger when you left and I didn’t know how to deal with it but I don’t hate you. I’m so sorry.”

The tremors of his voice give you goosebumps. He sounds as broken as you do and just as lost. You shake your head, pulling back from him. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come” you say, wiping the tears away. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’ll stay away this time. I promise.”

You walk off, your arms wet with tears that won’t stop falling. Your chest’s thumping and the shop seems darker than it was when you came in. Footsteps follow behind you lightly enough for you to question if it’s all in your head. If there’s something you’ve left behind then let it stay that way. You won’t turn back. Not this time.

It’s a silly thing to do but you’re doing it. 

Draped across your bed in a towel, you sip from a bottle of red wine and cycle through a heartbreak playlist that gives your lonely heart the company it desperately needs. The tears stopped a half hour ago, the last of them being shed in the shower. Your eyelids feel raw from all of the salty waterworks and your body’s exhausted.

A few feet away your phone sits on a table, lit up with text messages from the guys. After hearing what happened a few of them insisted on coming to get you but you can’t crawl your way towards the closet for the life of you. If not for their persistence you’d be content to rot in your hotel room for the rest of the night, drowning your sorrows in this bottle of overpriced wine.

Knock. Knock. Knock. 

“Nobody’s home” you groan, face down in the blanket. There’s a pause. Some shuffling on the other side of the door. Maybe it worked?

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Pushing yourself up from the bed, you toss the bottle aside and drag yourself over to the door. “Can’t a girl rot in peace?” you pout, swinging the door open. 

“If this is what you look like when you rot then rot all you want” Chan says, flashing you a smile so genuine you’re positive you must be dreaming. 

You stick your head out into the hallway, looking around for the other guys but there’s no one else in sight. “Chan, uh, what are you doing here?”

“Honestly? I’m afraid you’re gonna leave again before I can beg you not to.” 

With not a drop more of explanation he pushes his way into the room, kissing you like his life depends on it. His tongue glides over yours, savoring the taste of you mixed with the lingering sweetness of the wine. The kiss is so consuming you can barely get a breath in but air is vastly overrated when a kiss is laced with this much passion. There’s a year of longing inside of him and he pours it into you boundlessly. 

Tucking his hands behind your legs, he lifts you up, fingers delighting in the softness of your thighs. He missed this. The tenderness of your kiss. The plushness of your figure. The light, fruity scent of your perfume filling his lungs as he plants open mouthed kisses down your neck, suckling at your smooth skin.

His lips never break from you as he lays you across the bed, tearing your towel away like it’s nothing. His palms massage the fullness of your figure, riding every curve to cup one of your breasts. Your body tenses in response to his touch, moisture pooling between your thighs. 

Chan drags his tongue across your cleavage, his stiffening bulge pressed right against your core. “Tell me you’ll stay this time” he begs, lovesick eyes flicking up to you, “Don’t leave me again.” 

Brushing his hair out of his face, your fingers skate along that immaculate bone structure of his, bringing him up for another breathless kiss. His thumb brushes your nipple, making small circles on the tip of the bud, and you shudder. 

“I’ll stay” you moan, your thighs growing slick with your arousal. 

He pinches the bud, grinding his clothed cock against you harder this time, “Promise me.” 

Chan sounds so needy and it only worsens how badly you ache for him. You guide him back up to his feet, slipping to the edge of the bed to kiss his cock through his pants. You press your palm to it, riding the outline of the print while your other hand dips under his shirt to feel his abs contract with every touch. He tugs his shirt up over his head, giving your hands free reign of that beautiful chest.

You smile up at him, pulling down the band of his pants and his boxers at once. His cock springs free, thick, throbbing, and as deliciously veined as you remember. You stick your tongue out, licking up the arousal dripping from the tip. You smile up at him, your tongue retreating to say the words he wants to hear. “I promise.” 

You press your lips to the tip, taking it in further this time. You swirl your tongue around it, enjoying the satisfied groans that fill the room the more you take him between your fluffy cheeks. Your mouth is so warm and wet around his cock. It’s like heaven.

You relax your throat, taking him as far back as you can, before pulling back the slightest bit to wrap your fingers around the base. You rock your head back and forth, wrist rotating as you pump his shaft. You can feel every little twitch of his cock, taste the precum dripping on the back of your tongue, and it has you soaking through the blanket beneath you. 

Chan reaches down to play with your hair, utterly incapable of taking his eyes off of you. You look too pretty drooling around his cock for him to miss a minute of it. He wants to be like this forever with you. Not only this but everything. He wants to be with you. Near you. Inside of you. Anything you’ll bless him with. He just wants you right here, looking at him with all of the love and admiration you do with his cock throbbing down your throat. 

“My beautiful girl” he coos, tilting his hips in to push into you a little more. “All mine, yeah?” 

With your mouth stuffed so full of him he hardly expects you to answer. Your hum of agreement vibrating down his length is more than enough to let him know that you agree. You’re his again. You’ve wanted to be for so long and at last you are.

That knowledge is almost as intoxicating as feeling him on your tongue. Chan tangles his fingers in your hair, bringing your head back far enough that the head of his cock only ghosts your glossy lips. He plants a kiss on your forehead, staring so deeply into your eyes that you almost lose yourself. 

“Bend over for me, baby” he whispers and you nod your head, swinging around in the cutest way to assume the position.  

You crawl onto your knees for him, back arched and ass in the air. “Is this good, Channie?” 

If only you could see yourself from this angle. Your body’s beyond perfection and your pussy’s glistening like diamonds. He can’t stop himself from tasting you, a hand palming your ass as his tongue darts into your core. 

“So fucking good” he hums, his face buried between your thighs. His tongue dips up, dragging between your folds and teasing your clit. Your body trembles and he grabs your hips, lapping at your clit until his face is soaked in your juices.

“Channie, please, ah. Too much” you whine but your body tells a different story. You’re soaking wet, your walls so needy you’re clenching around air. Your hips arch and swirl, almost riding his face.

Chan’s too drunk on your pussy to listen, his free hand between his legs to stroke his cock as he devours you. His tongue pushes back into your core and your walls flutter around it, leaking like a faucet. His cock throbs in his palm, drenched in a mixture of your saliva and his arousal. He feels so out of it, so completely absorbed in you, that he’s racing towards his high faster than he’s ready for. 

Dragging his tongue out, he steadies himself, gripping your hips to bring himself right to your entrance. You wiggle your ass excitedly and he laughs, licking you from his lips. “You want it that badly, baby?”

You look back, serving a pouty face that’d bring even the toughest man to his knees. “I just wanna see how much you’ve really missed me.”

“I’ve missed you so much” he moans, sinking into you with one motion. You both nearly collapse at the dizzying pleasure of it. Your walls cling to his length as he bottoms out, filling you up perfectly. “I was going crazy without you” he confesses, pulling out and slamming into you even harder. Your body jiggles, the softness of your hips borderline sinful. 

You cry out, biting your tongue to avoid a noise complaint but the moans still spill out. Those broken, beautiful moans. Every stroke rides your sweet spot, pushing you further towards absolute ruin.

“I’ve needed you so badly” he coos, savoring the wet snapping sound of your body colliding with his. “Just like I need you right now. Fuck, I don’t know how I lived without this pussy.” 

Throwing his head back, he settles his knees at the very edge of the bed, bouncing you in his lap. He fucks into you faster, your juices splashing up and decorating his abs. Blindly you reach for a pillow, dragging it over to bury your face in because you know it’s coming. You feel it and so can he. Your legs are shaking, you can barely keep your body straight, and your walls are spasming too wildly to spare his sanity. 

You’re almost there, knocking right at the door of you high. But instead of keeping his pace, he slows down, every movement careful and purposeful. He angles himself against your sweet spot, making sure he doesn’t miss it once, and teases you to the point that your body’s almost crying to cum. “You ready to cum for me, hmm? You want it?”

“Mmhmm” you whine, eyes watering, “Let me cum, Channie, please.”

How can he deny the request of such a pretty girl? Picking up speed again, he thrusts into you, and your orgasm rips through you like an electric current. You bite down on the pillow, your brain going fuzzy as you cream all over his cock, moaning his name in broken syllables.

Chan has the glimmer of a thought to pull out but he’s too addicted to the feeling of you clenching to follow through on it. It’s too late anyway, his heart’s already skipping beats, his seed spilling out into the warmth of your core. His movements grow sloppier, both of your bodies getting weaker by the minute, but he doesn’t stop until your knees give out.

You summon the energy to roll onto your back, giving that poor little pillow a break, and Chan collapses on top of you, his head resting on your soft belly. “You know” he pants, massaging your love handles, “This music is really sad.”

You giggle, your awareness of any music playing having faded away the moment his lips found yours. “You’re right, it is kinda sad, but I was sad.”

“Was?” he asks, propping his chin up on your belly, “You’re not sad anymore, right?” 

“Hmm, no, I don’t think I am.”

“And you really meant what you said? That wasn’t just sex talk?”

You need a second to think about what it was that you said. You’re sure you said a few things when he was inside of you. All of which you meant, of course. “Oh, that I’ll stay? Yeah, I meant that. As long as that’s what you really want.”

Chan climbs on top of you, strong arms caging you in as he hovers above you. “More than anything.” 

He kisses you and you close your eyes, letting yourself fade into him. You don’t regret going off to find yourself, it was something you needed to do, but there’s no doubt in your mind that this is where your heart is. With the shop. With the boys. And, more than anything else, with Chan. 

[emperorundying]

TLT Dashboard Simulator- Pt 5

💀 drearybruh Follow

10,000 y/o lyctor gf who exclusively calls me 'lovey': Ugh they're still debating the ethics of using cavaliers as a resource to suck dry, I can't deal with this empire today.

me [heard 'suck dry cavaliers' and got so hard i got nauseous]: I think I hauve devils in me

(2,710 notes)

🫁 soulosexualll

omg guys im so sorry ive been MIA!!! the alexandrite id been talking about won custody over our baby so i had a bit of a crisis about my future on the fifth house alone and loved only by the spirits. and then of course i visit the third over vacation and get roped into a multi-week bender [have u ever snorted dried marrow? life changing] and then i was lost on the third for likeeeee four days and had to find my way back through hitchhiking and bartering with my own blood.

but i promise ill update my Joy/Patience/Duty threesome fic soon :333

#rpf #munposting #EEEEEEE GET EXCITED GUYS #joy strap time? joy strap time.... #i see ur messages in the askbox and i super appreciate them btw but i cant justify answering all of them #BUT I SEE U AND I LOVE U <33

(42 notes)

🦴 skeletal-system-bracket

SKELETAL SYSTEM BRACKET ROUND 3 GROUP A

We had two ties last round [within a margin of error of .1%!!] , so we decided it would make the most sense to make this a four-way poll. Propaganda:

Occipital Bone: do you want an unprotected cerebellum??? the infernal surface is groovy af, and all the nuchal lines are actually goated. are u seriously going to look me in the eyes and tell me the three-part bone of all time [father son and holy spirit, anyone?] can even be stepped to by some normie basic bone shit???????? cmon..... [via. @skullfuckbonegod]

Fibula: VOTE FIBULA!!!! bone with a best friend <3 Tibia already got out round 1 so its ur legal duty to stand up for its legbestie... also my hounds r named Fibula and Tibia and theyre adorbsies [via. @sodiumradiation]

Thoracic Vertibrae: twelve bones. twelve bones, one combined goal: fuck shit up, take names, keep that back backing. least commonly injured part of the spine for a reason. its built different. this shit protects ur spinal cord, provides attachments to your ribs, supports your chest and abdomen, and literally lets yr body move. objective best bones. [via. @ithinkthereforisam]

Scalpula: Scapula sweep!! Those are your angel wings. Watching your Cavs shoulder blades move under their skin while they carry a big sword is the best part of being a necro. They're also just such a good plane of bone they're perfect for breaking up into little pieces for bone adepts to store in their pockets. Also the attachment point for a bunch of muscles!!and the yummy little joint cavity… [via. @kavkisser]

#polls #tumblr polls #skeletal system #tibia #fibula #vertebrae #scalpula

(450 notes)

📷 devoutofmymind Follow

ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUS WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE EMPEROR HASN'T COMMENTED ON HIS FIRST AND SECOND'S SAINTS DISAPPEARANCES

📷 devoutofmymind Follow

For my Edenite followers this is like if gun disappeared

#ARE THEY DEAD??? #Bro r we upping the fascism factor #STAFF THAT TAG IS A JOKE. I WOULD NEVER DREAM OF INSURGENCY

12,345 notes

🫀 gorewanker Follow

I swear they're like the septum piercing havers of cavaliering 😭😭😭

🦀 xx-0ct0g0ne-xx Follow

Ah. So you're unable to handle the pressures which are expected of the average Eighth House devotee, and as such, fall back upon insecure insults. Get a life + Praying for you + L.

(923 notes)

👤 boobmonger-deactivated-2917220

holy shit tower prince announcement this is crazy. liveblog time

👤 boobmonger-deactivated-2917220

TRANSMASC AWE??????????

(3,891 notes)

🦷 bitingyoubitingyoubitingyoubitingyoux3 Follow

(14,088 notes)

☠️ is-the-emperor-undying-d34d-yet Follow

NOT YET BUT WE ALWAYS COME BACK

[bunnyboyjuice]

Thinking about piercing head Getou and how he’d always surprise you with his tongue piercing. You always noticed his ears full of piercings and his face as well. “Baby I gotta surprise for you” he’d purr wrapping his arms around your waist pulling you in closer to him. “What is it?” You say leaning into his warm embrace as you unconsciously sway side to side in his arms. “Gimme a kiss and you’ll find out.” He says leaning down to kiss you.

As your lips collide his tongue is already snaking its way into your mouth as you feel the metal nub pressing against your own tongue. You eagerly break the kiss and look at him in awe. “You got it done since when?!” All Getou could do was giggle as he walked you over to the bed letting you sit on the edge of it.

“You know what to do baby lemme see my sweet girl I missed her.” He said caressing your inner thighs as he snatched your pajama shorts down revealing your cunt to him. His eyes were glued to your body like you were a dessert presented to him on a silver platter. He couldn’t help but devour you like he was gonna starve with out you.

He lapped at your cunt with the quickness diving in between your legs suckling at your clit while rolling the piercing against it causing you to squeal. “Fuck Getou..so..good!” You moan feeling yourself hip buck and quiver as Getou holds your legs in place. That tongue piercing was a blessing and curse because after a few minutes you were already coming on Getou’s tongue but he wasn’t done yet he wanted it see home many orgasms he could get out of you.

“G-Getou too sensitive! Please!” you hiccup gripping at Getou’s black curls hoping he could at least give you a small break. “Uh uh baby just one more.” He groans humping against the mattress as his tongue flicks at your clit. You were a mess from Getou’s tongue he sloppily lapped at your hole tasting the delicious slick building up before going right back over to your puffy clit throbbing from his relentless attacks. “please Getou I’m gonna-!” You hiccup feeling your body squirm and with a warm flash racing across your body you squirt. Getou chuckles as he drinks up all of your liquid before licking his lips and kissing you.

“How do you like my new piercing?�� He chuckles holding you in his arms. “Good it’s so good” you sigh blissfully as your cuddle against Getou kissing along his jaw as you come down from your high leg still quivering a bit.

A/N: I wrote this at 12AM so it might be sloopy and a little rushed sorry about that but I’ve been dreaming of piercing head + metal boyfriend Getou like he would totally have a bridge and a septum I’m juss saying y’all he would be so sexy wit those

[frogwithgun]

Omg what is happening guys?

Y'all loved part one so much lol

So screw it part two here!

Anyways enjoyyyyy

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

"Dad come on! You've been sitting here forever." Nanako said, attempting to push Geto off the couch. Why was he on the couch anyways?

Great question.

See, Geto had the rare opportunity to meet the CEO of Six Eyes Inc.. Where he failed to recognize that unmistakable face and charm. And then got asked for his number. Which would have been a dream come true for the man.

The girls know from all those hours he'd spend watching interviews about Gojo Satoru that he had a celebrity crush of some sorts. So he should have been elated to give out his number! And he would have as well.

If he hadn't told him that he doesn't give out his number while working. "No. Let me die here." Mimiko came along and together the twins were able to push him off the couch and onto the floor. Still he didn't move.

"Dad come on! You need to go to work." Now they both tried to get him to sit up. And it wasn't easy to move him. So they just gave up. Making Geto hit his head on the hardwood floor. "Ow! Alright fine." He grumbled.

And that is how he found himself standing in front of that corner store wondering if he took a wrong turn. The store had been redesigned entirely. It looked expensive now. Jesus did they all want modern looks?

He brushed it off and walked inside. Stepping behind the register and into the break room. At least that was the same. The air conditioner still screamed in protest. The lights still flickered slightly. And the furniture was still broken.

Geto set his things down on the table carefully. He knew that slamming them down would make the table collapse. Whether that was from experience or not he wouldn't say.

He turned around and jumped. "JESUS CHRIST!" He cried and put a hand over his heart. The man who had snuck up on him looked far to formal to be there.

His hair was a almost perfect blonde. And he wore glasses that suited him well. His eyes were a shade of hazel that looked beautiful. And he wore a suit for some reason. The strangest part was that he had a gray suit, with a blue undershirt, and a yellow speckled tie.

Just what was going on? The man didn't smile. Nor did he laugh. He simple sighed. "Not Jesus. Nanami Kento." Geto nodded. Still slightly jumpy. Now he really was suspicious. "Uh hi? I'm Geto-" "Yes I know your name." Rude much? Geto thought to himself.

Nanami seemed to know what he was thinking. And chose to ignore it. "I am your new manager. Your place of work has been bought by Six Eyes Inc. and I have been chosen to oversee it. You report to me." This had to be some dream.

Or maybe it was a joke? Yeah that was probably it. Geto laughed and shook his head. "Alright, you got me. Hilarious." Geto started to gather his hair into a half bun. "Come on man, let's get to work." Nanami raised an eyebrow.

Then Geto stopped and mimicked him. "Stop that at once. You think I would joke about this?" Geto looked around the break room. Making a vague gesture around. "I mean, yeah." Nanami looked at the break room in disgust.

Then Nanami sighed. "You are not what I was expecting." He muttered. Geto nodded. The gauges in his ears were probably strike one. And the fact that he had lip piercings, an eyebrow piercing, and a septum piercing.

Of course that combined with the fact that he had a couple tattoos was probably what Nanami was talking about. "Are you in a gang or something?" Geto laughed and shook his head. "No. Just have a lot of tattoos." Nanami sighed.

This was going to be a headache.

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

Yeah this is definitely a headache.

It had only been an hour into his shift and he's already had three customers complain about the quality of certain products. "Ma'am I just work here. I don't make the products." Despite that, none of them listened.

The only thing going for him was the fact that Nanami actually defended him. Unlike his previous manager. That was something going for him at least.

And Nanami happened to be rather observant as well. He could tell when a customer was about to blow up or when they were about to try and trick Geto. Which he did not stand for at all.

Nanami is terrifying.

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

"So Six Eyes inc., what's that like?" Geto was trying to make small talk with Nanami. And found it very difficult. "The CEO is a manchild and impulsive. He acts like he's 12 when he's 28. It's like he never grew up." Nanami said exasperated.

Geto nodded. I just wanted to know what it was like, not your whole life story. But ok I guess. "Oh that sounds bad." Nanami nodded. "It is. He's so immature and reckless. Honestly the only reason the company hasn't collapsed yet is because of me." I doubt it.

Geto felt like Nanami might hate Gojo. Just a little bit. "So why do you work there?" Nanami looked at him. Face blank. "Money." Well, at least he's straight forward? Nanami gave a slight huff and leaned his head back.

Still terrifying.

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

Ijichi jumps as the doors to the office slam open. A disheveled Gojo holding them open with a gleam in his eyes. "Ijichi!~" The man in question gulps. That sing song tone of voice is never a good sign. Not even when it's said in such a cheerful way.

Gojo strides into the room with a slight bounce in his step. "The store is mine now! So that means," he drums his fingers on the desk as he plops down into his plush leather chair, "he's my employee!"

Again, poor Ijichi cannot tell where this conversation is going. "Yes?" Gojo laughs and springs out of his chair. Striding over to Ijichi and tossing his arms around him. "Yes! That means I have an excuse to talk to him!" Because just talking to him like a normal person would be so hard. Ijich thinks to himself.

But he says nothing. To afraid of the white haired man to say anything other then "Yes sir." Which Gojo takes happily. "Now I just have to figure out how to get him in here." Ijichi looks at the still open doors.

So close, yet so far. "Ijichi! Don't run now! We were just getting started!~"Oh God he's trapped.

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

Three grueling hours later and Gojo has concocted a 'master plan'. And Ijichi is still staring longly at the now closed doors.

Gojo happily sits at his desk. Eating a lollipop. As he often does. In many interviews he has admitted to freely having a sweet tooth. He's more famous for it because of the amount of candy he eats in interviews.

Seriously it is a major problem. "Alrighty then! All I have to do is call him into my office and bada bing bada boom, we start dating." Of all plans Ijichi has ever heard, that one is probably the worst.

Scratch that, definitely the worst. "Sir do you even know anything about him?" Gojo puts a hand over his heart. "I am wounded! Of course I know about him! He's 6'3, has two daughters, works at the corner store I bought, and is the one."

"How do you know he has two daughters?" Gojo smiles. "He has hair on his work uniform. I imagine they like to hug him a lot. And the hair colors just didn't match his." Now Ijichi is just disturbed. "How long have you spent looking at him?"

Gojo waves his hand and turns away from Ijichi. "Oh just two or three years." He mumbles. And Ijichi just decides he'd rather ignore it then say something. "Sir you need to talk to him." Gojo rolls his eyes. "My good looks will talk for me."

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

His good looks did not in fact talk for him.

He called Nanami and told him to bring Geto to his office. And now they are just staring at each other. Not saying a single word. And it's starting to look like Gojo might actually have to try.

"¥2,000 says Gojo fails and fucks it up." Nanami whispers to Ijichi. Who shakes his head. He's sure Gojo won't fuck it up. After all he's Gojo-

"You stupid prick! How could you?!" And he spoke to soon. Nanami holds his hand out to Ijichi who reluctantly hands over the money. "No I just meant that I could never because they're a waste of time!"

Oh Gojo is really fucking it up.

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

And here is part two! I'm sorry if this isn't written very well lol. English is very hard and I'm not the best with it. But I do hope you enjoy this shitty part two.

Lots of love tadpoles 💚💚💚

[n-s4kayaky]

Satisfying journey Pt.2

Part 1

(Notes: Hi! I'm new to writing stories on this app. While I am familiar with writing the occasional one-shot or comic strip, it's been a while. I'm writing this story for my own enjoyment and excitement. I just wanted to let you know that if there are any grammatical errors, I apologize. I'm also more than happy to hear your suggestions and feedback. For now, this is all I can share. I hope you enjoy this story)

Pairing: Buggy The Clown x F!Reader

Summary: You woke up in a dirty and damp cell after your encounter with the pirate Buggy The Clown, you didn't remember much, your whole body hurt, especially your face. You spent several hours there until you heard someone entering the cell, it was our favorite captain. He asked you several questions and, well, you didn't know if things had gone well or badly at that moment.

Warnings: Depictions of Violence and Torture, small mentions of blood, mentions of hanging, Buggy being a complete jerk and a perv, sexual tension and teasing, romance, humiliation.

Your eyes opened hazily as you looked around with your vision half-clouded. The first thing you noticed was the strong smell of humidity in the air. The room was mostly dark, illuminated only by a weak ray of sunlight coming through a small, round window. Your whole body hurt, especially your face, specifically your cheek and nose. You felt something dripping from your nose and brought your hand up to it, only to see that you were handcuffed to a chain that was attached to the bars of a cage. You took the substance that was dripping from your nose, realizing it was blood. That damn clown, his punch was so strong that it made you faint and bleed from your nose. You lightly touched it, feeling relieved that your septum wasn't broken. Once you inspected your body for any kind of injury or bruise, which fortunately you didn't have, you looked around.

You were in a kind of cell, which looked more like a lion's cage, some hay was scattered on the floor, which had tangled in your hair. You saw on the other side of the bars a pile of expanded bags and several old fabrics that looked like old ship sails, from among the sacks of unknown content you saw how several rats scurried and hid, well, you knew you wouldn't be alone in that cell, hopefully they would become your friends. You groaned, rubbing your cheek still feeling a trace of heat due to the slap Buggy gave you. Who did that guy think he was? Enslaving a poor village for his own pleasure and to receive forced applause and laughter, it made your heart shrink. And it wasn't just that he enslaved a village, but he also imprisoned you, why?! You were just looking for a new place to start a new life; but you didn't want your new life to rot in the cell of a sadistic pirate clown's ship. Although, for some reason, you couldn't stop thinking about him, his face passed fleetingly through your head, if it was true that he had attractive features; but what were you doing thinking so much about him? He had put you in a cage! Although you didn't deny that you had always had certain questionable tastes... Before ending up here, in your other village you collected "Wanted" posters and hung them on the walls of your room, it couldn't be denied that some of those pirates were attractive, especially that man you liked so much... What was his name? That swordsman... Mia.. Mih... Mihawk! Yes, that was it! You remember that every time there was a new poster you took it and kept it.

You woke up from your dream when your stomach growled, grumbling for some food. You were so hungry, the last thing you ate was a half-rotten apple. In addition to hunger, you were thirsty, your throat was dry, and no matter how much saliva you accumulated and swallowed, it didn't quench your thirst. As if someone was listening to your thoughts and especially the growling of your stomach, the door opened, letting out a loud creak. A man came out of the door, dressed in a striking way like the rest of the crew. Half of his face was covered by his hair, and the other half of his hair was shaved and had lines of different colors. A large scarf covered part of his mouth, and in his hands, he carried a tray with a glass of what looked like milk and a piece of bread. Your stomach couldn't help but growl at the sight, as little as it was at that moment, it was enough for you, you were too hungry. That man looked at you and approached the cell at a tortuously slow pace. Once in front of the cell, he crouched down and opened a small compartment where he was able to pass the tray with the glass and bread. "The Captain will come to see you in a few minutes," he said in a cold tone as he closed the small hatch through which he had given you the tray. Before you could ask him anything, that man had left through the door, giving a loud bang that made the cage vibrate under your feet.

You sighed and looked at the tray with the glass of milk and the piece of bread. Your stomach growled again and with trembling hands you took the bread. It was hard, too hard. You knew that if you put it in your mouth as it was, your teeth would break before you could take a bite. You made a face and took the glass of milk. It wasn't very big, but it wasn't very small either. You quickly remembered the knife you had in your back pocket, you stood up and searched for the small knife with hope, but it vanished when you didn't feel the knife where it should be. Those damn pirates, they must have taken it. With the little strength you had left, you took the hard bread, breaking it and making thousands of crumbs fall to the dirty floor of the cage. You took your glass of milk and took a small sip, as you thought it was plain milk, without a hint of sugar or honey to sweeten it. You took your broken bread and dipped it in the milk, making it softer. After several seconds under the milk, you took the piece and brought it to your mouth, letting out a sound of delight as you started to eat the bread soaked in milk. It seemed like the best culinary dish a chef could have prepared for you. Little by little, you finished the bread along with the milk, putting your fingers in your mouth and sucking them to take the last drops of milk that dripped from them.

Did you see how the rats from before came out of their hiding places among the sacks, timidly approaching the cage when they smelled the breadcrumbs that had been scattered, they seemed fearful, wanting to approach but backing away when they saw you. You let out a slight laugh and took a breadcrumb, carefully approaching one of the rats, it smelled the breadcrumb and with its little paws took it, bringing it to its mouth and quickly returning to the pile of bags. The other rats also approached, surrounding you, a little panicked you began to give breadcrumbs to the rats and they would run away to eat them in hiding.

Suddenly the door opened with a bang, causing the few rats that were left with you to run away in terror. You looked at the door and saw that it wasn't Buggy. He wasn't wearing his orange captain's hat, and instead had a white bandana with red stripes on his head, revealing his blue hair. He also wasn't wearing his big orange coat, which exposed a red and white striped sleeveless shirt with several belts. His biceps were clearly visible and muscular, indicating that he worked out. Your eyes carefully scanned his muscular arms, but you quickly looked away, embarrassed that you were ogling your captor. Buggy easily noticed your actions and a playful laugh escaped his red-painted lips. 'Enjoying the view, darling? I can't blame you,' he said in a playful tone as he approached you, standing in front of your cage.

Your cheeks heated up in embarrassment and you let out a small groan. 'There's nothing to enjoy,' you spat defensively while glaring at the pirate. 'Darling, don't lie to me. I know I'm someone worth admiring,' he said. 'Whatever you say... What the hell do you want from me?' you muttered irritably as you saw that the man had easily read you. Buggy laughed again as he crouched down enough to be at the same height as you. 'I feed you and I don't decide to kill you, and this is how you thank me?' he said, feigning a tone of sadness as his blue orbs rested on your face. You rolled your eyes at his response. 'You've locked me up and chained me up like a damn animal,' you said furiously as you faced the clown. Buggy laughed amusedly as his eyes lingered on your face, staying for a few long seconds on your nose. He brought his hand to his mouth, taking off with his teeth the dirty white glove he had on his hands and slowly took it off, revealing his bare hand. His nails were trimmed and painted the same color as his blue hair. Without a doubt, this man cared about his perfect appearance.

You watched in amazement as he removed his glove, and then you saw him lick his thumb, moistening it with saliva. Your cheeks turned a shade redder. What was that clown planning? His bare hand approached your face, easily passing between the metal bars. Instinctively, you moved back, afraid that he would slap you again for your response. But moving away didn't help you much, as he separated his hand from his arm with those strange powers that you still didn't understand. His flying hand approached your face, and you closed your eyes, expecting the blow. But it never came. You only felt the strangely delicate touch of his saliva-moistened finger passing under your nostrils. When he removed his hand from you, you opened your eyes, bewildered, watching as he put his hand back on his body, took it out from between the bars, and looked at his thumb for a few seconds. It was stained with some dried blood that had previously dripped from your nose from the blow he had given you the day before. After observing his finger, dyed red with your blood, for several seconds, he brought it to his mouth while his eyes were fixed on you. He watched you closely, seeing your reaction as he playfully licked your blood from his finger. You remained perplexed from your position, watching his actions while your face heated up again. What the hell was he playing at? He took his finger out of his mouth with a wet "POP" and put his glove back on his hand while his eyes remained fixed on you. "Delicious," he said cheerfully.

"Good dear, I must say that you are there for two simple reasons. The first is that you caught my attention, and believe me, that's something difficult to do with me," he said as he slightly stood up from his position and began to walk around the cage while his eyes never left you. "The second..." He faced you again and suddenly a hand flew towards you, grabbing your neck firmly and forcing you to stick to the bars of the cage. "I don't know if you remember, but you ruined my show... And those who do that don't end up well, let's say... Very well," he said as his fingers pressed harder on the sides of your neck, blocking your blood pressure. "You didn't follow MY rules, you didn't applaud when I told you to, and to top it off..." His palm pressed against your trachea, making it harder for you to breathe. "You spat on me, me, the great Buggy The Clown! You humiliated me in front of MY spectators!" He said furiously as he watched with some amusement as you tried to catch your breath. "And believe me, I'm not going to forgive you just like that, simply because of your pretty face, doll," he said as he slightly loosened his grip on your neck, letting you take a breath of air before tightening it again. "Besides, as I mentioned before, you should have thanked me. I could have easily killed you and your pretty body would be at the bottom of the ocean being wasted by some hungry sharks..." A sadistic smile decorated his face as he watched your face slowly turn purple. "I think you should thank me NOW..."

You watched him as you tried to catch your breath, feeling your eyes tear up and a slight thread of saliva fall from your mouth, you opened it and whispered as loudly as you could in those moments, "T-thank you..." Buggy's smile widened as he watched your futile attempts to pronounce a word, he tightened his fingers while pressing your body even harder against the cold glass bars. "What did you say, doll? I don't think I heard you well." "T-th...Thank you!" You released with your last breath, feeling your vision blur and how you would faint again. Buggy's hand abruptly separated from your throat, allowing you to breathe again, quickly taking a deep breath, coughing in the process as you looked at the clown with teary eyes. The hand that was on your throat a few seconds ago moved towards your head, starting to caress it with some affection as he watched you from the other side of the bars with a satisfied smile. "That's how I like it... I know you can be a good girl, you just need a little push." He winked at you as he moved his hand away from you, sticking it back to his body

You gasped, still a little dizzy from the lack of air and the dizziness in your body as you watched Buggy look at you with amusement. 'Well, since you thanked me and showed me that you can be a good girl, I'm going to give you another chance, okay?' he said, watching your face and occasionally lowering his eyes to your body, causing shivers to run through it. 'I have something planned just for you, my dear. Let's put you and that spoiled mouth of yours to good use,' he said, stopping his eyes on your lips for a few seconds, then looking away and getting up, wiping the accumulated dirt off his pants. 'I'll come back for you tomorrow and show you your new function here. Don't try anything stupid or you'll regret it,' he said in a chilling tone as he began to walk towards the door, opened it, and before leaving, gave you one last look. 'Don't ruin your position as a good girl... unless you want to be punished,' he chuckled and winked at you, then left through the door, slamming it shut and leaving you once again in the darkness and dampness of your cage.

You sighed as you brought your chained hands to your neck, slowly caressing it and stopping at the spot where Buggy had pressed his fingers. You looked at the door one last time, letting out a small curse. You curled up into a ball and closed your eyes, going to sleep and waiting to see what would happen to you tomorrow.

[nattysstargirl]

The Beast of my Dreams

Chapter 2.

Word count:2460

TW: not much this chapter, some harassment, Fluff towards the end

A/N: Next chapter it gets a little...spicy ☺️

~~~

Y/N texts Peter about her dream, since he's the only one she's told. Of course, she doesn't give him all the details of that last dream... 

Y/N: I think I was lucid dreaming or something. 

Pete🧝🏻: No shit? That's pretty cool. What'd you do? 

Y/N: Walked around. Stuck my hand in the hole, but nothing really happened. It smelled my hand like a dog, and I pet it. Head's huge lmao 

Pete🧝🏻: wow, that's crazy 

Y/N sighs. She knows she's being annoying. But she doesn't know who else to talk to about it. 

Pete🧝🏻: you know, I have a friend who does tarot reading

and dream interpretation, stuff like that. want their number? He sends the number without waiting for a response, and Y/N texts it immediately. 

Y/N: Hey! Name's Y/N. My friend Peter said you're the person to talk to about weird dreams? I'd love to grab a cup of coffee. 

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Sure, meet at May's in five. 

"Oh, shit," Y/N mutters. She hurries out of her duvet cocoon and yanks on a pair of jeans and a red flannel shirt. She throws a hoodie over it, because it's been getting chillier every night, then she leaves the door unlocked because Peggy still hasn't returned from her shower. There's a long mirror in the hall before the elevator, so Y/N checks herself while she waits for it to reach her floor. 

Dark, straight hair looking as flat as usual. She wipes sleep from her hooded eyes and blinks. There's definitely an amount of what Peter would call "thin privilege" that makes her look presentable. Sloppy, baggy clothes are socially acceptable if you're under a hundred and thirty-or-so pounds, which she is. Plus, she's got her mother's smooth, olive skin tone. And she's 5'7", so the way she dresses just looks artsy and relaxed instead of like she just rolled out of bed, which she nearly always has. 

Maybe Peggy's right. A little more effort could go a long way. The elevator dings, and she hurries inside, then across campus to May's. May's is the campus coffee shop, nestled between the library and student union building. The exterior is ugly gray siding, and it'd be easy to mistake it for a storage building if not for the constant drip of students rushing through the doors past other students pushing outside with their hands wrapped around warm to-go mugs of fresh coffee and pastries. 

Y/N holds the door open for a professor, then ducks into the warmth of the coffee shop. She breathes deep, enjoying the rich smell of roasting coffee beans. She hates the taste. The shop has a line at the register, seven or eight students deep, and the twelve tables lining the walls are all occupied. After a quick glance around, Y/N realizes she has no idea what this person looks like. She doesn't even know their name. That quickly becomes a nonissue as she locks eyes with a person sitting at a two-chair table in the corner on their own. They're watching her with a significant look on their face. And all the information Y/N has on this person—that they interpret dreams, read tarot, and are friends with Peter—reflects in their appearance. Long dark hair with streaks of blue hair mixed in, lines of piercings, a septum ring, a tattoo that looks like a bird reaching up their neck from the collar of a graphic band t-shirt.

 Y/N offers a small wave and walks over. "Hi," she says. "Are you...Pete's friend?" The person nods once. 

"And you're Y/N." 

"Yes!" She smiles emphatically, despite the awkward blanket over the exchange. She points a finger toward the empty chair as if to ask permission, then slips into it. 

"My name is MJ," they say. 

"Nice to meet you, MJ." 

MJ pushes a steaming mug toward Y/N, holding their own in the other hand. "Oh, I don't drink coffee," Y/N says before politely lying occurs to her. 

"I know," MJ says. "It's hot chocolate." She loves hot chocolate. 

"Oh, thank you! How'd you know?" MJ just watches her. 

Y/N shifts in her chair and sips her hot chocolate, hoping MJ will speak before she has to. MJ does not. "So!" she says brightly. "What's your major?" 

"Aren't you here for dream interpretation?" MJ doesn't smile. 

She coughs lightly on a gulp of hot chocolate. "I am, yes, but—okay, right to it!" Y/N summarizes the dreams, leaving out the details of the last one. "In my last dream, I became more lucid. I was able to stand up and move around." 

"You need to get laid," MJ says simply. 

Y/N pauses, then giggles because she doesn't know how else to respond. MJ isn't wrong, but being horny has never given her incredibly realistic recurring dreams about sexy creatures before. 

"Would you like me to get into the details of that interpretation?" MJ's voice remains monotone. "I'd be happy to do a reading, too." They pull a deck of tarot cards from their jacket pocket and leave it on the table. 

"That's okay," Y/N says. "I just... Are you sure?" 

"One hundred percent. From the yonic tree—" 

Y/N snorts. "Yonic?" 

"Yes. I assume you have that preference?" 

"Maybe," Y/N says. She's never sworn off of men or penises, but they just have never presented themselves in a way that Y/N found difficult to resist. 

"And forests hold an undeniably strong amount of feminine energy," MJ continues. "The monster inside—" 

"I didn't say it was a monster." 

"Oh, what do you call it?" 

"A creature?" she offers. "I don't know. I don't feel threatened by it, exactly. It's more exciting than scary, knowing that it might..." 

"Kill you," MJ finishes. 

Y/N shrugs a shoulder. 

MJ sits back in their chair and folds their hands on the table. "That's my read on it. Take it or leave it, but I've never been wrong." 

Y/N nods slowly. "I appreciate your insight, definitely. I'll think about that." 

"There's more..." MJ says. 

"Yes?" 

"I believe there is a danger in your dreams. If you don't see to it, and soon, it could mean destruction." 

"See to it? Are you saying if I don't get laid, I'll be, what? Cursed?" Y/N's chuckling, but MJ is not. MJ doesn't respond. 

Y/N's eyes narrow. "How'd you know I don't drink coffee?" She's not even sure Peter knows that. She keeps it to herself because people are usually really annoying about it. 

"I know enough," MJ says. Then they stand abruptly, sweeping their deck of cards from the table and a backpack from the chair. "Good luck, Y/N." 

Y/N stares after them as they go. "What the fuck was that?" she mutters. But she pulls her phone out and downloads every dating app she can find. 

— 

Y/N takes her time finishing her hot chocolate, enjoying the warmth of May's before she has to hike back across campus. She matches with the max amount of women the "good" apps allows, then she wrinkles her nose and switches to the annoying app to right swipe until her wrist hurts. She doesn't even glance at profiles. Her own profile is a single mirror selfie in her underwear with her face cropped out, and her bio reads: "polite, tested, looking for hookups." She also set her location to the smallest distance. The sooner she gets this curse and recurring dream taken care of, the sooner she can focus her energy on not flunking the semester. Her mom pays her tuition, under the condition that Y/N keeps a GPA over 3.0 and doesn't reach out too often. 

"Closing soon, honey," a barista calls to her from behind the counter. He's wiping down the espresso machine. Y/N realizes she's the only customer left. 

"Sorry," she says. "I'm leaving." 

"Be safe out there. Do you need me to walk you home? I'll be done here in fifteen," he says. 

"Thanks, but I'm good." She smiles, crossing to leave her empty mug with him. The sun set an hour ago, and she's cold to her bones as soon as she steps outside. She thinks of the buddy system rule, but a part of her is deeply confident she could outrun a wild animal if it came down to it. She shivers. The campus is virtually empty with the animal threat and chilly air, and she watches the stars instead of her feet. A loud, barking laugh from her left makes her jump. Four frat boys stumble out of a dorm building to get away from a stern-faced RA with his arms crossed over a broad chest. 

"Get home before I report you." The RA's growl is low but loud enough for Y/N to hear clearly across the quad. He slams the door, and the gaggle of boys scan their surroundings like they're looking for their next victim. 

Y/N pulls her hoodie strings tighter around her face and walks faster, but she's not out of sight before they see her. She becomes hyper-aware that she's wearing jeans a size too small, and her hoodie is short. 

"Hey, friend!" a boy calls. The three others' heads snap toward her, and they move forward in unison. Great. She keeps her head down and walks as fast as she can without actually sprinting away from them. 

Just pretend you can't hear them. 

"Hey, wait up!" 

"Where ya hurrying off to?" 

"We just want to talk!" 

Y/N's heart speeds up, too. She's sure they can hear her heavy breathing. Her eyes scan for somewhere she can duck into and hide, or someone to help. She pulls out her phone and calls Peggy, but there's no answer. 

"Hey, Peggy!" she says loudly to her voicemail inbox. "I'll be home in two minutes! Yep... Tell the boys that we can—" She loses the sentence as one of the frats catch up with her and grabs her elbow. Her phone skitters across the pavement. 

"I'll scream," she threatens. The boy laughs. He's white with blond hair and an insufferable smirk. 

"Why? We just wanted to talk. You look so cold." The other three have reached them and form a semi-circle in front of her. 

"She does look cold," one says, stepping behind her and pulling her into a backwards hug. Another joins the embrace, wrapping his arms around them both. 

"My friend is waiting for me." Y/N's voice is shaking as she tilts her chin up to breathe over their tightly gripped arms. 

This campus has a particularly significant reputation around their fraternities. And this isn't her first run-in. She went to a lot of parties freshman year that she was way too young and stupid to be at. She doesn't recognize their faces, but she knows the letters on the twin jackets two of them wear. Her hands are shaking from more than the cold now, but she can't push the boys off, so she tries to stay calm and wait them out. They'll get bored. One keeps his arms around her waist and rests a chin on her shoulder. His pelvis is pressed firmly against her back. She flutters her eyes closed and breathes deeply through her nose. 

"Where ya heading?" the blonde leader asks. He moves closer to her, wrapping a strand of her hair around his finger. 

"We're gonna go find somewhere to chill. You should come." 

"Aww," a voice says in the dark behind her. "You have to kidnap girls because no one wants to be around you of their own volition?" 

The boys turn to see who spoke, and the weird girl from stats class is walking toward them. She's not as tall as the shortest guy, but she walks like she's the biggest one there. She jerks her head to toss her hair from her face, tilting her chin up at them like a challenge. Her hands are tucked into her red leather bomber jacket, but her eyes carry a distinct and clear threat. The boy who was holding Y/N drops his arms to puff his chest at the girl like a cartoon bully. Y/N would laugh at him if she weren't scared silent. 

"You volunteering?" Blonde Boy sneers. She stops a few steps away from them, looking each boy up and down before she finally speaks. 

"Why don't y'all scurry back to your rat nest and sleep off all those Capri-Sun-Everclear cocktails?" One boy has kept the biggest distance from Y/N and seems the most in charge of his faculties puts a hand on Blonde Boys shoulder. 

"Come on, guys. Not worth it." 

The drunkest one stumbles toward her with an extended finger. "You've got a little attitude, huh?" 

She doesn't take her hands from her jacket pockets as he gets close enough for her to slam her knee into his crotch. He groans, but it's closer to a squeak, which makes her rat comment funnier. Y/N giggles at that, either from the situation or from her own nervousness. 

"That's assault!" Blonde Boy snaps. "We'll get you kicked out, bitch!" She crosses to him in two strides to stand nose-to-nose with him and says nothing. 

The sober one roughly grabs the other two by their shoulders. "Come on, guys. We gotta stay in the clear for a while. You heard dean Fury." Reluctantly, they follow him. The one the girl kicked spits on the ground and sniffs loudly as he leaves. The girl watches until they turn a corner and disappear out of sight. 

"Assholes," she mutters. Then she turns to Y/N. "You okay?" Her voice is quieter now. It's a very sweet tone despite the low gravel. Y/N thought she was putting on a voice to scare the boys, but apparently that's just how she speaks. 

"I'm fine," Y/N says quickly. She crosses her arms to hide her trembling hands. "They're just...being jerks. It's fine." The girl evaluates her. 

"I'm Natasha." 

"Y/N." 

"Nice to meet you, Y/N. Can I walk you home?"

Y/N nods. "If you're not busy, that would be nice."

Natasha clears her throat and puts a hesitant hand on Y/N's shoulder. "You sure you're okay?"

Y/N feels her chin quiver as the adrenaline works its way out of her body. She steps into Natasha and drops her face onto her shoulder. Natasha's arms are quick to wrap her in a hug. 

"It's okay," she mutters into her hair. "They're gone. Come on, where's your dorm?"

[brainyxbat]

Roronoa Venus- Hungry Days 1

New Friends, and Past Humiliation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yeah, if you want."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Awesome; feeling's mutual."

-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Back off, curlybrow."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"What do you mean?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She didn't want anything like that happening again.

-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Huh? W-what're you-"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Shut up."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"W-what?"

"You have a crush on Usopp."

"N-no," She fibbed.

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

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

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

"Although?" Robin repeated with motherly patience.

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

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

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

-

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

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

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

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

"I'm glad you think so."

"Has she dated before?"

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

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

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

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

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

-

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

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

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

"Yeah," Robin nodded.

"That's where I work."

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

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

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

-

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

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

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

"Cool place," Robin replied with a smile.

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

"Thanks."

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

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

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

"Since you're buying-"

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

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

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

"Like each other how?" Chopper asked innocently.

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

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

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

"Shut up!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"And for the lady?"

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

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

"Usopp."

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

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

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

"Oh yeah?"

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

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

"I play an electric violin."

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

"Thanks."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I bet I will."

"Usopp?"

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

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

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

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

"Shut up, Marimo."

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

"You're welcome."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"'Kay," She nodded.

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

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

"Especially Usopp, right?"

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

"No prob! See you guys tomorrow!"

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

-

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

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

"She fit right in," Zoro added.

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

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

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

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

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

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

~

-Last Year-

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

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

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

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

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

If only he knew how wrong that preposition was.

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

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

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

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

"'Kay, have fun."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"But you just got here-"

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

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

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

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

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

"Why, what happened?" Arashi sounded worried.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tera gasped in shock. "He what?!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but I still-"

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

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

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

~

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

"Good," Tera nodded.

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

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

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

-

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

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

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

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

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

[burnwater13]

Grogu knew he was in trouble. He knew it. Ahsoka wasn’t mad at him. That was not the problem. She had said something like, ‘little one you are very clever’, or words to that affect. 

No. His dad was the one who was going to be mad at him. Din Djarin had fallen asleep and Grogu ‘borrowed’ his helmet for the purpose of taking a vid of Ahsoka. He did his best to not look at the Mandalorian. That would have gotten him in trouble with the Creed and the Armorer and Grogu didn’t want that. He used the Force instead. 

First he made sure his dad was sleeping pretty deeply. That wasn’t hard. Din Djarin wasn’t just a great bounty hunter. He was a world class snorer. Grogu wondered if he suffered from a deviated nasal septum or maybe he just didn’t have access to a good pillow because he’d given it to Grogu. Either way, the Mandalorian was deeply asleep and Grogu just used the Force a tiny bit to help him sleep deep enough to not notice his helmet floating off his head. 

There was a bad moment when Din rubbed his eyes and flopped over onto his other side, but between Grogu holding his breath and the Force keeping Din in a nice peaceful dream state they weathered that storm and Grogu was the proud possessor of a fine Mandalorian helmet. Yippee!

He quietly snuck out of the tiny cabin the two of them shared and then Grogu began to examine the helmet. He just wanted to understand what the Mandalorian saw when he looked out of the visor. That wasn’t really too much to ask, was it? Grogu didn’t think so. 

What he realized is that no Mandalorian really looked out of the visor. They looked at the images shown on the visor. Because the ’t’ shape on the outside didn’t really represent the shape on the inside. Grogu was happy about that because even that part of the helmet rested close to his mouth and no where near his eyes. After a little bit of fussing and moving the helmet around to better suit him, Grogu was able to get a much better sense of what showed up on that screen. 

That’s when he realized that he could take vids with it. It was very tempting to go back into the cabin and take a vid of his dad, but Grogu knew that would be a big risk. He could argue with the Armorer that Din Djarin had not shown him his face, since he was in a Force induced sleep, but he was still pretty sure that she wasn’t going to be forgiving and forgetting that. But… it also meant that he could go look for Ahsoka and see if she minded if he took a vid to remember her by. 

Sure, Grogu’s dad was trying to get Ahsoka to be his new Master, but he knew that Ahsoka wasn’t interested in that. She had stuff to do and helping Grogu work through all of what happened to him since the fall of the Jedi Temple was not something she could do in an afternoon and that was all the time she had free on her calendar. He was good with that. He didn’t want to leave Din Djarin any way. Grogu liked the fussy human and worried that if he was left to his own devices the bounty hunter would get hurt or worse. He didn’t want that to happen.

It hadn’t taken him long to find Ahsoka. It was like she had been waiting just outside of the Razor Crest for him. Maybe she had been. 

“Grogu, I don’t like Mandalorian armor is really your style.”

Grogu had laughed at that. Then he took the helmet off and explained to her what he wanted to do. She smiled at him.

“Are you sure that your protector is going to be happy about that, young one? Would you have done that to Master Yoda?”

Grogu sighed. Master Yoda had not been his master. Not really. Kelleran Beq had been his master and Grogu was pretty sure that Kelleran would have seen the humor in the situation. 

Grogu explained that his dad was a sleep and didn’t know anything about it. Grogu would just have a vid to remember Ahsoka by. 

“Grogu, I do not believe that you will forget me. We have met again and cannot unmeet. But if that is what you want, fine.”

Grogu thanked Ahsoka profusely. She did several poses for him and while he really wanted to keep the one where she stuck her tongue out for him, he only kept the one vid of her looking proper. He figured that he could convince Din Djarin that he had taken the vid. 

He only had one problem now and that’s why he was so worried about getting into trouble. He had to find a way to put the Mandalorian’s helmet back on his head without waking him. That would have been easy if Din was sleeping on his side or his back, but some how he was all curled up with Grogu’s silver ball tucked up by his face and bag he carried Grogu around in under his head. Grogu really wanted a vid of that, but he didn’t think he could risk it. 

What do you think? Should he try? Anything is possible with the Force, right?

[creepycrawliesanonymous]

"I had the worst dream last night."

The season was beginning to turn. The leaves had turned into an ugly shade of brown and fell off their branches at least a month ago, and were growing soggy in the gutters. You were wearing the warmest jacket you owned, knowing that in the coming months going outside with only the thin layer of flannel would become nearly unbearable. For now, it did just fine.

"Tell me."

Your sandwich had been warm when you left the deli, but the chicken was starting to leave a stale and dry feeling in your mouth. Adam had abandoned his a while ago, wrapping it up to store in his shitty fridge.

"I was in my parents' house, but it was like, around Christmas time so everything was real festive and awful. You were there, but it was you when you had dyed your hair, but also like now? Like your face was how it is now. Scott was there too, but he didn't really do anything, he just sort of stood there."

Thinking about Scott made your skin crawl. The last time you had seen him he was trying to break down your door, screaming at you about some money you owed him. The bad blood between the two of you went way back to when he stabbed Adam with a rusty nail when you were children. He had tried to get you to fuck him in the bathroom at one of his band's gigs, around five years ago. You walked away with bruises on your arm from when he tried to drag you away from the bar, while he stumbled home with bloody nose and scratch marks on his face. He left several voicemails, blaming his actions on the beer, calling you a bitch and a prude and a slut, threatening legal action, and begging for forgiveness.

"Remember when your mom got you that psychiatrist voucher one year?"

Adam's mother had spent many years thinking there was something wrong with her son. For a long time he was too quiet, then he hit middle school and was suddenly too loud. The music he listened to was too loud and angry, and he started painting his nails black and got called slurs a lot at school. Then there was the chain smoking when he got to high school, and the endless stream of girlfriends that he only dated because he knew his parents would hate them and their septum piercings and vocal fry (and in some best case scenarios, they were communists, those were the ones you got on the best with). He was sucking dick on the side as well, but it wasn't like his mother knew that.

"I tried to leave the living room, but every time I walked out the door I would just go back to the place I started. Mom was playing some classical record, and I remembered it because it was the one she would always play when she was trying to lower her blood pressure. She gave me a present to open, but I couldn't find where the wrapping paper ended and she kept getting more and more mad at me for being ungrateful or something. She, like, grew claws and started ripping at the box and inside was a tiny version of me, like if I turned into an action figure. Then you picked me up and left the room. Thanks for that by the way, mom was thrilled."

Sometimes Adam made you want to scream. You had met when he poured a bottle of paint down your arm during kindergarten. You had reached up and grabbed a fistful of his hair, smearing paint on his face, making him howl and getting you both sent to the principal's office. In seventh grade, he had, albeit accidentally, set a piece of your hair on fire playing with a lighter. He sprayed you down with a garden hose, and in a fit of frustration and unresolved anger management issues you had tackled him and rubbed his face in the dirt. But he only got some grass stains on his forehead and the bridge of his nose, while you had to sport an ugly, jagged haircut for months. One time, the month before graduation, he tried to drop out. You two spent an evening yelling at each other, you that if he left now his parents would probably have him sent him to the military or a monastery and he was neither tough nor religious, and him spouting out some concerning things that in your adolescence you elected to ignore. When you had both calmed down, you fell asleep listening to The Pixies, his head on your shoulder, your nose buried in his hair.

"If I found a tiny version of you I would keep you in a jar and get you to run small errands for me. I would never have to sharpen a pencil ever again."

There was a thin layer of grime in the park you two had chosen to eat lunch in. The city was underfunded, so many of the trashcans were overflowing out the top and onto the street and the sidewalk. A stench permeated throughout the air, smelling of pollution and piss and dog shit. It seeped into you if you stayed around long enough. At this point you were blind to it, the stink nestled into your nostrils in a way much too permanent.

"The walls started to break down, and then I was in my apartment, and I think my mom had turned into a giant bird because she had started clawing at all my shit."

When the clouds parted, and the sun shone down just right, you could be fooled into thinking that Adam's eyes had some gold in them.

"What then?"

You took another bite out of your sandwich, your hunger winning out over your distaste for the dried out bread and the cold chicken.

"I woke up."

[papermonkeyism]

if this is too personal, skip it, but; from where do you get the inspiration for your body mods, and the dedication to commit to them? :0

( i ask as a veeeeerrry fickle person who can't keep anything about herself consistent for over a year. i've had to have my ears pierced thrice because i keep losing interest in earrings! )

I don't know. There just are some body mods I've wanted as long as I can remember, and now being in my mid 30s, knowing I still want them, I figure it's safe enough to get them.

I've wanted a septum ring for, like, two decades or something. It's an aesthetic I've always liked, although my parents didn't let me when I still lived at home. (and once I moved out I kept chickening out. My parents' opinion on body mods nowdays is "it's your body, we don't own you") Whenever I made WoW characters where septum piercings were an option, I always took it. Etc. I also have several friends with septum rings too, who helpfully let me know what it would be like to have one. Took me making a pact with one of my body mod enthusiast friends to finally drag me to get it done, twenty years later, haha!

Tattoos same thing, though less specific. Always wanted tattoos, just took me a lot longer to decide on what or where. When I first asked my mom about getting a tattoo as a teenager, she warned me about its permanence, and said if I wanted a picture, I should tape it somewhere I could see it at all times, and if I still felt I needed that picture one year later without getting tired of it, I could get the tattoo. I never found a design I'd like long enough. It was great way to turn me away from logos and other franchise memorabilia too. Dodged that bullet!

The first tattoo I got was after my first ever cat died, and I wanted a memory of her. I also wanted the tattoo to have some me in it as well, so I designed an ink splatter (for art has always been part of me) with cat paw prints over it, one in ink, the other an absense of color. I was 29 when I took it, I knew I could never hate the best cat to ever exist in my life.

The second tattoo I took was on my chest. I was 32, had loved dinosaurs since way before even elementary school, and if I still hadn't fallen out of love for dinosaurs in all this time, I think it's a relatively safe bet. Though I did exaggerate its design, with things like a flowing tail mane in absurd proportions, so that if/when science marches on, it can be a magic fantasy unicorn version of a dinosaur instead of a scientifically accurate one, to keep it safe. I also wanted flowers around it, and to make it mean something, I asked my mom to pick her favourite flowers, and gave the list to the tattoo artist to design. (my prompt was literally "horse girl's dream tattoo: late Cretaceous edition")

The third tattoo I took, last week, I was 35. Cats have been very important to me since I was a kid, so it's for the cats I've had in my life. It's also for my love for cats in general, it's for the cat(s) I hope to have in the future, and it's also a personal pagan thing, as a flavour. I drew the cat design a full year and half ago, and I still like it, so it passed my mom's tattoo test from decades ago. Also, since I already have my mom represented by plants of her choosing over my heart, I wanted to have something from my dad on my drawing hand, which is where the lingonberry comes from.

I love nature, always had, and my heart belongs to the forests outdoors. The plant patterns give me life. Now I get to carry them on me as well. They don't have to be perfect, as neither am I, but I am extremely picky about the tattoo artists I choose to do my inks, and both times I've been satisfied.

I have no desire for further piercings. While I do like the aesthetics of ear piercings, they aren't something I wish for my own flesh vessel. (I have, since I was a teen, sometimes toyed with the idea of having my ears made pointy, but at this point in life, I don't really want to go through the healing process. As tempting as the uncanny valley effect is, just don't think I will.)

I have plans mapped out for further tattoos, but no worthy subjects yet. The bracelet on my right wrist will someday extent over the back of the hand. My left shoulder will some day have ink (might ask fir my brother's fave plants), but I'm not yet at a point where I want to disturb the chest tattoo's lily-of-the-valleys. I want a half sleeve covering my left forearm (that's gonna cost a fortune, though). Possibly an ankle bracelet on my left leg. I'll need to find designs I can tolerate having as markings first, though.

I don't know. I have moles that are part of me, few scars, and vitiligo. I like those just fine, and I didn't get to choose them. All scars are stories after all. The ink markings are mine because I chose them, and I have reasons for all of them. They are memories, they are feelings. In a way they are love too. AND they look dang awesome, I still haven't stopped staring at the lingonberry leaves, the artist did such a great job!!

[smokeys-house]

The WINGS devastated me so I laid down facing MY right, because my septum is deviated (from the time I almost killed myself with a 2000's fat T.V. [television, NOT Tuvalu] when I was a baby) and I think it makes me breath better when facing certain direction while sleeping (heard it once) (I also have been sleeping facing MY left instead for most of life because facing right is facing the scary, but I'm a big kid now [I think]); and my dumb ass fell asleep (in what I was thinking) but my dad finally arrived home and knocked my door waking me up at around 25:10 (Japanese 30-Hour System) instead of what could had been the following morning (thanks Dad), but my dumb ass (is it dumbass or dumb ass? I am not speaking about my butt btw) was half-asleep and for some reason I was having a dream where it was required to have a twink sleeping in each room of your house (idk either) and I was like oh yeah, don't worry dad, there's a twink sleeping here, it's me; I think I didn't said that but I probably said something pointing to that, BUT THAT'S A LIE, I'M NOT A TWINK, I'M NOT A TWINK, only thing that I overlap with twinks is being a man who likes other men. I am fully awake now, and I have discovered that my mouse's batteries died again; now I will have to go steal some from some remote downstairs and also get water cuz naps get you thirsty, IDK WHY PEOPLE LIKE NAPS, THEY LEAVE YOU THIRSTY, EVEN MORE TIRED, AND WITH MARKS AROUND THY BODY. My sister knows I do this with batteries. The other day I was saying stuff like "I really electricity and electrical stuff" and she said "YEAH THAT'S WHY YOU STEAL BATTERIES FROM THEM". I'm blaming this on those WINGS, Smokey.

This is a lot to process and honestly all I'm getting from this is that I need a twink to delivery me some extra spicy hot wings STAT

[fjebfjebfnenbf]

Full Name: Serena Jazmin Sabella Nickname(s): Mouse (by some family and old childhood friends) Faceclaim: Maia Reficco Gender: Cis woman (she/her) Sexuality: Bisexual Birthday: February 7, 2001 Hometown: Aurora Bay, CA Current Resident: Aurora Bay Drive with her parents Time in AB: All her life Occupation: Style influencer; part-time attendant at the Move House; Graduate student Education: Bachelor’s in Sociology, currently working on Master’s in Philosophy Religion: None Pets: A light brown bunny named Rosie; family dog (Chihuahua) named String Bean

HEADCANONS

Very bright but has a tendency not to trust herself and seek validation and reassurance elsewhere, especially from her parents, sister, and closest friends

Loves traveling and has done a lot of it with her family. Can come off not so much as spoiled but as kind of jaded in the way she talks about it like it's not that big of a deal. This is the case for a lot of the privileges she's had in her life

Has a lot of creative skills (writing, drawing/painting, fashion, etc.) but suffers quite a lot in other areas--for instance, doing her graduate degree has been really hard for her because the organization aspect of studying and writing essays is very difficult

Chronically online (especially because she's a fashion influencer), but she's trying to limit how much scrolling she does lately because she thinks it's significantly affecting her mental health

Has about 130k followers on Instagram. Very dedicated to her outfit of the day posts on her story

Obsessed with Bruce Springsteen, dreams of going back in time and marrying him

Hypersexual but has phases of not being into hookups so if she's not in a relationship she's sequestered in her room a lot I fear! She does love being in relationships but she would also much rather sleep around than be in one with someone she's not absolutely head over heels for

Has a lot of internal conflict over her sister. Eva demands a lot from Serena and Serena loves her and wants to give her whatever she needs, especially because Eva's always there for her when she's in the right mental state, but it also gets very suffocating

Doesn't really have anything particular in mind she wants to do with her Master's in philosophy beyond maybe teaching one day (when she gets sick of partying), she just really enjoys it and her parents are pretty happy to financially support her if she's doing something academic and at least working a part-time job while she does it (and she makes some decent money through sponsorships on social media)

Loves plants and fills her living space with them as much as possible. Talks to them while she does her watering routine

Definitely not someone who looks for fights or plays devil's advocate but also has strong opinions and doesn't have a problem engaging people in arguments about something she doesn't agree with

Loooves cooking and has a super innate talent for it, rarely uses cookbooks or recipes or anything

STATS

Hair Color: Dark brown

Eye Color: Brown

Height: 5'4

Tattoos: TBA (Scattered flash tattoos mostly up and down her arms and a small tbd tramp stamp)

Piercings: Double lobe in both ears, septum she never wears anymore

Favorite Movie: Starman

Favorite Alcoholic Drink: Manhattan

Favorite Food: Ham & Pineapple Pizza

BIOGRAPHY

In many ways, Serena has never had much to complain about in her life. Good parents with good jobs who set a good example and made enough money for more than one vacation every year; an older sister whom she’s always gotten along with, despite Eva’s mental health issues; a solid group of close friends who have dwindled but never disappeared entirely even after high school; and more than one creative talent she was able to pursue after graduation. In many other ways, however, she probably could have complained but never felt entitled to it. Not with Eva in and out of mental hospitals once she turned fourteen. Not with her mom’s high-stakes job as an attorney and left-wing political activist, or her dad’s equally high-stakes job as a neuropathologist. Certainly not when her best friend from childhood was constantly dealing with far worse family issues than Serena, and always seemed to find herself in bad relationships that Serena had to help her get out of. When her first serious boyfriend right out of high school told her once during a fight that she needed to learn to set boundaries with her friends and family, it was the beginning of the end of that relationship. A couple years later, a newer college friend asked her at a party (after Serena had disappeared for half an hour to talk Eva down over the phone) if she thought that maybe her sister sometimes took advantage of her unconditional loyalty. Serena said no, and to drop it, but for the first time she’d felt a little uneasy about it. Still, if somebody asked her whether she thought she had a habit of dismissing her own problems in favor of her family’s and friends’, she would point out how she has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, a successful social media presence, and will, in a year’s time, have her Master’s in Philosophy. And surely somebody who was detached from their own problems couldn’t have accomplished all that.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

Any friends from school! She goes to Aurora Bay College for her grad degree and was there for her undergrad as well

Coworkers at the movie house or regulars maybe she’s helped you sneak in if she thought you were cute hehe

People she's met at open mic nights, especially whom she's terrorized with endless Springsteen covers

Exes (maybe two or three) on any terms and plenty of hookups and one night stands

Would love someone she's pining after who doesn't want her/is too old for her/something like that. This would not become a ship! Just unrequited yearning for Serena

Internet friends!!!!! And internet rivalsssss

Besties in general and lots of party friends <3

Connections from captive circumstances, e.g. stuck in an elevator together, stuck in line for something, etc.

Oh please oh please give me lots of childhood connections, positive and negative. First bf, first hookup with a girl, used to be friends now enemies, weren’t friends in school but found their way to being friends after high school, lab partners for life, bonded in detention/over hating a teacher, walked together during the mile run in gym class <3, ditched math together, neighbors, babysat Serena, was her camp counselor, old friend of her parents, etc

[jodilin65]

Hopefully, now that it’s just after 11:00 PM, the planes will have packed it in for a good 6 hours or so. Scratch that. I hear one right now. sighs in frustration Sound machine back on for another hour or so.

My energy levels are back to normal. Yesterday I had great energy. It’s a good thing I cleaned two sections of the house yesterday because I don’t know if I’m going to have the energy for cleaning today. I did one of the bathrooms and the living room yesterday. The kitchen, the bedrooms, and the master bathroom still need to be done.

I woke up chilly at one point and had to raise the AC temp. While I was at it I got up to pee and inserted the nasal dilator and didn’t fall back asleep right away. I got up at 9:00 PM and took my medication and then I laid back down for an hour. I should be up until the early afternoon.

Wish I knew why my nose was so stuffy so often but since I can’t get an ENT to see me, I can’t ask things about septums, tonsils and adenoids.

I did decide to delete a couple of Facebookers after all. One was Adonis who has mostly abandoned this particular Facebook account of his, and the other was a guy that lives here. I haven’t heard from him in ages and when I left a comment on his wall a week or two ago, I never got a response. He’s gone as quiet as the honker. I wonder if they’re buddies because, from the looks of it, the guy might have been in law enforcement as well.

I had a funny/interesting dream regarding Kim and her sister Carol. In real life, Carol married and divorced a woman and recently married another woman. In the dream, I didn’t know Tom, and Carol was dating a woman that she was engaged to. I went to visit Kim and Carol of all people and didn’t really see much of Kim but Carol and I really hit it off and I could tell she liked me. I liked her too and while she may be my type personality-wise in real life, I would never be attracted to her on the outside because she’s too masculine-looking. As I’ve always said, if I wanted that and was single, I would get a man. If I was going to be with a woman, I like them to look like one but that’s just me.

Anyway, I still lived in California in the dream and when Carol brought me to the airport to go back home I could tell she was reluctant to see me go. We kept in touch through texting every now and then and then several months later something bad happened causing me to lose wherever I was living and she had me go to her place. In the meantime, she had broken up with her fiancee and I guess things were about to heat up between us when I woke up cold. I know that sounds funny… things were heating up but I woke up cold anyway, lol.

[thelostrainbowthenovel]

Didn't expect to get so inspired for a randomly/one-off mentioned character, but here we are lol. This is a concept sketch I did the other day in-between working on other things, of Apollo, Damini's current boyfriend! He was first mentioned in this short story here, and like already mentioned he wasn't supposed to become an actual character but just like what happened with Shannon, I got too inspired lol.

Here is a little more information about him, taken directly from some fun facts I did before for Mini(plus some new/extra notes)!

================================================

. Damini has had a few short-lived relationships in her past, but none were as serious as her current boyfriend, Apollo. They have been dating for the past couple of years and aside from Nate, she has felt the most comfortable sharing about the early years of her life with him than with anyone else. He originally started off in the army like her as he was following the footsteps of the men in his life, but his time as a soldier was short-lived as he had dreams of becoming a traveling musician. Considered strong, warm, and bright, they first met when she attended one of his earliest concerts, and they bonded after she came up to him after his show and complemented him on his work. They kept in-touch mainly through letters afterwards as he was out traveling, but when he returned to Feor that is when he asked her out for the first time, not wanting to lose anymore time with her. Their dating has been a little more low-key since they have different occupations and are not seen in public together often, but they haven't been keeping it a complete secret either.

. He is in a similar age range as Mini, so about 24-27 and he uses he/they pronouns. Appearance-wise he is slightly tall with a well-built and muscular build from his army days, fluffy and shoulder-length golden/dirty blonde hair, tanned skin with a large scar on his back, amber-orange eyes, and several piercings(a septum, triple lobes, and a single set of cartilage). He is not a noble and his family was poor while he was growing up, but through his short time as a soldier and his time so far as a musician, he has been able to live comfortably. Since he has become more famous as a musician, aside from Mini another fan of his music is Princess Hestia, as they both play the guitar and she finds some of the things he has done with it very cool. In terms of more negative traits of his, he is a perfectionist to the point he will forget to take care of himself in order to get something done the way he wants it to be(causing him to feel pretty awful afterwards), he is easily distracted and forgetful so he always has to write things down, he bottles his stress too much to the point he either gets sick or lashes out, and while not necessarily a negative trait, as he is always out traveling he often often forgets to make time for his loved ones, but he always makes it up to them when he returns home.