#that doesn't sugarcoat his situation

[nymph-ette111]

Hello!

Could you do how Jeff, EJ, Toby and Ben (all separated) would react to Y/N being uncomfortable because of stretch marks on the thighs (or other parts of the body)?? Like what would they do or say about it

Sorry if it was a very long request or something ❤

That's it, have a great day/night!!

WARNINGS; MENTIONS OF UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS/JEFFREY BEING AN ACTUAL DICK, MENTIONS OF STRETCH MARKS

AUTHOR'S NOTE; not very proud of this tbh... anyways I didn't really get the "uncomfortable" part so I wrote it as in "insecure" I hope this is what you had in mind :( ALSO I DON'T HAVE A CHARACTER LIMIT GUYS YOU CAN ASK FOR AS MANY AS YOU'D LIKE IN ONE REQUEST!!

JEFFREY;

-not even going to attempt and sugarcoat this section... or any future headcanons that include Jeff because this man is genuinely the biggest asshole to have ever assholed on the planet.

-he doesn't even care if you're his partner, bro is actually ruthless.

-he's made you cry countless of times before.

-i mean... everyone agrees he isn't the greatest boyfriend, especially in terms of just... caring for his lover. like this man can't even do the bare minimum in a relationship.

-if he ever catches you staring at your body in the mirror for long periods of time, he'll straight up ask you.

"the fuck is wrong with you?"

-Jeff is still an intelligent man, he catches on quite quickly.

-he knew you were insecure about something, you wouldn't just sulk at the mirror for like 15 minutes straight for no reason.

-once you tell him what's wrong he kind of just... belittles you?

-that sounds wrong I KNOW. LET ME EXPLAIN.

-it's just that he doesn't understand why you're insecure about some stretch marks on your body.

-he acts like insecurities are useless bullshit as if he doesn't fake his own confidence.

-okay you fucking hypocrite.

-yeah anyways in terms of "comforting" you, said in quotation marks because Jeffrey Woods and comfort in the same sentence is actually diabolical. basically his way of making you feel better about it even if he thinks it's stupid, he forces you to show them to everyone.

-yep. usually when your partner is upset about something physically, you try to make them view said thing in a positive light, and THEN you try to encourage them to try and show it off and be confident about it. right?

-no, Jeff goes straight to the point whether you agree or not. stretch marks on your thighs and legs? you WILL be wearing that short dress. stretch marks on your arms? WEAR that short sleeve top. stretch marks on your stomach? WEAR THAT TANK TO—

-he intends good I swear he's just very mean about it.

-also when other creeps hit on you (specifically BEN) he gets mad like he wasn't the one who threw away half of your closet and forced you to wear something revealing...

-if you sit him down for a serious talk about how this doesn't help with anything and it only makes you even more uncomfortable he might mellow shit down and stop with this whole showing off your body to feel less insecure situation.

-he'll understand but don't expect him to do anything else after that because he claims that "it's not my fuckin' problem... deal with that shit yourself then"

-he is a little pissy about it because he thought he was genuinely helping you.

-having the audacity to get mad when an insufficient way of overcoming your insecurities doesn't work? okay bro.

-anyways I love him guys please request more for this goober.

EYELESS JACK;

-like mentioned in the previous post, Jack never judges others for the way they look physically.

-even when he was normal, he never saw the point in it. that's just the way your body is. why should he make you feel bad about it when you can't do anything to change it? even towards himself. before specific events took place, when he was just a normal college student he saw himself as average looking and didn't have a problem with it and never made an effort to try and "look better"

-but after the whole... failed cult sacrifice it earned him this villain complex mindset.

-he sees himself as an unlovable monstrosity, the fact that you were willing to be near this guy at all is mind-blowing to him.

-naturally, Jack views you as way out of his league. he believes that he doesn't deserve you.

-so, seeing you? the one who changed his life and dragged him out of the hell hole that is his mind, unsatisfied with the way your body looks because of some stretch marks?

-bro is genuinely offended. you're fucking ethereal, you're an angel from above, why can't you see that?

-but seeing you view that part of your body as something bad, he can't help but feel like you're disgusted with his too.

-for context, Jack also has stretch marks scattered all over his body. you don't like yours equals you don't like his. that's his logic.

-he wouldn't say it out loud though, of course not. he knows that it's wrong. his thoughts are just a way to bring him down and make him even more miserable, he just can't help but find any opportunity to convince his brain that he is unlovable.

-i think it's best to not talk about it Infront of him.

-he still thinks you're beautiful though, he's just overthinking :(

TOBY;

-quite similar to Jack, doesn't understand why you view them in such a negative light. he is genuinely borderline obsessed with you. everything... I mean EVERYTHING is perfect in his eyes. yes, including the stretch marks. yes, including the freckle on your left thigh because he is just that observant.

-this man is DETERMINED to make you feel better, he'd do anything to make you see yourself the way he does. quite aggressive with it too. you ARE pretty. stretch marks or not.

-all of the sudden, every single time you stop by a mirror to over-analyse your stretch marks, you're dragged away by Toby to talk about the nice weather outside (anyone who dares to step a foot outside will have to face the consequences of a fucking heatstroke)

-all of the sudden, he starts littering more gentle, almost ghost-like kisses all over your thighs once you two are in the safety of your rooms. it wasn't some out of the ordinary with Toby, he's always had a thing for showing his affection towards you physically. it just stepped up a notch, and the kisses are now directed towards those specific areas.

-he'll do anything to prove to you that your stretch marks are simply a part of you and your body. and he fucking loves it.

-if you don't start loving your stretch marks after all that treatment Toby is giving... the problem is you. mans is actually dedicated.

BEN;

-was never good with comforting people, especially someone he cares about. he is used to always brushing his feelings away, never really confronting himself about shit. but unlike Jeff, he actually tries for you.

-I'll be honest... he probably never knew stretch marks even existed.

-once you told him what you were so upset about, he legitimately went "the fuck is that?"

-he actually has no filter, this guy speaks before he thinks.

-bet you he was typing away on his keyboard too, barely paying any attention to your little rant.

-when you realize his half-assed responses were because he wasn't even listening, you genuinely consider plugging off that ancient ass computer just to get some of his attention.

-he feels bad after that though, he'd attempt, keyword attempt to try and make you feel better.

-it probably doesn't work but you sort of let it him off the hook for it. he doesn't even know what a stretch mark looks like, he is basically trying to convince you that something he doesn't even know and has never seen in his life before is beautiful.

-the attempt is appreciated though, it's genuine enough.

[hisui-dreamer]

ode to the protective aide

Pairing: Sebek Zigvolt x gn!reader

Synopsis: you were one of the few in his life who could see past his rough exterior

Tags: drabble, fluff, slightly poetic hehe, reader is a simp for sebek

Word count: 605

Notes: happy birthday sebek!! this grumpy crocodile guy really wormed his way into my heart haha (•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

Masterlist

Your lover possesses a remarkable honesty that cuts through the veils of pretence and artifice with surgical precision. His words, though often delivered with the blunt force of a hammer, carry an authenticity that is both refreshing and intimidating. He doesn't sugarcoat his opinions or dance around the truth; instead, he lays bare his thoughts and feelings with a rawness that can leave others reeling in its wake. Whether he's heaping praise upon someone for their talents or delivering a harsh critique, you can always trust that your lover's words come from the depths of his heart, unfiltered and unapologetic.

Your lover harbours an unyielding disdain for the cold, a sentiment that becomes all too apparent in the subtle ways he seeks warmth and comfort. Though he may never openly admit it, you've noticed how he unconsciously gravitates towards you, seeking solace in the heat of your presence. Whether it's a casual brush of his arm against yours or the way he leans just a little closer during a chilly evening stroll, his subconscious need for warmth speaks volumes. You offer him the refuge he seeks each time without fail, enveloping him in your embrace and shielding him from the biting chill of the world outside.

Your lover possesses a curious tendency to wander through life with a certain air of obliviousness. Despite his sharp wit and fierce determination, there are moments when he seems to be operating on a different wavelength altogether. Whether it's getting swept up in the excitement of the moment or simply failing to grasp the subtleties of a situation, he has a knack for stumbling into the most absurd of predicaments. It's both exasperating and endearing to witness his frequent bouts of air headedness, but there's an undeniable certain charm to his innocence.

Your lover may exude confidence and pride in most aspects of his life, but when it comes to you, he is surprisingly easily flustered. Despite his fiery demeanour, his heart skips a beat at the mere mention of your name, and his usually loud voice softens to a barely audible whisper in your presence. You've seen the flush of colour that creeps into his cheeks when you compliment him, his words stumbling over each other as he struggles to articulate his gratitude. It's both amusing and endearing to watch him squirm under your gaze, his pride momentarily forgotten as he fumbles for the right words to express the depth of his affection. And in those moments, you can't help but feel a surge of love for the vulnerable, lovestruck man before you.

Your lover finds immense joy in providing for you, in being the pillar of strength upon which you can lean. Whether it's through grand gestures or small acts of kindness, he delights in seeing you smile, in knowing that he's the reason for the light in your eyes. He takes pride in ensuring your safety, standing as a fierce protector against any threat, real or imagined. In his arms, you feel sheltered from the storms of life, cocooned in a warmth that is both physical and emotional. For him, there is no greater pleasure than knowing that he can make you feel loved, cherished, and above all, safe.

Your lover is a whirlwind of contradictions, a puzzle with pieces that seem to defy logic. Yet, beneath the bravado and the bluster, there beats a heart that is fiercely loyal and unabashedly passionate. And in that, you find solace, knowing that despite his flaws, he loves you with a fervour that is as undeniable as it is intoxicating.

Your lover, is none other than Sebek Zigvolt.

Masterlist

if you liked this post, don't forget to reblog!

[wineonawhitetee]

Ok, I know everyone is talking about the big emotional stuff but I just wanted to point out something super small that I noticed

So in this scene, Stolas says that it's always about sex, and, for some reason, the phrasing of this really jarred me. I didn't notice this while watching but, in retrospect, I realized why.

Because Stolas said the word "sex". Which isn't all that weird, right? It's a raunchy show and all. But for some reason, it felt strange that he said it. I initially chalked it up to Stolas being a more composed and polite character who doesn't swear and stuff outside of certain situations.

But, then I realized something:

So his whole episode was kind of about sex. Blitz was making it through Lust for a reason. There was a bunch of comedy about all the different sex shops and horny stuff going on and this whole time Blitz is prepping for a big, sexy night.

But at no point in this episode do the characters refer to this stuff as "sex". It's always a euphemism or a creative expletive referring to specific acts, but they never say this word with this meaning.

And, throughout the rest of the show, Stolas in particular is always very flowery and vague when referring to it, saying stuff like "our little rendezvous" or "a night of passion" or whatever.

But here he is, referring to this act outside of all that. It's pure and clinical and matter-of-fact and blunt. And it's clear that before this, he's looking for a word, maybe something more gentle or poetic but then he lands on this. It's the most blunt Stolas has been about this. This is the most blunt this episode's been about this, because, stripped of all the kinky shit and the emotional stuff, that is all their relationship seems to be. This is all Blitz sees their relationship as. And there's no need to sugarcoat it because that's all that it is. So he might as well be blunt about it.

[cowboyfromh3ll]

Hcs for the boys' toxic traits. Preferably arthur, javier, john, and charles, but other boys are welcome too! I'm curious to see what you'd say Dutch's toxic traist are, though they're pretty self explanatory 😭

I just love how you write sm sorreyyyy

Van Der Linde Gang's Toxic traits

(Arthur Morgan, Javier Escuella, John Marston, Charles Smith, Micah Bell, Dutch Van Der Linde, Sean Macguire, Kieran Duffy, Eagle Flies)

HAHAHA THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE. I tried not to sugarcoat anything.

Arthur Morgan - He definitely has some trouble communicating. Not to say he never will communicate with you but it'll be long in between and after it's been plaguing him for a milenium. As we've seen, this man is capable of having deep, well thought out conversations. He'd also be pretty prideful to some degree. Mostly depends what point in time you start dating, later in game he'd be able to see past his pride. Also, I feel like if you were dating a major point of contention in your relationship would be questioning whether it's time to move on from this life.

Javier Escuella - WAY too jealous. I don't even mean it in a cute way but in a way that would genuinely cause several arguments between you two. "Why were you looking at him that way?" "That sounded like you were flirting with him" "Why do you spend so much time around the other guys?" Would also be around you 24/7. Someone would be incapable of having a conversation with you that doesn't include Javier. You two would also argue about Dutch's leadership skills.

John Marston - Oh my God this man is so indecisive. Doesn't know what he wants ever. In a modern setting you two would be sitting in the car, asking each other back and forth "what do you wanna eat?". And his commitment issues? Good lord. At some points in your relationship it'd probably feel like you guys aren't dating at all. You'd probably have to beg him to put some effort into the relationship to be honest.

Charles Smith - It's so hard to think of ANYTHING this man can do wrong but alas, I must. You probably wouldn't be his top priority at all times. Which isn't to say you should ALWAYS be at the top of his list, but sometimes it can result in your feelings being neglected over a situation that affects you. Only when the day reaches it's end will he consult you over something, which will have you feeling incredibly frustrated.

Micah Bell - This man is a walking red flag so let's not dance around his flaws. Incredibly prideful, will ignore your warnings over something just to get his way. Also probably lies to you A LOT. Can be way too rough with you in many aspects. Also this man embodies the word sleezy. Yuck.

Dutch Van Der Linde - Do I even need to say. So fucking stubborn. He also probably thinks he's intelectually superior to you. If you bring up a concern to him he'll probably use as many flowery and big words as possible to make himself appear smarter during the discussion than he actually is. And if you advise him to do anything he'll probably just ignore you, saying you don't know what you're talking about. All in all, thinks he's better than you. Also you're probably a trophy wife since Dutch views women as accessories to his success, if you can even call it success.

Sean Macguire - He doesn't take anything seriously. If you're trying to have a genuine discussion with him he'll play it down and make it seem less important or severe than it actually is. Don't even bother trying to emphasize how serious you are because he won't take that seriously either. It's only until he feels the consequences of his actions will he listen to you, which results in a frustrating cycle.

Kieran Duffy - Also very indecisive but in the way where he can't speak up for himself because he doesn't think it's important. Has such low self esteem, he also probably thinks his emotions are less important which results in a lot of miscommunication on his behalf. Sorta just let's you take the lead all the way, always let's you have your way, with no valuable input of his own. You have to shake his shoulders and beg for him to actually speak his mind.

Eagle Flies - He's probably so childish. Like, mommy issues CEO over here. Will probably seek for you to fulfill that role in his life. Has almost no control over his emotions and has trouble identifying them, and when he does indentify them, has absolutely no idea what to do with them in terms of expression. He will make various efforts to communicate with you but will struggle immensely. Being with him will probably be like teaching a man how to experience emotions in a healthy way. I could write an entire post dedicated to what I think his toxic traits are

More eagle flies ones

[rubra-wav]

[ Entry #10 ] What it would be like actually dating Vox hcs

A/N I love Vox, but the reality of it is that he'd be terrible for a lot of reasons and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it in here like at all.

Me when theoretically very complex but ultimately still extremely problematic character: *foaming at mouth*

I love him.. but God I also hate him... but I also love hi-

This is a long one jfc.

Cw: Nsfw - no smut but strong themes, discussion of toxic relationships, manipulation, discussion of emotionally abusive/controlling behaviour, insecure aa toxic cis man behaviour, suggestive at one point

Someone asked me what I thought he'd be like with a yes-man reader so here it is

The worst out of the way first

The thing about Vox is that he's got a fuckton of baggage and bad traits that need desperate management, and they would sure as hell not be being managed by him on his own choice.

As his partner, you would NOT be able to be a pushover or shy away from any kind of confrontation about actions that have upset you because if Vox had a partner like this? He'd become the absolute worst version of himself in your relationship because you would not be calling him out or enforcing boundaries with him.

- He's insecure, and it's in the worst way possible.

And not in the 'aw he just needs to be loved and then he'll be healed' way. I'm talking in the 'toxic, refuses to remedy his own behaviours, becomes very emotionally abusive abt it if you don't pull up your boots and confront him abt it and make sure he actually does shit about it' way.

The fanfic community likes to portray him as a victim in the relationship with Val, and while it's true Val is certainly worse for obvious/overt reasons - He's still not just a victim in that situation. He's also terrible.

Just for reasons that are less overt and are thus overshadowed a lot. Acknowledging that doesn't make the shit Val (at least seemingly thus far. Vox side-stepped the drink being thrown pretty fast and seems accustomed to violent tantrums) does to him any less terrible, it's just the truth he's not a poor defenceless victim in that. (Vox literally goes to try use his mind control power on Val the second he seems like he's gonna damage their image then throws his lowest earners under the bus.)

- In the beginning if you aren't giving him attention at all times, do something that reminds him of Valentino even slightly, or if you do something that he just mildly doesn't like; then he will be passive aggressive or straight up aggressive as absolute fucking hell.

The second he feels slighted even a little bit, he's going to be so pissy.

- And he can't communicate for absolute shit. He thinks you are doing shit on purpose to piss him off or hurt him. This is due to his relationship with Val, but it's not him being a sad sob story kind of thing (not all around at least), he will be awful to you if you allow him to ever be just a victim who can do no wrong.

- He will project all his bs heavily onto you in the beginning with complete self awareness and no thought given to managing his own shit.

If you ask what's wrong when he's acting up he probably would be the type of bitch to go 'nothing's wrong' and will then proceed to ruminate upon it until he ends up exploding about it later on. Or, maybe he'll even do the 'you know what you've done' type of shit.

- He would probably expect you to be a mind reader and when you inevitably aren't aware of wtf is happening because he hates being emotionally vulnerable at all and can't describe what's going on properly for himself, he will be an absolute bitch about it. (Carried here from my other hc that he has a bunch of self-imposed toxic masculinity he needs to deconstruct)

- If you call him out, he will likely try to convince you he's not doing it.

- He'll become increasingly more self-aware of his behaviour you are aware of and will just be even worse because he hates that you could see something about him he doesn't want you to see.

Basically, he feels embarrassed as fuck about it, and cannot apologise because that's humiliating as all hell to him, so instead of turning inwards and dealing with his crap he then proceeds to consciously project shit onto you even when he knows he's in the wrong.

He'd rather argue the wrong point and behaviour than admit he's capable of making mistakes.

He will probably also try to hypnotise you into forgetting anything he thinks is undesirable you know about him too.

- You will need to actually teach him real consequences for his actions, but also need to be assuring him that you aren't going to do shit like Val would have or leave him for someone else and shit like that simultaneously.

He needs to essentially be taught consequences, boundaries, healthy relationship behaviour, etc. From absolute scratch. I would literally pay for this cunts therapy atp istg.

- And this is gonna be an absolute fucking nightmare because again, he doesn't want to admit that he doesn't know what the fuck he's doing and that he's in the wrong. All that interferes with his image he wants to put out at all times in your relationship with him.

He's got masks on masks. Even one for your relationship. The second that cracks in any regard, he's gonna be rushing to compensate for that, and if that doesn't work, he's gonna be pissed and most likely end up pushing that onto you.

- Speaking of image. I mentioned this in a fic, but he'd most likely be extremely controlling over your freedom to disclose your relationship, too. If he thought you would look poor as a partner for his reputation (ie. Low status, bad reputation), he'd most likely never want to publicly reveal your relationship no matter how much he loves you - he'd likely hide this completely behind you having privacy but if you say you want people to know anyway he's going to slowly become more and more overtly pissy about it.

And, if you are openly known to be in a relationship, he will be wanting to control your own image as well.

If you step one foot out of line of what he deems perfect, good lord he will be an absolute nightmare.

- Also mentioned in another post, but he would absolutely also watch you through cameras you don't know are there. Same as what he's seen doing with Val.

- He's got practically zero qualms in the beginning of your relationship with violating your privacy or boundaries if he thinks he'll get away with it/that you won't find out about it. This also likely goes for things like checking your texts, calls, and search history without permission.

- The possibility that he'd try to interfere with your personal relationships if he thought they would try drag you away from him or if they take up a lot of your attention is also pretty present.

He's an incredibly jealous person (as seen by him seeming jealous of Angel with Val of all people), so the second he sees you giving someone else positive attention? He's gonna be fucking furious.

- Again, you could not be a pushover in your relationship with him because he'd be absolutely awful. You'd have to basically be reality checking him every three seconds - it's NOT for the faint of heart and even if you're incredibly patient you will probably be going insane from it at points.

Implying you can actually get him to change tho he would become a lot better - he's gonna be fighting you on practically everything because the second he feels out of control of a situation or himself he's gonna be freaking out.

He will probably be straight up terrified if it seems like you are making him 'change', even if it's for the better and will ultimately ALSO benefit him too.

The SECOND he feels out of control of a situation in any way, he will be terrible.

- Also, if you manage to push him on the path to behaviour management this cunt will be looking smug and proud of himself as all hell the second he even slightly does what you ask and will be a bitch if you don't rain down praise on him for it. 💀

- He's so positive attention motivated it's actually pathetic lmao

With that out of the way - the slightly better/good other stuff

- Vox works fucking nightmare hours with his position in hell, and he hates not being able to be around you much so he's almost always trying to make it up to you.

- He'll be on calls with you or texting you most hours of the day (even when he probably should not be) because he's honestly clingy as hell.

If you don't like having a million notifications from someone blowing up your phone with random shit then you are not going to like being apart from him because he is chronically on his phone.

- Another thing is the gifts.

If you want a sugar daddy aa boyfriend? This is the man for you because my God will he shower you with the most expensive gifts you have ever received. New phones, cars, jewellery, clothes, so on so on.

It's bad if you don't like consumerism and want to keep devices even if newer ones come out because the second something new comes out he's getting it for you - even before it becomes publicly available to the rest of hell, it's in your hands. He wants the best stuff and only the best stuff for you. How would that make him look if his partner didn't have all the best stuff? To you and also others

- Also, the second you mention you actually want or need something? It's there right in front of you. Bro has personal delivery drones, and it will be there in under 15 minutes delivered to you or someone's getting shot.

- I've seen a few people imply gift giving is his primary love language, and it's certainly up there, but I personally think that it's more likely acts of service.

This man never does anything for anyone unless it's to keep things from being annoying to him, self gain, or damaging his image. So for him to do things for you that he knows you want from him even if he doesnt particularly want to? He is well and truly in love with you, and that would be how he'd let you know that even if he isn't self-aware of it, lmao.

He doesn't like being told to do things, but he's really good at picking up on what people want usually (unless he's being delulu) so if he notices something or you mention stuff off-hand? He'll try to do it/get it/whatever it is for you.

Material things are just material things. He's rich, it doesn't mean that much to drop thousands for him. Him actually doing things for you, though? Even if it doesn't benefit him at all? That's something else entirely.

Will be annoying asf if you don't thank him enough for it, though. Ie. "Well, you're welcome then." While pouting at you.

- As for spending time with him:

I believe he constantly wants to be alone with you and only with you when he actually has time to do so, so he only wants dates to be one-on-ond most of the time.

There aren't exactly limits upon that, though, like at all.

He's absolutely rich and has ridiculous privileges so you could be on comfy home dates where you two just stay in and cuddle after eating dinner, or seeing concerts/watching movies/etc exclusively where they are not available to just anyone, or something fucking ridiculous like eating a fancy dinner at a custom designed restaurant just for dates under a goddamn aquarium (very likely ngl)

The second he gets to show off his power, he's gonna do it with a smug grin.

- He's also extremely big on physical touch but would never admit it. I already go over this in another entry, but he's gonna have a hand on you at all times (hand on your waist, hip or shoulder, purposely brushing against you more then he logically has to be, etc)

Brief mentions of sexual stuff here

I feel like he'd love someone big on physical touch - both in a sexual way but also especially in a non-sexual way.

He's not used to getting someone cuddling him or holding his hands or literally just touching him at all without some underlying ulterior motive, so he'd probably just melt into your touch.

Also I'll link the post bc there's further takes on this in it but they are ✨️sus✨️

- He would be extremely protective of you- this can absolutely become one of the blue sections really easily- but if you're in a relationship he's gonna be constantly concerned about your safety and whether you are at risk.

I mean, you're in hell. Just about anyone could turn out to be some maniac (ironic he would think that 🤨)

Anyways, point is, you'd be safe from any other maniacs. He would give you the best security and protection probably in hell.

Another thing is that he's gonna be super paranoid at all times about whether you're safe or not. Which would probably get honestly annoying rather than endearing at a point. 💀

- Even though he's really against revealing his more vulnerable parts and what he doesn't think are desirable of himself, he's absolutely craving emotional security with someone.

So when you get him passed that? He's gonna be so goddamn clingy - even more then before lmao.

Ending note

He's an absolute nightmare who's high maintenance asf and could become extremely abusive emotionally, but he really also needs to be romanced properly for that to actually get better by a partner who won't take his bs and knows how to take him down a peg and put him in his place when he's being awful.

And definitely therapy.

The fact that I think all this and know how much an awful person he is and still love him this much as a character has gotta indicate some sort of insanity/j

[ Masterlist ]

[summer-may]

Frank comes home to you with more bruises and cuts than he left home with, which, given his daily routine, would somehow still be surprising to you.

Frank closes the bedroom door slowly. Your figure was barely visible. If not for the moonlight shining through the window, he wouldn't be able to see you.

His pillow would be clutched tight between your arms. Fuck.

For a few moments, Frank stood still in the darkness, looking at you, lips fallen into a natural pout, face all soft, relaxed but hands wound tight around his pillow, your nose burrowed in it. He felt his heart skip a beat.

Fists clenching and then un-cleclenching. He felt unease wash over him. The cuts and bruises start to sting and throb as the adrenaline leaves his system.

His face was a bitch to handle. Left eye barely open. Nose with a cut across, right cheek scratched with probably some debris still etched into his skin. And heaven knows what the dried blood would look like.

He felt his lip twitch ruefully. His physical pain would be nothing compared to the sadness in your eyes when you saw him like this.

The horror of his violence would make your breathing labored. The way you would try to scan him head to toe, trying really hard not to sob into your hands after seeing his skin barely holding onto his bones. His grimace of pain for a split second would break your dam of control, tears flowing freely and hands trying to pet his unbroken skin.

Throughout your inspection, Frank would try to gently tell you he's fine, that it doesn't even hurt. But the way his mouth barely moved because of gash on his lips would make you cry harder.

He would give up trying to sugarcoat everything that's wrong with his body. He would just stare at you with a sadness so deep that it would rattle his bones to the core. And before he could once again utter the words of being sorry and not enough, you would shush him and give him a look so pointed that he would shut up and sit down.

Even with the red eyes, splochy face, and tear tracks on your face, that one look would be enough for him to hold his tongue.

The next hour would be spent in silence. The cuts would be cleaned, and split open skin would be sewn back together. The shower would be ready with steam escaping the bathroom door.

When he would come out, he knew you would be in the kitchen, making him some chamomile tea. You both knew it would not do shit but both of you would still pretend that it was relaxing and helping him calm down. And he would down that shit because he knew you needed it. Need to feel a bit of control in this whole situation.

Then you would both just exist in the same space of your small kitchen. Not touching, not talking, just looking at each other. You would be mapping his entire body with your eyes. It was as if you saw him for the first time and the last time. The wonder, awe, fear everything would be tenfold, but that was your way of dealing with him and his punisher.

He would sit still, his eyes not leaving your face, the fear that maybe this is it. This would be your last ditch effort to mend him back together. But as soon as his eyes met yours, the fear would dissipate. The love shining in your eyes somehow made his pain disappear.

Frank would hold you close and breathe you in. His mind would be quiet, and there would be peace for him in that instance.

Many times, even after this, that small kitchen would be his solace. The tragedy of his life would disappear for a while, and he would be just Frank. Your Frank. And you would be his. His girl.

[justali-anne]

Okay, it's time for more Skelebros. This time, scenarios where they would cover for each other in social situations!

So, Papyrus has this tendency to rattle off about how great and cool he is, and as much as we love the guy, it would definitely get a bit annoying and makes him come across as egotistical and self-absorbed (which he kind of is? Papyrus is a pretty unique take on the "small name, big ego" type of character). And on top of that, he has a hard time navigating through certain social situations (he struggles with making friends, he relies on a dating manual on the date etc.). So sometimes Sans would step in a bit and give Papyrus some advice that Papyrus would reluctantly accept because, well, that's his brother, why shouldn't he trust him? And then Sans talks to others about Papyrus, almost like he's hyping him up in a way. Sans is genuinely very proud of his brother for who he is, so perhaps he could be pushing Papyrus to be more open and honest with his opinions instead of keeping everything hidden behind his overly exaggerated confidence and theatrics.

Sans, on the other hand... While he's definitely more experienced with casual social situations, there are times where he can come across as a bit odd, strange and EXTREMELY blunt. He doesn't hesitate to call people out on their BS, especially the player. It's a good thing considering the context of your actions, but that "you'd be dead where you stand" comment was FAR out of left field, especially in a Pacifist Run! Like, jeez dude! Where did that even come from?! I don't even think he knows how brutal he can come across as, or perhaps he has a little bit of self-awareness, but not enough to catch himself before he starts making those comments. As sweet as he is, Sans could definitely hurt someone's feelings. Papyrus, on the other hand, has some people-pleasing tendencies (this can mostly be seen during his phone calls with Undyne - changing his opinion on things like anime and grease to appeal to her), so I think Papyrus is actually more likely to sugarcoat things, while Sans just comes in with brutal honesty that cuts deeper than a knife. So when they're together in a social situation, this could potentially happen:

Sans: *insert brutally honest and potentially hurtful comment here*

Papyrus: *smacks Sans upside the head*

Sans: what did i say?

Papyrus: *sugarcoats and waves off Sans' comment*

Ugh, this post is a mess. I'll fix it later.

[scoobydoodean]

CASTIEL I'm sorry, Dean, but I warned you not to put that thing back inside him. DEAN What was I supposed to do? Let T-1000 walk around, hope he doesn't open fire? CASTIEL Let me tell you what his soul felt like when I touched it. Like it had been skinned alive, Dean. If you wanted to kill your brother, you should have done it outright.

Another scene people use to villainize Dean for putting Sam's soul back in his body—a kind of meta I have already criticized several times. The context of this scene gets really lost in the weeds when it gets giffed. Most obviously when you actually watch the scene, it's part of a larger conversation about whether or not Sam (who's been unconscious for 10 days) is even going to wake up. Immediately prior to this bit of dialogue that always gets giffed:

DEAN Is he ever gonna wake up? CASTIEL I'm not a human doctor, Dean. DEAN Could you take a guess? CASTIEL Okay. Probably not. DEAN Oh, well, don't sugarcoat it.

Dean asking Cas questions ("Will he wake up?") that Cas doesn't have the answers to is also a thing Cas hates. He likes to avoid questions he doesn't have the answers to by flying off when he can (ex: 5.01, 6.03) or not showing up in the first place (ex: 6.03, 6.06). And all those moments this season have been in regards to questions about Sam's soul... because it's a sore subject in a way we can only realize retroactively after finishing 6.20 "The Man Who Would Be King" where we find out Cas is the reason Sam came back wrong to begin with.

In this scene, Cas thinks Sam isn't going to wake up, and he just felt his soul and saw what a terrible state it's in, and secretly, he sees this as his fault. If Cas hadn't fucked up, Sam's soul, just like his body, would have been back to the earthly realm within a week of Sam going to hell. Because he fucked up and missed something that probably feels painfully obvious in hindsight, Sam's soul spent a year in hell being "skinned alive" as Cas describes, while his body walked around fucking everyone around him over—including Dean who this was supposed to be for. It's his fault that Sam came back soulless. It's his fault that while soulless, Sam hurt people and used Dean and nearly killed Bobby. It's his fault that Dean got so desperate he put Sam's soul back in. It's his fault that Sam's soul is damaged like this because he's the one who accidentally left it behind (and making what in hindsight must feel like such an obvious mistake must be infuriating).

Cas was able to avoid the soulless Sam problem as long as Cas wasn't around. From afar, he could just say "good enough" to have Sam's body around even though he knew Sam was off and was secretly bothered by his behavior (6.06, 6.10). By putting Sam's soul back in his body, Dean unwittingly made the reminder of Cas's mistake unavoidable.

Cas wanted to bring Sam back to make Dean happy, but he fucked it up, and Dean faced the fallout and (tried to) clean up the mess, which probably stings. In the process, Dean was in danger and (by bargaining with Death) put himself in further danger—the number one thing Cas has been trying to avoid since watching Dean rake leaves— which probably stings. Dean asked Cas to touch Sam's soul and then Cas had to directly feel what his careless mistake meant Sam suffered through which definitely stings. And there isn't even a consolation prize here of "well at least I got his body out" anymore because (unwittingly) Dean is telling him “well your fuck up consolation prize wasn’t good enough”. Cas wants to convince himself soulless Sam could have been enough and HE isn’t the one that created Frankenstein’s Monster—Dean did—but Cas knows that isn’t true deep down. In his head, he ultimately created this situation and this incongruous Sam and all the fallout is on him. Sam wakes up and prays to him and Cas immediately shows up with no ulterior motives like an ancient weapons (such as in 6.03 or 6.06 or 6.10). He shows up purely because Sam is awake and alive and his soul is in his body and he's OKAY despite all the damage resulting from Cas's major fuck up and it's such a relief Cas forgets all the awkward interactions they had in season 5 and tries to hug him.

[fsfghgee]

I can't possibly be the only one who noticed that Cyrax is considerably younger than Bi-Han and Sektor

which makes sense since she is Sektor's apprentice now and even the summary of her new backstory points that out (subtly).

CYRAX: Born into the Zaki, one of the Lin Kuei's many sub-clans, Cyrax became a martial arts prodigy with an independent streak and untamed desire to serve the clan on her terms, or not at all.

Cyrax, Sektor and Noob Saibot bios - MK1 https://www.tumblr.com/fsfghgee/757533141675261952/cyrax-sektor-and-noob-saibot-bio

Anyway, It's wild that Kuai is so intent on killing her in the expansion even after she finds out that Bi-Han and Sektor lied/kept something from her and with her already subdued.

At first, when I read it almost a year ago, I thought it was Frost who Harumi was referring to, but now it totally makes sense that it's Cyrax since the first chapter is hers and she's younger than Sektor (and Bi-Han, highly likely) this time.

This scene will be good to show the audience how vengeful KuaiScorp can be and balance the situation with Bi-Han, especially being followed by what he does next… Or better saying, by what he refuses to do later.

This is if the fandom don't sugarcoat his actions as usual...

side note: There are some people saying that Sektor is "innocent" too and was deceived by Bi-Han, but I personally don't believe that, she participated in many of Bi-Han's endeavours and will continue supporting him even after KuaiScorp's supposed shocking revelations to Cyrax. How would someone deceived continue with the person who deceived her and doing the same things? It doesn't make sense. I don't believe it. If nothing else, he's only talking to Cyrax in the "last scene" (act 388) or he just doesn't hold Sektor responsible for anything either, because he thinks Bi-Han used her somehow as well.

[a-spawn-on-my-lawn]

I need to talk about how strong Astarion i think really is. Wall of text under the cut~

While this man is going on about his daily business of shit, pure shit, he is abducted by a giant nautiloid, gets stuffed in a coffin for the 2nd time in his life but this time, a tentacle monster inserts a worm into his eye. he falls out of the thing and figures he can stand in broad sunlight, like wtf, this might be more than enough to drive a grown man very anxious when you ask me.

but he adapts to the situation within seconds. he waits for tav at the shore and gets along with them. he makes up his nice simple plan just as they go. he just goes with the flow. he's there chillin' in camp and reads his books, gets drunk on bears and enjoys his new freedom. he tries to improvise on his own plan on how to kill his very master. just the fact he believes he can do it is so massive to me. he truly believes he can do it. he is never fatalistic. surely, there is angst, but he never has serious mental breakdowns. he never claims that he believes cazador will get him and kill everyone; not even the gur in the swamp is able to unsettle him.

he doesn't give up

i write from a perspective of someone with quite heavy (c)ptsd symptoms so I know how I react to stressful situations and calling Astarion's situation "stressful" is a massive unterstatement, lol. i bow to astarion. he could easily just sit down, empty 50 bottles of wine and tell tav how everything's hopeless, how cazador is surely going to rob him of his freedom again or he becomes an illithid before that; he could even go further than that, if you know what i mean. he could give up on his life and ask tav to just end it all with a stake after going through what he went through, but nope. this man always has hope, he gets up his juicy vampire ass every single morning even though he has two massive burdens to deal with (cazador + tadpole). he never lets himself down. this lil vampire is a hero.

in the dynamic of astarion and my tav, he is the one with more resiliance. i do not perceive astarion as someone who is always in need. surely, there are times where he needs a good cuddle or support when having a nightmare, a bad day, triggers, or help in healing in terms of his sex life etc. but generally, this man is like cryptonite. probably because he knows how to deal with all kinds of pure shit, he's more resilient than my tav. like he got her back. he gives her some good pep talks. sassy astarion kinda pep talks, in a way he doesn't sugarcoat anything and playfully insults her a dozen times and tell her to get back on her feet, but they do the job. he drags her out into the sun if she doesn't want to leave the bed. he'd carry her infront of him like a wet cat if necessary. yep, that's how it is for me.

[13as07]

Weekend #1

(Neji Hyuga & Shikamaru Nara)

[Artwork is not mine! Credit to BM (?). Sorry, I couldn't find the original source but I really liked it so meh]

Requested by: xxziggy

Word Count: 3,462

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

First half is a lot a bit smut so be warned; not a full smut cause I wasn't feelin it for whatever reason

Love triangle (obvs)

Fingering (female receiving)

Blindfold

Temperature Play (Lighter/Ice Cubs)

Hickey

Getting called "pet"

Not me accidentally making this a nature (growing up with Shika) vs nurture (Neji taking care of you) situation

———————————————————————

     "This is such a drag," Shikamaru says as soon as I open my front door.

"If you don't want to help me pick out a swimsuit, I'm sure Ino will," I grumble, leaving the door open as I walk away.

"You always say that she 'likes anything you try on' and that 'Ino is no help' so, no. This is less of a drag than listening to you bitch for the whole weekend," he grumbles back, closing the front door before trailing after me.

Shikamaru and I are friends... a little more than friends. Fuck buddies, we're fuck buddies. We hook up from time to time but that's what friends are for, right? Hookups and opinions. And late-night snack runs.

"I think you should just stick to the yellow one you wore on last year's weekend trip."

"And I think you're stupid. I can't wear the same one I wore last year."

"Why not? I've worn the same swim trucks for the past three years," Shika groans, feet dragging as he follows me into my room, closing my door behind himself.

"Because I wore it last year! All the other girls are going to have new ones so I need a new one. I can't be the only one without a new swimsuit," I tell him, ushering him toward the bed.

"You girls have the weirdest rules about clothes," he grumbles, flopping on his back with his feet rested on the floor, and knees bent at the edge of the mattress. "Just wear the yellow one. Your titties look good in it."

"Thanks, Shik. That's what every girl wants to hear," I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I dig through my closet for the four or five suits I bought. He throws up a thumbs up, the promise of his eyes being closed and him being half asleep paired with it. What a lazy sass of a friend I have.

"Okay, there's four of them."

"Great," he mumbles, drawing out the word.

I ignore his sarcasm, stripping my clothes off as I decide which one to try on first. "Alright, this one is a black one-piece," I narrate, wiggling myself into the material.

"Hey, here's some crazy shit," Shika says, sitting up right now. "When I look at you, I'll be able to see the style and color of it."

"Hey Shik?" He lets out a hum, the feeling of his eyes coating my back as I check myself out in the mirror. "Stop being a douche."

He rolls my eyes at me, resting his arm on his knee, and his head on his hand. "Do a little spin," he grumbles, a finger on his free hand making a circle in the air. I do as I'm told, slowly spilling so Shikamaru can check the swimsuit out. "One-pieces are for grandmas and women without body confidence. No."

"That's a little harsh."

"Do you want me to sugarcoat it like Ino?"

I grumble out a no, tugging the suit off myself. Shika's eyes stay locked on my nudity, sights ping-ponging alongside my movements until I turn back around. "The next one is also a one-piece - "

"No."

"Shik - "

"I already told you no. You are a hot chick with a hot body. Show it off or else my weekend will be a waste."

"No, it won't be a waste. You can googly eye Ino or Tenten or Hinata or Sakura," I point out, flipping between which of the remaining two to try on next.

"Ino would pretty much be incest, Tenten scares me, Sakura has too much attitude, and Hinata doesn't have enough attitude," he explains, rolling his eyes at me again. I swear, one of these days I'm going to poke his eyes out.

"Alright, the third is a string bikini, it's powder blue and I think it makes my ass look good," I ramble, tying the strings the best I can alone. "What do you think?" I ask, doing another slow turn.

"No," he pushes out, shifting his position as he adjusts his pants. "You look..."

"Hot?"

"Easy."

"Easy?!" I yelp, crossing my arms across my chest as I glare at Shikamaru. "I'm not easy!"

"I didn't say you were! I just said that... you look easy," he mumbles the last three words, eyes locked on my chest as he adjusts himself again. "Are you easy?"

"No! What the hell, Shik?"

"You should be... easy. Like... right now. For me."

"I asked you over to pick a swimsuit, not for a fuck," I grumble, slowly walking towards him. "This isn't picking a swimsuit," I continue, using my knee to push his open before sliding between his legs.

"The... the fourth one," he mumbles, fingers curling around the thin material, sliding back and forth as his eyes drink me up.

"You haven't even seen it yet," I complain, crossing my arms over my chest again, trying to hold onto my anger that's being drained by arousal. "How do you know it'll look good?"

"You look good in everything. You look better in nothing, though," Shika tells me, eyes still jumping around as he tugs the flimsy material to the side, leaving me exposed for him to enjoy. "Though, you also look really good in this swimsuit."

"Then I'll wear this one."

"No!" He races out, eyes snapping up to my face, his face scrunched up. "I mean... no, you still look easy."

"Do I look easy or is someone getting a little jealous?" I tease, cupping his chin and forcing him to shake his head yes. "Aw, is Shika worried he's going to lose the 'fuck' benefit of being m buddy?"

"I'm not that shallow," he mumbles, rolling his eyes at me again. "We're friends cause I like being friends. Not because you let me hit it on occasion."

     "Then I'm going to wear the swimsuit."

     "Pack the goddamn swimsuit and I'll set it on fire."

     "Set it on fire and I'll go skinny dipping all weekend."

     "Or," he starts, a single finger slowly cruising through my folds, landing on my clit to rub light circles into it. "I can make you cum and in turn, you wear the fourth swimsuit."

     "Ya alright," I give in, decking down to press a kiss against his lips. Shika's finger pushes into me, lightly curling against my walls as our lips dance against each other. "I have a question." He hums in acknowledgment, sliding kisses up and down my stomach as he curls another finger in me. "Did you only agree to my fashion show so we could fuck?"

     "Oh, ya. I'm not going to get any this weekend so might as well empty out now so I have a little more control while you girls walk around half naked," he admits, a third finger added before he starts thrusting them in and out of me. Shikamaru's tongue slides out, slowly trailing from the string of my bottoms and stopping at the connection string of my top. "Take your top off."

     "Demanding, aren't we?" I mock, tugging on the skippy strings and letting the material tumble to the floor. "You're such a tit guy."

     "I'm an ass guy too," he says, squeezing my butt with his free hand before it jumps up to my breast. He toys with my nipple, rolling it between his fingers as his mouth sucks on the other one. After some time he switches his places, eyes flicker up for a moment. "You take forever," he groans, pulling his touches away from me.

"My bad, two-pump-chump," I grumble, a yelp spilling from me when Shikamaru grabs me. His arms wrap around my legs, tugging me onto the bed. "Shika!" I giggle, back landing against my mattress as he settles between my knees.

"Yes, Pet?" He murmurs, tongue sliding across my inner thigh. I toy with his hair, rubbing my nails gently across his skull, pulling a soft whimper from him. "I hate how well you know me," he groans, undoing the strings of my bikini bottoms, and dropping them on the top left on the floor.

"No, you don't," I tease, dropping my hands down to his shirt, and tugging him up my body before I start pulling it up. Once he's free from his shirt, his necklace hangs between us, dangling in my face. God I swear, I don't know what it is but it's so hot.

"You're not paying attention to me. What a drag, you're not even into it."

"I am," I hum, lifting my hand, and using a finger to toy with our clan pendent. "I'm just getting a little bored with our routine."

"The fuck am I supposed to do with that?" He grumbles, shifting his weight back and forth between the hands pressed next to my head.

"I don't know, you're the genus here, not me."

Shikamaru lets out a long, deep sigh of annoyance, his eyes falling into their 'I look pissed but I'm thinking' look. His brows are pressed together, eyes set forward and slit. "Are your parents home?"

"No."

Silence falls between us again, Shika's eyebrows shifting as the gears in his head turn. "If I blindfold you are you going to lose your shit?"

"We're known as the Shadow Clan. I think I'll be okay with a little bit of darkness."

With that, Shika climbs off of me, his focus shifting through my dresser drawers. He stays silent when he finds my Shinobi band, carefully tying it around my eyes before whispering in my ear. "I'll be right back. Just chill."

I do as I'm told, relaxing in bed as I wait for him to return. It doesn't take long for his aura to fill my room again, my curiosity sparked by what he'll do. "What do you have planned, Mr Genus?"

"If I told you," he starts, the feeling of his breath sliding over my pussy startling me a bit. "It would ruin the plan, Miss I'm Getting Bored." My thighs are gripped, being tugged further apart. "Make sure you tell me if you're not good."

"I know, Shik."

"Just making sure," he mutters, brushing kisses against my thighs again. As the kisses roll around my skin, I'm slowly lulled, the gentleness of Shikamaru threatening to put me to sleep.

The sound of a click fills my senses with the feeling of heat licking at my thighs. "What the fuck, Shikamaru!" I yelp shoving his hand away.

"Is that a 'surprised' fuck or a 'I don't like that' fuck?" His voice is followed by soft clinking. The sound is followed by something chilled pressed to the spot previously accompanied by some kind of flame.

"Surprised fuck," I murmur, shivers running up my spine as the chilliness melts, dripping down my skin. It's an ice cube, isn't it? And the click and flame combo was Shika's lighter. What a smart but bored man.

"Mmm, good," he mutters, dropping the ice cub, making them clink against each other again. His tongue slides across my leg, lapping up the water left behind. "Is this exciting enough, Miss Bored?"

"Yes, Sir."

He hums again, climbing up my body. "Alright, you needy girl. I'm going to rest in you until you're worked up enough cause you're too much work."

"Lair, you just want to feel me pulse around you," I tease, my hands crawling down his body. Shikamaru has stripped since I've been blinded, sparking my excitement even more.

His necklace taps against my skin as he moves, the feeling of his lips mapping out his slow climb. "So what if I do? We're doing this because - "

"Hey, Sweetie? Are you home?" My mother's voice rings out, pulling a disappointed sigh from the both of us.

"You need to move out," he grumbles, tugging the headband off my eyes as he crawls off of me. "For now," he starts, mouth clinging to my throat, sucking on my skin as hard as he can. "We're going to greet your mom, excuse ourselves for lunch, and then we're going to continue our new game at my place," he finishes before sucking on the same spot, promising to leave a dark bruise on my neck.

     "Shik," I whine, knotting my hands around his ponytail before I try to pull his lips off me. "You're going to leave a bruise."

     "Ya, that's the point," he grumbles, his tone not matching the smile being pressed against my skin.

     "So much for not being jealous," I tease, managing to pull Shikamaru off me, a loud pop following the loss of his suction.

———————————

     "Nara-Chan!" Neji calls, waving at me as his squad and him walk towards our squad. "You look... good," he mutters, eyes jumping over me before he gives me a closed-eyed smile, a soft pink dusting his cheeks.

It's an open secret among our generation that Neji has started forming a bit of a crush on me. With the aftermath of the war, neither one of us has had the time to move the relationship past playful flirting. Though, hopefully, after this weekend that won't be the case anymore. The soft rumor of Neji asking me out filtering around helping that.

Every year, the twelve of us have taken a weekend away from the village to go do something other than work. It usually ends up being all of us camping near a river or lake and just spending the weekend relaxing. We're doing that again this year, hence picking out a swimsuit yesterday with Shika.

"Hey, Nej," I greet, returning his wave as he settles in front of me. "Are you excited for the trip?" He hums a yes, eyes not-so-secretly climbing my form again. His eyebrows scrunch when he gets further up my body, making me a bit concerned. Is there food or something on my shirt?

"Hello," Shikamaru's voice rings out as my eyes jump down, checking for a stain or leftover crumbs from the chips Choji and I shared. "What's up, Neji?" He asks, stopping next to me as he greets our friend. Shika's hand jumps up, tapping against my neck before his focus shifts back to the pleasantries Neji and him are sharing.

My eyes flutter towards a smug Shik, cockiness waving off of him. Why the hell was Neji looking at me so weird? Why did Shikamaru tap my neck?... oh.

Heat blooms across my face as I remember the dark hickey present on my neck. The very dark and very big bruise Shikamaru left behind yesterday.

"Anyway," Neji says, tugging me out of my thoughts and embarrassment. "Do you want to walk with me, Nara-Chan?"

"Yes," I rush out quickly, the heat on my face now from being flustered instead of embarrassed. "I... um... yes, I would like to walk with you," I correct, keeping my tone soft and even this time.

"Great," Neji says, sending me another smile. "I'm going to go greet the others. I'll come find you when we're ready to go, alright?"

"Alright," I murmur, smiling back at him. My eyes trail after Neji, watching him walk away to greet the rest of my squad and his cousin's squad that just showed up.

When my eyes shift back to Shikamaru, who's gloomy, arms crossed over his chest, and a glare shot toward Neji. I swear if he was any moodier a storm cloud would form over his head. "You're walking with Neji instead of me?" He groans, the heat of his glare still stuck on the other man.

"Ya. You're walking with Choji anyway. Why do you care?"

"I don't!" He snaps out, his anger pointed toward me instead of Neji. "Okay, maybe I do," he grumbles, eyes softening as he rolls them at me. "You're pretty blind, do you know that?"

"Why? Because I have more friends than just you?" I tease, laughing at his shocked face as I walk away to greet Shino's squad.

———————————

     I nod along to the story Tenten is telling me, half paying attention as I look at the scenery. Most of the girls have switched to being carried, not because we're tired but because we're lazy and the guys all have a complex of wanting to be better than the others. So, Lee is carrying Tenten, Kiba is carrying Hinata, Shika is carrying Ino, and Neji is carrying me. Naruto offered to carry Sakura but that ended with him getting a bruise or two.

     "So ya, I packed two swimsuits cause the guys are no help," Tenten grumbles, rolling her eyes before she playfully glares at Neji.

     "If it makes you feel any better, Shikamaru wasn't much help picking out my swimsuit either," I tell her, the both of us giggling at the guys' incompetence. "I think you should go with the red one though. You always look good in red."

     "Alright! Break time!" Shino's voice rings out, paired with a hand clap. The bug shinobi - like always - has declared himself in charge because he's 'older and wiser' than the rest of us. The real reason he's in charge is because Neji doesn't want to put up with Naruto and Shikamaru is too lazy to do it, but none of us are going to tell him that.

     We all settle to the side of the path, a few of the guys decking into the forest for a pee break. "Are you ready to get down?" Neji asks, his head tilting backward to look at me.

     "Ya, I should probably stretch my legs and give you a break," I answer, wiggling around on his back. He bends down a bit, shorting my jump off him. "Alright, Nej-man," I chirp, stretching myself out. "How much longer until we're to the spot?"

     "I would say an hour. Maybe two depending on if we stop again or how many... issues Naruto has," He says, stressing the word 'issues' as his eyes bounce toward the blonde boy.

     "That's not too bad," I mumble, sinking to the ground to sit under one of the trees. I rest my head against the bark of it, my eyes falling closed to give them a break from the sun.

     "Nara-Chan?"

     "Neji?" I hum, slowly opening my eyes again.

     Since I've closed my eyes, Neji has pulled out a water bottle. The top off and wrapped up in his hand. "When was the last time you drank water?"

     "Uh..." I murmur, having to take a second to figure out the answer. "I don't know. Before we left I think."

     Neji lets out a disapproving hum, paired with an equally disapproving look. "We have been out in the sun and the heat all day. You need to be drinking water."

"It's fine. When I'm thirty I will. It's not that big of a deal."

"Yes, it is. Dehydration is a big deal and not something I want you to suffer with," he lectures, sinking to kneel in front of me. "Now, open your mouth Nara-Chan," Neji says, his hand resting under my chin, tipping my head up. Reluctantly I snap my mouth open, eyeing the barely older man. He tips his water bottle, water-falling the liquid into my mouth.

"See? Isn't that better?" He mutters, his eyes locked on my neck again as he sets the bottle down. Neji's eyes shift, locking in mine. When I try to break the staring contest, he uses his hold on my face to put it back in place. "I'm waiting for an answer."

"Oh... um, ya. That's better," I finally answer, my breathing suddenly feeling more labored. Thoughts that would turn Neji red flicker through my mind for a moment. I guess Lee wasn't lying when he said his friend was planning to focus on forming our relationship this weekend.

"Good, now please excuse me," Nej says, squeezing my face gently before dropping his hold on me. "I will be back," he mutters, packing his water bottle back in his bag before disappearing into the trees.

"What the hell was that?" Ino shrieks, her sudden presence next to startling me.

"I don't know," I answer, my voice pitched and mind running wild.

"I don't either. What I do know is that Shikamaru is pissed off again," she tells me, shrugging towards the small circle of Shika, Shino, and Kiba a couple of paces away.

Ino is right. Shikamaru's eyes are locked on me, sight intense as he stares at me, occasionally glances at the spot Neji disappeared from. His arms are crossed too, jaw locked, and the gears in his head turning again. I was kidding when I was poking fun at him for being jealous. I'm starting to think it's not a joke anymore.

Dear Lord, this weekend isn't going to play out smoothly, is it?

———————————————————————

[bo0tleg]

Maverick and Rooster aren't going to be able to immediately fall back to what they were. They care for each other deeply, and saved each others life on the mission, but this sort of shit needs time. One conversation isn't going to cut it with those two.

Look: I like the idea of them falling back into what they were before just as much as the next person, but that's.... not what realistically would happen. And that's ok! It makes sense for them not to know what to do with each other at the start.

For the record: I'm also not blaming anyone for writing fics about them immediately going back to the father-son or uncle-nephew dynamic because, because come on. It's cute as HECK! I'd just like to think about how to explore their feelings and hang-ups about each other in dept!

They're both stubborn fucks and this has been simmering for far too long for anything to be resolved instantly with a single conversation. Bradley un-learned how to talk honestly to people the day he left, and Mav's scared about what honesty can bring. They've sat on this pot for so long they no longer feel it burning their asses, and forgot what they put in the damn thing in the first place, so they stay there. On top of it. Still burning their asses.

Bradley holds onto grudges like it's a lifeline, and one mission isn't going to change that. He listened to Mav in the canyon because he rescinded what he had said with his actions. Mav said that he 'wasn't ready' but then chose Rooster as his wingman, communicating that he is ready and that he trusts him with his life. But that was a life or death situation that Rooster was both present in and could interfere in if he so chose. He saved Mav because he didn't want him to die, and they seem more inclined to deal with it back on the boat, but it's still a long road ahead.

What happened was they rekindled their care for each other, because neither had ever truly given up on it in the first place. Mav never stopped caring and knew it, Bradley did the same without knowing. This just so happens to be the first time they're forced to deal with each other since the fallout.

Just because they care about each other doesn't erase the history that's separated them for all of this time. In fact, it probably makes it worse.

Bradley thought highly of Mav, and he didn't live up to it. Mav wanted the best for Bradley, and did what he thought would be best. Their problems came from the root of care. And it's more bittersweet because of it.

Because of it, resentment and guilt have settled over their shoulders, respectively, and it refused to go away.

They talk, and they try, but it's still not great.

Mav is inclined to just sweep it all under a rug and ignore the lump it forms on the floor. Because of his guilt, he takes all of the blame and sugarcoats Bradley's part in said blame to try and make up for it. Bradley is just as fault as Mav is, but Mav doesn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth.

So instead of fixing things, they look slightly less crooked, but not entirely right. It's a 'their problem' not 'his problem'. They're both at fault, and they both need to deal with it.

Maverick refuses to give up any of the blame, and Bradley is going to refuse to take any of it.

Sure, Mav fucked up, but Bradley blew it out of proportions. Storming off and refusing to talk is a normal response, but not for fifteen years. He barely let Mav explain himself.

Everything "wrong" about himself he blames on Mav. He thinks that Mav fucked him up by breaking his trust as his father figure, so he doesn't trust anybody anymore. He thinks that him being completely emotionally stunted and sensitive to critique is Mav's fault because of the 'your not ready' comment.

Thing is, it's his own fault. It's his fault that he's been fucked up for so long because he never tried to fix what was broken. It's not Bradley's fault that Mav pulled his papers, but he threw away everything, everyone he had before because of a single (justifiable!) mistake. And he doesn't recognize it for what it is, and refuses the blame. Carting it all off to Mav instead of dealing with his own shortcomings.

Mav is aware of this (that Rooster refuses to take the blame), but agreed with Rooster in his analysis of the situation, and takes it all on himself, which is not a healthy mechanism for either of them. It pats Rooster on the head for somewhere he fucked up on, and overloads Mav with guilt that shouldn't be that intense and deep.

But they don't know this. So Mav isn't angry at Rooster, because he's blindsighted by his care.

Thing is, I want someone to be angry. I want someone to be offended on Mav's behalf because he himself won't do it. I don't know who it would be, could be a good number of people, maybe even a child OC.

For fifteen years Bradley left without looking back. He left, and Mav suffered. Someone saw that. Someone was there with him all or most of those years, sitting right beside him as his guilt grew with every holiday that went by, with every letter or call left unanswered.

The obvious option is Ice. However, I want to pull away from that option, because if Ice is dead (stay with me now) it only creates more conflict, more nuance to what's going on.

Bradley cut Mav out of his life, and it's implied that he cut out any association with him too. That includes Ice.

What if he never spoke to Ice either for those fifteen years? Ice died. Bradley went to his funeral. Bradley went to his funeral as a fellow aviator, as an underling obeying orders.

Bradley's face in that funeral was blank.

That is the face of a man watching the burial of someone he once could potentially have considered a father figure that he hadn't spoken with for fifteen years. And he's never going to be able to speak to him again.

At that funeral, I don't think he regretted it. Sad, maybe, but no regret.

The regret only hit later.

He got to mend things with Mav after the Uranium Mission and beyond, but that is no longer possible with Ice.

Bradley regretted what he did, how he neglected them for years, but he regretted it too late for one of them.

I think Brad probably ended up at Ice's grave at some point, and owned up to everything he didn't– couldn't– own up to at the funeral. And he fucking sobbed. Begged. Apologized, over and over.

This is the reason I suggested maybe a child OC, because if the child is Icemav's or just Ice's, Bradley's gonna have a warped perception of them. (Note: When I say "child" I mean that it was their child as in gender neutral for son/daughter, it doesn't necessarily mean the person in question should be an actual kid.)

Bradley's gonna see that kid as penance.

And they're gonna fucking hate him for it.

Bradley is going to look at them and see Ice, and they're gonna hate him for it. Their father is dead, and for the last fifteen years of his life he'd never been truly happy because this prick never bothered to own up to his mistakes. Not even at the funeral Bradley owned up to his shortcomings, and now all of a sudden he waltzes right back like he never left? What the fuck!

Bradley could have done this, idk like a week sooner? But he only came to his senses after Ice died. Their father died and Bradley barely looked like he cared is what they're going to think. But all of a sudden, he goes on a suicide mission and almost died and he's suddenly back? Because when his own life is in danger he changes his mind, but when Ice died he couldn't care less? What the fuck!

That man went to that funeral as a subordinate, not as the son he was.

The kid doesn't have the tinted lenses Mav has on about Bradley. All the resentment Mav doesn't feel, this kid is going to feel for him.

Bradley is going to understand their resentment because of Ice, and is going to focus on fixing that part with them, without noticing that the resentment isn't just because of Ice, it's about Mav too.

The kid is going to be pissed because they are not Ice. Bradley is going to be too worried about making it up to a dead man through his child that he's going to neglect the very much still alive man he ALSO has to make amends with.

But Ice didn't have a direct hand in pulling his papers, so Bradley understands his mistake with him (he shouldn't have cut him out over someone else's mistake). Mav, however, did have a direct hand and he's still bitter about it. And the kid sees it. They see him doing exactly that.

Bradley is focusing on the wrong thing, because he's trying to redeem himself in an impossible way, trying to answer to someone who no longer demands it.

He goes after it because the silence is a more comfortable answer than the conflict he's bound to face from someone who's still alive.

In the process, he's going to hurt Mav.

Bradley's gonna be so caught up in making it up to Ice (the one he can no longer make up to) that he doesn't think to properly make it up to Mav (the one he can still make it up to) because he thinks he has to.

Ice is gone. Ice is gone and there's nothing he can do about it. And If he'd just changed his mind earlier maybe there could have been. Admittedly, Ice still would have died, but maybe he'd have died more settled than he did. He'd have died with the knowledge that his son came back. That his son still cared. But he didn't, and Bradley hates himself for it.

So, he veers to the kid. He doesn't outright apologize other than the first time, but he's gonna treat them like either a piece of glass or a carbon copy of his father figure. Regardless, they're going to hate him for it.

It's not them he cares for, it's what he sees them as. They can see straight through his bullshit because there's no deep emotional connection there to blind them.

They could try to care and love for him for Mav's sake, but it'd be much better if it were on their own terms, that Bradley would care for them as them and not as Ice's child.

On top of that, the neglect Bradley has for Mav is humongous. And he himself doesn't see it because the resentment he feels is still there. Mav was the one who pulled his papers. He blames Mav for his own decisions.

He's alone, and he blames Mav. He doesn't let anyone in or near, and he blames Mav. But it wasn't Mav that made him shut everyone out, he did that on his own.

He hasn't thought about why Mav did what he did, choosing to believe what Mav claimed to be the reason. It's blatantly obvious that Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell of all people would never stop someone from going to the Academy because he thought they aren't capable. That's what they did to him, he's not going to do that to someone who is virtually his son.

Bradley was irrational and stuck to that irrationality for fifteen years. He used the emotional stuntedness he himself created as a guise to not actually process what happened. He refused to think about it, and still does.

He and Mav reconnected after the mission, but it's a frail margin. Bradley was more inclined to listen because he's confused that Mav cares at all. In his rage, he didn't notice that he did it out of love, and doesn't know what to do with it. The entire training, he's confused, pissed and uncertain all the while.

He still doesn't know the real reason Mav did what he did, and doesn't understand the love he still sees in his eyes. Rooster thought that he shattered everything he had with Mav when he felt, most of all cemented it with all the time spent in that state.

By the end of the movie, he knows for certain that Mav loves him, and understands that he, himself, never stopped loving Mav either, despite what he claimed.

Bradley wanted to be a pilot because of his dad. Goose wasn't a pilot. Maverick was.

The betrayal hit him harder because he wasn't running after Goose, he was looking up to Mav. He wanted to be like Mav.

And he became a pilot, even when Mav pulled his papers, even after having the person he did it all for ripped him into shreds. He still did it.

He still wanted to be like Mav. Deep down, he still saw him as a role model even through all of the repression.

But he still doesn't know why. He doesn't know why Mav did what he did, because Maverick himself refused to say why.

Mav isn't going to be doing great either. He fucked up, and he fucked up big time. He shouldn't have pulled Bradley's papers, period. I know about Carole, but still. He should have communicated with Brad about it, and they'd fight about it, but Bradley wouldn't have walked out to never return then.

To worsen matters, Maverick has a horrendous martyr complex that makes him take the brunt of Bradley's resentment instead of Carole, the actual perpetrator.

Over the years, he's blamed himself more and more every year that passed, but I don't believe he ever regretted it.

He fulfilled Carole's last wish. It didn't stop Rooster from becoming a pilot. He gave both of them what they wanted.

But he's trying to protect the Carole Bradley has in his head because he doesn't want to stain his memory of her as he did with himself. This has been discussed a hundred times over, so I will try to be brief.

Mav is scared that instead of him, Bradley's gonna resent his mother. His dying, cripple mother that said that in her death bed. His widow mother who saw her husband die in the skies and didn't want her baby boy to have the same fate. His sorrowful mother that had to watch her friend, someone she considered a little brother, keep going up into those same skies and hear all the whispers the people on the ground flung upon him because of it.

So he took it all on himself. Because he sees himself as expendable in favor of her.

So, safe to say he's not going to be the one to tell Bradley the truth. Because of it, Bradley's resentment is going to continue to fester.

After the mission, Bradley knows that Mav's not telling him everything, but he refuses to talk about it so what the hell is he going to do?

They fix things well enough for them to talk to each other, but don't make it too deep in fear of opening up more wounds instead of stitching the old ones back together.

Mav thinks this is as good as he can get. Bradley is annoyed at Mav's hesitance.

Despite mending things, Bradley is still going to think all of his problems are Mav's fault. And he's a petty bitch, so he won't let it slide.

He hasn't properly processed it due to the lack of information, and can't let go because of it.

He's going to slip in dry comments about how Mav affected his mental health and life because of what he did. He's going to be cagey about everything that happened in the in between. He's not going to know basic shit about Mavericks life because he refuses to acknowledge that he was wrong in more than one way.

And Mav's gonna fucking take it.

He's not gonna say anything, not gonna even defend himself because he thinks he deserves it.

Bradley is a stubborn fuck whose pride has been hurt once, and refuses to acknowledge that it could be hurt again. He's just like Mav when he was younger, but ten times worse in the emotional department (I have no fucking idea how he managed that, but he did).

So yeah, soon enough they're going to be balls deep in miscommunication with grudges held close to their chest.

Maverick wants to communicate but doesn't want to communicate a very important piece of information that could potentially make things better and Bradley straight up doesn't want to if he doesn't have to.

Which means they're going to come to a stand-still. And someone is gonna have to interfere.

If I were to guess, it'd either be Slider or Sarah (Kazansky). Regardless if Sarah is Ice's sister or wife (up to interpretation), she knew how important Mav was to Ice and obviously cares about him too from the few scenes we got of her. Slider also knows, and it's obvious he also genuinely cares about Mav too despite claiming otherwise.

I'd honestly vote for Slider to be the one to do it, simply because he'd also see the Ice favoritism and the Mav neglect, and would pull Bradley's ear about it to hell and back. Because he also knew Goose, and this... entire thing is not something Goose would be happy about, at all. Slider has a much more subdued connection to Bradley, so he'd have no qualms about calling him out on everything.

Especially if he ever found out that Bradley said 'My dad trusted you, I'm not going to make the same mistake.' I sorely believe Slider would end up in jail if he ever heard about that one.

If Sarah were the one to do it, she'd probably be more understanding and much less violent than Slider, but she'd be blunt. That's still someone she cares deeply for they're talking about, and she also saw all of it. She wouldn't sugar coat what needs to be said, but she'd be understanding too. Not you did nothing wrong kind of understanding, but a you had your reasons to be upset kind of understanding.

Either of them would probably do this without Maverick's consent, because that's the only way to get it done.

When Bradley finally comes to know exactly why Mav did what he did, he's gonna be in shambles. Not only for Mav, but for himself.

His entire life has been built around that single happenstance and now it's gone, he was wrong. He was so wrong. He can't go back to being the way he was, he doesn't remember how he was.

He's gonna have to start over, rebuild himself from the ground up to be someone better and spare everyone in his life the suffering. Everyone in his life has suffered the consequences of his resentment. He doesn't know if he can make up for it.

To start over, step number one is apologize.

This right here is were he finally lets his ego drop, and fully apologizes to Mav. Finally owns up to his mistakes to the person that deserves it most. He's not gonna leave Mav be, he's definitely going to demand a full explanation from him and then is going to scold him for it, but he's gonna finally fully let go of the grudge he held this entire time.

That's to say, everything isn't a sea of roses.

Maverick isn't the only person he needs to apologize to, and on top of it, Maverick is probably the only one who is going to let him down easy.

Bradley is going to be on a tight leash with everybody else for a while, and they don't have any hold ups about calling him out on his bullshit. He's going to need to learn how to take critique to improve himself rather than read it as a straight up insult that he's going to get mad about.

Maverick is going to need to learn that Bradley isn't going to up and leave, and that he shouldn't hold himself to such low standards. Not only that, he's also going to need to learn that Bradley is bound to make mistakes just like any other human.

Bradley is still gonna fuck up in some places, but he's gonna be better at recognizing it. Mav's also gonna fuck up sometimes, but he's going to get better at accepting it and moving on.

With time, Mav is going to call Bradley out on his bullshit too, and Bradley is going to do the same when Mav starts doing his 'I'm less important than other people' shit.

They're going to be sad about it because they think that the reason the other does some of the things they do is because of themselves, but that's a story for another time.

They try. That's what matters.

[merakiui]

don’t forget during the Halloween event (the one where they go to the underworld) ace asks to go check on you when ur missing without anyone asking! And tells u how scared he was that u were missing 🥺

Aaaa yes!!! He's so fond of the player. It's very cute. orz he loves spending time with them as well. There are so many times in which Ace invites the player to Heartslabyul events or it's implied he spends time over at Ramshackle. >w< but if anyone were to ask why he seems so attached to you, he would just deny it and get huffy hehe. Insisting that that's not it! Definitely not! Absolutely not!

Ace is genuinely such a good friend to have. If anyone's giving you trouble, he'd be the first to speak his mind on it. A very strong character! His involvement in Heartslabyul book is always very impressive to me because he was the only one out of all of those students to actively and outright resist and speak against Riddle's tyranny even when it landed him punishments and Off With Your Head.

It's such a powerful moment when he stands up to Riddle and gives him the reality check he needs but has never received:

Trey and Cater are near Riddle in a somewhat defensive position. They're still trying to protect and shield him because it's what they've done best in order to mitigate bad behaviors. They know it's wrong, but the mindset of "if it's mostly under control, it's okay," is easier to enable because it's much harder to tell Riddle to his face that what he's doing is wrong. All of what Ace says is true. It's a very valid point! His entire monologue is amazing, especially these parts!!!!!

There are different types of intelligence. Riddle's is very textbook and academic. He's so smart, but when it comes to things like friendship or social situations and cues he's mostly lost because he wasn't given the time as a child to explore and experience (natural) friendship like a normal child. Ace is right; it's terrible that he was raised in such a way, but then Riddle isn't entirely faultless himself. It's up to him to decide whether he wants to continue to perpetuate the cycle his mother subjected him to, just as it's up to him to decide if he wants to change and better himself. No one else can do that for him. They can tell him so, but nothing will change if Riddle doesn't recognize that he needs to reflect and improve.

I also like Ace in that chapter because he's so real and raw with his words. He doesn't sugarcoat it. He lays out the reality of the situation, acknowledges that it's not great, but also explains that just because it's a bad situation it shouldn't be used in a way to enable or excuse Riddle's actions.

Ace plays such a vital role in Heartslabyul's arc. If not for him, this confrontation would not exist and the dorm would likely still function as it did pre-overblot. He's a good friend. He'll call you out on your nonsense if he thinks it's detrimental or just isn't right and that's a very good quality he has! :D

[silvervioletvalentine]

❣️! Wildcard!❣️

Pairing : Mick Schumacher X femOC (Cherrie!)

Word count : 5.3k

Summary: Mick has scary dog privileges but instead of a scary dog it’s his girlfriend Cherrie.

Mick couldn't help but smile when the reporter said his girlfriends name, making him sit up straighter in his seat without him even realising it.

Just Cherrie's name already being mentioned made his face light up like it was Christmas , there truly was no one else that he liked to gush more about and he would take any opportunity to do so, not matter how much of a lovesick fool it made him look like.

He just couldn't help it. He was dating the woman of his dreams , who didn't want to brag about something like that?

"There has been a lot of talk online about your relationship with Cherrie Lynn , who is notoriously known as being a 'ice queen' who doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. You could say that the two of you are complete opposites when it comes to personalities , do you agree?" The man questioned him.

Just as confused as the rest of the world as to how the hell a man like mick was with a woman like Cherrie , who was the exact opposite of him in nearly every way.

And mick couldn't help but laugh a little at that question. Because he wasn't exactly wrong.

His girlfriend was known for being a blunt, obnoxious nutcase who came across as though she had no worries in the world and if she did have one, she would simply just eliminate them without batting an eyelash.

She was this cool and untouchable woman , an absolute spitfire , someone that shouldn't have even been in his league , never mind being his girlfriend .

He also knew that most people found his girlfriend to be a little too scary to handle , despite the fact that most of the other drivers had a little crush on her too .

He didn't blame them. She was so fucking beautiful that sometimes he found it hard to catch back his breath whenever she even smiled at him.

She just wasn't afraid to put anyone in their place, and if she had a problem with someone then they would be quick to know about it. Because she didn't mess around, she got shit done and simply got rid of anyone that was standing in her way.

Mick thought she was the most amazing woman in the world , even though sometimes her confidence intimidated the shit out of him too.

It only made him love her more. And everyday thag passed he could feel himself being more outspoken and confident too, as though it was a side effect of being with someone who simply didn't give a shit.

It had started to rub off on him a little , he really wasn't complaining .

So mick simply shrugged his shoulders at the mans question , still smiling at the very thought of her.

"There's no denying that we're very different but I think that's why it works so well.." he mused honestly , while tapping his fingers against the table thoughtfully .

"We balance eachother out. She helps me to be more confident in myself because if she ever see's me putting myself down she would slap me over the head and make me believe in myself till I was crying about it . She won't rest until I do.." he chuckled fondly as he recalled the way that she had looked at him with narrowed eyes when he had called himself stupid for crashing his car again and DNF'ing.

Mick had thought for a fearful moment that she was going to slap him.

She was furious. The most angry she had looked at him in a long time.

That one look had served to shut his mouth up real quick.

She had stood in front of him with her hands pressed to her hips, huffing like an angry bull at him.

And if she hadn't completely scared the shit out of him when she was pissed off, he might have laughed a little at how cute she looked with her cheeks all red and pouty lips being thrown at him. Clearly displeased.

"The only thing that's stupid is the words you're saying!" She had snapped at him.

Tough love being the way she rolled. She didn't lie to him, didn't try to sugarcoat the situation just to make him feel better.

Instead she was blunt but believing as she continued to speak.

"Yes you fucked up. And it's sucks that this has happened but you can't change what has been done." She told him seriously as she reached her hand out to push his sweaty hair away from his flustered face .

"-but what you can do is practice and learn to nail those corners better. You can change what's going to happen Mick . By becoming better and winning. So you can shove it in the stupid faces of those who have doubted you." Her voice was harsh and eyes dark but he felt himself relax at her odd way of encouraging him.

And he knew that she was right , so that's what he did.

Then the following week came by and he won. And so did Cherrie they had sprayed each other with champagne and celebrated on the podium together , Cherrie with a knowing and smug smirk on her face while mick just beamed down at her and kissed her champagne coated lips .

Overflowing with happiness and knowing that he owed his win to his tough love girlfriend who had pushed him into being greater. Who had believed in him without any hesitation even through all of his set backs .

She had his back. She always did.

The reporter smiled "a lot of people like to joke that she's more like your bodyguard than girlfriend. She seems to get herself into a awful lot of trouble over you. She reportedly had a dead pigs head delivered to the door of one of the drivers who had insulted you. Is that right?" He amusedly brought up the insane situation of ... last week.

Mick tried not to laugh, he really did but he just couldn't help it as he recalled how smug Cherrie had been when she returned home to casually inform him of her visits to the local butchers.

Having been beyond fuming when she got word of another driver smack talking her sweet boyfriend who could do no wrong in her eyes.

She knew that she couldn't just go around throwing punches like her first instinct to was, she was already in the shits for getting into a bar fight a couple of weeks ago when some drunk asshole had spilt his drink on Mick and then proceeded to try and pick a fight with him once he realised who he was.

What the asshole hadn't realised was that Cherrie went slightly bat shit crazy when anyone even dared to upset the love of her life.

So with a glare of fury in her eyes, she had simply picked up a barstool and threw it at the asshole's head , knocking him straight out on the sticky floor.

Then she had grabbed ahold of Mick who had been frozen in shock with wide eyes as he gaped at her in amazement , before quickly dragging him out of there before she could get them in to any more trouble.

It was also the night that she learned that her boyfriend found her knocking out guys twice her size incredibly hot.

He hadn't let her leave the bed the whole weekend.

Mick pursed his lips to try and hide his grin at the pigs head reminder .

"That has nothing to do with Cherrie . She wouldn't do that." He blatantly lied .

She would do that.

That was exactly something that she would do. She was beyond petty when somebody pissed her off.

So mick hasn't felt too surprised when she admitted to him that she had bought a pigs head from the butchers and gift wrapped it for the driver who has insulted him so carelessly.

She had been so casual about it too, simply pulling an unimpressed face . Still pissed off as she told him "that if he wanted to act like a stupid pig then she was going to get him one." Then she had smirked like the mean little bitch she was and added.

"Plus it'll be good for him to see what happens to unlucky pigs like him. He won't be saying a bad word about you anymore.." she had wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned up at him like she was an innocent Angel.

Devil in disguise . He had thought amusedly when he gazed down at her Angel like face with a shake of his head .

It always was the prettiest ones that were the most crazy.

"Otherwise I'll turn him into that poor pig." The threat was a casual promise .

Mick had sighed in utter adoration as he picked up his crazy girl and took her back to bed.

She was scary as fuck but holy fuck did she turn him on when she got like this.

Mick then continued to answer the reporter again.

"I think it's funny that they all call her my bodyguard because they're not wrong." He breathed out a slightly shy laugh at the reminder of who wore the pants .

Usually it was the man in the relationship that played the over protective role but Cherrie beat him to that by a long shot.

He was the lover in their relationship while she was definitely the fighter.

He would be the one stood back with his nails between his teeth biting down on them like a nervous squirrel while his girlfriend pushed him back and confidently told him that 'she would handle it.' By that she meant that she was going to go absolute apeshit.

She didn't even let him walk on the outside of the path either .

Instead she would grab ahold of his waist and yank him over to the inside of the path instead , keeping her body closest to the road while he shot her a unimpressed look. Despite the way he would flush red at her protectiveness .

Because at the end of the day all of her actions only

Made him love her more . Because she loved him and she wasn't afraid to show it.. in her own little unique way.

Most couples showed affection by holding hands or saying sweet things to each other.

Not Cherrie.

She showed him her love for him by storming into the hairdressers after they had fucked in his hair so badly that they had left him with a small bald patch at the back of his head.

Mick hadn't complained , too shy and uncomfortable to cause any drama. That just wasn't his thing. He had been ready to just deal with it and spend the next few weeks wearing his hats again till it grew back.

But his girlfriend had took one look at his hair and shook her head in pure disbelief .

Then he had turned around and she had been gone. Poof! Apparently fury made her run like a trackstar.

By the time that he had catched up to her again He had found her in the barbers with a hair clipper in her hands as she threatened to shave off the hair of the man that had done this mess to her sweet boyfriend.

Mick had to actually throw her over his shoulder and haul her away like a naughty child after she refused to stop waving the clippers in their scared face's. Giving a apologetic grimace to them as she continued to call them every curse word under the sun, even after they had left.

Huffing and puffing about how she had it 'all handled' and that 'she wasn't actually going to do it.'

Mick had rose his brows at her in pure amusement , laughing at the blatant lie she gave him before leaning over the car console and giving her a kiss.

So overwhelmed with love for his little psycho that always had his back , no matter what.

"I like that she's so protective of me. It means that I never have to worry about anything because Cherrie will sort it out for me ." He said , grinning happily.

Laughing to himself as he thought about how their date night a couple of weeks ago had gone .

They had been dining at some expensive restaurant that was ridiculously overpriced for the small portion of food that they were given.

The kind of dishes where you would have to order about six of them to actually feel full by the end of it.

Cherrie had ordered a chicken salad while he had went with the pasta without mushrooms , because mushrooms always gave him a rash and made him sick.

So when his plate had finally been put down in front of him after a ridiculously long waiting time , showcasing pasta with plenty of mushrooms throughout it , he had just sighed in defeat.

Not bothering to tell the waiter their mistake before he walked away.

He had started scraping them to the side of the plate with his fork, resigned to just eat the pasta that the mushrooms hadn't touched before Cherrie had finally noticed what he was doing.

Her eyes narrowing in confusion as she looked between his upset frown and then at his mushroom ridden plate.

"What the fuck? You told them no mushrooms!" She had exclaimed . Pulling the plate away from him aa though she was afraid he was just going to get sick from just looking at them.

Mick had hushed at her, telling her to keep her voice down. Not wanting to cause a scene.

Which he should have known was impossible, he had momentarily forgotten who his girlfriend was.

"It's no big deal I'll just-" he tried to calm her down but he should have known better really. Their was no way she would let this slide.

She had merely rolled her eyes at him and called over the waiter again. Ignoring him hissing at her not to do it with panic written all across his face.

"Cherrie- I'll just eat the pasta that the mushrooms haven't touched! It's not a big deal!" He had tried to persuade her quickly .

She had looked at him like he was the insane one. Glancing down at his tiny plate in disbelief.

"What? The last three pieces of pasta that'll be left? You paid a fucking fortune for this shit Mick. It's bad enough that it's only a baby sized portion. I'm not letting you waste your money like this." She had stubbornly shot back at him before plastering a smile onto her face once the waiter had reached their take again.

Mick couldn't meet his eyes. Instead he played with a napkin in his hands, flushing red as he tried to disappear from his seat, slumping his body down and wondering if he could fit under the table till it was over.

"He asked for no mushrooms. He's deathly allergic." She exaggerated to the concerned waiter without any shame . Nodding towards his plate with a deep frown of her own .

Mick had glared at her , more than flustered.

"Cherrie-"

The waiter looked mortified "deathly?" Before quickly picking up the plate from in front of him with a rush of apologies already escaping his mouth .

Mick had grimaced "I wouldn't say deathly-" he had started muttering , hating himself for feeling a little amused at how serious she had made herself look within seconds .

You would think that they had just tried to deliberately poison him from the look on her pretty face. Most of which he knew that she was definitely putting on.

There was nothing that his girlfriend loved more than being an impromptu actor at his expense .

Mick was sure that she just enjoyed making people uncomfortable.

She thought it was funny to see people shit themselves over things she said , because his girlfriend was an absolute menace to society.

"I would. He almost died last time from just touching a mushroom on accident. Never mind being given a plate full of them. " She had cut him off with a dramatic flare of her eyes . Even sniffling for added affect.

Clearly Trying not to laugh As she peered over at him in 'concern' , stroking his arm gently in comfort as though he too was traumatised from an I didn't that never even happened.

Mick could see the way her lips twitched once she saw the annoyed look on his face, shaking his head at the way she had absolutely No shame .

In the end he has been given a new, larger plate of pasta without mushrooms.

Alongside a slice of chocolate cake as the owner came out to apologise and tell them that the whole dinner was on the house.

Cherrie had been more than smug as she ate the free cake with a pleased little hum. Mick just rolling his eyes at her playfully , unable to scold her .

Because at the end of the day she had scored them a free date worth hundreds.

He couldn't even get mad when she started 'proposing' to him in expensive restaurants with a plastic ring she had found on the floor one time while they were out on walk together.

Having learnt that they would give free dessert out whenever someone proposed in their restaurant.

Mick had known that she would pull a stunt like that since the moment he watched his girlfriends eyes light up when her friend had did the same thing . Only their proposal had been real.

Cherrie didn't care though , she just wanted free cake.

Hence the tradition was born of her proposing to him at every five star restaurant that there was.

She got them free cake and he got to play pretend with her for a couple hours as he daydreamed about what it would be like when they finally did get engaged and married.

So, he really couldn't complain.

Despite the short flush of embarrassment he would feel when she got down on one knee and loudly started reading out some disgustingly cheesy poem to him in front of everyone while he tried not to cry tears of laughter and give their charade up.

Mick smiled brightly and tilted his head as he continued to gush about his loca girlfriend.

"Plus I know I'm a hundred percent safe when she's with me. She really isn't afraid of anything or anyone. No matter how scary the situation is , she doesn't ever hesitate to sort it out." He mused fondly to the reporter.

Hearts In his eyes as he recalled their visit to her small hometown.

The night that he realised that his girlfriend really was untouchable to anyone but him.

They had been taking a late night walk around her hometown where she had showed him all the spots that she spent her time at as a little kid. Even showing him the spot where she had broken all of her fingers after punching a boy for calling her a freak .

Mick had been having the time of his life , laughing at all the stories she told him of all the trouble that she got into when she was younger . And about how she had to move to three different schools because she kept getting suspended all the time.

Mick wasn't surprised at all. It seemed that his girlfriend had been a troublemaker since the day she was born.

He could only hope that when they had kids of their own together , that they wouldn't be as much of a nutcase as she was.

They had been hovering by his car , just chatting and looking up at the stars in the sky when he had spotted a man with a balaclava slowly edging towards them. Clearly wanting his expensive car.

He had cursed at himself for parking in such a darkened street.

Unfortunately Where Cherrie had grown up was known for its high crime and terrible violence . As well as plenty of car jacks .

It was why she had grown up to be so fucking tough, she had no choice to be.

He had felt his heart race in his chest with panic as he tried to subtly judge Cherrie to warn her of their impending attack , still keeping his eye intently on the man that he now noticed had a small hammer in his hand as well.

Jesus Christ . Fuck!

He almost passed out right there and then . He wasn't equipped for this at all! He had never even punched someone before! What the hell was be going to do?

"There's a man coming to the side of us with a hammer in his hand. What do we do?!" He had hissed at her underneath his breath in pure panic, sweat already beading at his hairline in fear.

He had almost gasped out loud when Cherrie had simply rose her brow at him before turning around so that she was facing the man as well.

Not even flinching at the sight in front of her .

"Cherrie-" he had almost wheezed. "Don't-"

His girlfriend simply let out a annoyed sigh and popped the boot of his car open casually while mick looked between the man that was quickly approaching and his girlfriend in fear.

Not understanding how she looked so fucking calm when they might have been about to get murdered by some maniac in a balaclava.

But what he had stupidly forgotten for a moment in his panic , was that his girlfriend was also fucking crazy. That she had grown up surrounded by situations  like this.

She also was the youngest of three older brothers and a father who had a career as a underground fighter when he was younger.

She knew how to defend herself . Knew how to scare even the strongest of man.

So he shouldn't have been as shocked as he was when she let out a loud laugh and grinned at the man brightly .

"Don't even try it bitch! Unless you want to lose all the bones in your pathetic body!" She had almost sang. Hand grabbing something from inside his trunk that he couldn't see.

Mick had thought that he was about to have a heart attack then .

Unable to believe that she was crazy enough to square up to a man with a hammer.

The man clearly thought so too as he scoffed out w laugh at them , holding up his hammer threateningly in their direction .

Mick took a step closer to Cherrie till their sides were pressed together , feeling faint and a little like he was going to be sick.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it you little bitch? Flick your hair at me?" He had stupidly mocked her , waving his hammer at them tauntingly .

Cherrie had just laughed even harder and then proceeded to casually pull out a sledgehammer from the boot of the car . One that he had definitely not put in there .

Making his eyes widen in disbelief as he wondered when the hell she had put that in his car. It hasn't been there the last time he had checked!

Holding up the biggest hammer he had ever seen in his life , she took a step towards the man with a amused giggle escaping her when he suddenly started to back off.

Looking rapidly between the sledgehammer in her steady hands and the tiny hammer in his shaking ones.

It was obvious who would win that fight.

"Well bitch my hammer is bigger than yours! I was thinking about using it anyways to see if it works good , so really you'll be doing me a lovely favour!" She had lifted his the hammer at the criminal threateningly .

More than Happy to have the opportunity to hit him with it.

The man ran off before mick could even form any words . Not that he felt like he was able to then, utterly speechless by what he had just witnessed.

All he was able to do was sag against the side of his car in pure relief as he placed a shaky hand over his pounding heart , gaping up at his girlfriend in pure disbelief .

She was still shouting and cursing out the man , even though he was long gone now . Not ounce ounce of fear or worry on her pretty face.

She just looked annoyed . Irritated that their stargazing had been interrupted so rudely .

"Fucking coward! Just wait till I find out which asshole you are! I'll break your legs and then tell your mama about what you did!" She yelled out loudly to the now empty streets.

Her childhood town was small enough that she knew nearly everyone that lived there. Mick had no doubt in his mind that she would figure out who did it by the end of the week.

She always did.

In the meantime he cautiously approached her and then carefully took the sledgehammer from her hands , swallowing audibly as he eyed the furious expression on her face.

Taking in deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

Realising then that if he didn't have his fucking fearless girlfriend with him , who was ready to hammer a mans head in with no hesitation , he would have been absolutely screwed.

He had then kissed her till his jaw ached and his fingers went numb from the cold.

Murmuring over and over again about how much he loved her. Sweet nothings against her lips as his heart finally settled back to peace .

His mind only thinking one thing then.

She was the one .

No doubt about it she was his ride or die.

Which was why he had burst into happy tears when he woke up up one morning with his head lying on her bare chest and a new gold engagement ring on his finger that she must have slipped on him during the night sometime .

Peering up through his wet lashes to see that Cherrie was already smiling down at him affectionally with a matching ring on her finger too.

Gently stroking his hair away from his face as she kissed away his tears , the both of them laughing a little breathlessly when he tilted up his chin and kissed her like it was the first time all over again.

With stampedes of butterfly's and the whole damn zoo filing his stomach and chest as he cried, so utterly in love that he didn't know what to do with himself.

So he just kissed her instead .

"We're getting married during the summer." She whispered to him a little time later after he had showed her how much he loved her without words needing to be spoken.

Sweaty and dazed , with his head back on her heaving chest as they both tried to catch their breath back from their sudden workout .

He had just laughed , smiling like a fool in love as he whispered back a truthful,

"I can't wait." Unable to help himself from teasing

"I'm surprised you didn't do it at a restaurant. We missed out on free cake!" He chuckled amusedly .

Cherrie just smirked mischievously , giggling sweet as she held him close , gently drawing patterns on his back as he kissed at every piece of soft skin that his mouth could reach without moving his body from ontop of her, too lazy to move.

"Reservations at six." She then informed him cheekily , meeting his amused gaze square on.

Unashamed as always. Free cake was free cake.

"You ready to be proposed to again?"

Mick sighed as though it was going to be such hard work sitting there looking pretty in his seat while she got down onto one knee and publicly declare her love for him.

Unable to stop laughing as he buried his face Into her neck with a grin, beyond happy.

"Suppose so. At least it'll be half real this time."

Cherrie smirked "it was always real those were just practice . But then I realised that you don't need me making a scene for the real thing.." she admitted to him, unashamed .

"Plus I already knew your answer." She arrogantly added as an after thought .

Making him snort out another laugh, pinching her side till she slapped his hand away with a giggle.

"Am I that obvious?" He whined a little, embarrassed by how unsubtle he was about his feelings for her.

He still blushed like a teenager with his first crush whenever she was near . Unable to look away from her when she was doing the most simple of things.

She took his breath away and Mick was convinced that with every day that passed by , she was getting more and more beautiful by the second .

Meanwhile the love of his life was the coolest and most unbothered woman he had ever met . The two of them couldn't have been more different if they tried , yet it worked .

It worked so fucking well. The way that they balanced each other out the love between them never faded , never dimmed.

It only intensified . He hadn't known it was possible to love somebody so much until he had her in his arms , smiling her dimpled smile at him like she could do no wrong.

Cherrie just smiled fondly down at him , gently stroking his cheekbones with her fingertips .

Smiling to herself when she watched goosebumps spread across his skin from her light touch.

"every time I touch you your face goes red. Even after all this time." She informed him as though he didn't already know of that fact , utterly flattered by his reaction to her .

Mick just chuckled and shyly shrugged his shoulders , blowing a raspberry between her breasts to make her laugh again.

Then he rested his chin on her chest and smiled . His eyes tracing over her perfect face . The face that he was going to wake up to for the rest of his life.

Kissing down The soft slope of her nose and the freckles across her cheeks.

The way her eyes were so warm and inviting when she looked at him , her perfect lips quirked in a soft smile that she only ever gave him.

"Because I'm in love you and you make me happy. You're the most beautiful woman in the world. Of course I'm gonna go red." He murmured against her skin. Snuggling Into her body , craving her embrace .

Cherrie just tilted her chin down and kissed him again.

No words needing to be exchanged as he intertwined his fingers with hers so that their engagement rings were pressed against each other before he rolled her to be back underneath him again.

All the while wondering to himself how he had managed to get this fucking lucky.

And when his birthday rolled around and he found himself gazing into his girlfriends eyes while he blew out the candles .

He made a wish.

I want our love to last forever.

Then he blew out the candles and kissed her to the sound of their friends cheering.

The both of them laughing breathlessly against each other's lips as she whispered that she loved him over and over again.

Mick promised to himself that he would make sure that his wish came true .

She was his life. His soul and his Heart, he was never going to let their love go to waste.

The kind of love they had was rare , one that came around only once in a blue moon.

And he was going to treasure it like he treasured her.

Forever.

[maxphilippa]

i think that the major misinterpretation that people have with taco is that she didn't get attached to mic because of her sad face in the end wanted to show regret because "she hurted her friend". like. no, she wasn't sad because she regretted what she did. she was sad because she's alone again, but she knows very well at the end that she had it coming. the reason as to why taco was so desperate of wanting mic to tell her that she did gain something is because. she SAW pickle in mic, but of course their situation is very different. "Oh but Taco couldn't have done what she did to Mic to Pickle, Mic was fully aware" but she did do that. Mic herself says it. That is pretty much what II is telling you. Taco isn't a good friend, and is not exactly a good person either. Mic was aware that Taco was/is a bad person, but Mic's nature makes her believe in whoever acknowledges her. Taco made Mic feel like she needed her, just the way she made Pickle feel back in s1.

she didn't really change thanks to mic. her faces of "regret" aren't her actually lamenting all of the stuff she did to microphone, but rather just her realizing that she proved what everyone said about her as a result. i will give it to that she might've tried to change, but not because of mic. she wanted to win the prize so she could prove others wrong on her being a loser and a coward, by being a loser and a coward. if anything, mic made her realize that she hasn't changed. she pretty much just ruined everything for everyone who saw her as a friend, and for herself.

taco's whole arc is constantly just downgraded to questionable takes and listen. i do agree that she is heavily flawed as a character. she is morally gray, but ii doesn't portray her as a good person with good intentions, nor she should be really be treated as if she was. neither she had those good intentions with mic at all, i mean, their "friendship" pretty much started because of taco wanting the prize money, taking a part of microphone's prize if she made mic won, you know, an offer. she would get the prize and mic would get recognition. but everyone seems to forget that probably, the main reason as to why she's doing all of this, is because she does regret how she acted on s1. she doesn't exactly regret doing all of that to microphone, and even if she does, it's for the wrong reasons. (that's because she did the exact same thing to you know, pickle, her once best friend, the only person she truly ever cared about)

people do tend to forget that taco keeps sending letters to pickle, and that's often just used for pickle angst and making it his only character trait, but. it's not that. it's the fact that taco keeps on writing those letters, despite fully knowing that she did hurt pickle because of her actions. taco's biggest flaw is that she can't accept that she has ruined everything and wants so desperately to be back on pickle's life because she ended up caring about him deeply as a person. as a friend. but she was never there at all, either.

taco can't seem to understand that she has hurted people badly. sure, she seemed like a "friend" to microphone, and you can argue whatever you want but a fact is that taco IS smart, and she knew that the only way to possibly keep mic by her side is pretending to want to be better, you know, the same way she pretended to be just a odd fella so pickle and her could remain together and have an advance at the game. she played with both of them. because both pickle and mic believed in her but were just used by her for the game.

however, taco does seem to regret the way everything went during-post s1. you can see how she yearns for another chance and is saddened about not getting it, but that's not only for comedic purposes, but that's because the writing is telling you that she won't get a second chance. at least not here.

what i want people to understand is that, yes, taco is a complex character, however trying to sugarcoat what she did is pretty much missing the point of her writing as a whole. she isn't a good person neither was she a good friend. she hasn't grown because she was never able to let go of something that she thinks that she can fix with some words and a prize. she thinks that she can still fix her friendship with pickle, she thinks that she can clear her name (even if she was the one who tainted it), but she only ended up proving knife right. she proved everyone right. she hasn't changed. a morally gray character is that. they're not exactly fully bad or fully good, but it's taco's actions that speak a lot. words are cheap, and taco's title is "The Liar", and that says a lot, because she kept on lying to microphone and to pickle on both of their games. she won't heal unless she lets go.

and i want to be clear here: i do think that taco can go through redemption. i do think that taco can become a better person, but not in the way people portray her to do so. because it just pretty much goes against what her arc has settled in for us, and the other arcs that were involved in hers as well.

taco's arc is meant to be somewhat a parallel with nickel's in a way. hell, even with knife's arc if anything. she treats knife as a simple bully, but when she saw that he became smarter and way more emotionally aware than what she had expected, she felt attacked by that, because he was stable. he became a better person and he was rubbing that on her, and it made her feelings of anger way worse regarding him, but it is true. knife is pretty much everything that taco wants to be, but here's the thing that made them so different:

knife stayed. taco didn't stay.

knife is accepted by everyone in the hotel because meanwhile he hasn't explicitly said that he had a change of heart, he has shown it through actions and a big difference too is that he was there for pickle, even if they weren't close in s1, and taco is on the woods because deep down she is aware that she can't go back. not if she doesn't have something to offer as an direct apology, but here's the problem. whether or not she got the prize, she still wouldn't get forgiven by anyone due to what she said that day.

again. her problem is not being able to let go and to accept when she has messed up badly. she has been lying to everyone but she has also been lying to herself as a whole. she can't keep on doing this because it's just hurting everyone and herself. keeping grudges and holding onto past friendships that were doomed to fall is just hurting her. she is not on the state to keep on trying, she wasn't at all ever.

taco's arc most likely will have closure on a way that fits her character, and i feel like that would be with her letting go of inanimate insanity as a whole and of what she can't fix anymore. her trying to find herself after years of lying to everyone and to herself. she's not a good person. but she can become one. only if she knows what she did was wrong and that her second chance isn't there, and never will be, and if she recognizes that meanwhile she did that damage, she can still become a better person. just not there.

pickle and mic don't owe her anything, especially pickle. taco does owe them an apology, but they won't accept that. the least she could do is to accept their wishes, understand that she needs to leave them and grow to be a better person. maybe, if she does that, she would actually heal.

she doesn't need anyone to fix her. she needs to fix herself.

[doublerainebow]

Roronoa Zoro x Reader

Look, I gotta be honest, I've never actually watched One Piece outside of the episodes that would air on Toonami back in the day, and I only really cared enough about it because my brother-in-law and my irl best friend both LOVE One Piece... and now my older brother is getting into One Piece too... but like I said in a previous post, I caved and ended up watching the One Piece Live Action (though I guess it didn't help that seeing Taryn cosplay as Zoro kinda reawakened my crush on ZoloZoro as a 4kids)... and I'm also sick right now and I have nothing better to do than write some Zoro boyfriend headcanons apparently. Aside from watching the OPLA, I did do my research on Zoro.. research being reading his page on the OP Wiki 😂😂

Okay, I'm rambling too much and this is still the introduction asdfghjkl

EDIT: Added the links lmao

~ Masterlist ~

The way Mackenyu said that he looked at his wife and knew that he wanted to marry her (supposedly, I couldn't find any concrete sources for this save for a YouTube video using TTS... but hey, it fed my imagination for this), I felt that so much for Zoro.

Of course, it doesn't happen overnight for Zoro. It takes a while, maybe even years, for him to look at you and be like, "I wouldn't mind settling down with you if possible." Oh boy, but when it does happen, he becomes very perceptive of you.

Just like his training, he takes his relationship with you very seriously, and even if he doesn't act on his feelings for you straight away--because one, he has a strong sense of duty to Luffy first, and two, you'd be his first and maybe only romantic partner ever--he'd still reserve a certain amount of softness and gentleness to you when not in the presence of others.

Let's go back to Zoro's perceptiveness really quickly. Yes, my man can be a dumbass at the best and worst of times and we all love that about him, but when it comes down to what's important, he knows how to analyze and read the situation. So, because he views you as someone important and someone he should take seriously, he's going to personally be making sure that you're okay, mentally, emotionally, and physically. He's that dedicated to you.

There will be times where his loyalty to Luffy might have to take center stage in the relationship, especially if its during a critical juncture, rest assured that he will do his best to make it up to you afterwards. He doesn't voice it often because of his strong loyalty to Luffy, but there are brief times in which he wishes that he could just spend time with you.

Now, Zoro isn't one for PDA, he gets very embarrassed by it because showing affection in public isn't something that he's comfortable with doing, but, get him out of public and into private, that man is on you, no question. The most affection he's comfortable with showing in public is you two taking a nap together, or even sharing a bottle together (which is very hard to get him to do, the man loves his alcohol, so congrats if you manage it).

As an official romantic partner, he's actually very sweet. Yes, he can come off as very blunt and cold sometimes, but he's just being honest with you. To him, its more important to be truthful than to sugarcoat things. For you, however, he's working on saying things more gently if in the case you get hurt by his initial blunt tendencies. Past that, however, he tends to you with the same care he tends to his swords. He sees a fruit or snack that you adore in the markets when he's helplessly lost? He'll absolutely buy it for you. Finds an item you've been wanting for a while? Don't worry, he's already paying for it. He finds out that you maybe feel a bit homesick? He'll begrudgingly ask Sanji to cook one of your favorite hometown dishes. He sees that you're feeling down on yourself? He's there to either quietly lend an ear or his presence, whichever you need. My man is an attentive boyfriend.

Also also, Zoro is a man of few words, so don't expect to hear him say, "I love you," very often, but that's okay. He's a man of few words, but his actions speak so much for him. You can feel him say those words in the way he kisses you thoughtfully, in the way he holds you so securely to him when you two nap or sleep together, in the way he dutifully monitors your alcohol intake (if you drink alcohol of course), in the way he tends to you carefully if you get hurt in a fight. To him, words are useless and actions mean so much more.

In other words, Zoro would make the best boyfriend in his special own way.