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brainyxbat · 7 months ago

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Roronoa Venus- Hungry Days 1

New Friends, and Past Humiliation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yeah, if you want."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Awesome; feeling's mutual."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Back off, curlybrow."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"What do you mean?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She didn't want anything like that happening again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Huh? W-what're you-"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Shut up."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"W-what?"

"You have a crush on Usopp."

"N-no," She fibbed.

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

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

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

"Although?" Robin repeated with motherly patience.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I'm glad you think so."

"Has she dated before?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yeah," Robin nodded.

"That's where I work."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Cool place," Robin replied with a smile.

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

"Thanks."

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

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

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

"Since you're buying-"

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

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

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

"Like each other how?" Chopper asked innocently.

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

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

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

"Shut up!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"And for the lady?"

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

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

"Usopp."

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

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

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

"Oh yeah?"

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

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

"I play an electric violin."

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

"Thanks."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I bet I will."

"Usopp?"

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

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

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

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

"Shut up, Marimo."

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

"You're welcome."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"'Kay," She nodded.

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

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

"Especially Usopp, right?"

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

"No prob! See you guys tomorrow!"

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

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

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

"She fit right in," Zoro added.

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Last Year-

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

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

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

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

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

If only he knew how wrong that preposition was.

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

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

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

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

"'Kay, have fun."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"But you just got here-"

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

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

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

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

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

"Why, what happened?" Arashi sounded worried.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tera gasped in shock. "He what?!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but I still-"

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

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

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

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

"Good," Tera nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#bxb fanfics #one piece #roronoa venus au #hungry days #nissin #roronoa zoro #one piece oc #UsoVe #spandam

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da-rulah · 1 year ago

Note

Get to know your fic writer asks: (it was really difficult to pick the questions since I wanna ask you all of them lol). But, for now - 4, 8, 11, 13, 18, 22, and 64.

Thank you so much for asking! Aww if only I could answer them all for you 😂

4: Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Simplest answer; I daydream a lot… But a lot of them come from the ghost lore itself or lyrics/song titles, a lot of them are just picking off experience, some are from requests I get that spiral out of control in my brain… 😅

8: Do you prefer the beginning, middle or end of a story?

That really depends on the plot, but there’s something very satisfying about reaching the end of a fic, knowing I’ve completed it and executed my plan always makes me feel good! The beginning can be really exciting to write because you’re setting up the story and you have all these ideas and this inspiration and motivation to get into the storyline. The middle is the hardest to write, because you have point A and you need to get to point B, but you need to figure out how to get there, if that makes sense?

But every fic is different and I enjoy writing every part of it, but long answer cut short? I think I love reaching the end the most. It’s so satisfying and i love the feedback on a completed storyline 🥹

11: Link your three fav fics right now

I’m assuming this means of my own writing, since the asks are directed at fic writers so here’s my 3 favourites:

Confessional - Cardinal Copia x f!reader

Rituale Septem - Terzo x f!reader

The Mayor’s Daughter - Mary Goore x f!reader (Ongoing)

13: What’s a common writing tip you almost always follow?

Plan, plan, plan! I always set out my start, middle and end at the very least and make sure I know where I’m heading so I don’t get off track. Sometimes the plan changes in favour of a better idea halfway through, but at least I will have those guidelines. My next fic is already planned chapter by chapter in depth, I just need to name the chapters and get to writing it! But I need to finished The Mayor’s Daughter first…

18: Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

Usually before or during the planning phase, unless I get sent a request that gets out of hand… then the title comes later 😂 I usually come up with them based on songs or phrases, maybe a play on words or something? Most of the time it’s inspired by a phrase or significant moment in the fic itself. It’s hard to say how, they’re always inspired differently! But the titles for me always need to be relevant to a key moment or something.

22: Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

I don’t want to limit myself here to be honest… there’s some kinks I’m uncomfortable with and some dead dove stuff I’m uncomfortable with that I won’t ever write but other than that? Not really.

64: Something you love to see in smut

PLOT. Oh god, I am a sucker for porn with plot. This is why most of my fics end up so bloody long! I can’t help myself, I like building connections, creating storylines… it just makes the smut so much better in my opinion. Give me angst or fluff or emotion or SOMETHING. I’ll eat it up. And as a plus size Queen myself, I do love a good plus size fic. We know the ministry is a body positive space, after all… 🤭

LIST OF QUESTIONS HERE 🖤

ASK BOX HERE 🖤

#asks for fic writers #writers ask game #writing ask game #writer asks #ask me things #ask da rulah

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bibliophileiz · 10 months ago

Text

Ok, so I have a system. It seems arbitrary but I set it up very specifically.

In my bedroom is a (mostly) fiction bookshelf (but not my only mostly fiction bookshelf). The top shelf has many of my favorite books on it like Station Eleven, A Lady for a Duke, We Could Be So Good, and multiple books by some of my favorite authors like Kate Quinn, Madeline Miller, TJ Klune, Tamora Pierce, and Emily Henry. Some of the books are a little less sentimental than others but I still shelved them there for aesthetic purposes--for example, I don't love The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec as much as I love Circe by Madeline Miller, but I still love it and it seems like the two go together on the shelf. And then from there it's not a big leap to shelve Gornichec's other book, The Weaver and the Witch Queen, there as well even if I didn't like it as much as the other two (but still liked it). I also shelved the Good Omens script book on that shelf, so it made sense to put my two other screenplays there as well.

The shelf right below that is the shelf for signed copies, special editions, and memoirs. There's a tad bit extra room after that, so I slide in my four science books (An Immense World, A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived--which is about DNA--The Sixth Extinction, and Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife) on the other side.

In the two bottom shelves, I've got a bunch of adult fiction, mostly romance and fantasy, shelved alphabetically by author.

Any books I've borrowed, either from the library or from people I know, I keep on my bed stand so I don't lose them and also so that they're in my face and I'll actually read them.

The headboard of my bed makes a little shelf, so I have more books there. They are many of my favorites, like Lord of the Rings, Good Omens, and anything by Jane Austen, but crucially they are also quite small, most of them mass market size, because much bigger and they won't fit. It's a shelf for small but special books, books I might slide out and read a random chapter of before bed.

In my living room is my History bookshelf. Most of it is taken up with nonfiction, organized by time period. The bottom shelf and a half or so is historical fiction (including historical romance) shelved alphabetically by author.

Then I have a squat bookshelf with square cubbies that make great niches for something that I don't have much of or tends to be very slim, like books of poetry. The top of it is covered in franchises, box sets, and those classics with fancy covers (I'm going to honest, they're just differently decorated versions of the Complete Works of Jane Austen). Cubbies below contain, in this order, books of mythology, then poetry, then plays, then a classic or two that didn't fit anywhere else. (A lot of myth comes to us in epic poems, and then you have the blending of playwright and poet with Shakespeare, so this seemed a logical flow to me.) In the cubbies below THOSE are my YA books, plus a couple of hardcover mythology-inspired novels. Below THOSE are some hardcover books that didn't fit anywhere else and, in the last cubby, my Royal Diaries and Dear America books that I was obsessed with as a kid.

I have a couple of slender shelves holding up a makeshift bar by my kitchen that contain magazines, books on writing and writing prompts, and popular romance novels with really cute, colorful covers. My logic here is those are the types of things a visitor may want to flip through while sitting at the bar waiting on me to finish breakfast. (Worth noting that literally no one has ever done this.)

My last bookshelf is a big one by my front door that holds a lot more than books, like my bike helmet--things I might need to grab while walking out the door. (Also, since my washer and dryer are in a closet right by it, it ends up being a way station for clean-but-not-folded clothes a lot.) But it has books as well, specifically tall and/or heavy ones--tabletop books, children's books, books with lots of pictures, etc. It also holds some hardcover books with really fun covers, like David Barry's Swamp Story.

My cookbooks are in an unorganized stack in my kitchen pantry because I never cook.

#other #iz blogs about books #my sister-in-law thinks i have too many books #every time she says this i plan to buy her child another book

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tb-gerschutz · 1 year ago

Text

Chapter Five

Word Count: 6,128

Trigger Warning(s): language, attempts at seduction (Balor tries to seduce Rocky and get her to leave her boyfriend; Rocky, under a pseudonym, seduces Balor for answers), jealousy, graphic depictions of violence

Summary: "Rocky" and Agent Whiskey crash a masquerade ball to get more info out of Balor, and things between them heat up.

**********

Dr. Aliev kept to his word and put an ankle splint on my repaired ankle, not too long after I woke up. He was especially gentle with it, being extra careful not to break my ankle again. If I was in any pain, however, Whiskey kept his coarse on top of mine, allowing me to squeeze it hard if I was hurting. That's how much Whiskey has grown since I met him.

At first, when I met him, Whiskey seemed like the tough-skinned, crazy-ass cowboy who was incapable of love. Now that I've known him for some time, I realized that I was the one who feared love rather than him. I guess that's what happens when you try to recover from a big tragedy like your twin brother's death.

"Just make sure you're careful," the doctor advised as Whiskey and I left the medical bay and headed to our refuge wing.

The Romanov Agency was gracious enough to find us our very own room for us to rest and recover in. It was a large, very nice room that would put any normal hotel room to shame. This was not a simple hotel room. It was a suite. There was a soft, queen-sized bed that was directly adjacent from a decently sized window that overlooked a sweet view of Yekaterinburg. There was also a nice couch, a couple chairs, a side table, and a big flat-screen television. I could live here if I wanted to, but I knew that I couldn't because of this mission.

Balor needed to be stopped, and Whiskey and I were the only ones who could do just that.

I was sprawled out across the bed, while Whiskey leaned against the window frame, looking out to the city outside. He was running a plan in his head about what to do next, since this surgery of mine threw everything out of proportion. However, it was necessary for me to get this surgery. Otherwise, I'd be in much worse condition than I was already in.

"So what now?" I asked Whiskey, still keeping my eyes glued to the ceiling above.

Whiskey, meanwhile, kept his eyes glued on the world outside the window. "Nothing we can do but to go to that ball tonight, sugar."

"Luckily, I used the express mail and ordered a ball gown just in time," I remarked. "It should be here any minute now."

Whiskey gave me a confused and shocked glance. "When did you order that?"

"On the private jet to Russia, right before I fell asleep."

Whiskey chuckled as he moved away from the window and sat along the edge of the bed, slowly running his hand up and down the inside of my thigh. "I learn somethin' new about ya every day."

"So do I," I said, swallowing some water and two painkiller tablets. "I didn't know about half the shit I did."

A knock then emerged at the door, which caused me to stir. Slowly, I rolled out of the bed, swung my feet around to the floor, and hobbled over to the door. I walked like a pirate with a peg leg, with my right leg remaining straight, while my left leg operated normally. It pained me to be handicapped like this, but I knew that this was the very best case scenario for someone like me with a broken fucking ankle.

When I opened the door, I saw the package sitting on the ground in front of me. It was a normal, six-by-eight foot cardboard box, clattered with a good amount of shipping and customs-approval labels. I tried to crouch down to the ground to grab it, but it was no use with the ankle splint on my ankle.

"I got it, sugar. Don't worry," Whiskey said, reaching down to grab the package.

"Are you sure?" I asked, hobbling back into the room.

Whiskey beamed confidently. "Of course. Plus, it ain't even that heavy, despite it being a ball gown."

"Trust me, Whiskey. Not all ball gowns are heavy. It all depends on the material," I responded. "This dress just happens to be made of a shitload of chiffon, rhinestones, and sparkled beading."

"Is chiffon supposed to be light?"

"Yeah. But you'll have to find that out for yourself after I put this on," I said, dashing off to the bathroom so I could start getting ready.

It didn't take long for me to get ready, even though it was strenuous to do so. After curling my hair and pulling some strands back to make it a half-up hairstyle, I transitioned into putting on some makeup. Not much of it because it would mostly be covered by my black, lace masquerade mask. I carefully slipped into the dress and struggled to zip it up because my arms simply couldn't reach. Eventually, after several minutes of struggling, I gave up and marched out into the rest of the room to get some help from Whiskey.

I caught a glimpse of him as I marched out. He was clad in a black tuxedo and necktie, with shiny black shoes as well. A fancy, gold-and-black watch graced his wrist, and a solid black masquerade mask remained over his head by being tied in place. He was like a prince of darkness, even though deep down, I saw that rough-and-tumble cowboy. That's all I knew him as. A crazy, rough-riding cowboy who was capable of loving hard.

"Hey, Whiskey. I'm havin' trouble zipping up this dress. You think you can help me out?" I asked.

He kept staring at me, his eyes glossed over with astonishment. His mouth was slightly agape, as his hands remained stuffed in the pockets of his pants. He was frozen in place. It was like I broke him with how apparently beautiful I looked.

"Hello, pretty mama," he eventually said.

I blushed. "Pretty mama? That's a new one."

"I only say that when I'm lookin' at the most gorgeous human being on the planet," he complimented, "and that human being is you. And it will always be you."

I smiled, but not enough to make my teeth show. I hadn't heard someone compliment me on how beautiful I was in a long time. It had to be while Devin was still alive. The rest is a blur from there.

"And if I say that you aren't, you have my permission to use that glock of yours and shoot me in the head," he continued.

"Let me make this clear," I answered. "You're saying that if you ever say that I'm not the most gorgeous human being on this planet, then I have your permission to shoot ya in the head?"

Without skipping a beat, Whiskey responded clearly. "That's exactly correct, yeah."

My mouth hung wide open as I became gobsmacked with Whiskey's response. Well, okay then, I thought to myself. If Whiskey gave me permission to shoot him in the head for something he says, then that's his decision. I'm not going to stop him.

After slipping on strapped, black heels with gold jewels, I made it up onto my feet, testing to make sure I could walk at a half-ass normal function. Anything from my knee down to my foot, I need to make it as stiff as possible. As it turned out, I could walk normally, but a weird, itching feeling that came from the ankle splint accompanied the pacing.

"You ready to go, sugar?" Whiskey asked, briefly checking his watch.

I grabbed a small clutch purse I kept on the bedside table and adjusted the elbow-length gloves I had on me. "Yep. More ready than ever."

He offered his arm, allowing me to take it. Of course, I did, but I made sure I was gentle when I did it, despite me being the not-so-gentle type of girl. My hand grasped onto his large, solid bicep as he gently led the both of us out of the room.

* * * * * * * * * *

As Whiskey and I traveled to Balor's villa, a lot of questions were going through my head.

What if Balor discovered us?

What's the plan to getting Balor to spill his deepest darkest secrets about his plans for global genocide?

All these questions had me creating fake scenarios in my head, so that I had a plan for every possible scenario that could come up.

"Hey, sugar. This just came up. How in the hell are we gonna get Balor to spill his deepest darkest secrets about what he plans to do to this world?" he asked, somehow keeping one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear shift.

I smiled menacingly. "I'm glad you asked!"

I adjusted myself in the seat so that I could fix up my dress, being careful to not ruin it by either ripping or wrinkling it up. Then, I went into the in-depth look into my plan:

"We're gonna use pseudonyms and fake backstories. My name will be Isabelle Schneider, and you'll be my older brother Aaron Schneider. We're both socialites from Germany. We both reside in Berlin with our parents—Matilda and Alaric Schneider—who are philanthropists by day and agents for the German Embassy by night. We're attending this ball because our parents got tied up at work, so they sent us in their place. Any questions?"

"Yeah. If they ask what we mean by 'tied up at work', what are we supposed to say?" he asked.

"I was gonna joke that it takes a good amount of time to hide a body," I answered. "If I say that, then we might get onto Balor's good side, as well as some of his little friends."

Whiskey cocked one of his eyebrows up, silently asking me what the hell I was thinking. To be honest, I'm never thinking. I never had—or never will—had a speed bump between my brain and my mouth, and it's been that way all my life. And I don't plan on changing it just because I'm with Whiskey.

"Well, that's one way to convince him," he said, shrugging and agreeing with me.

After Whiskey and I got our plan figured out, we finally—after a long time—arrived at Balor's villa, which was much larger than some of the biggest mansions I've seen.

It was almost like a modern take on a castle in Spain. A healthy mix between mansion, home, and palace. Although I could see it at a distance, it already looked like it was going to be a huge fortress of solitude. Whiskey pulled up to the black, iron gates that were nailed between one giant stone wall and waited for them to open up.

"Good evening. What are your names?" a voice asked in a German accent.

I jumped and started to look for the source at which the voice came from. Turns out, it was from a small black box that was firmly on the stone wall. Must be a security camera, I thought. And the voice that spoke...it must be one of Balor's affiliates representing Germany.

"Trust me, Whiskey. I got this," I said, clearing my throat.

I then responded to the voice, speaking fluent German. "I'm Isabelle Schneider, and the man in the driver's seat is my older brother Aaron. We're representing the Schneider party from the German Embassy in Berlin."

There was only a few moments of silence before the voice chimed on again, but this time, it was speaking English. "Welcome, Schneiders. The Boss is so pleased to have you here."

The iron gates then slowly opened up, but before Whiskey continued down the driveway to the villa, he looked at me with a look of not only shock, but pure wonder as well.

"I didn't know you spoke fluent German," he said.

"Let's just say I took German all four years of my high school career and still remember a few words," I answered. "Also had to touch up on it to find out some new words to say tonight, as well, just in case Balor decides to speak German to throw us off."

Whiskey and I rolled up to the driveway directly in front of the villa, parking the car a little bit away from the front doorstep. I tried to open the door and get out of the truck myself, but Whiskey reached over the console and yanked the passenger door shut.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"I was getting out of the car," I answered.

He shook his head back and forth. "No, no, no. Not happenin', sugar. Let me get the door for you."

Immediately, he got out of the truck and slammed the door shut, rushing over to the passenger and opening the door. He stuck out his hand, offering it for me to take. Of course, I did, gently placing my hand into his and going with him inside.

"Can't risk ruining that ball gown of yours, can we?" he remarked in a low tone voice.

"We certainly can't," I answered, fixing the skirt so that I didn't trip over it.

As soon as we entered the villa, we came across a landing where a grand staircase awaited us. I didn't know where the ballroom was, so Whiskey decided to lead us to it, solely following the loud noise. Apparently, it worked because we soon came across a set of two large mahogany doors, which opened up to the bustling ballroom ahead.

Before we entered, I helped Whiskey adjust his masquerade mask by making sure it was tightly tied onto his head. In exchange, he fluffed out the skirt of my dress, even going as far as making sure the ankle splint I had on was comfortable and stable.

"You know, you didn't have to check that," I commented. "No one will notice it with my dress."

He looked up at me and raised his left eyebrow, partially ignoring what I said. After I adjusted the gloves on my hands, I once again took Whiskey's arm, feeling his rock-solid bicep through his tux. I bit my bottom lip, allowing me to inhale sharply before entering the ballroom with Whiskey. Even though I was anxious with the new surroundings, I knew I had to keep up a strong facade. I couldn't break. If I broke, then the entire plan that Whiskey and I had could go to shit really quickly.

We made our way to the ballroom floor, so we could pass time before Balor emerged to the public view. Blending in with the crowd seemed awfully easier than I thought. All Whiskey and I had to do was not draw attention to ourselves, and that went partially according to plan. Sure, we had people whispering and looking at us, but maybe it's because they were trying to figure out who, among Balor's guests, we were. As long as we convinced the crowd that we were representing the Schneiders from the German Embassy in Berlin, me and Whiskey will be fine.

Both of us took our spots in the middle of the floor. Once the slow music started, Whiskey gently placed his hand on my back, which caused me to sharply inhale a breath. I could almost taste the billowing cologne on his neck, as he twirled me in his arms. He'd hold me close, and I could feel the warmth of him heating my body. Every time we'd lock eyes, I'd see a different side of him. He was confident and serious, but in a way that made him darker than ever before. It was like he was eerily confident in embracing his dark side subtly. It was like he was an entirely different person, and I could tell that by his polished brown eyes.

In the midst of Whiskey sweeping me off my feet on the dance floor, I caught a glimpse of the balcony up above. It was like the Devil himself had appeared there, clad in an all-black tuxedo and black-and-red masquerade mask. Even from where I was, his presence sent a fearful chill down my spine. The angel of darkness—or pure hell for that matter—looked down on the dancing and socialization below. And even though I was far away from where he was, I could tell by his dark, soulless eyes that he didn't deserve a place in the darkest hell. All because I saw nothing behind his eyes. He wasn't just evil because of his fragile past. No, the past of his fueled his evil ways.

He was just the purest incarnation of the devil—if not, much more evil than Satan himself—that could ever doom the Earth.

In his eyesight, I immediately became afraid of him. It seemed like every time he showcased his dark glare beneath the mask, I would get nightmares of his past crimes and murders. Daily executions at his hand, for that matter. If the rumors were true, he'd average about five a day. To me, his hellish personality left chaos and ruin in his wake. His terrifying, dark-shadowed wake.

"He's here," I told Whiskey, not breaking the strong gaze I had on him.

Whiskey took a glance at the balcony, seeing Balor overlooking the ball below. "I guess that's our signal, then."

"I'll go up there and work my magic," I said, then bringing my voice down to a lower voice. "Hopefully, you could pay me back by working your magic when we have downtime."

Whiskey chuckled. "Just wait 'til we're completely alone," he whispered deeply into my ear.

I smiled subtly and reluctantly escaped his secure grasp. I didn't want to leave. Whiskey made me feel safe in his arms, and leaving them stirred a familiar feeling of anxiety and stress inside me. Still, I kept my confident front, picking up the skirt of my dress and marching to the top of the balcony. I ascended the stairs with angelic grace, keeping my eye on the top of the stairs.

Once I reached the top, an ominous feeling rang through me. His eyes set my soul aflame, leaving a lasting sense of burning hesitation in me. But I knew that I had to keep up the act in order to find out more about Balor's plans for world genocide. If I didn't, then Whiskey and I would get nowhere...and once again, the world and all of its inhabitants would be completely fucked and signing their lives away.

"And who might you be?" Balor asked in a low tone voice, using just his hand to dismiss the rest of his henchmen.

I inhaled sharply and introduced myself, ultimately starting this act. "Isabelle Schneider, daughter of Matilda and Alaric Schneider. I hail from Berlin and lived there for most of my life."

"Matilda and Alaric Schneider? Don't they work for the German Embassy?" Balor asked.

"They do," I simply confirmed. "Philanthropists by day, assassins for the German Embassy by night."

"Mmm. Assassins," he repeated, soon changing the subject that I was already prepared for. "Might I ask why they aren't here tonight?"

"They got tied up at work. Apparently, hiding the dead body of a highly-respected German official is a lot more complicated than throwing some dirt over top of the corpse. So they sent me and my older brother in their place."

He placed his hand on my back, feeling the material of the ballgown. As he did this, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep me from doing anything too out of the ordinary.

"I see."

Then, I decided to form my next plan of attack. I had to get Balor to spill his guts about what he had planned for his plans of genocide on a global scale. To enact my first phase, I decided to use some gestures that I considered seductive in a way. As Balor looked away, I used my index finger to turn his face toward me, bringing his attention to me.

"So a little birdie told me that you have a plan to blow Earth off the map," I said.

His sullen face turned into one of beaming, evil pride. "I sure do. In fact, I think this plan is absolutely foolproof."

Then, he got into a long monologue about his plans for global genocide. From what I uncovered, it's a dastardly plan. A plan so dastardly that I almost threw up out of pure disgust. How could a man be so evil? How could he be here and living without a shred of humanity left in his bones?

"This world. This damned world. It's caused me too much pain. So, in a fit of revenge, I came up with a plan. A plan so complex and foolproof that no one can stop me. You wanna know why I came up with this plan? Because the world let me down. It let me the fuck down. It was supposed to not only give me what I deserve, but also give me opportunities to rebuild my life. It never did."

"Well, I guess that's what you get for living the life of a criminal," I said finally.

"I guess so," Balor said, his eyes turning from sincere and broken to malicious and homicidal, "but rules are rules. The world has to pay for the pain it's caused me. So I'm making a weapon. A chemical weapon that's going to unleash something onto this world that will cause everything and everyone on it to die."

I kept my Stoic facade, but inside, I was jumping for joy. I was getting all the information Whiskey and I needed to stop Balor.

"What's the chemical used in this weapon?"

"Chlorine gas. Enough of it in the atmosphere will deprive Earth of all the life it has on it," Balor explained, "and those antidotes that those Kingsman agents stole are filled with potassium permanganate. Without it, then the concentrated hydrochloric acid can't react to it, which means there's no chlorine gas. That means the world can't choke to death."

"Is there any way to destroy it?" I interrogated, gently running my fingers up and down Balor's neck.

Balor shrugged. "Yeah. But it's top secret, though."

"I promise I won't tell," I said, speaking clearly and seductively into Balor's ear.

He sighed and relented to my request. Perfect. Exactly what I want, I thought.

"Fine. I'll tell ya," he finally responded.

There he goes, rambling on and on about how the chemical weapon could be destroyed. He described it in such perfect detail that it was like he was describing a scene to a blind person. I guess Balor didn't see me as a suspecting person, but it was partly because I was causing Balor to fall into my trap. My convoluted, genius plan of a trap.

"Wow. That's a lot to go through if you want to destroy the weapon," I finally commented.

"That's what makes the plan perfect," Balor answered. "These Kingsman agents won't have the brains, nor the balls, to destroy this weapon because it's too damn complicated. There's no way they'll know how to destroy it. And even if they did, there's no way they could remember all the steps it takes to dismantle this weapon and keep the world from dying a horrible death."

As part of the plan, I put my hand on the railing on the balcony, letting Whiskey know that it was time for tea to be spilled. I had pretty much all the information I needed to save the world, all thanks to this trap of mine. I felt proud of it. I managed to seduce the world's most wanted criminal into spilling all the details related to his downfall. It didn't stop me from pondering over one convoluted question:

How could a man so disgustingly evil—so evil that even the darkest hell doesn't have a place for him—be so stupid and naive?

But the only conclusion I could draw up was that evil blinds you. It blinds and brainwashes you to the point that everything you ever knew is twisted into a pessimistic lens. It changes you in the worst possible ways, and I have reason to believe that this happened to Balor in his terrifying ascension to power.

"Isabelle, Mother's calling," Whiskey spoke in a low tone voice in my ear.

"Alright. Excuse me," I said to Balor, taking Whiskey's arm and following him away from the scene.

He led me out of the ballroom and into a broom closet, allowing me to finally breathe normally again. It was relatively tiny, but it was much bigger than the box Whiskey and I were trapped in when we smuggled our way into Balor's secret facility in Chelyabinsk. It almost looked like a miniature version of a walk-in closet, but it was a lot more uncomfortable compared to normal large closets.

"You sure this is a safe spot to spill deep dark secrets?" I questioned, regaining some breath that I lost from seducing Balor.

"I'm definite, sugar. This thing has a stainless steel slide-bolt lock. One of the strongest ever made," Whiskey said, taking the strong steel lock and sliding it over as he locked us inside tightly.

It gave me time to take off my masquerade mask, seeing the world with normal eyes fairly briefly. "Boy, have I got some tea for ya!"

Whiskey took off his mask, carefully undoing the tied ribbon and letting it fall. He and I locked eyes again, and it was like the heavens opened up for me. Everything was, once again, right in the world. Everything I ever wanted was right here in front of me, so that makes me the happiest girl on this planet.

"You do? Spill everything you know," he said.

He propped his arm up, leaning against it and leaning closer to me. He and I were so close that I could feel his hot breath skirting my face. It made me shutter, but only subtly, before I started my long spiel about spilling Balor's secrets.

"So, according to Satan himself, he definitely has something to destroy the world with. I can confirm that he has a weapon getting constructed as we speak. The weapon itself is a chemical weapon designed to launch itself into the air and release chlorine gas into the atmosphere, ultimately killing everyone and everything that lives on the Earth below. And those antidotes that we stole from the mountains, yeah. Those are potassium permanganate crystals, and they're, along with concentrated hydrochloric acid, important in creating chlorine gas."

"Is there any way to destroy this weapon?" Whiskey asked.

"I'm glad you asked because he told me about that," I answered, "in precise detail too."

"Go ahead," he said with a smirk painted across his face. "I'm all ears."

I inhaled and started to explain to Whiskey what Balor told me. "He said there was an intricate way to cut some wires inside the machine. There were red, green, blue, black, and gray. I can't remember the way he said to cut them successfully, but he said that if you cut them the wrong way, it speeds up the process of the weapon releasing the gas into the air."

He kissed me hard, but only for a brief time. I could tell he was more than excited about this information. After we parted, Whiskey used his hand to grasp my chin and the top of my throat, tilting my head to face ahead.

"You're a genius. You know that," he complimented.

"I'd—I'd say so. Then again, I'm not that modest with myself," I answered hesitantly.

He then used only his index finger and thumb to tilt the head to the side. The side that was farthest away from him. My neck was exposed to him, and I could easily feel his hot breath gently blowing onto it. It sent chills down my spine, but these were different from the chills Balor sent. These were good chills. Chills that embraced the desire I had for Whiskey. I wanted him more than ever, but I never could take advantage of this feeling because of the mission we're both obligated to.

"I—I hope you know that I'm—I'm a virgin," I stuttered.

He smirked crookedly and let out a low chuckle. Even though I couldn't see his face, I assumed that he was somehow turned on by me. I don't know how I did it, but I somehow managed to turn him on. It didn't, however, help prepare me for what he was about to say next.

"Good. Then, maybe you'll scream my name a little bit louder for me."

I nibbled at my bottom lip, waiting for what was about to happen next. Well, the unexpected did happen. He aggressively—but in a gentle way—planted his moist lips onto the side of my neck, kissing it as if he was making out with me. It sent electrifying pulses through my body, which also allowed me to feel when this intimate moment between Whiskey and I got a lot steamier. He then resorted to get a tad more aggressive with the kiss, progressively biting down onto my skin. Even though I couldn't see it, I rightfully assumed that it would leave bite marks in the morning.

Am I complaining? No. I actually want the bite marks. It'd be like wearing my own personal trophy.

"Fuck," I moaned.

Whiskey continued on with what he was doing, which—at the time—was biting down on my neck. As the tension between us continued to boil, I used my free hand to grasp tightly onto the skirt of the ballgown, with my other hand matching itself on the back of Whiskey's head. To prevent my eyes from rolling to the back of my hand, I closed them, allowing my mind to race and my heart to throb a lot stronger than ever.

The moment we were having was all ruined when I started to hear footsteps in the distance. Whiskey and I had to stop before anyone became suspicious, despite me wanting this moment to continue on.

"Whiskey, I'm hearin' footsteps," I muttered.

He stopped, looking up at the door and checking the lock on it. "Fuck. That means we gotta get out of here."

"I'm afraid it's Balor," I whispered, as the footsteps came closer. "If he finds out that we were in there together, he's either gonna think we're fucked up in the head, or not who we say we are."

I helped Whiskey tie on his masquerade mask, while he was careful in slipping mine back on. He didn't want to mess up the hair, which I have to give him credit for. He appreciated the job that I did on my hair.

Eventually, Whiskey and I got out of the cramped storage closet and evaded the passers-by, reentering the ballroom as if nothing had happened. Except...something did happen. Balor was not standing at his normal perch at the top of the balcony. He was nowhere to be seen. Alarms started to go off in my head, and my eyes started to wildly search for him. He could be anywhere. Absolutely anywhere. Then again, it was hard telling because he has such a huge estate.

"He's gone," I said to Whiskey.

"What?" he asked as he looked up at the balcony to find Balor's absence.

He also started to look for Balor, who could be checking out the ballroom scene. After all, it would be generous of him to greet his guests. But was he going to be generous? Well, there's a good chance that this evil, disgusting excuse of a man wouldn't. He's pure evil, why would he do such a thing?

"Just calm down," Whiskey whispered into my ear. "Let's get a drink. See if we can scope him out from there."

Whiskey and I then went to get drinks from the bar, standing and acting like we were normal members of society who were socializing to pass time. I kept my eyes peeled, looking for the angel of darkness in his red-and-black masquerade mask. Surprisingly, he was the only one wearing all black, so he couldn't be hard to miss.

"There he is," I said, subtly pointing him out to Whiskey from afar.

"Where?"

"Over on the far wall there," I answered. "He's looking for someone, I can tell."

Whiskey glanced at me. "You must be good at reading people then."

I shrugged and nodded, indicating that yes. I was indeed good at reading people and their body languages. Four years of criminal justice at university really paid off with that sort of shit.

"Don't worry, sugar. I'm here to protect ya," Whiskey reassured.

As the moon slowly ascended high into the sky, Whiskey and I found ourselves slowly swaying to the slow tunes of the live orchestra. I rested my head on his chest, listening to his consistent heartbeat over and over again. It made me feel safe and comfortable in his arms. Just like I always dreamed of.

"He's coming over to us, sugar," Whiskey said in a low-toned voice. "Be prepared."

I turned around to face Balor, who strolled up to face me with bold and eerily evil confidence. Though he looked intimidating, I was not afraid of this man, whether he had the mask on or not. I was not afraid of him.

"Rumors are swirling that you're single," Balor sneered.

I smiled and decided that I was going to play along. "Well, the rumors are wrong. I'm actually taken."

"I'd hate to come face-to-face with that guy."

"Good. You'll hate him anyway. He's an agent for the Rebellion," I lied partially.

"Where's he from?" Balor pestered.

"He's from None Of," I said in a thick German accent.

Balor cocked his eyebrow, becoming confused with my answer. "None Of?"

I smiled a wicked grin. "None of your damn business!"

Whiskey tried so hard not to laugh, but he managed to do everything in his power to keep his cool. Balor, on the other hand, was not very pleased. His face started turning beet red, and his fists clenched up tightly. He was thinking about punching me, but I wasn't afraid of a little punch. I've faced trainees for the Secret Service bigger than him. Balor would be no problem for me to take down. After all, I did it once before. Why not a second time?

"Well, then, that boyfriend of yours better run from a fucking bitch like you. You're just as bad as those Kingsman agents trying to stop me from destroying the world," he sternly said in a low voice. "I bet that when you two are alone, he's going to dump you in a heartbeat when he realizes that you aren't what he expected in the bedroom."

I gasped. Out of impulse, I quickly slapped Balor on the side of his jaw, causing him to recoil slightly.

"Time to go, sugar," Whiskey said, taking me firmly by the wrist and dragging me out of the ballroom.

After turning around, I followed Whiskey as we dashed out of the ballroom and to the outside, the back half of my dress's skirt dancing in the breeze I created from sprinting. Despite me having an ankle splint on, I was running a lot faster than I thought I would. Then again, I only did it to keep up with Whiskey, who started up the truck quickly after I got in. Luckily, my dress didn't get ripped throughout the pursuit. As Whiskey started to pull away, Balor came out to the front steps of his mansion standing there helplessly.

I took this opportunity to rip off my masquerade mask and turn around in my seat to face Balor. Whiskey drove the truck off in a flash, while I decided to leave Balor a message that would probably stick, since Whiskey and I had successfully snuck into his masquerade ball and tricked him.

"So long, motherfucker," I shouted at Balor, giving him two middle fingers and laughing uncontrollably.

Whiskey then rammed through the front gates and got us onto the main road, speeding away just in case we were being chased. Good thing we weren't.

"You had to do that?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. I never felt more alive doin' that," I answered. "We tricked Balor. We got 'im on his toes. And we have pretty much all the information we need to take him down."

Whiskey chuckled. "We sure do, sugar. We sure do."

He wrapped his arm around me, bringing me closer to him as we continued to drive off into the night back to the Romanov Agency. Now, Whiskey and I had the necessary steps we needed to take down Balor—in the future—in a climactic final battle. And I crave and dread to see the day that that happens.

#agent whiskey #creative writing #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #fanfiction

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imaginationlover101 · 2 years ago

Text

In the Motel Hallway

Dean Winchester x reader

Summary: Being on the road with the Winchesters was one thing, but sleeping in the motels was another. With Sam missing, and Dean being asleep the reader starts to reminisce her time with the boys.

"Dean, I swear get off of me." Pushing Dean off of me for what seemed to be the 5th time that night I realized I was useless, Dean Winchester was out like a light. Huffing to myself I tried to pull the covers closer to my side of the bed but, once again Dean was hogging the covers.

Although I loved the aspect of being on cases with the Winchester brothers the sleeping arrangements were by far the worst. Even though I love Sam and Dean dearly, I love a queen sized bed to myself more.

In all honesty it's no ones fault but my own. Sam and Dean always offer to get another room for myself, but we all know its useless. To pay that much for two rooms that we'll use for almost over a week is a waste of money. Plus when the three of us research and try to put all the pieces together for a case, we all use one room anyways. So two rooms is a waste of money (not ours, but still).

Turning over to the other side of the bed, I knew I had lost. The continous talking and pulling the covers to my side of the bed wasnt working. One thing I had learned about sharing a bed with Dean is that hes a deep sleeper, blanket hogger, snoes so very loud, and sometimes will kick in his sleep.

Looking over at the clock I could hardly see. The bright red floursenet light always got in my eyes when sleeping , and on top of that when looking at the time I was shocked. The clock read almost 4 o'clock.

Sam, Dean, and I had ended our research a little before 1, so we couldnt have been sleeping for that long. I tried to look over the bed to Sam's side but it was no use. Dean was huddled out all over the bed that I could barely see over his body. Dean insisted that he had to sleep on the side of the bed closest to the door. It never made sense to me seeing as we hunted monsters every day of our life, so a intruder makes no difference. But of course once Dean has a thought in mind it stays that way.

Dean used to make Sam sleep on the bed closest to the window, but lately Sam's been taking the opposite bed. He says its because he doesnt want to wake Dean and I up when he goes on his morning run, but now fully sitting up in bed I could see why he chose the bed closest to the door. It was 4 o'clock in the morning, and Sam Winchetser was no where to be seen, as well as Deans impala keys

I had to admit I was confused on what to do. It was 4 in the morning and Sam was gone with the impala. The first thought that came to mind was that he couldnt sleep, Sam always got tired when driving so maybe that was why, but lately Sam hasn't been acting the same. The way he acts, his posture, diet, face eveything changed. Sam Winchester is the first one to yell at Dean or I when our postures bad, the only one to order a veggie burger from a diner, the only one to make Dean and I laugh, and the only one who still carried innocene throughout his face. I cant blame Sam for changing his descions in life, after all he has gone through a lot. But lately him sleeping peacefully in the impala goes to him waking up in sweats and discomfort. Something was wrong with Sam Winchetser and I couldnt figure it out yet.

Now realizing that sleep had now passed my eyes were fully open, and my head was clear. I wondered for a second if Sam was in the bathroom, but of course he wasnt. Opening the bathroom door my eyes soonly noticed the safe. The grey box was fully open and Sam's wallet was gone along with his ids.

Coming out ot the bathroom Dean was the first thing that hit my eye. Dean was finally getting the sleep he deserved even though he was stealing half of my blankets. I could of sworn I had woke him up when closing the bathroom door with the way his eyes were fluttering, but I was wrong. Dean soonly began to snore 10 times more increasingly loud then before. Dean adjusted his body on the bed so that his legs moved to my side of the bed, how perfect. Dean lifted his head off the pillow and onto the side of the bed near the nightstand and brought all the blankets closer.

Dean was lucky I cared about him. He was lucky that I knew he had a hard time sleeping and felt bad for him. I felt awkward watching him sleep, but in one way it brought me comfort. Beside from his obnoxious eye rolls, and his forehead scrunching I havent seen Dean in peace for a long time. It reminded me of when the two of us were younger, plus Sam.

When the three of us used to get locked in the motel alone because our parents were out "working". Sam, and I would sit together and tell stories (made up stories of course), we would make up what we thought were the funniest stories, and pretend like we were places far from a motel. Dean would sit on the couch like always rolling his eyes muttering about why were we doing such childish things.

Sam and I would beg Dean all day long, but he wouldnt move. It finally wouldn't be up until the sun set, and Dean finaly gave in. He would sit on the floor with Sam and I and talk all day long. He always gave in and made up stories with us, and pretended like our lives were normal. Because that's all we knew, we didnt know that spending all of our time in a creaky motel room wasn't normal, and still the pattern remains the same.

I started to wonder if Sam left because of the motel. I wondered if he had finally had enough, if he finally ran. But then once again I knew he was smart enough to not run away with Dean's impala. I knew Sam eventually would come back, but when?

In one way Sam was is just a little brother to me as much as he is to Dean. I grew up with Sam and Dean and even though we dont know what family is, we know that its similar to the bond that the three of us share.

It's funny to say that the bond that Sam and I share is different from the one Dean and I have. With Sam we know that we have the mutual brother sister relationship, but with Dean its different. Dean and I had always been opposites, even with our dads hunting together.

Dean always wanted to be a hunter he knew he was destined for it, always walking with his head held high and a knife in his pocket. He held confidence, charisma, humor, appeal, everything I wished I had. Meanwhile when I was younger I had no clue what the world had in store. I wanted to travel, and meet new people everyday. I wanted to be a fashion designer and fall in love. I wanted to get marry and eventually have children. Who would of know that all my ideas took a turn, but in one way I do get to meet new people frequently and travel alot (in the impala).

I decided to break free of the motel room, my mind had began bugging with thoughts and memories to the point where I couldn't focus. Unlocking the double lock door of the motel, I just waited until Dean called my name. I thought that making all the noise and leaving the bed would cause Dean to notice my absence but it didn't.

I should of brought a jacket outside. Even though it was late September, the fall weather was just around the corner. Our motel room was on the second floor overlooking the parking lot. I could now see the empty parking space that baby used to be in and the fresh burnout lines Dean had just made.

Although Sam and I tease Dean all the time about his car deep down we both love it. The impala holds so many memories between the three of us and even some between John and Mary. It's almost as if the impala had brought Dean and I closer together. It holds so many memories of us growing up, Dean teaching me how to drive, patching him up after his first fight, my first kiss and Dean seeing me cry for the first time.

I was 16 when Dean almost kissed me, while he was 18. My dad had forced me to go to my aunts house for the summer saying I needed to be a teenager, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to spend my summer with Sam and Dean. I knew it was much different then the summers we shared when we were younger, but still.

That night I has stormed out of the motel room after getting in a fight with my dad. I had become so mad at him that I wanted find Sam or Dean and leave. The minute I slammed the motel door, Dean was outside with his classic smile saying he thought it was time for a ride.

Dean and I drove for what felt like hours until he stopped by the creek near the motel. He asked what was wrong and I refused to tell him. Of course he was getting antsy and said that if i didnt tell him in the next 5 minutes he'd throw me in the creek. The minute he said that I started crying. Emotions were throw out of my mind and I started sobbing, backing into the passenger side door.

Dean had come closer to me and apologized saying he wouldn't of thrown me in the creek and was sorry. I started laughing because of Dean's thoughts and finally told him what happend. Dean had moved closer to me and brought me into a hug. We sat there for what felt like hours and Dean said we would go to the diner, his treat. We sat at the diner and Dean refused to let me talk about leaving saying "dont worry until it happens." We both ate burgers and Dean payed the bill, but not before asking for 2 ice cream sundaes.

I remember laughing at Dean when the waitress had brought our sundaes in a soda cup (I miss the days when waitresses wouldn't flirt with Dean). Dean left the tip and off we left in the impala. Pushing in the cassette tape I had made for Dean, the two of us listened to the music reminiscing of when we played the songs for the first time.

Finally making it back to the hotel Dean had parked in the back of the motel parking lot promising that we wouldnt go in our rooms yet. That night Dean let me sit on the hood of the impala, and I almost dropped my sundae when he said I could sit. There Dean and I sat huddled up against one another eating out ice cream on the hood of the impala.

I finally let it go that I was nervous to have my first summer alone at my aunts house, Dean promised if he had time he and Sam would visit. I remember being so cold that night because of the air and the ice cream. Dean had given me his jacket and said that even though we would be far apart he would always take care of me. I could of sworn that night we were going to kiss, but we didnt. The two of us sat there in silence enjoying the last summer of innocence we would have together.

Dean had walked me to my room and kissed me on the cheek and then he was gone. I could only assume John and my father went on a late night case to the bar that night because when we returned they were gone. A while after Dean dropped me off there was a knock on the door. There stood 14 year old Sam Winchester in dinosaur pjs pants claiming he was very upset Dean and I had spent time without. Dean soon came storming in after saying that it was for adults only, and Sam was still a child. After that we all sat on the brown leather motel couch and watched tv until we fell asleep.

Closing my eyes I almost thought I could transport back to that day. Even though I had gotten into a fight with my dad, Dean had made the day seem perfect, and that's what I loved about him. It was frustrating being in love with Dean, because everyone women in the America loved him. I always thought that if I told Dean I loved him I would have to compete with the beautiful blond that told him at the bar yesterday. On top of that sharing a bed made it worst, he was so affectionate in the morning and who could say no.

Leaning against the motel railing I knew things were complicated. I had been in love with Dean Winchester since I was 16 and still haven't worked up the nerve to tell him. It's almost like he could read my thoughts because the minute I said those words to myself the door opened.

I heard the creaky motel door before I saw him. There he stood Dean Winchester in plaid boxers with a shirt that definatly didnt match. His hair was messed up from sleep, he had his leather jacket on, and was missing his shoes.

"Y/N what are you doing out here, did you see Sam?" Laughing to myself I knew Dean and I shared the same thoughts about Sam.

"No, but I saw that he left with your keys too, I just wanted some air." Talk about air it was freezing, no wonder why the night reminded me when we were younger.

Humming Dean looked at me "Air at 4 in the morning, you sure your okay sunshine ?" Sunshine the nickname Dean had given me when I was 18 because he said that me and his car reminded him of sunshine.

Dean wrapped his jacket around his torso and started moving around for heat. "Jesus its cold for September. Dont tell me you've been out here without a jacket on Y/N.

Moving away from the railing and near Dean's arms I began to play with the strings coming off his jacket. "I havent been out here for that long, but it is cold."

Dean smirked and opened his jacket up larger. " I would give you my jacket it's too cold, but I'll never give up the chance to share with you."

Rolling my eyes I moved closer to Dean and wrapped myself in his jacket. Putting my arms around his waist Dean wrapped the rest of his jacket around the remainder of my body and rested his chin on my head. "You know tonight reminds me of that night when we were younger, you know that summer when I was 18."

Looking up from under Deans jacket, I smiled. "I thought the same thing." Dean I stood huddled up against one another for what felt like hours until we saw the shine of car lights. Who would of known it was Sam with the impala.

Dean shuffled the opposite way so that his head faced the motel door. "Oh he so owes us an awnser." Looking at Dean's eyes I begin to shuffle closer to him seeing as he let go of the jacket.

"Did you know your a blanket hogger?" "What are you talking about Y/N, no I'm not." "Uhh yes you are you took all the blankets and when I went to the bathroom you took up the whole bed, I couldnt even lay down." "So that's why you went outside then." "No Dean it wasn't because of-" Dean and I heard the jinngiling of his car keys and both looked the same way. There stood Sam holding the impala keys with a take out bag in his hand.

"What are you guys doing?" Sam looked at us and it took me long to realize that Dean and I were still pressed up against one another wrapped in his leather jacket.

"What are we doing, where the hell were you?" Dean walks closer to Sam still managing to keep us together in his jacket. Dean and I manage to shuffle walk to Sam, but not before he reaches us half way. Sam laughs at the two of us and directs his eyes to Dean's feet. "Its a long story."

"Dude stop what's wrong with you. What do you mean it's a long story. YOU TOOK MY BABY SAM!" "Dean it's not your baby it's a car" "Sam stop it! It is my baby stop trying to get out of this!"

The two boys began to bicker back and fourth and all I could do was watch. Here we were standing in the middle of a motel walkway bickering back and forth to one another. Dean and I were still huddled into one another, while he moves his whole body, and like always Sam's always being question.

To this day we still dont know where Sam went that night. If you had to sum up one moment that represented the boys and I this would be it. Even though we had our moments we still would always be family. I might of not told Dean that I loved him that night, but deep down he knew. Someday I would work up the courage to tell him how I truly felt, that I was always in love with him.♡

#dean winchester x reader #dean and sam #love #love aesthetic #dean winchester #dean winchester imagine #secret love #supernatural #dean x reader #dean x you #dean x y/n #dean winchester fan fiction #dean winchester fanfic #dean winchester fluff

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holylulusworld · 3 years ago

Text

Foody Queen (1)

Summary: Being a restaurant critic ain’t the worst job.

Pairing: Restaurant Owner!Dean Winchester x RestaurantCritic!Reader

Warnings: language, reader loves food, plus-sized reader, flirty Dean

A/N: I used the term foody queen from Leverage.

Divider by @firefly-graphics

“Dean, I’m telling you this girl can ruin our restaurant. Everyone knows her. She’s the one blogging about restaurants in town. Hell, the treasure box had to close after her visit,” Sam sighs deeply as his brother tries to ignore one of the most popular restaurant critics who just walked into his little restaurant could ruin his reputation.

“Sammy, our food is the best. We got great service and the prices are fine. I’m not worried at all. Let that food girl have a taste of my art,” Dean grins. “She can say whatever she wants. People love my food.”

“Chief, you should listen to Sam. The foody queen loves to ruin restaurants, food trucks, and famous cooks,” Benny interjects as he enters the kitchen. “I gave her the best table and offered the best service.”

“Our service is always the best,” muttering under his breath Dean steps toward the door to have a look at the girl holding his restaurant’s faith in her hands. He pokes his head out, frowning as his eyes land on you.

“Boss don’t let her see you. She hates that,” biting his tongue Benny tries to hide he reads your food blog. “Just saying, don’t let her see you.”

“That’s her? She doesn’t look like Restaurant-Zilla,” chuckling Dean closes the door again, still laughing about his awful wordplay. “Did you get it, Sammy? Restaurant-Zilla, as she likes to destroy restaurants.”

“I got it, and I won’t call her like that,” Sam grunts. “Dean, stop joking around. We need to impress the girl. She can help us become more popular or ruin us with only one post on her blog.”

“She won’t ruin us, Sammy. The girl looked nice and cute. Lemme make her something special and she will love not only my food but my restaurant too.”

“What can you recommend tonight,” you ask sweetly. The waiter nervously clears his throat as you look up at him. “Are you alright? You look a little pale, Sir.”

“No...I mean yes, I mean…I’m fine, miss,” the waiter stammers, making you giggle as he drops the menu. “Sorry, oh—god. The boss will kill me if I mess up again.”

“Hey, relax. I have time,” you get up from your chair to help the waiter pick the menu up, handing it to him. “I worked part-time as a waiter too some time ago. Things like that happen, don’t worry. I dropped a tray full of food.”

“What the fuck is he doing?” Dean gasp as he watches the scene. “Who sent Jack to serve the first restaurant critic setting a foot into my restaurant?” craddling his face Dean can only pray you won’t storm out of the restaurant.

“Shit, Chief. I think Jo made a mistake,” Benny looks at his list. “I told her to send Charlie. She’s the best when it comes to talking to customers.”

“For fuck’s sake, Benny. The boy can barely carry a tray. Son of a bitch!” Dean angrily stomps toward the kitchen. “He just ruined the only chance we had with the girl!”

“Dean, she helped him pick the menu up. Let him handle this,” Sam tries to calm his brother, but Dean is angrily pacing the kitchen. “Relax and cook her food. Cook like your life depends on it. With passion and love and all the stuff you are always talking about.”

“Just leave me alone—” Dean shoos everyone out of the kitchen. “Bring me her order and I’ll cook it. Damnit, don’t let Jack mess this up.”

Dean throws his hands up, exasperated grumbling your nickname. “Goddamn foody queen. She had to come here. Go and ask her what she wants to eat.”

“Burger, miss?” Jack stammers eyes widen in fear as Sam, Benny, and Jo watch him serve you the ordered beer. “We’ve got…I mean…you could choose something more…exclusive...”

“I heard about Dean Winchester’s infamous bacon burgers. That’s what made people come here in the first place. I want to know if they taste as good as people told me on my blog.”

“I’ll tell the boss to make you one, ma’am. You’ll love it! It tastes so good, like an angel died on your tongue,” you chuckle at the boy’s words. “I swear, you will love it. Give me a minute to order it for you.”

“Fuck, a burger,” Dean nervously watches Jack make his way back toward your table. He sighs, praying you will love his burger. “I swear, if the boy drops my burger on the girl, I’ll kill him.”

“Stop making me nervous, boss,” Charlie chews on her lower lip as you thank Jack for the food. You lift the plate to sniff at the burger, moaning as you smell the bacon and meat, Dean’s secret sauce, and the homemade burger bun.

“He makes the bun too?” you ask, smiling as the boy nods eagerly. “Wow, that’s awesome. Is everything on the burger homemade?”

“Yes, miss. Dean, I mean the Chief made the sauce, the bun and everything else. He loves food and likes creating new dishes. But, the bacon burger is still his favorite,” Jack smiles as you put the plate back down to take pictures of the burger. “Tell me if you need anything else.”

“I’d like a dessert too,” before you take the first bite you have a closer look at the burger, sniff at it, lift the burger lid, and take a few more pictures.

“What do you want miss?”

“Surprise me.”

Jack hurries toward his boss. “Dean, boss…uh…the restaurant critic wants dessert,” the boy nervously stammers. “she said you shall surprise her. I think she likes the burger.

“Boy, you better pray she likes my food, and your lousy service didn’t ruin my restaurant,” Dean storms into the kitchen, pacing back and forth for a while before he comes out again to watch you take the first bite.

You moan, eagerly taking another bite and another. “The taste is…” you moan again. “I can’t even describe it. I can taste the homemade burger bun, the fried bacon, and the homemade sauce. I can confirm Dean Winchester’s bacon burger is the best I ever had.”

He smirks, stepping closer to watch you eat and record your notes. “She loves my burger,” he whispers to himself. “Eat it all up, sweetheart.”

“Fuck, that’s the best burger I ever had,” you giggle, making a mental note to delete the last note. “I’d like to drown in it. Damn me, if the man looks as good as his burger tastes, I’ll marry him, I swear.”

“Uh-huh, I got a good criticism and a girl. Awesome,” while you eat the last bite of the burger, Dean runs toward the kitchen, almost running Jack over. He must serve you the best dessert, and all coming to his mind is only one thing…

“Cherry pie? Interesting,” you glance at the simple slice of cherry pie. There is no whipped cream or fancy gold on the pie. Only the slice, smelling like your last summer at your grannies farm. “Granny…”

“Uh, is she crying?” Sam watches you take the first bite, sniffling as it reminds you of your grandma. “Fuck, Dean! Did you confuse salt with sugar again?”

“This only happened once, Sam!” Dean grunts. “Now shut up and let me watch the foody queen devour my food. She’s a cute eater.”

“Dean, no!” the younger brother warns, watching his brother lusting over more than a good criticism on your blog. “You cannot hit on the restaurant critic!”

“I didn’t say anything about hitting on her. I just admire her curves and the way she eats. Damn, I wanna listen to her some more. Shut up, bitch!”

“Jerk!”

“Can I...uh,” you lick your lips, wondering if it’s too much to ask for. “Can I meet the cook? I’d like to thank him for the food.”

“Oh! Yes, of course,” Jack stumbles away from the table, grasping for Dean’s wrist, harshly tugging at it. “Dean, she wants to talk to you.”

“Fuck, what…I…How do I look?” Sam gives his brother a bitchface. “Sammy, I need to look good. I’m meeting the foody queen.” Dean insists, looking down his body. “Do I look good?”

“You look good. Just don’t say anything stupid,” huffing Sam looks his brother up and down, “and don’t try to be funny. You’re not and she will hate you.”

“I’m funny, bitch,” Dean storms off, muttering under his breath, only stopping as he stands in front of your table. “Miss, you wanted to talk to me?”

“Oh, yeah I—” you look the cook up and down, swallowing thickly. “I was right,” you giggle nervously. You want to tell him he looks as good as his food tastes but bite your tongue. “I wanted to thank you for the wonderful food. The cherry pie, perfect choice.”

“Tell me more,” Dean sits on the table, leaning closer to listen to your praises. “So, what else do you like to eat.” His eyes roam your body and he can’t help it. He bites his lower lip. “Do you come here often?”

“Well, depends on the partner,” pink stains Dean’s cheeks at your comment and he nervously coughs. He snickers, looking you up and down again as you do the same. You roam his body, take your time to drink his thick thighs, strong arms, and large hands in.

“What do you recommend?” you husk, licking your lips.

“I recommend anything I cook and,” he leans closer, large palm cradling your knee now, “me…”

“If only I knew you were on the menu, Sir,” he groans deeply. “How about you show me your kitchen and tell me about your restaurant and, I will come back tomorrow only for you.”

“Only for me…” he smirks. “That would be great, sweetheart…”

>> Part 2

Tags in reblog.

#Foody Queen #dean winchester #restaurant owner dean winchester #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester fanfic #dean winchester SPN #dean winchester x you

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hannibals-favourite-meal · 3 years ago

Text

The Lost Princess Chapter 4

Jotun!Loki x female plus size reader eventually

Partial Steve Rogers x female plus size reader

Series Masterlist | Marvel Masterlist | Main Masterlist

When Jotunheim and Asgard are on the brink of war, only a marriage of convenience between the two worlds can unite them. The only problem is, Odin does not have a female heir, or does he?

A/N: Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist for the rest of this series or any other writing I do!

Warnings: pseudo-incest? (Loki was adopted but he refuses to acknowledge Thor as his brother and Odin as his father and now has returned to his biological family), arranged marriage, angst, d/s dynamics, Odin slamming, enhanced!reader, swearing, slightly unhealthy relationship, Loki is an emotionally stunted person, age gap (I wrote reader as being in her early twenties but can be read as any age)

Minors DNI

WC: 2.9k

Chapter 4

The End

The dawn seemed to mock Y/N. After dinner with Odin, she had been locked back into her room and told to rest. As soon as news had spread of her upcoming nuptials, the handmaiden that had dressed her earlier rushed into the room.

“You are marrying a frost giant!” Y/N’s head shot up from where it was resting on her knees, “Do you know what this means your highness! They are brutes! Even the smallest of frost giants are well over ten feet tall! They will rip you apart.” “I don’t have a choice.” The girl took Y/N in her arms and they cried together until she was summoned and left her alone again.

Now the sun was rising again and the end of her own life was coming. The wedding would happen at sundown. Her dress was in the corner, almost taunting. It was gorgeous, white as newly fallen snow with silver trimmings along the waist and breast. She would’ve loved to wear it but looking at it now, with the threat of her marriage to Loki looming over her, it looked more like a straight jacket than a gown.

The palace was filled with noise as servants attempted to ready everything for the party of frost giants due to arrive soon. “My dear girl, are you alright?” Frigga took Y/N’s hands within her own, but her eyes never left the horizon. “My whole life I thought that I would marry the person I loved but I’m not. I’m so scared,” Her eyes were red rimmed but she had no tears left to cry, she looked up to the Queen, “I just want my mom.” “I know my little flower. But all will be well. Loki is not truly evil, he will take care of you, make sure you’re safe and healthy. Maybe you will grow to love each other.” Her hand rested on the young woman’s head, petting her hair.

“The ceremony and celebrations will be long but there will be no bedding ceremony. That’s the best I could do. Your father was inviting you have one to prove your loyalty.” “Thank you.” Y/N sighed. “We must get you ready soon, there’s a lot of preparations still to be done.” “C-could we just stay like this for another minute?” In that moment, Y/N looked like a scared young girl who’s world was just ripped from her. “Of course flower.” She gently kissed her forehead and held her close, listening to her breath even out as she slowly fell asleep.

🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

Frigga had taken over the duties of her step-daughter’s hand maidens while she rested. She had prepared a luxurious bath, using a couple spells to relax her body and ease her anxieties. The dress was ready to be put on, the makeup and jewels laid out, the only thing missing was the beads for her hair. The beads were meant to be given to her by her mother before she wed, but obviously, she did not have any. The Queen called out to a maid to fetch her jewellery box from her own chambers.

The bed dipped next to Y/N’s hips, disturbing her sleep slightly. “Wake up little princess, it’s time.” Frigga stroked her cheek gently, slowly rousing her from a dreamless sleep. “Wha?” Her eyes were blurry, resembling that of a toddler when suddenly awoken, it made Frigga smile fondly. “We need to start getting you ready now, I’ve let you rest as much as possible.” Her warm hands took Y/N’s face in her hands, kissing her forehead and dragging her up and towards the baths.

The Queen sang softly in her native language while she washed Y/N’s hair delicately, braiding it in more of a traditional style of Asgard. “Your majesty, your jewels.” “Ah! Thank you, you’re just in time.” She placed the ornate box on a side table and rummaged around in it for a moment before pulling out a small fabric bag. “It’s tradition for the mothers of those getting married in Asgard to give their children a set of beads to be braided into their hair before the wedding. I was going to give these to Thor when it was his time, but I think they would be more suited to you.” Three beautiful silver beads lay in her palm, each with their own ruin carved into them. “Oh no, I can’t-“ “You lost your own mother years ago, it is the least I can do considering the circumstances.” Y/N settled back into the tub and Frigga finished the final braid by tying in the beads.

“You look so beautiful my dear, your mother would be incredibly proud of you.” “I don’t think she would, I’m giving up everything I’ve worked for someone I just met who’s claiming to be my father.” “I know she would be proud of you because you gave up everything to help others. You’re saving millions of lives and you’ll build your life again. You’re so strong, so much stronger than I could ever be. You’ll face this challenge with your head held high. Show them all the queen I know you are.” Y/N smiled brightly. Frigga helped her out of the bath. “Now, it’s time for the finishing touches.”

The dress perfectly fit to Y/N’s curves, making her look ethereal. A blue jewel rested on her collarbone, and her make up was kept natural. “Oh my little star, you look beautiful.” Y/N froze, her brows furrowed. “I recognise that nickname, I feel like someone used to call me that, but I don’t know who.” A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

“Your majesties, the wedding will begin shortly.” The pair stood, Frigga taking Y/N’s arm and tucking it into the crook of her own. “Keep your head held high, you are a princess, make them worship at your feet.” Y/N smiled confidently as they left the room and strode head first to her new life.

🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

The rain over New York hadn’t stopped for three days, the constant lighting and thunder felt reminiscent of a hurricane. Thor had been silent since they had returned from Russia but his rage had been evident. He tried everything he could to return to Asgard, even going so far as to ask Dr Strange to use a portal to get him there, but nothing had worked.

“Will someone tell Blondie to stop making it rain, I’m sick of it.” Tony trudged out of his liar, brown hair a complete mess with filthy clothes. “Maybe you should step outside, Stark. The rain might wash off some of that angst.” Nat didn’t even look up from her newspaper when she retorted. “At least I’m doing something to try and get Y/N back.” “And what exactly is that? Drinking and sulking in your lab. How’s that going to help?” The genius growled, his face turning red as his rage grew. “You don’t think I know that. That girl was as close to my own child as you could get and now she’s out there somewhere being forced to marry that monster! And our only fucking way to get to her is blocked!” Tony slammed his hands on the counter.

“That’s enough.” Steve attempted to grab Tony’s arm but he snapped it out of his reach before turning his glare on the soldier. “And you! You should’ve gone with her! God knows how much you fucking drool around her.” “Tony, you need to cool it.” “Why should I?!” “Because us fighting won’t get her back.” Stark’s eyes blurred slightly with tears. “Fuck you Rogers.” He spat.

“Tony, you need some rest.” Pepper’s soft voice called out to him. “I miss her.” He collapsed into her arms. “I know, we all do. We’ll get her back.” The rumbling outside grew louder. “Please someone get Thor to stop this fucking storm.” Tony grumbled into Pepper’s chest.

“It’s open! The bifrost is open!” Thor called out into the kitchen, his armour completely soaked. “We need to move now, I don’t know if the wedding has taken place already, but we might be in time to stop it.”

🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

“You look beautiful daughter, almost regal.” Odin was standing at the entrance to the great hall, completely covered in shimmering armour and a large crown. His eye almost sparkled with pride. “You look just like your mother.” Y/N bit her tongue, willing herself not to insult him for that remark. “Thank you Allfather.” She dipped her head respectfully, e/c eyes blazing with fury. “Come now, it’s time to meet your husband.” He threaded her arm through his own, keeping a firm grip on her wrist, as if she was going to run.

The grand doors opened, the light slightly blinding her. Gold completely covered everything, reflecting the bright sun of Asgard. The party of frost giants loomed over even the tallest of the gods, their blue skin and black leather clothing clashing violently against the gold of the palace. The man she could only presume as Loki stood at the end of the long hall, his raven hair being held back in a loose braid and adorned with a crown with golden horns. His chest was bare, the loin cloth hanging off his hips and the small pieces of armour on his shoulders and legs were the only coverings he had. His red eyes were trained on Y/N as she stepped forward, her knees slightly wobbling with the intensity of his gaze. The silvery ridges on his skin glittered in the sunlight, highlighting the sharp angles of his jaw and cheeks.

The long walk to her future husband was a death march. The music and noise of the crowd faded into the background, Loki never broke eye contact with Y/N, the red swirled with so many emotions but his face was blank, almost bored. His hand extended to her practically ripping her from the King’s grasp, earning a glare from the older man, he returned it with an evil smirk.

“Hello princess.” His voice was incredibly smooth and deep, making a shiver run down her spine. “Your highness.” Y/N squeaked out. “Are we ready to begin?” Frigga asked the pair softly, but looking at Y/N while doing so. “Let’s get this over with.” He growled.

The ceremony was entirely too long. The fancy heels Y/N was forced to wear had been making her feet sore as the vows were read out and then cutting into her soft heel as they exchanged a set of daggers, which had been identical curved blades, with the hilt of the one she received being a deep red that matched Loki’s eyes, and his own had a blue hilt. By the time he had placed the intricate golden ring on her finger, Y/N was ready to ditch her entire outfit and go to bed.

“Now to seal this union between Asgard and Jotunheim, a kiss.” A cold hand was delicately laid on her cheek as Loki bent down to her height. “I’m going to enjoy destroying you, daughter of Odin.” Fear rippled through her, Loki’s cold lips meeting her own in a seemingly chaste kiss. When they pulled apart, Y/N’s heart was beating wildly and he wrapped a large hand around her waist. “We’re going to have so much fun together, princess. You’re mine now.”

Frigga frowned as she watched the light in the girl’s eyes disappear, those gorgeous e/c’s filling with fear and anxiety. She made eye contact with her husband, who’s own confidence in the union was faltering at the sight of the frost giant prince dragging his daughter from the hall with an evil smirk on his face. “Are you happy husband? Is this what you wanted? That poor girl had her whole life ripped from her and you just offered her to the man that attempted to kill you.” She turned and strode out, anger rolling off the Queen in waves.

🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

Thor didn’t lie when he said that celebrations on Asgard were even more magnificent than the one’s thrown by Tony Stark. The tables that lined the grand halls were covered in the most decadent foods, ale continuously flowed from great casks, music drifted through the palace, and people danced in the centre of the room. Y/N was sitting mournfully at the head table, ignoring all the food presented to her. “Eat princess, you’ll need your strength for tonight. I plan to breed you as soon as I can.” “Yes, your highness.” Loki tutted. “Oh no pet, you’ll refer to me as master,” His hand slid up her leg, gripping her soft thigh tightly, “Or you’ll be punished.” He kissed her cheek and slunk away, joining a group of giants that was laughing boisterously.

Y/N stood up on shaking legs. “I need some air for a moment, if you’ll excuse me.” Odin gave a slight nod of his consent. Tears rolled down Y/N’s cheeks and she slumped against the wall outside of the great hall. She covered her mouth, trying to muffle the sound of her sobs.

“Y/N?” She looked up and came face to face with the blond god. “What happened?” She lifted her left hand, showing off the ornate ring that sat on her finger and said “I got married” before bursting into a fresh round of tears and collapsing into her brother’s arms. “I was too late to stop it, I’m so sorry.” His own tears began to fall now. “I had to Thor, I couldn’t let people die because I was being selfish.” He sighed, holding her tighter. “Your heart is too good for this cruel life. I’ll find a way to save you, I promise.” She nodded into his chest, the pair remaining entangled in each other’s embrace until the announcement was made that the Allfather wished to bless the newly weds. Thor dried her cheeks silently and gave her his arm to escort her back into the hall.

Odin spoke for what seemed like hours, constantly spouting on about duty and honour. Y/N had turned it into a drinking game, she sipped on the Asgardian liquor every time he said “union” or “peace”, even “me”. Her vision was starting to become hazy, the voices of those around her were jumbled and seemed muffled. She missed the look of concern that flitted over her husband’s face. He rested a hand on her thigh, squeezing lightly but only served to add to the warm fuzzy feeling that was coursing through her veins, making her body temperature rise dramatically.

Loki turned to his little wife, seeing the wine in her glass boiling. He quickly moved his hand to touch her skin, hissing when it burned him. He gripped her tightly, trying to cool her down with his own freezing skin. “I think it’s time to properly consummate this marriage! Let my wife and I get started on making some heirs.” Odin glared at his son-in-law, ignoring his own son’s frantic attempt to keep the speech going, a stupid effort to stop the consumption. The frost giant prince wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist, hand resting on her ample stomach. “Come wife, let’s make our families proud.” Y/N didn’t even respond, her mind too muddled by the wine to do much other than stumble along, her feet barely touching the floor with Loki holding her so tightly.

The temporary rooms the couple were given made Loki scoff. “I don’t know what it is with Asgard and their incessant need to cover everything in gold. What in the hel are you doing?” Y/N paused only for a moment before returning to stripping off her dress, throwing all her accessories haphazardly around, not caring where they landed. “You said you wanted to consummate the marriage,” Her voice was slurred, “But just be warned I am a virgan, virgine, virginia, vigrin.” Loki sighed. “You stupid girl, I’m not going to take advantage of you when you’re this drunk. No matter how alluring you may be.” He took in the sight of his naked wife, longing to run his hands over those delicious curves, bury his face between her thick thighs, mark up her stomach. He caught her as she tripped over her own feet trying to take off the fancy heels she had been wearing.

“Let’s get you yo bed little one. We’ll have a discussion about your behaviour in the morning.” He laid her in the massive bed, making sure to tuck her in. Y/N started giggling. “What is it now?” Loki could already feel a headache forming. “You’re so handsome, but you scare me a little bit.” “I get that a lot, little one.” Her laughs grew louder. “I like when you call me that.” He smiled softly. “I bet you do. Goodnight little one.” Her eyes slid shut and she sleepily mumbled. “Goodnight master.”

🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

The pounding in Y/N’s head was what woke her up, that and her insanely dry mouth. She struggled to open her eyes, groaning when the light from the sun shone into her eyes. “Good morning pet, I hope you slept well because you’ll need your energy for your punishment. You embarrassed me terribly yesterday. You’ll need to learn your place, you’re my pet, my slave, you will follow your rules or you will be sorry.” He sneered, dropping a piece of paper on the end of her bed and then stalking out of the room, slamming and locking the door behind him. Two large words were boldly written at the top of the paper, “THE RULES”.

Next chapter

Dress, Rings, Beads, Daggers

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iguana-eyanna · 3 years ago

Text

Inside of Your Light

Pairing: Jeff Wittek x Plus Size Model! Reader

Summary: The vlog squad threw you a special surprise for your birthday, including a big present that may change your life.

a/n: songfic What Have I Done by Dermont Kennedy

You woke up around 7 o'clock in the morning when your phone rang. You groggily grab it and see that your boyfriend, Jeff, started to facetime you. "Hello?" you whispered as your eyes tried to pry open.

"Happy Birthday, baby girl." Jeff said brightly, making you blush.

"Aww, thank you, Jeff. But why did you call me so early in the morning?" You joked as you started to sit up on your mattress. "Sorry, I'm at the gym at the hotel and I thought you'd be awake right now." Jeff replied sheepishly. Jeff got offered a brand deal in New York so he wasn't able to celebrate your special day in LA.

"It's ok, I was meaning to get dolled up a bit before Carley and Erin pick me up to get our nails done." You started to yawn as it made Jeff's heart melt a bit. "You're so cute when you wake up." he said, admiring how the sun hits the back of your head.

You smirk back at the screen as you playfully roll your eyes. “And to everyone else in the world, I’m Frankenstein coming back from the dead.” Jeff laughed harder as he smiled at you. “I gotta go and wrap my reps. Just wanted to wish my best girl an amazing day.” You blow him an air kiss as he winked back. “Love you, babes.” You said as you got out of bed. “Love you more,” Jeff said before he hung up the call.

You take a deep breath and thought how lucky you were to be with a guy like Jeff. You and Jeff joined the vlog squad around the same time a few years back. You were a plus-size model for a few companies like Fashion Nova and Pretty Little Thing. Once you started off your YouTube channel, Carley saw your videos and dmed you on Instagram to hang out sometime. You met up at a lunch with the group and she introduced you to everyone, but somehow caught Jeff’s eye.

The whole time, you and Jeff started to hit it off. Then with a lot of flirting and calling each other late at night, you both decided to make it official. Jeff thought you would turn him away due to his past, but you truly accepted him for his journey, even if it wasn’t pretty. Now you were going strong for about three years, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

After you’ve gotten ready, Erin texted you that they were outside. You head out and enter their car as they began filming. “Hey, guys! We just picked up our queen, happy birthday!” You smile brightly as you buckle in the back. “Thank you guys!” you said. Carly turns back to you and gives you your favorite Starbucks drink and a cake pop. “Thought you could use a little sugary treat to start the day.” You make a small pout from the gesture, thanking her again.

On your way to the nail salon, you guys start talking about David’s latest antics as well as a fancy restaurant that just opened that you really wanted to try. The girls make a face at the camera but you didn’t make of it as you arrived at your appointment. Carly switches off the camera as you all started heading out of the car.

Once you were all done, you all started to fan over the amazing job of your nail artists (which you all generously tipped) and decided to go out for lunch. “Are we still clubbing tonight?” Carly asked as she sipped her Seltzer. You nod yes as you finished a bite of your appetizer. “Yep, I’m so excited to wear this cocktail dress Jeff gave me before he left. I just wished he was here to celebrate.” You said, fumbling with the end of a napkin in front of you.

The girls give you a sympathetic look, knowing how much you’ve been missing him the past couple of days. Even after they changed the subject, all you could think of was Jeff. But after a good meal and a little site seeing, you started to feel a bit better. The girls dropped you home so you could relax before clubbing the night away.

Right when it hit evening, you began getting ready as you curled your hair and did your makeup just right. You slipped on the dress Jeff gave you that adored every curve on your figure, silently thanking your boyfriend for his taste in fashion.

You suddenly hear a knock at the door, thinking it's one of the girls. You unlock the door and open it to reveal no other than your very well-dressed boyfriend. "Jeff! You're back!" You screamed as you gave him a crushing hug, later kissing him. "Hey, doll." Jeff whispered as you took his breath away, taking out a bouquet of your favorite flowers.

"What are you doing back home?" You asked, still dazed that's actually at your doorstep. "C'mon, did you really think I was going to miss my best girl's big day?" He questioned with a twinkle in his eye. You roll your eyes and hug him again, truly blessed to have such an amazing boyfriend.

"I'm here to pick you up to your destination, shall we?" He offers his hand that you gladly took it. He helps you in his car as you both drove off to the main road with his hand on your upper thigh. You notice that he doesn't take the road to the club. "Babe, I think you missed a turn." you told Jeff who was smirking even more at your cluelessness. "Don't worry dolI, I know where I'm going." he takes a hold of your hand and kisses your knuckle as you blush harder.

He then parks in a parking lot and goes out of the car to open your door. Before you could actually take in your surroundings, Jeff shielded your view. "Hey! Jeff seriously, where are we?" you lightly scolded him. "You gotta trust me now, okay?" you agreed as you grumbled under your breath. With a few more steps, you start to enter a doorway that was decorated with...

streamers?

Jeff takes his hands off and you see all of your friends surrounding you. "Happy Birthday!" they all screamed out loud. You smile from ear to ear as Jeff wrapped his arms around your waist. Utterly shocked, you did your best to express your happiness but you were beyond speechless.

You suddenly realized that the place you were in was the restaurant you've desperately wanted to try and you turn around to Jeff who was beaming at your joy. "All for you, baby girl." his husky voice told you as you hugged him, pecking his face with kisses. Then, all of your friends ushered you both in to dine and dance. You saw how the entire restaurant had accents of rose gold decorations, as well as your friends wearing the same color palette.

Although this surprise was really touching, something was bothering you. Usually, they would throw parties like these for David, so why would they celebrate something big for you?

Later on, you all ate the most mouth-watering food as well as dancing to your favorite songs. Once they take out the birthday cake, you lose sight of Jeff. You ask Carly where he is but she brushed it off, saying that he's probably getting you a drink. As you started to dish out the cake, David stood up and clinked a knife to a glass.

"Hey everyone! If I could get your attention please." David shouted as the whole party calmed down. "There is a special surprise waiting outside on the back patio for our birthday girl, so could our celebrant please wear a blindfold?" Everyone started to cheer except for you. "I swear David if it's a wild animal..." you warned him but it was too late. One of the guys used a long fabric to cover your eyes, guiding you outside.

They take off the blindfold to reveal your boyfriend standing in front of you. You don't understand what's going on until you see a flower arch in the back of him, with a message illuminating "Marry Me." You gasp lightly as you cover your mouth with your eyes starting to water.

Jeff takes your shaking hands into his, ready to start his speech. “I wasn't really in New York for a brand deal, I was picking up your birthday gift.”

He then lowers himself on one knee, taking out a small pastel pink box to reveal a beautiful gold band decorated with transcendent diamonds. Both of you start to cry, but Jeff is literally a mess as he tries to finish his words.

“Before I met you, I thought I’d be better off alone. Now, my soul has been torn and reborn, started breathing for the very first in my life. As I’m standing in front of you, I wanna get it right for once.

Oh, believe me when I say I've been knocked out and beat but this feeling is fleeting. Even this morning, I've been thinking 'bout the way you smile golden…I want to move inside of your light.

I never thought I needed saving, I was right where I should be Good God, I know it's dangerous, but it's you that I need I'm in love this time. So, do you wanna be mine forever?”

You uncover your mouth and shake your head.

"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes." you said. The waterworks literally overcame both of you as he slid the ring around your finger, getting up to kiss your lips. Your friends cheer as they close up to you, firing confetti cannons into the air. You look up to Jeff as you wiped away his happy tears away from his face.

No words were exchanged, but you could tell through his eyes that he was forever grateful for you to be a part of his life. You both kiss again, ending the night with great friends and memories that will forever last in the video Joe has been recording for Jeff's channel (which trended 14 million on YouTube for a whole month).

You were the light in his life and he will bask in it for eternity.

#jeff wittek #jeff wittek x reader #jeff wittek fluff #jeff wittek imagine #jeff wittek x y/n #vlog squad #david dobrik #carly and erin #youtube #vlog squad imagine #jeff wittek fanfic #vlog squad fanfic

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