#like I’m liking it so far but my gut tells me not to finish it

[mzz1998]

im so scared to finish Cruel Intentions…

what if I actually like it and want a season two and they cancel it because they marketed it with 2 pennies and a dime :/

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

Conrad deserves better than Belly. After he sees Jere and her kiss, he get his ass to Stanford and meet this cute and smart maybe tutor girl (Haley James style) and falls in love with her and then they show up at Jere's wedding years later and Belly is jelly

I've spent the last five days working on this one.

p.s. it's 2k words...

my taglists are here + you can send requests here at any time

—

When Conrad finished his exam, he went back to Jeremiah and Belly. He was going to tell and confess his love to her before she had to get home, but when he got to his car, the scene Conrad walked on made him sick to his stomach: Belly and Jeremiah were full on making out against his car. He stopped short of the car and cleared his throat, causing the two to spring apart from their heated kiss and see Conrad looking right at them. 

Conrad’s face was white. He would rather have had someone shoot him in the head with a nail gun, repeatedly, than have to watch the two of them kissing.

He didn't know who he was more angry at. Belly, who, not even a day ago, had told him she would have fought harder for him if she knew he loved her that much. Or Jeremiah, who, although he knew how much Belly meant to his brother and how fucking in love he was with her, seized the opportunity to kiss Belly the moment he was alone with her.

‘’Conrad—’’ Belly started, guilt settling in her guts. 

He cut her off, his voice cold and cutting. ‘’I don’t want to hear it.’’ 

His gaze shifted from Belly to Jeremiah. There was so much hate in his eyes. How could Jere do that to him? They agreed to stop hiding things from each other and talk, but Jeremiah must have forgotten already. 

‘’You broke up with her, Con, remember? We did nothing wrong,’’ Jeremiah said, pulling facts in his favor to make himself feel better — less guilty — for kissing his brother’s ex.  

When Conrad kissed Belly on the beach last summer, he didn’t know she and Jeremiah were a thing — if he could call it that — or that he liked her. If he had, he wouldn’t have kissed Belly or confessed his feelings to her. Had the situation had been in reverse, Conrad wasn’t sure Jeremiah would have backed off. 

‘’I’m done.’’ Conrad's voice was resolute, his heart heavy as he turned away, unable to bear the sight of them any longer.

Jeremiah moved to follow, calling out Conrad's name. He didn’t stop, needing to be as far as possible from the painful scene. His mind was racing with a jumble of emotions. Anger, betrayal, and a profound hurt gnawed at him. He had trusted both Belly and Jeremiah, yet they pulled this shit behind his back. 

‘’Why do you always have to act like that?’’ Jeremiah said as he quickened his pace to catch up. 

Finally, Conrad turned to face Jeremiah, his expression a mix of sorrow and resentment. ‘’You don’t get to tell me how to react, Jere. You kiss the girl I love outside my school, against my car while she’s wearing my sweatshirt. If you don’t see how disgusting and messed up it all sounds—’’

‘’She kissed me,’’ the younger one quickly defended. 

 Hearing this made him want to pack his bags, get his ass to stanford and focus on school. He needed to turn the Belly page, and in order to do that, he needed to be away from both she and Jeremiah. California seemed far enough, right?

*

The first days and weeks were tough for Conrad, struggling to accept the definite end of the relationship. She was still all over him like a wine-stained shirt he couldn’t wear anymore. 

He blocked both Belly and Jeremiah’ numbers. If he wanted to move on, he had to keep his distance from them. For a while, at least. Then, he deleted all the old pictures he kept of Belly on his phone. There was no going back for them anymore. 

He was done.

*

You met Conrad a little before Christmas break. Just like those cliché rom-coms, you walked right into him and spilled your chai latte all over his sweater. You wanted to break the cliché and not fall for the victim of your clumsiness, but after one look into those beautiful blue eyes, you knew it would be impossible. 

 After that day, you kept crossing paths around campus and, one afternoon, you asked him out. He was so surprised, but he said ‘yes’. 

Although you had sealed the end of the night with a few kisses, you decided to take things slow. You had a very busy schedule with the tutoring lessons on top of your regular program, and Conrad was unsure if it was too soon to get in another relationship, if he was ready for it. The scar Belly had left on his heart was healing, but was he ready to open his heart to someone again? 

‘’Have you ever been in love?’’ you asked one night in his dorm while studying. 

Your question had caught Conrad off guard. It was visible on his face. 

‘’Have you?’’ he returned, not taking his eyes off his textbook. 

He was trying to dodge the question. 

‘’I asked you first,’’ you said, seeing through his plan.

‘’Then yes.’’

‘’How many times?’’

‘’Once.’’

His answers were flat, annoyed he was by all your questions. He wished you would stop and get back to studying in silence, but you kept going. 

‘’On a scale of one to ten, how in love were you?’’

‘’You can’t put being in love on a scale,’’ he said, lifting his head with furrowed eyebrows. ‘’Either you are or you aren’t.’’

‘’But if you had to say.’’

Conrad started flipping through his notes. He hadn’t thought of Belly in months. He missed her — in a different way he used to. She was his friend before they got tangled into this mess.

He didn’t look at you when he finally said it. ‘’Ten.’’

*

The more time he spent in your presence, the more Conrad was — unknowingly — letting go of his past. 

The pictures he deleted months ago became pictures of you, filling his phone until there was no space left. The smell of your perfume lingered on some of his clothes and in his car. He had your coffee order memorized, along with your favorite study-break snack, which he made sure to have in stock in his dorm. 

You became part of his routine — part of his life —, brightening his days even on his darkest, saddest nights. 

He didn’t want to bother you, but nothing was calming the ache in his chest. He tried getting some air and smoking weed, he even thought of calling Laurel, but it was almost 2am in Pennsylvania. Conrad didn’t want to scare her. 

So he pulled up your contact and called, the weight of his grief still heavy in his heart, wishing Susannah was still there. He couldn't believe a full year had gone by since she took her last breath. 

You were about to slip into bed when you saw his name flashing on your phone. You almost didn’t pick up, but you got a gut feeling that he needed you. 

When you opened your door, a saddened look was etched onto Conrad's face, his beautiful eyes glistening with unshed tears. The sight pulled at your heart and you wrapped your arms around him, holding him for the whole night.

Supported each other through finals and all-nighters.

‘’Getting tired?’’ you said, catching him actively fighting against his own eyelids. 

Conrad shook his head, taking a long gulp of his coffee. ‘’No time for sleep. I have this huge exam first thing tomorrow and I still have a lot of chapters to cover.’’

‘’You can take a short nap if you want. I’ll wake you in thirty minutes,’’ you kindly offered, flipping through your notes for a specific annotation. 

‘’Nah, I’m good.’’ He flashed you a soft smile, then returned to his studying. 

A few minutes later, and you couldn't help but notice that Conrad's eyes had begun to droop. They would halfway close and then he would either blink a bunch of times, or widen his eyes until they were bug eyed. It was cute.

‘’Con? Conrad?’’ you called out gently. 

‘’I'm not sleeping. I'm resting my eyes,’’ he mumbled defensively, fighting fatigue.

There was no way he was getting through the night, so you put your notes down and slipped on Conrad’s flannel shirt that was on the back of your chair to shield you from the night air. ‘’We’re gonna need more coffee.’’ 

As you came back with two fresh cups of coffee, you found Conrad fast asleep on your pillow, still clutching his pen.

And held his hand through the rainiest times — literally.

‘’Isn't California supposed to be the sunniest state?’’ Conrad asked, watching the downpour through the windshield, drenched from head to toe. ‘’The seats are all wet...’’ 

‘’You gotta learn to live with the consequences of your own actions, Connie baby.’’ 

It was his idea to get waffles when the sky was looking very gray and angry. He insisted that it would clear out, but a loud clap of thunder echoed on your way back to the car and rain started pouring. You took the road back to campus, but it got too dangerous, forcing Conrad to stop the car on the shoulder of the road and wait for the rain to calm. 

You wiped your face with the sleeve of your hoodie and a smile curled on Conrad’s lips, still the most beautiful to his eyes despite your wet hair and the slight smear of mascara under your eyes. 

 ‘’Rain happens everywhere. Even in the dryest desert,’’ you reminded him, pulling out your phone to check the weather app.‘’Unfortunately, this one isn't gonna stop anytime soon.’’

You toed off your sneakers, making Conrad draw his eyebrows.

‘’What are you doing?’’

‘’We’re gonna be here for a while.’’ You peeled off your hoodie — also wet from the rain —, leaving you in your skirt and dainty bralette. ‘’Might as well occupy ourselves,’’ you explained before leaning over the middle console and kissing him, fastening yourself to him with a stitch. 

The kiss took him by surprise, but he wasn’t complaining. He could spend hours kissing you and never get bored. 

You crawled over the console and on Conrad’s lap without breaking contact, your hands easily finding grip on his hair as you felt his hands all over your body, caressing and pulling. The windows were fogging quickly around you, creating a veil of privacy as more layers were peeled off.

Conrad once believed he had found love, that Belly was it for him, but the feelings he felt back then were nothing compared to how he felt right now. 

‘’You’re the best thing that happened to me,’’ he confessed, his forehead pressed against yours. 

*

The invitation came in a few weeks before the wedding. Conrad couldn’t believe his brother was going through with this. Everything was happening so fast and seemed rushed. Him and Belly weren’t even twenty. Who gets married so young anymore? 

He arrived in Cousins a few days prior to the wedding, surprising everyone — and stealing the attention from the soon-to-be-weds — when they saw a girl with him. 

The only person who knew exactly who you were was Steven. A few months ago, you had posted a picture with Conrad at the beach and tagged him, leading to Steven finding out about his friend’s new girlfriend. He was surprised when he saw it, but very happy for Conrad. He deserved better than someone who plays between two hearts. 

Laurel put down the table-center she was holding and went over to pull Conrad in a hug. She turned to you, making quick introductions, and Conrad held his breath. He’s always been close to Laurel and her approval meant more to him than his father’s or Jeremiah’s. 

While the two of you engaged into a conversation, he saw her. Belly. Dressed in a white sundress and talking to Taylor, she looked just the same. The only difference was, Conrad felt nothing. No pain, no old feelings rising back. 

For the first time, what’s past was past.

‘’Belly, come greet Connie and his girlfriend,’’ Laurel called out to her daughter. 

Although you had never met her, you could tell exactly who she was in the room — and not only because her dress was white. The jealousy filling her eyes when they fell on you gave her away.

—

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[tune-on-in-folks]

Day 12! Truthfully this was rewritten on the 13th because what I posted last night was a hot mess. I realize that as much as I want to post these fics everyday, I want to post fics that I'm proud of. And I think this is enough redemption. Now let's see if I can get day 13 out today as well, haha.

Tags/Warnings: Face fucking, fem!receiving face fucking, oral sex, rough oral sex, throat fucking, male!receiving oral, p in v mention. Word Count: 1,446

Alastor had been antagonizing you for the last couple of months, insulting you or giving you a backhanded compliment whenever he could. What he enjoyed about you, was the fact that you responded back with an equally witty and scathing retort. You snapped back at him like you weren’t afraid of him. It was different, it was refreshing. You were intriguing. Alastor quickly began to seek you out, looking forward to your little game. 

The back and forth between you dissolved one night into something more; When far too many fingers of rye were involved. Not that you minded. You still sassed Alastor constantly, earning the same in return. Your relationship always felt tentative, like it could end in a matter of moments. So you held onto the stolen moments you had with Alastor. Wondering often, if he’d ever end whatever was between you both.

Tonight you were in his radio tower, listening to him broadcast. Something that not many were privileged to. Husk had told you once that he was certain you were the only one who Alastor allowed in while he broadcast. It felt nice to have that knowledge. That trust from Alastor. So, you enjoyed it. Quietly listening to Alastor as he broadcast about anything and everything. You never really paid any mind to what the topics were about, focusing on his captivating voice instead. 

Alastor’s voice surrounded you, captivated, and distracted you. You didn’t realize that the cup of coffee you were setting down wasn’t on the table, your attention solely on him. The cup crashed to the floor, shattering loudly. You stiffen, a cold fear running through you as your eyes snap from your shattered mug, up to Alastor. The radio feedback picking up around him is the only sign of his annoyance at the interruption as he continued on into his next statement. Slowly and quietly, you get up to go gather a towel and a dustpan. You were going to have to apologize profusely for the interruption, you knew.

You hadn’t noticed he had finished and was off air until he cleared his throat. Your eyes caught on his shoes first before trailing up his body. You met his gaze, holding it despite the fact that he was glowering down at you.

“I’m sorry, Alastor,” You say softly, sitting up on your knees, holding his gaze. “I didn’t mean to break the cup. To interrupt your broadcast.”

You were truly sorry for accidentally interrupting, knowing you had broken his trust in you. You had promised to sit quietly and not make a sound, only for that to come crashing down around you, like your mug had. Now you were wondering if the tentative relationship you had formed with Alastor would do the same and shatter.

“Hmm.” He hums, his expression softening, “It was an accident, my dear, don’t you worry your little head about it!”

You bite your lip, averting your gaze. You had learned to read him enough to tell he was still frustrated. How could you make this up to him? Was it even possible? Alastor tipped your chin up with one of his claws, making you meet his gaze again. Just like you could read him, he could read you.

“Though I suppose you could make up for this if you wanted to.” He prompts, smile widening. “Perhaps by allowing me to punish you.”

His thumb brushes your chin, the pad catching on your lip, you swallow, face flushing a deep shade of red at his insinuation. You couldn’t deny that the idea of him punishing you for interrupting his broadcast was arousing. 

“Well I’m on my knees.” You offer, feeling heat begin to pool in your gut.

“Yes, you are.” he acknowledges, “And you’ve been quite the bad girl tonight, haven’t you? Disrespecting me earlier in front of our guests, and now you’ve interrupted my broadcast.”

Alastor takes a step towards you, reaching  to undo his pants. Your eyes follow the movement, captivated.

“I think you are overdue for a lesson, my dear. Open.”

You swallow down your nerves but you open your mouth. He pulls his hardening cock out of his pants, running the tip around your lips.

His voice was lower, dangerous, “Show me how sorry you are, little doe.”

You lean forward, kitten licking at his slit, closing your hand around his cock. Your tongue swirls around his cock-head before you close your mouth around him. Alastor grunts at the contact, rolling his hips forward, forcing more of himself into your mouth.

“You can do better than that, darling.” He taunts, watching you take him further with each pass of your lips.

You hum around him, rolling your eyes as you suck his cock. You move your tongue to caress the underside of his cock as you bob your head. Alastor’s hand tangles in your hair as he watches you suck him off from half-lidded eyelids. He begins to roll his hips forward, forcing more and more of his cock into your mouth with each thrust.

“Do not forget that this is also a punishment, my dear. You only touch me because I have permitted it to happen. I can take this away from you in an instant.”

You whine around Alastor’s cock, which quickly turns into you gagging as his cock-head hits the back of your throat. He pulls back, allowing you to catch your breath for a moment before sliding right back into your mouth. His pace is steady as he begins to fuck your mouth. You swallow around him, tears biting the corners of your eyes as he forces you to take him down your throat, over and over. His pace grew faster, his breaths coming in short gasps.

“You look so beautiful, darling. Taking my cock so well.” He praises, his hand tightening in your hair.

Alastor began to move your face in time with his thrusts. You brace yourself against his thighs, moaning around him. You were enjoying the thrill of him fucking your face. Every thrust in, choked you, every withdrawal gave you the opportunity to breathe. It was sinful how wet you were, not even having been touched once.

“You will never interrupt my broadcast again, understood, my dear?”

You can only moan around Alastor as his pace increases. His thrusts were growing shorter and faster as he got closer to his own release.

“And if you ever dare disrespect me like you did earlier I will ensure everyone in this wretched hotel hears your screams.”

You moaned around his cock again, earning another groan from him. Alastor’s hips stuttering was your only tell that he was getting close to cumming.

“You’re going to be a good girl and swallow every drop of my cum. Or I will extend your punishment. Is that clear?”

You closed your lips around his cock tighter, sucking hard as you tried to coax him over the edge. A stuttered curse fell from his mouth, radio effect totally gone. He thrust forward harshly as he pushed your head down onto his cock. You swallowed uncomfortably as the first rope of his cum hit the back of your throat. You felt the need to cough, but you refused to waste a single drop of his seed. Alastor rocked his hips as he began to pull out of your mouth, his cock twitching with the aftershocks of his release. You force a breath in through your nose as you suck and swallow around his retreating cock. When you were certain he was totally spent you let him slide from your mouth with a wet ‘pop.’ You swallowed again, before your body caught up to you and you began to cough harshly. Your lungs burned in protest as you took in heaving gasps of breath air in between each cough. After what felt like forever, but was actually just a few moments, you catch your breath fully.

Alastor pulled you from the ground, slamming his lips roughly against yours in a searing kiss, stealing your breath once more. He could taste himself on your lips, his cock hardening again.

“Now,” He remarks, pushing your skirt up, and pulling your panties off, “I believe after such a grand performance, you deserve a reward.”

He wraps one of your legs around him, thrusting fully into you with one thrust. 

You pull Alastor down into another kiss, “I am sorry, Al.”

“Water under the bridge, my darling.” He reassures you, returning a gentle kiss to your lips.

You would never interrupt a broadcast again, that was for certain. And though you were sorry, you couldn’t fully be remorseful when your behavior ended with him inside you.

[whosbloom]

Spencer Reid » Pumpkin carving

day 1 of flufftober

⋆.˚ summary: persuading spencer into carving pumpkins with you leads to more then you expected

⋆.˚ fluff , lowkey insulting Derek , friends-to-lovers , mutual pining , very awkward romance

“This is so gross..” Spencer whined for the nth time as he walked over to your sink, rinsing his hands off again to rid of the pumpkin guts that coated his fingers. “How do people do this every year?”

“It’s not that bad, Spence. I offered to gut it for you so you could just cut the face out..” You raised your brows at him, carefully pulling pumpkin seeds from the guts and laying them across several paper towels you had laid out. “You could get the pumpkin seeds out for Rossi and Penelope if you want.

He simply gave you a look at your suggestion, shaking his head and wiped his hands dry with a hand towel, before standing back towards the counter and carefully grabbed his pumpkin.

“My pumpkin is shaped like Derek’s head.” He mumbled under his breath, picking up one of the several markers you had laid out across the counter, hunching over as he started to sketch out the face he wanted to cut out.

“Is that an insult to him or the pumpkin?” You smiled at him, placing the last of the pumpkin seeds down and walked over to the sink to finally wash your hands. “The pumpkin.” He smiled back at you, turning his pumpkin towards you.

He had only done a simple triangle eye so far but you could tell he was proud of it nonetheless, before he turned it away again and continued to sketch out his face.

You couldn’t help but admire how concentrated he was as he sketched, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, a slight furrow in his brow, and his gaze not faltering once so ever.

“You’re staring again.” He spoke up, finishing up his pumpkin and turned it towards you, his lines wonky and slightly wavy. “Again?” You questioned, crossing your arms over your chest.

He nodded with a smile, before grabbing the pumpkin carving knife and sat in a stool, pulling the pumpkin with him so he could hunch over and start to carve out the face.

“You stare a lot more than you think you do. A lot of times when I’m reading or talking to Derek I can feel your gaze burning into the back of my skull. I’m surprised Garcia hasn’t talked to you about to.. she always asks me about it.” He rambled on, shrugging as he carefully carved.

You were at a slight loss for words, blinking a few times before finding yourself moving a bit closer to him, crossing your arms and leant against the counter.

“Do you not like when I stare?”

He paused for a moment, glancing back at you before turning away again. “I don’t mind it.”

You nodded along, turning away and picked at your nails for a moment, not seeing him put the carving tool down and turned towards you.

“I stare too sometimes. I can’t help it—you’re just.. really beautiful. I know this is cliche and probably the worst time to say any of this, but I’m too nervous to say it any other time, and being alone with you seems to be the best option—“ He quickly cut himself off and took a deep breath, holding a hand up before continuing.

“I don’t want Derek or Garcia to see because I know they won’t drop it ever, but honestly I really like you. I really hope you like me too.” He breathed out, turning away again and nervously went back to carving.

You stared at him blankly, blinking a few times before swallowing the lump forming in your throat. “I like you too.”

His eyes widened for a moment, glancing at you and pressed his lips into a thin line. “Cool.. cool.” He nodded and let out a breath, clearly just as nervous as you were.

The two of you stayed silent for a moment longer, with you standing up and walked over to your pumpkin, awkwardly picking up a marker.

“Can we consider this a date?” He asked quietly, glancing up at you from across the counter, his brows knitted together.

You looked back at him, a smile creeping onto your face as you nodded and started to draw your own face on the pumpkin.

“Yeah.. it’s a date.”

tags: @lemoniiiiiii , @xrag-dollx , @jazz-berry (lemme know if you wanna be tagged for the other days !!)

[mrsbarnesblog]

Hi dear ☺️ could I ask for an imagine with Bucky where you can't sleep, so you walk around through the compound enjoying the silence. Just as you find a wide awake Bucky as well. You then just talk about senseless stuff till you find yourself in each other's embrace on the couch where he finally gets the guts to kiss you and tell you how much you mean to him. Eventually you fall asleep and the others find you both tangled together the next morning and are very happy for you 🙊

night

masterlist ko-fi ao3

Word count: 1.4k

Warnings: just fluff

Author's note: thank you for the request, love. this is my first attempt to write it, so I hope you'll be satisfied with it💘

Walking around the quiet and empty compound in the middle of the night was satisfying. No arguing, no screams, no laughter—just long corridors and free common rooms that gave you a place to distance yourself from thoughts and feelings. 

You have done it a lot lately. Since the missions were always unexpected and not always easy, your whole sleep routine got quickly ruined, and now you couldn't fall asleep at a proper time. 

Your feet in fluffy socks softly tapped on a cold floor when you headed towards the connected kitchen and living room, where the Avengers spend more of their free time. Humming some song that you heard earlier, you turned on the low lights and opened a fridge for an ice cream, too lost in your head to notice a figure sitting on the couch. 

You found your favorite one and scooped the whole spoon, quietly moaning at the flavor on your tongue. Still with a spoon in your mouth, you turned around and almost choked when you saw Bucky sitting a few feet away from you and intently looking at you. 

“Oh my god, Bucky! I almost had a heart attack!” Your free hand flew to the left side of your chest, trying to calm down your heartbeat. “What are you doing here?” You smiled at him, noticing that he was sitting in complete darkness and looked exhausted.  

“Nightmare.” He gave you a sad smile and moved to the side. “Wanna sit with me? I see you’re far from being asleep too, doll.” His nickname made redness creep onto your cheeks. You took another spoon and sat by his right side. 

“Yeah, my whole night routine is messed up, and my eyes won't even close.” You chuckled, not missing how Bucky’s eyes studied your face. He saw that you had caught him and quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in the pint of ice cream in your hands. “I– um, do you want to talk about your nightmare? You know I’m always here if you need me, Buck.” 

Before you could even think, your hand covered his in a supportive gesture. Bucky was slightly taken aback, but the warm feeling at the fact that you had always been so nice and open to him blossomed in his chest. He slowly turned his hand over so your fingers slipped in between his, and gave you a soft squeeze. 

"No. We can talk about anything except for this. But thank you, doll.” He looked at you again with those soft blue eyes and a little smile on his lips. 

You were talking for at least an hour, discussing news in the compound and the book that Bucky had read recently. The ice cream pin was almost finished. You moved closer to Bucky, starting to feel sleepy, and put your head on his shoulder. He smelled so good and basically radiated that comfortable warmth, so you wanted to burry yourself in him. His low and muffled voice above your head worked as a lullaby on you, but you tried everything to stay awake and finally spend as much time together as you could. 

“Doll, you’re barely staying awake.” He couldn’t resist himself and placed a soft kiss on your hair. “You’re ready for bed.” The moment he started moving to stand up, you gripped his forearm, not letting him go. 

“No, Bucky, can we stay here for a few more minutes? Please? I really like talking to you.” You mumbled against his shirt. Bucky looked down at you, surprised and happy at the same time. 

“You do?” His lips curled into a smile, which he really tried to control but completely failed. You just slightly nodded, still holding eye contact with him. 

You both were silent for a few seconds, suddenly too lost in each other’s eyes, until Bucky couldn’t hold back any more and looked at your soft lips. You were so close to him, all sleepy and cute, that it was impossible to deny the fact that he had been hiding his feelings for you for too long. He could ruin everything, but it felt right to do so in that moment, so he just gave in. 

Your eyes instantly closed at the feeling of Bucky’s lips on yours. Pint had fallen somewhere on the floor when you emptied your hand to place it on his stubble cheek. The kiss was slow and sweet, as if Bucky tried to savor you as much as he could. His metal hand held the side of your neck, slightly moving you closer to him. 

You had never gotten butterflies from a simple kiss. It was exactly what you needed—what you craved for so long. You felt secure in Bucky’s presence, feeling like your body was flowing when he slowly moved his lips against yours. 

“Fuck.” He slightly pulled away and connected your foreheads. It was so intimate, like you two were in a bubble in your own world. “I wanted to do that for so long.” 

“Mhm.” You hummed with still closed eyes. Bucky’s thumb gently rubbed your cheek, and you leaned closer to his touch. “Me too, Buck. I thought about it more times than I can admit.” 

“You’re amazing, so pretty, and cute, and kind... Gosh, I don’t remember the last time I felt this way. Will you go on a date with me? If you don’t want to, it’s o–" 

“I want. I really do. I wish other people saw this side of you. You are so sweet.” You bit your lip, and now, without hiding it, you studied his face. Then, without a warning, he just hugged you, as if he were holding himself back from doing it. Your body melted into his, and you let out a satisfied sight, feeling so warm and secure. The sleepiness started to crawl back again, and your eyelids became too heavy to keep them open.

Still holding you in his arms, Bucky laid back on the couch and covered your bodies with a soft blanket that was nearby. You nuzzled into his neck, enjoying that overwhelming scent, and wrapped your arms around Bucky’s torso. 

“G’night, Bucky. I'm happy to be here with you.”

“Me too. Sleep well, doll.” He placed another kiss on your forehead, but you had already fallen asleep. 

Bucky felt happy. The aching feeling in his chest had finally calmed down, and he held the girl of his dreams right near him. 

He didn’t think that he would fall asleep—not after that horrifying nightmare, but the grounding weight of your hands and legs on top of him, your soft breathing, and the whole feeling of calmness that you had always surrounded him with made it’s job. Just in a span of a few minutes, Bucky was sleeping, holding you even tighter than before. 

“Am I seeing it right?” Tony froze in the doorframe, looking at the picture in front of him.

“What do you m–” Steve stood near him, true shock and disbelief written on his face. “How did that happen? Did they– oh my god.” He whispered not to wake either of you up.

“Don’t tell me that you didn’t know about their feelings for each other.” Natasha gave him a cocky smile and snached a cereal box out of Sam’s hands.

“Hey! Give it back to me, Romanoff!” Sam tried to take it back, but after receiving that look from Nat, he just sat back in his place. “He looked at Y/N like a kicked puppy every time she wasn’t paying attention. Barnes finally made a smart decision.” 

“Can all of you just shut up and let us sleep?” Bucky covered your ears with a blanket and hissed at the people who were bothering you. 

“Sorry, buddy. I’m happy for you.” Steve whispered back with the biggest and brightest smile on his face, pushing his friends out of the room. 

“You’re m’ hero.” You mumbled from under the blanket, still mostly asleep. Bucky smiled, laying back in his place and wrapping his hands around you.

“Always for you, doll.”

[tojirights]

prompt: "can you feel what you're doing to me?" + "i really dont care. you look hot and im trying not to fuck you senseless right now."

tags: nsfw 18+, public sex

you were supposed to be working, scouting the area after multiple calls of suspicious activity. unfortunately for you, your first target was to scope out a local nightclub. it wasnt your scene, the music was obnoxious and people were too close to you. this was where gojo came in handy. no one dared to bother you with him at your hip. and he always had a way of distracting you from your job, strong hands gripping you at the hip as you swayed to the music. "see anything?" your eyes scan the busy scene, pressing against his chest so you can hear him better.

his breath is hot on your ear as he speaks, causing a chill to run up your spine. "mm, i really don't care..." he pulls your body flush against him. "can you feel what you're doing to me?" he asks, grinding into your ass and yes, you are now entirely too aware of his cock hard against you. "gojo-" you start, slightly annoyed that he can't stay professional for just one night. "ooh c'mon baby, drop the formality. you look hot and i’m trying really hard to not think about fucking you senseless." his voice drops low as he finishes his sentence, words hitting you low in your gut.

its nothing new, hooking up with gojo, but you at least try to keep some dignity about it. though, your core aches at the thought of him pulling you away right now. there was no real privacy, but gojo obviously didn’t care about that right now, his hands hiking your dress up just under the swell of your ass. "i could slip my cock right in, couldn't i?" he teases, pushing you so you lean forward, your ass so close yet too far. "you always get so wet just from a little teasing."

you'd love to tell gojo to fuck off, but there's another part of your body in control at the moment. with a groan, you reach behind you for his hand and tug him through the crowded club. finally reaching the bathroom, you kick the door shut behind you just in time for gojo to push you up against it. "ooh, such a naughty girl." he says, condescension in his voice.

"shut it." you grumble, tugging him by the collar of his shirt so he kisses you. gojo chuckles against your lips. "mmh, i love when you give into me." he mutters, making you hold in a moan.

its desperate, sloppy even, as you both scramble to get undressed enough to fuck in this dirty bathroom. you try not to think about how many other people have done this exact thing against this door. you can't quite think of anything else as gojo's cock slides between your walls, making you completely forget the situation you were in. “there’s my good girl.” he moans, hooking your leg around his waist. “i knew you’d be wet for me.” he smirks when you shoot him a meaningless glare. “you’re such an ass.” you groan, but the tilt of your hips lets gojo’s cock hit deep within you. you struggle to stay mad. 

"but am i wrong? stop kidding yourself, princess." he chuckles as you're forced to suppress a desperate whine when you feel his cock kiss your cervix. you know all too well that gojo will keep running his mouth if you don't keep it busy, so you tangle your fingers in his hair and pull him to your lips. and the way you feel his lips curve into a smile against yours could probably make you cum by itself. he's far too appealing for his own good.

"so good baby-" he breathes against your skin, making you moan, every nerve in your body shuddering. you're about to sneak a hand down to rub your clit when you hear gojo's phone start to ring in his pocket. with a groan, he reaches for the call and to your surprise, answers it. "keep playin' with yourself, sexy. quietly." he whispers before putting the phone to his ear. his cock keeps pumping into you, too shallow to make you cum even with your skilled fingers rubbing yourself and it's frustrating.

you can hear nanami's voice on the other line. gojo nods and hums along like he's not balls deep in your cunt, your arousal dripping down his length. "mhm, yeah well I'm kinda in the middle of someone - something." he clears his throat and you normally would've giggled but you're too embarrassed. "gojo don't you dare-"

click.

gojo all but tosses the phone to the ground in favor of gripping your ass, fucking your pussy in earnest now. "sorry princess, gotta hurry this up before the big boss man comes looking." he grunts, taking in the way you squeeze around him. "fuck satoru, you're so-" you gasp out, about to insult him and call him an asshole but his lips find your neck and all your thoughts melt into pleasure. his teeth sink into your flesh while his tongue soothes the irritated skin.

your senses heighten, breathing quickening as your orgasm approaches. it only takes one more hard thrust before you're seeing stars, your release pulling a high pitched whine as you clench around him. "yes, baby yes. milk my cum out." gojo gets louder, a telltale sign he's close. without thinking, you grab him by the hair and kiss him, muffling both of your moans. he ruts up into your sweet cunt one last time before you feel him pulse. he groans into your mouth, pumping every last drop deep within you before he slowly lowers your legs.

he pulls your panties back into their proper spot and lets himself look as a wet spot starts to form on the fabric from where his cum is dripping out. he lets out an almost dreamy sigh at the sight. "so you're coming home with me after this mission right?" he wiggles his eyebrows, making you roll your eyes.

but yes. you would find yourself in his bed later tonight as well.

[devils-dares]

Flufftober Day 2: Left, Other Left!

summary: the task force has a team building exercise today, and you've been teamed up with the one person who hates your guts.

pairing: simon "ghost" riley x reader (platonic teammates)

warnings: strong language, getting whacked with a foam pad

wordcount: 617

a/n: written for @flufftober prompt list! going to try to catch up and stay involved.

-----

It was supposed to be some kind of stupid trust training with the task force. Walk through an obstacle course blindfolded while a partner gives you directions. Wrong move and you’ll get hit with a heavy foam pad, like a sick whack-a-mole.

You were partnered with your lieutenant.

It’s not that you hated Ghost, he was just so… difficult to be around. He always wore the damn mask and only spoke when he needed to, and it didn’t help that your personality made you want everyone’s approval. Ghost doesn’t hand out approval.

So here you were, guiding the broody soldier through the damn maze, praying to every god that you didn’t get him whacked and bruised. You’d never live it down in the task force, and you’d probably sink to the depths of hell in Ghost’s approval list. 

“Seven paces, and then a right.” He walks forward with confidence, and you’re simultaneously relieved and anxious that he’s putting this much literal blind faith into your directions.

He walks with a sort of swagger, like he’s doing whatever he wants despite your directions. So far it’s going well, he’s only brushed a course wall every now and then, and only one shoulder checked wall at the very beginning when you were still trying to get a feel on how many of your strides were one of his.

“How long is the course, rook?” Rook. You weren’t even a fucking rookie, yet he insisted on calling you that. You scowled.

“As long as it needs to be. Ten paces, left.” He takes ten paces.

“You know what, lieutenant? You’re insufferable.” You blurt out.

“I am, am I?” He chuckles. “Tell me more, Rook.”

“Make a right. I’m not a rookie, first of all. Three paces, left.”

“And secondly?”

“Six paces, right. Everyone likes me except you. And I mean everyone except you and that stupid skull mask of yours.”

“You need everyone’s approval, sugar?”

“I don’t need yours. I’d just like to know why I don’t have it.” He chuckles and stays quiet. You groan, the fucking silent treatment, of course.

“Six paces, right.”

“Thanks, Rook.”

“Okay, seriously fuck you. What’s wrong with you? I’m not a goddamn rookie, and you’re definitely not stupid enough to keep calling me that without knowing what you’re doing, so you need to cut it the fuck out and actually give me respect.”

“Ah, there it is.” His voice is heavy, a smirk apparent in his words.

“What is there? What the fuck are you on about now?” He laughs, full-chested.

“Was waiting for you to snap. Now we can be friends.”

“Oh my god, you’re a fucking maniac. This was a test? For what, fucking fortitude?”

“Yeah.” He chuckles gruffly. “I’m not above reproach, was waiting for you to snap and figure that out.”

“You’re sick in the head. Literally fucking sick, you know that? You get off on newbies yelling at you?”

“Respect is necessary, fear isn’t.”

“You’re a lunatic!”

“Give me directions.”

“Ten paces, left.” He moves, and just as he turns left, you shout “No! Other left!” But it’s too late.

He gets smacked with the foam pad, landing hard on his ass. A beat or two of silence passes until his body shakes, and full blown laughter explodes from the usually stoic lieutenant. He lays on the ground, laughing his ass off as you bury your face in your hands and shame yourself. 

“That supposed to be your version of karma?” Ghost says. “It’s gonna bruise my pretty face.”

“Nobody except your mirror will shake and scream in horror, Riley.” You respond. He continues laughing. You crack a smile.

“Get up, Ghost, we got a maze to finish.”

[kaiijo]

hiii! if the event event is still open, may i request aomine with prompt 42?

LATE NIGHT TALKING — AOMINE DAIKI

aomine daiki + we’ve been doin’ all this late night talkin’  content: fem! reader, fluff, third-year! aomine, one brief mention of throwing up (not reader or aomine), part of the spotify wrapped event notes: i recently watched the last episode of knb again and it got me emotional! again, i’m sorry this took so long and i hope you like it!

the venue is loud, the bass beat of some remixed pop song making the floor throb. you dance around with momoi and sakurai, who you learned tonight is very outgoing with a little liquid courage. you’re glad the basketball team is celebrating the end of season with the party. it also acts as an early goodbye to all of you third years. 

you glance around and shout over the music to momoi, “have you seen aomine?”

“no,” she says. “he’s probably, i don’t know, found a girl or something.”

the thought makes your stomach turn but you tell her, “i’m going to go look for him!” she nods and gives you a thumbs-up, and as you press through throngs of people, you catch one of the other third-years by the arm and ask, “can you keep an eye on those two? just make sure their safe.”

“of course,” he says and you smile gratefully as you make your way out of the main venue. 

“aomine?” you peek around the corner. there are a bunch of people milling about, but you don’t spot aomine’s dark blue hair. you wait outside the bathrooms for a minute or two, offering thin, awkward smiles whenever anyone passes by. 

you wave down one of the bartenders and ask, “have you seen my friend? really tall, really tan, blue hair?”

“yeah,” she says, pointing at a door towards the back. “i think he went up on the roof.”

you thank her and quickly make your way out. when you push open the door, you’re greeted by a warm gust of wind and the man you’ve been looking for. aomine is sprawled on the rooftop, arms folded under his head. his eyes dart up, shoulders bunching before they relax when he sees you. you crouch next to him and says, “hey, superstar.”

he scoffs at the nickname — one you’ve been calling him since you met him — but replies with a flat, “what do you need? is satsuki puking her guts out yet?”

“no, not yet. i asked yamada to keep on eye on her and sakurai so don’t worry,” you say. you poke his forehead and he rolls his eyes. “why’re you up here?”

“needed some fresh air. was getting a little too stuffy.”

“i’m surprised. you’re usually pretty in your element in places like this.”

he shrugs. “just not feeling it tonight.”

“is it because touou came second this tournament?”

“don’t remind me,” he groans. his eyes flicker up to the sky. “i feel old.”

“i would hardly call third year of high school old.”

“you know what i mean.” he leans up on his elbows. “we’re graduating.”

you huff out a quiet laugh. “yeah, it kind of unbelievable.” you move and lay next to him, mimicking his position. the lights of tokyo make it hard to make out any stars.

there’s a long lull in your conversation before aomine asks, “are you still set on going to california?”

you can’t help but let out a sigh, “yeah, i’m set.”

out of the corner of your eye, you see him frown. “is something bothering you?” you ask.

“no,” he says, shrugging again. “it just seems far, that’s all. far from everything here.”

“yeah, i guess it is.”

there’s another moment of silence and then aomine asks, “what’s it going to mean?”

“that i’m in california and not in japan?”

“no, smart ass,” he says, “i mean with, y’know…” he trails off but you know what he’s talking about. you’ve been anticipating and dreading the conversation all at the same time. whenever you think about it, you can hear your older cousins declaring that this conversation is a make-or-break for relationships — or whatever you can call what you have with aomine. 

“… with us,” aomine finally finishes. 

you heart is pounding as you ask quietly, “well, what are we exactly, aomine?”

“you’re my girlfriend.”

you shoot up straight and whir around to stare at him. “what?”

“what do you mean ‘what’?” he says, sitting up with you.

“when did we put an actual label on this?”

“did i not ask you?”

“no!”

aomine tilts his head with a certain nonchalance that you’ve come to known him for. “oh, well, do you want to be my girlfriend?”

you can’t stop the smile that blooms. “yeah, aomine, i do.”

“cool,” he says. “cool, cool, cool.”

“‘cool’?” you laugh, “that’s all you have to say, mr. cool guy?” you reach over and pinch his cheeks, pleasantly surprised by the heat you find under your fingertips. he swats your hand away in favor of catching it in his. 

“call me daiki.”

“okay, daiki, then you have to call me by my first name too.”

“wasn’t i already doing that?”

“yeah, i guess you were.”

there’s another beat of silence and he says, “you’ve didn’t answer my first question. are we going to be okay?”

“i can’t promise anything,” you reply. “but i’m willing to try.”

“me too.”

“it’s going to take a lot of effort on both our parts.”

“i know,” he says, leaning forward to peck your forehead. “but i’m willing to try.”

[someonehugratchet]

Breakdown has been gone for no less than a week when Ratchet receives a heavily encrypted message.

At first he thinks it’s nothing and it’s only years of combat through his technology and being a medic that he even spots that something is different about it.

The one difference in the file is a punctuation at the end, a single full stop that is something humans do instead of the cybertronian symbol.

He opens the file, works his way through it for over two earth hours, and when he’s finally done everyone has gone to have their shutdown and the humans are at home safe and sound.

Part of him thinks it could be a trap sent my Soundwave but there’s something in his spark that’s telling him to trust it. He’s been a doctor for years, he’s learnt that trusting your instinct is the most important part of the job. It’s a combination of prior knowledge, subconscious awareness and thinking and the thing humans call a ‘gut feeling’.

Ratchet opens the last link and finds a message that reads,

“Hello Doctor.

I am aware that we are not friends and work for opposing forces, but I am desperate. I am not sending this because I have had a change of spark or something dramatic like that, though I can’t say I have never thought of that.

No, this is far more important than any sides of a war or Megatrons foolish little game.

I am with sparkling.”

Ratchet stalls for a moment at that sentence before stealing his nerves and continuing.

“I found out around two deca-cycles ago and was afraid to tell the Sire, and now he is gone.

If Megatron finds out about this, both that I am with sparkling and that I can conceive, I will never be safe. He hasn’t been too focused on it, but we all know he has put plans in place should he have the chance to have an heir.

I’m not stupid enough to think he won’t find out, and I’m not too prideful to put my ego and desire to been correct over the life of my sparkling.

So I am asking you as both a medical professional and a close friend of Optimus for help.

I don’t need you to let me join you or live among you, but please help me get out.

I am begging you to help me make sure my sparkling doesn’t end up like Shockwave or Megatron or, Primus forbid, Starscream. I want my to have the chance to choice who it wants to be, and I know that it’s Sire would have wanted for us all to be with you Autobots.

But I have accepted this too late.

Turn me away if you wish, but please help my sparkling.

I don’t have much time and I do not want to terminate it, it’s all I have left of Breakdown.

Yours truely,

Knock-Out.”

Ratchet actually had to sit down once he’s finished reading, serve pressed to his chaises in both shock and heavy understanding. He helped many with their sparklings during the war and knew well the grief of it, even if it was never something he went through.

He sits there for a long time, considering every thing he knows, before he stands again and sends a message back with identical encryption.

“Knock-Out.

I am sorry for what you are going through, both your loss and your situation.

Whether my team wants you here or not I will find a safe place for you, this I promise you on the All Spark. I am sure Optimus will understand but we must act quickly, so listen to my instructions and I will be able to keep your family safe.”

Ratchet lays out the plan quickly and with no room for miscommunication, even going so far as to send a ground bridge for the Mech at a certain point during the next cycle.

He can deal with the teams reactions once’s he’s got Knock-Out safely out of his enemies hands.

[itwasntimethatdidit40]

@gothcsz was kind enough to tag me in this cute tag game and btw, run to see her fav things made by her and support her and her work, she’s such a brilliant writer! ♥️

And thanks to @arcanefox207 for tagging me as well! Check out her fics and gifs, I promise they’re so fucking good 🙌🏻♥️

Complimenting myself is the hardest thing I can do, I don't even know where to start. I don't think there's anyone more vehement than me in telling me how much I suck. Well, maybe my mom wins, but that's another story.

However, I will try to fight this state of mind. There are things that I have enjoyed writing and some mood board I love, I won't even venture to say they are good but there you go:

Fics:

• Perfect - because I wrote it at two in the morning crying, after listening to Omar Apollo's “Pedro” and “Glow”, it was one of the first things I posted here and apparently someone liked it thankfully. And it features a Curvy!reader which is very important to me.

• Shirt On - You know I have a soft spot for Sub!Joel and I'm glad I was able to even publish something like this.

• The right ones - I really liked writing this one. because it was my first attempt to write something with as neutral a reader as possible so that all menstruating people can identify.

• It feels like hope - With this one I had an incredible struggle because it never seemed good enough, it took me like 3 months to come down to terms with myself. Again, I'm my own biggest enemy.

• Slow - It came out in a frenzy and I love it.

• We all need someone - brought me a couple of recs that I still reread when I feel an unworthy crap typing things on a keyboard. Thank you very much to those who loved it.

• You know what I love? - I wrote it after getting very little sleep at night, it is probably far too cheesy but that is okay.

• Please - I'm very glad that I wrote this in a different way than I usually do, and I'm glad that I wrote something else that a lot of people can identify with.

•. You look like a fun place to sit, Give me more and Sensitive - Unexpectedly I'm very glad I wrote Frankie, it wasn't in my 2024 bingo card that he would become my most popular character but thank you really, I'm happy you liked him.

• Don't say a word if this word is not "please" - I wrote this one long before Gladiator 2 came out and I don't think it resembles anything that was written at the time. I'm glad I tried to do something different even though no one read it lol

• A Quiet Neighborhood - I'm glad I even had the guts to start a series, by the way, sorry I'm incredibly late in updating it but I'm trying to finish my fic for the Secret Santa and I've had a lot of work and very little time to write. I hope to have more time and focus from Thursday onward when I will at least have completed the deadlines for my second job. Thank for your patience and thanks for being so enthusiastic and supportive about it.

Mood boards:

I’m the absolute worst when it comes to Canva but I’m so proud I tried to make something and I have fun doing it.

• Be still, my foolish heart - this was my first mood board ever and I know it’s pretty lame but I love it 🥲

• Shirt On - I don’t know why but I love this mood board LOL

• It feels like hope - again, pretty bad but I love the dark vibe in it and I love that Joel pic so much

• Something Rotten - I think it was pretty on point with the fic lol I like it

• Waffles for breakfast- I don’t know, it looks cozy like the fic itself

• A good grade - I loved making this mood board and it looks pretty decent

• A quiet neighborhood - I don’t know, I think it encapsulates pretty well what I have in mind

• Forget the horror here - I just love it lol

Tag game:

I loved the Front Covers tag game and I loved how they turned out.

Special mention to this one that I made with an edit by @aurorawritestoescape I’m still so honored that you sent this to me thinking of my fic 🥰

Thank you to every single person who has supported me, reblogged and commented on the things I write, we know it's critical to getting views in this chaos that is Tumblr, if anyone reads me I owe it only to you, especially those who reblogged me from the beginning, you know who you are and I love you so much.

Again, I know I'm still a small account even though I have a lot more followers than I think I deserve and there’s so many people a lot more talented than me in this place but thank you for trying to convince me otherwise and for keeping me going, maybe one day I'll believe it too. You’re really truly fucking special and I hope you know ♥️

NPT: @milla-frenchy @aurorawritestoescape @baronessvonglitter @almostempty @cas-readsandwrites @probablyreadinsmut @thundermartini @joelmillerisapunk @mountainsandmayhem @penascigarette @evolnoomym @syd-djarin and whoever wants to do this consider yourself being tagged by me.

(Sorry if you’ve been tagged already, I’m the usual mess 😅)

[differentpostrebel]

Lost and Found: A Pirates Promise

Chapter 50: Not Enough

This part when he finds out about pudding and the truth makes me so sad, like I just want to hold him.

A/N:  And we are back at it again with another chapter! This is the most gut wrenching chapter I have written by far, as temptation and weakness occurred. This will quite literally shape the whole dynamic, remember that pudding is 21 for this fanfiction. And when I tell you shit is hitting fans as we speak! we got a bunch of POVs, Sanji, Y/N, Nami, and Ichiji. Thank you guys so much for following, reading, commenting, liking and reblogging this fic! I love writing it so i'm glad you guys are enjoying it too! Now without further ado let the adventure begin! 

Sanji x Reader, One Piece X Reader, Sanji X Y/N

Nami POV… 

“Let me go! You bastard!” Luffy gritted his teeth, struggling against the bindings that kept him trapped. The frustration in his voice was palpable. “Hey, warty head! Let me out! I gotta go save Y/N and wait for Sanji!” He kept biting at the bars of the cell, his desperation only fueling my own.

“Oh, fancy seeing you here! What’s the occasion, Pudding?” said one of the guards, sneering as he looked at her.

“Pudding?” I repeated, my heart racing. “Good, now get us out of here! He’s making me mad!”  urged Luffy, glancing at me, who was still trying to shake free.

“Could you open the book? I need to say something to Luffy and Nami before the wedding,” she said, making her way inside.

“Pudding…” I began, but her sad demeanor halted my words.

“This has gone all wrong,” she said, her voice tinged with sorrow.

“Hey, what gives? We went to the coast just like you said! And in turn, Y/N got taken!” Luffy’s frustration boiled over.

“Shhh, Luffy,” I hushed him, trying to keep the situation under control. “Pudding, just tell us what’s going on.”

“My brothers and sisters… they’ve done terrible things to you,” she continued, her tone heavy with regret. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the coast like I promised…”

“We don’t blame you; just pick your head up,” I said, though doubts crept into my mind. Y/N always thought something was off about Pudding. She wasn't even mean, was she?

“There’s something I need to tell you… the truth is… I met with Sanji, and he proposed to me…” Her confession hit us like a thunderclap, leaving us all in shock.

“He made me so happy…” Pudding continued, but her smile looked forced, as if she were trying to convince herself. “But still, I know Sanji said that to be nice to me, and I’m not the only one he truly wants… he wants that prin—”

She hesitated, her expression shifting. “He wants Y/N,” she finished, her smile still plastered on her face, but there was something unsettling about it.

“That’s odd,” I thought, glancing at Luffy, who looked just as confused.

“But you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to marry him… listen… I plan… to kill Sanji and Y/N…” Her words sliced through the air, and I felt my heart drop. Tears brimmed my eyes as the weight of her revelation sank in.

“What…” I whispered, disbelief coursing through me.

“So Y/N was right about you…” I murmured again, my voice barely audible.

“Pudding, wait!” Luffy shouted, trying to make sense of it all, but it was too late.

“Well, goodbye,” she said coldly, turning on her heel and walking away from the cell, leaving us in a cloud of confusion and dread.

Ichiji POV…

"I can't believe you, idiot!" I growled, glaring at Yonji, who had once again disrupted my evening with Y/N. The frustration was palpable as we made our way to our room on the 6th floor. "This is like the third time you've interrupted!" I said, still fuming.

Yonji just laughed it off. "Relax, besides, after the wedding, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy yourselves," he said with a smirk. "Now comes the important matter—your bachelor party." He raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying his role as the instigator.

"Has anyone seen Reiju?" Yonji asked, glancing around.

"No clue," I muttered, still annoyed. "Guess she had something to take care of."

"Black tea or green tea! Choose, please!" sang the animated teapots, bustling about.

"I'd rather have some booze, really," said Niji, sitting down in one of the chairs, causing the teas to freeze in shock.

"But like if you had to choose..." they asked hesitantly.

"Black," Niji answered, and the black tea cheered. 

"Anyway, here's the real question: Where are Sanji and his nutty wife going to live after their wedding?" Yonji asked, mischief twinkling in his eyes. "And on top of that, where are you and your wife going to live, Ichiji?"

"Sanji and Pudding will live in Germa, of course. And as for me and Y/N, we'll also live in Germa," I said confidently, knowing my place in the family’s grand scheme.

"Good. That'll give me plenty of time for payback when it comes to Sanji," Yonji said, laughing as if already plotting his revenge.

"Sanji's wife is collateral," Father added, stepping into the conversation. "We'll keep her as a hostage, just in case our demands aren't met. After all, we are dealing with pirates."

"Ichiji's wife-to-be is also a pirate, Dad," Niji chimed in, leaning back with an amused grin.

"She's... a different element," Father replied, his tone more measured. "She's far too valuable to us."

"Nice, you're really on top of things," Yonji said, smirking as he exchanged a glance with Niji.

"What if Big Mom wants to keep Sanji as her hostage?" Niji asked, throwing the question out casually.

"What the hell are you saying, Niji? Sanji is useless as a hostage. Even if Big Mom were to take him, no one would give a damn," I said firmly, annoyed at the thought.

Yonji burst into laughter. "It’s going to be fun… having our little brother around," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

Niji smirked, leaning forward. "Speaking of which, Ichiji, are you going to finally claim your wife-to-be?"

I shot Niji a sharp glare, but this time, a smirk played on my lips. The challenge was there, lingering between us, but I wasn't about to let anyone push me into anything, especially not when it came to Y/N. The thought of her kept my mind sharp and my control intact. I was about to retort when there was a knock at the door.

"That's probably Ichiji's fiancée," Yonji teased, his smirk widening. "'Don’t keep her waiting,' remember?" he added.

I straightened up, casting a sideways glance at him. "Maybe it is her," I said coolly, though my pulse quickened. "We were rudely interrupted, after all."

I opened the door, expecting Y/N—perhaps ready to finish what we started—but instead, a group of women stood there. Their faces were painted with flirtatious smiles, and one of them purred, "We're the barmaids, here for the bachelor party."

"Yonji!" I growled, realizing his plan. He clearly had this all set up.

Yonji grinned widely, leaning back in his chair. "Relax, Ichiji. Let loose for once. Besides, have some fun." He waved the women inside, and they wasted no time entering the room, their voices giggling as they settled in.

"You know I don’t have time for this," I muttered, glancing at Niji and our father, who were already eyeing the drinks being poured by the barmaids. The room filled with laughter and the clink of glasses as the drinks began to flow. Soon another set of barmaids walked in. 

"Loosen up," Niji chimed in, swirling his glass. "It’s a bachelor party, not a funeral. Y/N will still be there after this."

I sat down reluctantly, my mind still on Y/N. The drinks came around, and despite my initial irritation, I took one. I wasn’t about to let them think I couldn’t handle myself, but I also had no intention of fully indulging.

"Besides," Yonji continued, smirking as a barmaid flirted with him, "you might as well enjoy this while you can. After the wedding, things will change, won’t they, Ichiji?"

I raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of my drink. "I’m more than capable of handling whatever comes after the wedding," I said, my tone calm but laced with warning. "Including her."

"That’s the spirit!" Niji laughed, raising his glass in a mock toast.

The night carried on, filled with laughter and teasing, but through it all, my thoughts never strayed far from Y/N. No matter how many drinks they pushed my way or how many barmaids tried to capture my attention, my mind kept circling back to her. The night may have been for celebrating, but I knew my real focus lay elsewhere.

As Yonji, Niji, and even Father indulged more, I maintained my distance, never allowing myself to be fully caught up in the revelry. I watched, calculated, and waited. The drinks may have flowed, but my control remained unshaken. This was just another part of the game, and I always played to win.

Soon enough, I’d make my way back to her. And when I did, it would be on my terms.

Y/N POV… 

The silence of my room felt unnerving. As I stared up at the ceiling, the storm outside seemed to mirror the turbulence in my chest. I was about to hit the shower when a knock echoed through the quiet. "That’s probably Reiju," I muttered to myself, heading toward the door. But as I opened it, there was no one there.

"Strange..." I murmured, closing the door and locking it, trying to shake off the unease crawling up my spine. The storm outside crackled with lightning, the flashes illuminating the room briefly, casting long, eerie shadows. "Damn storm," I whispered, feeling the unsettling weight of being alone pressing in on me. As I started to remove my dress, another knock came.

This time, irritation boiled in my chest. "I swear if this is a prank..." I thought, frustration evident in my steps as I opened the door again. Still, no one was there. I glanced to my left, then to my right, noticing Sanji’s room door slightly ajar.

Sanji… He had been avoiding me since that night, the night we were intimate. I thought back to the moments we shared, moments that felt raw and real. But he had vanished afterward, leaving me wondering what went wrong. My heart sank with the weight of those unanswered questions.

I made my way toward his room, each step heavy with dread and a stubborn flicker of hope that maybe—just maybe—I’d find solace, reassurance. But as I pushed the door open and stepped inside, my heart plummeted.

There, under the soft glow of the dim light, was Sanji. But he wasn’t alone. Pudding was there, entangled with him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her lips pressed against his in a way that shattered everything I held dear. My world tilted, and every ounce of trust and warmth I had for him crumbled.

Her voice, soft and breathy, broke the silence as she moaned his name, “Sanji…” Her tone was filled with a smugness that felt like a dagger to my heart. 

My breath caught, my entire body numb with the mix of emotions tearing through me—rage, betrayal, heartbreak—all crashing over me like a violent storm. My legs trembled, threatening to give way beneath me, but I forced myself to stand firm, even as my heart bled. I backed away, my foot catching on something, and the quiet sound echoed in the stillness of the room.

Pudding’s eyes flicked toward me, and to my horror, a smug smile crept onto her lips, as if she’d been waiting for this moment, relishing in my devastation. But Sanji… His face was a mask of horror, his eyes wide and stricken as they locked onto mine, pleading in a way that made my anger burn even hotter.

“Y/N… it’s… it’s not what it looks like,” he stammered, his voice shaking as he scrambled up, fumbling to button his black slacks, his hands unsteady as though he were desperate to undo this nightmare. His mouth opened and closed, at a loss for words that might somehow salvage what was already broken.

My hand moved instinctively to the blade on my thigh, my fingers gripping the hilt tightly as my heart twisted with a fury so intense it hurt. The blade responded, glowing faintly with a green hue—just like when Sabo and I last spoke back in Dressrosa. It was as if the weapon knew my pain, shared in it, amplified the strength I needed to stand my ground.

Sanji took a step toward me, his face wracked with anguish, his hand reaching out. “Princess…” he whispered, his tone soft, broken, as if he could mend me with that single word.

But the sound of it only made the hurt sharper, cutting into me like glass. I slapped him before I even registered the movement, my palm connecting with his cheek in a burst of pent-up pain and fury.

“Don’t call me that!” I spat, my voice razor-sharp, laced with venom.

Sanji staggered, his face a mix of shock and shame, his eyes wide as he held a hand to his cheek where my slap had landed. His mouth opened, his voice faltering. “Y/N, please… let me explain. It’s not… I—”

I didn’t want to hear his excuses. The ache in my chest had become a burning pit of anger. “I hope it was worth it, Sanji. I trusted you. I loved you,” I choked out, each word searing with betrayal. “But clearly, I was never enough. Was I?”

“No, it’s not like that!” His voice was desperate, pleading, but I was past caring. His explanations, his apologies—they meant nothing now.I stormed out of his room, my hands trembling as I made my way back to mine. But Sanji was right behind me, hot on my trail, refusing to let me walk away.

Just as I was about to close my door, he barged in, locking it behind him. "Get out!" I yelled, not wanting to be near him.

"Not until you hear me out!" he pleaded, his voice a mixture of desperation and frustration.

"Fine, then I'll leave," I spat, turning toward the balcony. The rain was pouring heavily now, the storm at its peak. I stepped outside, feeling the cold rain drench me immediately, but it was nothing compared to the storm raging inside me.

"Y/N, what are you doing?" Sanji called after me, his voice cracking with panic.

But I didn’t respond. My left hand clenched tightly, my body vibrating with energy and fury, and without thinking, I leaped into the air, landing firmly on the soaked ground below. The rain fell in sheets, quickly soaking me to the bone, but I didn’t care. I turned back, my chest heaving with hurt and anger, the cold rain mixing with the hot tears that had finally spilled over.

"Y/N!" Sanji’s voice echoed as he leaped down after me, his figure drenched in the downpour.

I turned and ran, not knowing where, but knowing I needed to get away. Away from him, away from the pain. Away from everything.

As I ran, my heart raced with a mix of emotions. The cold rain slapped against my skin, but it couldn’t wash away the betrayal I felt. Just as I rounded a corner, I felt a hand grip my arm, yanking me back with force. I stumbled, turning to find Sanji’s intense gaze locked onto mine.

“Y/N!” he gasped, breathless. “Please, just listen to me.”

I pulled my arm away, my heart pounding in my chest. “What more could you possibly say, Sanji?” I snapped, my voice trembling with the weight of my hurt. “You just... you just betrayed me!”

“I know,” he replied, his voice a mix of desperation and pain. “It was a moment of weakness. I didn’t mean for it to happen. Please, I’m begging you… just forgive me.”

“Forgive you?” I scoffed, anger flaring inside me like a wildfire. “After what I saw? You think I can just forget about it?”

The rain continued to pour around us, lightning flashing above, casting a fleeting purple hue across his face. I could see the devastation etched into his features, a broken man standing before me, vulnerable and remorseful. The sight was painful, almost enough to soften my heart, but I couldn’t let it.

“And on top of that,” I began, my voice breaking slightly, “you left me alone that night… after we were intimate.” I swallowed hard, my mind piecing together the puzzle. “Oh god, you were with her that night too, weren’t you? You left me, and you never came back. So everything you told me… everything we had, was a lie…” I whispered, the realization hitting me harder than I expected. “Zoro was right…” The words slipped from my mouth, barely audible, but Sanji caught wind of it immediately.

“Zoro?” he repeated, his tone shifting, but I could see the hurt in his eyes at hearing that name. The tension between them had always been palpable, but now, in the midst of this storm, it felt like another wedge driven between us.

“I just need time,” I admitted, feeling exhaustion weighing heavily on my shoulders. “I just want to be alone.”

Sanji shook his head, his expression resolute, even amidst the chaos of the storm. “I’m not leaving you,” he stated firmly, stepping closer until the space between us was almost nonexistent.

“Sanji, I—”

“You can hit me, yell at me, scream at me,” he interrupted, his voice raw, “but I will not lose you. I made a mistake, and if I could take it back, hell, I would.”

His words struck a chord within me, a mixture of sorrow and anger swirling in my chest. I could feel my resolve beginning to waver, the rage battling against the flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, he truly understood the gravity of what he’d done.

“Do you even realize how much you’ve hurt me?” I shot back, my voice thick with emotion. “You don’t just get to ask for forgiveness like that!”

“I know,” he said softly, his eyes searching mine. “And I’m prepared to face the consequences. Just… give me a chance. I’ll do anything to make it right.”

My heart raced as I searched his gaze, searching for a hint of insincerity but finding none. I could see the sincerity in his eyes, the pain he felt mirrored in my own.

As the rain continued to drench us, I took a shaky breath, forcing myself to remain steady amidst the storm of emotions. “I can’t just forgive you, Sanji. Not right now. I need time to process this.”

He nodded, accepting my words, but there was a flicker of hope in his expression. “I’ll wait. I’ll give you all the time you need. Just… please don’t shut me out completely.”

I looked away, the weight of his words heavy on my heart. “I can’t make any promises right now. I just feel so lost.”

“I’ll be here, Y/N,” he said softly, pulling me in closer, wrapping his arms around me in a protective embrace. The warmth of his body contrasted with the cold rain pouring down, but I felt torn—safe in his arms yet utterly betrayed.

As we stood together, wrapped in a storm of our own making, I felt a flicker of hope amid the devastation. Maybe in time, we could find our way back to each other. But for now, I needed space to breathe and heal, and he seemed willing to let me find my own path, even if it meant stepping back from what we had.

The rain continued to pour around us, washing away the remnants of that night, but I knew the scars would linger.

“Let’s head back; we wouldn’t want to catch a cold,” Sanji said, trying to lighten the mood with a soft smile, but it didn’t quite reach my heart.

I nodded, preparing to leap back to my room and create some distance between us. However, before I could take off, Sanji grabbed my wrist and, in an instant, used his Sky Walk ability to carry us back to my room. The sensation was familiar, yet this time, it felt heavy with unspoken words.

As we landed, he quickly closed the balcony window, shutting out the storm and the chaos from outside. I turned away, my heart still racing—not from the thrill of his ability, but from the turmoil inside me. The cold water from the rain had seeped through my clothes, and now the chill in my room wrapped around me like a heavy blanket, amplifying my discomfort.

Sanji handed me a towel, and I took it with trembling hands, drying off as best I could. “Sanji, I would like for you to give me space for tonight...” I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I felt the weight of my emotions crashing down.

“Y/N…” he started, but I cut him off.

“Please…” I murmured, my eyes pleading for him to understand.

He hesitated, the conflict evident in his expression. Finally, he nodded, but there was a sorrowful look in his eyes that made my heart ache. Then, he leaned in and kissed my forehead, a gentle gesture filled with warmth. It would have been enough to soften my resolve in any other moment, but right now, it only deepened the emptiness I felt inside.

“Goodnight,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

As he stepped back, I felt an overwhelming wave of longing wash over me. My heart yearned for the affection he had always shown, but the betrayal still stung like a fresh wound. I watched as he lingered at the door, his back turned to me, almost as if he wanted to say more but was holding back.

“Sanji…” I started, but the words caught in my throat. What was there to say? I felt so lost, teetering on the edge of forgiveness and fury.

He finally walked out, closing the door gently behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The silence in the room was deafening, and the weight of my heartache settled in the pit of my stomach. I wrapped the towel around myself, feeling the damp fabric cling to my skin.

As I stood there, staring at the closed door, I realized how much I wanted to forgive him, how desperately I wanted to go back to the way things were before. But trust, once broken, was not so easily mended. I sank onto the edge of my bed, feeling utterly empty and exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

After a moment of quiet reflection, I changed out of my wet clothes into a fitted vest crop top and a khaki skirt. The cool fabric felt like a relief against my damp skin, yet it couldn’t fully shake off the chill of what had just happened.

"Maybe I can talk to Reiju about all this," I thought, a small flicker of hope igniting in my chest. Although I didn’t know her for long, I felt a sense that I could trust her. She did buy me time to find where Luffy and Nami were, and I found my blade, too.

With that thought in mind, I got up from my bed and began to search for Reiju in each hall of the mansion. As I walked, the echo of my footsteps reverberated through the empty corridors, heightening my sense of unease. Suddenly, I spotted a familiar figure with pink hair, walking with a slight limp, almost as if she was injured.

“Re…” I started to call out, but I quickly hid behind a corner as I noticed Pudding approaching her, a sly smile on her face. My heart raced as I watched the scene unfold, tension tightening my chest. Pudding took Reiju’s arm and guided her toward her room, her expression dripping with an unsettling mixture of concern and mischief.

Something’s off around here... and I’m going to find out what, I thought, determination surging through me. I carefully peeked around the corner, eyeing which room Pudding was leading Reiju into. It was crucial that I made my next move count.

Sanji POV.. 

I have no words to describe what I just did, let alone the enormity of my actions. It all happened so fast. One minute, Pudding was in my room, and the next, we were tangled in each other’s arms, sharing a moment of pure intimacy. Sure, she is going to be my soon-to-be wife, but still... I fell into a moment of pure weakness.

To make matters worse, Y/N walked in on us. I’ll never forget the look of pain and hurt I caused her. It wasn’t like the time I told her she meant nothing to me when Ichiji took her. No, this was pure and utter heartbreak. It was as if her whole being shattered in an instant.

How can I live with myself knowing I committed this?

Now, here I am, alone in my room, staring at the walls that suddenly feel like they’re closing in on me. Pudding must have left, frightened by the idea of someone walking in on us—especially Y/N. What was I thinking? I should go find Pudding and at least offer her an apology too, I thought, pacing back and forth, my third cigarette hanging between my fingers.

Maybe I can cook her a meal too... But no amount of anything could ease the pain and unworthiness of what I had done, how I had shattered Y/N.

My princess...

Suddenly, a knock on the door broke through my thoughts. My heart raced. Could it be Y/N? Maybe she had some time to think and came to say she forgives me? I opened the door, my breath hitching in anticipation, only to be met by a chess piece soldier.

"I have some news," he said, stepping into the room.

My heart sank as he continued, "Strawhat and the cat burglar have been caught, and the Jaguar and Soul King have been causing chaos."

Shock washed over me. This can't be happening. Big Mom gave me her word to let them go if the wedding goes smoothly. How could it be falling apart already?

The soldier's expression hardened, and he added, "Also, some of the soldiers and guards have been electrocuted, and the ties lead up to your crewmate, Princess Y/N."

The mention of her name caused my heart to flicker, a painful reminder of the chaos that surrounded us. But I stayed quiet, my thoughts racing with dread.

"That's enough..." I muttered, slamming the door in the soldier's face. I couldn't let this news shake me any further. Y/N needed me, whether she knew it or not.

I turned to the kitchen, my sanctuary, and tried to focus. Cooking always helps me think. I quickly gathered the ingredients, my hands moving instinctively. I had to make something special for Pudding—something that would show her I still cared, despite everything that had happened. But deep down, my thoughts were consumed with Y/N and the danger she might be in.

As I chopped vegetables and seasoned the meat, my mind drifted back to the sight of Y/N standing in my doorway, the heartbreak etched on her face. How could I have let it come to this? Each slice of the knife felt like a reminder of my betrayal, the weight of it heavy on my shoulders.

Nami POV…

"Luffy, stop! You can't keep this up!" I shouted, desperation creeping into my voice. My heart raced as I watched him struggle against the restraints, his determination unwavering despite the dire situation we found ourselves in.

"We'll sit here and suffer until Big Mom does what she wants with us! I refuse to die like that!" Luffy retorted, his eyes blazing with defiance. I knew that fire in him; it was the same spirit that drove him to fight against the odds time and time again. But this was different.

"I don't want to see you tear your own hands off!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face. The thought of him hurting himself—of losing him—was unbearable.

"Then let me do this my way! I refuse to die!" Luffy insisted, his voice filled with anger and frustration.

"No!!" I cried, my heart breaking as I pleaded for a miracle. I couldn't stand to watch him put himself in danger like this, especially after everything we had been through. The weight of our predicament pressed down on me, the walls of our confinement closing in.

Sanji POV… 

I looked at the bento box I created in shock. "Shoot, I carried away and made way too much," I muttered, taking in the colorful array of dishes I had prepared. "I don’t think Pudding’s appetite is this big… oh well, if she can’t finish it, maybe I can help." I began to place the wine, tangerines, and chocolate in the basket, imagining how the conversation would go. This meal was my chance to apologize, to make things right between us.

With the basket in hand, I walked out and made my way toward Pudding's room. As I approached the door, I could feel my heart race, anxiety mixing with hope.

"And just what do you want, lover boy?" came the sarcastic voice of the chocolate door.

"I came to see Pudding," I said, trying to sound casual despite the tension.

"Permission denied," she shot back.

"Please… you let me in earlier?" I asked, confusion creeping into my tone.

"No means no. Lady Pudding would like her privacy." The door sounded stubborn, and I felt my patience wearing thin.

Feeling defeated, I turned around and leaned against the wall, pulling out a cigarette to calm my nerves. "Wait a minute… I think there’s a balcony outside her room…" I thought, a flicker of determination igniting within me.

With the rain falling gently around me, I made my way toward Pudding’s window, hoping for a glimpse inside. I could hear her laughter float through the air, a sound that momentarily eased my anxiety. "Good, she must be in a good mood then," I mused.

But then something startled me. "Reiju? What’s she doing here…?" I muttered as I continued to look through the window into Pudding’s room.

Pudding’s voice rose, filled with frustration. "You cannot honestly believe I would marry that lowlife pirate?! You must be out of your freaking mind!" Her third eye peeked out, revealing the truth beneath her confident facade.

I felt my heart sink at her words. It was as if each syllable sliced through me, revealing her true intentions. I leaned in closer, listening intently.

Y/N POV… 

I couldn’t believe this asshole. Peeking once more at Pudding’s door, I spotted Sanji bringing her a basket of food. “So he brings her food, while I get left with a heartbreak!” The jealousy and frustration bubbled within me, but I shook my head, forcing myself to refocus. “No time to be mad now.”

I slowly peeked again, and to my surprise, Sanji walked in a different direction. “Great, now it’s my turn.” I thought, feeling the determination surge through me. Grabbing my blade, I noticed a new color begin to form—Violet. “Hmm, this is new.” It pulsed with energy as I emerged from my hiding spot, heading straight for the chocolate door.

“What do you want?” the door asked, its voice dripping with sarcasm.

With a swift slash, I sliced through the chocolate, removing the homie’s face. “Now, to listen behind the door,” I muttered to myself. “Don’t worry, Reiju…”

I leaned closer, hearing Pudding’s voice through the door. “You cannot honestly believe I would marry that lowlife pirate?!”

“She was talking about Sanji,” I thought, a surge of protective rage coursing through me. “Not a chance in hell!” she continued. 

“I’m one of Mama’s favorites, you know, because of my acting,” Pudding continued, her voice filled with arrogance.

“I knew this bitch was hiding something.” Rage ignited within me, but alongside it was a twisted sense of satisfaction. “I was right.”

“It was almost too easy tricking those Straw Hats! All except for one, that is... that bitch Y/N,” she said, laughter dripping from her words.

I chuckled lowly, “Just wait until I get my hands on you. It’s one thing to mess with me, but with my crew!”

“And Germa 66 is supposed to be an evil army! Keep living in your fantasy world! Mama only wants two things from you: your clone soldiers and your vast scientific technology,” Pudding said, her voice oozing condescension.

“Damn, so even they fell for the trap too, huh?”

“Do you always listen to Mommy, Pudding?” Reiju shot back defiantly.

I smirked at her bravery. “That is exactly why we don’t need you. You took the bait just like Mama planned. At the wedding tomorrow, the entire Vinsmoke family, which includes that princess,” she spat, “will be eliminated.”

“She’s planning to kill all of us?!” My heart raced. “I knew this bitch was evil.”

“I can’t wait to kill Y/N,” Pudding laughed, pulling out a gun. The shot rang out, narrowly missing me. “This gun is designed to hit the toughest armor and shields. Your technology, along with the princess’s weapons, are no match for it.”

“I heard what she did back at the library, and I also heard of her little ‘accident.’”

“I knew she was behind all that!” I muttered, fury boiling within me. It was time to make my entrance and save Reiju.

I placed my blade back in its thigh halter, clenching my left hand as I felt the violet flames course through me. Swinging my left arm back, I punched the door, shattering it into pieces.

“My, what a lovely party you’ve got here, Pudding. Looks to me it’s missing its star player,” I said with a smirk.

I noticed Reiju’s injury as she looked at me, and I felt a surge of protectiveness. “Don’t worry, sister-in-law; this fight has been a long time coming.”

“Princess Y/N, my, my, you really are as dumb as you look,” Pudding sneered, her eyes glinting with malice.

“Reckless maybe, but never dumb. God bless my crewmates, as they saw some good in you, but as for me, well, call it a woman’s intuition,” I shot back, my resolve hardening.

“You must be still hurt after finding out what Sanji and I have been doing. And let me just say, he loved every second of it,” Pudding laughed, her words laced with cruelty. 

I clenched my fists, both electricity and flames flickering around me, crackling with raw energy. "Are we going to talk or are we going to fight?" I growled, my eyes narrowing as I braced myself.

Raiban, the carpet, was first to attack, lunging straight at me. Without a second thought, I grabbed it mid-air and shocked it, sending powerful volts coursing through its fabric. Raiban crumpled to the floor. “Who’s next?” I challenged, glaring at Pudding.

Without hesitation, she lunged at me, and we crashed to the ground, grappling fiercely. Both of us fought with everything we had, but I managed to land a solid headbutt to her skull, rendering her semi-conscious. She slumped to the floor, and I stood up, catching my breath. My eyes quickly darted to Reiju.

“Reiju, don’t worry,” I reassured her as I rushed over, noticing her wound. “Once we get out of here, we’ll get that treated.”

Reiju blinked, her expression filled with confusion. “Why would you…?” she asked weakly.

I smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood despite the situation. “You covered for me when I needed it. You even helped me. It's the least I can do.”

I carefully lifted her, preparing to make our escape. But as I turned to head toward the window, a sharp, searing pain shot through my side. I winced and let out a pained yell, my body instinctively dropping Reiju.

“Y/N! What’s wrong?” Reiju’s voice was filled with concern as she looked at me.

I clutched my side, blood seeping through my fingers. “Damn… bitch got me,” I muttered through gritted teeth, my vision blurring slightly.

Pudding stood now, her face twisted in a cruel smile as she cocked her gun. “You’re not going anywhere,” she sneered, walking over to me. “I could kill you now, but that would ruin Mama’s plan. So, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” She pressed her heel into my wound, twisting it, sending waves of pain crashing through me.

“Agh!” I screamed, still clutching my side as I struggled to keep from collapsing.

“Raiban, grab her,” Pudding ordered, and the carpet quickly complied, wrapping itself around me and lifting me onto a chair. Reiju was tied up once again, helpless.

I fought against the binds, desperate to break free. Pudding’s voice cut through the room, dripping with mockery. “Why do you want to save them? Why do you care about the failure, Sanji?” She laughed, her words stinging.

“It’s almost pathetic.”

I met her gaze, unflinching despite the agony coursing through me. “You don’t get it, Pudding,” I spat, rage boiling inside me. “Sanji may be a lot of things. Sure, he’s said hurtful things, and sure, he’s done things that have caused me heartache and pain…” My voice wavered for a moment, but I held firm.

“But I won’t let the bad things he’s done to me affect what I feel. And I won’t stand by while you continue to hurt him.” I glared at her, my voice rising with conviction. “I said it before: I’d rather die than let anyone hurt the people I love and my crew!”

Pudding’s laughter faded slightly as I continued, my voice unwavering. “Sanji isn’t a failure. He’s the kindest person there is. That’s what makes him so special. And even after everything he’s done, I… I still love him, and I still care about him!” A single tear escaped, rolling down my cheek. “No matter how many times you try to hurt me or kill me, I won’t hold a grudge against him. I smiled through the pain, feeling the truth of my words settle in.

Pudding’s face twisted in fury. “What do you know?!” she yelled, her eyes wide with rage.

I smirked, despite everything. “Because, Pudding, that man happens to be my fiancé.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. My words seemed to pierce through her cruelty, momentarily throwing her off. But the moment of shock faded as quickly as it came. “Sad and pathetic,” she muttered bitterly.

Suddenly, I felt her hands on my head, and everything went dark.

Sanji POV… 

As I continued to listen to Pudding’s true intentions and her cruel words about me, it felt like I was punched in the face. “I really hurt Y/N... my love, my princess... for someone like Pudding,” I thought, my heart sinking deeper with every word. “But... she seemed so nice…” I murmured under the falling rain, my emotions swirling like a storm inside of me.

My mind raced with regret, replaying every moment I had hurt Y/N, pushed her away, all for the sake of this lie... for a woman who had nothing but malice in her heart.

Suddenly, a loud crash broke through the sound of the pouring rain, snapping me back to reality. I peeked out from the shadows, my breath catching in my throat as I saw her—Y/N.

She stepped into the room with a confidence that made my heart skip a beat. “My, what a lovely party you’ve got here, Pudding,” Y/N smirked, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Looks to me like it’s missing its star player.”

I couldn’t help but swoon, my eyes glued to her as I took in the outfit she was wearing. Despite the dire situation, all I could think was, “Ohhh my beloved! I was a fool.” I whispered, trying to keep my voice down so they wouldn’t hear me. “Y/N... you look like a goddess.”

Pudding’s sneer cut through the air, her hatred towards Y/N obvious. “Princess Y/N, my, my… you really are as dumb as you look,” she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

But Y/N didn’t even flinch. She stood tall, her head held high as she replied, her tone calm yet filled with fire. “Reckless, maybe... but never dumb.” Her eyes gleamed as she added, “God bless my crewmates for seeing some good in you. But me? Well, call it a woman’s intuition.”

Hearing her stand up so boldly, knowing the danger she was in, stirred something in me. My chest tightened as guilt and admiration mixed within me. “She’s risking everything... again.” All for me, for the crew, for the people she loves.

I had been such a fool to hurt her, to let her think that I didn’t care. Seeing her now, standing fearless in the face of Pudding’s malice, I felt that undeniable pull in my heart. Y/N was everything I didn’t deserve but everything I could ever want.

Then, Pudding began to taunt Y/N with memories of what we had done, and I winced, bracing myself as I saw Y/N shift from confidence to a seething rage. “Are we going to talk or are we going to fight?” she growled, and I could practically feel the electricity in the air as she faced off against Raiban and Pudding. I watched, mesmerized, as she headbutted Pudding, sending the woman staggering back. “She’s been itching to fight,” I thought, my heart racing at her boldness.

Soon, Y/N made her way to Reiju. “Reiju, don’t worry. Once we get out of here, we’ll get that treated,” she said, her voice filled with concern, even in such a dire situation.

“Why would you...?” Reiju started, confusion written all over her face.

Y/N smiled that same smile I loved, one filled with warmth and kindness. “You covered for me when I needed it, you also helped me, it’s the least I can do.” Her heart was ever so big, radiating compassion even when she was in danger.

I felt a surge of admiration as Y/N carefully lifted Reiju, preparing to jump out the window. But then a gunshot rang out, and I felt my heart drop.

“Crap!” My eyes widened as I saw Y/N fall to the floor, blood seeping from her side. “Damn bitch got me…” she muttered through gritted teeth.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Pudding sneered, her gun cocked and aimed at Y/N. “I could kill you now, but that would ruin Mama’s plan, so it’ll have to wait for tomorrow.”

“Y/N!” I whispered, helplessness flooding through me as Raiban dragged her back to where Reiju sat, tied up once more. Pudding continued her assault, her words sharp and taunting. “Why do you want to save them? Why do you care about that failure, Sanji?” she spat, laughing cruelly as her words stung me deeply. I had always been the family failure, never measuring up, especially without Germa tech.

But then I heard Y/N’s voice rise above it all. “Sanji may be a lot of things. Sure, he’s said hurtful things, and he’s done things that have caused me heartache and pain…” she said, her voice unwavering despite the pain she was in. “But I won’t let the bad things he’s done to me affect what I feel. And I won’t stand by while you continue to hurt him.”

“I said it before: I’d rather die than let anyone hurt the people I love and my crew!”

“She’d rather die…” I echoed her words, my heart swelling with admiration and something else—something deeper.

“Sanji isn’t a failure. He’s the kindest person there is. And that's what makes him so special. And even after everything he’s done, I… I still love him, and I still care about him!”

My eyes widened in shock at the revelation. “Wait?!” I thought, disbelief mixing with elation. “She loves me! She really loves me!”

“No matter how much you try to hurt me, Pudding, I won’t turn against him. I won’t hold a grudge. Because that’s not who I am.”

Y/N’s words were a powerful declaration, echoing with strength despite the pain radiating through her body. I watched as Pudding’s face twisted in rage.

“What do you know?!” she screamed, losing her composure, and I felt a surge of pride for Y/N.

Y/N smirked, a fierce determination lighting her eyes. “Because, Pudding… that man happens to be my fiancé.”

My eyes widened, and I swooned once more, my heart racing at her confession. “I know my beloved said that to have everyone back off, but now it’s meant to be!” I thought, flailing my arms in silent celebration. “She acknowledges me!”

But I quickly reminded myself to stay hidden; I couldn't afford to get caught.

“Sad. Pathetic,” Pudding hissed through clenched teeth, her anger boiling over.

Then, without warning, her hand shot toward Y/N’s head. I felt my heart drop as Y/N collapsed, unconscious. “The power of the Memo-Memo Fruit,” Pudding said with a twisted grin. “I can erase and edit memories in an instant.”

I could only watch in horror as she pulled at Y/N's memories, beginning to edit them like they were mere stories on a page. She erased the memory of our time together in the rain, the intimate moments we had shared, leaving nothing but a void in their place.

“You bitch, you slept with my fiancé!” Pudding spat, sneering as she cut away pieces of our history together.

“I’ll just take this out, place it here, and leave when you caught Sanji and I. That way your rage is still palpable, and I’ll even erase when you and Sanji were outside when it was raining after finding out. ” she laughed, a cold, malicious sound that echoed through the room.

“Now, I’ll make it seem like a soldier shot you on the side when you were fighting a few days ago. And another memory here, have you in your room alone And there,” Pudding finished with a flourish, leaving Y/N to fall back into unconsciousness once more.

I felt my heart shatter as Pudding turned her attention to Reiju. “Don’t worry, Reiju, I’m not done with you either.” With that, she used the side of her gun to strike Y/N in the head, causing blood to spill.

“Throw her somewhere,” Pudding commanded, and Raiban complied, carelessly tossing Y/N toward the wall. Her body hit with a sickening thud, but her blade remained intact, casting a soft white hue even in the darkness of the moment.

“Y/N…” I whispered, emotion choking me as I felt helpless in the face of this cruelty. Tears pricked my eyes as I fought against the urge to rush out and protect her, knowing I couldn’t expose myself just yet.

As Pudding continued her twisted monologue, I felt the weight of every word she spoke sink deeper into my chest. "Can you make it a point not to make too much blood when you all die? If that wedding cake gets one splat of blood, Mama will be mad," she said with a sickening smirk. "She'd tear the place down out of fury." Her laughter rang in my ears, each word mocking me and everything I had ever stood for.

My grip on the lighter tightened, flicking it absentmindedly even as my hands trembled. The flame refused to light, a cruel reminder of the mess I had created. "Can you imagine? Sanji, trusted me, even shared an intimate moment with me, and now I point a gun at him. He doesn’t suspect a thing!" Pudding laughed gleefully, the sound making my stomach turn. She continued taunting and ridiculing me, bragging to Reiju about the way I had proposed, how easily she had manipulated me.

Tears began to well up in my eyes again, despite my attempts to keep them at bay. "In that moment of vulnerability, all I had to do was act, shed some tears, and he became putty in my hands." Pudding’s words cut deeper than any blade. My lighter flicked, over and over, but still no flame appeared.

"Oh, what a riot!" Pudding exclaimed. "The nerve of you, trying to pass him off as some kind of prince. At least give me a proper one, like Ichiji!" Her laughter rang in my ears, mocking me. I felt like the biggest fool in the world.

"I really made a mess of things, huh?" I thought, as the flicker of the lighter mirrored the flicker of hope inside me. Y/N's face flashed in my mind—her smile, her laugh, her fierce determination. She had risked everything for me, and I had hurt her over and over again.

Yet despite everything, she still chose to stand by me. "Pudding is a fraud. My friends…" My thoughts were a jumble of guilt, anger, and shame. "I’ve failed them, all of them. And her…" I couldn’t help the tears that continued to fall. "I messed up with Y/N. I did all this, and she still chose to risk everything… again."

Pudding’s cruel voice snapped me back to reality. "It must be embarrassing to have such a dim-witted brother," she sneered. Rabian and Nitro chimed in, pointing out that Reiju and Y/N were losing too much blood. "Yeah, this one’s barely conscious," they commented, and my heart clenched at the thought of Y/N lying there, vulnerable and hurt.

"Neither of them can die yet," Pudding said, cold and calculating. "The whole world needs a front-row seat to the Vinsmoke family execution."

I winced, my fists clenched tightly around the basket. Every word out of her mouth made me feel more powerless, more trapped in this nightmare.

"Listen closely, dear sister-in-law," Pudding said, her voice dripping with malice. "I won’t risk you revealing anything." With that, she used the same tactic she had on Y/N, erasing Reiju’s memories of the meeting and her attack.

I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I realized what I had just witnessed. My family, my friends—they were all in danger, and I had been blind to the truth.

I grabbed my basket and left Pudding’s window, my head spinning with everything I had just heard. I needed a moment to clear my mind, to breathe. "What have I done?" I thought, the guilt weighing down on me like never before. "I’ve got to fix this… somehow."

Nami POV…

"No! Please, no more!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face as I watched Luffy struggle. He was relentlessly trying to break free, pulling at his arms with reckless determination. "Luffy, I'm begging you! Stop! That's enough already! You're destroying your arms!" My heart pounded in fear. He was hurting himself, and I couldn’t bear to see it.

But Luffy wasn’t listening. His eyes were filled with fury and desperation. "You think I care?" he shouted back, still straining against his restraints. "I have to warn Sanji and Y/N! Y/N was right about her intuition about Pudding! She’s evil!" His voice was filled with anguish as he kept trying to free himself, his determination unwavering. "Almost there," he grunted through clenched teeth.

My heart ached. I wanted to stop him, but nothing I said would get through. He was willing to tear his own body apart to save our friends.

Suddenly, one of the guards, covered in cream, approached me. "Alright, girl, time for you to talk," he sneered, his voice dripping with malice. I turned to face him, my body tense with fear. "Huh?" I muttered.

"Mama’s instructions were clear," he continued, his eyes narrowing. "You need to tell us where Lola is."

"I won’t tell! I’d never betray my friends!" I yelled, my voice shaking but defiant. I refused to let them break me.

His lips curled into a wicked grin. "Very well, guess you want to be tortured then. I’m going to shoot you every five seconds."

My blood ran cold. "Don’t make it sound so casual!" I yelled back in horror, my voice trembling. He pulled out an arrow, the tip gleaming dangerously in the dim light. "That could kill me!" I gasped.

Suddenly, I noticed a faint violet hue glowing from the satchel I carried. My eyes widened, unsure of what was happening. But before I could process it, Luffy’s voice snapped me back.

"Hey, warty! You’ll have to get through me first! Screw you!" Luffy snarled at the guard, his fierce determination shining through despite his pain. "Don’t worry, Nami. I’m almost done breaking my arms."

"I don’t want that either!" I yelled through my tears, feeling utterly helpless. "Please, Luffy, stop!"

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and both Luffy and I froze, stunned. Who was it? Was this another enemy? My heart raced.

"Woah! I thought you were forbidden to enter!" the cream-covered guard exclaimed, just as shocked as we were. Suddenly he was knocked out in a blink of an eye. 

Luffy and I turned to see the silhouette of someone stepping into the room. Our eyes widened in disbelief.

"Jinbei!" we shouted in unison, both of us filled with a sudden rush of hope.

"Oh, Luffy, Nami," Jinbei said, his deep voice calm and reassuring.

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Great timing! Why are you here?" he asked, sounding relieved but confused.

Jinbei walked over to us, his presence steady and strong. "We have some catching up to do, but right now, you must escape," he said, his voice firm yet kind.

Relief flooded through me, and I could barely hold back my tears. "Thank you!" we both yelled in unison, feeling the weight of despair lift just a little.

Sanji POV…

I made my way quietly to the medical ward where both Reiju and Y/N were being treated. The air felt heavy with tension, and I couldn't shake the anxiety building up inside me. "Notify the Vinsmokes, they'll probably be worried," I overheard the doctor saying. "Reiju should be well after a good night's rest, and the same goes for the princess. Although her skin isn't like Germa's technology, it seems her wound is healing fast." His voice was calm but professional.

I knew I had to act quickly. I couldn't let them inform my so-called "family." I knocked out the soldier standing guard, tying him up swiftly and making sure no alarm would be raised. "You won’t be telling them anything," I thought to myself as I locked the door behind me.

My heart sank as I turned to see them—Reiju, lying on her bed, looking battered but stable, and Y/N, bandaged and motionless. Her head was wrapped in bandages, and a thick one covered her side where she had been wounded. I approached her bed slowly, my heart aching. "Y/N..." I whispered, brushing a strand of hair gently from her face. My chest tightened at the sight of her like this.

Suddenly, I heard Reiju groan softly. "Where am I...?" she muttered, slowly regaining consciousness. She blinked a few times before her eyes widened. "Sanji!" she gasped, trying to sit up but wincing in pain as she moved.

I glanced at her but didn’t leave Y/N’s side. "I... I hurt my leg," Reiju said, pulling back the blanket to reveal a bandage on her leg. Then her eyes shifted to Y/N, and the concern on her face deepened. "Y/N!" she yelled, panic filling her voice as she took in the sight of her friend’s injuries. "What happened to her?"

I stayed silent for a moment, lighting my cigarette, trying to gather my thoughts. I knew what I had to say, but it wasn’t going to be easy. "Do you recall how you got hurt or what happened?" I asked her calmly, trying to ease into the conversation.

Reiju frowned, struggling to piece things together. "I remember shouting... soldiers saying something about an intruder... and then..." Her voice trailed off, her face clouded with confusion. "I must have gotten involved," she muttered, rubbing her temple.

I stepped closer, taking a deep breath as I exhaled the smoke. "Reiju, think hard," I said, my tone serious. "Your memories… they were overwritten."

Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at me. "What do you mean?"

I met her gaze, knowing what I was about to say would shake her. "I’ll fill you in, but let me warn you... the truth is damn ugly."

Her expression hardened as she nodded, bracing herself for whatever dark truth was about to come. I looked at Y/N one last time before turning back to Reiju, preparing to reveal the twisted reality that had been hidden from her.

[pettyprocrastination]

Taste Test

Pairing: Line Cook!Simon Riley x Line Cook!Fem!Reader

Summary: Simon is warned by his manager about the dangers of a workplace romance. You are asked for your opinion on seasoning.

Warnings: profanity and smoking.

Wordcount: 1.3k

Note: take this silly little thing as an apology for my utter lack of activity lately I'm so sorry yall! Made simon a linecook as a little joke au but now its kinda stuck in my head and not leaving lmao. Big thank you to @madhyanas @thesadvampire and @yeehaw-djarin for being my beta readers and editors for this story! I smooch you all <3

__________________

Simon had just finished plating his sixth steak of the night when the manager, Elise, a woman with twitching hands and cold eyes, pokes her head into the kitchen and barks his name. 

“My office.” 

The others snicker and bump shoulders like schoolboys, calling out a jested “fuck did you do this time, Riley?” that he doesn’t bother answering with words so much as a choice hand gesture thrown into the air before he ducks under the door frame and disappears down the hall. 

“You want to tell me what I’m getting chewed out for?” Simon rasps as he tucks his hands into the front pocket of his apron, scarred fingers curling around the carton of cigarettes tucked within it. 

Elise’s office is hardly bigger than the pantry, just large enough for a rickety desk piled with bills and a chair with a threadbare cushion that was all but pressed flat. 

“I’m not reprimanding you, Simon.” 

“Is that so?” 

“Think of what I’m about to say as-” Elise tilts her head, flashing him a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “A preventive measure.” 

Simon fishes out a lighter from his back pocket as she continues. She doesn’t have the energy to tell him to stop.

“What do you think of the new hire?” 

Truthfully, nothing.

You don’t talk much outside of work. While the other cooks are content to crack jokes and tell stories of their weekend to one another as they prepare meals, you have no such social connection to anybody within the kitchen. The only moments Simon had even heard your voice was the rushed announcement of your position behind somebody or when coming around the corner. 

“She’s fine.” He takes a slow drag of his cigarette and exhales, smoke curling from his lips as he speaks. “Does her job and doesn’t bitch like the others.”

“She’s more than fine.” Elise motions to a stapled pack of paper on her desk. 

 “Kid went to culinary school, trained under some big fucking names and even worked at some five-star joints before coming here. All her previous employers say she’s a hard worker who picks up shifts and doesn’t cause trouble.” 

She picks up the paper and points it towards the six foot four cook hunched in her doorway.

“Which is exactly why I’m telling you now that she is off-fucking-limits to you.” 

Simon bites down on his cigarette. “S’cuse me?” 

“Don’t play coy, Riley. You’re far too fucking grown to pretend you don’t know what you do.” 

He does know. Simon is more than aware of the past flings he’s had with multiple servers, none of which have ended on a positive note and all of which resulted in a souring work environment until they up and quit - leaving front of house understaffed until the next poor bastard walked through the door asking about the Help Wanted sign hung outside. 

But the blame can’t be on him entirely, that is. Each doe-eyed waitress entered a fling with the cook knowing good and well what his intentions were, because he had no issue with saying it right to their face. 

‘I’m not looking for a relationship.’ 

Simon is a blunt man. He tells people what he wants because in a world full of dragging feet and double entendres, he values efficiency and honesty above all else. 

“Listen, I’ve never stopped you from dipping your hand in the cookie jar before, but this?” She waves your resume in front of him again. “This right here? Off-limits. If you run this poor girl out and leave us understaffed for the Sunday rush I will fucking gut you myself, Simon.” 

It’s only been a week and a half since you’ve started working with them. Part of him wants to laugh at Elise’s exasperated accusation. That somehow, in the midst of chaotic shifts where several customers complain and a few bar patrons get rowdy enough for him to have to drag them out by the collar, he’d be able to find the fucking time to learn your goddamn name, let alone sweettalk his way between your legs. 

But then he remembers the muffled laugh you hid in your sleeve yesterday when listening to the dishwasher crack jokes during the lunch rush and how you tap the side of your apron in a constant rhythm when looking for something within the kitchen. Simon interrupts his own thoughts and frowns, mildly surprised about just how much he noticed of you from the corner of his eye during the daily lunch rush. Had Elise said nothing, he wouldn’t have cast a second glance in your direction. But now?

“Simon! Are you listening?” 

She may have just cursed herself. 

“Yeah-” He stamps his cigarette out on the ceramic tray on her desk, offering her a dry clip of his voice before turning on his heel. “No fucking the new cook until we find coverage, got it.” 

Simon narrowly avoids a stapler being thrown in his direction before ducking out of her office and back into the kitchen where his coworker grins at him from the sink. 

“So? She fire your dumbass yet?” 

Across the kitchen, you cut onions with a flicking wrist that never ceased movement, brows furrowed and mumbling to yourself. 

Simon hums. 

You’re quite pretty. 

“Not yet.” He rumbles. “She likes my smile too much.” 

You spare Simon a glance as he settles back into his work station next to you before you resume cutting. He notices there’s a scar on your bottom lip, a little sliver of raised skin that goes from the bottom of your chin to the swell of your lower lip. 

“Hey.” 

His voice shakes you from your focus, hands freezing as you turn to look at him, lightly craning your neck to meet his eyes. 

Simon holds out a spoon to you, the other scarred hand hovering beneath to keep it from spilling. 

“Mind giving your opinion? Can’t tell if it needs more garlic.”

There’s a moment where your brows cinch together and you look at him with caution, as if to sniff out any sort of deceit within his offer before you mumble, “Yeah, yeah, okay,” and lean forward. 

There’s no need for him to feed you. You’re a fully grown woman who could take the spoon from his hand with no issue, but Simon finds himself guiding it to your mouth and letting his other hand tuck under your chin in an affectionate gesture far too intimate for the back kitchen of a local restaurant. 

Simon is sure that Elise has cursed him too. He hadn’t given you a second glance or a spare thought since your first day. But now, he watches your eyes flutter shut as you hum at his cooking. 

“Good?” he asks. 

Your tongue darts out to catch a stray droplet of sauce on your lower lip. “Good.” Your lips purse like you have something more to say and you raise your hand, pinching your pointer finger to your thumb in a universal gesture. 

“Could use just a bit more garlic though.” 

There’s a brief moment after you speak where panic fills your eyes as Simon says nothing. Frantic thoughts fill your brain, wondering if that was some sort of test for the new hire that you had failed due to your own personal tastes until the man that towers over you nods. 

“More garlic.” He echoes. With a short nod of his head, he turns back to his station without another word. 

Simon doesn’t speak to you again for the rest of your shift yet at times during the night, where an unexpected pause takes over the kitchen for a brief but appreciated moment of silence, you feel his gaze on the back of your neck. 

When the time of the night comes to hang up your apron and slip through the backdoor, he joins you without a word. A large looming shadow walking in step with your own, unexpected but not unwelcome. He bids you a rasped “ ‘Night” before turning to his car as you unlock your own, offering him a mimic of his words before you drive home. 

You notice in the reflection of your rear view mirror that he doesn’t leave the parking lot right away. But rather chose to wait until you do to finally depart. 

[theemporium]

can i request #69 with remus lupin please?

69. “if you interrupt me one more time— so help me god”

.

Your patience could only be spread so far—but this?

Yeah no, this was your fucking limit. 

You had slept in this morning because you were up late finishing off an essay for potions that had become the bane of your existence. You didn’t get a chance to eat a proper meal between classes and use any spare time in the library to hand in old books that were definitely past their due date. People kept barging into you in the hallways and a particular rough collision with the Hufflepuff keeper sent your book bag flying across the corridor. And on top of everything, dinner just had to be the one meal you despised the most in the week which was just the cherry on the fucking cake. 

And just when you thought you could finally crawl into bed and forget this day even happened, you stepped into the Gryffindor common room only to find it already in chaos thanks to another marauder prank gone slightly ary. 

“I’m not dealing with this,” you stated simply as you shot a look at the boys before beginning to make your way towards your room. 

“Darling—” 

“No, Remus, I don’t want to hear it,” you muttered as you barged past them, heading towards the staircase but you knew very well that the boy was quick to follow you.

Your bag was dumped beside your bed the second you reached your dorm room, somewhat glad to find it empty as you began to helplessly pull at the knot of your tie, only to get quickly frustrated when you seemed unable to complete a simple task. 

“Let me—” Remus murmured softly as he stopped right in front of you.

“I can do it myself,” you huffed out, stepping out of his grasp as you tugged on the tie once again but the knot didn’t budge. 

Remus sighed. “Sweetheart, you’re going to hurt—”

“I said I can do it myself,”  you snapped again, something quite like guilt blossoming deep in your gut at your tone but you couldn’t bring yourself to take it back just yet.

“If you interrupt me one more time—so help me god,” Remus grumbled, slapping your hands away before you got the chance to argue with him further and made quick move of unknotting your tie and chucking the fabric onto the bed. His fingers unbuttoned the top few buttons with ease before he was pulling your bobble free, running his hands through your hair as the tension of your ponytail slowly faded.

“Fuck,” you murmured with a deep sigh, your eyes falling shut as your boyfriend’s fingers lightly scratched your scalp.

“Tell me what’s wrong, love,” Remus murmured softly as he pulled you closer, your head resting against his chest as your body slumped against his.

“I’ve had a horrible day and I just want it to end,” you whined into the fabric of his sweater, your words slightly muffled but he understood every single one of them. “I’m just tired and everything is annoying me and I just…I just want this day to end.” 

“We all have our days, love, it happens,” he murmured and pressed a lingering kiss to the top of your head. “I’m sorry me and the boys made it more stressful.”

“You were just having fun,” you said with a shake of your head. 

“How does my girl feel like a nice long bath, hm?” Remus suggested in a hushed whisper, head dipping so his lips were brushing against your ear. “We can sneak into the prefect bathroom and use that nice soap you like.” 

You could have groaned. “That sounds perfect, baby.”

“And then I can really help you relax,” he continued, one of his hands sliding down your back and resting just above the curve of your ass. “Fuck my girl dumb until there’s no thoughts in that pretty head for you to worry about, yeah?” 

“Remus,” you whined, thighs clenching together on instinct.

His grin was wolfish. “Hmm, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? C’mon, baby, let’s go help you relax.”

.

[hmsdoodlin]

BEAT HIS ASS!

Mind and Heart, violence, choking, angst, 614 words, Heart gets belittled (deserved)

Title is a placeholder, I’m not good with titles :P

——————————————————————-

“[The difference between you and me-]” Mind tightens his grip on Hearts neck, ignoring the man’s sputtering and writhing beneath him. “[-Is impulse control.]”

As if to prove a point he loosens his hold for a moment, allowing the moon to get a gasp of air before sealing his windpipe again.

He stared at the man beneath him, bloody nose spilling all over Minds hands as Hearts grip squeezed around slippery purple metal.

“[If I could ensure our hosts survival without you I’d gut you like a fish right here and now.]”

Heart stilled for a moment, seemingly taken aback by the brutal confession. Either that or he was finally losing consciousness, Mind couldn’t really tell. He loosened his grip once again as Heart sneered back at him, teeth barred in a threatening display.

(I’ll kill you) it says, Minds scowl deepens, he knows it’s the truth.

“[You are an animal, you try to ruin me any chance you get. No fear of repercussions, not the semblance of an idea of damage control if you’d successfully cave my head in under your fists. Pure, unfiltered delirious rage.]”

Heart reared up with a burst of energy, snapping at Minds face with yellowed fangs. Mind pulled himself back out of instinct, struggling to overpower the beast beneath him. Heart was always the strongest between them, and he had to force his entire body weight onto him as he slammed his head back to the floor with a staticky hiss.

“[I have carefully planned your death a thousand times over in my brain. There is no half assed attempt at a grave and the blind hope for things to go smoothly. My plans disintegrate your very existence within seconds, reducing you only to Souls memory. There will be no crying, no regret. Just apathy.]”

[I wouldn’t regret it like you did.]

The words hang heavy on his tongue, biting back vile curses and pools of venom. If he could kill Heart there would be no tears or begging for forgiveness, he wouldn’t fall back in shock at his own doing and stare in terror. Even when he had won, Mind bleeding and gasping underneath him, Heart fell victim to his nature and fumbled instead of finishing the job for good.

That’s why he failed.

That’s why Mind would succeed.

He felt Hearts heartbeat through the fabric of his hoodie, loud and erratic as he refused to relent. Mind knew he couldn’t keep this up forever, so he gave one final shove downwards. Pressing Hearts throat as close to the ground as possible, squeezing with as much strength he could muster. He couldn’t feel the skin beneath his fingertips, perhaps that made it easier to pretend his neck was an object far removed from anything alive or human.

The moon thrashed a few times more before going limp, only after a few calculated moments did Mind let go and shakily stagger backwards. Heart clutched at his throat, turning over while coughing his lungs out. Saliva and tears coated the floor beneath him, gasping for air as he heaved.

Mind felt nothing, stepping back to see his work while breathing heavily. A part of him expected to feel victorious, prideful and excited that he had finally given Heart a taste of his own medicine. But he felt oddly empty as he watched the show beneath him. There was no joy to be found here.

“[I haven’t killed you yet because we need you in order to live. You can never kill me. We are not the same.]”

And with that he left, the sounds of labored sobs eventually becoming too much to bear as he limped away without turning back.

[reminiscingtonight]

Half A World Away (Pt. 2)

Lucy Bronze x Reader

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: Bet y’all thought I forgot about this, didn’t you?

Part One

[WOSO Masterlist]

“You left.”

The last thing you thought after accepting the party invite was that you’d run into your ex.

Okay that’s a bit of a lie, given the fact that you know how close Jordan and Lucy are. Or the fact that this was clearly a Lionesses party. They were celebrating their World Cup win so it would’ve been weird not to expect one of the newly crowned winners to be at the party. 

But the last thing you thought was that Lucy would actually seek you out and corner you in the bathroom minutes after you and the rest of your entourage entered the bar. Like you have to go when you have to go, but something about how the door slams open not even a minute after you enter tells you that Lucy definitely did not need to pee.

Lucy sounds accusatory. Angry. But all you can see is the hurt deep within her eyes.

You knew it was a gamble, leaving England without telling Lucy. But the two of you shared many friends. She was bound to hear about it eventually. Plus, it’s not like you had any obligations to tell her. She threw away any rights she had to know about your life when she broke up with you.

Still, you can’t help but snap back. “You left first.”

“I came back and you were gone.” Something about Lucy’s tone has you narrowing your eyes at her. “When Jordan told me you left Arsenal I didn’t believe her. But I came back and you weren’t here.”

“Are you serious right now?” you scoff. “You left first, Lucy. You. Not me. Don’t try to make me out as the villain when we both know it’s not true.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do.”

“Then what are you doing?”

Lucy’s silent for a moment as she ponders your words. You’re expecting slouched shoulders, a despondent sigh, a mumbled excuse. Instead, Lucy squares her shoulders, and then what she says feels like a suckerpunch straight to the gut. 

“I love you.”

You don’t allow yourself the luxury to bask in her declaration. So what if she loves you? Those words used to make your heart sing, they still do, but they also come with the sharp reminder that she threw it all away. And for what? 

“Why now?”

“What?” Lucy looks taken off guard, not expecting such a short response to her admittance of love.

“Why now?” you repeat, ire growing with every second. “What’s changed, Lucy? Because from my point of view, nothing has. The only difference is while you’re still in Spain, I’m in the United States now.”

Lucy goes to interrupt you but you don’t let her.

“Distance is something you didn’t want to do,” you remind her. Lucy’s face falls at your words. “Seattle’s much further than London is, so as far as I’m aware, nothing has changed.”

Sighing, you lean against the sink. Lucy looks properly chastised by now, and as much as you hated kicking a girl when she was down, there was still one burning question on the tip of your tongue. 

“You know, Jordan told me about your plans to propose.”

If possible, Lucy’s face pales even more. 

“I spent weeks wondering why you never did, why you broke up with me instead of trying to make the distance work. God knows you loved me enough to ask me to marry you, you should’ve loved me enough to want to make this work.”

You wipe angrily at your face, catching a few tears of frustration before they could slip down your cheeks. 

Lucy’s hand comes forward, instinctive in her attempts to soothe you. You jerk away before she can make contact. As much as you crave her touch, you know you can’t let your heart rule your actions. 

The hurt in her eyes instantly makes you regret your actions, but neither of you have a chance to do or say anything else before the door is slamming open. 

Jill pauses, eyes darting between the two of you. 

“Oh, sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt.” The tension in the room is clear enough that Jill knows something’s going on. 

“Don’t worry about it, we were just finishing up.” 

Before Lucy can stop you, you’re pushing right past her and back into the bar. You pretend you can’t feel Lucy’s gaze following you through the crowd.  

---

It’s the pounding that wakes you up. 

Shooting up in bed, your legs tangle in the sheets before you can get your bearings. You hit the floor with a thump, letting out an annoyed groan. 

You don’t remember what time you got back from the party. 

Everything after you left the bathroom is a blur. The shots you took. The dancing. The partying.

Really, all of it helped to serve a dual purpose. On one hand, you had to battle the disappointment of not winning the World Cup. It was crushing, being so close but not making it out of the semi-finals. But on the other, the partying was especially helpful in masking the big Lucy-sized hole in your life. 

The last thing you remember is Rose shoving you into your bed, muttering something about how you owe her fifty cups of coffee when you get back home. 

You yank open the door, ready to tell off the person on the other side. You’re left blinking blearily through the bright hallway lights when you realize who it is. 

“I miss the way you used to smile at me.”

Lucy looks like she came straight from the afterparty. She’s still dressed in the same clothes she was wearing when she cornered you in the bathroom earlier. 

You didn’t have a chance to admire it before. She looks dashing. Hot. She always does. You were too busy trying not to cry earlier that you didn’t really get a good look at her. 

But in your still half-asleep daze, you can’t help but appreciate the way she looks right now. 

“I miss waking up to you lying on top of me.”

You’re actively aware of how underdressed you are. There’s a slight draft coming in from the hotel hallway and you have to fight the urge to burrow yourself back into your blankets.

“I miss everything about you, and I don’t think I ever told you how much I loved you when I still had the chance to.”

It’s that sentence that jolts you back into the present. You suddenly remember where you are, who is in front of you, and the words she’s saying.

“Lucy--”

“I love you.” This time when she interrupts you, there’s a look of determination in her eyes. “There isn’t a moment I stopped. And you’re right. I wanted to ask you to marry me. I still do. But the truth was, I-- I was scared. I was scared that if we did long distance, if we tried to make things work, you’d learn that you didn’t want this. Us. That the distance wasn’t worth it. So I… I ended things before you could.”

Lucy lets out a quiet sigh and you don’t miss the way her fingers seem to itch to reach out for you.

“I know now that none of this is worth it if I don’t have you waiting for me to come home to. I don’t want to be playing on the other side of the world if it means not having you. Not being with you. I’m so sorry for everything. I love you.”

A loaded silence follows her confession. Lucy’s looking at you with the biggest eyes, and it takes everything in your power not to just forgive her right there.

“You shouldn’t be here,” you sigh instead, not sure if you even have the mental capacity to have this conversation right now. 

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” Her response is instant.

As much as you’d love to just slam the door in Lucy’s face, there’s also the part of you that knows you’ll just end up regretting it if you do.

Stepping back, you let Lucy slip into your room before you’re closing the door. This is definitely a conversation you’re sure your hotel neighbors wouldn’t want to hear.

You have to brace yourself before you turn to face Lucy again.

“Luce, I meant what I said earlier. Nothing’s changed.”

Your words were spoken with anger earlier. Now though, now there’s a quiet resignation behind them. 

You both knew the truth. Long distance relationships are hard to work with. Rebuilding a relationship while doing long distance? Well that’s even harder.

“What if I told you I’d be willing to leave Barca? That I’d be willing to come play in Seattle?”

Lucy’s words take you by surprise. You know how hard she worked to get to play for Barcelona. That team’s always been a dream of hers.

 You’re instantly frowning. “Then I’d tell you not to.”

Lucy’s eyes widen when you round on her, jabbing a finger against her chest.

“What the hell are you thinking, Lucy? I’m not letting you leave Barcelona just to fucking be with me. I turned down offers to go to City for the same reason you turned down offers to go to Arsenal. We were never willing to sacrifice our careers, the relationships we’ve made with our teammates, for each other. We didn’t do it then, and I’ll be damned if we started now.”

“Then what do you want me to do? I love you, and this is me getting down on my knees,” Lucy drops to her knees just to prove her point, “begging you to take me back. Let me make up for breaking both of our hearts.”

You’re mad. Madder than you’ve ever been. To think Lucy thought you’d want her to give up everything she’s worked so hard for? Maybe she didn’t know you as well as you thought she did.

There’s really only one thing left for you to do. One thing you know will get your point across.

You kiss her.

It’s obvious Lucy’s not expecting it. She gasps out quietly against your lips before she’s kissing you back with fervor, standing when you tug her back up to her feet.

You let her back you up until you hit the wall, sighing against her mouth.

Oh how much you’ve missed this.

Her hands drop from yours, loosely grabbing hold of your hips as you drape your arms around the back of her neck. It’s almost as if you just can’t get your body close enough to Lucy’s. Her body against yours is a familiar and comforting feeling, but no matter how hard you pull her towards you or how tight you press yourself against her, you just can’t get close enough.

You’re not sure how long it is before you’re turning your head, trying to catch your breath. It’s a bit cute how Lucy chases after you, not wanting her lips to leave yours so soon.

It isn’t until your hands push gently at her shoulders that Lucy stops with a start.

Her face twists into one of alarm when she notices the tears on your face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t--”

You shake your head, laughing wetly into the side of her neck. 

“God, you’re an asshole, you know that?”

She falls silent, nervously looking back at you. 

You lean in again, slower this time, pressing a quick and soft kiss upon her lips.

Lucy all but melts against you.

When you pull away, you watch as she hazily blinks, eyes a little out of focus.

“You’re not coming to Seattle.”

There’s a crinkle between her brows, but Lucy slowly shakes head. “I won’t.”

“You’re staying at Barcelona.”

“If that’s what you want.”

You have to shut your eyes then. Lucy’s looking at you as if you hung the stars up in the sky, adoration shining in her dark eyes. It hurts to have her looking at you like that and you’re just so goddamn tired of this. Of fighting what you know is a losing battle. “What I want is for you to just love me.”

You don’t make it easy for her. 

A couple years pass and you’ve long retired from the national team when she finally makes the move overseas to join you. Despite your love for England and your time with the gunners, you never make a move to return to the place you now fondly think of as the ‘place where everything started.’ You argue with Lucy when she tells you she’s leaving her club team in England, knowing her national team days are limited now as well, but she just brushes off your concerns and plants a kiss against your forehead. 

By the time Lucy joins you for your last couple years in Seattle, the two of you have long gotten married, a simple affair done in her hometown, with only your families and closest friends in attendance. 

It’s not easy getting to where you’ve gotten, countless screaming matches and tearful make-ups littering the bumpy road to recovery, but you guys somehow make it. Lucy somehow gets you to fall even deeper in love with her, and you somehow get her to do the same with you, all of your friends gagging whenever they catch you still being disgustingly in love with each other.

Your story began and ended when Lucy charmed and then broke your heart in Manchester, the plane that took her away only making things worse until she could try to make it better again. Your story ended and began again with closure and acceptance on the other side of the world, closure for the things you couldn’t fix and the acceptance that maybe the two of you had to break before you could truly start again anew, painting over the cracks before you could see the beauty in the way you loved each other.

It’s a soft story riddled with bumps in the road and detours every here and there, but there’s no other type of love the two of you would want, because this is the one the two of you share. And sharing that love is enough for the two of you. It always has been. And always will be.

[shelfthe-reader]

So since I had 21 people ask/beg me for sentences in the WIP Wednesday community so I’ve decided to put them all here. And if you see this and you’re not part of the game? Well Merry Christmas here are some 9-1-1 fic snippets for fics that I’m actually gonna finish.

Sentence Count: 63

Word Count: 587

BUCKLEYS TAKE LA???? (Daniel lives/all three Buckleys are First Responders in LA) (12 sentences, 136 words) - @aparticularbandit @auburnlaughter @violet-prism-creatively @enigma-the-mysterious

“Okay,” Evan repeated slowly.  And it really was.  If he could say one thing about Daniel Buckley, it was that he was always true to his word. Even growing up, through all of the uncertainty surrounding Danny’s cancer, he never broke a promise.  “I’m gonna- ” Evan jerked his head towards the front door.  Danny shooed him away and Evan weaved through the house to his room. It was small, a little larger than a closet, with only one small window that he couldn’t truly open.  But the room was cozy. It was his. Looking back, he should have pushed harder in wanting to move into Maddie’s old room after she married Doug. Instead, he relished in the idea of having something - anything - that wasn’t Danny’s before him.  The perks of being the unwanted kid, he figured.

F*** Bobby Nash: The Fic (Lawsuit fic where Buck goes to Austin)(15 sentences, 171 words)- @twyrewolf @wizisbored @quietly-sleeping @hurricanebreeze @loyal-house-of-lupin

At that moment, the only way Buck could describe the interior of the 126 was spacious. Even under construction, he could see the potential. Wait, did they have a locker room, with real doors? And not in the bay? Interesting.  Stationed in the middle of the room, sat two men, almost as figureheads of the operation. One, Buck assumed, was Captain Strand. He had the air of authority, clear to all around him that he’d done this a time or two.  Buck had a harder time figuring out the other. He was younger by at least twenty years, most likely a few more - too young to be the lieutenant. But he had a stack of paperwork the same size as the Captain.  As he approached the table, the younger man looked up, and Buck caught a resemblance between him and Captain Strand. His son, perhaps? But, either way, by the look on the guy’s face, Buck wasn’t sure if he liked him. It reminded him of the scowl he received from his parents far too often.

Re-evaluate Your Decisions Bestie (FBN but Eddie’s POV)(24-ish sentences, 180 words) - @eriquin @somefishycat @oriharaizayadividesintoslytherin @kalira @lizhly

@kallisto-k @whimsicalmeerkat @tiercell

When was the last time you chose to care about our Buck?” Eddie flinched at Carla’s words. Words that he never thought the kind, caring Carla would say to him. It was bad enough that he was already accused of not giving a shit by his coworkers, but by Carla? It was a stab in the gut. It wasn’t like he did any of it on purpose. If anything, Buck was the one that started it. Eddie, well- Eddie just started to spiral. He lost control of his own actions. Maybe if Buck actually talked to him, things would be different. But they weren’t. “Carla, it’s not- ” “It’s not what, Eddie? What is it ‘not?’ What is it ‘not’ that Buck and the Fire Chief have asked me to tell you all that Buck has put in for a transfer?” What? “A transfer?” Bobby tentatively asked.  ”Carla, what-,” Eddie’s voice cracked. “What do you mean? ” He couldn’t have. He wouldn’t have, even if- “He left, Eddie. And if I’m not mistaken, I think you have something to do with it.”

IVE GOT YOUR BACK (Navy SEAL!Buck secret relationship)(12 sentences, 100 words)- @tamsinswriting @zyrafowe-sny @asha10100101010 @1attheedge

(CW: This is a scene of a woman giving birth. Because of COURSE this scene would be the one I write for my first week here. It’s not graphic because I don’t really want to describe it. But just a precaution because context) (Snippet under cut)

“I’m so sorry Shannon,” Eddie apologized properly, tears welling up in his eyes. Here his best friend was, crying in pain because of his actions.�� Shannon groped for his hand and squeezed it.  “Yeah, yeah. But it’s my own fault, Diaz. No need to cry over my decision making skills. Save the tears for when you actually see your child.” Eddie swiped the tears carelessly from his eyes with a small snort.  A nurse decided that now would be a good time to interrupt their little moment.  “Okay Mrs. Diaz- ”  “Not married,” both Shannon and Eddie said.  “-Shannon,” the nurse amended.