#you’re telling me i used to have a different favorite ship

[iiinkos]

never quite understood the “giggling kicking screaming when you see your fav ship” feeling until jmart and i have no idea how long i went without it

[lamentationsofalonelypotato]

Chapter 19: I Know Who You Are

Pairing: Soldier Boy x f!reader, Reader POV, Soldier Boy POV

Summary: When the reader left Payback 40 years ago after a falling out with her childhood best friend she never looked back, but when two men show up to her apartment and start asking her questions about the past, the reader begins to think those things can’t stay hidden and starts to question what’s real and what’s fantasy.  This is a re-telling of The Boys Season 3, where the reader is a supe who's known Soldier Boy since 1927. The chapters will fluctuate between past and present. This is chapter nineteen of my "You Call It Madness But I Call It Love" series. (I'm so bad at summaries please forgive me!)

Word Count: 14.5K (It's a behemoth and oh my stars I didn't mean to do this)

Warnings: Angst, Cursing, Angst, Drinking, ANGST, Sexual References, Talks of Pregnancy/Abortion, Some steaminess (barely), Family Problems, Self-deprecating thoughts, Awkward Situation, Soldier Boy might be, is, really, absolutely, completely a little OOC. Soldier Boy is really all you need as a warning.

Note: This is told from the Reader's perspective. Any references to the reader is made using you or your. There is minimal use of y/n. I tried my best to proofread, but nobody's perfect. Reader is described as "curvy" occasionally. If you don’t like, don’t read, but if you do like, you’re my favorite!

Internal Monologue is in first person and is in italics

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

A/N: Not going to lie, this one is ANGSTY and it's dramatic... ENJOY!

Soldier Boy POV

Ben couldn't move, couldn't breathe. The words you'd said still hovered between the two of you like an anchor sinking from a ship and lodging itself in his heart to tug him under. At first he thought that he'd imagined you saying it, that he was still reeling from using his newfound powers, but the ringing in his ears was not a side effect of that.

It had been exactly 37 seconds since you said it, and in those 37 seconds Ben couldn't do anything but stare into your beautiful wide eyes and try to remember how to breathe. The look on your face was identical to the first time you told him you loved him, hands gently cupping his cheeks and making him feel like the boy who used to climb up the tree outside your window just to glimpse your smile.

But now what you said was different. What you said didn't bring warmth, it brought destruction, it broke through everything he was.

 As soon as you said it a wave of shock crashed over him, followed by another more powerful wave of guilt. It wasn't guilt for getting you pregnant or guilt because the two of you weren't careful. Ben was not upset about that. He would have loved to see you pregnant, see you glow as you wore those cute overalls and prepared for a child that he gave you. To see you smile at him every day and let him make love to you, show you how excited he was to share this with you. Show you how you were the only person he wanted a family with, the only person he ever wanted to be bound to. He had wanted to give that to you and that wasn't a lie. When you first spoke those words to him so long ago about wanting to have a family, wanting to have someone to come home to, someone who loved you, Ben had wanted to be the one to give you those things.

He would have done anything to make you happy, still would. But now he was upset with himself. Guilty that he wasn't there for you when you needed him the most, guilty that he allowed himself to stay away as long as he had, and guilty that he hadn't fought harder to get back to you.

He imagined those years without him raising a child on your own, the sleepless nights you must have had, the way you must have never had a moment of quiet-.

Ben felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into despair when he thought of the years you must have spent alone raising his child, loving his child even though he threw you away.

She loves me that much? How can I ever deserve her?

Ben still didn't breathe, noting the way Legend, Butcher, and Hughie have fallen silent where they stand behind the two of you. Even Legend had stopped smoking his blunt, something that Ben wished he could take a hit from.

I'm a dad and I-

Ben's memories of his own father came up like the rising tide, the shit his father said to him, the way his father pushed him away, the way his father was never there when he needed him to be and the way that his father always made him feel like he wasn't enough, just as your mother made you feel.

Even after all this time, I did become him, I abandoned her and then I abandoned my kid. I wasn't there when they needed me the most, I am a fuck up I- Ben swallows, the overwhelming thoughts dragging him further and further beneath the waves. How could she still want me? How can she say that I've never disappointed her when I did this?

You drop your hands from his cheeks and he misses the warmth they brought, but worse is the look in your eyes. You look scared. It was the same look you'd had on your face this morning when he woke up with you in his arms.

Ben hated that, because he knew why. He knew that you were scared to tell him this because you thought he would leave you again, that you still didn't completely believe that he was never going to leave you again, and it broke something deep inside of him that he tried to hide away for decades. He wished that he had never done those things to you, wished that he had earned back your trust already, wished that you would let him make love to you to show you how much you meant to him, but deep down he knew that he was willing to wait for you even if it took the rest of his life, he would make you trust him again.

At least she's touching me and looking me in the eye now.

But he knew that he still had a long way to go.

“Right.” Butcher clears his throat awkwardly. “Don’t forget to fill up the tank.” He tosses his keys towards you and you catch them in your hand while Ben continues to stand there.

Honestly he still wasn't sure what to say. He was stuck somewhere between guilt and shock and he wasn't sure how to make his body move. Pretty soon he would die from asphyxiation. He hadn’t taken a breath since you said it.

Butcher, Legend, and Hughie walk into the house behind them each wearing a bewildered expression. Ben had been to Legend's summer house many times in the past. He had memories of orgies and parties that went on for days, both of which you never went to, and Ben always ended up at your apartment trying to sleep it off while you sketched quietly beside him. He still couldn't understand that, how you were able to sit there with him and act like your heart wasn't breaking each time he did that.

The silence grows between you and Ben can't find the words to fill it, because he has no idea what to say, no idea how you can look at him when he did this to you, when he got you pregnant and then abandoned you like you didn't matter.

"Look I-" You stammer, looking down at the ground for a minute to take a breath before you raise your eyes to look at him. "I didn't want to tell you like this, but I can't leave her. We have the same last name and the first thing Homelander's going to do is make that connection. I mean, Legend and I made up the story about Indigo being my mom, but Rosemary she-"

Ben's entire body explodes again with emotion and shock as you utter the name Rosemary. He hadn't heard it in over eighty years, the last time was at his mother's funeral. The day that you crossed the gravesite, pulling away from your family, swaddled in another ridiculous dress that your mother picked out, and took his hand, refusing to let it go.  You were always there for him.

And then I wasn't fucking there for her.

“I just can’t leave her, not with him.” You whisper, glancing up into Ben's impassive face but he can't say anything.

How can I when she named our daughter after my mother?

“I know it’s a lot to take in. I tried to tell you this morning, but then Butcher walked in and I didn’t want to do this in front of him and- and-“ You were babbling now, a nervous habit that Ben hadn't seen you do in ages, but was now rearing its ugly head all over again. “And you don’t have to come with me-“

You were mistaking his silence for fear, mistaking his silence as him pulling away all over again. He could see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice as it trembled.

“Rosemary.” Ben whispers, your daughter's name, his daughter's name, interrupting you.  He barely breathes it, so low that he's not sure you heard him, saying the name with a reverence that he'd never used before. It was the first thing he'd said since you told him that he was a dad.

“Yes?" You look confused.

“You named her after my mom?” Ben’s eyes catch yours, deep green and open. He could feel his own heart flutter when he asked you that, heating in his chest so hot that he thinks it might melt out of it, through the bones and sinew. If that happened he would catch it and give it to you as if you already didn’t have it.

Ben can hear your heartbeat stutter when he asks you that. It was surprising, surprising that after everything that happened you still did that for him, did that to remember him.

He watches the end of your lips twitch in a smile.

“Yeah. You loved your mom. And did you think I was going to name her after my mom? Really?” You smile faintly at him with the joke.

Ben almost smiles at the thought. There wasn't any way that you wanted to remember your mother. Hell, all Ben wanted was to help you forget her, to undo the damage that she'd done to you all those years ago, because he saw how her influence still weighed on you, how everything that happened in the past still sat on your shoulders.

And he wanted to relieve that.

“I did try to tell you.” You repeat, but your smile drops.  “Honestly I also want to stop and get some clothes from my apartment  so I’m not covered in blood or rubble when I see her. It's going to be hard to explain all of this to her.”

Ben drags his eyes down your outfit again. Although this morning all he wanted was to rip it off you and study your curves with his hands, the outfit looked weathered. There was a prominent hole through the jacket and shirt, just under your left breast that Ben couldn't look away from. He knew what it meant. It was from you pushing him out of the way of Homelander. He could still feel the anger prickling beneath his skin when you again did the thing that he told you not to do. You were just so stubborn sometimes and never wanted to listen to him. Ben didn't give a single fuck that Homelander had punched him and practically choked him, the only thing he cared about was that Homelander had killed  you. There were many things that Ben fantasized about doing to Homelander when he had killed you, many he wished that he had been able to accomplish before Homelander tucked his tail and flew away like a little pussy.

He cannot be what passes for a hero these days.

Then again another side of him was incredibly turned on when you faced Homelander. He'd never admit that to you, but there was something sexy about the way you threw Homelander around like he was nothing. It had taken an extreme amount of effort for Ben not to kiss you after Homelander flew away, to take you back into the ruined house and show you just how much he liked your outfit and how much he enjoyed watching you kick Homelander's ass. Of course he'd let the anger win in the moments that followed the fight.

"Okay." Ben replies.

He sees you hesitate. “I guess I’ll see you when I get back.” You reply, with a tight smile, disappointment flashing in your eyes.

“What are you talking about?” Ben’s eyebrows furrow together. He was confused. “I’m coming with you.”

“Really?" He watches your eyes widen in surprise.

 Did she really think I'd let her go alone to do this?

"Yes? I told you that I didn't want you to go alone. Especially with that asshole flying around." Ben could feel himself frown.

"Okay."

Reader POV

The first ten minutes of the drive is deathly quiet. Ben doesn’t say anything and you fight to keep your mouth shut. The urge to fill the silence bristled beneath your skin, but you clamp your lips together.

Even when he said he wanted to come with me, he didn't acknowledge anything I said about Rosemary and-

“Are you sure she’s mine?” Ben finally asks interrupting your internal monologue.

You can’t help but laugh, gripping the steering wheel as you snort.  “Why is that the reaction all men have when a woman tells them that they’re pregnant? Is it because all men believe that women go around plotting ways to force them into a relationship? Is that a legitimate fear that you guys have? Or is it because all men think women go jumping from bed to bed having unprotected sex with whoever they can get their hands on?”

“No I just-“ Ben sighs and doesn’t finish his sentence. He’s been staring out through the windshield, watching the outside world fade into blurred colors, glancing over at you every few seconds.

“I’m sorry.” You hadn’t meant to laugh at him, but this was all just extremely awkward.

But it shouldn’t be. You can’t help but think to yourself. If Ben had ever asked me to have a kid with him before any of this I would have agreed to it no questions asked. But now I guess it's different.

“Yes she’s yours.” You sigh, but you can’t look at him.

“But how?”

“Do you really want me to explain the birds and the bees to you?”

“Y/n.” He sighs.

“Because of all the people in the world, you probably have enough experience to know exactly how babies are made and I hate to break it to you, it has nothing to do with a stork.”

 “Please don’t make a joke right now.”

“I can’t help it.” You mutter butterflies dancing the conga in your stomach. “You know how I get when I get nervous.” You could practically feel your neurons sending electrical impulses through your body, making your anxiety grow.

I really should have had that coffee this morning. Then again it might go right to my anxiety.

“Why are you nervous?” Ben asks you incredulous. He sounds surprised, like he can't understand you.

“Huh?”

“Why are you nervous? You should be fucking furious with me!"

"Ben what are you talking about?" You turn to look over at him. He looks wrecked. He's hunched in the seat, hands clenched tightly over his thighs, jaw tight.

Is he mad at me? Really? Your heart sinks into the pit of your stomach to be devoured by the swarm of butterflies. I knew it. I knew he wouldn't be able to handle this-

"I did this to you and then I fucking left you. I left you when you needed me and was with those Russian fucks for forty-“ Ben’s voice breaks.

You suddenly understand. Ben wasn’t angry with you, he wasn’t pulling away, he was angry with himself. Guilty and angry because he wasn't there, because he believed that he disappointed you again.

“Ben wait a minute-“

“I should have been there every second.” He seethes, jaw tight, hands clenched into fists on top of his thighs. “I should have- FUCK.” Ben’s fist goes through the roof of the car, making the entire frame shudder.

Shit Butcher might kill us for that.

"Oh Ben-" You whisper.

“I-“ His chest begins to glow. “I said all those things, pushed you away, fucked Countess. I put you through all that shit and you still wanted to have my fucking kid? And you named her after my mom? I-"

Butcher will definitely kill us if Ben blows up his car.

You pull the car over to the side of the road, quickly unbuckling your seatbelt and reaching for Ben. "Ben please it's okay." You breathe, hands finding the sides of his face. "It's okay."

"No it's not." His chest dulls, but he turns his head away from you ashamed. "You told me that you wanted a family, that you wanted someone to come home to, someone who loved you. I wanted to give you those things, but not like this. I-" Ben's voice cracks. "I'm so sorry. I-"

"Ben." You whisper, turning his face back to yours so he's looking at you. His green eyes are dim, eyebrows pushed together, mouth turned down in a frown. And you can't help but kiss him. It's the first kiss you'd had in years. Life always seemed to get in the way of that. Whether it was Rosemary or Lou, you hadn't had a lasting relationship with someone in decades, not since Ben. The most you’d done is gone out with another artist and had dinner. It had ended in an awkward kiss that felt completely wrong to you. It didn't feel anything like this.

Kissing Ben was even more wonderful than you remember. The way he softly sighs into your mouth as he deepens the kiss, the way his hands find your waist to pull you over the center console into his lap, the way your hands automatically tangle in his thick dark hair on the back of his head, and the way your entire body melted into him. Warm tingles trace down your spine as your lips move against his, every synapse in your body electrifying, as you try your hardest to tell him how much he means to you with the kiss.

"Don't you understand." You say against his lips, stroking your fingers through his hair. "You did. You gave me a family. You gave me someone to come home to, someone who loves me. And now that she’s all grown up it gets to be you. You didn’t ruin my life. I don’t regret a single moment, even with everything that happened. I don't regret having Rosemary. You gave me what I wanted. It might not have looked the way I thought it would, but it doesn't make it any less special.”

"But I wasn't there for you when you needed me. I-" Ben sighs leaning his forehead against yours and you kiss him again, his tongue tangling with yours so devastatingly languid it seems to take your next breath.

Why did I ever deny myself this?

"Ben, you're here now, and that's all that matters to me."

"But-"

"You don't need to apologize for this Ben. What happened to you was not your fault. You couldn't control being away as long as you were-"

"I could have tried harder to escape. I could have-" He swallows, eyes wide and filled with pain. "I would have tried harder if I knew that I left you with-"

"Ben." You breathe, extracting your fingers from his hair and cupping his cheeks. "Please. I don't blame you for not being there. It was out of your control. And if-" You clear your throat with a sigh. "If you really love me as much as you say, if you've really loved me all this time, then I know you would have been there every second."

"I do. I love you." He kisses you again, breathing you in, holding you so tight against his chest as if he believes that you'll fade away in his arms. "I would have been, even if you hated having me there."

"I might have at the beginning, but now I can't imagine losing you. I can't imagine you leaving me. I don't think that I'll be able to survive this time-"

"I won't leave. I promise."

"I'm starting to believe you." Your thumbs stroke against Ben's cheeks, smiling softly at him, trying to fight the urge to cry, because your emotions are getting the best of you all over again. "Now can we please go? Or are you going to blow up Butcher's car?"

"One more Sweetheart." Ben murmurs, dragging your face back to his. "I've waited forty years for this."

"Does she know about me?" Ben says from your bedroom, over the sound of the sink.

You were standing in your bathroom, washing ash and blood from your face and picking rubble out of your hair. Honestly, you looked… weathered. The revenge outfit had a large irreparable hole that went through the blouse, not to mention you'd lost another favorite jacket and you were starting to get pissed.

Two down in a week. Maybe the vintage shop across the street from Rosemary's will have a nice selection. You reconsider. Or maybe Legend will have some clothes that he doesn't want. You smile to yourself. He certainly looks the same, must have some nice vintage clothes from the "good old days". Maybe I should be more worried about the fact that I’m more upset about ruining another jacket rather than the fact that we killed two people today.

Of course, you also needed to consider getting Ben some more clothes as well. Butcher's minimal selection was dismal, then again Ben could probably wear a garbage bag and be drop dead gorgeous.

He's the worst.

"Yeah. I told her who you were." You pull off the jacket, stroking your finger around the hole in the back of it, noticing the way the singed leather melted away from the laser. "She also knows you're back. It was-um- it was Rosemary who was texting me this morning." You momentarily feel guilty again. Rosemary was not excited to see Ben, the text messages this morning were a testament to that. And you were afraid that Ben was going to get his hopes up about seeing her.

Personally you weren't sure how he was going to approach this. Your heart just about broke when he almost exploded in the car from guilt about getting you pregnant. That was shocking, but at the same time the look of anguish on his face made you feel guilty all over again for not trying to get him sooner, for not asking more questions about his death. You knew that he was more indestructible than you. Why didn't I question that?

You reach for the bottom of the blouse, pulling it from your skin, but you look at your reflection in the mirror. There were two prominent scars, each about the size of a nickel, just under the left side of your bra. The only thing left behind from your fight with Homelander.

Ben's hand against the small of your bare back, makes you jump. It was rough and familiar, brushing against your soft skin in a way that makes you want to push back into his touch, to soak up the warmth like a cat in the sun. Proving again that your body still responded to his touch the same way it had your entire life. "Let me see." He rumbles.

"What?"

Ben turns you towards him, eyes dark as they meet yours, but then they drop to the collection of scars on your torso. "This one?" He strokes the golf-ball sized, almost perfect circle on the right lower part of your abdomen.

"Countess."

Ben's jaw tightens, but then raises his hand to the scars Homelander left then to the bullet scar just over your heart. "I hate that so many of these have to do with me."

"Well you didn't do them so you should see that as a win." You joke trying to make Ben smile, but he doesn't. "Ben we talked about this."

"I know." He pauses stroking his finger on a thin line just over your left collarbone.  It was new to him. "What’s this one?"

"Rosemary." A ghost of a smile is on my lips. "Didn't want to eat her broccoli when she was a kid, telekinetically threw a knife at me by accident."

 "She's a supe?"

"Yeah she's like us a bit. Doesn't age, she's strong, and more invulnerable, but she doesn't have any other powers unless she touches you."

"She has to touch you?"

"Yeah skin to skin contact only and only 24 hours, that's how she got telekinesis. She touched me and, well, really didn’t want to eat that broccoli-" You shrug. You were used to her powers, happy that you didn't have to watch her age, but worried about Lou. You were always worried about Lou. “But she's not a hero, she didn't want to be one. She's a nurse, works downtown in the emergency room. Though I think she's thinking about being a doctor."

"A doctor? A female doctor?” Ben’s eyebrows furrow.

Right. He basically missed the feminist movement. Note to self, make Ben watch the Barbie movie.

"Yes a female doctor. Nowadays it happens more often than you’d think.” You laugh. “She wanted to go back to school, but then her husband died and she was taking care of Lou-"

"Lou?"

You take his hand stroking your thumb over the back. “It’s not just Rosemary-“

“Please do not tell me you had fucking twins.” Ben tenses.

“No.” You snort. “Lou is our granddaughter. It's short for Louisa, though Rosie never calls her that unless she's done something crazy.  She’s four, and most of the time she calls me aunty. She doesn’t know I’m her grandmother. Rosie and I, we thought it would be better if I introduced her as my cousin, not as my daughter."

“What happened to her husband?”

“Car accident. Just a few weeks after Lou was born.” Your smile drops remembering. “He was a good guy. Rosemary was head over heels for such a long time, and when he died she just crumbled completely shut down. He wasn't a supe and when she started to have a life with him I was worried about him dying. He wasn't going to live forever and he certainly wasn't indestructible. But after it happened I moved in with them for a while, helped her get through it, but it was hard."

"What about Lou?"

"What about her?"

"Is she a supe?" Ben's palm was still resting on the thin line over your collar bone and it was difficult to think with his bare skin pressed against yours.

"Not that we've noticed. Though I worry every day she will be."

"Why?"

"She's a third generation supe from our bloodline. If that gets out, who knows what'll happen. Same with Rosemary. She’s powerful and she’s only second generation from us. I’m hoping it skipped Lou.” You sigh leaning forward into his hand. "When I first found out that I was pregnant with Rosemary I was afraid that Vought would come take her away. And then when Lou was born I was so happy for Rosie, but everyday I'm scared that-" The words catch in your throat. Nothing really scared you anymore, but the thought of losing Rosie or Lou broke your heart, it was the same fear you had at the thought of losing Ben all over again.

He slides his hand up the column of your throat to cup your cheek.  “Nothing will happen to them.” Ben promises. “I won’t let it.” His gaze was locked on yours, eyes filled with steely determination. It made your heart warm to know that Ben already cares about them, that he understood how important they were to you. It also made you all the more guilty for telling Rosemary everything about Ben, afraid that it turned her against him.

But I told her the bad and the good. I told her how much he meant to me, how he touched my life, our childhoods-

Images of the moments with Ben over your lifetime, the good and the bad, the moments you loved him, the moments you hated him, the simple moments that you longed for more, and the moments where Ben gave you everything you wanted, when he was exactly what you needed, as if he understood every part of you, even the parts that you tired to hide from everyone else. The moments before you were supes when Ben and you were together and he made you forget about your mother, when he walked you home as you sang drunkenly off key, and the moments where he cheered you up when everything seemed hopeless. Ben was always there for you.

You tried to tell her that, but maybe you were too jaded to tell her, maybe you focused too much on the bad. And now that meant she might not listen to his side of the story.

He drags his finger over the scar just over your heart, the one he can't seem to forget, trailing goosebumps in it's wake, while his other hand wraps around your waist tugging you forward against his chest.

By now he was wearing the pair of jeans and dark shirt he came to your apartment in, looking just as devastatingly handsome as he always did. Probably a good thing that he didn't go to her apartment in his supe suit, you didn't want Rosemary to ask him why he was wearing it and then have to tell her that he torched the TNT Twins.

Because telling her that you personally kicked Homelander's ass and that he was now going to hunt down Rosemary and Lou seemed so much easier. Not.

Why is my life like this?

"I can't put a shirt on if you keep doing that." You whisper. Honestly you couldn't think straight either.

"Maybe that's my plan all along."

"Well see, if I never put a shirt on that means that I'll be walking around in public with everyone seeing me without one and-"

Ben's eyes narrow at the thought.

“Oh do you not like that?” You smirk.

He pins you back against the counter, the marble biting into your lower back, but you don’t have time to think about it because Ben’s lips are against yours, supple and urgent, driving every thought from your mind.

Your hands come up to grip his shoulders, fastening him tighter against you while his mouth drags over your skin down your throat to your collarbone.

“Ben we have to go-“ you whisper.

“Let me do this first.” He mutters against your skin.

“Do what?” You sigh, feeling him begin to suck a mark directly over your collarbone. “Ben-“ You try to say his name to make him stop. Showing up to Rosemary’s apartment with a hickey was the last thing you wanted. But instead of his name coming out in the harsh whisper you intended, it comes out as a moan.

Ben’s body tightens around you, gaze meeting yours. His eyes are dark pools filled with promises that make a shiver travel down your spine. “I’ve waited forty years to hear you say my name like that again.” His lips fall back to the same spot. “And I look forward to hearing it like that in the future.”

Part of you is screaming too soon! But there’s another part rattling the bars of her cage that screams more! At the top of its lungs.

Ben continues to kiss along your neck, beard scratching against the soft skin in a way that makes you sigh and move your hands up to tangle in his hair.

You can feel Ben’s smile. “That’s my girl.”

“Only yours.” You whisper before you can stop yourself causing Ben to raise his head from your collarbone.

“Damn right.”He growls.

And there goes my last shred of willpower. Fuck.

Rosemary’s apartment building sends a deep feeling of dread through your system. You were happy that you got to change, happy that Ben got to change, but now thanks to the man sitting in the front seat across from you there was a large purple mark just on your collarbone that was barely covered by the long sleeved sweater you had on.

Please let Rosemary not see it.

Ben wasn’t helping. Since your apartment he hadn’t let go of your hand. The entire ride to Rosemary’s he held it over the center console of Butcher’s car, slowly stroking the back of it with his thumb making warm tendrils creep up your arm and settle in your heart. It was just like the night after the restaurant when Ben drove you home and he showed a softer side of himself that you hadn’t seen in forty years.

In the past 48 hours Ben had been more attentive and loving than he ever had and it made you hopeful for the future, hopeful that this really was going to work.

But you  were still afraid that this was happening so fast. You weren’t expecting yourself to be so open to forgiving him, to be so ready to let him back in, to let him pick up the pieces of your heart but there he was holding duct tape with his piercing eyes and annoyingly gorgeous face.

“This is a nice apartment building.” Ben says looking up at the towering behemoth.

“She really likes it.” You shrug. “It’s close to a lot of schools and Rosie’s job. I kinda thought it was too uppity.”

“Neighborhood looks safe.” Ben gets out of the car.

“Yeah it-“ You begin to say trying to open your door but as soon as you do Ben is there opening it for you. “Oh thanks.”

“You look surprised.” He smiles.

“It’s just been a while since someone has opened a door for me.”

Ben’s smile twitches for a second. “Y/n?”

“Yes Ben.” You smooth the front of his shirt.

“How many others have there been?” He asks quietly.

You pause for a second hand still on his chest.   As ridiculous as it might seem to some people, the truth was there hadn’t been anyone else.

At first it was difficult to find time for anything eat alone that in particular. Chasing a toddler around that occasionally picked up the couch and threw it across the room with her mind was enough to keep anybody busy, not to mention that you didn’t want to leave Rosemary alone with anyone for a night. And when Rosemary finally went off the college and you started to sell your paintings you started to get more comfortable being on your own again. You’d gone out to dinner with a few men who asked you after your show shared a kiss, but nothing ever felt right.

Finally came the one night that you thought things could be different. Max was a colleague that had flirted with you every chance he got. He wasn’t bad looking, reminded you a bit of Ben and your friend Adam Winthrop growing up. Max was also an artist who came to each of your shows, talked you down from the ledge whenever you thought the work wasn’t good enough and always took you out to get a drink after a show to make you feel better. He was sweet, funny, but when you were with him something always felt different.

But one night you figured why not? So you gave in, went back with Max to his apartment, but you couldn’t go all the way. It felt wrong. You could tell how much he liked you, how much he wanted you, but you didn’t want him. And it felt wrong to use someone. To make them believe you had feelings for them only to push them away.

So you told Max the truth and he respected you, didn’t make anything weird between the two of you, acted like nothing happened.

But now standing here in front of Ben with him asking you that question apart of you wished you had found someone else.

“Why?” You ask slowly.

Ben shrugs. “I don’t know you just haven’t- I mean we haven’t talked about that and-“

“I have never asked you how many people you’ve slept with. And I really don't think this is the best time?"

“I know that you've never asked but the last time I saw you I mean-" Ben's hand gently touches your waist, stroking against the top of your favorite worn pair of jeans.

You knew exactly what he was thinking about, he was thinking about the night you shared together, when he was everything you wanted, and he made you feel special loved, when he was gentle and made love to you the way you always imagined.

And yes maybe sex was off the table for a while, but it would come up again, eventually.

"Ben, can we talk about this after we get Rosemary and Lou back to Legend's?" You whisper placing a hand on his chest before you can stop yourself. You weren't sure if you'd ever be able to stop touching him, if you'd ever be able to stand in his presence and not feel warm or happy. You never expected it to be like this again, and certainly not so soon.

Ben looks disappointed for a moment, his green eyes flashing in the brilliant sunlight as it begins to sink behind the buildings. The wind carried the smells of summer, ice cream, beer, sunscreen, and just a hint of rain, rustling through the trees on the edge of Central Park. There would be a storm soon and you hoped that you were on the road before it hit. You hated driving in the rain.

"Okay." He releases your waist and takes your hand once more. "But we are going to talk about it right?"

"I don't see why it's so important." You steer him towards the front double doors where the doorman, Rodger, stands in a green and gold suit.

"Welcome back miss." Rodger smiles and opens one of the heavy glass doors for Ben and you.

"Thank you Rodger. How's the wife?" You flash a winning smile at him, still holding on tight to Ben who walks silently next to you.

"She's doing a lot better. The treatments are going well. She seems more like herself each day." Rodger smiles wider, eyes misting a little bit.

"That's wonderful to hear. Tell her I say hello." You say continuing to the gilded elevator that sits on the other side of the large marble lobby of the apartment building.

The truth was you knew that his wife was doing better, just as you knew she was receiving her treatments. Last Christmas Rodger had broken down when he was letting you up to see Lou and Rosemary and told you that his wife was diagnosed with lung cancer and because they didn’t have the money for treatment, it would probably be her last Christmas. Rodger was one of the kindest people you knew, and you didn't want him to lose his wife, so Rosemary and you both decided to shift around the generous funds that her grandfather left you, to send an anonymous donation so Rodger's wife could get treatment.

"Of course miss."

The elevator door closes, leaving Ben and you alone again, playing a cover of "Don't Stop Believing" on the piano.

 Ben tugs you close and kisses you softly, so soft that it makes your eyes flutter while he smiles down at you. "I love you."

"What did you do?" You joke, nerves of Rosemary seeing Ben gone for a moment.

"You have such a big heart." He strokes his finger down your cheek, eyes soft as he gazes at you.

"He was going to lose his wife." You murmur. Ben was doing it again, seeing through you, understanding you even without knowing the whole story. It was like he always had a way of laying you bare, able to see your thoughts and secrets even though he wasn't a mind reader. "He loves her so much and for him to lose her like that-"

Ben hugs you closer to his chest. "I understand what that's like."

You see where his mind is, see that it's on a beach overseas, with blood soaked sand and your body lying in his arms as you draw your last breath. It hurt you to see the pain in his eyes, the loss even when you were standing right in front of him, even when you were in his arms, pressed against him in the way that always made you think that he was made for you just as the way you were made for him.

How could I ever forget how he made me feel? How wonderful it was to be with him when all you could see was the boy you grew up with?

"I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere. I promise." You kiss him gently on the tip of his nose. It was more to reassure yourself than anything else. Rosemary was not going to react well to seeing him.

Might as well rip the band aid off right now.

The hallway is quiet, carpet plush and thick beneath your shoes and Ben and you make your way to the door at the end of the hallway. The blue paint is supposed to be calming, but your anxiety spikes as you raise your free hand to knock against the front door.

Please let her be here and not be kidnapped by Homelander.

The door opens.

Rosemary is dressed for work. Her maroon scrubs are clean and neat, her dark hair pulled back in a bun, her make up soft. She looks calm, but you can see the coming storm, just as you felt the coming storm outside the building, feel the electricity against your skin before the thunderclouds rose on the horizon. As soon as her eyes meet yours they narrow.

She's pissed.

"What are you doing here? I told you that I didn't need you to watch Lou tonight. Her babysitter is coming." Rosemary glances at Ben once, frown deepening as she notices his hand holding yours. You knew she was still holding back what she wished to say, choosing rather to ignore his presence rather than tear him apart here.

"I know. I'm not here for that. We have to go." You say, not wanting to discuss the full gravity of the situation in the hallway, but Rosemary shifts to block the doorway.

"You're not coming in. Not with him." She spits the word 'him' like it's a curse and you feel Ben's body tense in surprise.

I should have prepared him for this.

"Hi I’m-" Ben begins to say, trying to smooth things over.

"I know who you are." Rosemarys eyes narrow and flick back to you. “I can’t believe you fucking forgave him.”

"I-"

"Before you say you didn't that fucking hickey on your neck says otherwise."

Your cheeks flush bright red in embarrassment, shifting the sweater to hide it again. “Rosie-“

“No no no. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Rosie-“ Ben tries to say.

"Don't you dare call me that." She snarls, face contorting in rage, burning so hot that you could practically feel the air around her raising in temperature. "You don't know me. We're not friends. And I don't care what she says, you're not my dad. You're just the asshole that fucked my mom, got her pregnant and then ripped her heart out." Rosemary spits. “Do you have any idea what you put my mother through? Do you have any idea?"

Ben's body is still tense beside you, pulled so taunt that you don't know how he hasn’t snapped "I know and I apolo-“

“You think one measly apology makes that okay? MAKES ANY OF THIS OKAY?”

“Can we please not do this in the hallway?” You sigh. The last thing you wanted was Mrs. Norbert, Rosemary's prehistoric nosy neighbor coming out into the hall with her yappy French poodle, the same one that always snapped at your ankles and at Lou when you ran into her in the lobby.

“He’s not coming in here.” Rosemary stands her ground in the doorway.

"I know that you’re angry, but I need you to put that aside right now because there are more pressing things we have to worry about.” 

"Like what?" Her eyes narrow at you. "Oh let me guess, you guys fucked again, you're pregnant and now you're going to-"

"Don't you dare speak to her that way." Ben roars trying to step in front of you,  but you put your hand up to stop him.

Rosemary might be your daughter, but to Ben she was someone who insulted you, family or no, he wasn't going to sit back and let her treat you that way.

"Ben." You say once to calm him down. The last thing you wanted was for him to go nuclear right now. "Rosemary please. I know that you're angry, but we're not here for some big reunion. This is more important than any of this. This is about keeping Lou safe."

At the mention of her daughter's name, you see Rosemary's resolve waver. Her eyes flick to Ben again, once more sizing him up. "Fine." She opens the door wider, so Ben and you can come inside the apartment.

The creative chaos of the living room soothes some of your nerves, but not all. This was going poorly. Well, worse than poorly. Rosemary could barely look at Ben let alone speak to him without looking like she'd smelled something rancid.

You knew it would be bad, but you didn't think that it would be like this.

Apart of your heart broke for Ben. You saw how he acted in the car when you told him he was a father, how upset he'd been at the thought of getting you pregnant and then abandoning you. And now Rosemary was basically making him feel like a deadbeat probably wasn't helped either.

All you hoped was that Ben wasn't focusing on what his father used to say to him about being a disappointment, hoped that he wasn't reliving the memories of everything his father shouted at him at night before Ben fled to the solace of your bedroom.

Because the truth was you weren't disappointed and certainly were not disappointed when you got pregnant. Heartbroken yes. Scared shitless, again yes. But not disappointed, you'd never say that about him or to him, not as long as you lived. You knew exactly what those words would do to him, exactly where they would transport him. And you refused to be the reason Ben was reminded of his father.

"Aunty y/n!" Lou crows as she weaves through the apartment, leaping off the teal colored couch and into your open arms. She squeezes you tightly, burying her face in your neck. To see her safe brings relief washing over you, the same feeling you felt when Rosemary opened the door, but tenfold now knowing that Homelander has not taken either or them.

And he won't ever.

"I missed you." She whispers.

"I missed you too honey." You smile down at your granddaughter. She leans back to glance at her mother who still stands at the front door, holding on to the handle like it's her last nerve. Ben is standing close to you, looking at the little girl in your arms, face impassive, but his eyes betray him, caught somewhere between shock, anger, and just a twinge of guilt.

Please don't be guilty Ben. You think to yourself, trying hard not to reach out and touch him.

"Mommy why were you yelling at aunty y/n?"  Lou looks at where Rosemary stands awkwardly by the door glaring at Ben.

"Because I didn’t tell her my friend Ben was coming." You say rubbing her back softly.

"Him?" She points at Ben.

"Yes. And don't point honey it's rude."

"Hi." Lou gives him a toothless smile and waves her chubby hand at him, her dark hair flopping away from her face as she does so.

Ben blinks at her for a moment, before his mouth begins to quirk in a half smile, shoulders still tense. But you could see that he was trying, and it meant something that he was despite Rosemary practically tearing him a new one in the hallway.

"He looks like mommy." Lou giggles cuddling into your neck to look at him.

It was the one thing that you hadn't prepared Ben for, how much he looked like Rosemary, how similar they were. You knew that somewhere deep down he was probably thinking the same thing.

Rosemary's eyes skate to Ben who stares back at her with the same intensity, but something passes in the air between them, something that you can't place.

"Yes. Yes he does sweetie. Now why don’t you go get your art kit for me, and we’ll go." You put her on the ground and Lou scampers off to her bedroom while the three of you stand there in awkward silence.

"Why do we have to go? I thought you didn’t expose yourself because you didn't go to Russia to get him." Rosemary asks. She still wouldn’t say his name. Then again you weren't expecting her to call him dad.

HA. Like that would ever happen.

Ben scoots closer to you reaching for your hand, but when Rosemary narrows her eyes at him, he pauses halfway. So you take his hand instead. "I did expose myself."

"How? Because of him?"

"Look I get that you're pissed, but I'm asking you to put it aside for one second so we can talk about this."

"Fine." Rosemary crosses her arms over her chest. "I'm listening." She still looks angry.

And you know what you're about to say is going to make her even angrier.

"We went to talk to the TNT Twins and things went south." You begin, swallowing the lump in your throat.

"Why?"

"I'll explain that later. But all you need to know is that things went badly and Homelander showed up."

Rosemary's hands tighten on her biceps so tight that her knuckles turn white at the mention of Homelander. Like you Rosemary didn't have any experience with him, only that she also knew there was something off about him.

"What did you do?" She whispers.

"It's not what she did, it's more what that fucker did." Ben almost spits, his skin heating where it rests in your hand.

"Ben." You say squeezing his hand softly as a warning. He gains control. "There wasn't a choice. We got into a fight-"

Rosemary's eyes widen, inhaling sharply. And before she can stop herself, she touches your shoulder, eyes tracing your body as if looking for injuries. "Did he hurt you? Are you okay?"

"Yes Rosie I'm fine, but he knows who I am and that means-"

"He knows who we are." Her eyes flick in the direction Lou went to grab her bag. "Shit."

"You can say that again." Ben mutters.

"Give me five minutes." Rosemary looks from Ben to you for a moment. "But this doesn't change anything."

"I know. Just go. We'll wait here." You reply with a tight lipped smile.

You hoped that one day this would get easier, that Rosemary would be able to look at Ben or have a conversation with him without killing him. The three of you seemed to be practically immortal, that was a long time to hold a grudge. And you didn't want there to be a division in your family. You'd lived with one before and you didn't want to go back through that, the awkward holidays, passive aggressive letters, and tense conversations. You didn't want that for your new family.

Maybe if I show her how much Ben has changed she'll warm up to him.

"Are you okay?" You whisper.

Ben was looking around the living room with an unreadable expression, flicking through the photos on the back of the couch of Rosemary, You, and Lou to the hand drawn pictures on the refrigerator in the kitchen.

"Ben?"

"Yeah." He mutters. "I'm fine."

But you could tell he wasn't. He wasn't really focusing on anything, and even his tone of voice was strange, hollow, but before you could press him further Rosemary and Lou come back into the room.

"Here let me-" Ben steps forward to take one of the large duffle bags from Rosemary, attempting to help, but Rosemary yanks the bag out of his reach.

"No I don’t need your help. I don’t need anything from you."

"Rosemary-" You sigh.

"And she doesn’t either." Rosemary gestures to you with the bag. "Do you have any idea what you did to her? How much you hurt her? And now you think you can just waltz back in here and say 'oh I’ll fix it' like you didn’t fuck up her life?"

"Rosemary!" You shout eyes flicking to where Lou was standing with her TMNT  backpack on with wide eyes.

"No. You might not be able to say it to him. But I will. We don’t need you here. We've survived the past forty fucking years without you and we'll survive the next million!"

"Rosemary stop." You step forward this time to move between them, but Rosemary doesn't back down.

"Stop what?" She shouts. "Stop reminding you of what he did? I'm sorry, but I'm not going to just look into his eyes and forgive him like you did-"

"I DID NOT LOOK INTO HIS EYES AND FORGIVE HIM.” You snap, but then stop to take a breath. “We are working through it-"

"Uh-huh sure." Rosemary rolls her eyes. "Just stay away from Lou and from me." She moves around Ben with Lou in tow, storming through the front door of the apartment and leaving you and Ben in the living room.

Oh yeah… This is really working out for the best.

The ride to Legend's is dead silent, all three hours, broken up only once when you stop for gas, but even then Rosemary won't speak to you. She barely makes eye contact as she takes Lou to the bathroom, leaving Ben and you to stand at the car, watching the rain soak through the cracked pavement outside. But even Ben has been more quiet than usual, staring through the windshield of the car lost in thought, and you didn't ask him to fill the silence. You figured that with everything that happened over the past few hours, Ben deserved some silence.

When Lou and Rosemary got back to the car, Ben had silently taken the car keys from you and slid behind the wheel. He knew how much you hated driving in the rain.

Legend didn't require an introduction to your daughter, but it had been an awkward meeting for Butcher and Hughie who breezed through the front hallway on the way up the stairs to their bedrooms.

And finally when it was just Ben, Rosemary, Lou, and you standing at the foot of the stairs, you still had no idea what to say, or if there really was anything to say. You knew that Rosemary didn't want to talk out everything in front of Lou.

By now it was past midnight and you could see that Lou was already starting to sway on her feet. It was hours past her bedtime, but she was still in good spirits. Lou never seemed to stop smiling, she was happy all the time, excited to try new things, and it always reminded you of the way Rosemary used to be when she was a child and as an adult before she lost her husband.

"Rosemary-" You begin to say, throat tightening.

"I'm going to take Lou to bed. We can talk in the morning." She doesn't look at Ben or you, but you could tell that she was tired. She was still wearing her maroon scrubs, hadn’t changed out of them, too worried about Homelander, but her hair had pulled free of the bun and her makeup was a little more smudged under her eyes now. "Say goodnight Lou."

"Goodnight aunty y/n." Lou says tottering over to you, and you stoop down on the ground to hug her close to your chest the anxiety about Homelander prickling under your skin once more.

“Tomorrow can we paint some?” She gives you a wide toothless smile.

She'd lost one of her front teeth a few days ago, and was particularly proud of the hole it left behind. She'd been excited to meet the tooth fairy, even wrote a thank you note and drew a picture of her holding her tooth out for the fairy.

“Whatever you want sweetie.” You smile as she pulls away, brushing her dark hair from her wide eyes.

But instead of going back to where Rosie is holding out her hand for Lou, she turns and hugs Ben’s leg where he stands next to you. Her head barely reaches the top of his knee, but it doesn't dissuade her from hugging him with all her might.

Ben stiffens, unsure what to do.

“Goodnight Ben.” Lou looks up at him with the same smile she had for you.

You feel your own lips begin to pull up at the edges to see how much Lou wanted Ben to like her, how much she was trying to make him feel at home. It warmed you heart.

Ben looks stunned for a minute, eyes flicking to yours wide, and Rosie looks angry, but slowly, Ben begins to smile. “Goodnight honey.” He rumbles giving her a pat on the head, because he's still not sure exactly how to handle this.

Lou smiles pleased with herself then lets Rosemary take her away waving once from over Rosemary's shoulder at Ben as Rosemary climbs the stairs in the direction of the room that Legend saved for them.

Ben stands there watching them go for a minute, lost in thought. “She doesn’t like me.”

“Lou? She loves you. Of course there’s a lot to love.” You smile, trying to take his hand, but Ben pulls away. His rejection pricks at your heart, you couldn't tell why he was doing that, why he was pulling away from you again.

Is he angry? At me? At Rosemary? Or Is this him being angry at himself all over again?

You thought that he was doing better up until you went to Rosemary’s apartment, thought that he wasn’t as upset about leaving you in the past. But now you weren’t sure.

“There’s a lot to hate.” He mutters, his eyes won't quite meet yours and the fear of him leaving begins to creep back, shuddering through your bones like the chill of a winter wind.

“As there is with anybody-“ You try to recover from his rejection, searching his face to understand why he was acting so different.

“I want Rosie to like me. I’m her father-“ He turns to stare at you, green eyes dark, filled with an clouding of emotions that strike you straight in the heart. It wasn't happiness, it wasn't love, it was something different, something that made a lump lodge itself in the back of your throat.

“I know Ben. She just needs some time-" You begin to say, reaching for him, but Ben steps away from you again, refusing to let you comfort him.

"Why did you tell her all those things about me? Did you really hate me that much?” Ben shouts, voice reverberating up the staircase, so loud that you're sure other people can hear you.

"What are you talking about-"

"All the shit that happened between us. Everything that happened that night. Everything I did-“

"She asked me for the truth and I didn't want to lie to her-" You try to explain.

You hadn't. You wanted her to know the truth about her father, just as she knew that truth about you. You thought that she deserved that. And it wasn't like you told Rosemary when she was three. You told her everything that happened when she was twenty three and she had just started seriously dating her future husband, when she was scared because she’d never felt that way about anyone before. And it reminded you of how you felt about the boy Ben used to be.

"I wish you had. Damnit y/n I'm her father, she should like me!" He seethes, fists clenched. Ben towers over you green eyes blazing in the soft light coming from the lights that line the hallway.

And somewhere deep down you start to feel angry. It comes surging up like the roar of a crowd pricking at the back of your spine until you can’t take it anymore.

"It's been 4 fucking hours since you met her, GIVE HER TIME."

"I can't believe you did this." Ben spits glaring at you.

"Are you serious right now?" Your mouth opens in shock.

Was this just some kind of joke? Is he really mad at me for this? Does he really think that I would do something like this purposely?!

"Did you really hate me that much? Did you really feel the need to turn her against me? Make her not love me?"

"I didn't turn her against you Ben. And I didn’t make her not love you." You snap back. "Yes I was angry with you, but that didn't mean that I didn't want you with me every single second in Rosemary's life.  I didn’t want to do that alone. I shouldn’t have had to but I don't blame you for that. I’ve told you that-“

“Yeah you’re really showing that. You turned her against me. Made me some villain. Made me some monster who fucked you and then left-“

“I THOUGHT THAT’S WHAT YOU DID DIPSHIT!” You poke your finger into his chest. “Just because I’ve chosen to begin to forgive you does not mean I forgot what you did and what you said to me that night. But I’ll say this.”

He tries to open his mouth to retort, but you speak first.

“Every time something happened with Rosemary I turned to tell you and you weren’t there.

When I went into labor I wished you were there to hold my hand and tell me that everything was going to be okay, I wished that you were there smiling down at her when you held her for the first time. When she took her first steps and fell on her butt I wished you were there to swing her around and make her laugh. When I showed her how to paint for the first time I wished that you were there to see how she was covered in paint from head to toe. And I only told her those things about you because she asked and I don’t lie to my family. I’ve never lied to Rosemary and I’ve never lied to you. Ever.”

Ben stands there stuck straight each muscle clenched, wether it be in frustration or anger you don’t care. Your own anger was coming back, unlocking from the place you shoved it down when you thought you needed to be the perfect person you wanted others to see you as and not the broken girl who lived with a hole in her heart for so long.

“And yeah maybe you can be in here and pout and fucking blame me for her hating you. And maybe I shouldn’t have told her those things but I did.  I told her the good and the bad about you just as she knows the good and the bad about me. She can make her own decisions because she’s a damn adult. And don’t you dare say that I didn’t want you there every second.  Because I did. Even though you fucking ripped my heart out and stomped all over it I still wished that you could have been there for her, could have filled her life with love as much as I did.”

"But you still did it." Ben growls.

And you realize that maybe this is it, maybe that this is the one thing that pushes him away from you.

"Fine. Hate me if you want. I'm going to get a drink. Don’t  follow me." You snap before turning and stomping towards the kitchen, away from him, all the while hoping that he’ll follow after you.

But he doesn’t.

Despite wanting to grab one of the bottles of whiskey in Legend's kitchen, you restrain yourself and instead turn to the coffeemaker. It was fancier than yours, but you supposed that coffee would taste the same. You busy yourself with the steps of making the coffee to stop going over what you and Ben just yelled at one another, but your hands were still shaking.

Did he really think I didn't want him there? I mean yeah I was pissed from everything that happened, but I didn't want Rosemary to grow up without a father. I would have told him eventually that I was pregnant, I didn't want to do that alone.

You pour yourself a cup of coffee and lean back against the counter as you take a sip remembering the day you took the pregnancy test. It was more obvious than anything else, not the lack of your period but the morning sickness. You never got sick. You remembered being afraid at first, the thought of raising a child alone scared you. You weren't sure you even wanted to be a mother, because of everything yours put you through. But then you thought of Ben. Yes you hated him, but the baby might be the last part of him that existed anywhere. If you decided not to have it, Ben would really be gone and you would be alone all over again. So you decided to have Rosemary and you never regretted that decision. Especially now that she had Lou.

You roll the cup in your hands, feeling the warmth of the mug transfer into your palms.

Maybe I shouldn't have told her everything I did. But she knows everything about me. She knows that I killed Countess. She knows the good and bad about me. It felt unfair to only tell her the good about Ben, she deserves to know the truth. She's just upset. Honestly, she's also a upset with me as well for forgiving him or partially forgiving him.

You move to the kitchen table, stretching out in the worn wooden chair and place your mug down on the circular dark wood table. You wanted Rosemary to warm up to him, but at the same time you didn't want to get in between them. She needed to do this for herself and you didn't want to force them together.

You hear someone enter the kitchen. Probably Ben. But when you look up you realize that it's Butcher.

He stands just on the edge as if he's debating whether or not he wants to come in.

"Didn't realize you were still up." He raises an eyebrow. "Trouble in paradise love?"

"You realize that the V is completely out of your system right now right? And I could slowly peel your skin from your body with my mind if I wanted to?" You mirror his eyebrow raise while taking a sip of coffee.

"Eh. Worse ways to go." Butcher shrugs. "Anything stronger in here than coffee?"

"Top cabinet above the refrigerator. The good stuff is in the back. Legend usually tries to hide it from himself."

“Why?”

“Because he thinks it’s a waste to drink the good stuff when he’s really drunk and can’t appreciate it.”

“Seems fair.” Butcher finds the bottle of whiskey easily, moving to the cabinets to find a glass. “You want a cuppa?”

“I told myself I wasn’t going to-“ You pause for a moment thinking of how wonderful it would be if you could just forget for a few minutes. “But sure.”

“Coffee not working?”

“It never has.” You take the cup gratefully from his outstretched hand as Butcher folds himself into the chair next to you. It was weird to say the least. The only thing he had done was act hostile to you and now him being nice was enough to give you whiplash.

The rest of the house was completely silent, except the soft turn of pages. You figured that meant Rosie was reading one of her books to distract herself from everything that happened earlier.

I should be in there talking to her. Trying to explain all this.

But you were tired and still reeling from your fight with Ben and didn’t feel like getting into it with Rosemary for the second time today.

“So why’d you do it?” Butcher takes a big swig from the glass in front of him.

“What?”

“You lied about your powers to Vought for years. Why?”

You roll the glass between your fingers, watching the amber colored liquid slosh against the sides. “I’ll answer that if you answer my question.”

Butcher pauses. “Fine.”

“What did Homelander do to your wife?”

Butcher freezes, leaning back in his chair, one hand on his thigh curling into a fist.

"Legend told me that you had this thing for him because of it-" You continue cocking your head to the side examining Butcher's sudden tense stance.

“Not important.”

“Then I guess you won’t find out more about me.” You shrug.

After the past few days you didn't understand how you were here drinking with Butcher of all people. You still didn't completely trust him and you didn't like that he wanted to use Ben like he was his own personal nuclear bomb.

You both sit in the silence for a few minutes waiting for the other to break.

“He raped her.”

The words are heavy, expelled in a breath after Butcher drains his glass. For a minute you see his tough exterior crack, see the vulnerability in his stature, but then it's gone again. You feel your heart thud once in your chest, jaw locking. It only proved again how messed up Homelander was.

“Is she-"

"She's dead." He pours himself another full glass from the bottle of whiskey.

"I'm sorry." You whisper, starting to understand why he hated Homelander so much. Honestly if Homelander did something like that to my family I would rip him limb from limb.

For the first time since you met Butcher, you feel sorry for him, you understand where the sadness in his gaze comes from and where the tough exterior seems to mask the vulnerability underneath.

But at the same time, you refused to underestimate him.

Butcher nods once then glances over at you expectantly as if re-asking his question with only a look.

“It’s never been about the power for me. Or about proving how powerful I was to other people. I got the injection because Ben asked me to. It wasn't because I wanted to be superhuman or god-like or special. Plus I figured as soon as Vought or the government found out what I could really do then I’d never see the light of day again.”

"But how did you keep it a secret from Vought? They have so many fucking connections." He presses.

"Honestly Ben and I didn't figure it out until the 60s."

"Why is that?"

"The first time I died it wasn't a supe that killed me so there wasn't a change. But later when more supes started coming out of the woodwork, that's when we realized it. And I didn't care."

"Somehow you had to care." Butcher leans forward in his chair, looking at you like you're crazy.

"I didn't have a reason to. Ben liked the spotlight and I didn't."

“Is that why you stopped being Indigo?”

“It’s my turn to ask a question cowboy.” You tap your glass with a smile. “Who’s Ryan?” You had heard Hughie and Butcher whisper the name a few times, figured that it was another supe they were planning to merc.

He hesitates. “Homelander’s kid.”

“He has a kid?” Your mouth drops open in shock.

How does Butcher know that? Is it because he's so obsessed with Homelander that he's going to ask Ben to go after Homelander's son? No. No way. Like hell I'm gonna let this guy kill a kid.

You try to think of a reason why Vought would keep Homelander's son out of the media, a reason why they wouldn't show that the golden boy had a perfect son.

“But how I mean-“ You stop tracing Butcher's face, watching the way his eyes harden, and how his jaw locks together and you realize why Butcher knows about Homelander's kid. “Your wife.”

Butcher doesn’t answer, doesn't confirm what you've said, instead he pours more from the bottle into his glass.

Wow that’s fucked up.

“I’d say I'm sorry again, but I don’t think it’s going to help and honestly I thought my life was way more fucked up than yours. Guess not.” You take a sip from the glass in front of you. It burns pleasantly as it travels down you throat reminding you how much you missed it. “It got old quick.”

“What did?” Butcher looks up from the wooden table.

“Being a hero dealing with all that Vought shit. Plastering a smile on my face, flaunting in front of the cameras, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Ben liked it. He was always in the spotlight, the golden boy and I was too, but we’d been doing it for years and I always- I don’t know- wanted a family.”

Your mind suddenly goes back to the night you told Ben that, the night that you told him what you wanted and how today Ben professed that he wanted to be the one to give you those things, always had wanted to give you those things.

The fight you just had resurfaces in your mind, thinking of how angry he was at you for telling Rosemary the truth about him.

I made my choice. She made hers. One day I think she'll warm up to him, but until then he's just going to have to get through this.

Just because you believed that did not make it any easier. Your heart was tearing in two. You wanted Rosemary to love him the way you did, but at the same time you were scared all over again that this would all be too much for Ben, too dramatic. He didn't like drama, never seemed to.

“Really?” Butcher doesn’t look convinced by your confession.

“Yeah. Plus I was pregnant with Soldier Boy's kid. Vought was obsessed with Ben and I know that if they knew about Rosemary they wouldn't hesitate to take her away. It would have been worse if they knew what my power was. I doubt they would have let either of us vanish into thin air. But even before that I was seriously thinking about getting out-“

“And Soldier Boy fucking Countess was the final nail in the coffin eh?” Butcher's smirk makes your stomach flip flop.

You were still trying to forget that. Really trying to forget that.

“Yeah.” You grumble into the glass momentarily remembering the night at the premiere, but this time seeing them together doesn’t hurt as much as it used to. And instead it’s replaced by Ben the past few days, the one that continued to reassure you of his love, the one who continued to hold you close to him, the one that kissed you whenever he could, the one who patiently waited for you, and the one who reminded you of the boy you lost all those years ago.

Butcher watches you for a moment. “I’m sorry. That must’ve been hard.”

You look at him surprised. It was the first time that Butcher seemed to actually, well, give a shit.

“Thanks. It was.” You wait a second. “So how did you meet Hughie?”

“Why is that important?”

“Because he’s nothing like you. He’s a good kid.”

“You sayin I ain’t a good person love?”

“Yes that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Butcher has the audacity to smile. “You know what I think? I think you pretend to be a good person but you’re really just a bitch who probably didn’t get enough hugs as a kid.”

You lean back in your chair feigning shock. “Is it that obvious?”

He shakes his head with a chuckle. “I don’t see how you got mixed up with Soldier Boy in the first place.”

“I did tell you.”

“What?”

“I didn’t lie about some of the things I said to you the first time we met. Ben and I grew up together. We were friends before all of this.”

“And you what? Followed him?”

“Something like that.”

Butcher sits there for a second tapping his finger on the crystal glass in his hand. Everything in Legend's home was vintage or old, the glasses included. You could remember drinking out of these same glasses years ago, on the porch behind Legend's house the day you realized you were pregnant and you told him you were leaving.

Legend didn't know, but you think deep down he did. Anyone who knew Ben couldn't dismiss how much Rosemary looked like him. Not to mention Legend knew what happened that night between the two of you.

Butcher opens his mouth, but as he does, Ben appears in the kitchen doorway. He still looks a little angry, frown prominent on his face, but his green eyes look from the glass to Butcher to you.

"That's my cue." Butcher grunts. "See you in the morning poppet." He vanishes down the hallway behind Ben leaving the two of you alone in the kitchen. It seems smaller with him standing there in the door, blocking most of it with his broad shoulders and wide stance.

"Are you going to come to bed?" He crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the doorway.

"Are you going to start yelling at me again?" You raise an eyebrow.

"I wasn’t fucking yelling." Ben grumbles. "And even if I was, you weren't exactly whispering."

"Sounded like yelling to me." You frown at him, before looking down at your glass again.

So much for an apology. Then again I probably owe him one too.

Ben’s jaw tightens. “Please come to bed.” His voice is composed, but you can still hear the tinge of his anger  seep through.

"Surprised you said please. Finally using those manners I've heard so much about." You snark before you can stop yourself.

That is not helping anything.

"Come to bed." His teeth are gritted together.

“Why?"

"Because I said so."

"You are not my dad Ben. You can't just order me around."

"Just fucking come to bed!" He snaps straightening from the door, eyes blazing.

"Why is it so important I come to bed Ben? You need me to read you a bedtime story or something? Or is it because you want to have sex? I hate to break it to you, but I don’t really feel like having sex with you right now. And I don't think I will anytime soon if we keep fucking fighting about stupid-“

“Because I can’t sleep without you there damnit! I never have been able to even when we were fucking kids!"

You pause shocked. Ben had never admitted that before. You were still trying to get used to when he admitted that he loved you how open and vulnerable he’d been, but this-

He’s frowning at you waiting for you to say something, but when you don’t. He turns and stalks back towards the stairs to descend into the basement where the bedroom the two of you were sharing was.

Guilt breaks something in your chest, because now sitting out here felt like a punishment for him and you didn't think that was right.

Damn it.

You wash out the mug in the sink  followed by the glass, but you look at the half-full bottle on the table.

Maybe I should bring it with me?

It swings from your hand as you walk down the dimly lit hallway descending into the fully furnished basement. You weren't thrilled with the room, had insisted that Legend change the sheets and spray down the room before you could sleep in there. You knew him, and knew exactly what had happened Legend's house since he had it custom built years ago.

Ben is sitting on the edge of the bed, smoking a blunt that he probably got from Butcher, who seemed to have an endless supply for Ben, much to your annoyance.

"I'm such a fucking pussy. I shouldn't have said that." He mutters more to himself than to you. His gaze is lowered on the shag carpet.

It was the first time that you'd heard him say something like that since he came back to you, something that sounded more like Soldier Boy than the boy you grew up with, sounded more like Ben's father.

"Ben." You sigh, putting the bottle on the bedside table, before you tilt his head back to look at you, hand cupping his chin. "You're not a pussy. I can't sleep without you either and there’s nothing wrong with that.  I don't want you to feel like you can't say stuff like that to me. I love you and I won't judge you for that or think less of you. I will judge you for saying stupid shit like you did earlier."

“I’m sorry.” He sighs out a breath of smoke. “I just hate that she doesn’t like me. I’m her father she should like me-“ He repeats the same idea from earlier.

“She just needs to warm up to you."

“Maybe.” Ben mutters. "Or maybe she won't."

He looks upset. But not his usually angry upset, more disappointed and you decide that’s worse. Ben was so strong and didn’t allow himself to give in to his emotions the same way everyone else did. You hated that about him, but you were the only person who knew why. Ben's father had made him believe that showing emotion made you weak, you were there a few times that he yelled at Ben, heard the horrible things that he shouted at his only son, and it broke your heart. If it was your lot in life to bring him peace, to show him love, and to teach him that it was okay to be vulnerable, you happily would bear that cross.

You gently push back on his shoulder so he’ll move his forearms where they rest on his thighs and so you can sit on his lap. Ben’s arm comes around your waist to hold you to him, while the other continues to rest between you when he takes another drag from the blunt. “Ben, I promise she will.” Your knees rest on either side of his hips as you balance on him, ignoring the urge to wrinkle your nose at the smell.

“Your family never seems to like me.”

“She’s your family too and Lou loves you.” You brush his hair back from his face and he leans forward into your touch. "She's an excellent judge of character. Pretty soon she's gonna be drawing you in the family portraits and once that happens you're in, there's nothing stopping you."

Ben's mouth twitches but he doesn’t smile. "She's cute."

“She is. And if she likes you, you’re doing something right.” You smile at him. “And my family liked you it was just my mom who thought you were the devil. My brother thought that you were okay and my dad liked you plenty. Remember he never ratted you out when you slept in my room?”

“He was a good man. We would talk sometimes.” Ben blows out a lungful of smoke and this time your nose wrinkles at the offensive smell, before you realize what he’s just admitted.

Ben notices your discomfort and flicks the blunt into the ashtray shaped like a naked woman on the bedside table.

“About what?” Your father had never mentioned any conversation with Ben or at least you didn't remember him saying anything about Ben, beside your father's usual questions as to what Ben and you were going to do that day.

“You.” Ben whispers, not meeting your eye.

“When?”

“Sometimes I’d come try to see you when you were out with Howard." Ben sighs his name. "Ended up talking with your dad.”

“Are you serious?”

He nods hands gently stroking along your waist.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you came by?”

“Didn’t think it was important Sweetheart.” Ben pauses eyes flicking up sheepishly to look at you. "I didn't want you to think that I was hanging around waiting for you to get back. I was but-" You can tell that it pains him to say it, like he didn't want to admit he cared, but the thought that he came by to check on you made you happy.

“What did you say about me?”

Ben presses his lips together.

“Ben?”

“He wanted to know how your artwork was coming along, what we had done in the past week. Stuff like that. One time he said he didn’t like Howard either.”

“What?" Your hands tighten on Ben's shoulders in shock.

“He said that he hated the way you looked whenever Howard came around and then he said if he was gonna give his permission for anyone to marry you it was going to be me.” Ben shrugs it off as if he hasn’t said the most shocking thing you’ve ever heard in your life.

Your father would ask you about Ben occasionally and only when your mother left the room. He always seemed pleased when Ben would come pick you up, one time he gave Ben some money so he could buy tickets when you both went to a carnival, but you had no idea that they had talked about Ben marrying you.

“Hold on. Did you-" You pause for a second. "Did you ask my father if you could marry me?”

“No.” Ben answers quickly.

“Well then did he say why he didn't like Howard?"

“He said he liked how happy I made you. Said that you would always be singing in your room after you saw me.” Ben smiles one of his hands curving around your hip to hold you steady on his lap. “I told him I was sorry he had to hear that. You have many talents y/n, but singing is not one of them.”

“I don’t want to hear it from you. There’s about a million tapes of you trying to sing, not to mention you trying to dance. I wanted to jump out the window when you dragged me to that Solid Gold Music Video shoot.“ You roll your eyes at him.

Ben presses a hand to his chest as if offended. “You don’t like the way I dance? Because I happen to remember a few times that we’ve danced together and you certainly seemed to be having a good time.”

“I’m a good actress.”

“Sure.” Ben snorts. “Then again I think I’m good a few other things too. Things that I wouldn’t mind showing you sometime.” His arm wraps around your waist as he pulls you into his chest, lips catching along the shadow of your jaw.

“You’re awfully sure of yourself I’ll say that.”  You laugh.

"Mhmm." The rumble of his answer seems to vibrate down your spine spreading warmth in its wake.

"Ben." You warn, as his hands begin to play with the bottom of your shirt.

"I know." He whispers raising his eyes again to look at your face with a soft smile, but you can still see a flicker of disappointment behind them.

Deep down you knew that you were getting closer to forgiving him, but it had only been two days, and everything between the two of you was still a little rocky. You wanted things to calm down again before you took that big step with Ben again. You didn't want to rush it, and you could see that Ben didn't want to either.

"How about tonight, we do something a little different." You trace your index finger over his lips, loving the soft curve beneath the pad of your fingertip.

"What do you mean?" He looks confused.

"You'll see." You murmur against his lips as you drop your mouth down to his, losing yourself in him all over again.

A/N: I know it's been a while guys and I know it's crazy to end it on another cliffhanger but... I'm sorry, not sorry? I hope y'all enjoyed this one. I'm sorry it took me a while to get it out, the writer's block is turning into a soul sucking abyss, but honestly, what's new? 😂 Hope that y'all enjoyed this one and I'm excited to hear what y'all think!

As always thank you so much for reading! If you'd like to be added to my taglist for the series let me know:)

(Also if you have asked to be apart of the taglist and you are not being notified- I am trying to fix it, but it's being weird. Please let me know if you haven't received a notification.)

Taglist: @roseblue373 @anundyingfidelity @cheynovak @cassiecasluciluce @muhahaha303

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[inseobts]

The Confession Chronicles

sanji x reader

Sanji tries multiple times to confess his feelings just to fail and fail and fail and fail... until?

a/n: thinking about using this prompt(?) for different characters

words count: 3k

tags: fluff, sfw

masterlist // ko-fi

It’s another peaceful day aboard the Thousand Sunny, the kind of day that gives Sanji far too much time to think—and unfortunately for him, all his thoughts are about you. He leans against the counter in the ship’s kitchen, staring at a bouquet of flowers he picked earlier.

It’s perfect. The flowers are bright and delicate, just like you, and their scent reminds him of something soft and sweet, like the desserts he always makes for you. This time, he isn’t just going to flirt with you or throw out some casual compliment that could be taken as a joke. No, today he’s going to confess his feelings properly.

“Today’s the day” he mutters to himself, running a hand through his hair.

“Today’s the day for what?”

The voice makes him jump. He spins around, clutching the bouquet behind his back like it’s a weapon. Luffy is standing in the doorway, casually munching on a piece of bread he’s clearly stolen from the pantry.

Sanji narrows his eyes “Nothing, Captain! Shouldn’t you be… I don’t know, doing captain things?”

Luffy tilts his head, crumbs spilling down his shirt “You’re acting weird. Are you doing something cool? Can I help?”

“No,” Sanji snaps, exasperated “This is something I have to do myself.”

Luffy stares at him for a long moment, then grins “Okay! But if it involves meat, save me some!”

He bounds out of the kitchen before Sanji can throw something at him. With a deep breath, Sanji straightens his tie and sets the flowers down on the counter.

“Alright, Sanji. You’ve got this,” he mutters to himself. “Just cook her the perfect dinner, bring her here, and tell her how you feel. Easy.”

He moves like lightning through the kitchen, pulling out ingredients and arranging them on the counter. Every dish he makes is infused with care—your favorite flavors, the perfect balance of texture and taste, and just the right amount of flair. By the time he’s finished, the table is set with candles, plates, and a meal that could make even the grumpiest marine weep with joy.

Everything is perfect.

But then, the door slams open.

“Sanji! I’m starving!” Luffy whines as he barrels into the room, his eyes locking immediately onto the table.

Sanji panics, throwing himself in front of the setup “No! Captain, this is not for you!”

Luffy ignores him completely, lunging for the nearest plate “It smells so good!”

Sanji wrestles him back with one arm, though it’s no easy feat. “Damn it, Luffy, this isn’t for you! This is—this is important!”

Luffy pauses mid-struggle, blinking “Important? Is it for Nami? Or Robin? y/n?”

Sanji groans, shoving him out the door. “Get out!”

Luffy finally relents, though not before grabbing a roll on his way out. Sanji slams the door shut behind him and slumps against it, running a hand down his face. The perfect setup is a mess now—plates shifted, candles tilted, and one of the dishes missing its garnish.

“Why is this so hard?” he mutters.

Sanji sighs and straightens his tie again. He can fix this. He has to. With renewed determination, he tidies the table, replaces the garnish Luffy stole, and checks every detail twice. This time, nothing is going to go wrong.

He takes a deep breath and steps out onto the deck, scanning the ship for you. It doesn’t take long—he spots you leaning over the railing, gazing out at the calm, endless sea. The sunlight catches in your hair, and Sanji feels his heart stutter.

“Steady, Sanji,” he whispers to himself. “You’re the prince of love. You’ve got this.”

He strides toward you, clearing his throat softly to get your attention. You turn, and the smile you give him is so warm and genuine that it almost knocks him off balance.

“Oh, hey, Sanji,” you say “What’s up?”

He freezes. What’s up? What’s up? How is he supposed to answer that when his heart feels like it’s about to leap out of his chest?

“I… uh…” He clears his throat again, scrambling to find the words “I was wondering if you might… join me for dinner. In the kitchen. Just the two of us.”

You blink at him, surprised “Dinner? Is something special happening?”

“Special?” Sanji repeats, his voice raising an octave “No! I mean, yes! I mean… it’s just a small… gesture of appreciation. For you. Because you’re…” He trails off, his face turning a deep shade of red.

You tilt your head, clearly amused by his fumbling. “Well, sure. That sounds nice.”

Sanji feels a wave of relief wash over him. Step one is a success. Now all he has to do is make it through dinner without embarrassing himself.

The kitchen is dimly lit when you arrive, the soft glow of candles reflecting off the polished tableware. The spread Sanji has prepared looks almost too beautiful to eat. He stands off to the side, his hands clasped nervously in front of him, watching your reaction like a hawk.

“Wow, Sanji,” you say, your eyes wide. “This looks amazing!”

He beams, his confidence returning for a moment. “Only the best for you, my dear. Please, have a seat.”

You settle into one of the chairs, and Sanji serves the first course with a flourish. For the first few minutes, everything goes smoothly. You chat casually, praising the food and making Sanji’s heart swell with pride.

But as the main course arrives, the door flies open.

“Sanji! I’m still hungry!” Luffy whines, storming into the room again.

Sanji spins around, his eye twitching. “Luffy, I swear—”

Luffy makes a beeline for the table. “Whoa, you’re having a feast in here? Why didn’t you invite me?!”

Sanji intercepts him, pushing him back toward the door. “Because it’s not for you! Out!”

“But I’m the captain!” Luffy protests, trying to duck under Sanji’s arm. “I deserve at least a bite!”

“Luffy, I will—”

You burst out laughing, and both men freeze. Sanji turns to look at you, his frustration melting into confusion. “What’s so funny?”

You cover your mouth, trying to stifle your giggles. “I don’t know why, but this is hilarious. Poor Sanji, you can’t even have one peaceful dinner.”

Sanji stares at you, completely thrown off by how easily you’re laughing at the chaos. And then, to his own surprise, he starts laughing too.

Luffy, sensing an opening, uses the distraction to grab a piece of bread off the table before bolting out of the kitchen.

“Damn it!” Sanji yells, but he’s still laughing, shaking his head in disbelief.

You smile at him, your laughter softening into something warm. “Thanks for inviting me, Sanji. Even with the interruptions, this is really nice.”

Sanji feels his heart skip a beat, and for a moment, he considers blurting out the confession right then and there. But the words catch in his throat, and instead, he just smiles back.

“Anything for you,” he says softly.

Sanji wakes up the next morning with fresh determination. Dinner might not have gone as planned, but he isn’t giving up. If anything, your laughter only made him more certain—he has to confess his feelings.

Standing on the deck with a cigarette between his fingers, Sanji brainstorms a plan. He taps his foot impatiently, running through scenarios in his head. A love letter? Too old-fashioned. A song? He’d have to borrow Brook’s guitar, and that skeleton is far too unpredictable. Maybe he can just pour his heart out the next time he sees you? No, too risky—he needs everything to be perfect.

As he’s deep in thought, Usopp strolls up behind him.

“Hey, Sanji,” Usopp says, startling him out of his thoughts. “You’ve been acting weird lately. What’s going on?”

“None of your business, long nose,” Sanji snaps automatically, but Usopp smirks.

“Oh, I get it,” Usopp says, crossing his arms. “This is about them, isn’t it?”

Sanji freezes. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please.” Usopp waves him off. “It’s obvious. You’re trying to impress them, right? Let me guess, it didn’t go so well last time?”

Sanji glares at him but doesn’t deny it.

“Well, lucky for you, you’re talking to the Great Captain Usopp,” Usopp continues, puffing out his chest “Master of romance and heroic gestures! I’ve got plenty of ideas that could help you out.”

Sanji hesitates. As much as he hates to admit it, he could use some advice. “Alright, I’m listening. What’s your plan?”

Usopp’s first suggestion is a classic romantic gesture: serenading you with a song. Sanji isn’t much of a musician, but Brook happily lends him his guitar, even offering to “add some soulful backup vocals.”

“Backup vocals are not necessary!” Sanji barks, already regretting this plan.

That evening, Sanji waits for the perfect moment to approach you. You’re sitting on the deck, watching the sunset, and he feels his heart skip a beat at how peaceful you look.

He clears his throat to catch your attention. “Good evening, my dear.”

You glance up at him, smiling. “Hey, Sanji. What’s up?”

He strums the guitar awkwardly, wincing at the slightly off-tune sound. “I wrote a little something for you. A song, if you’ll indulge me.”

You blink in surprise, clearly not expecting this. “A song? Really?”

Sanji nods, ignoring the sweat forming on his brow. He starts strumming again, his voice soft and low as he sings about your beauty, your kindness, and the way you light up his world. It’s cheesy, but it’s heartfelt.

You’re watching him with wide eyes, clearly touched—until Brook’s voice cuts through the moment.

“Yohoho! Don’t forget the bridge, Sanji!”

Sanji’s hands falter on the guitar as Brook joins in with an enthusiastic violin solo, completely overshadowing Sanji’s heartfelt performance.

“Brook, what the hell are you doing?!” Sanji shouts, his face red with fury.

“I’m providing the soul of the song!” Brook replies cheerfully. “Yohoho!”

You’re covering your mouth, trying not to laugh, but Sanji can see the amusement in your eyes. His shoulders slump as he realizes the moment is ruined.

“Thanks, Sanji,” you say, your voice warm despite your obvious amusement. “That was sweet.”

Sanji watches you walk away, Brook’s violin still wailing in the background.

Sanji is undeterred. If music didn’t work, then food will. After all, it’s his specialty.

He spends the entire day crafting a dessert that’s as perfect as you are: a delicate, heart-shaped cake with layers of your favorite flavors. He even adds tiny edible flowers for decoration, knowing how much you like those little details.

By the time the cake is finished, Sanji is practically vibrating with excitement. He carefully places it in the fridge, making sure it’s perfectly protected until the big reveal.

But disaster strikes when Luffy finds it first.

“Whoa, a cake!” Luffy exclaims, his eyes sparkling as he reaches for it.

“Don’t touch that, you bottomless pit!” Sanji yells, appearing out of nowhere to block him.

“Why not? It’s just sitting there!”

“It’s not for you!”

But Luffy is already one step ahead, stretching his arm to grab the cake. Sanji lunges for him, but it’s too late—the cake is in Luffy’s hands.

“Noooooo!” Sanji cries as Luffy takes a massive bite.

“What’s wrong with you? It’s great!” Luffy says with his mouth full.

Sanji collapses to the floor in despair, mourning the loss of his masterpiece.

By the third attempt, Sanji is desperate. He decides to keep things simple and pours his feelings into a heartfelt love letter. He spends hours perfecting every word, making sure it captures exactly how he feels about you.

When he’s finally satisfied, he seals the letter and tucks it into his pocket, determined to deliver it to you personally. But in his rush, he accidentally leaves it on the counter in the kitchen.

The next morning, Zoro finds it.

“What’s this?” Zoro mutters, picking up the letter and skimming it. His eyebrows shoot up. “Oh, this is good.”

By the time Sanji realizes what’s happened, it’s too late. Zoro is standing in the middle of the deck, reading the letter aloud in a mocking tone.

“‘My dearest y/n, every time I see you, my heart beats faster—’”

“ZORO, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” Sanji shrieks, chasing him across the ship.

You’re standing nearby, clearly confused. “Wait, what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing!” Sanji yells, his face bright red.

Zoro smirks, holding the letter just out of Sanji’s reach “I don’t know, it seems pretty romantic to me. What do you think, y/n?”

You tilt your head, clearly amused but not taking it seriously “I think you two have some weird rivalry going on.”

Sanji groans in frustration as Zoro finally tosses the letter back to him, smirking all the while.

Sanji spends the rest of the day sulking in the kitchen, trying to figure out where he went wrong.

“Why can’t I just tell them how I feel?” he mutters to himself.

But even as he wallows in his frustration, he knows one thing for certain: he’s not giving up. Not yet.

Sanji wakes up the next morning more determined than ever. He’s tried everything—songs, desserts, love letters—only to fail spectacularly every time. But if there’s one thing he knows, it’s that love isn’t about giving up.

As he tightens his tie and heads to the kitchen, he makes a vow: today will be the day.

It’s late afternoon when Sanji finally sees you. You’re sitting on the deck, talking to Chopper about something, and the sight of your smile nearly makes him forget his own name. He takes a deep breath, rehearsing what he’s going to say for the hundredth time.

But before he can approach, an unexpected voice interrupts him.

“Oi, love cook, what are you doing now?” Zoro asks, leaning against the mast with his usual bored expression.

Sanji bristles, immediately going on the defensive “None of your business, moss head.”

Zoro snorts “Let me guess—you’re going to make an idiot of yourself again?”

Sanji’s face turns red “I don’t have time for this. Go sharpen your swords or something.”

But Zoro isn’t done. He smirks, clearly enjoying Sanji’s frustration. “You’ve already tried everything, haven’t you? What’s next? Skywriting?”

Sanji glares at him, clenching his fists “You wouldn’t understand. You’re a heartless brute who knows nothing about love!”

“Maybe,” Zoro says with a shrug “But at least I don’t embarrass myself every time I open my mouth.”

The argument quickly escalates into shouting, with both men trading insults back and forth. You and Chopper glance over, confused by the commotion.

“What’s going on over there?” you ask, as you see everyone going towards the two.

Chopper shrugs “I don’t know, let's go there and see”

The fight gets more heated until, finally, Sanji snaps “Why don’t you just mind your own business, Zoro?! I’m just trying to confess to the person I—”

He freezes, his eyes widening as he realizes what he’s just said.

The entire deck goes silent. You’re staring at him, your expression unreadable, while Zoro’s smirk grows wider.

“Well, well,” Zoro says, crossing his arms “Looks like you finally spit it out.”

Sanji’s face turns beet red “I… I didn’t mean to—”

“You were saying something about a confession?” you ask, standing up and walking toward him.

Sanji panics. This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen. He had a plan! There were supposed to be flowers and candles and a perfectly prepared speech!

“I—uh—” he stammers, unable to meet your eyes.

You stop in front of him, tilting your head “Sanji?”

The way you say his name is so gentle, so full of curiosity, that it’s enough to break through his panic. He takes a deep breath, forcing himself to look at you.

“I… I’ve been trying to tell you something for a while now,” he says, his voice softer than usual “But every time I tried, something went wrong. I thought it had to be perfect, but… maybe I’ve just been overthinking it.”

You blink, surprised by his honesty “What is it you’ve been trying to tell me?”

Sanji hesitates for a moment, then squares his shoulders “I’m in love with you.”

The words hang in the air, and for a moment, Sanji feels like the entire world has stopped.

But then, you smile—really smile—and Sanji feels his heart skip a beat.

“Sanji,” you say softly, “you didn’t have to do anything fancy. I think I’ve known how you feel for a while now.”

He stares at you, stunned “You… you have?”

You nod, your smile turning teasing “You’re not exactly subtle, you know.”

Sanji’s face turns bright red, and he scratches the back of his neck, suddenly feeling shy “Well, I guess I can’t argue with that.”

You laugh, and the sound is so warm and genuine that Sanji feels his nerves melt away.

“For the record,” you say, stepping a little closer, “I like you too.”

Sanji’s jaw drops. “Y-You do?”

You nod, and before he can say anything else, you lean in and kiss him on the cheek. It’s quick and gentle, but it’s enough to make Sanji’s legs feel like jelly.

“I’ll let you cook me another fancy dinner later,” you say with a grin, “but for now, this is enough.”

Sanji watches you walk away, his hand pressed to his cheek where you kissed him.

Zoro’s voice snaps him out of his daze. “Congratulations, love cook. That was the most awkward confession I’ve ever seen.”

Sanji whirls around, ready to yell at him, but Zoro is already walking away, chuckling to himself.

Despite the teasing, Sanji can’t help but smile. He finally did it. After all the chaos and failed plans, he finally told you how he felt—and you feel the same.

As the sun sets over the Thousand Sunny, Sanji lights a cigarette and leans against the railing, a dreamy smile on his face.

Today turned out to be perfect after all.

[kneecapsbelong2me]

Marvel Women x Diabetic!Reader HCs:

When your blood sugar is low

Characters: Kate Bishop, Natasha Romanoff, Maria Hill, Wanda Maximoff, Carol Danvers

A/N: this can be read as platonic or romantic! Also, world diabetes day was last week, but here we are.

Kate Bishop:

Before you met, the food scene at Kate’s apartment was dismal

The only things she ever really kept on hand were boxed Mac and cheese, microwave popcorn, and chocolate bars

Now, (in addition to real food and snacks you can eat more regularly) Kate’s apartment is filled with all of your favorite carb-filled, high glycemic index snacks and drinks

When you go low, she’s immediately offering you everything under the sun

If your favorites are from abroad, she WILL order them, shipping costs be damned

If you’re having a super mild hypo, she’ll pop downstairs and grab you a slice of pizza

Kate Bishop is a bit of a hoverer

Constantly checking in to make sure your sugar levels aren’t going down further

She HATES waiting 15 minutes to see if you’re back above 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L)

Lowkey more anxious about it than you sometimes

“Are you sure you’re not going to collapse?”

“Kate, I’m only at 68, and I had a snack. I’m fine.”

“That is not fine!”

Natasha Romanoff:

Natasha is super observant (obviously, she’s a spy)

Seems to know you’re going low before you do

Will tell you to check your blood sugar because she’s noticing you look a little shaky and out of it

Other times will rummage through your bag and hand you a pack of gummies just as you’re about to tell her you feel low

She keeps little hard candies/gels hidden in the most random places for you

Once you were out and she pulled a candy from a pocket in her shirt you didn’t realize was there

Will never force you to do anything, but will give you her hardest stare if you don’t immediately treat your low (especially if you wear a continuous glucose monitor [cgm])

“I don’t even feel shaky, and you know this thing sometimes shows false lows,”

“I can tell you’re about to go low. Here, drink this.”

“Where were you hiding a juice pouch?!”

“I have a lot of things hidden on my body,”

“IS THAT A GRENADE??”

Maria Hill:

When she found out you were diabetic, Maria did a whole bunch of research, including on the signs of hypoglycemia and how to treat it

She has your lows down to a science

If you have a cgm, she definitely has the app on her phone so it tells her when you’re going low

If the cgm says you’re low, but you don’t feel the symptoms, she makes you check with the finger stick

Has things portioned so each serving has exactly 15 grams of carbs

Makes sure you eat a more substantial snack with protein in it once you’re back in range

Keeps a journal of the dates/times you go low and how effectively different treatments work for you

“I think you should start having an afternoon snack. I’ve noticed you have the most hypoglycemic incidents an hour or two before dinner.”

“Hmm, okay. But only if you take a break and have a snack with me.”

“If that’s what it takes, deal.”

Wanda Maximoff:

Wanda is an even bigger worrier than Kate

She’s lost so many people in her life, and she’ll be damned if she lets you die from something she can directly stop

She keeps a closer eye on your blood sugar than you do

Like Maria, if you have a cgm she has the app to track

Wanda makes sure EVERY alarm is turned on and at the highest volume

When you go out, she carries more snacks than you do

If you have glucagon, Wanda keeps a dose with her, even if you also have one on you

The instant she knows you’re low there is a candy in your hand (before you can even access your own stash)

“If that doesn’t do it, I have three juice boxes, two packs of fruit gummies, and about two dozen hard candies in my bag,”

“Geez, Wanda. That sounds heavy. Which one of us is diabetic again?”

“I just want to make sure you’re okay!”

“Sorry, I know. Thank you for caring so much about me.”

“Of course.”

Carol Danvers: 

You go low while on Carol’s ship once, and she gives you juice from an alien planet and it’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever tasted

She finds out how much you like it and goes back to the planet just to buy it for you so she always has some on her ship

Forget a phone app, Carol has low glucose alerts hooked up to all of her tech no matter what technology you use

She somehow managed to get your finger stick connected to her suit and her ship

If she happens to be off-world and she gets an alert about you going low, she stops what she’s doing to text you

But if she’s “close,” no matter where she is on Earth (or near it) when you go low she will use her super speed to get to you, even if you assure her your fine

“Carol, you really didn’t have to leave your meeting with Fury for this. I have my own snacks.”

“I know, but I’m planetside and I have that juice you like.”

“Thanks for always taking care of me.”

“Of course, I’ll always be here when you need me.”

[reikissu]

❥･• kaedehara kazuha and wanderer dating hcs.

a/n: might be ooc, i’ll try my best to edit it and make it more accurate to their character huhu

ꔛ genre: fluff, romance

ꔛ reader: gender neutral

ꔛ warnings: corny stuff, cursing

my, you're a lucky one to be the paramour of kaedehara kazuha.. because life is about to change.

he's swift as the wind, with just his way of words and voice.. he can make you turn flustered in a matter of minutes.

with just a call, you feel as if you're on cloud 9.

"dearest, may you come here?" "huh? uh sure...! (⌯❛௦❛⌯)" then he asks why your cheeks are red HAHA

his petnames for you are like a sweet flavor to his tongue, calling you out by using his petnames makes him feel warm.

he calls you dearest, dear and love. they vary in different days when he chooses one.

his love language is definitely gifts and physical touch, he loves writing poems and giving it to you, since you are his inspiration of the poems he gives to you.

and they turn out to be so romantic that you start giggling while reading it, after all.. it is all about you and he wrote it full-heartedly.

everytime it’s autumn, he would bring you to a cliff where the trees are in view, sitting next to you as you both behold the sight of the maple leaves flowing along with the wind.

he would take one leaf and put it behind your ear as an accessory, "you look beautiful, my love." he says as he gives a soft smile. 🤭

as i also mentioned, his other love language is physical touch. he likes to feel your soft skin against his, he'll kiss you, hug you, hold your hand.. anything that’s comfortable with you.

on certain occasions he would hold your hand, whenever you both are alone of course.. wouldn’t want anyone prying on your moments with kazuha, no?

he would share his experiences when he traveled with beidou or by himself, it would always have interesting events happening in them. so it’s very entertaining to listen to.

HE DEF KNOWS HOW TO SEW, because i hc that when tomo had rips on his clothes, kazuha would fix them. so kazuha would gift you handmade clothes, handkerchiefs, scarfs… you name it, and it will always be in your favorite color. “Ah, shit! My sleeve ripped!” “Mm? Oh, give me the top you’re currently wearing tomorrow, i will fix it.” “You know how to sew?” “Yes, my dear.” “Aw, thank you..” “You’re welcome :)”

sometimes when you both are in the mood to hangout on the ship, Captain Beidou always teases you both “Hey, hey.. no one told me the lovebirds would board the ship!” “Captain beidou…” you and the other crew mates just laugh it off.

you and Beidou would talk about Kazuha and tell stories, and she had one piece of advice for you. “Just come to me if Kazuha hurts you or did something wrong, i’ll teach that kid a lesson.” “Is that a threat, captain?” you laugh, kazuha mutters under his breath, leaning on the wall of the ship "Why would i ever do that to them.."

all jokes aside, having kazuha in your life is a blessing from the gods that you can never thank them enough for.

at first, wanderer wasn’t the sweetest boyfriend. But after learning about relationships and love.. he started showing how much he loves you.

after he regained his memories, he was back to his old, sassy and arrogant self. But that didn’t stop him from being soft around you.

in public, he’s the biggest asshole you’ll ever meet istg, but when alone with you, he just suddenly melts into your touch.

he’d let you play with his hair, cuddle with him or more. you’re one of the people he trusts and loves, so he doesn’t mind it. he likes being pampered and pampering you.

he doesn’t have a petname for you, he just calls you by your name. but if he’s feeling nice enough, he’ll call you babe.

“Babe, can you-“ “Huh? What did you call me? 🤩” “..Babe. Are you deaf?” “OH MY GOSH 🥹” then he’d just stare at you like “what’s so shocking about that?” HAHAHAHAHA

his love language would mainly be physical touch, but in my opinion his love languages would be all, depending on his mood.

he would make fun of you sometimes, if you trip he’d definitely laugh his ass off but will help you stand up, if you accidentally say something that is SO stupid he’ll literally never shut up about it.

he would try food or things that you like, so he’d understand your preferences. But if you like sweets, he’d have a hard time with it. he’d spend an hour just trying to swallow it, he hates it.

“What’s wrong? Do you not like dango?” “….No. I like dango.” (He’s about to puke.)

wanderer wasn’t very good at showing his love through physical touch, but he would give you soft yet quick kisses, it’s like cotton grazing on your lips. after a while, he would be able to kiss you more confidently without any hesitation in private.

he is slightly showy in public, just subtle hand and waist holding as you two walk through sumeru, eat somewhere, or do any activities outside. like stargazing, watching a play etc.

whenever he would see you eyeing something you want, he would click his tongue and say “Tsk, buy it yourself.” then later night he’s holding a bag with the item/food you wanted earlier… “Hm? Isn’t that the food/thing i wanted?” “…Yeah.” “I thought you told me to buy it myself?” “Shut up, i changed my mind.” (he will get absolutely pissed off and flustered if you tease him about it 😭)

he would help you in any way he can, cooking, laundry, blahblahblah. just anything, so he could take the weight off your shoulders. you’re a hardworking person in his eyes, and he admires that, and he’s willing to be one with you.

he would surprisingly like cuddling, but not the one with those type of cuddling where it turns into some steamy stuff. i have a gut feeling he would love chill and tender moments with you, like talking about past experiences and laughing together, watching a movie together, etc. he loves seeing you smile and laugh, it makes him feel warm inside.

would kill for you, if anyone tries to harm you, they’ll be buried 6 feet under for that. even though he acts hard to get, he loves and cares for you a lot. he does not give a single shit if you’re bigger and taller than him, he knows he’s capable of protecting you.

overall, his life with you is the happiest one he has ever had. wanderer loves you with all his heart.

© reikissu do not repost/steal any of my works and repost it on other platform/s. I do not own the characters i write for at all, reblogs are appreciated though ♡

[promptfairy]

❥    𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐃𝐘𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐒    [   𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂    ]   .

designed for ships, but can be used for a variety of relationship types. change gendered language/add context to your needs. happy roleplaying !!  ♡

❛  it feels so good to be bad.  ❜ ❛  it really makes me wonder if i ever gave a fuck about you.  ❜ ❛  give me something to believe in.  ❜ ❛  i don’t believe in you anymore.  ❜ ❛  i wonder if it even makes a difference to try.  ❜ ❛  so, this is goodbye.  ❜ ❛  one day i’ll wake up & it won’t hurt anymore.  ❜ ❛  it’s like i can’t even feel after the way you touched me.  ❜ ❛  you’re everything that i want, but you don’t want me.  ❜ ❛  am i a regret, yet?  ❜ ❛  was it worth what it costed?  ❜ ❛  you make me nauseous.  ❜ ❛  you’re overrated.  ❜ ❛  when i think of you, i just want to throw up.  ❜ ❛  all my friends say that you’re toxic.  ❜ ❛  why does love suck?  ❜ ❛  love hurts whether it’s right or wrong.  ❜ ❛  i can’t stop, i’m having too much fun.  ❜ ❛  you can’t save me, baby.  ❜ ❛  you never call or listen to me anyway.  ❜ ❛  where were you tuesday, october tenth?  ❜ ❛  how is your jacket covered in blood?  ❜ ❛  how was the party? did you have fun?  ❜ ❛  i fell in love with the warning signs.  ❜ ❛  the only time i feel alive is when i’m touching the warning signs.  ❜ ❛  if you tell me to stay away, i’m gonna dive in again.  ❜ ❛  my favorite color is red like the flags you fly overhead.  ❜ ❛  well, i should have known.  ❜ ❛  didn’t you see it coming? didn’t you see the signs?  ❜ ❛  i’ll break your pretty face.  ❜ ❛  bite your tongue & choke yourself to sleep.  ❜ ❛  you can hold my hand if no one’s home.   ❜ ❛  do you like it when i’m away?  ❜ ❛  you’re a pond & i’m an ocean.  ❜ ❛  all my emotions feel like explosions when you are around.  ❜ ❛  i am a wreck when i’m without you.  ❜ ❛  was it something i said to make you feel like you’re a burden?  ❜ ❛  tell me, is it worth it?  ❜ ❛  she’s a lady & i am just a line without a hook.  ❜ ❛  do what you want as long as you stay here.  ❜ ❛  you’ll change your name or change your mind & leave this fucked up place behind, but i’ll know.  ❜ ❛  if you ever try to leave me, i’ll find you, [name].  ❜ ❛  i’ll be the bad guy, now.  ❜ ❛  i couldn’t be there, even when i tried.  ❜ ❛  seasons changed & our love went cold.  ❜ ❛  i knew that this was doomed from the get-go.  ❜ ❛  you thought that it was special, but it was just the sex, though.  ❜ ❛  it’s only me; what have you got to lose?  ❜ ❛  you should take it as a compliment that i got drunk & made fun of the way you talk.  ❜ ❛  you should think about the consequence of your magnetic field being a little too strong.  ❜ ❛  you’re so cool, it makes me hate you so much.  ❜ ❛  you’ve ruined my life by not being mine.  ❜ ❛  you’re so gorgeous, i can’t say anything to your face. ’cause look at your face.  ❜ ❛  i’m so furious at you for making me feel this way.  ❜ ❛  if you’ve got a girlfriend, i’m jealous of her. but if you’re single, that’s honestly worse.  ❜ ❛  you’re so gorgeous, it actually hurts.  ❜ ❛  you make me so happy, it turns back to sad.  ❜ ❛  there’s nothing i hate more than what i can’t have.  ❜ ❛  guess i’ll just stumble on home to my cats. alone … unless you wanna come along?  ❜ ❛  you look so happy when i’m not with you.  ❜ ❛  i don’t know why i run away.  ❜ ❛  take me back, ’cause i wanna stay.  ❜ ❛  i kept my distance ’cause i know that you don’t like when i’m with somebody else.  ❜ ❛  i couldn’t help it; i put you through hell.  ❜ ❛  i realize that it’s much too late, & you deserve someone better.  ❜ ❛  i’m not the best at breaking up.  ❜ ❛  i like my alone time, but i want somebody to hold.  ❜ ❛  i get what i want. i keep it for a minute. then i let it go.  ❜ ❛  i hate it when you’re there for me, but i like it when you hit the spot.  ❜ ❛  i don’t do fake love, but i’ll take some from you tonight.  ❜ ❛  i don’t expect you to understand.  ❜ ❛  i’m ready to die holding your hand.  ❜ ❛  i can’t hide how i feel about you inside.  ❜ ❛  i’d give everything up tonight, if i could just have you be mine.  ❜ ❛  i’d give up everything for you.  ❜

[lightseoul]

— BAKUGOU KATSUKI.

arranged from latest to oldest per category!

型 : ONE-SHOTS

casual casualties (18+) ˖⁺‧₊

what was meant to be an innocent trip down to the bridge becomes a national sensation when you get outed as #15 pro-hero dynamight's soulmate on live tv. inconvenient, yes, very much so—but it's not like you have to do something about it. but then the bakugou katsuki himself seeks you out, and you find yourself getting into a whole lot of trouble. inspired by @/andypantsx3's fingerprints.

christmas tree ˖⁺‧₊

bakugou catches you assembling the agency's top floor's christmas tree. (post-chapter 431).

and if we do (this thing) (18+) ˖⁺‧₊

you come up with a novel proposition during dinner one night with your dominant brute of a boyfriend. he accepts, although something tells you he doesn’t fully know what he’s getting himself into.

revenge (keep us together) ˖⁺‧₊

you wake up in a hospital and see an unfortunate, familiar sight.

hold me close (hold me tight) ˖⁺‧₊

masaru has a stroke that nearly kills him. bakugou handles it well—until he doesn’t.

maybe? definitely ˖⁺‧₊

bakugou realizes he wants to marry you.

in the dark ˖⁺‧₊

you're struggling to pick out an outfit that works for a reunion with class 1a later in the evening. bakugou comes in to try to help you, but you end up having a difficult conversation. (cw. mentions of body image issues, major weight gain).

call me your favorite, call me the worst ˖⁺‧₊

bakugou visits your studio unit for the first time. let's just say he ends up seeing something he wasn't supposed to see. a short story based on my first-ever self ship art.

endearment ˖⁺‧₊

first, second, and third instances; it's official, there's something going on with bakugou and you're determined to find out.

asymptōtos ˖⁺‧₊

you needed him to meet you halfway. he couldn't.

型 : SERIES / MULTI-CHAPTERED

tbd (tent: meet crazy) ˖⁺‧₊

part 1

part 2

part 3

all out of luck ˖⁺‧₊

you had the biggest, fattest crush on bakugou katsuki in high school, which granted you weird looks and judgment from those who found out, because why, when you could fawn over prince-like todoroki or manly kirishima instead? fast forward to 10 years later, though, and now the joke’s on them, because #2 pro-hero dynamight just got dubbed the hottest bachelor of the year. but that doesn’t matter, because you’re over him now. you’ve been over him, ever since that butchered attempt at confessing where he dismissed you as a gen ed extra before you could even get the words out. so why, all of a sudden—and an entire decade later—do you have to work with him on a top-secret mission?

the wonderful mess that we made ˖⁺‧₊

you’re invited to the wedding of the ex who unceremoniously dumped you over the phone while you were on your way to meet your boss. that boss, who just happens to be #2 pro-hero dynamight, finds out and comes up with a diabolical proposition. madness—affectionate or derogatory, you don’t know—inevitably ensues.

wish you were sober ˖⁺‧₊

sober — based on this tiktok

i wish you would

admit it: the trilogy ˖⁺‧₊

admit it — loving him from afar was enough. at least, it should’ve been enough. until it wasn’t. (or, in which you subtly take care of your ex, bakugou katsuki, who also happens to be the namesake of the agency you’re working at).

still do — bakugou katsuki finally confronts you. you have a difficult conversation.

prove it — bakugou katsuki starts acting differently after your last conversation. you finally arrive at an agreement.

you and me? ˖⁺‧₊

you and me? really? — mina and kirishima invite you to a night out. they conveniently forget to tell you it was a double date.

you and me, both — mina and kirishima invite you to a night out. ‘it won’t be like last time!’ they said. you begrudgingly go.

型 : DRABBLES

it's called having (a clue)

tied (something is)

threadbare pajamas

if this is it now

something blue

flying (cockroach)

casual future

2k milestone drabble event (13/27) based on any of the given 30 prompts, i write a drabble/scenario!

emotional constipation

you're binging a show. sadly bakugou needs some attention

bakugou keeps on teasing you. you choose to bite back

happy 4th anniversary

flighty y/n gets confessed to

bakugou checks out your boobs. you tease him

trial by fire first-time boyfriend katsuki finds himself having to deal with a menstruating partner

*drabbles in response to asks are tagged #bkg

© lightseoul 2025. do not plagiarize, repost, or feed to ai any of my works.

[tokyo-1842]

Heyo, could you write a oneshot with Sanji and a reader who he thinks is a man? Reader actually dressed like a man and deepens their voice, they used to do it as a defense mechanism on their home island but they've made it a habit and haven't found the right time to break the news to their friends. Maybe after a rough fight, Reader has very bad injuries and Sanji has to take her to Chopper and realizes Reader is a woman,, you can add whatever storyline you want after that, I'm so sorry my brain ain't braining rn and I really liked your Luffy one shot with the kitsune reader 🫶🏽

(AINT GOTTA TELL ME TWICEEEE)

Sanji x F!Reader

——————————————————————————

Sanji x F!Reader who dresses like a boy!, a little suggestive, reader gets hurt, smallll Angst, THATSS ALL FOLKS.

——————————————————————————

Long ago before joining the Strawhat Pirates. You dressed up as a man to stay safe on your island. Slowly became a habit. It kept you safe from horrible people but over time it just…became a part of you.

That habit affected your life on the seas. You see, the crew had different awareness’s and opinions of your Identity.

Some just didn’t care, like Luffy and Chopper because you’re one of the straw-hats who cares about gender! (Aww). Some knew like Nami and Robin. But one didn’t know at all which was Sanji.

To be frank you didn’t really care and only got a little jealous of the princess treatment the other ladies get from time to time.

Ok you really cared because it wasn’t fair they got ice cream while you’re working your BUTT OFF. But not to the point where it caused you to reveal your self as a woman.

So now all of the unfair treatment brings us to here.

“We are going on a trip with our favorite cool looking ship! Zooming through the seas!” Usopp and Luffy sung together, hold each other’s shoulders. They laughed and made up songs. Making your trip to the market place of the island insufferable. “Ughhhhhh….” You groaned rubbing your face. “Why did I have to come…” you muttered. “Because it’s your guy’s turn to restock! Maybe control your pal Luffy because eventually, we’ll go so hungry the ship will be eaten.”

The cook inhaled smoke from a cigarette and exhaled. “Speaking of restock, we are going to spilt up. First of all” “Sanji.” “Not now Y/N, Usopp and Luffy will get essentials-“ “Sanjiii…” “Me and you will get food-“

“SANJI THEYRE GONE!” You shouted.

…

“shit.”

“Dammit! We can never have a normal day with those two!” Sanji gritted his teeth as you two wandered around a marketplace. “Maybe they are at a food stall.” You said. “They better fucking be or else I’ll-“ “language!” You shouted.

BOOM!

“The marines! Pirates!” A woman shouted as she ran. “Hurry!” A man screamed. Many people ran and stores were being closed.

You and Sanji stood and watched the chaos. “I guess we gotta cut the shopping trip short..ugh..”

“Take their heads DONT let them get away!”A marine officer headed straight for the pair.

The fight was pretty easy. Just when the last few men stood Sanji dropped some items when blocking a hit. “Leave it!” You yelled annoyed. “No way! This is for Nami-Swan!”

He turned around to pick it up, now the cook was in the open and a marine soilder swung.

“SANJI!”

SLICE

Silence fell as you landed on the ground. Sanji turned in horror as he looked at you bloodied body on the floor. “Y/N..”

You were too tired to see what had happened but you know those marines regretted it. Sanji was carrying you back to Chopper. His heart was pounding, thoughts running through is head. The blonde reached Chopper’s infirmary and demanded immediate attention.

Luckily the injuries weren’t that bad and you only passed out from shock. It was a cut right under your chest.(I couldn’t write on your chest bc i felt the pain😭) The crew was relieved, you were told to stay in bed by Chopper since the wound could reopen. Everyone visited then Sanji came in to bring you food last.

“Y/N dinners here.” The cook muttered and place it on the table next to you.

The blankets moved as you stirred awake and sat up, showing the bandages on your body. They covered the upper half of your torso and wrapped nicely around your (tatas🤯)

Sanji jaw dropped as he gawked at your features, eyes going lower and lower. Your eyes, your facial shape, your (melons), your waist. “Y/N-chan, you’re a GIRL!! So HOT!” You blushed, his eyes turned into hearts as he swirled.

“But that means…oh…IM SO SORRY Y/N-SWANN! HOW COULD I TREAT YOU LIKE SUCH A MONSTER IM SO SORRY I ASSUMED YOU WERE A-“ Bonk! “CAN IT MORON!” Nami screamed. “but!-“ Bonk! “Y/N! Are you really ok with him knowing?” The orange hair woman asked concerned. “It’s fine with me…” “I WANNA KNOW WHATS UNDERNEATH!” “shut UP!” Bonk!

After a good beating from the Navigator you were chatting with the cook at around 11pm.

“Say..Y/N swan, why do you dress up as a man? You’re so beautiful this way!” He inquired. “Well, it’s just a habit. I did this a lot for safety in my home island” You answered. “Who could make my precious Y/N swan feel unsafe to the point of hiding her beauty!? I’ll kill-“ “It fine Sanji!” You giggled and he melted into a dumb love sick smile.

“Im so sorry for letting my guard down back there! I should have thought first.” Vinsmoke held your hands and stared into your eyes with sorrow. A gentle hand was placed on his cheek. “It’s ok I mean, im alive aren’t I? That’s all that matters.” He blushed.

“Now I think we should come up with a punishment for Usopp and Luffy for causing this mess right?” You smirked devilishly.

“OH Y/N-SWAN YOUR SO CUTE WHEN YOU MISCHIEVOUS!~~~” The cook yelled at the top of his lungs.

“GET A ROOM!” Zoro shouted from the Crows nest.

“SHUT UP!” Nami screamed.

“FOOD!?” Luffy shrieked.

“SUPPPPERRRRRR!!!!” Franky bellowed.

“This calls for a song YOHOHO!” Brooked howled

“NOOO!!” Nami yelled in anger and disbelief.

——————————————————————————

I WASNT SURE IF U WANTED IT TO BE ACTUALLY DATING LOWKEY SOO- PHEW THAT WAS A LOAD I JUST KEPT ON WRITING AND WRITING TY FOR THE REQUEST ASK AGAIN ANYTIME!!!!

some gifs :)

HAVE A GOOD DAY/NIGHT :3

[sanjisluvbot]

Isekai Yandere Strawhats x Reader

Masterlist

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[ Check Masterlist for ch 9-19 ]

Sequel just uploaded 1

Life began to feel so boring. The days blended into one another and suddenly we’re in march. Staying up late catching up on your favorite show because there is nothing better to do right now. One piece was such a breathe of fresh air, full of adventure and characters that seem amazing to be around and explore the world with. You wished to be in the world where u can freely be who you wanted, the world where you weren’t shackled by the burdens of reality.

You’ve been around all the corners of the internet so you know of shifting and astral projection which is exactly what seems to be going on right now. Rewatching episodes leading up to the time skip around 4 in the morning till your eyes flutter shut. Suddenly the wafting scent of the ocean filled your nose. “ Is she a stowaway?” “ How have we just found her we haven’t been on land for over a week now”. You opened your eyes to the snout of a reindeer and other very familiar faces.

You sat up so fast knocking into the poor doctor. Panic set through you because the first assumption anyone would have is that they’re in a dream or— congrats you’ve finally lost your damn mind. “ Who are you people”.

“ We’ve got the same question for you”

“ well I asked first”

The blunt part of a sword was thrust into your face by a very angry green swordsman. Fear etched across your face you give him a once over. Zoro. To your left was Robin and chopper holding his snout on her lap. There should be absolutely no reason that you’re in this world with these wacky 15th century pirates from your goofy anime show. Your voice shakes as you try to convince the green haired man to stop threatening your life.

“ Listen this is surely a misunderstanding, I really don’t understand how I have gotten here and I’m not really too sure who you people are.”

Maybe if they think that I don’t know who they are I can figure out a way to get out of this mess without ruining the story.

“ What is your last memory before you woke up on our ship” a voice from behind spoke. Turning to the left at the top of the stairs was Nami with Sanji following behind her.

“ I was laying in my bed falling asleep and then I woke up here”

After that you were bombarded with questions, what’s your name, your age, if an 8ft skeleton can see your underwear and it nearly drained the life out of you. The sun was now beginning to set after such a long day of being interrogated by the crew you used to watch through a screen. The captain was sitting on the head of the Sunny watching the day fade away when he stretched his arm to you pulling you to sit with him.

It was quiet for a while and nerves began to set in. Does he see through me? I know a lot of people don’t give luffy the credit but he’s way more intelligent than you’d think. “ What is it like where you’re from y/n” he spoke as he turned to face you.

“ Very different.”

“ Tell me about it please”

The sun completely faded into night and the stars littered the sky while you told luffy about “ where you’re from” and he was absolutely entranced by the world he’s never been. You ended up telling Luffy the truth about your origins, somewhat about himself, there was just something so compelling and trusting about him you didn’t think nothing of it. You slept in the girls room next to Nami that night, thinking about the next step and getting home.

Was this really a dream or did your desire to escape mundane life make you shift into this world of unknown.

The next day you went to eat breakfast with the crew and luffy starts spouting all the things you told him the night before. With seemingly no thought behind his words as he swallowed everything on his plate, though his crew members all stopped to stare at you in confusion.

“ I thought you said you weren’t from here?”

“ You said you didn’t know how you got here”

“ Well I wasn’t exactly lying, I really don’t know how or why I’ve been transported into your world. I just didn’t want to scare you or make you think I’m crazy with all of this.”

Over the next few days you were beginning to settle with the crew, you spent hours getting to know everyone and having the most fun you’ve had in years. Nami and Robin were curious about your world and you were more than elated to tell them all the things you enjoyed. The boys liked when you played their silly games, Sanji was obsessed with everything about you and loved having you perched on the counter when he was cooking so you can serve as his taste tester.

Zoro only just began to acknowledge you after finding out you also had a love for drinking, it became really easy to bond with the man. You knew you had to go back but what’s the harm in spending time with such a loving group of people, it’s not everyday someone is given your experience don’t waste it being worried.

You were able to convince Nami to give you a blank sheet of paper where you wrote all the things you knew about shifting and astral projection. You’ve been with the crew over a week now spending every night trying to shift back to your world. Sometimes you feel close others are strangely disturbed by Robin and Nami whether they are sparking up a conversation with you or knocking things over which disturbs your concentration.

The next few days you began to see birds meaning you were finally reaching land, the sabody archipelago. You know the way this arch ends and you need to go home now before you spend two years on an unknown island doing who knows what because YOU aren’t a straw hat and you have no place where you can learn to polish your skills.

The bubbly island became visible and you’d be reaching it by midday, while you were sitting on the head of the Sunny with Luffy again he asked you his million dollar question.

“ Y/n join my crew” he smiled. Your cheeks burned and you had to turn away from the boy whose smile brightened all your days.

“ Luffy I would love to but—”

“ Great- EVERYONE Y/N” you clasped your hand over his mouth.

“ Luffy l can’t join your crew. I have to go home I don’t even belong in this world”

“ Why do you want to leave” sadness dripped from his voice.

“ Yeah, we’ve been having so much fun” the small doctor announced from the deck.

“ It has been very fun I’ll admit but I don’t belong here with you guys. I’ve got a whole life in my world— and a family and just so much to do.” You reasoned.

The rest of the day the crew seemed angry and distant, you simply couldn’t understand why. When they all found out where you really came from they said they would help you get home. During dinner that night you were seated between luffy and Zoro who barley uttered a word while hushed conversations were surrounding the rest of the table. It was insufferable and reminded you of elementary school when someone didn’t want to be your friend anymore and told everyone about it.

“ Luffy are you upset with me? I haven’t done anything wrong”

“ Why do you want to leave? You just joined the crew and were on a new island”

“ I never said I was joining your crew luffy”

“ you know the captain doesn’t take no for an answer y/n” Zoro chuckled.

With a huff you stood up everyone’s eyes landing on you. “ Are you all acting this way because you don’t want me to leave?”

“ Why would we want a crew member to leave us?” Nami’s voice wobbled as tears formed in her eyes. Are they serious? When did u ever agree or tell these people that you were a part of their crew.

“ Listen closely all of you. You have to understand I am not from here, I never joined the straw hats, and I don’t even have any powers I can’t protect myself.”

“ That’s why you have me Y/n-chwaaan”

“ ignore that idiot cook but you have Luffy and I, we wouldn’t let anything happen to you”

“ Who is an idiot you damn moss ball !”

A fight between the cook and the swordsman broke out and you would usually find everything hilarious but…

These people have convinced themselves you are one of them and they don’t want you to leave. You decided tonight will be the night where you will go home with or without their help especially because you already know what’s in store the next day. Laying next to Nami that night waiting for her breathing to even out so you can concentrate with no interruptions you hear soft sobbing.

“ Are you alright Nami..”

“ Y/n I know you want to go back but can you stay a little longer we all care about you and enjoy having you around. We really feel like you’re one of our crew mates”

“ Sure, I’m not missing anything important right now” lying is better than letting this girl cry all night. When her breathing finally evened out you were able to try again.

Eyes fluttering open you were finally in your own bedroom. It was just as you left it, your iPad paused on the intro to one piece and the sun was showing through your curtains.

I really did it.

Life began as usual but you had a newfound appreciation for all the little things that made life worth it. Friends and family found your new outlook pleasant and you finally felt like you turned on a new leaf. While you were getting ready for bed applying all of your creams and oils the Tv in the living room turned on.

Wealth, Fame, Power.

A chill ran through your spine, you haven’t watched the show in over a month in fear of being brought back into that world by some odd chance. Getting up to turn off the tv something in the hallway made a noise. The fear of someone or something being in your house had you clenching on the door knob for dear life.

Just open the door nothing is there you’re only scaring yourself.

Opening the door and walking down the dark hallway into the softly illuminated living room the episode of the strawhats finally meeting up after two years was playing.

“ My favorite arch I should rewatch soon”

“ Why don’t you live it instead?” A voice from behind hissed.

You felt your heart thumping in your ears as you slowly turned to be met with a very angry Captain.

——

Not proofread ! 🫶🏽

I was inspired by a similar stories I’ve seen down the tl hope you enjoyed. Pt 2 coming soon maybe

[yyuangss]

NO ERES MIA, MI FRUTA PROHIBIDA ! ( CYNO )

SUMMARY ! as a concubine, you know where your loyalty and duties lie. as a general of teyvat, he knows where his loyalty and his duties lie. yet, you are both willing to break a few rules. so long as no one knows except the two of you.

NOTES ! hi hi 🫶🤓 @mafuyuslover, i got you for the @2024gisecretsanta event !! it took me a while to figure out what i should write for you and i finally got it 🤗 have not written for genshin in so long omg but i hope you like it <3 using a new format too i’ll see if it works 🫡 word count: 2.3k words

TAGS ! royal + secret lovers au ; general cyno x concubine reader, brief mentioning of emperor rex lapis x concubine reader ; ningguang is the empress, but that does not mean i ship them ; teyvat is the entire empire, regions are divided ; not proofread, bear with me y’all 💔 ; yes i based it off another romeo santos song 🗣️‼️

You always think about the first time you met him whenever you see him. Even now, when his gaze is fixated on you from across the ballroom as you sit on a large cushion by the Emperor’s side.

Today is the Emperor's birthday and this year, he decided to host a ball to celebrate. He sits on his throne. His wife, the Empress, is sitting beside him on her own throne.

Your left hand is being held by the Emperor. His thumb is pressed against the ring you’re wearing on your middle finger. It isn’t any common ring. It is a gold band with cor lapis as the setting stone. The jewel had the Geo elemental symbol carved into it. That same ring is given to all of the concubines as their first gift and it is required to be worn by them at all times.

Around your wrist is a corsage. A glaze lily to be exact. It’s the same color as your dress which has a lot of resemblance to the flower itself. It matched beautifully, at least that’s what anyone else would assume you’re wearing it for.

You were selected to be the newest concubine of the Emperor by his retainers nearly a year and a half ago. Every so often, he takes on a new concubine from a different region.

There were obviously many rules before coming into this life. But the most important one is that no concubine was allowed to have their own lover. That was the most crucial rule every concubine knew not to break. The Emperor was a possessive man who refused to share any of his lovers.

It was the turn of the Land of Natlan to present a fine selection of women when you were chosen. They all decided you were the best option and the Emperor would be pleased at their selection.

They were right. Shortly after, you became his favorite and Emperor Rex Lapis was infatuated with you. He lavished you with riches. Expensive jewelry, dresses, shoes. Majority of the other concubines were very jealous. Some held onto the false promises he made to them.

It bothers you a lot to receive this type of treatment. It’s hard to deal with not only the concubines taking a disliking towards you, but the Empress too. Where he used to only have the Empress at his side, he now brings you along as well.

For example, he made accommodations prior to the ball so you could be sitting next to him.

Rex Lapis let go of your hand. He stood up from his throne, tilting his head to look down at you. He gave you a curt nod which was his way of giving you permission to join the guests of the ball and socialize amongst them. He turned to The Empress and she quickly understood without him having to say a single word.

The Empress stood up from her chair, linking her arm with her husband. She held her head up high, refusing to spare you a second glance. The action only made you sigh as you watched the two of them maneuver through the guests. Of course she didn’t like any of the concubines. She had no reason to. But she disliked you the most. She saw you as competition for her husband’s attention and desire.

There were so many times you simply wanted to tell Empress Ningguang you had no interest in her husband besides what your duties in the palace were.

Your gaze wandered back to a certain someone in the crowd. His distinct headpiece made it easier to find him. His attention isn't on you at the moment, rather the men he’s currently speaking to. The last thing you two wanted was to make things obvious.

You wished you could proclaim to the entire empire who your lover was.

General Cyno of Sumeru.

He was part of the The Seven Generals of Teyvat. One came from each region and were chosen by the Emperor himself. They were meant to act as not only leaders, but representatives of the Emperor in their respective regions. They held more power in their homelands in comparison to when they were in Liyue.

The other six were General Xiao of Liyue, often considered the favorite of the Emperor, General Diluc of Mondstadt, General Ayato of Inazuma, General Wriothesley of Fontaine, General Ororon of Natlan, and General Ajax of Snezhnaya.

They were ordered to reside in the Palace of Liyue and rarely ever returned to their homelands unless given permission. You had seen them walking around the palace. At the time of your arrival, the only ones you had never met before were General Cyno and General Ororon.

Cyno had his own reasons. Sumeru had been in a civil war for nearly two years and the Emperor had him handling those matters on his behalf. When everything had been settled, the General was allowed to return to the Palace of Liyue. He was gone for nearly the same amount of time you had been a concubine. Interesting how life works. The very first day he came back to Liyue after the civil war of his home region is when you met him.

You stood up from the cushion, patting down your dress. Rex Lapis and Lady Ningguang were entertained with a few royal guests. It was enough time for you to slip away from the Emperor’s mind. He wouldn’t be thinking about you for the next hour or so.

You held both of your hands together in front of you and began to approach the lively crowd. A hand raised up in the air, waving to get your attention. The bright lights reflected off a gold ring, a carbon copy of the one you’re wearing. Your eyes lit up once you saw the two other recognizable faces you were searching for.

Nilou and Yoimiya, concubines of the Emperor. They’re part of the very few who weren’t, and still aren’t, jealous of the Emperor favoring you. You lean more into gathering with them because of their kind and outgoing personalities. And as much as you wanted to approach the General of Sumeru, you knew you needed to wait.

“Oh, you look so beautiful!” Nilou exclaimed once you were close enough.

“Thank you,” You flashed her a smile, eagerly greeting them both with a hug. “You two look really beautiful too.”

“Not compared to you!” Yoimiya said as you both pulled away from the embrace. “Your dress even feels like it’s made out of real glaze lilies.” She gasped when she noticed the corsage on your wrist, immediately reaching for your hand.

They continued to admire your dress for tonight’s occasion, gushing about how the color suited you and how only you could pull this look off amongst the concubines. You glanced out of the corner of your eye as Nilou and Yoimiya continued to chat about your dress to each other.

A few groups away, Cyno was with Ayato, Diluc, and Wriothesley. You could barely hear what they were talking about. Just the faint sound of General Ayato’s voice overlapping with the many other guests in the ballroom. He was listening intently like the other two with a drink in his hand. All four Generals were rather relaxed given the occasion.

He must have sensed you staring at him, because Cyno’s visible eye flicked away from his companions. Your gaze met his. It made your heart pound in your chest. Both of your hearts at that. He wanted to go over to you at that very moment but he knew the consequences. It was too early and could possibly gather unwanted attention.

It’s why it became easier to communicate with him at a distance and not have to say any words at all.

You adjusted the necklace you were wearing with your left hand. Although it was an innocent action, Cyno’s lips formed a small smile when he saw the corsage. Glaze lilies held a different meaning for the both of you. Not a single soul, besides you two, would know the significance. It was a symbol of your love, hidden in plain sight.

An unfortunate love so strong, that could never be revealed.

“Pardon me,”

You turn around, breath hitching in your chest. You forced yourself to keep the smile that wanted to appear on your face hidden.

Cyno stood behind you. He held out one hand while the other was behind his back. He was bowing in your presence. He tilted his head up slightly to look up at you. He still had that faint smile from earlier before when he first saw the corsage on your wrist.

“May I have this dance?” He asked. You couldn’t help but laugh softly. You did tell him you liked it whenever he acted chivalrous.

“You may.” Despite trying to remain serious, since it was very risky to approach you while the Emperor was around, the smile on his face widened at your answer. Cyno tenderly took your left hand in his, standing up straight. He’d like to forget about the ring on your middle finger and focus completely on the glaze lily corsage you have on.

He guided you towards the center of the ballroom where many other couples were already dancing. He never once let go of your left hand and he gently pulled you to stand in front of him. He placed his other hand on your waist. Your hand was on his shoulder and he took the lead.

It felt surreal to be this close to him in public. The only times you could be like this were during the late meetings in the palace gardens. Cyno wanted to bring you closer, but he knew better than to push his luck. Emperor Rex Lapis might be entertaining himself with his guests, that didn’t mean he wasn’t fully unaware of what his favorite concubine was doing.

Nothing was said as you continued dancing to the live orchestra. You watched as his eye wandered around, taking in your appearance again. All the concubines were elegantly dressed to appeal to the Emperor. Except that corsage and what your dress resembled was a dead giveaway to Cyno who you were trying to appeal to tonight.

Him.

“You’re divine, my lady.” He whispered. He’d made you flustered with his compliment. Ten months into this forbidden romance and you continued to shy away. Cyno glanced over briefly to locate where the Emperor was at. Rex Lapis still had Lady Ningguang at his side. He was speaking with Lord Neuvillette, mending an old friendship that had been broken decades ago. “After this dance is over, let’s go into the hallway.”

“Alright,” You agreed, keeping your voice low. You didn’t want anyone else hearing your plans to get away from the crowd.

For now, you just enjoyed being able to dance with him for the time being. It was rare you two ever got these moments out in public. To everyone else, it seemed very normal. The concubines weren’t technically forbidden from speaking to men.

When the orchestra finished, the couples stepping from each other briefly to clap. Cyno took this opportunity to slip out of the ballroom with you. He intertwined his fingers with yours, discreetly weaving through the royals and nobles. You two had made it to one of the several sets of large doors leading into the ballroom. People were preoccupied with their conversations or dancing, that no one saw you two exit.

The hallways were empty. Everyone was inside of the ballroom, including the guards that patrolled the inside of the palace. They were making quite the commotion being for the Emperor’s birthday. But he wasn’t dumb enough to expose the two of you right outside. Instead, he continued to delve deeper into the intricate hallways of Liyue's palace.

Once he believed you were at a safer location, the first thing he did was wrap his arms tightly around your shoulders. His hand was on the back of your head, pressing you closer to him and he buried his face into the crook of your neck. You instinctively wrapped your arms around his torso.

He sighed against your skin. He was content being able to hold you in his arms. But if it were up to him, he would prefer to be able to hold you whenever he’d like and whenever he’d like. He lifted his head up to look at you.

“I don’t know how much longer of this I’ll be able to take.” Cyno muttered. He brought one of his hands to your face. His thumb caressed your cheek tenderly as he held onto it. You leaned into his touch, the palm of his hand pressed against your cheek.

“I don’t either.” You whispered. The warmth of your hands on his bare back was comforting to him. “Do you think we might ever be able to tell the Emperor of our love?”

“No. Not right now, at least… He treats you more like his wife than the Empress herself.” Cyno shook his head. In his honest opinion, he didn’t see it happening anytime soon. His expression became more serious and he moved a little closer towards you. “But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up hope on us.”

You exhaled at his answer. He wasn’t wrong. It was getting increasingly harder to sneak around without Emperor Rex Lapis finding out. You had been his favorite concubine for far too long now and he was showing no signs of getting bored of you. Many of the concubines said you’d only last a few months in this position.

Cyno saw the way you reacted to his words and the last thing he wanted was to ruin the mood. He cradled your face with both of his hands. He lifted your head up slightly. You immediately knew what he was asking for and you nodded. He leaned down, meeting your lips in a gentle kiss.

“I promise.” He said softly, “One day, we’ll be able to tell the entire Seven Regions of our love. And when that happens, we’ll leave for Sumeru to start our life. Together.”

[joeybrr9]

Part 3 - Vogue

Summary: Aurora's dreams come true at vogue but she also get's a surprise visitor

Warnings: None

a/n: Do we like Ja'Marr and Aurora's friendship?

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

Aurora spent the last couple days in the studio. She was trying to finish up one last song before the album would be ready to release. The record label wanted to release Espresso next week and Aurora had mixed feelings. She was ready to hop back into the music world but Aurora also felt the pressure to live up to what Midnights was. The label also had plans to release a second single. Aurora couldn’t decide if she wanted to release her song “Please Please Please” or “Don’t Smile.” She had to admit, “Don’t Smile” was her favorite out of the two. Aurora really took her time while writing that song and it felt so personal. “Please Please Please” was such a fun song about begging a man not to break her heart. Something Aurora was used to doing. She was lost in thought in her studio when Mark came in.

“Okay Rory, you have your fitting in 3 hours for Vogue. I’m not sure what they are gonna put you in yet so let's not wear a lot of makeup.”

“I still can’t believe they want ME to be in one of their fashion shows!” Aurora squealed. So many things had gone wrong for her in the last year but also she had been so blessed.

“You do realize how popular you are right? You aren’t just some singer. You’re right behind Taylor this year for streams on Spotify and Apple Music. You’re fucking killing the game.” 

“I’m gonna blush Marky. Stop it.” Aurora giggled while taking off her headset and grabbing her phone. After her two disastrous interviews last week her phone has been on constant DND. The first person to call her was Sydney, asking when the fuck she started getting dicked down by Burrow. Taylor also called to reassure her that it would blow over and the worst fans could do is ship the quarterback and singer together. This didn’t seem to calm Aurora much because she had chewed off her acrylic nails and had to get them replaced. 

She did notice that the infamous quarterback had taken time out of his day to follow her on Instagram, meaning he definitely saw that interview. Embarrassing. Maybe Ja’Marr just told Joe what happened, that’s what Aurora liked to tell herself. 

Ja’Marr and Aurora had become close ever since her break up with Paul. She knew Ja’Marr from when she attended a Bengals game his rookie year in 2021. They exchanged numbers to stay in touch and eventually a friendship developed. A couple times Aurora wondered if something more would come out of it but they always stayed friends. Ja’Marr is one the sweetest people Aurora has ever met in her life, it was probably for the best that they stayed friends. She wouldn’t want to ruin something good like that. 

“Alright, we should probably get going. It’s about a two hour drive and there might be traffic.” Mark started packing up Aurora’s bag. He was always so good about remembering everything she would need. 

“I think I’m ready….okay let’s go.” Aurora opened up the door to feel the sun on her skin. When she moved to a different city she would miss the constant sun. Although, she does miss all four seasons. Aurora grew up in Ankeny, Iowa so she experienced every single season. Winter was her favorite time of the year. The way the wind was always blowing, the beautiful snowflakes, and the winter time outfits. Everything was perfect. Aurora needed some winter living her in life. Aurora took a step up into the car Mark had waiting for them; the anticipation in her was building up.

“What if they think I look bad in their outfits? I mean they could just say they don’t need me. That would be so embarrassing. Oh my gosh, you can’t let that happen Mark. I will cry. What if I-”

“Oh my god, will you stop. They personally called and asked for you. It’s gonna be fine.”

“But what if-”

“Nope I don’t want to hear any of it. They want you here. You have to stop acting like you’re a burden.” After giving Aurora a deep glare, Mark reached into his bag to dig out his AirPod Maxes. She turned to look out the window; this was gonna be a long car ride 

~ ~ ~

“Hello beautiful lady, my name is Jules and this is Danny. We will be helping you out today. Follow us right this way.” Ever since Aurora arrived at her fitting she’s been in awe. The building was beautiful and everyone working for Vogue was stunning. “Alright, here is where we will be doing your fitting.” The room was an oval shape filled with mirrors. Everywhere Aurora looked she could see herself. 

“This place is beautiful; none of this feels real.” She let out a little laugh. 

“Just to let you know we do have two guys coming in later to get fitted also. They will probably show up while we are working on you. Is that alright?” Jules didn’t seem to think it was a big deal, continuing to rummage through the rack of dresses.

“Yeah, no, that’s no problem. I’m totally flexible. Whatever you guys need.”

“Way to not lay it on thick.” Mark whispered in her ear. Aurora smacked his stomach but all he did was laugh.

“Aurora, follow me this way. We are going to put you in this dress first. Come on out when you put it on.”

This is the first dress https://www.pinterest.com/pin/638385315960478493/ 

Aurora turned around in the dressing room to see herself. This dress flattered her in multiple ways. This was a surreal moment. 

“You look beautiful in that. Okay Danny take the waist in a little and see if it looks a little better.” Jules ordered about 5 or 6 different people around while Aurora just watched. Eventually Aurora saw Jules standing behind her just observing the dress.

“The dress is beautiful and so are you, but I think we need to find something else. This one isn’t it.” Jules started to undo the dress and hand Aurora the next one. It was a stunning gold color. The bottom didn’t have a lot of material to it and she wondered if she could pull off a look like this. While Aurora was slipping her dress on she heard some commotion and more voices. I wonder if it’s a model or someone famous. Maybe it can be Michael B Jordan. 

“Hey Jules, can you zip my dress up. I can’t reach this one. When Aurora peaked her head out she saw a tall white man talking with Mark. His back was facing her so she wasn’t sure who it was, she did know one thing for sure, it wasn’t Michael B Jordan.

“Alright girl, you’re all good to go. This dress is stunning on you, might even impress Mr.Burrow out there. Aurora felt all the color drain from her face. Mr.Burrow, as in Joe Burrow. No, no, no, no. I can’t go out there. Whats the chance I’m walking in the same show as Joe Burrow. Jules didn’t seem to understand that Joe being here wasn’t a good thing because she walked back out to the main room to resume their conversation.

Okay, I have to go out there at some point. Maybe he won’t even see me. Okay, deep breaths. I got this. Aurora decided it was now or never. He might not have even seen that stupid interview. 

This is the second dress https://www.pinterest.com/pin/397583473371425396/ 

Aurora cautiously stepped out of her dressing room, trying not to draw all the attention to herself. Unfortunately, her wish wouldn’t come true.

“Rory, oh my god, I didn’t know you would be here. I missed you so much. You don’t call enough anymore.” In mere seconds she was being engulfed in a tight hug. She pulled back to get a look at the mystery man's face. It was none other than Ja’Marr Chase.

“Marr. I missed you so much! It’s been almost 6 months since I’ve seen you. How have you been?” Truthfully, Ja’Marr was one of Aurora’s favorite people on the planet. He was there for her after Paul broke her heart into a million pieces. He even opened his home up to her for a month when she needed to escape the flashing lights of LA.

“You know, I’ve been balling out. We have a little bit before the season starts though, Rory. If you ever want to come visit me. My home is open.” Ja’Marr had let Aurora out of her hug and she had made her way over to get fitted into her gold stunning dress. 

“What are we thinking about this one Aurora? I love the bottom and how it shows you off more than the pink one.” Jules studied her body for a while. Aurora caught Ja’Marr’s eyes in the mirror and smiled. It was nice to see him again; she didn’t realize how much she missed his presence. “I have another one I want you to try on. I wouldn’t let just anyone try the next one on, but you’ll love stunning it.” Jules started to undo the shining gold dress when Aurora caught her first glance of Joe Burrow. He was getting fitted into a black suit with Danny. She saw Joe turn around to grab something out of his dressing room when the breath in her throat got caught. It’s backless.

“Here you go. Try this one.” Jules dropped a dark gold dress into her hands. This seems a little…skimpy.

“You need help in there, Rory?” Ja’Marr let out a laugh. She figured he was kidding but deep down she didn’t know. Ja’Marr was known for being a flirt with her but nothing had actually happened between them. Except for that one night while she was living with him, but that's besides the point. 

“Don’t be a perv Marr. I’ll manage.” It took Aurora a couple minutes to figure out how to put this dress on. Once on, she saw how it complimented every part of her. Her boobs looked amazing and it made her hair glow. There was no way Jules didn’t think this was the dress. It did show a lot of skin; not much of her chest was covered. Is it too much? 

This is dress three https://www.pinterest.com/pin/684828687122375381/

Aurora pulled the curtain of her dressing room back to see Joe standing next to Ja’Marr, deep in conversation.

“This is it. I can already tell. Danny, can you grab my tape measure?” Jules led Aurora up to the mirrors so she was on display for everyone to see. “I think all we need to do is shorten it but other than that, Aurora, it’s all good. This was made for you.” Jules displayed a huge grin.

“I second that. Rory, you are beautiful.” A slight blush graced her cheeks from Ja’Marr’s comments. He then reached forward to pick her up and spin her around in a circle. Aurora let out a mix between a squeal and a laugh. 

“Marr put me down. I’m gonna have a wardrobe malfunction.” Ja’Marr gently set Aurora down when she locked eyes with Joe. 

“Hey, I’m Joe Burrow.” He reached out to shake her hand; she was too busy staring into his baby blue eyes when Ja’Marr nudged her shoulder. 

“Aurora Prince. Nice to meet you Joe. I’ve been to a couple Bengals games and I hope to be back again this year. If Marr will get me some tickets.” Aurora looked over at Ja’marr making a begging symbol with her hand. He laughed and lightly pushed her away. 

“Don’t worry about it Aurora. Whenever you want to come just tell me, you’re always welcome to use my suite. More the better.” Aurora couldn’t tell if Joe was trying to flirt with her if he just was being a gentleman.

“Honestly, I might have to take you up on that offer. I love watching you guys play, I’m a huge fan.” Joe flashed a big grin at her; she couldn’t help but notice how perfect he was. 

“Joe and Aurora, we would like to invite both of you to our fashion show in France in June. We would also like both of you to walk in it, together. Aurora you will wear the gold dress we picked out today and Joe you will wear the black backless suit. What do you say?” Jules handed Joe and Aurora a contract to sign after.

“Yes, 100 times, I will be there. Thank you guys so much.” Aurora didn’t have to think about her answer. This had been her dream forever, she would do anything for it.

“I’ll also be there. Thank you guys.” Joe then turned his attention towards Aurora. “So me and you, we are kinda teammates now.” He let out a little laugh and awkwardly grabbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, that was cringy. I’m glad we are walking together. I agree with Ja’Marr, you are beautiful.” 

“Thank you Joe.” A deep blush was present on Aurora's face. Not only had she met her celebrity crush, he was now complimenting her. 

“Well, I’m gonna get changed, but I hope to see you around Aurora.” Joe smiled and started to walk to his dressing room when Ja’Marr grabbed Aurora’s arm.

“Hey, we don’t fly out to Cincinnati for a couple of days, are you gonna free at all.”

“For you, I’m not sure.” Aurora smiled and leaned into Ja’Marr’s touch. He embraced her in a side hug.

“I missed you, homegirl. You still home shopping?” Aurora just nodded her head yes. “Well I hope you deeply consider cincinnati. I would love to have you close and you know, Joe only lives about 10 houses down from me.” Aurora laughed; so they had seen her interview.

“I’m thinking about it, Marr. I just need to get these singles out, maybe even the album, and then I can focus on moving.” Aurora knew she needed to get out of LA, it wasn’t bringing her happiness anymore; only a reminder of bad memories. “I should probably get changed, but I want to see you before you leave for Cincinnati. Is it just you and Joe?”

“Yeah, we fly out Sunday morning at 8am. So we will be here for another five days. Why?” Ja’Marr had let go of Aurora as she was heading into her dressing room.

“You’re more than welcome to come stay at my house. No point in paying for a hotel room when I have six empty rooms at my house.” Aurora had started to change out of her scandalous dress and back into her grey sweats and Nike hoodie. Once changed, Aurora came back out only to be met with Joe and Ja’Marr. “Seriously, cancel your hotel and come over to my place tonight. It will be nice to have people over.” She flashed a big grin at Joe. Honestly, she just wanted him to stay at her place forever, he was easy on the eyes. “What do you guys say?”

Ja’Marr and Joe shared a quick look and Ja’Marr shrugged, “You’re on.”

“Great! I have to get back in the studio for a while but feel free to make yourselves at home. I should be back around four or five. We can order takeout. See you guys later.” With that Aurora excused herself and walked back out to her car. Once out of Joe’s presence she was able to let a breath go that she didn’t realize she was holding in.  

“I did something stupid Mike.” Aurora sighed and glanced over at Mike who still had his air pods on.

“Do I even want to know?”

[bobbin-buckley]

What I think Dating Carol Danvers is like:

Cairo Danvers x Fem!Reader

Summary: Just headcanons about dating Captain Marvel! With some little Drabbles added in

Warnings: Fluff and maybe some mentions of sex, some mentions of violence

Carol

Reader

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-Definitely live together, wether it’s on your home planet or in a ship that maybe Talos or you savaged

-Always scolding her when she gets hurt, though she doesn’t mind it. She sometimes gets small injuries on purpose just to be babied by you

-Having you watch her do her training, she loves showing off to you. Fury finds it laughable whenever she messes up, but you find it cute

-Got either a dog or cat together, she seems like the kind of person to like both

-Loves it when you play with her hair, she won’t admit it but she also loves the little braids you put in her hair

-Sometimes (all the time) whenever you’re on your period you have her use her powers to soothe your cramps, though she’s skeptical about it and scared she’ll accidentally hurt you. You continuously tell her she won’t

-^^To add on from this, she’ll also warm you up whenever needed. She’s basically a heated

-Can’t cook. So it’s all on you to make dinner, you never let her in the kitchen

“I’m just getting a snack babe…”

“How can I trust you won’t turn the toaster on?”

“……please?”

-You helping her remember her childhood and before the crash with Maria and her daughter

-Being pretty protective and keeping an eye on you whenever in the galaxy, she’s afraid you’ll end up getting hurt somehow

-At first when you guys started dating, she was afraid to show you what she truly was. Her abilities an all, she didn’t want you thinking she was a violent person. But you thought it was kickass and fell in love with her more

“You don’t…mind the fact I am genuinely like the sun?”

“I think it’s pretty badass, and you are hot both ways.”

“…..thank you…” *Internally screaming*

-Super gentle during sex but let’s you make the decision of how you want it to be. She’s honestly a bit nervous for the first time

-Her and Maria tried to convince you to learn how to fly a ship but you refused, (they both understood)

-Offering to babysit Monica with Carol when Maria is busy. You three end up lighting fireworks off the roof and watching scary movies that’ll make Monica sleep with her mom the next couple of nights

-Becoming best friends with Fury because he’s great

-She seems like the type to be pretty cuddly, and loves to give neck kisses

-She even will take you on dates on different parts of the galaxy, Star gazing is her favorite. She’s secretly an expert at the constellations and knows everything about zodiac signs. Nerd.

“Did you know They Babylonians divided the sky into 12 areas, and each area with a name, figure and meaning. Like the word ‘zodiac’ comes from a Greek term for ‘sculpted animal figures’.”

“You’re such a nerd…”

-Whenever your sad it makes her sad so she does her best to cheer you up, and it always works whatever she does

-During workouts she has you sit on her back as she does push-ups just to test how good her muscles are. (Another way to show off)

“Babe…you’re quite heavy today….”

“Are you calling me fat?!”

“N-no! Not at all!!!”

-Had accidentally burnt you one time and couldn’t stop apologizing or kissing the wound

-She seems like a boob and ass girl equally tbh

-Gives you the mom look with the crossed arms and hip stance when you’ve done something wrong or stupid

-May seem dangerous and mean but literally such a sweetheart

-So soft with you, Fury makes fun of her for it sometimes

-Would never forgive herself if you got hurt

-Overall I think Carol is a pretty good girlfriend, she doesn’t try to become a workaholic. She just saves the galaxy when she needs to, always coming back to you…with at least a scratch or two

“How’d you even….? You know what..never mind.”

*Currently has five splinters in her hand* “I fell….”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n: I know what I said about taking a break but I just started getting into Marvel and just watched Captain Marvel and fell in love with Carol so here we are.

I’d take absolutely any requests!! But I’ve only seen half of Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Captain America so just give me time to catch up 😭 (it’ll take the rest of my life)

[brooooswriting]

For Carol: How about Carol growing slightly distant and neglecting R because she's scared she isn't enough since she always has to leave earth and be away for longer times. Some nice, juicy angst until it gets resolved. Happy ending with R living with Carol on her ship?

To the end of the galaxy

You met Carol and furry in a restaurant and it just immediately clicked. It was like that scene from hotel Transylvania, where they met and it chinged. You couldn’t take your eyes off of each other which caused Carol to walk into a table. After you stopped laughing you walked over to greet her, introducing yourself and she was quick to do the same.

The same week you went on the first date, followed by 12 more before she had to go to space again. It was a hard goodbye, you had met up nearly everyday and now you could barely keep in contact. But while the blonde offered you an easy way out several times you didn’t take it. You liked her, a lot, and you wanted to stay with her.

It worked out rather fine. She would come to earth as often as possible, staying some weeks and spending every day with you. Those weeks were always the highlights and you counted the days until she would come back.

But lately it has been different. She didn’t visit as often and if she did she only stayed for a couple of days, barely talking to you or touching you. She was distant and it was weird.

You were sitting on your couch with a friend/coworker when the door suddenly swung open. Carol walked in, her normal stoic face as she appeared in the living room. “Carol? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” You asked her but she barely answered, mumbling something about flying by and wanting to say hi before she walked upstairs.

“Do-Do you want me to go?” Your friend asked, sensing the weird mood that suddenly appeared. You shook your head, the blonde wasn’t going to talk to you anyway. “Are you guys okay?” He then asked, which was a harder question.

“I’m not sure but we’ll figure it out sooner or later. Now about that problem…” you discussed the reason he was actually there until later that evening. Once he went away you started to cook the captains favorite, hoping that it would lift her mood but it was no use.

She came down, thanked you for the food, she ate with you but she barely talked. It was so goddamn confusing. When you went to bed that night she didn’t hold you like she used to, she was on her phone till late at night which was when you realized it was over.

She had distanced herself from you months ago but you didn’t wanna believe it so you acted as if everything was fine.

The next morning Carol woke up confused, the place to her left was empty and cold which meant that you had been up for a longer while. Normally she was up way before you and normally she used to hug you close to herself until you woke up. She strolled through the room for a bit looking at the pictures you had up from her, you looked so happy on those. All the other pictures you had up where from the times she wasn’t there, you looked less happy. Your smile didn’t even reach your eyes.

When she came downstairs she sensed something was off. And the feeling got proved right when she saw you sitting at the table with a coffee in your hand, the other side empty. Everytime she visited you made coffee for the two of you. Before the blonde could even greet you you started to talk. “We should talk. Sit please.”

With a bad feeling and a heavy heart she sat down opposite of you, her hands stretching out to touch yours but you pulled back. “What do you want to talk about?” She asked, it was a stupid question. She knew what you wanted.

“I think we should break up. I know you’ve been thinking about it for a while and I don’t want to keep you here if you wanna go. Since I have to work today I will be gone for about 7 hours which should give you enough time to pack your things but you’re always welcome to get something if you forget something” your voice broke several times as you spoke, tears streaming down your face while they brimmed carols eyes. “I’m sorry this didn’t work out C, I’m sorry if I didn’t love you enough” you pressed a kiss to her head before leaving the house, giving Carol space to cry.

She knew that this was her fault, it was her fault that you broke up with her and it was her fault that you were crying right now but it felt so unfair to keep this relationship alive. She thought this was what she wanted, to give you freedom and to stop you from hurting when she wasn’t there. But now she felt like she hurt you a lot more.

You’ve never felt so terrible. You loved Carol with everything you had and now you might never see her again which was ripping you apart. Sure, the long distance thing was hard but you would happily wait for her if you at the end would be with her. But it was no use, it was over. She made it obvious that she didn’t want to be around you anymore.

That night you cried yourself to sleep, the pictures of the two of you taunting you but you didn’t have the heart to take them off. You were sure that you were going to marry Carol one day, that you guys were going to live a happily ever after but now you just thought that you were stupid.

Carol didn’t feel any better, she cried in her ship with Goose on her lap. She was still in the sky above your house, she couldn’t bring herself to fly away. This was what she wanted but now that she got it? It was terrible and she could feel that you weren’t feeling better. She was sure about it when she saw you leave your house for work, tear tracks still covering your pale face.

When you came home the whole house smelled like your favorite vanilla chai candle, pizza and like something burnt. At first you were scared that you left a candle or the stove on but when Goose came toward you, rubbing against your leg you put one and one together.

With careful steps you walked into the dining room to find Carol there, figuring out how to plate the pizza to make it look good and fancy. Or better said, worth your time. “So, what’s going on here?” You asked, trying to keep your voice as nonchalant as possible.

The blondes head shot up at the sound of your voice and the piece of pizza in her hand fell onto the plate. “Y/n, you’re home earlier than expected” she started, staring at you for a moment. “I, uhm, I got pizza from the place down the street. The one you like so much and I bought you new candles and I really want to talk to you.”

You sighed, you really didn’t feel like talking right now. Your job sucked, you were tired and your head hurt from all the crying but the way Carol looked like she was about to cry made you give in. “Fine, but quickly. I got a long day tomorrow” you sat down opposite of her, starting the piece of pizza on your plate.

“Look, I know I’ve been an ass for the last couple of months and I regret that. Trust me I do but I thought it would be for the best. I have to leave so so often that it felt wrong to tie you to me you know? You’re so amazing and kind and pretty and friendly and you deserve the world. You deserve someone who would destroy the world to save you, but I’ve been destroying you to save the world. And that’s just now right” you opened your mouth to say something, the small smile on your lips giving Carol a hint. “And yes I know that sounds like a cheesy fanfic or something” she said before you could. “But I mean it. I felt terrible about it and i thought when I distance myself we can both move on from each other and you can be happy. God, I was so wrong because I don’t think I can move on” she looked at the plate in front of her, suddenly not knowing where she was going anymore.

“Carol, I didn’t care about all that. I knew what I put myself into, I was okay with it. Sure the distance was hard but you’re worth it. I would go to the end of the galaxy for you” you promised, your hand holding hers on the table. You wanted to be mad at her, you really did but it wasn’t often that she opened up like that and you wanted to show her that it was okay to show feelings and open up.

“To the end of the galaxy?” She asked, titling her head to the side. You gave her a convincing nod with a small smile. “Then I think I know how to fix all of this”

Two weeks later you woke up in space, Carol laying behind you, her arm carefully wrapped around your waist as you looked outside. The captains solution was that you moved in with her and you loved it. Your old job was shit and there was nothing really that held you on earth, so you jumped on the idea. Space was the coolest thing ever and by now you knew how to fly it and everyday Carol taught you something new about the technology.

“I love you” she mumbled as she shuffled closer to you, burying her head in your hair. If she had known how amazing it would be to wake up with you every morning she would have asked you to come with her a long time ago.

“I love you too” you answered as you stared at your reflection in the glass. Goose settled between you and the window. You were happy to have your own little family from which you’d never have to be separated from again.

“But we are still renovating the ship” you added, laughing as you heard Carol groan. The ship was kinda sad from the inside and there was barely any place where you could cook or do anything else, so a renovation was the solution. The blonde hated that, it was so much work.

“Anything for you” you turned your head gave her a quick kiss before closing your eyes again. It was too early to be awake anyway.

[scoutswritingcorner]

Salutations, I was wondering if you could do a Charlastor aka Showtunes (as the young people would call it) x Reader fic/ headcanon either one?

Showtunes!!

Charlastor x GN!Reader

TW:NONE!!

A/N: Before anyone comes at me- I don’t mind writing different ships as long as they aren’t breaking any of my rules, I’m totally down. Now! Another note, while this ship is not canon and I understand canonically Charlie and Vaggie are in a relationship, do not send hate! People are allowed to ship who they please as long as they aren’t hurting anyone or breaking any laws!

-👑 Oh boy- how did you end up with two of the most powerful people loving up on you? Some kinda witchcraft over here /j

-🦌 In all seriousness, you got the happiest most loveable person in the whole world on one side and the other you got Alastor. They both love you in different ways and will gladly show you that.

-👑 Charlie takes the route of physical affection the most, kisses, cheek kisses, random hugs. You name it, she’s got it. Alastor? Does show affection but mostly behind closed doors, the best you’ll get PDA wise is kisses on your knuckles and possibly a cheek kiss, an arm around your waist too if he’s in a good mood.

-🦌 Both are wildly protective of you but know you can handle yourself well, they only step in if it’s a life or death situation. Or if they annoy Alastor too much. 

-👑 They both love going on dates with you as much as they can but don’t expect it too often cause running a hotel is hard work and sometimes things don’t go as planned. But they will make it up to you, they don’t want to see you cry or upset. It breaks their hearts.

-🦌 If something upsets you? It’s upsetting them, whilst Alastor is much more used to burying his emotions you can tell he’s pissed by the way his ears flick and his smile stretches larger. Charlie will always take you away to help calm you down and ignore how her horns are starting to show, but if you’re too upset and just need a moment alone to calm yourself down? They will give you space, but don’t expect the person who pissed you off to be alive much longer.

-👑 Going to fancy balls or dances with these two? Oh boy- Alastor slow dancing with you before spinning you off so Charlie can dance with you? 

-🦌 Alastor is only truly relaxed around both of you at the end of the day, I’m talking the wide grin falls to a smaller smile and his shoulders slump. He even shows you both his tail. Do not mention it to anyone if you value your afterlife.

-👑 Now if you cook? Alastor will be either helping you or sitting off to the side drinking his black coffee and reading the paper. When Charlie can, she joins in and allows you to teach her how to make your favorite foods or treats.

-🦌 Speaking of treats- Charlie has a huge sweet tooth and will eat any treat you make, be sure she doesn’t eat too much. Charlie on a sugar rush is so chaotic, she’s bouncing off the walls. Alastor doesn’t strike me as someone who likes sweet things but if you ask him, he will try it and give his honest opinion. He doesn’t mean to be a dick, he’s just an honest man. His Mama told him lying is not good for the soul.

-👑 You start singing? Now Alastor and Charlie have joined in on you and you three are an unstoppable force. Especially when they dance with you around the hotel like it’s some sort of musical

-🦌 While Alastor doesn’t sleep, he’ll lay with you both until you guys fall asleep. He’s usually poking fun at the silly things you say when you both are sleep deprived, but he does give you and Charlie forehead kisses as an apology. If he does end up falling asleep? (which is rare), he’ll allow you to cuddle up to him, just don’t move too much.

[insert-witty-user-name-here]

Lokius Fic Recs

Less than 10K words, Season Two Edition

Admittedly, I am very behind reading all the fabulous fics that came out after season 2 so I’m sure I’ve missed some gems. Nonetheless, sharing a few of my favorite post-season two Lokius fics, less than 10K words.

See my less than 10K season one Lokius fic recs here. And Lokius multi-chapter fics here.

If you’re looking for…

Angst with a hopeful ending (aka post S2 reunions or near reunions)

Come back. even as a shadow, even as a dream. by harleygirl2648- Loki and Mobius, steal what moments they can together following the events of season two and eventually find a way to make it permanent.

time will pass, darling (but my feelings, they won’t) by burnthatbridge- Another! Loki and Mobius steal what moments they can together following the events of season two and eventually find a way to make it permanent. (Okay this one is just over 15K words).

Serendipitous by emilieee- Mobius dreams of all of the moments over the centuries that he had forgotten. Meanwhile, Loki tries to find his way back to Mobius.

auld lang syne by Mirilya- Mobius experiences the first New Year's Eve that he can remember… and finds something worth celebrating.

Purpose Shared by tishae- Loki hears Mobius across the timelines and finds his way back.

Dream of me by Tears_and_smiles- (explicit) Mobius falls asleep in his motel bed and disappears into his dreams to find Loki. When he gets there, they share a night of pleasure.

with, no withouts by dinosuns- Sylvie and Mobius deal with the aftermath of Loki’s decision and begin to make a plan to get him back. (I remain delusional/hopeful that this fic will be finished. Regardless, the first chapter is spectacular on its own).

Their Burden to Bear by PerpetualDaydream- listed as Sylkius but vague to ship whoever you like. Focused on Mobius and Sylvie finding Loki and deciding to save the multiverse together.

Tell Me Some Things Last by Tears_and_smiles- Sylvie and Mobius work through the aftermath of Loki’s decision. Lots of healing vibes (and Sylvie and Mobius friendship my BELOVED).

Angst with little comfort, but beautiful:

Off The Beaten Path by ChaosAndOrder- Mobius deals with the aftermath of Loki's choice and makes one of his own. No reunions here but a gorgeous character introspective with a hopeful ending.

After They Left by ebeatrice- told from an OC POV, a TVA agent reflects on how much quieter the TVA is now after they take over Mobius’ old desk.

Centuries by TheVulcanBobDylan- (explicit) Throughout the centuries, Loki seeks comfort in the arms of different Mobius variants.

I know what I want by beandogger- (explicit) During one of his timeslips, Loki shares one more moment with Mobius before facing his fate.

Season two finale canon divergent fix its:

Let Us In by DewdropReader- How it should have ended IMO. Loki is convinced that the only way to save everyone he loves is to carry the burden of the multiverse. Sylvie and Mobius aren’t willing to allow it. What if instead of sacrificing himself, Sylvie and Mobius were able to stop Loki and were able to convince him to let them help. (I’m a big believer in The Power of Friendship endings and will always crave them.)

Kissed You Atop The Ferris Wheel by kittyhazelnut- Loki accidentally freezes time. He and Mobius share (no spoilers) a ✨moment✨. The next time Loki timeslips, things are different.

Missing Scenes, Season Two:

Portraits of your fidelity by Aliencritters- After the events of episode S2, ep1, Mobius convinces a panicking Loki to calm down and take a much needed break.

remember me (for centuries) by bookinit- Loki and Mobius throughout his timeslips.

No Time to Rest by startingatmidnight- (explicit) After the events of S2, ep1, Loki and Mobius sleep together, literally and otherwise ;). (I am obsessed with Mobius’ characterization here. Snarky, manipulative yet deeply caring Mobius, my beloved)

once more to see you by thumbbird- canon divergent S2, ep5, a Don/TVA!Loki fic! Loki has lost TVA Mobius and is determined to make a life for himself with the only Mobius left—timeline Single Dad Don. But how long will Don remain ignorant of the strange circumstance that brought them together? Obsessed with this pairing!

Fluff:

Camellia by 19960821- Settled on the timeline with Mobius, Loki thinks about how far they've come while gardening.

The Veins and The Branches by Love_is_Green- Loki reflects on his and Mobius’ journey while listening to a thunderstorm.

Lokius Fluffuary by blackbirdofasgard- okay I technically haven’t read these ones yet but I adored blackbirdofasgard’s last Fluffuary fics so including their latest here too.

And that’s it for now! My to-read list is miles long so excited to dig in more to the fabulous post S2 fics.

Happy reading!

[corvid-blues]

YOOO EPIC THE MUSICAL x LIFE SERIES AU THINGGG

this post is made specifically for @patches4thechaos no one else (/j)

It’s kind of (???) like a masterpost of this AU, but like badly structured and I haven’t made good reference sheets just some color palettes next to some ok drawings I suppose (I am very much going to redraw them just not soon maybe idk) SO UH HERE ROLES AND WHY I PICKED THEM

Odysseus - Joel

Notes - Idk he was the only one I could safely use because he ACTUALLY HAS A WIFE. Also it’s fun to be different. Though using him as Zeus is also like really fitting. Oh well. You get all the trauma Joel.

Penelope - Lizzie

Notes - I’m sorry Lizzie you’re cool and badass but unfortunately you’re also Joel’s wife and Pen is Ody’s wife. I do like to dream you videotape him killing all the sutiors though.

Telemachus - Hermes 

Notes - I literally have no idea who this guy is except he’s vaguely bird-like from fandom perception and also Joel’s son. But he fits the son role pretty well from what I see. (He’s in Empires btw)

Eurylochus - Martyn

Notes - Bro needs more main roles- Like he’s the least popular Life Series winner (which isn’t a low bar all of them are like super popular) but honestly I made Ren Polities and was like “Welp the only only valid option for Eurylochus is Martyn” and rolled with it.

Polities - Ren

Notes - Ren is a happy-go-lucky joyous boy and I think more people need to recognize that like bro is walking through life confused af but dam happy about it I’ll tell you. Everyone is like “Red King angst angst angst” like he has no idea what’s going on at all times.

Polyphemus - Bdubs

Bdubs is the only viable option for Polyphemus like animal-obsessed and murderous? Who else? Also he has a giant horse demon.

Aeolus - Skizz

Notes - He seems the popular choice, and his goofy demeanor and angelic fandom traits really show why. I have a really vivid mental image of his giant angelic form flapping its wings and pushing the ships with giant gusts of wind. It’s my second favorite moment in all of this.

Circe - Gem

Notes - Actually, I can’t take credit for this one, I saw someone with a different EPIC AU who put her as Circe and using skulk instead of seduction in There Are Other Ways and I was like “GENIUS” and stole it. She fits pretty well.

Hermes - Scar

No other viable option. Especially the fandom meme of Hermes selling drugs to Odysseus, seems like something Scar would do. Also the fun beat and Hermes’s other song “Dangerous” is definitely his vibe like seriously.

Tiresias - Grian

Notes - I have so much unnecessary angsty lore that has nothing to do with actual Tiresias like he was barely twenty when he died but grew up in the underworld, he was forced into being a preist to the Secret Keeper (watcher robes and stuff) and is familiar with a lot of the gods because he’s a prophet. I also have a bunch of desert duo shit (obviously). 

Siren - BigB

Notes - Honestly an arbitrary choice, but my main inspiration was Double Life and how he “pretended” to be Grian’s soulmate. Like, this is a completely different situation but like same concept. Ha you fuck up big time B.

Scylla - Pearl

Notes - Look the giant serpent heads are Pearl’s wolf pack Joel’s head is illuminated but the blood moon reflected in the water before they dock and walk through a dark cave and like his face is bathed in the blood of the moon and in the end the blood of his comrades THE SYMBOLISM. The “drown in your sorrow and tears” LIKE DOUBLE LIFE YALL I CANT.

Antinous - idk honestly

Notes - HE’S EVIL AND A JERK IDK

Calypso - Iskall

Notes - Yoooo our one of our only non-lifers- I guess he doesn’t really count for a Life Series AU but like he was too perfect Calypso being like “Noooo why are you breaking up with me” and Odysseus being like “WE WERE NEVER TOGETHER” real Iskall and Joel coded relationship.

Zeus - The Secret Keeper 

Notes - The only problem with this one is Thunder Bringer because he seems a lot more like just a guy there (an all powerful jerk guy but that’s besides the point) and less like an omnipotent divine deity which is what I was going for with the Secret Keeper in the Horse and the Infant and God Games.

Athena - Cleo

Notes - I saw her sometimes depicted with snake hair like Medusa and ya know Athena turned Medusa into a gorgon so I thought “Hey what if Cleo was Athena and her hair turned into snakes when she’s angry” like in My Goodbye and the “hold your tongue” scene in God Games. I gave her dreads so it’s a smoother transition.

Poseidon - Etho

Notes - Another arbitrary choice! I must blame this on my Ethubs brain like this AU is actually mostly based on Last Life (or at least the relationships) so like red life Bdubs being almost killed by Joel would really piss him off. But also in Limited Life Bdubs is technically Etho’s son so you could take it as that. (Sorry Boat Boys shippers I actually really considered putting him as Calypso)

Apollo - Jimmy

Notes - Now we’re getting into the really arbitrary choices. This was mostly a color match, and Jimmy seems like the kind of guy to own a bunch of cows and throw a hissy fit when one of them is killed. 

Hephaestus - Tango

Notes - Actually, I had Tango for Hephaestus in my head for a while. Idk he just has inventor vibes that would very obviously be angry at Joel’s basically sacrifice of his entire crew.

Aphrodite - Scott

Notes - This was mostly an excuse so I could put Scott in like flowy beautiful clothing also he seems like the kind of guy to be the god of love like bro is very gay.

Ares - Impluse

Notes - I… have no good reasoning for this. Impulse in my head is actually one of the chillest of all the Lifers but he seems like he could get very scary if he was ever actually angry.

Hera - Mumbo

Notes - And here we are, the winner of all the arbitrary choices I made for this AU. Man. Idk he had that one hipster outfit and Hera gives off very 80’s hipster vibes. Maybe that’s what he’ll wear. Huh. This only came to mind like now

This was all supposed to be meant for just me so if it’s confusing then uh sorry

Bam the ok references I have you didn’t expect me to have every character did you naw I’m too lazy for that

Don’t mind the terribly scribbled notes on any of them either pfft um

a couple doodles (Scar cameo lol) (click for full image on the second one)

Looking back on it I made those references MONTHS ago Ren’s cape looks so goofy

Less of a Life Series AU and more of a Hermit-Life-Empires AU um IM STILL CALLING AND TAGGING IT EPIC THE MUSICAL x LIFE SERIES THO

And I swear if you make any fanart tag me or I will hunt you down (/lh) (Probably not gonna be fanart but JUST IN CASE)