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imaginespazzi · 7 months ago

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Part 1: Simple Things

Masterlist -Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13

Cause your presence still lingers here (it won't leave me alone)

(In which a procrastinating writer starts another series to continuously procrastinate on)

Pairing: Paige Bueckers X Azzi Fudd

Themes: Angst, Pining

Words: 5.8K (lowkey shocked I managed that)

TW: Swearing (I think that's it?)

A/N: Hello my lovelies <3 Look at me not being a liar! I'mma try to be good with updates but we all know me. This first chapter is mainly buildup and it's not my favorite but it's important to get the plot rolling. I know very little about California and it's going to become more and more apparent throughout this series so everyone who knows Cali, just pretend thanks! Did I edit? Yes. Are there probably still mistakes? Also yes. As always, let me know what you liked, what you disliked, and what you wanna see next!

February 2033

“Anywhere but GSV,” Paige says adamantly, staring at the white wall in front of her, instead of her exasperated agent.

Talia lets out a deep sigh, perfectly manicured sharp red nails tapping incessantly against her desk. For the most part, Paige is a dream client and when Talia says jump, she says how high. It’s easy to trust Talia’s vision when she hasn’t let her down once since Paige’s management company has assigned her to their basketball sensation. But most of those decisions had been about endorsement opportunities, opportunities that wouldn’t have other ramifications on the rest of Paige’s life, opportunities that didn’t come with personal consequences.

“Paige-”

“How about the Sparks?”

“They’re not offering nearly as much.”

“I’m okay with taking a pay-.”

“You do not pay me as much as you do for me to let you finish such a stupid sentence.”

“Fine,” Paige spins around in her swivel chair, “you’re telling me nobody else is offering me anything as big as GSV.”

“Well I mean Indiana…” Talia trails off, barely able to hide an impish grin at Paige’s pronounced eyeroll, “and of course you could always just stay in Dallas.”

Paige winces at the mention of the current team. With one championship and two MVP campaigns under her belt, it would be incorrect to say her time with the Wings hadn’t been fruitful but she’d never felt quite at home here. And that had been before the personnel changes had hit Dallas and suddenly, the team coming off a near perfect season with a trophy in their hand, was struggling to keep themselves in playoff contention. Paige had stuck it out two more seasons after, a testament to her loyal nature and desire to start and finish her career at the same place like many legends had done but ultimately enough had been enough and she’s come to terms with the fact that she’s not meant to be a part of the Wings forever.

“Can’t you try talking to the Sparks again?” she says, hands massaging her temple as she resorts to begging, “it’s fucking L.A. they’ve got to have some money lying around somewhere.”

“Even if they did, you and I both know the Sparks aren’t a good fit basketball wise either. GSV has everything you’re looking for. They need a PG and you need a championship contender who’s offering you a deal like they are. You can’t throw all of that away just because-”, Talia bites her lip, catching herself before she can vocalise out loud the real reason they’re having such a complicated conversation about what should be a simple decision.

Paige swallows uncomfortably, skin prickling with that all too familiar fire that spreads through her veins every time her past brushes a little too close to her present. It would be impossible to keep them from ever colliding, but for almost a decade now, Paige has managed to keep them separate beyond absolute necessity. She’s done the cordial handshakes when the Wings played the Valkyries and given due diligent praise when the media had asked about the competition, but that was it. More than that would have been like willingly walking into a fire with kerosene all over her body. And Paige can’t do that, not when the burn marks from years and years ago, still haven’t healed.

“Team chemistry is important,” Paige says finally, “I might be an on-court fit at GSV but that won’t matter if it’s a disaster off the court.”

Talia sighs and Paige can tell she’s fighting the urge to whack her head against her desk, “it’s been years Paige. You've lived a whole life without each other. The two of you are adults. You’re professionals and you’re two of the best goddamn players in the league. You have the same goal; you want to win. You don’t think you can put that behind you to get you both what you want?”

You've lived a whole life without each other

It’s like a well-aimed arrow that barely breaks skin but shatters something underneath, something buried deep within, something she should have gotten rid of years ago but hasn’t been able to let go of yet. Something that feels a lot like a forever she’d never gotten to live out and an always that had flown out of her reach. And Paige knows nobody lives the life they’d expected to live at fifteen or even eighteen but the truth is that most of her dreams had come true. The only thing missing was the person she’d expected to be there by her side when they did.

“Okay listen,” Talia begins again, “here’s what’s gonna happen.”

“Bossy,” Paige smirks, bracing herself, knowing she’s not about to like the next words out of Talia’s mouth.

“You’re going to go to San Francisco,” the older woman raises a silencing hand the minute Paige tries to protest, “you’re going to meet the front office, you’re going to meet the GM and you’re going to tour their facilities. And if after talking with them and seeing all they have to offer, if it’s still not enough to counter having to play with her, then we can revisit this conversation.”

“Can I say no?” Paige tilts her head with a sigh.

Talia smirks and it’s enough for Paige to let her head finally hit the table, “your flight leaves in two days.”

***

Azzi wakes up to a light weight sprawled over her back and tiny fingers rubbing circles against her temple. She can’t help but smile, keeping her eyes closed and listening to the sound of her daughter’s quiet breathing as the little girl continues her ministrations. It’s a new skill she’s been taught, to wake her mom up like this instead of screaming. So far, Azzi think’s it’s been a successful transition.

“Mama,” Stephie whispers in Azzi’s ear, “are you awake yet cause I really really want waffles.”

Azzi laughs, finally flipping herself over and Stephie squeals as she goes from on top of her mother, to landing on the bed, “I thought you said you wanted pancakes last night?”

“I did,” a thoughtful look crosses the five-year-old's eyes, “I think I changed my mind.”

“You think?” Azzi suppresses a smile. It’s uncanny really how she’d given birth to her perfect mini-me. The moment the nurses had placed the tiny little creature into her waiting hands, she’d noticed immediately how much it felt like looking through a door into her childhood. And with every passing day, it seems Stephie morphs more and more into Azzi. From the way her face betrays her every emotion to the way she can’t make a decision to save her life, it’s all Azzi and really it makes sense, because Stephie is all Azzi’s.

“Yes,” Stephie nods matter-of-factly as she sits up onto her knee and pulls at Azzi’s blanket, “so can you get up and make me waffles now?”

“Oh of course I can, your highness,” Azzi says dramatically, rising off the bed and letting Stephie climb onto her back, “would you like chocolate sauce or maple syrup with that your majesty?”

Stephie groans, burying her face in Azzi’s neck as if her mother has asked her to make the most difficult decision in the world. They settle into their morning routine, Stephie brushing her teeth as Azzi goes through her meticulous skin care regiment, occasionally dabbing little bits of this and that on her daughter’s skin, eliciting soft giggles from the little girl. It’s her favourite sound in the entire world. Azzi’s life isn’t perfect and there’s a million what if’s, one bigger than all of the others, that plague her mind sometimes but then she looks at Stephie, and she knows she wouldn’t change a single decision she’d made. Because they’ve all led to this moment, 9 am on a Friday, making waffle batter as her five-year old sits on the counter-top. It’s not everything but it’s enough.

The frantic sound of a door being haphazardly slammed open has both Stephie and Azzi startled, until Colleen comes bursting through it like a tornado.

“Oh thank god you’re awake,” Azzi’s best friend and manager says, out of breath, as she throws her car keys on the kitchen table.

“Hi Aunty Leen,” Stephie grins, waffle batter all over her mouth as she continues to dip and lick.

“Hey kiddo,” Colleen ruffles Stephie’s hair before sitting down and staring pointedly up at Azzi, “you might wanna sit down for this. I have news.”

“Sorry to break it to you Collen but your new h-o-o-k-u-p-s are not sit-down-newsworthy,” Azzi smirks as Colleen scrunches up her nose trying to keep up with the spelling.

“Oh trust me Az, I wish this was about my h-o-o- whatever,” Colleen takes a deep breath, “GSV is meeting with a potential point guard this week.”

“I would hope so. We really need a PG if we’re gonna redeem ourselves next season.”

“Right, well- you see- the thing is-”

“Today if you can please Colleen,” but there’s this knot forming in the pit of her stomach. Her sixth sense that’s been dormant for years is prickling and if she’s honest with herself, Azzi knows the next words that are about to come out of Colleen’s mouth before her best friend has even said them.

“GSV wants to sign Paige,” Colleen says slowly.

For a moment there’s silence and it’s ridiculous how all it takes is her name for Azzi’s mind to start flipping through pages and pages of a photo album she’s buried deep in the treasure chest of her mind. And for a second, she allows herself to get lost in a flood of everything we could have been until the sting of her hand slipping against the waffle iron jolts her back to reality.

“Fuck,” she curses, immedaitely blowing at her fingers. It does nothing. She should know by now that when things burn, the flames might die out, but even the ashes remain on fire.

“Bad word Mama,” Stephie chides immediately, unaware that her mother’s world has just been thrown off balance, “you owe me a kiss.”

She juts her cheek out and Azzi complies, trying to ignore the way her heart is desperately trying to beat out of her chest. It only calms down a little when Stephie presses a kiss of her own against Azzi’s cheek.

“Sorry sweetheart, mama’s bad, Here can you mix this batter for me,” Azzi whispers to the younger girl, distracting her child with something to do, before rounding on her best friend, “she can’t come here.”

Colleen sighs, getting comfortable in her chair, “unfortunately I don’t think you have much choice.”

“The h-” Azzi cuts herself off, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, “the haystack I don’t. This is my team and I don’t want her on it and I’m gonna walk into Ohemaa’s office and tell her exactly that.”

“Right and what exactly are you going to tell her when she asks you why you don’t want the best point guard in the league on your team Azzi? Your team, who mind you, lost in the finals last year because you didn’t have a point guard.”

Azzi flinches, gritting her teeth, both at the reminder of the loss that had happened not long enough ago and the fact that she couldn’t very well go into her boss’s office and blurt out the truth about a tragic relationship that had lived and died in secret.

“It's a bad idea, the two of us- we’ll kill each other Colleen,” she struggles to string the words together, swallowing away the we already have that tastes like bile on the tip of her tongue.

“Well you’re gonna have to learn not to,” Colleen says decisively, slipping from being Azzi’s best friend to her manager, “because you and I both know that if you want GSV to win another championship, you’re going to need her.”

“Are you my manager or GSV’s,” Azzi grunts, rubbing a tired hand against her forehead.

Colleen smiles, “it’s the same thing isn’t it? What’s good for GSV is good for you. And we all know the two of you thrive on the court together.”

“We did. Past tense,” the admission falls like lava from Azzi’s lips, singeing the edges of her mouth as everything that she’d let simmer underneath threatens to bubble over, “there’s no guarantee we still will. Besides, it's all a moot point anyways because she would never agree.”

“Wouldn’t she?” Colleen cocks an eyebrow and Azzi groans at the rhetorical question, waiting for the inevitable other shoe to drop, “because last I checked, she’s flying into San Francisco tomorrow.”

***

Paige has a problem. A really big fuck i really want to be a golden state valkyrie type of problem. She’d fought it every step of the way since she’d landed in San Francisco. Something about the city felt like it was bursting with basketball. The drive from the airport into Oakland had been bursting with murals of the Warriors and the Valkyries and for a split second, Paige can see her own face up on the billboards in a #5 Valkyries jersey. She just doesn’t know if it she can imagine herself next to the woman in #35 again, the woman whose smile in the posters is exactly as she remembers it to have been like when it was pressed into Paige’s skin every night almost a decade ago.

On top of that, Omehaa Nyanin had seemed to know exactly what made Paige Bueckers, the basketball player, tick. Every argument Paige had about why she shouldn’t be Valkyrie, the woman had a counter ready, as if she’d already anticipated exactly what the blonde would say. The Valkyrie coach had been even more prepared with videos of their offensive and defensive sets and how they fit in tandem with Paige’s own skill set, all ready to show off the minute she had walked through the door. It should be the easiest decision in the world to let herself just belong to this world that is screaming her name but there’s a rope around her waist trying to tug her back to safety, trying to tug her away from dousing her still-open wounds in salt.

Sighing, Paige lets herself into what she’s been told is called the “chill area”. Coach had offered to give her a tour of the facilities herself but Paige had declined, asking instead for her former UConn teammate and currently Valkyrie centre Jana El Alfy to do the honours, desperate for a familiar face who knew her history to bounce her thoughts off. It clearly wasn’t what the woman had wanted, but considering she was trying to convince Paige to choose them, whatever the blonde wanted, she was going to get. Massaging her temples at this irritating predicament she’s unwillingly found herself in, Paige’s head rolls back against the back of the chair, eyes closing involuntarily.

“You’re not supposed to sleep in here,” a tiny voice echoes and Paige almost jumps out her skin in shock.

“Fucking hell,” she curses as her eyes fall upon a little girl who seems to have materialized out of nowhere, “shit kid, you scared me.”

The child scrunches her nose and Paige feels her heart beat start to quicken as recognition settles in. She knows this little girl, has seen her on the sidelines at countless games and just like every other time, all she can think of is just how much this child resembles the future Paige had once believed would be hers.

“You owe me three kisses,” the girl says matter-of-factly, her tone so similar to her mothers. It shouldn’t surprise Paige, not when the kid has those same dark curls, those same doey brown eyes, that same nose scrunch.

“I owe you three kisses?” Paige repeats.

The girl rolls her eyes letting out a sigh far too grave for someone of her age, “yes. Mama says whenever someone says a bad word around me, they have to give me a kiss. You said three bad words, so you owe me three kisses.”

“And what does Mama say about asking strangers for kisses?”

“Stranger danger duh silly,” the child puts her hands on her hips, tilting her head as she looks at Paige with a far too familiar expression, “but you’re not a stranger.”

Paige purses her lips, “I’m not?”

“You’re Paige Bueckers. I’ve seen you at Mama’s games and Nanna and Pops have pictures of you in their house,” she stops, staring accusingly, “you don’t know who I am? Did you forget me?”

And Paige doesn’t know what catches her off guard more. The casual mention of a house that used to feel like a home, of people that used to feel like family or the fact that, that puppy dog stare still has the exact same effect on her that it did years ago, even if the owner of said eyes is different.

“Of course I didn’t forget you. You’re Stephanie,” Paige says softly, trying to muster a smile as she adds the last name, “Stephanie Fudd.”

“Stephanie Katarina Fudd,” comes the immediate correction, “but everybody calls me Stephie,” tiny hands wrap around Paige’s neck as Stephie climbs on to her lap, tapping a finger on her left cheek as she smiles up at Paige, “so now can I have my kisses?”

Slowly, Paige presses three featherlight kisses against the little girl’s cheek and when Stephie squeals in delight, she wishes she could record it. Someone somewhere is playing a practical joke on her, Paige is sure of it. Because all of a sudden, all the little things she’s been collecting as to reasons why she might just like the Bay Area are starting to feel insignificant in front of this one, in front of Stephie and her innocent smile and the way her free hand is curled around Paige’s neck as if she’ll hold on forever. And the world is definitely playing a cruel prank on her because Stephie can’t be the reason Paige wants to stay, not when her mother’s the reason Paige needs to go.

“Your Mama just lets you run around the building like this?” Paige asks, trying to focus on Stephie instead of the turmoil in her brain.

Stephie smiles sheepishly, “well I was ‘posed to stay with Aunty Leen while Mama talks to Miss O but then Aunty Leen got a call and I was bored so I came here.”

It doesn’t take Paige too long to decipher that Miss O must be Omehaa, but she’s stuck on who the hell Aunty Leen could be. She’s distinctly aware that her skin has no right to prickle, her hands have no right to sweat, her stomach has no right to knot, she has no right to feel anything when it comes to Stephie’s mother. But jealousy floods through her anyways.

“Who is Aunty Leen?” Paige asks and then mentally slaps herself for it.

“Aunty Leen is Aunty Leen,” Stephie explains unhelpfully, “so Miss Buecks-”

“Bueckers.”

Stephie shoots her an unimpressed look, “same things Miss Buecks. Are you here to join Mama’s team?”

“I-” Paige scratches her neck, only slightly taken aback by the direct question, “I don’t know.”

“You should,” Stephies says decisively, “Mama’s team is the best team in the world and Mama’s the best player in the whole wide world.”

Paige can’t help but smile at Stephie’s loyalty, “so why does her team need me then?”

Stephie looks contemplative for a moment before she uses her index finger to beckon Paige towards her, “can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course you can,” Paige says, leaning her ear down so Stephie can whisper into it.

“Don’t tell anyone but you’re my second favourite player.”

Paige swears her heart feels like it might burst. She’s been plenty of people’s favourite player and it’s always been nice to hear. But somehow, all of that seems to pale in comparison to being Stephie’s second favourite player.

“Why’s that a secret?” she asks softly.

“Cause you play for the wrong team silly. I can’t cheer for not Mama’s team,” Stephie huffs and then her eyes twinkle, “that’s why you should play for Mama’s team and then I can support you!”

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Paige concedes, battling against the part of her brain that’s conjuring up an image of Stephie on the sidelines, cheering for Paige.

“What’s log-ic?” Stephie asks.

“Just means you’re a really smart kid,” Paige says, tapping the little girl’s nose. Her head is ringing with warning bells because this floaty feeling of belonging that’s encompassed in this little bubble she’s found herself in with Stephie is not one she’s allowed to feel, not now, not ever.

“STEPHIE,” a shrill voice echoes outside and Stephie immediately dives into Paige’s neck, hiding herself in the crook of it as a frazzled woman bursts through the door. Her eyes soften when they fall on Paige and the blonde can’t help the caught expression that filters on her face. She knows she’s done nothing wrong; Stephie had been the one to find her after all. But perhaps it’s because she’s scared Colleen will take one look at her and see that tiny rebellious part of her that wants to fight what’s coming next, wants to fight the woman who’s going to take Stephie away from her. Paige isn’t one to get attached easily. It had only ever happened once before when she was fifteen and she’d just known that the girl shooting three’s next to her on the court was meant to be in her life in one way or another. But things had been simple then. Nothing was simple now.

“Stephie,” Colleen says slowly, “what have I told you about running away from me?”

Stephie peeks her head out from Paige’s chest, a coy smirk playing on her lips, “not to do it? But you were boring me Aunty Leen.”

Oh that’s Aunty Leen, Paige thinks and she absolutely should not let out a sigh of relief at that but she does anyway.

“I was on the phone for two minutes, Steph.”

“Two minutes too long,” Stephie counters and Paige has to stifle a laugh.

Colleen rolls her eyes before holding out a hand, “well your Mama’s nearly done so we have to get going kiddo.”

“Can Miss Buecks come with us?” Stephie asks innocently and both Colleen and Paige freeze.

“I don’t think-”

“I’m not sure-”

They both begin before their eyes flicker to each other and they can’t help but smile. It’s funny how relationships work, how one snapped string can cause a whole web to dissolve, no matter how hard everyone involved had tried to make it work.

“I’m waiting to meet someone sweetheart so I can’t come right now,” Paige explains, “but maybe next time?”

And she shouldn’t add that last part, not when Paige should be devising an escape plan to never be in Oakland again instead of giving Stephie false hope about a next time that’s far from guaranteed. But it’s worth it for the way Stephie grins, staring at Paige like she’s given her the world’s greatest gift.

Before Paige can say anything, the little girl presses her lips against Paige’s cheek and she swears she stops breathing for a moment, “I hope you choose to play for Mama’s team Miss Buecks. I think you’d look pretty in purple.”

***

May 2024

“I’ve figured it out,” Paige says triumphantly as she unceremoniously flops onto Azzi’s bed.

“Well hi to you too babe,” Azzi grumbles as she scoots over to give the other girl space. It’s unnecessary because the minute she does, Paige only moves closer, wrapping an arm around Azzi’s torso.

“Hi baby,” she whispers before pressing a kiss against her girlfriend’s lips and pulling away so quickly that it leaves Azzi chasing after her.

Azzi huffs and Paige laughs as she gets herself comfortable, resting her chest on the darker skinned girl's stomach, “I’ve figured it out.”

“Figured what out?”

“Our future,” Paige says triumphantly and Azzi can’t help but smile at the our as she intertwines their fingers together. It’s been years in the making and there’s nothing Azzi’s more confident in than those two words. Not everyone finds forever this young, but she’s certain they have because really she can’t imagine a life where they don’t belong to each other, a life where every night isn’t spent exactly like this.

“And what do you see for our future,” Azzi asks softly.

“Well it’s simple really,” Paige hums, “I’m going to get drafted wherever next year but the year after, you’re definitely getting drafted to Valkyries-”

“I don’t know about definitely-”

“Azzi it’s rude to interrupt,” Paige sends her a chastising look.

“Right of course,” Azzi nods solemnly, “continue.”

“As I was saying. You’re definitely getting drafted to the Valks and then we just have to wait for my rookie contract to be up and boom! I’ll join you in the Bay Area and we’ll be together forever and ever and ever.”

Azzi giggles, brushing her hands through Paige’s hair, “that simple huh?”

“That simple,” Paige promises, catching hold of one of Azzi’s hands to press a kiss to her palm, “it’s us Az, we’ll always be simple. Besides, I think we’d both look pretty good in purple.”

***

May 2033

The Valkyrie facilities are state of the art as expected. Jana is the perfect tour guide, pointing out everything she knows will garner Paige’s attention. As they step foot onto the practice court, Paige feels the overwhelming sense of this could be home that’s been dancing along with her every step of the way today. All the resolve she’d carried with her from Dallas is slowly crashing down and she can practically hear Talia’s sing-song i told you so voice echoing in her head.

“You’d be really good here P,” Jana says excitedly, doing a little spin.

“You’d be lucky to have me,” Paige teases, as she picks up a basketball and subconsciously starts dribbling.

Jana laughs, before a serious expression takes over, “we would. We got really close to winning it all last year and I think you might be our missing piece.”

“I want to,” Paige confesses, “I just-” her eyes flicker to the most recent MVP poster hanging on the walls, Jana’s gaze following hers, “I don’t know if I should. It’s so complicated.”

“Only if you let it be,” Jana says as she swipes the ball out Paige’s hands, “don’t think of everything else P, just- just think of the basketball. Because you know basketball-wise, this is the right move,” she passes the ball to Paige with a smirk, tilting her head towards the basket, “why not take a shot at it P?”

Paige shakes her head, palming the ball in her hands, “can’t believe my son’s all grown up.”

“Children of divorce have no choice but to grow up,” Jana says gravely and Paige laughs despite herself.

Taking a deep breath, Paige raises the ball, arching her arms perfect as she shoots it. It barely touches the rim, before falling through the basket with swish. Hitting the floor with a quiet thud, the ball rolls until it’s stopped by someone's foot. Behind her, Paige can hear Jana cheering for the shot but she barely registers it, her entire attention on the new figure who’s just entered the court. It’s a tale as old as time. Azzi Fudd enters the room and suddenly everything else in Paige’s peripheral fades away, until it’s just her and the girl who still manages to steal her breath away.

“Nice shot,” Azzi says, as she takes a slow step towards Paige. The air is thick with tension as if a time capsule has been opened and their past is leaking onto the pages of their present, staining it with marks of the you and me that we used to be. She should say something, even if it’s just an acknowledgement of the compliment but her tongue feels dry and she’s scared that if she opens her mouth, all the things she shouldn’t say will flood out instead.

“Hey Az,” Jana’s eyes flicker awkwardly between her former teammates, “I didn’t know you were coming in today.”

“Had to talk to Omehaa about a couple of things,” Azzi says airly, eyes still fixated on Paige, “Jana can we have a minute?”

“You won’t kill each other will you?” Jana asks nervously.

Azzi laughs and even Paige cracks a small smile, “no Jana, we won’t kill each other.”

“Just making sure because last time-” Jana clamps a hand to her mouth as both Paige and Azzi flinch, “because nothing- you guys- you guys talk. I’ll give you guys a minute.”

She scampers away cursing to herself about putting her foot in her mouth and it would be amusing, if not for the fact that Paige can still barely breathe. They haven’t been alone in a room since last time and the air around them hangs heavy with the casings of the grenades they’d hurled at each other.

“I’ve never seen you with braids this early in the year. They used to be your summer braids,” Paige remarks slowly. It’s a mundane change to notice but it’s significant of the larger truth, significant of all the time that’s passed, significant of the fact they don’t know these new versions of each other.

“Yeah um, can’t really do summer braids with the W season,” Azzi chews at her lip.

“Right yeah- yeah that makes sense,” Paige nods. The awkwardness is killing her. She’d never been a fan of the silence, always more comfortable in the chaos but it had been different with Azzi. There had been something peaceful, something calming, about the quiet, when it was just the two of them, hands intertwined, eyes closed, as they listened to the sound of each other’s heartbeat.

“Paige-”

“Are you here to tell me not to come to GSV?” Paige blurts out, “because it’s- it’s okay if you are like I get it. I mean- the two of us- it’s just really fucking complicated so I get it- I get it if you don’t want me here.”

“I didn’t,” Azzi admits and it shouldn’t, but Paige feels it sting anyways, “you’re right. You and I- there’s just a lot there and it would- it would be really complicated and when Colleen first told me I- I was gonna go fight Omehaa and be like abso-fucking-lutely not but-” she sucks in a deep breath, “do you remember the promise we made to each other?”

“We made a lot of promises to each other,” Paige says, unable to keep the harshness out of her tone, “sorry I-”

“No you’re right,” Azzi swallows, “but I meant the promise we made when we first started dating. We said we’d never let the personal affect the professional. We promised each other that no matter what, we’d never let our relationship affect us on the court And I know- I know we’ve broken a lot of promises to each other,” they both let out a breath at that, “but I think- I think maybe we should try and keep this one.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying you need a championship contender and GSV needs a PG. Paige, I’m not here to convince you to not come to GSV, I’m here to ask you to join our team,” Azzi says resolutely.

Paige isn’t easily shocked by anything really. She’s lived what she’d consider a pretty interesting life but of course if anyone was going to surprise her, it would be Azzi. Azzi, who has always been an exception to every rule.

“You- you want me on your team?” Paige repeats, a little dumbfounded.

“Yes,” Azzi affirms, “you told me once that we could be the best backcourt duo in college basketball and we were, even if it was only for a year, we were and so now I’m telling you that I think we could be the best backcourt duo in the WNBA.”

Paige is silent for a second before a smirk takes over her features, “I think I did a lot more than tell you, pretty sure I had a whole video that proved it.”

“Are you asking me to make you a recruiting video?” Azzi raises an unamused eyebrow.

Paige shrugs, “could be a nice gesture.”

“I have a five year old child, Bueckers. Trust me when I say I don’t have enough spare time for bullshit like that when you can easily just search up our highlights on youtube. Or just look in your trophy case if you’re looking for proof of how good we can be together,” Azzi says, a hint of that familiar sass bleeding into her spiel.

“We really were good together weren’t we,” it spills out before Paige can stop it and it’s like they’re taking two steps back from each other, the friendly-ish banter of mere seconds ago being clouded by a past tainted by their mistakes, “on the court I mean. We were really good on the court.”

“Right,” Azzi averts her gaze, “just- just think about it okay? This doesn’t- it doesn’t have to be about you and me, not like that at least. It’s about basketball. GSV is the perfect fit for you and you’re the perfect fit for us. And deep down you must know that too, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“Maybe I’m just in it for the free trip to Cali,” Paige surmises.

Azzi scoffs, “you and I both know you make too much money to need a free trip to Cali. If anything, the hotel they’ve given you is probably cheap for your standards.”

“Maybe I just like feeling important? I always did love people showering me with praise.”

“You always did love the attention,” Azzi grins teasingly, “but there’s one thing you always loved more.”

You, Paige thinks but she can’t say that, “and what’s that?”

“Winning. That’s what this is about. You want another championship, so do we. Come help us and let us help you. It’s that simple.”

As Azzi turns to walk away, Paige can’t help but call out from behind her, “you know I think your daughter’s pitch might have been better.”

There’s a smile playing on Azzi’s lips when she turns her face back a little. It’s a new smile that Paige can only assume is Azzi’s Stephie smile, “yeah? What did she say?”

“She told me she thinks I’d look good in purple,” Paige smirks.

Azzi laughs, and it’s exactly like Paige remembers, “it’s that simple huh?”

“It’s that simple.”

#pazzi #paige bueckers #azzi fudd #wcbb

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saladscream · 1 month ago

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Merlin’s throat is distracting.

Arthur is not sure when that came to be. The realisation crept up on him stealthily, until one day he became aware that he’d been staring at the pale column of his manservant’s neck for close to a full minute.

His only excuse for the disconcerting fascination is that… It’s a nice column. Smooth. Solid. A grain of skin as fine as alabaster. It is rather shocking that a commoner should parade around with such a flawless bodily feature, but by now Arthur is resigned to Merlin eluding the rules of propriety and class conventions. By all rights, Merlin should have a peasant’s neck – sinewy, weathered, pimpled, with creases of age-old encrusted filth. Not a Roman statue’s milky throat and perfect collarbones.

Because, yes, Merlin’s collarbones are works of bloody art too. And for everyone’s peace of mind, Arthur would rather not dwell on said offending clavicles, for gazing too long at them makes his tongue long for truly disturbing acts.

So Merlin’s throat is without blemish and Arthur believes the damn neckerchief is responsible for this hideous state of affairs. It wraps around Merlin’s neck like a loving, clingy embrace and protects it from the elements as much as from covetous looks. Arthur doubts the scrap of material is a vanity on Merlin’s part. He reckons that it rather serves a grimly mundane purpose, such as always having a convenient rag on hand to mop up spills or garrot a bleeding limb. But the fact remains that it acts as a virtuous shield against the less-than-virtuous designs of the beholder.

Arthur doesn’t know whether he loves or loathes the infuriatingly familiar piece of fabric. He sometimes wonders if Merlin is aware that his neckerchiefs were all cut from a couple of Arthur’s old cloaks.

Today, some spiteful deity somewhere must be upset with Arthur because the neckerchief is not there to serve its chaste and merciful function, leaving Merlin’s throat indecently exposed. And to make matters worse, there’s a small streak of soot or charcoal down the side of Merlin’s usually immaculate neck. The little black smudge is neat and innocent in its own way, but it stares Arthur boldly in the face – enticing him, daring him.

It would be so easy for Arthur to take it upon himself to lick his thumb and make the impertinent little mark go away. But that way lies madness. And indignity. And too much explaining. So Arthur closes his hand over his thumb and waits for the urge to pass.

Of course, it doesn't.

The wicked smudge is playing coy but challenges him nonetheless.

In desperation, Arthur catches Merlin’s gaze and nods at him, doing some elaborate finger wiggling to indicate on his own neck where the offending smudge stands, hoping the prat will get his meaning.

Of course, he doesn’t.

Instead, the ever-helpful Merlin comes to inspect Arthur’s neck, leaning closely into his space, squinting and mumbling an asinine ‘I can’t see anything’.

And that, gentle reader, is exactly why they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Arthur is now forced into sinful proximity with not only with the elegant throat and the lick-worthy collarbones, but also a remarkable shock of dark hair.

A Merlin-scented shock of dark hair.

@miyriu @neptunesyellowsands

1 - Merlin's eyes

2 - Merlin's lips

3 - Merlin's hands

4 - Merlin's throat

5 - Merlin's hair

6 - Merlin's ears

7 - Merlin's legs

#merthur #merlin #arthur pendragon #bbc merlin #merlin x arthur #merlin ficlet #merthur ficlet #anatomy of a manservant

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rootspiral · 27 days ago

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Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 9 part 2

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2][3][4][5][6])

I'm glad nicky came up with a cool new tune because according to period movies and shows greensleeves is the only song anyone ever knew

look at that meek little smile, ughhhh. nicky is like two days old and this asshole has already figured out he's the perfect prop for her murder sprees. and these poor women are calling her sister and are willing to help too.

the spell is te accipimus in circulum, we accept you in the circle, and yes that makes me cry a little. we accept you in our community. and the spell is yellow air magic, which sounds like the most empathic kind if Lilia is any indication.

that's interesting, you can't really tell that well from screencaps but go rewatch the scene, this witch is making mushrooms grow with yellow magic instead of green?? is it just a spell (she is holding a book) or have I been getting it all wrong and color has nothing to do with the type of magic one has?

or maybe??? the color depends on the coven you're in?? the salemites all had blue magic for example. and now that I think about it the stone circle is a protection spell but it's not red/orange.

the meaning of this scene is so glaring dear lord. agatha was never going to give these women a chance to prove that yes, there are people out there who could love and help and accept her. she has shut herself up to that possibility a long time ago.

and she stole the soup too. awful.

I've seen all the different theories about nicky needing to feed on witches too, or nicky needing soul sacrifices to survive because he's the son of death etc. we don't have enough evidence to prove anything yet, but personally I headcanon nicky as a totally normal kid, that makes this story even more tragic.

and aww that baby suckling on the little pudgy fist

nicky doesn't look that happy about what he's been asked to do, does he?

we establish that nicky was sickly (maybe he was born with some internal defect that rio temporarily patched up?) we also see him steal the bell agatha will use for her Road scam in the future.

and we meet yet another witch being kind and wanting to help.

agatha: I love this six year old so much I'm gonna make him accessory to murder

dO yOU ShaME YouR MOtHER

and the big fake gasp too. as usual this bitch has conned a whole community

like, she's convinced herself that other witches are bad and are after her WHILE relying on witches's good hearts to con and kill them. what sort of mental gymnastics???

color goes from yellow to purple. nicky waits outside while his mom commits murder, it's not a good look on agatha. completely fucked up, actually.

(I'm terrified that the goat will end up being an agent of mephisto or something idiotic like that, lemme tell you. I hope they're just keeping it for milk and company.)

and here's the million dollar question. nicky has seen his mom kill literally since he was born, and now he's old enough to start realizing what that means.

oooh I know that look, that's agatha when she's put on the spot. she avoids his gaze, she can't be sincere with him.

and of course she's teaching herself spells from a book. nerrrrrrd

nicky, bless his soul, appears to give it a good thought and then offers a practical suggestion. I guess he wouldn't mind to have a roof on his head and some friends too.

GREAT acting from kathryn here. the quick OH SHIT face followed by the super final NO, with her jaw so rigid. in typical agatha fashion, when she's upset she becomes avoidant.

this is evanora's legacy. despite agatha's immense love for nicky, she is passing all that pain down and inflicting it on him.

remember when she called billy a survivor? this is the greatest asset in her opinion, the one she wants to teach her son. the truth is, she is angry at witches because she is scared of them, she's scared of being targeted again. but look at that kid's dark circles, I can't believe she's making him sleep in the woods, sick as he is!

really really fantastic subtlety. agatha wants to sound wise and strong, but she looks scared, uncertain, guilty.

see how nicky looks at agatha while he sings? he's checking to see if she's noticing, because his mom likes music and likes his voice. he's afraid he has upset her and wants to make her smile. he tried to reason with her, and now he tries to soothe her. this is what happens when you have an immature parent, a child will want to help, they will try to fix things. they'll end up parenting their parent, and it should always be the other way round.

agatha takes the bait. she's relieved that the conversation has moved to a safer subject. but oh, this script is so good. this is a mostly innocent, mostly sweet remark, but with a possessive undertone. don't forget that you are mine, she says.

and still, the love is real. even in a fucked up situation like this, these moment of happiness are precious and genuine and will linger on. look at how adoringly nicky looks at his mom, she's literally the sun and center of his small world, and that's how agatha likes it: she created nicky because she needed someone who could be hers without any baggage or consequences. but it turns out that raising a child is not a cheat code for love, it's one of the most difficult, most significant and impactful decisions a human can make.

go to episode 9 part 3

#agatha all along #agatha deep dive #agatha harkness #nicholas scratch #character analysis

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larluce · 3 months ago

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Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU

LINKS TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THIS AU HERE: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 , PART 7 , PART 8 , PART 9 , PART 10 , PART 11 , PART 12 , PART 13 , PART 14 , PART 15 , PART 16 , PART 17 , PART 18 , PART 19 , PART 20 , PART 21 , PART 22 , PART 23 , PART 24 , PART 25 , PART 26 , PART 27 , PART 28 , PART 29 , PART 30 (You're here), SERIES 2!!

Hi! This part is going to be a summary rather than a script of what happened after Uther comes back to his senses and how the whole thing with Merlin got solved, cause if I write it all in script format, It'll be like 10 more parts of this episode and I rather end "The Labyrinth of Gedref" at once so I can start writing series 2 events.

So Arthur makes Uther, while still under the effects of the drugs, sign and seal with the royal seal a royal pardon for Merlin so he is absolved of the "attempted assassination of the king". Arthur makes sure to even have a copy of it and gives the original to Merlin and asks him to keep it close to him and hide it well. Merlin is surprised Arthur managed to make Uther sign that, he even thinks maybe Arthur faked the King's writing. He can't ask Arthur that though, because as soon as the prince arrives to give him the pardon he leaves with no other explanation.

When Uther comes back to his senses he's furious. Arthur thinks he's never seen his father so furious with him in all the years he met him. In both lifes! Uther does not only insult him or hit him, he even throws things at him in his fury. Arthur is relieved though, because now his father's anger is directed at him rather than on Merlin. Uther still tries to banish Merlin, but Arthur firmly says that if Merlin leaves he'll go with him, that he will relinquish his entitlement to the throne if he has too. Uther laughs then and says "Please! You think that snake would still be after you if you weren't the prince" to what Arthur says yes, very confident. That's when Uther gets an idea, to both punish his son and make him open his eyes so he sees his manservant's true colors. "Wanna bet?"

So Uther and Arthur make a deal. Uther will disinherit and banish his son publicly, but really it would be all a show. Uther would give Arthur his title back in 3 months, but that's only something Uther, Arthur and very few trusted people will know. If after three months of living in the countryside in the dirt like a commoner Merlin still stays with Arthur, then Merlin would be allowed to stay as his manservant in Camelot, if not, Merlin will be banished forever. Uther is sure Arthur will suffer outside without the riches of a prince and that Merlin will abandon him in weeks time. Arthur accepts the deal because he already knows Merlin will pass with flying colors.

Arthur is still worried about Merlin though. He knows this pretend show will affect him and doesn't want him to have another "anxiety attack", so he urges Gaius to give Merlin concoctions for the nerves and be close to Merlin during this event. Gaius seems frightened so Arthur promptly adds "No rebelion will happen. But the news my father is going to give today will be shocking, so please make sure he is okay".

When Uther finally "disinherits" Arthur publicly, Merlin feels like fainting (this time for real!) He can't believe Uther is doing this. And is all his fault! Again! Merlin inmediatly runs to kneel before Uther, begging him to please punish him instead and no Arthur. But the decision has been made. Arthur was prince no more, Arthur has been banished from the citadel.

Suprisinly, some knights offer to accompany Arthur in his exile, but Arthur only allows two to go with him: Sir Silfred (Uther's spy and is aware of Arthur and Uther's deal) and Sir Leon (who doesn't know anything about the deal) . Merlin, of course, goes with Arthur too, full of guilt for the turn of events. He can't help but notice Arthur is quite calm though, happy even. Like he's going on a trip rather than being exile and striped form his title forever.

Long story short, Arthur gets his dream of living in a farm with Merlin in a way. They do get a farm. Merlin uses his savings as servant to get what they need. At first Merlin is sad and doesn't want Arthur to do any hard work due to the guilt he feels for condeming Arthur to this life. He's also worried about what this turn of events will untile. Will Arthur ever get back his rightful place in the throne? Is destiny changed forever? But Arthur soon assures Merlin he doesn't blame him for anything and he even confesses him he used to have a dream like this, of becoming a farmer in a place who nobody knows him. Merlin stops feeling sad and worried and starts actually enjoy his time with Arthur away from the citadel.

Sir Silfred sends Uther reports on what Arthur and Merlin do and the king is displeased to find out Arthur is not suffering at all, on the contratry, he took this "exile" as a vacation trip! A honeymoon even! Though Sir Silfred vehemently clarifies in a letter: "Although there's clear tension and shows of affection between The Prince and his servant, they haven't done anything of lascivious nature, not even what they call a beak on the lips. It seems the boy is indeed inexperienced". Uther crumples up that letter and throws it away.

Two months pass. Merlin decides he'll tell Arthur about his magic. What's the point of hiding it now that Arthur is not a prince anymore. Uther is not his king. Merlin can tell him. When Merlin drags him away to speak alone, Arthur knows, he just knows Merlin is about to tell him. "Finally" he thinks, "Finally!". But just when Merlin is about to say the words, they get interrupted. The King has sent a search party for the prince. The King wants his prince back. Arthur curses inside. Merlin was so close to tell him! But he sighs and lets himself be scolted back to the citadel with Merlin, Leon and Silfred.

"We agreed on THREE months!" complains Arthur to Uther when they are alone in a room. "This was supposed to be a punishment, not a reward!" retorts Uther. Arthur reminds Uther that he has to let Merlin stay now, that was the deal. Uther recluntantly allows Merlin to stay, but he warns he won't tolerate more insurbodination from that boy.

When Arthur encounters Merlin again he's face with a furious Merlin. "YOU LIED TO ME! YOU MADE ME FEEL GUILTY FOR MONTHS! AND IT WAS ALL FAKE! I INVESTED ALL MY SAVINGS IN THAT FARM, YOU CLOTPOLE!" Arthur starts mumbling his apologies, tries to explain this was the only way his father would let him stay but then "I CAN'T BELIEVE I FELT BAD FOR PRETENDING TO FAINT"

"YOU PRETENDEND TO FAINT?!" exclaims Arthur angry now too and they fight. "NO, YOU DON'T GET TO BE OFFENDED. YOU LIED TO ME TOO!", "NO, THERE WAS A CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF THE LIES AND YOU LIED FIRST!". They shout at each other for a while, but soon they laugh of how ridiculous their fight is. They decide to call it even and Arthur promises he will give Merlin all his money back.

Arthur wants Merlin to have the lucky charm he was gifted by Anhora, so Merlin is protected in a way. "There is something a want you to..." but when Arthur looks for the bracelet, he can't find it. Then Arthur realises, he had achieved his goal: to make Uther spare Merlin's life and allow him to stay, so now the lucky charm is gone. However, Merlin is still waiting, so Arthur, drived by a sudden feeling, gives Merlin his mother sigil. It just felt right, to gift Merlin with this now. As in the other timeline, Merlin tries to give it back, but Arthur insists. "We were practically married for two months. It's just right that you have this". Merlin looks at him confused and blushing. "What... what do you mean?" the warlock asks, but Arthur just laughs softly and says "It would mean a lot to me that you have it, for that I only trust my most valuable treasures with my most valuable person". So Merlin finally accepts the gift.

The official version will tell that the King exiled his son and Prince because he was still ill when he woke up and gave his son his title back as soon as he regained his senses. However, It will be foretold by many minstrels and gossipers how the Prince of Camelot was so in love he gave up his title and run away with his servant. Which reinforces the rumors about how deadly and echanting the beauty and the ways of the unicorn catcher is.

...

With this I finally finished with series 1! 🎉🎉🥳🥳. This happened before the events of "To kill a King" and "La morte de Arthur" that are in earlier parts just so you know, so You can reread them if you like.

Hold yourself to what is coming in series 2! 😈

Tagging @aceauthorcatqueen , @fallenxjas , @smileytrinity ,@lucifertookmyshoe , @an-entity-i-think , @thecornerofbelu , @griffonskies , @odinjm , @cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu , @thelady-mary , @bennedict , @nightninjaboy , @st8-of-grace , @starrieisdelusional , @error-username-not-available , @dogberryrowan , @jamieweasley13 , @tansyuduri , @tercais , @robynnemrys , @evadne01 , @serasvictoria02 , @hairdryerducks , @hopeaha , @curiously-lazy , @harriettesthings , @andrealux16 , @wacko-weirdo , @greatdonutenemy , @yougottobekittenme , @anxiousosaurus , @kinkforwings , @someweirdassnamee , @impracticalantlers , @miyriu , @hobipabo , @whitemaskcd , @bogslob , @tkmaras , @rubinaitoart

#bbc merlin #merlin bbc #merlin #merthur #merlin prompt #merlin fanfic #merlin fic #merlin and arthur #arthur and merlin #merthur fic #merthur fanfiction #merthur prompt #Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU

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heartsforseo · 10 months ago

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Skincare with the strawhats

A/n: I'm somewhere on episode 500 in One Piece. And looking back at my valorant post... I really did Franky, Jimbei, Chopper, and Brook wrong. But uh... I'll try to do better :D!! Btw this excludes Chopper cuz...how?

⭑Luffy, I'd say wouldn't understand much about it. I mean, he probably knows and have heard a bit from Nami and Robin but that's that.

⭑When you first explained it to him, he was half-listening, so he was a bit shocked when you sprayed some water on his face.

⭑Would think of it as a fun game and splash some water onto you too (your clothes sadly got wet :[)

⭑When you start adding some cream onto his face he found it funny and started making weird faces.

⭑Over some time, he'd actually start liking it and would start expecting one every week (and maybe even every day)

⭑And even if you guys were to do skincare every day, he'd either fall asleep or cause some ruckus. No in-between.

"Hey, Y/n!! Can we do the skinmare thing again??"

"It's skincare, Luffy, and yes."

⭑Overall, 6/10. He's not the worst, but there is definitely better.

⭑It's either Nami who will bring it up or you.

⭑She's the best to do skincare with since she got everything. Like everything

⭑Would prolly make you pay when you use one of her stuff (w/h or w/o permission)

⭑Would actually give you a piece of advice on what or what not to do though.

⭑While doing skincare, Nami will tell you gossip about the crew or from the last island.

⭑If you get on her good side, she might give you one of her equipment.

⭑Would secretly charge you money for all the wrongdoings you did though. And an extra 10,000 berries because you asked her to do skin care.

"Alright Y/n. This session would be 96,000 berries."

⭑Overall, 9/10. Definitely one of the best. con= -1 because she charges after skincare. Pro= You guys will now have skincare every week.

"No."

⭑You have to convince Zoro numerous times (and maybe even guilt trip him) just so he'd say yes.

⭑He'd be embarrassed at first and try to stay quiet (he doesn't want the lovesick cook to see him with a headband on and foam on his face)

⭑He's blushing so hard from embarrassment so be nice to him. It's also a good opportunity to tease him.

⭑Although too much teasing would opt to make him leave. Unless you ask Sanji instead or tell the crew what was happening to Zoro, that would make him stay back and listen.

⭑While doing skincare, he'd let you take the lead (considering he doesn't even know anything about it) and would only let out some grumbles and whines.

⭑After skincare, he'd look himself in the mirror and touch his face, noticing how smooth it was.

⭑He'd then look after the skincare and would ask you about it for more. He won't say it again though, so you better have good ears because he'll be all muttering.

⭑Overall. 7/10, he's very quiet and wouldn't do much unless you say so.

⭑Sanji would beg for it every. single. day

⭑And you finally had enough and said yes.

⭑Now before entering the bathroom, you can already smell the rosy perfume outside.

⭑WOULD have everything and anything. Maybe even more than Nami's skincare collection.

⭑He'd know what type of face skin you have AND the type you use. So it was no surprise when your essentials were already out.

⭑He'd beg give you assistance 24/7 while doing skincare

⭑He'd also ask you if you're feeling uncomfortable, having fun, and would ramble on about some new recipes he's learned.

"I hope you had fun today Y/n. I'm looking forward to the next."

⭑Overall, 10/10. He knows what you need and what you like. He also think of your situation/feelings, and that itself makes it 10/10 already.

⭑Ussopp would fly over the moon when you asked him.

⭑He'd gladly accept it and tell you he had a lot of experience in skin care (which isn't technically a lie since he knew some of it from Kaya)

⭑But of course, he'd still be scared and shaking. What if you didn't like it? What if you don't wanna do skin care with him again?

⭑He'd be rather stiff at first. Scared to disappoint you.

⭑But minutes later he'd start to cool down and come back to his normal self.

⭑Now every time you both will have skincare time. He'd have a bunch of stories saved up only for you.

"Oh Y/n! I have another story for you later."

⭑Overall, 9/10. He's really fun to be with and is def one of the best to do skincare with.

⭑You'd have to ask Robin to join you

⭑She never really thought of doing skincare together unless you bring it up.

⭑And you really know when to pick out the dates since she was so stressed at first T~T)>

⭑Being around a chaotic and childish crew could really stack up stress.

⭑But a simple skincare could really help it get out.

⭑Robin really much appreciated what you did. Especially when you massage her face and shoulders.

⭑It isn't only one-sided. She'd help you out by giving some advice and ideas when she sees you frowning at your own face. Even giving out some compliments.

"This has really helped out my day, Y/n. Thank you very much."

⭑Overall, 9/10. Really nice to hang out with, and would crack a dark joke once in a while.

⭑Franky would definitely say yes and strike a pose.

⭑He'd know a lot of this from Mozu and Kiwi and would sometimes buy them the products that they wanted.

⭑And since he's basically the crew's shipwright, he had definitely tried to recreate the product the stores have.

⭑But wait. It felt itchy when you tried it? Don't worry, he made a new one already. One that you'll definitely find lovely.

⭑You don't like how he designed it? Don't worry, he made an even bigger one with a design you'll like.

⭑Brook is jumping in joy and is asking to see your panties.

⭑Until he realizes he's a skeleton.

"Yohohoho! I'm really exci--oh..."

⭑Overall, 7/10. He's good for emotional support...I guess?

⭑Lastly, our good man Jimbei.

⭑(I only saw Jimbei a few times due to Impel down and Marineford so uh...)

⭑I'd say that skincare never really crossed his mind. I mean he IS a fishman after all.

⭑But once you told him about it and how it can help you relax, he decided to take up the offer.

⭑He's probably embarrassed and just standing dumbfounded. What was he gonna do?

⭑But dw since you helped him </33

⭑AND OMG HE TIED UP HIS HAIR INTO A FULL BUN?!?!?!?!? AHHHHHH (I'm fangirling DD:...i'M SORRY JIMBEI WS SO COOL)

⭑But back to the story. I'd say he really enjoyed that. AND OF COURSE HUGS!!! HUGS ARE VERY MUCH NEEDED!!!

"Thank you for this, Y/n. I very much appreciated it."

⭑Overall, 7/10. He's pretty much quiet and doesn't know what to do. But the silence is really comforting.

A/n: AND OH MY I FINISHED IT!!! I STARTED ON THIS AT 2 PM AND NOW ITS 5 PM HUHU!! ENYWAYSSSS I HOPE YLL ENJOYED IT, LOVE YALL MWA

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thewintersoldatt · 11 months ago

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SORRY, NOT SORRY -RAFE CAMERON

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x fem!listener

Summary: Rafe can be a “good” boyfriend when he wants to be… with a sprinkle of manipulation of course.

Warnings: Naughty language, Fluff low-key from our toxic daddy, ft. JJ being a chaotic mess.

notes: This audio is set during 1x05. Instead of it being midsummer's, it's the listeners birthday! I've been working on this all week and I'm tired of listening to it on repeat, so if something doesn't add up, it's because I got lazy. And I wish Rafe told me he loved me. 😭

word count: Its audio, my panties are wet and so are yours.

Scene one

JJ: Ah, would you look at this! It's our birthday girl!

You: What are you doing here?

Our cutie patootie rambles on then walks off with the security guard.

During this pause count to about 6 or 7.

You: What the hell did you guys do to his face?

Rafe: We didn't do anything… his face was like that when he…showed up.

You: Well, why did you guys corner him in here?

Rafe: We were just making sure... he knew his place. And that he's not allowed here. If anything, we were doing you and your parents a favor, I mean, god knows what he already took.

You: You promised me you wouldn’t start anything tonight, Rafe.

Rafe: Can you give us a minute? I'd like to talk to my girlfriend... alone, so get out. Alright, um, can I speak first since you wanna do this right now?

You: Go ahead.

Rafe: How long have you lived here?

You: I was born here.

Rafe: Yes you were born here, but where - where did you grow up?

You: Figure 8.

Rafe: Yes, you grew up on Figure 8. And where did... our pal JJ grow up?

You: The cut.

Rafe: The Cut. and that's exactly my point, baby. We're kooks. And... what is JJ again?

You: Jesus, Rafe don't start-

Rafe: Come on, you wanna talk, let’s talk. What about communication? Isn’t that what we're supposed to be working on?

Count to 3 during this pause.

You: He’s a pouge.

Rafe: See that wasn't so hard, now was it? Now, let me make something clear, and stop me if you get a little confused - you and me. We’re practically royalty on this island. We’re together for a reason. And before you saying, yes I do love you. I always have and I always will. You’re mine. You’re it for me, sweetheart. And… you’re a kook. So, start acting like one before I do something about it, mkay?

You: God, you’re a dick you know that? How about you leave too.

Rafe: Ugh, look I’m sorry, alright? It’s just… it’s just when I saw him on the patio talking to Sarah I lost it. This is supposed to be your day and I didn’t want him ruining it. Kind of like when… uh… we switched out the coke with flour and gave it to Top because he ate your cupcakes.

You: And how is that relevant to this?

Rafe: It’s sorta the same thing. You - you worked hard on those. Uh, he ate them. I was pissed because they were for me. And you were upset because I wanted to punch him in the throat. Tomato, tomahto. Blah, blah, blah. See you’re smiling, I love it when you smile.

You: You’re such a sap.

Rafe: I love you.

You: I love you too.

Rafe: And again, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause a scene, I just didn’t know how else to get him to leave. You know how JJ and his friends are. All of them are drawn to us like a moth to a flame. Now, uh, can we put this behind us and get back to the party?

You: Thats the smartest thing that’s come out of your fat mouth all night, baby.

Rafe: By the way, I really do think he took something from your bedroom.

You: What?

Rafe: I saw him come down from the hallway, unless he took something from your dad’s office?

You: You’re serious?

Rafe: As a heart attack.

You: But… I’ve never done anything to him.

Rafe: That’s what they do though. You should know this by now. They butter you up, just to take whatever they can right from under our noses. It’s sick, if I’m being honest.

You: So much for trying to be civil.

Rafe: I know, yeah, I’ll talk to your dad, and um, see what we can do. But for now, let’s go celebrate. It’s not everyday someone turns 17.

@rafesapologist @rvfecamerons @sadfury @rafesthroatbaby @rafesaddiction @hockeybabe87 @rafeinterlude @starkeyisthelastname @secretly-tumb1r @kingkylie444 @stayonmars @maybankswhore @barbiiecams @princessmisery666 @ilovebarrykeoghan

If you would like to be tagged, I gotchu sis.

#drew starkey #ai generated #rafe x you #rafe cameron #rafe outer banks #i’m in love #my original post #my original writing #enjoy the audio

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etherfabric · 6 months ago

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How to grow from your roots

Choose a pile by which picture you resonate with the most.

If your mind is too busy to clearly decide, take a few deep breaths, and use the finger of your non-dominant hand to hover over the images. One will give off the most subtle yet prominent signals, like tingles, a magnetic pull, or temperature. This is your pile. Multiples are also possible.

You are the ultimate authority over your life. I merely provide my perspective. Sometimes the Universe lines you up with something that doesn’t resonate with your truth, so you have contrast to find out what does. Never give away your power.

Pile 1

Judgment, The Devil

Be honest about what you really need - not what you could make do with if forced to by your fear of causing a commotion. You need to speak up about what makes your heart sing, what makes your belly full, your day a bright one instead of a dull one, your relationships something you cherish instead of feeling suffocated by them. No matter how big. But you can start small. "You want something to drink with that?" No, actually, I don't. Thank you. "Need anything from the store?" Yes, actually, this kind of tea, last time you brought the wrong one. I like the chamomile, not the nettle one. "Can I call you back?" Yes, but after 8PM I won't answer. I want to watch the new episode. "Can I borrow that?" No, I get scared when other people have it. Sorry.

It might feel like being a diva the first times around, and the anxiety about what people might think will tank the emotional gain initially - but wait until the smoke settles, and nothing dreadful actually happened. Plus - you got your thing! Yay! That's the stuff. Whoever shames you for that is just too accustomed to your placation, and will surely find another comfort soon enough.

Pile 2

The Sun, 6 of Swords

Believe that you deserve what you already have, then you will have no qualms expecting the next blessings. What seemed presumptuous in your old mindset is suddenly the only logical turn of events. Of course I will meet someone. Of course they will like me. Of course I will get what I need. Of course I will accomplish my version of health. If you feel comfortable with the idea, imagine roots or lightbeams shooting down from you into the core of the Earth. You belong here. Life gave you what you have. Of course you deserve it. You are part of all of us, and we want you to be content and fulfilled. It's safe to continue. It's safe to want more. Because there IS more for you. Just like you got everything you already have. It's yours to enjoy. Not your foundation is shaky - your knees are trembling. Find comfort, find relief, and see how it carries you like it always has.

Pile 3

7 of Wands, 6 of Swords

You have forgotten what you are actually capable of. The last season asked different things of you than what you need to bring to the table now. But it's nothing new, or necessarily complicated - you already got it in you. It's like you are not even looking in your closet for something appropriate to wear, because you just decided it's all shit anyways, so don't bother opening it. You got your defenses up, because being small was safe so far. But now, the old skin starts itching. Tear it apart! It's not as fragile as the fresh pink one you had to grow tenderly after the wound. This one is dry and flaky, and begs to be shed by movements you didn't dare to do for a long time. Find a situation where you can prove yourself to yourself. See it with your own eyes that you are a new version of your old self, and capable of everything former and beyond.

Pile 4

5 of Pentacles, Ace of Pentacles

Your darkest times are begging to be included in your story. Not to drag you down - to elevate you! Look at what you survived! What you came back from! You don't celebrate this enough. You live the life of someone else, someone ordinary, someone with only happy days. You should carry yourself like the force you are. You should command the respect you always had for yourself to keep fighting, trying again, getting up sooner or later, and be it just to go to the toilet. You don't know the weight of your life because you always carry it, but it would crush others. That is something to be proud of. That is something giving you the vigor you are looking for to get what you want, become who you see before your inner eye, and live the life that calls to you. You are not daydreaming - you are finally coming to your senses.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

#pick a card #tarot reading #pick a card reading

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cowboys-only · 21 days ago

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Season 6 Tournament(s) arc [aka if the writers knew how to have fun]

The team makes it into the Sekai Taikai same as before and is told they have 3 month to prepare

They are told 1 week after getting in that the tournament will be held in Barcelona, but are also told that the events will only be unveiled 2 weeks before the start

Daniel and Johnny meet up to talk schedules and training regimens and Johnny suggests something

Johnny : You know how you’re a 2 time all valley champ

Daniel : yes? As are you?

Johnny : well I’m also a 1 time San Francisco Champion, a 1 time Sacramento champ, a 1 time (so on and so forth)

Daniel : !??!

Johnny : you really think Kreese didn’t have us decimating every tournament in the state (and a few in neighboring states)???

Daniel : I wasn’t aware there were other tournaments??

Johnny : well that’s stupid of you ANYWAYS what if instead of just regular training we put them through every tournament happening in the next 2.5 months (on top of regular training of course)

Daniel : that might just be the least crazy idea you’ve ever had

Que montage of the kids sleeping on busses as they travel to tournaments across the state, at rest stops buying snack, standing in the cold with duffel bags half asleep at like 2 am, someone screaming to pull over because they have to go to the bathroom, road trip stuff

And each tournament has different rules

One has no gender division, but does have a separation by weight (Bert featherweight champion lmfao)

One only does duo events

One only does skills and weapons

Just a bunch of different tournaments

We get a montage of every tournament happening and different people winning different fights

A little time lapse of the Miyagi-do trophy wall going from like 3 trophies (2 Daniel 1 Eli) to like 35 as they bring home more and more wins from more and more different events

We get to the point when it’s announced that only 6 can go and 2 ppl need to be selected as captains and everyone is 1,000% more chill about it because they all have a trophy by now

Miguel especially is way less snippy because he can wow Stanford with like 7 trophies instead of just 1 (he’s obviously still a little disappointed but that just how being a competitive athlete is)

They all go into the tournament way more confident

(Maybe Tory doesn’t switch sides because she also won quite a few fair and square and since her mom was feeling better she got to see her win. Still dies, but it’s less,,,,, sucky)

#let them be happy #let them win!!!#let me in the writers room yall are miserable #cobra kai #miguel diaz #robby keene #cobra kai season 6 #eli moskowitz #demetri alexopoulos #hawk moskowitz #johnny lawrence #daniel larusso #samantha larusso #tory nichols

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penkura · 8 months ago

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knowing [8/8]

Summary: Sanji knew you were the one the moment he met you.

Pairing: Sanji x Reader

Warnings: None really. Normal One Piece stuff I guess.

Note: I changed my mind, I'm posting this today because I loved this and just can't wait any longer. Thank you all for reading this little fanfic!! I wrote this before I fully finished reading Wano, so it's not 100% accurate at first, but that's fine, this is a fanfic of course. I hope you all enjoy, and I do have another two one-shots connected to this series!

Taglist:

@jzkeisuke | @arcanumlaw

[Ch. 1] ● [Ch. 2] ● [Ch. 3] ● [Ch. 4] ● [Ch. 5] ● [Ch. 6] ● [Ch. 7]

With Big Mom and Kaido defeated, Wano freed from the Animal Kingdom Pirates reign, you were beyond relieved when you'd heard you could all rest. Luffy and Zoro seemed near death, both had just woken up when you'd snuck out with Sanji to another area. He still needed rest more than you, and Chopper had followed along to make sure neither of you did anything to upset your wounds. You'd made it out with a few small burns, some scrapes and cuts, a slightly deeper wound on your abdomen, but Chopper had taken great care of you and gotten you as close to 100% as he could. Sanji too of course, he suffered slightly worse wounds than you did, but the geishas had taken great care of him and he had nowhere near the same battle damage as the other two members of your monster trio. Chopper had instructed him to lay down and rest, which Sanji did, trusting your doctor that he knew what was best, despite his wanting to join in whatever party was being started in the other room. You knew there was no way the people of Wano would let you leave without a large celebration, Sanji would just have to wait for that.

After Chopper left the infirmary you'd walked off to, you gave Sanji a smile while saying something about changing your own bandages real quick. Despite your insistence that it was fine, he looked away while you stripped off your shirt to change your bandages, instead quietly pulling something small out of his pocket to occupy his eyes, wondering if now was the best time or if he should wait.

"What's that you've got there, Sanji?"

Your voice brought him out of his millions of thoughts, making him decide that yes now's the time, before he smiled softly and held it up, making your eyes widen and your mouth open just a bit.

There's no way…no way, right?

"I picked this up in Dressrosa."

"Sanji, you did not."

Sanji grinned at you, nodding happily. "I did! I saw it and…I thought of you instantly."

It was a small ring he held in his hand, a thin silver band with some blue gem on it, perhaps a small sapphire, you weren't sure, but it was very pretty to you anyway. You didn't care for gaudy, showy jewelry anyway, so if this really was an engagement ring, you were all too ready to accept.

Even without a ring you'd accept. You loved Sanji, more than anything. If he had shown up to the women's bunks in his pajamas without a ring at 3am and asked you to marry him, you would accept even then. The middle of battle, though not his style, you'd say yes. An evening after dinner where you'd both drank a little too much and were giggly messes, if he said 'marry me' you'd accept instantly, whether you remembered it the next morning or not.

It didn't matter. You'd marry Sanji no matter how he proposed.

"Maybe I'm crazy, or all that wedding talk because of them got to me, or even us playing husband and wife for the time we did here, but…I'm certain of this." His voice was quiet, even though it was just the two of you at the moment, and it made you start to tear up.

It definitely was crazy. The fight with Kaido and Big Mom had ended just two days ago, you were still surprised Sanji was even capable of walking and sitting up right after his fight against Queen. You half wondered if he suffered a blow to the head that knocked something loose that was making him do this right now.

But really, you knew he hadn't. He was mentally sound, he knew what he was doing.

"Sanji…"

"I'm probably the worst mess of a man you've ever met, I'm worthless really, but I know I love you," Sanji smiled softly while you cried and gladly held your hand out for him to take when he reached out for it, "I don't want to ever again look at another woman the way I look at you. I can't imagine myself with anyone else, married to anyone else, becoming a parent with anyone else, if we're so blessed. Everything that's happened recently just made me more aware of that."

Sanji moved more towards the edge of the bed while gently pulling you closer to him. You couldn't have cared less if he was on one knee or not, it didn't matter to you.

What mattered was that it was Sanji.

You wished you weren't crying, especially when he pulled you down beside him, just to place his forehead against yours and wipe your happy tears away.

"I love you so much, [Y/N]. You mean the world to me and I just want to be with you forever. I wanted to ask you weeks ago now, even when we all met up again in Sabaody…but now feels like the perfect time. Please, [Y/N], will you marry me?"

Trying your hardest to stop crying, you nodded and kissed him, hoping he didn't mind your salty, teary kisses.

"Yes! Yes, a million times yes, my dear!"

Sanji pulled you into a tight hug that you returned, telling you again that he loved you and you responded in kind. You took a few minutes to fully calm down, and once you did, you let Sanji put the ring he'd bought all the way back in Dressrosa on your finger, not at all surprised it was a perfect fit. Of course he knew your ring size, either that or he borrowed one of your rings you wore for fun and took it with him to get the right size.

"A perfect fit."

"Just like us." You smiled brightly at Sanji, which he returned before kissing you again.

Your sweet moment was interrupted when the door to the infirmary almost flew open, and you jumped back up a bit, only to be relieved when you saw it was Zoro, who looked like he didn't know what he was even doing there.

"What do you want, moss head??"

"...looking for Chopper." Zoro's eye wandered over to you, noticing you'd been crying and he looked almost ready to cut down Sanji, until he took in the fact you now had a ring on your finger.

That same ring he'd watched Sanji pick out in Dressrosa.

"Oh!" You nodded, giving a smile. "He left a while ago, said he was going to go check on the Samurai and Luffy!"

Zoro nodded, turning to leave before he stopped and looked over his shoulder at you. "Congrats. If he hurts you, let me know and I'll kill him."

"Zoro!"

"As if you could, moss head!!"

"Sanji, stay in bed!" You pushed him back down when he went to get up, a scowl on his face while Zoro left and closed the door behind him. Sanji started complaining to you about the "stupid moss head" and how he couldn't touch him, but it made you laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh…it's just…it's like a little brother protecting his big sister…that's all Zoro means by it."

Somehow, Sanji understood what you meant when you said that. If his family had been different, he probably would have been the same with Reiju, protective of her when any potential boyfriends or suitors would come to see her, if they ever did considering how their father was. If your lives were different, if you had met under different circumstances, he was sure your biological brothers would be the same.

While he was thinking about it, Sanji barely realized you had crawled into bed with him, until you wrapped your arms around him and hugged him close. He did the same, kissing the top of your head as well.

"I love you, Sanji."

"I love you too."

I can't wait to marry you.

+!+

Once the Thousand Sunny had taken off from Wano, your next destination decided by the log pose, you were determined to be married with your found family as the witnesses. While in Wano, you and Sanji had slipped away to find something like a courthouse, whatever their equivalent was, to get a marriage certificate so you could have a small ceremony on the Sunny. It took a bit of time, but you found a place that processed marriage certificates and got one printed immediately, knowing that technically, as soon as you signed and dated it, you'd be husband and wife.

You hadn't told anyone yet, Zoro would never, you knew that, but you had told Sanji you wanted everyone there and to be married on the ship you called home. He quickly agreed, telling you that he'd do whatever you wanted for the wedding, while thinking it was the best place for you two to get married. You were both absolutely sure your crewmates would be happy for you, they'd all be glad to participate in the wedding and help you two tie the knot.

You also made Sanji promise not to spend so much time on the cake or to make it too big, though you had to give some leeway there due to Luffy. But he promised he wouldn't work on it so much that he was doing last minute touches when he was supposed to be saying his vows to you. You didn't want the wedding to be an extravagant, fancy affair. Just something small and simple with everyone you loved there.

Sanji didn't tell you, though, that he'd talked to Nami and told her you two were engaged and wanting to get married as soon as possible. She was so happy for the two of you that she burst into tears and hugged him, about to run off to find you when he stopped her. He wanted to surprise you with your parents and siblings at the ceremony, and knew your home was an island in the New World, so Nami put the ship on a detour there in the middle of the night when Sanji had a night watch, so no one would have any idea. There were no questions about where the ship was heading the next morning, and Nami was constantly talking about romance and things like that to you, trying to get you to spill your engagement to her. Anything she said you related back to Sanji with a smile, annoying her that you were acting so dense.

It was about two days before your unknown arrival to your home island that Sanji convinced you to tell everyone. You had gone over it multiple times in your head, wondering if it was a good time, before he told you that you'd probably never be ready to tell them, so might as well do so now. When he said that, you ended up agreeing and when everyone was on the deck that night, Sanji told them all you two had an announcement to make.

"You guys aren't gonna leave, are you??" Luffy was so terribly concerned that you and Sanji had chosen to leave the crew, but you quickly reassured him it wasn't anything like that.

"No, no, not at all! We," you took a breath and smiled at Sanji, taking his hand, "We've decided to get married."

"Ahh!"

"And we want the ceremony to be on Sunny in a few days."

"AHH!!"

Everyone was so excited for the two of you! Nami immediately ran over and hugged you, Robin joining her after a moment and both asking to see your ring, where Sanji got it, and what you were going to wear. Luffy laughed a bit and threw himself on Sanji, saying he was glad for the two of you. Brook said something weird about marriage; Franky was crying but patting Sanji on the back; Usopp wanted to know when and how you'd be married without a priest; Chopper said he was very excited for the two of you; Jimbei also gave his congratulations, saying he may not have known you both very long, but you seemed like quite the loving couple, and Zoro, who still viewed you as his sister, reiterated his previous statement of being willing to kill Sanji if he ever hurt you. Before Sanji could argue back at him, Zoro put a hand on his shoulder and congratulated him, causing everyone that heard him to be shocked, and then even more surprised when Sanji thanked him.

The Straw Hats threw a celebration party for the two of you the rest of the night, almost like an engagement party. There was a point where Sanji had slipped away, knowing you were in good hands with Nami and Robin, who were trying to help you decide on a few things for the wedding. He went back to your shared room, picking up the transponder snail you'd bought a while back, and made a call to the Baratie. He didn't let whoever picked up know it was him, requesting to speak to Zeff personally.

"Hey, old man, it's me."

"Sanji? What's this about, calling after heading off two years ago?"

"I…I had some news I wanted to tell you, that's all."

He couldn't see him, but Zeff was a slight bit concerned with how calm Sanji sounded, to the point he made him hold on while he transferred the call over to his personal snail.

"Sanji, you in here?" You had gone searching for your fiance once you noticed he was missing and found him in your room, he waved you over to sit beside him on the bed while he waited for Zeff to get back on the phone. "Who'd you call?"

"Zeff."

"Ooooh." You nodded and took his free hand in yours, Sanji gripping it tightly, nervously waiting.

"All right, what'd you wanna tell me, kid?"

"I'm…getting married in a few days. I just…I wanted you to know."

It was quiet for a bit, and you worried that maybe Zeff was angry that this was the first thing he'd heard from Sanji in over two years, but then heard laughter.

"So! You finally found a girl willing to put up with you, huh?"

You giggled and Sanji smiled.

"I found a girl that's done more than just put up with me."

The two of you stayed on the line with Zeff for a while longer, Sanji's tight grip on your hand loosening after he realized Zeff was truly happy for him. Eventually you decided to let him have his privacy with his true father, kissing his cheek and returning to the party your crewmates were still throwing.

You finally decided you'd get married four days later, the two of you were ready for this step and didn't want anything to interfere, not the Marines or another pirate, nothing.

However, when Nami had said you'd all reached an island to dock at, your breath caught in your throat and you started to tear up when you recognized the pier, despite it being nearly seven years since you'd last been there.

"This…this is my home."

"Yeah," Sanji held your hand and gave you a smile, "I…figured you'd want your family there when we got married, so I asked Nami if we could take a detour. Is…is this okay?"

You looked up at him and smiled brightly, despite the tears threatening to fall down your face. "Of course!!"

Once the Sunny was fully docked, you didn't bother waiting for your allowance from Nami, grabbing Sanji by the arm and dragging him in the direction of your childhood home. None of your crewmates bothered to stop you, they did stop Luffy from following and getting in the way of you introducing your fiance to your family.

To your surprise, your family already knew you were on the way, you figured Sanji had something to do with that as well (you'd be correct if you asked him). Your mom was the first to hug you, telling you how much she missed you and how beautiful you'd become in the last few years. Your dad told you the same, before he and your mom introduced themselves to Sanji, you weren't at all surprised at how easily he won them over despite not being able to ask their permission to marry you.

All your siblings ended up running at you when they knew you were there, and it made you beyond happy to see you had a new sister after all. She was a little more shy around you, but Sanji speaking to her convinced her that everything was all right. Everyone ended up mentioning how they had copies of your wanted poster, your brothers would brag to their friends that their big sister was a badass pirate while your sisters would use that as leverage against the boys in town they didn't like, and it all made you blush and become flustered.

Your parents insisted the two of you and the rest of your crewmates join them for dinner, which you happily accepted and so did Luffy when he heard. Your family gladly accepted your found family, sharing stories and having a lovely time with everyone around.

It got to be a little much for you, you had to step out on the porch for a bit so you didn't get too overwhelmed, Sanji following you a moment later to make sure you were okay.

"You know, sometimes, I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't left."

"Oh yeah?" Sanji smiled a bit while lighting a cigarette and watching you.

You nodded, sitting down with your legs dangling off the edge of the porch, your youngest sister having followed you and Sanji out the door and now cuddling next to you. She'd opened up quickly and became attached to you and Sanji.

"I wonder if we ever would have met."

"I still would've found you."

"You're sure about that?" You laughed a bit, but Sanji sat down beside you, putting his arm around your shoulders.

"Luffy still would have come to the Baratie and convinced me to join him. We'd still have all the same adventures, and eventually end up here…where I'd find you. And I'd still be attracted to you, and try to get you to come with us, and we'd still end up together."

Humming a bit, you nodded.

"I know you'd still find me."

+!+

The next day was your wedding. You'd woken up early with a bit of happy anxiety, Nami and Robin were already up and ready to help you get dressed and do your hair. You'd ended up buying a white sundress with a [f/c] colored sash around the waist and white flats to make it simple, you never really wanted a fancy wedding dress anyway. Nami took a curling iron to your hair and added some soft curls, while Robin brought you a flower crown your sisters had made overnight for you to wear in place of a veil. Both girls were still beyond excited for you, and Nami kept giving you hugs through the morning. You and her were like sisters at this point, she'd already called being aunt to any kids you and Sanji may have in the future. Having her and Robin with you helped calm your nerves, and you were more than ready to get married to the love of your life.

Sanji, though, was almost a nervous wreck. He'd already gone through half a pack of cigarettes, before he even got dressed for your wedding. You'd told him during the events at Whole Cake Island that you really preferred black suits on him, so he gladly got one specifically for your wedding, choosing a [f/c] colored tie to match with you. He didn't know why he was so nervous, probably the fears that he wasn't good enough for you and wouldn't be able to make you happy were the cause, but he couldn't stop his racing mind. He tried everything but went back to smoking as his stress reliever, worried you'd change your mind at the last second and leave him.

"She's not gonna leave you."

Surprisingly, Zoro was the one to get Sanji to calm down.

"And what if she does?"

"She won't. She wouldn't have agreed to marry you and plan a wedding so quickly if she wasn't sure about it. If she didn't want to be with you she would've rejected your ass all the way back at Alabasta."

"What. How do you know about that?! I thought you didn’t know until Skypiea!"

Zoro rolled his visible eye and smirked.

"You guys weren't exactly subtle back then. Freaking weirdos making out in the kitchen."

Despite Zoro being amused, Sanji knew he was right. If you really didn't love him and were going to leave, you probably would have done so after everything that happened with his family and that attempted arranged marriage. Instead you had stuck by him, giving him a smile and hug when he first told you how much he loved you, repeating it to him every day since you all had left Thriller Bark, telling him even more so after you'd retrieved him from his screwed up family, giving him the time he needed before showering him in hugs, kisses, and constant 'I love you's so he knew you'd never leave him or let him go again, and that you understood what he was doing when he fought with Luffy and 'broke up' with you in front of his brothers and sister. When he told you everything about his childhood, despite your crying and wishing you'd been born in the North Blue so you could have been his friend, you accepted every bit of it, telling him how much his mother must have loved him and you would have loved to have met her. He'd never felt more relieved than when you said his past didn't matter, the things his father said didn't matter. What mattered was that he was Sanji and you loved him. That was the first time he'd cried to you, hugging you and letting you stroke his hair, while he thanked you for loving a “failure” like him.

"You're not a failure. You're Sanji, and you're perfect as you are."

Sanji knew Zoro was right, you'd never leave him. If you did he'd fight to get you back, but he was sure that wouldn't be necessary.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

"No problem. …don't tell anyone about this."

"Wouldn't dare."

+!+

Your wedding ceremony went off without a hitch, several hours ago now, and you and Sanji were finally married. While you were being wed, you couldn't stop smiling and crying lightly, Sanji giving you soft sweet smiles while he held your hands. Your mother, Nami, Franky, and Brook were all blubbering messes, you wondered if they'd actually heard anything the whole time. Your dad was slightly teary, but he'd never fully admit that to you. All your siblings were excited, more so that they were on a pirate ship but your wedding was a nice excuse to be on the ship. Luffy couldn't stop grinning, he was beyond happy for the two of you. Usopp was also slightly teary, mostly because he couldn't believe you two were actually getting married. Chopper was anxiously waiting for when he could have cake, but he had told you when he saw you earlier that day that he thought you looked pretty. Robin smiled, looking at you like you were her baby sister who was getting married and she couldn't have been happier for you both. Jimbei acted as your priest, after you learned he actually could legally perform marriages, you practically begged him to be the one to marry you. He agreed quickly and you were grateful for it. Zoro, always the quiet one, watched without much emotion visible on his face, but those of you who knew him well enough could see he was happy for you.

Of course, you and Sanji were the happiest ones there. Your ceremony wasn't long, it didn't need to be really, just something small to show you were committed to each other, now and forever. When Jimbei pronounced you husband and wife, and said Sanji could kiss you, you had to keep yourself from almost bouncing out of your shoes in excitement. Once he did kiss you, everyone cheered for you, which made you giggle after breaking the kiss and giving Sanji a smile that he returned.

"We're married!"

He couldn't help it, Sanji picked you up and spun you around, he was so happy! You two had gone from awkwardly facing your feelings for each other, to now being deeply in love, and married finally. He set you back down, only to kiss you again, laying his forehead against yours afterwards.

"I love you, ma femme."

"I love you too, my husband!"

"Come on you lovebirds, let's start the reception!"

The reception, which was really just a normal Straw Hat party, went on for several hours. You had to step away at one point to bid farewell to your family, none of whom wanted to see you go but they understood you couldn't stay on your island for more than a few days, and the Sunny would be taking off in the morning.

Sanji noticed quickly you'd disappeared from his side while he was fighting to keep Luffy from finishing off your piece of cake, and when he saw where you were, he put Zoro in charge of keeping Luffy at bay so he could go stay with you.

Your family had already walked off the dock and back into town when you felt Sanji wrap his arms around your waist and place his chin on the top of your head.

"We'll come back someday."

"I know we will."

"And you can always call or write."

You nod, looking up at Sanji with a smile. "This was a wonderful surprise, thank you. It meant a lot to have them here."

Sanji returned your smile, kissing your forehead. "Anything for you, mon amour."

You were about to suggest the two of you slip out and go off to bed, before Luffy shouted your names.

"Come oooonnnn!! The party's for you guys!" Really he just wanted more cake, but Sanji and Zoro had stopped him from having anything more until you had what you wanted.

Grumbling a bit, Sanji pulled away but still held your waist, causing you to giggle a bit and turn around in his hold, putting your arms around his shoulders.

"A bit longer, then we'll go to bed." You whispered before kissing him with a smile.

He sighed but still nodded. "Fine, fine."

Your reception continued well into the night, you avoided drinking too much so you'd remember it not only in the morning but in years to come. Eventually everyone had either passed out or was calmed down enough to start cleaning, refusing any help from you or Sanji and telling you to both go on to bed, with a kind a smile from Robin or Nami but a sly smirk from Franky.

Once you did, you both simply admired each other's ring and how right it felt to have them now. Within a few more minutes your exhaustion was taking over and you took Sanji's hand in yours, snuggling right up next to him, causing him to do the same with you. You'd consummate your marriage another night, but for tonight, all you wanted was to bask in the fact you were married to the love of your life, and enjoy the warmth that came from knowing that you were his and he was yours. Sanji had tried to say something to you at one point, but you were so near sleep you didn't hear him, except for when he chuckled lightly and kissed the top of your head.

"I love you, [Y/N]...in every lifetime and every universe, I'll always love you."

#one piece x reader #reader insert #sanji x reader #blackleg sanji x reader #knowing fanfic #fem!reader #black leg sanji x reader

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milkiie · 2 months ago

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𝐿𝑂𝐴 𝑇𝐼𝑃𝑆 𝐹𝑂𝑅 𝐵𝐸𝐺𝐼𝑁𝑁𝐸𝑅𝑆 (𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒)

from someone who's been manifesting with ease since they were 12

─── ִֶָ ๑˙ 🦩 ̟ !! number 1 : start small

if you have not yet manifested anything, start small. yes, you are already capable of manifesting big, life changing things. but a crucial part of manifesting is belief, and, even if you fully consciously believe you can, your subconscious might not; after all, youve been taught something else your whole entire life. so, start small. ease your subconscious into this new concept of how the world works.

when i first started manifesting, i did it this way. first thing i manifested was lip gloss. then i just upped the ante with each manifestation

─── ִֶָ ๑˙ 🦩 ̟ !! number 2 : use methods

use the freaking methods. yes, you can manifest without them. yes, the power is in you. but people invent methods for a reason. they are not limiting you, they are not bs, they are not "making things more complicated"

like a wizard's wand, a manifestor's method channels that power and points it where you want it. a method is your conscious mind's way of calibrating your subconscious mind to focus on the things you want it to focus on. they also give your subconscious mind a relief from confusion. your subconscious has it engrained that work must take place in order to receive. using a method gives your subconscious what it needs - it tells it "see? we did work. we can receive now"

─── ִֶָ ๑˙ 🦩 ̟ !! number 3 : work on your self concept

self concept really is the end all, be all. seriously. everything is so much easier with a good self concept. having a good self-concept, and knowing you are worthy will absolutely change the game, i promise you

─── ִֶָ ๑˙ 🦩 ̟ !! number 4 : there is no pushback

the 3d is not resistant. it doesn't have a mind or a will. don't think of it as an enemy, think of it as a canvas that you can fill with anything you like

─── ִֶָ ๑˙ 🦩 ̟ !! number 5 : oversimplify

oversimplification makes it harder. i'm not kidding about this. the way this community has oversimplified loa is actually to our detriment. let it require things. please just let it require things. it will make it so much easier and so much faster for you if you just let it take its course instead of stripping it to the barest of bones

─── ִֶָ ๑˙ 🦩 ̟ !! number 6 : be patient

in the same vein, let it take time. just let it flow in. don't rush it, don't expect it to be instant in your perceived reality. the more you push it, the longer it will take, because you're second guessing yourself and your manifestation when you stress about it or try to hurry it up. trying to make it instant in your 3d will make you waver because 3d, by its nature, needs time to load

─── ִֶָ ๑˙ 🦩 ̟ !! number 7 : stop overconsuming

stop overconsuming. stop reading posts all day, you are filling your mind with convoluted, confusing information mostly made up of jargon and buzz words. it's not your subconscious' fault that you struggle to apply the law after reading disorienting paragraphs on it that contained no substance. it's not yours in general. its natural to become unsure when there is seemingly so much. relax, step back, cleanse your mind. you already know what you need to know. go, apply it, live your life, be free

─── ִֶָ ๑˙ 🦩 ̟ !! number 8 : make your own rules

make your own rules. make a mind map, write a blurb about what you know about manifestation, write them out in bullet points, whatever. keep those rules, return to them when you feel the need. when you feel you have overconsumed, or are becoming uncertain, or even as a part of your daily manifesting routine if thats your thing, having your rules just written down somewhere is honestly an incredible affirming and grounding tool

─── ִֶָ ๑˙ 🦩 ̟ !! number 9 : stop comparing yourself

don't compare yourself to anyone. not your moots, not any influencer, not irl people you know who are doing loa. loa is a part of spirituality. it is a personal journey to reclaim your power. and it works different for everyone. keep your eyes on your plate

─── ִֶָ ๑˙ 🦩 ̟ !! number 10 : follow your own lead

follow your happiness. just do it. do not worry about anything, do not question yourself, just do what makes you feel good. understand that from the moment you decide what you want to manifest, the universe begins to shift itself to accommodate your wish, and you start to align with receiving it. your intuition and your heart are leading you down the right path. so just do what will make you happiest in a given moment. you do not have to ignore the 3d, you do not have to robotically affirm, you do not have to do anything but that which you feel drawn to do.

if you made it this far, thank you so much for reading this long thing. i love you, have a candy 🍬

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moonbaby26 · 22 days ago

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Title: Breeding Grounds

(Chapter 20 of Doflamingo’s Marine Series)

*Crossposted to AO3 Here*

Chapter Pairings: Doflamingo x Fem!Reader

Chapter Warnings: language, animal behavior/breeding comparisons, but otherwise pretty clean actually except for some nudity, petting, and kissing. in other words, reader finally gets a little break? *gasp!* 😅

Chapter Synopsis: Doflamingo had made prior arrangements to personally pickup the serum he commissioned from Caesar for you. But on a whim, or perhaps a growing need to never be parted, the Heavenly Demon decides you’ll be accompanying him on this trip as well.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Fic Masterlist

——————————

It was only one day since the news had first broken worldwide about Doflamingo’s marriage proposal to you and his resetting of your relationship’s chaotic timeline in the colosseum.

Just one day since that man had cornered you in an oversized closet and confessed to killing his own marine double agent of a brother in supposed self defense, while in the very next breath saying he wanted to make a family with you instead.

Only one damn day since you were made to swallow pool water and further irritate your injuries, only to swim to him and force his paralyzed body out of harm’s way just as he’d intended.

“You still refuse to read about us?” Doflamingo’s taunting voice now carried from the bathroom, in reference to that newest newspaper on the nightstand.

“I was there. I don’t need to read Morgans’ take on it.” You answered only because you felt you had to. Doflamingo would just press more if you didn’t.

And the warlord’s resulting chuckle came easily through that still open bathroom door. “Public perception is all part of the game, love. Don’t discount its uses so easily.”

He had been up long before dawn. Back and forth between this royal suite and his office down the hall you assumed.

But he’d insisted on you waking and showering with him. So you now lay on the bed afterward, still wet and watching him with instinctive caution.

His back was to you, not a piece of clothing or towel to cover him at all. Purposeful you were sure as he stood before the full length mirror, performing such a disconcerting imitation of a normal man’s routine.

You could see his tight ass of course, his waist, and the backs of his thighs. All toned and far too perfect while he just made small talk with you like it was something normal, moving a long razor blade up along his throat and jaw as he did.

The Heavenly Demon was shaving.

And you couldn’t yet admit that whatever thick cream he’d lathered along his skin had smelled amazing too before you’d come over here to wait on his bed.

Yes, you supposed you’d never seen even a hint of blond stubble across that lean face. As far back as you could possibly remember he’d always looked clean and well groomed.

But it didn’t make it comfortable to witness.

Still wholly bothersome to you somehow as Doflamingo tilted his face this way and that, getting every contour carefully with that blade.

Maybe it felt better to him than his strings. Maybe he preferred the moisturizing aspect of the lather or its scent as well. Maybe he just liked to feel pampered.

Yet even a view of the best ass in Dressrosa, both literally and figuratively, couldn’t distract you forever.

Your mind was still churning, wondering what fresh trauma really awaited you next.

“Doffy.” You said, with your hand tightening into the bedsheet.

And you saw his head turn. Just enough for his good eye to look back at you. He was wiping the bottom of his face with a washcloth after rinsing off the razor blade by then.

“When are you going to let me use a phone again?” You asked somewhat without warning. But quieter than he deserved. Because you still weren’t wanting to fight again yet. You had to recover at some point. You had to at least try to anyway.

But he had taken your snail after the incident with Crocodile. And you’d noticed his own snails were never left alone with you.

He was controlling all lines of communication out of this castle. Even as he’d made such a show of claiming to trust you at the pool yesterday.

But Doflamingo didn’t say anything back at first. He tossed that washcloth, leaving it for the maids to clean up later. And then he was walking towards you out of the bathroom.

You still weren’t used to how fast he could really cross a room. Even if he was in no particular hurry with those long legs.

“My eyes are up here, darling.” He chided, watching you intently.

Your eyebrows lowered at the callout. “Well, wear underwear for once.” You retorted. His length was swinging with his strides even at full rest. “Who wouldn’t look?”

“I don’t like underwear.” He smiled, pleased for the acknowledgement of his size. “It chafes.” But his equally uncovered eyes glinted with the hint of further mischief. “I can stand something smaller though. G-strings and thongs aren’t so bad. Care to see some examples?”

“You’re trying to change the subject.” You correctly pointed out at that, though with an embarrassing heat creeping into your face regardless.

“Nice mental image isn’t it?” Doflamingo reached the bed’s edge with another taunt, before turning and flopping right onto his back beside you.

It actually made you come off of the bed just that slight amount as the force of his weight went briefly through the springs below.

You splayed one hand out behind you for balance, somewhat sitting up. And then his still wet hair was in your equally naked lap as he rolled over onto you.

“You really should be looking at this like a vacation instead of manufacturing things to complain about.” He fussed a little, but with no real bite to it before a string picked up your other hand to set it onto his face.

“Stop doing that.” You huffed.

“Then learn to take a hint. I told you I get headaches on the left side.” He moved his face, that blind eye partly closed while he pushed his temple further against your palm.

“You’re having one right now?” You asked skeptically. He was going to do anything to keep from discussing his clear isolation of you, wasn’t he?

“Just help me.” He sounded more impatient there, edging back towards petulance.

But you were stubborn too, even though you still had to be careful. You kept talking even as your fingers did move by your own freewill then. You massaged Doflamingo’s temple and into his high hairline above that milky left eye. “Are you going to let me contact HQ again or not?”

Both his eyes started to close fully as you’d rubbed him. He only frowned a little when you’d still spoken.

“You just can’t leave a good thing alone, can you?” He asked. But noticeably relaxed despite the retort, letting your hand continue to work. “Careful what you wish for, darling. Because you may just get it.” He continued. “I didn’t tell you. But I decided we’re going out today. And you won’t be the only white coat once we get there.”

————————————

“He’s off island? Where?” Vergo questioned, albeit in his usual monotone.

“The young master left for Punk Hazard earlier today with that girl. He said he didn’t wish to be disturbed.” Gladius answered with similar evenness.

But Vergo did hesitate briefly at that on the other side of the snail, considering the weight of this new information. “It’s risky to go there now. The rank and file are already up in arms about all of this. Did he give a reason?”

“No. It seemed impromptu. One of his whims. But I assume he doesn’t like leaving her alone here with us either. Not after what happened before.”

At this suggestion, Vergo did finally offer a little more emotion in his words. It was a tone of judgement towards his fellow officers actually. “Yes. I heard about Trebol’s screw up. He should have known to wait for Doffy, and not to take anything into his own hands when it comes to her any longer.”

“Yes. But it has been just one thing after another since the young master found her again.” Gladius had always liked routine and order. The last few months had been far from that.

“Doffy always knows what he wants. He’s invested so much into this already. It’s our responsibility to support him no matter what.” Vergo contended, voice getting even a bit more stern in response.

“Yes, Vergo-san.” Whether Gladius added that term for the more senior officer out of genuine respect or just the new wish to hurry the call along was unclear.

“But that’s not what I called about. I wanted to warn him about Orlinde.” Vergo carried on regardless.

“What about it? That’s already done.”

“No, it isn’t. Because whatever amateurs you hired to take care of it are now leading a trail right back to Doffy.”

And at only this was Gladius then at concerned attention while Vergo continued.

“After they left Orlinde, your hires apparently decided it’d be best to go get drunk on a nearby island and start running their mouths. The navy already had informants all over those bars. One of which reported that a crew was bragging about getting paid well recently for a big job in the area. A young crew with smiling faces tattooed on more than one of them.”

“Goddammit.” Gladius’ quill like hair began to lengthen already as his fist tightened near the snail on the table. “It was that fool Bellamy then. He can’t control his own people! I’ll have to deal with it.”

Yet there was another pause on the other end of the call to this.

“The Bellamy Pirates? What about them?” Vergo questioned, abruptly puzzled in that infuriating way he could sometimes be.

To which Gladius only bristled further, no longer having time for this at all. “You just said it, Vergo! Young idiots with our jolly roger! Who else would that be? Bellamy the Hyena was who we sent to burn down Orlinde!”

The snail quieted yet again.

“But that isn’t who the navy has identified on these reports right here in my hand. By the time a marine ship got to the port that the informants said these pirates were docked, some kind of fight was already going on. The only vessel seen with a smiling jolly roger escaped beneath the surface before the marine ship could stop them. A yellow submarine.”

“The Bellamy pirates don’t have a damn submarine. The young master would never waste that kind of beri on them.”

“I’m aware. This report says some new group called the Heart Pirates are the ones that razed Orlinde to the ground. Because they were the ones that escaped in the submarine. I don’t yet have any photos of their jolly roger or that vessel though. But no one else in the marine files has a smiling face quite like Doffy’s for their signet to get confused for his. So I assumed…”

“Never heard of them. And if they’re really using our symbol without permission, then they’re already dead. No one gets to do that.”

“Hmm.” Vergo still sounded contemplative. “If you truly don’t know them, I’ll look into this further then. Maybe it is just a lucky case of misidentification. And they can take the blame instead.”

“Maybe.” Gladius offered, beginning to calm down at the idea that this may not be the level of problem it had originally seemed.

“Oh, I’ll make sure the evidence points the way we want in the end.” Vergo confirmed though. With falsifying things to pin a crime on a whole other pirate group not being beneath him either. “Don’t tell Doffy for now then. He’s busy enough. I’ll figure out who these Heart Pirates are and get back to you.”

———————————

He had given you no real choice of course. Lingering at the open window in his bedroom not so very long ago.

You were either going to get into his arms like a good girl. Or he would have thrown you out of that window to start this journey anyway. Though, perhaps more gently than at the pool yesterday.

Because Doflamingo was in a very good mood. Again riding these highs of having so many successes all at once.

He had you soundly in his possession. There was already a ring on your finger and a marriage certificate on file in Mariejois. The newspapers were still clamoring to explain it all. And the final piece was now what he was on his way to Punk Hazard to acquire.

Also, he knew the Nefertaris had tried to call yesterday to extend some sort of invitation to the two of you. He knew Tsuru had abandoned her post in Lyra and that her warship was now at full sail on its way to Dressrosa.

Everyone was reacting to him.

But no one was stopping him.

He stayed rather low on his flight path this time. Not too high over the ocean, where the air was still warm as it rushed past you both.

He was doing his best to slow down and smooth out the transitions from one set of strings to the next. Keeping the ride far less bumpy as he released one group of strings just to be pulled further on by the subsequent ones which ran all the way up to the clouds.

There was so much precision and timing in every single movement that he doubted you would know to appreciate it as he watched you put your head down against his chest.

Not out of affection he assumed, but just from you trying to turn your face out of the wind again.

Even with the borrowed pair of Baby 5’s goggles that he’d made you protect your eyes with, the nonstop blast of air got tiresome he was sure.

The only thing he didn’t like was how difficult it was to hold a conversation even at these lower speeds. You’d both be yelling over the wind, and that would hamper the romantic mood he would prefer to be setting.

Doflamingo knew well the risks of bringing you with him today. But, after seeing that protective look in your eyes yesterday as you’d forced his paralyzed body up from the pool steps, and now knowing Tsuru would be here soon…he didn’t want to lose any moment he had left to really be alone with you.

Even in exchange for the much shorter time it would have taken him to go to Punk Hazard alone on his errand at full speed.

And this was now an excuse to spend more time with you in slightly more neutral territory.

It was a date.

Which he was considering as having already begun as he leaned his head back down as well. He kissed the top of yours when you’d buried it against him now.

Doflamingo could generate strings from any part of his body. He didn’t need his hands free to keep pulling against the clouds. Nor did he need to hold you up at all though. He’d already put plenty of near invisible tethers between your body and his so that you couldn’t have fallen this time even if you’d tried.

Your bodies were practically stitched together as one of his hands massaged down your back again.

He felt you squirm a bit as his fingers had teased down either side of your spine, and that made him smile.

He knew you hated this lack of control. And being told what to do and where to go by him all the time now.

Very soon you’d understand that everything had a purpose though. And that he could reward you just as easily as he could punish you.

Yet today was meant to be a reward.

———————————

You’d never known yourself to be afraid of heights. You could climb a ship’s rigging as quickly as anyone. Far up above deck with only seagulls to then keep you company as you’d helped to make repairs whenever needed.

Yet this was wholly different. And your stomach couldn’t seem to forget the last time you’d been dropped all the way from the clouds.

Doflamingo had told you to dress for duty. Back in your full marine attire, the white fabric fluttering as you now stayed coiled against his open shirt.

And he’d practically thrown a bag you’d never seen before at you earlier, telling you to carry it while he carried you.

Yet he’d been grinning all the while as he’d opened the bedroom window and hopped onto the windowsill like an overgrown spider to beckon you to him.

He hadn’t said where he was taking you. Only that there would be other marines there. Of course that only left so many options in your mind.

Yet all you’d known for sure is that what started as an invitation would have become an absolute demand if you hadn’t taken his hand as you’d eventually stepped up into that open window with him.

The last time you’d flown together, it’d been sunset and soon nighttime. So even through Baby 5’s slightly scratched goggles, you’d gotten to briefly see a much clearer aerial view of Dressrosa today.

With his hand cupping your ass just against the bottom edge of your skirt all the while anyway. You’d had to ignore his pressing fingers copping a feel even as the city and then the outer cliff face of Dressrosa had passed beneath you both to leave only open ocean again.

There wasn’t much talking after that either. Just the rush of air and the occasional sound of his strings plucking and snapping as he forced the two of you along.

But he never quit rubbing you, touching you. Maybe not even willfully at times. He would look up sometimes from the distraction of you though, like checking on the clouds that were still in the distance.

He was charting his path you thought, confirming it as still passable. Weather could change in the New World so quickly.

Even the biggest ships could get into trouble fast when things went wrong. Yet you never thought for a moment that someone like him wouldn’t have contingency plans.

Doflamingo seemed perfectly at ease.

Enough so that you’d finally tired of watching only open water. You’d put your face back against him fully to get it more out of the wind.

And then you’d felt him kiss the top of your head in response.

Those wandering fingers had teased along your spine not long after too, pressing just hard enough to make you nearly shiver.

He was clearly enjoying this.

But were you?

Well…he wasn’t hurting you. You weren’t fighting one another. And no one was yelling or specifically upset in this moment.

You could still feel the rhythm too when he moved from the tension of one batch of strings to the next. But after awhile it was more like coasting over gentle swells of waves rather than being jarred too much this way or that.

Like being in your bunk during an easy day at sea. It was comfortable.

It almost felt safe.

—————————

“Wake up, sailor. Land ahoy.” Doflamingo’s voice rumbled against your ear.

And you weren’t asleep. But you hadn’t moved for long enough that you couldn’t be insulted at his assumption as you did open your eyes.

Your head was back up, gaze focusing through those goggles for so much vibrant green to be the very first thing of note in the far distance.

And no boat traffic below at all as you tried to identify where in the hell you now were.

But Doflamingo suddenly banked left before you could think much more about it, making you grab his shirt in reflex as if that would have actually done anything to help you.

He laughed immediately when you’d startled, his altitude dropping while that lush jungle rushed closer and closer.

You still saw no identifying landmarks, yet he seemed to know exactly where he was going.

“We’ll head around the back side.” His lips were nearly to your ear again, voice just loud enough to be heard before palm fronds were soon rustling in his wake beneath the two of you.

And then you saw the first security fence pass below in a blur. And another and another, bisecting the thick jungle in seemingly random intervals.

About the same time that you heard a mechanical wail far in the distance. A type of siren you easily recognized then.

It was a marine security alarm as that mix of additional surprise and possibly even dread settled within you.

There was only one place this could then be within the range you could guess you now might be from Dressrosa.

But your transportation only chuckled darkly to that new noise. “Heh, they’ve added better snail cams then. Coming in this way used to work fine. Though I am usually faster than this…”

And he rolled, slowing further with those words. But still flying the two of you along as he reached within his feather coat. He pulled out a baby snail, waking it as he keyed in a quick number on its shell.

Doflamingo’s other arm tightened further around your waist, still holding you like a bad habit while that snail trilled for a bit.

As soon as the line did connect, the siren could also be heard louder in the background from it before a flustered voice broke through.

“Hell- oh, turn those damn things off already! I can’t hear! Hello!?” The mystery voice complained loudly.

“It’s me. I tripped the sensors.” Doflamingo spoke right over the other voice. “Tell them to calm their asses down, Caesar.”

“Ah, Jo-,” The voice sounded even more excitable then. “I mean, Doflamingo! But…you’re early!”

“Heh.” You saw that cocky little smirk you already knew too well. “Is that a problem? I won’t be coming by the lab until later though. We’re heading for the lake right now.”

“Wha…we?” The other was struggling to keep up. The sirens were still going off fully in the background.

“Me and my fiancée of course. We’re just taking a little break from the paparazzi and all our well wishers back home. So keep your nosy bodyguards inside.”

——————————

“I absolutely do not have clearance to be here. Just so you know.” Were the first words out of your mouth as your boots finally met the ground again. You were very glad to remove the goggles as well, pulling them down to hang around your neck so that you wouldn’t have to carry them.

That thick jungle initially seen from above was now what you were both standing within.

Everything looked the same though. It’d be so easy to become lost you were sure.

But Doflamingo was just grinning once more as he now shouldered the mystery bag he’d had you carrying the entire time before now.

“Welcome to Punk Hazard, love. Home of unspoiled wilds, diverse flora and fauna, and the most egregious of the World Government’s human experimentation.”

You didn’t fail to notice the almost chipper way he’d said that last part too. But he just began to walk afterward, expecting you to follow.

Doflamingo’s head was down and slightly forward to keep from scraping against all those palm fronds and vines in the dense overhang of foliage.

He really didn’t care about your clear worries of not belonging here though. But why would he? He was a warlord. In all honesty, this island was likely considered part of his own jurisdiction to protect. If something went very wrong here, Doflamingo would be the nearest government weapon to call in to handle it.

But to only a captain like you, even setting foot at a place like this was all a bit much. Initially at least. Maybe nothing was really too insane to you any longer once it had enough time to settle. Yet you still couldn’t help but ask, looking up as you had to move quicker to keep pace with his longer strides. “Is Dr. Vegapunk actually here today?”

And Doflamingo scoffed a little at your continued worry. “Why? Are you a fan of his or something? He’s still just a man. An oversized brain floating around in a bag of meat like all the rest.”

“Lovely.” You answered with a roll of your eyes to that, stepping over tree roots while Doflamingo cut more brush out of the way with a few flicks of his fingers.

“Don’t blame me for unpleasant truths. But shut up for a minute.” He chided anyway as if his voice wasn’t still the louder of the two of you. “I landed out here so we wouldn’t scare them off.”

Them?

And he was starting to crouch further as he still moved forward, like an apex predator now lurking through the jungle.

But he reached back, taking you by the hand again.

Which was still a gesture that did something to you every time his larger hand closed that warmly around your smaller one.

Doflamingo was soon pulling you along, his thumb rubbing across your skin as he did so. Like it wasn’t even a choice any longer, but a reflex or a need for him.

That simple touch distracting enough to you actually that you were watching his grip instead of straight ahead, and bumped into him when he abruptly stopped again.

“Look. There’s a damn hoard of them out here today.” His voice was quieter then as he ignored your having just run into him. He pulled you around in front, to peer through the sudden end to all the trees.

There was a very large clearing just ahead. Flat in comparison to all else, with a body of brilliant blue water framed against even more jungle rising steep behind it.

This had to be the lake he’d spoken of to the person on the phone.

And the “them” were apparently the peppering of tall pink all throughout those tranquil shallows as your eyes widened.

A small sound of disbelief left your throat. Even if you knew better than to give in this quickly. You were still in uniform. You were still at one of the most infamous facilities in all the world. This was not shore leave or the time to goof around.

But you had never seen even a single one in person. Your home island had had no zoos. And even books could only be read if stolen by you.

If you hadn’t seen something yet in your time sailing with Tsuru, then you hadn’t seen it at all.

And oh, how Doflamingo must have realized that from the depth of your reaction as his smile grew from ear to ear. “I told you I didn’t keep any at the palace. But I never said I didn’t know where to find them.”

He crouched down further too, squatting almost to be more at your eye level. “You know, we never got all three of our days in Scylla like we’d planned to either. We got shorted on visiting their aviary and gardens together. So consider this my substitution until we can go back there, darling…let’s relax a while and enjoy it.”

And at that, he moved back past you gently, still keeping his full height lowered as he lead you out by the hand.

The two of you soon crossed a stretch of soft grass together to reach the banks of the lake.

Many slender necks rose up to watch your approach, but the birds did not take flight.

“I’ve only ever flown over this valley, not stopped at it. No humans come out this far from the labs. These birds may not even know what the hell we are.” Doflamingo reasoned quietly, still smiling as he looked out over that water and all the examples of his very namesake within it.

He and you both were keeping your movements slow and deliberate without even needing to discuss it.

You didn’t want them to leave.

But when you were on the bit sandier, yet fully flat bank of the lake, he finally let go of your hand before he slid that mystery bag he’d taken from you earlier off of his shoulder.

You were glancing back and forth, as curious as the birds then while he unzipped it.

“Monet packed this for us. Let’s see how well she did.” He offered, though sounding already pleased and expecting just what he wanted all the while.

The first recognizable thing was a blanket. Very tightly rolled to have fit within the bag. But also impressively large when he stretched it out on the bank.

The fabric was long enough even for him as he then sat on it while continuing to dig through the bag.

“Well come here, love.” He didn’t take long to invite you over either, noticing you still standing there on your own for a moment.

This newest intimate scene was so surreal for you all over again of course. But you did listen. You sat down beside him on that soft blanket while more things kept emerging.

A wine bottle, two cups, and what appeared to be hand wrapped packages of food came out from the bag next.

He opened and laid each thing neatly out too, as purposefully as if setting a table before the two of you on the blanket. There was even silverware that you recognized with his signet on it from the palace.

“How long did you plan this?” You asked with increasing disbelief.

“Hmm?” But you could tell he was trying not to laugh. He was being playful now. “Why would I have to plan time with my own wife?”

And the word remained far too new for you. Even with that engagement ring still on your finger. No one else really knew you’d already signed those papers. That legally you were already wed.

Just legally you thought.

You stared at him long enough though that he smirked again before more legitimately answering. “I had an errand to run here tonight anyway. But I didn’t decide to fly in earlier and make an afternoon of it until this morning. I’ve got a theory that you’re entirely different when I get you alone in neutral territory. Am I on to something with that?”

He was so effortless when he wished to be.

You barely even felt his arm snake around behind you until he’d abruptly pulled you closer. Hip to hip then on the blanket before he bent down to steal a quick kiss.

His face was practically nuzzling yours while he smiled again after. “I have to take care of you too though, don’t I?” He said. “You still barely eat whenever my crew is around. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.” And he pinched the flesh of your hip a little. “I’ve already mapped out every curve of yours, darling. I see when you’ve been skipping meals. But I want my woman to have the energy to fuck and fight whenever she likes…”

Even just that much attention brought some new heat to your face too. It was objectification in a way, yet very personal all the same. And he kissed you again, like he couldn’t help it at all as his hand then wandered over your thigh to squeeze that too.

He was massaging the fabric of your leggings beneath your skirt soon enough. As if he’d prefer it not to be there at all while his tongue moved into your mouth.

That embarrassing warmth just kept rising in you too with every further movement of that long muscle against yours. Until finally he broke the deeper kiss like coming up for air. “Damn, that’s not even fair. Trying to distract me again…” He accused. But he was chuckling.

He was enjoying everything actually, kissing you even once more before turning his gaze back to the food from behind those glasses.

“You’ll have to give me your opinion on this. I told the head chef everything I could remember of that ravioli we had in Scylla.” He said to you, then unwrapping the first package of food as he still sat side by side with you on the blanket.

And you stared. Because it did look just like it. The same size and shape entirely while Doflamingo handed you a fork.

Yet he just started opening the wine bottle next while he bid you to have the first taste of that lobster filled delicacy.

“Shit, it’s really good.” You confirmed immediately, after stabbing one and putting it in your mouth to chew. The cream sauce alone was probably something a person could drink if allowed. It was that flavorful.

“But the same kind of good?” He questioned, as if this was suddenly the most important thing in both of your lives.

And it was something else unspoken. You had just stabbed another of those ravioli onto your fork after swallowing your first one. He still had the wine bottle in one hand but was looking only at you.

You didn’t think to do it. You just did it, as you offered that ravioli up to him on your fork. And he took it as if it were second nature, bending down enough for you to feed it to him.

The Heavenly Demon let you move it into his mouth as he gladly accepted it, pulling the cream sauce with it to clean off your fork with his lips.

“Well?” You asked him as his cheeks moved while he chewed. That nagging warmth in your chest still spreading even more while you watched him.

“Fuck, I’m going to have to give him a raise.” Doflamingo answered before even swallowing.

He was right too. About that and more.

Because you were different with him when outside of your normal territories. You both were as he poured the wine next. He had completely relaxed.

And every single piece of that ravioli ended up eaten between the two of you. As well as the dessert he’d also brought.

It was those flowers made of pastry layers overlapping like the petals of a rose. The ones he’d had to tell you the name of again of course. Flores de hojaldre.

He’d remembered that you’d never gotten to actually try one the last time they’d been presented to you, though you had admired them.

During that very first dinner together in his palace. The one that had dissolved into a screaming argument and drugged sex instead that you hadn’t had much say in.

You still knew better than to see this gesture as a real apology though, even as he smirked at you while you’d tried one and messily ended up with a bit of powdered sugar on your face before he’d wiped it off for you.

He ate them far more cleanly than you too as he’d explained how they were made and how he preferred his with powdered sugar and honey, but no fruit. Though he’d said even in Dressrosa recipes varied wildly, with some savory varieties existing as well with fish wrapped into the pastry layers instead.

It’d just been so low stakes by then. Sitting here, drinking wine and talking about pastries of all things while watching the still wary flamingos walking around in the water before he’d finally laid back on the blanket when done eating.

“You really never experienced much as kid, did you. Besides just surviving in that brothel?” He asked you.

A question not entirely unexpected as you looked down at him and his sunglasses now reflecting that sunny sky above.

“We didn’t have pastry chefs, no.” You answered easily. “Or exotic birds.”

He smiled a little again, but it was not a mocking one for once. “I didn’t always have those things either.” He eventually offered back. “I was without them for more years than I had them.”

And you raised an eyebrow. You weren’t sure if he was inviting you to pry further or not. Maybe you were too honest for your own good though.

You weren’t even supposed to be having alcohol while in uniform either. But you finished your cup, finally just damn asking him. “Is your past some kind of big secret or something?”

Yet you then found yourself laying right beside him no sooner than those words had left your mouth.

He hadn’t used strings. Just his arm around your middle again after pulling you down, and his other now back behind his head.

You were both laying there together on the blanket then, looking up at the passing clouds that abruptly.

He rubbed your side before he spoke again. “I had it all. Then I lost it, and I had to fight for it all over again.”

“You were born wealthy?” He didn’t seem defensive. So you just kept going. Tentatively, but still trying to understand more if he’d let you.

“Very.” Was his next simple answer.

And you believed him. You thought of the pet swans he’d once mentioned, and the ways he’d carried himself amongst the other nobles in Scylla. The graceful waltzes and the condescending words to others.

But also his story of being a young boy fleeing violence with his father and brother. Starving in the war torn area where he’d first met Tsuru.

“Did your home country have a revolution?” You asked even more quietly, feeling warm again against him.

The government didn’t always rush in in every case you knew. Sometimes they wanted islands to fall depending what ulterior motives might really be at stake.

They’d left Charybdis crumbling for ages now.

“No.” Doflamingo clarified though. Yet his hand tightened on your hip again. He turned his head so he could look at your face.

You saw yourself in those red glasses again.

“I have more enemies than you realize.” He said instead then, just staying like this beside you. “They’ll be your enemies too if anything takes a turn.”

Your eyebrows furrowed a little. It felt like you’d already experienced that with Crocodile in just the first few days in Dressrosa. But you still asked anyway. “Who?”

Doflamingo turned his face even more then, so that it touched yours. His skin was still quite soft from whatever lather he’d used this morning. His scent was heady and pleasant.

“All the way at the very top, my love.” He teased then, his voice quieting further like these words were truly only for you. “The gods have an axe to grind when it comes to me. And that feeling is entirely mutual.”

“Just because you robbed the Dragons’ tribute ships?” You responded just as quietly, as his lips started to brush your temple.

The sheer balls of that heist only a few years ago had been the final straw that put Doflamingo’s name in everyone’s mouths across all the seas.

You remembered Tsuru being beside herself, furious as she’d cursed in her office when Sengoku had called your crew with the news first. Even before it ever made the newspapers.

The sheer audacity of the Donquixote family to pillage a world government transport ship filled to the brim with beri meant as heavenly tribute had been a terrible embarrassment to the marines at the time.

But that was also the very same stunt that had had Doflamingo bullying his way into the seven warlords’ roster not long after.

And then he’d become a king.

And then he’d taken you.

You were hardly as valuable as the riches owed to the gods, or the ownership of an entire country though.

Yet he seemed so content here and now. At least enough to roll over onto his side, facing you with his whole body then.

He pulled his feather coat around you both, bringing you against his chest. “Oh, they hate me for far more than just taking my cut retroactively.”

It was an odd choice of words, and your face likely said as much.

“Not yet.” Doflamingo smiled to your expression of additional question however, choosing not to explain that particular answer any further. “I only just got you back into a good mood after all.”

“Is that what this is supposed to be? My attitude adjustment?” You countered, accepting that that would be all for now then. But you were also watching that smart mouth hovering near yours again. He was still holding you against his chest, enveloped in pink together.

“Mmhmm.” He purred warmly. “You love this. It’s why you’ve been too busy staring at me instead of noticing what visitors have been creeping up on us all the while. No sudden movements, darling.”

But you raised your head anyway. Not understanding what he meant until you surprised both yourself and the birds.

It must have seemed like your disembodied head abruptly rising from the pink feathers that would otherwise be so familiar to them.

Because there was an immediate flutter of wings, with the curious birds that had gotten this incredibly close then startling as they ran into one another after your surprise movement.

They were all legs, necks, and wings then. But they still didn’t fully leave. They stumbled and bounced off of one another in their confusion. It was the most awkward thing you’d ever seen out of an animal so beautiful.

But that wasn’t the thing that tilted your brain into genuine humor.

It was the sound they made as they did this. They’d been fairly quiet in the distance all the time before, warily watching you both while they’d only walked and fed in the shimmering lake waters.

But in this upset of being frightened enough to fall and stumble, their small exploratory group now broke out into a cacophony of indignant honking.

It was so loud and ridiculous. A sound that didn’t match their exotic, elegant bodies at all. It was as embarrassing as a common goose now having a fit before you.

And you burst out laughing with that unexpected contrast. Which only made them honk more, and you laugh further, feeding one another’s reactions.

You finally had to bury your face against Doflamingo’s shirt to quiet yourself with your shoulders still shaking a little.

His arm tightened around you again as soon as you did, and you could hear that huge smile without looking up.

“Hell, maybe I do need to bring a few home with us then. That’s now only one of two things I’ve ever heard pull a real laugh out of you.”

Yes, you never did this. Not around him at least as you had to regather yourself.

The birds still hung around though after they eventually settled back down. The ice broken so to speak now that they had seen you both up close and neither of you had actually harmed them.

You turned your head to watch them again even as your cheek stayed against the warlord. “I can’t help it…they honk. No book ever said anything about that.” You told him.

And now he chuckled, that lighter kind even though it still rumbled up from his chest. “You’re such a cute little mutt sometimes.”

That term that should have been insulting, wasn’t either right now. Not when you could hear the real pleasure in his own voice still.

The happiness.

Doflamingo was happy.

Yet he was already ready for your full attention again too. His hand came up, catching your jaw to make you lift your head back towards his own.

Enough so that he could kiss you once more. Again and again actually, but slow and soft while the birds remained around you.

And with you both still nestled in all Doflamingo’s pink feathers yourselves, you may as well have been another pair of them here on the lake’s edge. Oblivious to the rest of the world in this brief escape with your partner.

——————————

“You’re a voyeur! I never want to hear your holier than thou admonishments again!” Caesar scolded the other scientist gladly. Not seeming to take into account how fully his own golden eyes had never once looked away from this security monitor now either.

“It’s unexpected isn’t it?” Dr. Vegapunk only answered with a question, not insulted at all as he had stopped holding any weight to Caesar’s habitual outbursts years before now. Of course he was interested in what he was now seeing. But not for the reasons Caesar accused of.

Donquixote Doflamingo had arrived dramatically to the island earlier as he typically did. But after a brief call to announce himself, he’d just stayed to the virgin wilds this time. On the other side of the mountains from the laboratories.

The warlord had never lazed or lingered like this before today. Everything was always business, in and out as fast as possible. And he was always alone.

Yet not right now as Vegapunk and Caesar still watched a distant view of you and the so called Heavenly Demon in one another’s arms, being a bit intimate again while laying on a large blanket.

Even the flamingos had surprisingly accepted this new oddity, just walking around unbothered again and preening or resting near you both on the banks of the lake.

“Is this very strange to you as well Caesar? You know him better, don’t you?” Vegapunk asked that additional question with his brows still furrowed in wrinkles all the way up his tall forehead. “I had assumed she would only be a pawn in his control unwillingly. Yet he doesn’t appear to be using the parasite ability of the String-String fruit.”

And Caesar made a noise, pale face flushing slightly as he saw the pink of Joker’s tongue edge against your face. “Well, maybe she isn’t wholly stupid!” Caesar had always assumed the majority of marines were. Because who would willingly sign up to be fodder for any and all enemies of the government? “She wants to be rich, obviously! The treasury in Dressrosa is worth submitting for!” Caesar projected his own desires with that idea of course.

But Vegapunk still looked doubtful. He was watching far more than the obviously budding hormones and physical aspect of these interactions.

He’d seen the two of you talking and laughing too, though even his advanced snail cams couldn’t pickup the actual words from this far away.

But he could see the gestures and the body language the same as any biologist might while observing courting animal species. While you fed one another, and nested together. It was all a process.

And in the thoroughness of his ever analytical mind, Vegapunk was determining this as an anomaly. An already mated pair on far more equal footing and with a higher level of consent than the two of you had any natural right to have.

Because he now knew what Doflamingo really was. It was all over those incestuous lineage factors he’d stayed up all night sifting more thoroughly through.

The Donquixote name itself, and even the epithet of Heavenly Demon were obvious clues to begin with. But names could be falsified, public personas created at random.

The real proof was in the fact that there was only one land in all the world with exactly those same poor genetics, brought on from centuries of no immigration and no mixing of bloodlines outside of an original nineteen families.

Vegapunk had never seen a Celestial Dragon who could accept the company of a human in this way.

This was something new.

“Caesar, go ahead and call that man to tell him his medicines are ready early. But I want to have a private word with him before they leave.”

———————————

T⨂ BE

CONTINUED

———————————

Thanks for reading!

Author’s Note: Yes, Punk Hazard (pre Caesar blowing it up anyway) does have a flamingo lake! 🥰 It was one of my greatest joys to find out. Even though it’s probably just an anime filler scene. It’s shown in Brownbeard’s flashback. Episode 589, timestamp 13:36.

Also, those flower pastries…I am obsessed with the google images of them. I want one. 😩

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