#giving my mutuals pieces of my literal heart this year

[zepskies]

Hello my lovely friend! I would love to see an imagine/head canon of Dean and the reader seeing each other for the first time after he either comes back from hell or purgatory if you’d be up for it 💕 up to you whether it’s an established relationship or mutual pining 😉 thank you! 😘

Hello, my dear!!

Thank you so much for this imagine! I needed a bit of Dean. 😘

Now I went with Purgatory for this one (S8, E01 – “We Need to Talk About Kevin”).

I diverged from canon of Sam not looking for Dean to make sure if he was dead. Not just because I think that choice by the SPN writers wasn’t true to Sam’s character (Even Jared has said this lol), but because I think if Dean had a girlfriend at this point in time, Sam wouldn’t just abandon her to deal with Dean’s loss alone. 

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female Reader

Song Inspo: Yes, I had one for this! Weirdly enough, it was the entire “Moneyball” soundtrack. The whole smooth but intense pace of it really drove me on this.

Word Count: 2,200 Warnings: 18+ only for some smuttiness.

Imagine: Reuniting with Dean, not knowing if things will be the same.

You’re doing the dishes when your phone rings.

You check the caller ID, frowning when the number is unfamiliar. But you answer with a thread of wariness while you’re holding a glass.

“Hello?” you answer. For a moment, there’s silence on the line. Your brows knit together in suspicion.

For months, you’ve been living with Sam and Kevin in this dusty cabin in the woods. Literally, in the middle of buttfuck nowhere. It was the only way you and Sam could try to protect the prophet from Crowley.

So the fact that you're getting a call at all is surprising in and of itself.

Your frown deepens. “Whoever this is, you have three seconds before I hang the hell up.”

“Hey…it’s me.”

Your suspicion fades, but shock overtakes you. Your breath stills in your lungs when you hear Dean’s voice. However, your brain can’t compute.

It’s been a year.

“Sweetheart, are you there?” he says.

You finally choke on a gasp, and the glass slides out of your hand and shatters in the sink.

“Hey, you okay?” his gruff concern is so very Dean that it continues to choke you into tears.

“Dean,” you utter. Your mouth trembles as your eyes close, and your tears find their own way down your cheeks. “I…I’ve been…you’re okay?”

“Well, I’m here,” he answers, with some dry humor, but he sounds off. You don’t know what to make of that, but now you’re worried.

You look down at your shaking hand, and you realize that there’s a small piece of glass that ricocheted into your palm. You ignore it, because all you can focus on is your boyfriend’s voice in your ear.

“Where…are you?” you ask. Every trembling, heave of breath brings you closer to a sob.

“Louisiana. Clayton, Louisiana,” he replies. His voice is even, but there’s emotion there too. You hear it, only because you know him so well. “Where are you?”

And how soon can you get here? his tone implies.

After Dean disappeared in the aftershock of Dick Roman’s death, you, Sam, and Kevin had been scouring every lore book on God’s green Earth. Nothing has gotten you closer to finding Dean in the last year.

You hadn’t allowed yourself to fully give up, but in recent weeks, you would never admit that your heart has been starting to falter. So has your body.

Sam watches you closely on the way out of the house, heading to the Impala. You’re grateful for the way he’s been looking out for you, but you also resent it. You don’t need help. You’re fine…mostly.  

As strange as it’s been living in this house, it’s become your safety blanket. Your cold shell where you can block off the rest of the world, as if time hasn’t been ticking by all these months outside of it.

But now you’re practically shaking. Call it nerves, lack of sleep, too much caffeine, too much crap food, stress, and grief. You ignore it, taking a firm grip of the passenger door handle and yanking it open. Sam drives.

The hours are excruciating. Your leg bounces restlessly, and Sam notices, but doesn’t comment. He does try to soothe you with your favorite music in the car. He tries to pick up conversation, but you’re not having it.

You’re even being pretty selfish right now. Sam had been without his brother for a year, just as you had been without. And here he is, trying to comfort you.

You can’t help it though.

You’re not okay. You don’t think you’ll ever be okay again until you see him.

Sam eventually pulls into the dingy motel in the middle of rural Louisiana. (And yet, somehow on the corner of a Hustler, one of Dean’s favorite sex shops. Your lips curve slightly.)

Sam’s calling Dean on his cell, but you’re too impatient to wait for the man to come out.

You jerk the car door open, and in your haste, you don’t realize that you’ve slammed the door shut.

“Hey, easy on my Baby.”

You turn with a gasp lodged in your throat, but not even that can escape when Dean comes into view. Complete with red plaid and old jeans and rough stubble that approaches a beard, and a duffel bag.

Dean’s smirk fades into a softer grin when he takes in the familiar curve of your face, the gentle frame of your body, the sight of your tears, welling up in your eyes.

You take in a shuddering breath, and you go to him. Dean drops his bag so that he can properly welcome you where you’re supposed to be.    

His arms wrap around your waist, a hand coming up to cup the back of your head. He smells like motel soap and second-hand clothes, but all you care about is that he feels solid and alive and your heart’s just shy of shattering, or knitting back together. It beats a fast flutter in your chest.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he rumbles in your ear. You nod, even though you can’t help the way you’re shaking, crying, clinging to him.

“I’m sorry,” you say. You hate that those are your first words to him, but you can’t help it. That’s what you feel, down to your bones. “We tried so damn hard to find you…”

Dean pauses a bit on that, but he just shakes his head. He meets Sam’s gaze behind you and offers his brother a smile. Sam smiles back; he’s full to the brim at the sight of Dean, but for you, he’s patient. He can wait his turn.

“I know,” Dean tells you, holds you a bit tighter. “I'm all right. It’s not your fault, you understand?”

You draw another shaky breath and lean back far enough to see his face. You raise a hand to touch his cheek. When he stares down into your eyes, you know you’re going to be okay.

And so will he. You’re going to make sure of it.

In lieu of words, Dean leans down and captures whatever you might’ve said then with his lips. The kiss is heat and longing, both sweet and rough. It’s everything you need.

It’s a long drive all the way back to your cabin in the woods. Dean checks on you often while you’re passed out asleep in the backseat. He’s back in the driver’s seat of his car, hands wrapped around the familiar leather steering wheel, but he still doesn’t feel totally…right.

Despite being wrapped around the leather, his right hand feels empty. Like it needs the weight of a weapon. He’s still tense and on edge, even now, and Sam notices.

“What was it like?” he asks, quietly so he doesn’t wake you. He’s glad you’re finally sleeping.

“Purgatory?” Dean scoffs. “Like being deep in God’s freakin’ armpit.”

Sam’s brows knit together, but he waits, seeing if Dean will continue. And he does, after giving Sam a brief glance.

“It was monsters, Sam.” A never-ending twilight. Never a moment to rest. A wide-eyed existence of gnashing teeth and blood and black ooze.

When Sam inevitably asks how he got out of Purgatory, Dean is vague, evasive. Castiel didn’t make it, he admits, also in halting detail. But Dean is more willing to focus on how tired you and Sam both look. How pale your skin is. How it seems like this is the first hour of sleep you’ve gotten all week.

“How’s she been?” Dean asks, once again checking on you through the rearview mirror. Sam inhales deeply, making Dean frown.

“She’s been holding on,” Sam replies. “Strong, for Kevin especially. Poor kid’s too scared to go outside half the time.”

Dean turns to him with a frown.

“You’ve been taking care of her, right?” he asks.

Sam huffs, with a wry smile. “When she let me.”

Dean quirks a bit of a smile. That sounded like you. Stubborn at your best, damn near impossible at your worst. But the latter is what he’s worried about.

He later carries you inside the cabin, acknowledging your sleepy mumbles that you can walk, but not actually heeding your words. Sam tells him which one is your room, and Dean carries you there. By then you’re awake, but resigned to the fact that he isn’t going to let you down.

Your hand smooths up his arm, up the back of his neck and into his hair. It makes a pleasant tingle run up his spine.

“Your hair’s gotten long,” you muse, sorting your fingers through the strands. His hair’s darker too, not quite so dirty blonde, now leaning closer to light brown.

Dean smiles a bit. “If that’s all that’s changed, then I’d say I’m in good shape.”

He lays you down on the bed, and you bring him down with you by grabbing onto the front of his gray undershirt. He sinks down onto the edge of the bed and drifts a hand from your arm, to your face. He refreshes his memory of every angle, the soft feel of your skin. He knows his hands are rougher, but you feel the same.

You draw him into you and it begins.

Kissing him feels like taking a much needed breath. The way he grips your arms when you lick sensuously into his mouth—a sudden squeeze, an iron hold—it ignites your blood and the fire in your lower belly.

Your fingers rake into his hair. His solid grip moves to your hips, and you lie back when he guides you onto the mattress.

The sound of your breaths mingling together become shallow as you shove the plaid off his shoulders and ruck up the shirt. He does the same for your shirt and jeans, followed by his own. All that’s left it his skin against yours and rough hands squeezing fingerprint bruises into your hips and thighs.

You don’t mind at first; the strength of his hold and how much he wants you spurs you on. You’re slick and pulsing with need when Dean eventually slides home inside you. He has a hand tight in your hair, gripping tighter as he begins to move hard and fast.

“Dean,” you pant. You moan on his name, but you’re also trying to get his attention. You wince as his hand tightens, both in your hair, trapped against the pillow, and on your hip. You hold onto his wrist.

“Ease up, baby,” you whisper. You don’t want Sam or Kevin to hear you, even though you’re sure they could guess what you and Dean are up to.

But Dean doesn’t seem to hear you at first. You look up into his eyes, and you’re not sure if he’s entirely seeing you. It’s not like him, and it triggers warning signals in your mind. You have to wrap your legs tightly around his hips, squeezing his wrist even harder to stop him for a moment.

“Dean,” you insist. And he finally sees you.

When you soothe a thumb against his wrist, his eyes widen. He releases his hand from your hair, bracing against the bed instead.

He frees the other hand from your hip, and he sees the shape of his fingers already forming in your skin. He knows his hold was tight enough to bruise down to the bone.

It’s happened before, but not like this. Dean’s never lost control like that. Not with you, even in times like these.

“Fuck,” he mutters as he catches his breath, frowning deeply. His green eyes meet yours, raw and guilty. “I uh…I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

You tilt your head at him with a thoughtful frown. You reach up to frame his face with both hands, and you wordlessly tug him down to you. Dean is somewhat reluctant, but he follows your guiding hands and meets your waiting kiss, tender and slow.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats against your lips. His voice is low and coarse, filled with the true depths of his emotions. Everything he's been trying to hide from you.

Your eyes sting with the threat of tears.

“It’s okay,” you reply, through sweeter kisses. “I love you. We're gonna be okay.”

He hesitates. Then, he nods, accepting your words and your warmth.

His hand slowly brushes against your thigh, soothing along your bruising skin. You still have your legs wrapped around his hips, but you lessen your own hold, now that he seems to have come back to himself.

You both realize then that it might not be okay for a while. But that too is all right. Because you’re nothing if not stubborn, and Dean is worth the challenge.  

He closes his eyes to breathe and center himself. They blink open at the feeling of your hand, insistent on his shoulder. Your face is both tenderness and determination.

You push against him and twist until he's the one on his back, on the bed, holding your hips, the two of you still joined. He looks up at you still with a measure of reluctance.

"I've got you this time," you tell him, stroking his cheek. His almost-beard prickles against your palm.

After a moment, you can see in his eyes that he believes you.

And you begin again.

AN: Gaaaah, this man. I'm weak every time I write about him. 🥲

I have another Dean imagine coming soon. Some special anon asked for the reverse of "Sam being in love with Dean's girlfriend."

So stay tuned for "Dean gives you an impossible choice." 😉

Dean Winchester Imagines

Dean Winchester Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Dean Tag List:

@hobby27 @this-is-me19 @kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesdeanvessel @foxyjwls007 @wincastifer @ades106 @emily-winchester @deans-baby-momma @melancholictearz @nic-kolas @katherineann83 @sleepyqueerenergy @wayward-lost-and-never-found @tipthejar @ajjustice @thewritersaddictions @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @deanwanddamons @antisocialcorrupt @adoringanakin

@theonlymaninthesky @teehxk @midnightmadwoman @mrshalverson2021 @iprobablyshipit91 @agalliasi @venicesem @waters-2567 @chriszgirl92 @lyarr24 @ladysparkles78 @solariklees @xsophianicolex @deansbbyx @mimaria420 @candy-coated-misery0731 @curlycarley @sarahgracej @bagpussjocken @ultrahviolentart @beskarfilms @skyesthebomb @deans-spinster-witch @tmb510 @iamsapphine @fics-pics-andotherthings-i-like @fabimaou @simpforbuckyb @vanillawhiskeyflavoredkisses @roseblue373 @syrma-sensei

#ask me stuff #reuniting with Dean #Dean back from Purgatory #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester #sam winchester #angst #dean winchester smut #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x female reader #dean winchester x you #dean winchester fic #spn #supernatural #zepskies answers

[pauking5]

my heart calls your name

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x reader

Genre: modern life mutual pining, friends to lovers, there's spice, smut, fluff, Zoro is a normal being with feelings and reader has personality

Word count: 20.1k+ (new recount)

Part 1

A/N: This is the sequel to New Year, New Me :) Firstly, I would suggest reading Part 1 before this one. Secondly, I started working on this as soon as I finished the first part and it has been a wip for 3 months. It was supposed to be a Valentine's gift but my writing went into a slump. But, I pushed through and wrote it. It went through so much editing, simply because I wanted to get Zoro as right as possible. He's everything to me so I wanted to give you an almost perfect piece of him.

Lastly, prepare for a long rollercoaster of everything. Literally everything.

Now playing: Did It Again - Shakira, we can't be friends - ariana grande, Sometimes - MUNA, Eres Mia - Romeo Santos, Only Love Can Hurt Like This - Paloma Faith, All Night - Beyonce, La La Lost You - NIKI, pretty boy - M2M

(because I couldn't pick just one song :') )

Early morning of January 1st

Heels and green-haired man on your arm, you walked around looking for a place to eat at. The sand between your toes felt warm, welcoming the first glimmering rays of sun, the sea just as excited to wash away the old and bring new tides afloat. Though early, the air buzzed with the atmosphere of the previous night, faint music still playing from the houses nearby.

You passed by multiple cafes and diners but they all closed early in the morning to go on holiday. Every knock on the door was met with an apologetic smile, sending you out to venture further down the beach in hopes of at least finding a vendor that was still selling food.

Just when you thought all hope was lost, you spotted a restaurant that was still open. Today's menu was plastered out on a board outside with the schedule that said they're still serving for a bit. Just enough to grab a bite.

Picking out a table overlooking the azure sea, you went to pull out a chair when Zoro stopped you to do it for you. Shaking your head with a smile at his gentlemanly mannerisms, you sat down as he pushed it closer to the table before sitting down on the opposite side.

You scoured the menu, stomach twisting in hunger at all the food combinations. Salmon on a bed of baked wedges, mussels boiled in white wine, even your usual chicken tenders - this place had everything. It was hard to pick just one thing, but you had to make up your mind before your insides started digesting themselves.

Zoro didn't have it any easier than you. He perched the menu in one hand while the other sat on his chin as he contemplated what looked awfully like the drinks page. From the way he bit his lip in thinking and the way his sleeves were messily made up to his elbow, he himself looked appetizing enough for you.

"Something tells me you're not that hungry," he flashed you a knowing smirk under the pretense that he was looking at beverages.

"I am," you stated, sheepishly diverting your eyes back to your own menu.

"Then why are you browsing me instead of today's special?"

At that you closed your menu and sat back, folding your arms over your chest. So, audacity is indeed a manly thing.

"You are scrumptious, I'll give you that," you admitted, narrowing your eyes at him.

"Only that?" he wiggled his eyebrows from behind his menu and you couldn't help but break into a giggle at his playful behaviour.

Is this the same man I drank a whole bottle of champagne with last night? I'm pretty sure he slept less than I did but he seems more energetic than anyone could ever be this early. Interesting.

"We'll see," you said, pulling your lips into a thin line to prevent a grin that would give away most of your thoughts about him that were, let's say, more than scrumptious could entail.

The waiter came over and took your order with a little flirting around you. Though sweet in his remarks, you had to admit he had nothing on the man sitting in front of you. But, you engaged in it simply because you wanted to gauge an innocent reaction. And you did.

Seeing Zoro's hand tighten on the tissue box like it was one of his mortal enemies, you smiled internally. So, he's territorial too. Poor paper crunched under the strength of his fist, knuckles white from making sure no corner escaped its crumpling demise. Once the waiter was gone with your orders, he let go and leaned back in his seat looking out at the sea.

Your eyes landed on him accidentally, being met with a different side of him. One so different from the man you were used to seeing so rough and isolated in his corner at the club. Because right now, he looked so at peace, like this was his natural habitat - close to the sea dancing in the glimmer of the sun with the golden sands in the background.

The soft morning breeze caressed through his green locks, moving them in waves mirroring the calm ones out on the shore. His golden earrings jingled around each other like they were singing their own tune cradled in the arms of the wind. His shirt was now fully dry from your late night splashing game, a few more buttons let loose giving you a peak of his chest. Palm curled around his chin, there was not a thought harbored behind those deep brown eyes.

A heavenly dream walking planet Earth.

The small twinkle reflecting in the corner of his eye made you look out to the water too, curious as to what was so fascinating out there. Though this time, it was his turn to sneak a peek at you while you weren't looking.

His jacket was still snugly wrapped around you, long sleeves neatly rolled up to the cusp of your forearms. Your hair was thrown in a messy bun with a few loose curls falling over your collar bones. Though tired circles rimmed your eyes from staying up with him the night before, talking about everything and nothing at all, your lips were pulled into a soft smile. As if you had the most restful sleep. In his arms of all places.

And that made something bloom in his chest. Something so unknown yet so familiar, almost like the anticipation of what could be if he let his walls down. Only god knew that he was ready to let them all fall down if this was the beginning of something good. Something that he's been waiting for a long time.

It wasn't long until your food arrived. After a long debate, you settled on a creamy shrimp pasta because who doesn't like pasta? You could eat pasta at any time of the day and your stomach would thank you. Although, Zoro's fried chicken wings looked so much more inviting for some reason. Maybe it was the way his eyes closed in delight at the taste on barely his first bite or how he gobbled on them with all the sauce streaming down his lips like they were the very essence of immortality. But those wings looked divine.

He saw you ogling his plate as you mindlessly poked a shrimp around and was about to ask if you wanted one when you just reached out and stole one. You dipped it quickly in the sauce and stuffed the whole thing in your mouth, sighing in the same delightful manner he did. Those were some amazing chicken wings.

"I was just about to offer you one."

"Food tastes so much better when you steal it away," you said, licking your fingers off the leftover sauce. They were just your regular chicken wings but something about them being placed neatly on his plate made them taste so much better than they would have if you ordered them yourself.

You turned back to your pasta and forked a shrimp. Before it could reach your mouth, a firm hand wrapped around your wrist and your fork was redirected to Zoro's lips instead. He bit the shrimp off of it, imitating the sound of delight you previously let out after stealing his chicken wing.

"Hey! That was the shrimp I kept for last."

"That's too bad," he said with his mouth full. "It looked too good to be left for last."

"Then I will have this one," you stole another chicken wing. "And this one and that one and-"

"Then these little shrimps are mine!" he took your whole plate of pasta away leaving you with the stolen wings hanging in the air.

That's how you ended up sitting next to each other to share your dishes together. You kept poking at his as he did with yours, thing that became a custom for you in the coming month.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between, they were all consumed together in each other's presence.

Among a few other things.

Grocery runs whenever your fridge was empty, since he liked crashing at your place more often than you could count.

Movie nights spent debating all the romcoms you could find where he would give you a piece of his mind on how much of a douchebag the main lead was and yelling at the tv 'stop being an idiot and go get the girl' on the usual. The neighbors ended up at your door sometimes, asking you to have mercy on their ears and keep it down.

Whenever romantic scenes came on screen, your fingers would always find each other on top of your couch, tangling together just slightly. But he would never admit that he was a romantic at heart, even when his hazy eyes, soft hands and raising heartbeat gave that away. Even when your own beat wildly, inviting him in.

You even went to the gym together a few times, though that endeavor ended as quickly as it started.

"Come on, push it. Bend your knee more. One more time!"

"I'm really trying to, but this is heavy as fuck!" you pushed the leg press feeling the weight thrash your ham strings apart.

"Your body will thank you tomorrow."

"Not if I die today," you gritted out.

"Tell you what. You do three more and you can flip me off all you want."

"I can do that without breaking my knees. What's in it for you?"

"You grant me a wish when I ask for it."

"What kind of wish?" you perked an eyebrow up in suspicion.

"You'll find out when the time comes."

Determined to get your rights of the bet fair and square, you pushed with all your might and completed one. With some struggle and curses, you managed one more push before you felt your knees give in, accepting defeat. That was probably your last leg press forever since you deemed it the demon's machine.

Your legs dropped like dead weight on the floor, heaving breaths as if you ran a full marathon. Disappointment hit you that you lost while the man beside you broke into the biggest grin you've ever seen on his face. It felt almost magnetic to see him like that, a nudge pulling at your own lips that you tried to hide. What loser is happy when his opponent wins?

"You owe me now."

If he was a girl he would've squealed. He was literally beaming with joy.

"Spare me the pride bullshit and give me water."

He handed you his own bottle as he crouched down next to you, patting the sweat on the side of your face with a towel making sure to swipe dry even your baby hairs that were sticking up on all sides.

When you told him you wanted to try working out with him, though you weren't big on physical exercise, he was over the moon. Studying you as you laid on the bench, drenched in sweat and with your cheeks filled with water, you were a sight to see. He knew you wouldn't believe him if he told you, but you were glowing brighter than the bright sun outside.

"I'm proud of you,"

You turned to look at him. He wore his gear but did not make a move from beside you the whole time you were at the gym. He trained you on his usual routine, toned down to your own pace, but it turned out to be way harder than he made it look.

Even so, he was there coaching you through it all the way. When you felt like you couldn't do more, he helped you put a little bit more into it with little encouragements like these.

"You're gonna have to carry me home," you breathed out, stretching your aching limbs. "You know that, right?"

"I know," he accepted his demise. "That will be my exercise."

"Are you saying I'm as heavy as the dumbbells you're lifting?"

"You said it not me."

"You little shit."

You were the biggest homebody that's ever homebodied but somehow he managed to do the impossible and get you out of the house. But as romantic as the outings seemed sometimes, he acted like it was just two good friends hanging out.

Nothing more, nothing less.

And that bugged you. Because this wasn't friendly behaviour.

Friends don't take you out on a walk at 2 am when you can't find sleep, twirling you around to let loose in the dead of night, with a lone streetlight lighting your way. Friends don't hold your hand as jazz music plays in some edgy café you wanted to try, playing with your fingers that always end up caged between their longer, bulkier ones as you talk over steaming coffee.

Friends don't look at you like that.

Like you could be more, mean more, feel more.

Maybe you were being selfish, but the more time you spent with him the harder it became to part ways. Even if you saw each other the next day, it just wasn't enough for you. You wanted him to stay a little more. Hold your hand a little more.

As slow January turned into warm February, your feelings evolved and you craved to have him around in more than just one way.

Slowly but surely and a little against your will, you found yourself falling for the green-haired guy you kissed on new year's.

And boy, you fell hard.

Present Day

It's Valentine's Day. Oh, how you dreaded this one too. Maybe even more than New Year's.

It was the over-exaggerated displays of affection from strangers on the street, plastering kisses on each other's swollen lips like they would die without getting into a heated make-out session every five minutes. Or the way the florists had heart-shaped balloons tied to bouquets mixed in pinks, whites and reds in every single window. Or the fact that most chocolate was on the best sale price you could get it just because it was a special occasion.

All of it was just a ploy to say love exists and that the world will stop at nothing to capitalize the living hell out of it.

But that was just part of the reason you carried an anti-romantic persona around today. This time you had a reason. There was a love interest on your horizon and you were annoyed that he was too lost drifting in his own world to notice how enamored you were with him.

It was crazy how quickly you fell for him. You promised yourself that fast love wouldn't be the norm anymore. That you would take your time to keep it steady, consistent and cautious. Until he crash landed into your life ripping the safety net that you've threaded for so long at the seams so skillfully, little by little, until you were free-falling.

You needed him. As simple as that. The flirting, the sweet-talking, the teasing. It was all just Cupid's stash of poison arrows aimed and shot deeply into your heart every time you saw him. To make you fall in deeper into an unfamiliar ocean where you couldn't see the top of the water.

You needed him. Before you would go and make a fool of yourself and ruin the great bond you already had for some feelings. Before he would sew his existence onto your soul, your conscience, your very being completely and it would become too much to bear.

You needed him. To see how loving him could feel like.

The digital clock on your bedside table read 2:30 pm. You sat in bed most of the day, whizzing through tv channels faster and faster with every romance movie playing, every news channel talking about this wretched day and how lovers planned to spend it, every love song playing on the radio.

Romance was everywhere and you couldn't do anything to escape it.

Sick of the world and the pure existence of love, you shut the tv off throwing the remote to the other end of the bed and watched the seconds on the clock trickle away, wishing for this day to finally end.

You flipped on your back, letting out a long sigh as the empty ceiling gave way to thoughts of him again. Sighing, you closed your eyes trying to think of something else. But all roads led back to him.

You kind of expected him to make some plans with you even if it was something small like going to get coffee and walk around, though you knew he wasn't one to do things like that.

It wasn't even a minute that he crossed your mind and your phone screen lit up with his name. Cursing telepathy thinking and the universe for loving to bask in your misery, you picked it up finding a surprisingly nervous Zoro on the other line.

"What's up-"

"You, me, tonight. Pick you up at 5?" he rambled quickly and out of breath.

"What?" you asked, trying to make sense of his words.

"I want to take you out tonight," he repeated, a bit more composed than the first time.

"That sounded a little better," you smiled, turning around on your belly.

"Can I take you out tonight?" he asked again, voice way softer and determined than the usual playfulness you grew accustomed to.

What happened to overly cocky Zoro?

"I don't know," you drew out, playing with the hem of the duvet to smoothen the material out, pointer finger spelling the outline of his name absentmindedly on top of it. "Can you?"

You heard him sigh exasperatedly on the other side as you took your sweet time replying. A little payback for waiting so long would hurt no one.

"Jesus, woman. I really want to take you out someplace nice tonight so get dressed as comfortable as you'd like and answer the door at 5. That sound better?"

"It sounded great. I'll be waiting."

"Okay." You could hear his smile through the phone. "See you at 5."

"See you at 5."

The call ended and you stared blankly at the ceiling again, hugging the phone to your chest. His words started seeping into your brain and the realization that he finally asked you out on what was possibly an official date made you grab a pillow to scream into.

"OH MY GOD I'M GOING ON A DATE," you yelled. "Okay, play it cool. Play it cool," you took deep breaths to calm down before something else threw you into panic. "What the fuck am I gonna wear?"

You ran to your closet, throwing it open. Racking through it in a haste since you didn't have the luxury of time, you threw whatever you could find that looked somewhat put together on the bed. Clothes came flying on and off your body as you did a whole catwalk show in front of the mirror. Huffing out in desperation at the mess around your room, you came to the conclusion that none of the outfits looked fit for the occasion.

You needed something to make his eyes pop out of his sockets. Something that would make him see what he's missing and to take that extra step to you. Something...

Tapping your cheek in thinking, you spun around to your closet with a gasp. You ran back to it and sorted out through more hangers, digging all the way into the back until you finally found it. A dress you bought specifically in case you ever got a date that was worth putting in the effort for.

The heart stealer, you called it.

A flowy deep-red satin dress falling just below your knees. It had a sweetheart neckline and straps to hold your jewels better than a bra ever could, the bodice hugging your middle perfectly. Elegant, sexy and comfy, all in one. Plus, the ends twirled around so nicely every time you spun around, imitating a petticoat effect, and the length complimented your height.

She's the one, you smiled.

The time on your phone read 4:57 pm, three minutes before your agreed pick-up time. You've been struggling to put your earrings on for a while now and were growing slightly nervous, thing that wasn't really helping as your hands shook with a burst of impatience. Putting the earrings down before you accidentally pierced your ear, you let out a breath and looked in the mirror. Which made it all worse.

Your eyes jumped around to analyze the way your hair was down and curled unevenly, if you squinted, to how your eyeliner on the right looked slightly more winged than the one on the left. Even the dress straps sat on your shoulders a little too uncomfortably. Suddenly, your confidence faltered and you questioned everything about your outfit.

Is the dress too comfortable?

I'm underdressed, aren't I?

Where is he even taking me?

I look like a walking cherry. Why do I have so much red on me-

A soft knock echoed through your apartment. Your date was here. Taking a deep breath for reassurance and fixing yourself in the wall mirror one more time, you let it be and moved to open the door.

At the door, you were met with the man that plagued your every waking thought. He wore a loose shirt that looked vintage with a few buttons left open and casual dark navy blue tailored pants, falling loosely from his waist. They gave the impression he was taller than he actually was. The way he dressed without as much as batting an eye, you would raid his wardrobe any day.

He leaned forwards to place a courting kiss on your cheek, the closeness engulfing you in his musky vanilla scent you grew so fond of. You could scent him in a crowd of people like a wolf looking for his lost mate. His lips lingered enough to have blood rush to your cheek, feeling it singe as soon as he pulled away the slightest. It surprisingly made you feel calm, forgetting what you were even stressing about in the first place.

Shaking yourself out of the daze, you stepped aside and invited him inside. Something in his hands completely stole your eyes away from him before he even got the chance to offer it to you.

"ARE THOSE MILKA HEARTS?!" you shrieked as he meekly handed you the chocolates. Your heart raced at the gesture, cradling the box closer.

"I have never seen anyone be so loyal to just one brand of chocolate. It's literally all you eat."

"Because they are amazing and they're not too sweet or too expensive. They have so many flavors, even biscuits, ice cream, hot chocolate. Anything you could ever dream of that could be made out of chocolate, they have it. They're just right and perfect," you smiled as you spun around with the box held closely to your chest like it was your most prized possession, the ends of your dress slightly swirling around you.

"Oh, I know," he chuckled at your obsession with the chocolates. "You literally lick the hot chocolate mug clean after you drink it."

"Can't blame me for having a sweet tooth. Thank you for these." You placed them on the counter, deciding against opening the box just yet.

"Do I get something in return for delivering them to you?"

You saw his plan from a mile away - he was chasing a kiss, this time coming from your own initiative. Before you thought it through, your lips were on their way to connect with his cheek in a short but sweet peck.

"How does this do?"

Before you let go, he tensed and you felt it, grinning mischievously on the inside. If he thought you would shy away, especially tonight, he had another thing coming. Two can play this tango.

"Your sweetness is rubbing off on me."

He's saying that as if you didn't catch the slight twitch of his lips and the faintest tint of pink on the tip of his ears before he turned back to being his serious self.

"Is that such a bad thing now?" you countered.

"To be assessed," he piped up, leaning against the counter as he watched you pace around the apartment to finish getting ready.

"Tease."

"You love it."

"I actually hate it."

"You're such a bad liar."

"Maybe, maybe not" you giggled to yourself.

Truth be told, you enjoyed his teasing a lot even if it was overwhelming sometimes. On most days, it made you forget your worries and he managed to pull a smile so genuine out of you that you didn't even know you had.

"You, uh... look nice by the way," he rubbed the back of his neck, taking in your attire from top to bottom properly this time.

Nice wasn't even the word he wanted to use. Beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, those sounded more like what he had in mind. The more he looked at you in that red dress, the more he had the urge to close the distance between you, press you against the mirror you paced in front of and smudge that cherry tint off your lips with his own, all the while his hands tangled in your curls.

That... that felt like more than what nice could ever encompass.

"Thank you," you said, the surprise present in your voice cracking him out of his thoughts. "So, what's the itinerary for tonight?"

"It's a secret."

"Is it now?"

"I want you to have a nice time and not overthink it too much. So, you'll just have to wait and see."

"Okay, mister Kinder Surprise. I'll just follow your lead on this one."

Normally, he would come up with an idea and you would plan out the itinerary down to the smallest detail. You weren't sure what he had in mind for today, but at least your outfits matched in comfy and classy levels.

Going back to the mirror, you took another look at yourself and realized he was right. You did look nice. You were just overthinking it. Funny how he already knows what sets you off from enjoying yourself.

Grabbing the earrings again, you tried putting one hoop in only to have it slide to the other side. The closing was just too narrow for your small ears and it annoyed you greatly. You were ready to just leave without them when Zoro stepped in the mirror frame next to you. He held his palm out to you looking at the earrings and you obliged with a sigh.

Placing your hair behind your ear, he wiggled the golden hoop around your ear lobe as you watched through the mirror. The proximity sent your heart thundering. You willed it to stop and take to a regular rhythm before he took note and teased you even more.

Looking for something else to focus on, you found his reflection in the mirror, holding the earring with utmost care and attention. Your eyes flew to his and the tug at his lower lip, the concentration on his face making you blush. He was determined to get those earrings on your ears no matter what.

"My ears are just too small for girly shit," you said, looking down to avoid his intense gaze.

"They're not. You're just a really impatient being when it comes to doing things properly for yourself," he said, successfully clipping the earring in. "There. See?" he tilted his head to look at you with that twinkling glint in his eye. "Pretty."

I could kiss your lips right now. And your eyes and your nose and your lips again. I don't think I could stop.

"Dork," you pushed him away, conscious that you were running behind on time. "Come on, I can't go out with only one earring in."

"Give me a second, Speedy Gonzales."

He put the other one in for you as well and rolled them around so they were both facing the same way.

"Look at you," he checked you out from head to your unheeled toes. "You look like you came out of a shop window."

"Oh, yeah? Which shop window?"

"The supermarket."

"I can change into my pajamas sooooo fast and you can just go out by yourself," you patted his chest grinning wickedly. "How does that sound?"

"Okay, okay. I'm just messing with you," he handed you your bag and held out his arm to you as a peace offering. You rolled your eyes at him and put your heels on using the sturdiness of his arm for balance and fixed yourself up one more time. "Ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

He walked you out front to his car, opening the door for you as he held his arm to his chest like a butler while you did a little curtsy before you got in. A little running joke between you since you always ended up being the passenger princess. His passenger princess.

Everything about his car was so Zoro. He drove a dark green jeep, convertible when needed but currently patched up since the rainy weather of early spring was more frequent now. A raspberry Charmander air freshener dangled from the rearview mirror, where you put it on your last grocery run. He constantly argued with you over the fact that its too cute for his car.

"My car is a military tank. Not the Kids' Express," he would say.

"If anything, it's giving the Fun Express now."

But you knew he silently loved it. He had a habit of poking it with his finger each time he got in the car so it would spin around, spreading the fresh smell of berries around.

He got in the car placing the key in ignition and poked it. You smiled turning to look out the window. Kid.

As he drove, the scenery changed from the chaotic city jungle of cars evading rush hour to the more peaceful part of the coastline. The sun was just starting to set, bright orange and yellow painting the sky in lively hues. Some pop song played on the radio making the whole scene look even more tropical.

Zoro rolled the windows down, letting the air flow through and put the song a little louder. You caught up on this habit of his pretty early on - if he heard a song he liked he would make sure you knew it too. Even when you were sitting in heavy traffic and everybody looked at you weirdly. If he knew the song, he might even mumble a few lines with a grin. That made your little crush on him even stronger.

Hope that you will wait for me You'll see that you're the only one for me ~

The lyrics blared over the speakers, emotional yet comforting about falling in love. He leaned back in his seat and snuck a few glances at you. Your hair was blowing in the wind, falling on the back of your seat. Arm laid flat on top of the window frame tapping along to the beat, you looked at the view of the seaside with a smile on your lips. Your other hand sat on your knee, a little too lonely for his liking.

All I really want is to hold you tight Treat you right, be with you day and night Baby all I need is time ~

Adjusting a hand on the wheel, his other one stretched to get a hold of yours, intertwining them together to the beat of the song. Your heart skipped a beat at the sudden contact turning warm atop your thigh. Looking down at your entwined hands, you noticed how his thumb covered yours in guarding, a routine you grew familiar with every time they met in the same space. His eyes were trained on the road but the small smile tugging at the corners of his lips was solely directed at you.

You will be the death of me, Roronoa Zoro.

Parking the car turned difficult considering everyone was out and about tonight. You barely found a spot somewhere next to the beach. Once parked, Zoro got off and came to your side extending a hand to help you down, heels landing safely on the sidewalk.

You were getting a little impatient and you hoped your nerves wouldn't get the best out of you when the air was still so clear between you. But the questions itched on the back of your tongue until you couldn't hold them back anymore.

"So, what's the plan? How much longer are you gonna keep me in the dark?"

He turned to you with a mysterious grin, debating on whether he should tell you or not.

Someone seems to be enjoying themselves at the expense of my sanity.

"The plan for tonight is just fun."

Well that explains everything I needed to know.

"The amusement park up ahead kind of gave that part away," you pointed out to the Ferris wheel bathed in strobe lights, standing tall ahead in the middle of dozens of games and food stands.

Walking side by side, you followed the crowds of couples into the mayhem still suspicious of what the plan actually entailed. Your gaze wandered down to the ground where you found another thing that calmed you. Unknowingly, your steps matched each other's in a balanced rhythm as you followed his lead. Your lips pursed to hide another small smile.

"That's not the only thing I have planned out for tonight," he informed you, checking his watch. "First, let's go loosen up a little."

Your first stop on tonight's itinerary was the club where you first met. It's been a few months since you both laid eyes on the other, circling the dance floor for nights on end to make your mutual interest known.

Months since your little crush born out of seeking real love took off and made space for feelings. Feelings that nowadays chased you to the brink of madness. You could only hope a trip down memory lane would settle them and give you confirmation that your heart isn't tangled in yet another unrequited love story.

It was Latino beats night. The extended terrace was cleared for an outdoor dance floor, stretching all the way to the end of the beach touching the overlapping waves. Fairy lights hung above from tree to tree, warming up the atmosphere in a golden glow. The drinks at the bar had mini red umbrellas to match the theme.

A bartender came to serve you as soon as you sat down at the bar, pointing you to all the Valentine's recommendations. The cheesy names on the cocktails made a shiver run down your spine in repulse so you turned to the normal range instead since you already knew that one inside out.

"What would you like to order?"

Some sweet liquid courage would do me well tonight.

"A piña colada for me," you ordered.

"A mocktail of that for me," asked Zoro, almost as quickly as your own order rolled off your lips.

Mocktail? That sounds unlike Zoro.

Lifting a curious eyebrow at his request, your eyes narrowed on him for a quick mood scan. You barely saw it but it was definitely there. Tension. He was on edge, rapping his fingers on the wooden bar restlessly, foot tapping to the tempo of the current song playing. Impatient sounds more like it.

"Not drinking today?"

"I will. Just not yet," he smirked, as if he had more opportunities to drink lined up later. Well, frankly, you didn't know what followed later, so you asked for more glasses of alcohol.

The song changed to a slow, sensual bachata as the crowd took to the dance floor. Some pairs looked experienced, busting moves in perfect sync with the strings like this was their regular night out to serve some class. They must be fun at parties.

Others could barely get their feet coordinated, unable to decide who would be the one to lead. The changing rhythm, slow at first then rising faster, had them spinning out of control, gripping onto each other for dear life as they laughed it off and tried again together.

Your relationship with Zoro was kind of like that - uncoordinated in your dance to reach each other's heart with normal steps. Every time one got way too close to the other you took detours, going back to square one. But you kept trying. Together.

Zoro saw you looking at the couples with a longing he's seen before, during your first nights at the club. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that longing himself though he didn't know how to express it. But a tight-lipped curl of your lips at the ground had him pulling on your hand in an instant, eyes motioning to the dance floor. Confused at first, you slowly got a rough idea of what he was suggesting and shook your head.

"I'm not drunk enough to dance yet," you lied, trying to get him off your case. You were too sober to trust your heart that close around him just yet.

"Isn't that the beauty of it?"

The tension washing off of him just moments ago wore off into mischief and playfulness. There he was. Your Zoro.

"Are you sure that was a mocktail?" you quipped, suspicious at his sudden change in mood.

"Yes, it was a mocktail." The look he gave you, full of intensity and certainty was enough to tell you he was dead serious. "I just really want to dance with you."

"Okay, fine."

His hand grasped yours as you hopped off the bar stool, pulling you deeper into the moving crowd. Once he found a spot, he tugged you to him in a twirl. Your back landed against his chest, his deep, steady breaths falling right at the tip of your ear. Swaying from side to side, his palms wandered down to your own, lacing your fingers together, squeezing lightly. His touch turned your insides sticky with something akin to desire. His familiar scent overpowered your senses, musky vanilla turning tropic from that mocktail he had, lingering to the depths of your soul. His presence behind you, assertive, dominating and reassuring at the same time, lit up your whole body with fiery tingles.

He lifted your arms up, getting impossibly closer to you as the pads of his fingers reached up to yours, dancing down to your shoulders in a flow of their own where they fell with the rise of the chorus, briskly spinning you to face him. He placed your hands on his shoulders as you stepped back and forth, bouncing up and down to the music, eyes solely trained on you and no one else, nothing else.

In the synergy of the moment, he finally saw you.

It took him a while to understand but you were his rhythm. He couldn't lose you after he finally found it - the frequency of your heart beating to guide his own. If he lost track of you now, he would lose himself again. Among all the other hearts beating in hundreds of other tempos next to yours, he only wanted to move with yours.

You swayed right a little too hard, leg flying next to his hip. His arm shot out to catch it as the on on the small of your back pulled you close, breaths mingling in a flutter harmonious to the one in your stomach, multiplying it tenfold.

Upon releasing your leg, his hand trailed over the thin material of your dress, from your thigh all the way to your waist, where it got a better grip. One that wouldn't let you sway that hard again. Goosebumps burned on the path he carved into your skin and you found yourself closing your eyes on a shaky exhale.

You were shuddering in his hold and he barely did anything but hold you. When you opened them, he was still eye to eye with you, unmoving, patient, waiting for you.

He drowned out everyone else. The chatter, the music, the alcohol pumping through your veins. You couldn't take your eyes off him even if you tried and frankly, you didn't want to.

No words needed to be said as you let your bodies do the talking. The smaller the space grew between you, the simpler things seemed. It was clear as day your heart kept calling for him in a million ways and you denied it enough.

You wanted to have his eyes on you at all times. To have his lips all to yourself. To get the confirmation that he felt exactly what you felt. That he wanted all these things you wanted too.

He spun you out, reeling you back in against his chest. He looked down at you. You looked up at him.

They were close - those damned lips of his. Pink and soft laying on pink and even softer. Just a breath away. Until he broke your gaze.

Whatever bubble you were in popped and all too suddenly, the reality hit you again. They weren't yours to kiss. They were no ones. Forbidden.

The music filtered in your ears way too loud. People bumped into you from all sides. It was too much in too little of a moment to drown in your insecurities again, when his warm touch asked for your attention and his eyes met yours again.

"Wanna get out of here?" he rasped in your ear.

"You read my mind."

The sky announced the coming of night, faint purple clouds flying above the blue. You headed to your next destination, the amusement park. Looking at all the attractions, you had your first pick on the bumpy cars. They were childish, but they were fun enough to pull you out of your misery. At least for a while.

Hopping into the rink, you were barely strapped into your bumper when he rammed into your back at full speed, rattling your seat hard. He really is a child. But you were a bigger child. You didn't hold back either, chasing and cornering him, only to crash straight into the front of his bumpy car, cackling like a maniac.

At one point he disappeared into the crowd of cars as the lights grew dimmer. Keeping your guard up for a sneak attack, you rounded the sidelines cautiously, trying to avoid being caught in the middle of other people's warfare. Just when you stopped to turn and search the rink again, he marched up to hit you from the side only for you to dodge it like a pro. His car rammed into the edge of the rink, jaw dropped in shock as you bellowed with laughter at him.

His driving pride got shaken a little from your bumpy car skills, but you were smiling again. That's all that mattered to him.

Once your time was up, you were pulled to another ride, this time of Zoro's pick. Knowing him, it would be something too adventurous and risky to ride. You realized where he was taking you way too late - the highest roller coaster in the area. Instantly, you shook his hand off, backtracking behind him. That thing looked like what nightmares are made of.

"Hell nah, I am not getting on that."

Thinking you had a choice was a mistake since he pulled a wildcard on you. A wildcard you wished you never agreed to in the first place if you knew it would come back to bite you in the ass.

"Remember that bet we had at the gym that you lost?" Motherfucker. "I think it's time you make that wish come true."

And to think he gave you the impression it would be an innocent wish back then. All men do is lie.

"That's not fair," you argued, trying to think of a way to convince him to use his wish on something else. Something that didn't involve your stomach switching places with your other organs. Coming empty handed, you slumped your shoulders like a child being denied their favourite toy and got in the line with him.

Your leg bounced up anxiously with each pair admitted for a ride in front of you. The screams of the people on the rollercoaster screeched in your ears. You took a gulp of air to calm your nerves just as Zoro's lips brushed to your ear out of nowhere, almost giving you a heart attack.

"Nothing's going to happen to you. I'll be there to hold your hand."

Is he taking the piss? Hold my hand? How about you hold your balls secure before I kick them to the fucking sky-

Your thoughts were interrupted when something clicked fixed around you. The straps to the ride seat. You squirmed around uncomfortably to find a better position that felt safer, but being in that seat itself was not safe in any way. The straps were safe and secure but not safe enough.

"Zoro, I'm getting off."

To your disappointment, the megaphone called out that the next cart was going up and the ride started moving. Despite having multiple piña coladas at the club to calm your nerves, you still felt the panic grip you a little and grabbed a tight hold of the security holds keeping you in place, shutting your eyes and praying that this torture would end sooner.

"Hey, hey, hey." His voice called out to you softer than you've ever heard it before, willing you to focus on him. "Look at me."

"No, thank you," you chuckled uneasily. "If I open my eyes I will see my impending doom," you continued, feeling your heart thrumming in your chest as the ascent began quicker than you expected it to.

"Then give me your hand."

"I want to smack you over the head with it." Tremors took over your hands slightly, aware of how high you were going. "Why did I agree to this?"

"Because you like keeping to your word and it's something I admire about you."

He does? Oh, that's sweet- Wait I'm still mad at him.

"Please don't give me the compliment bullshit right now," you groaned through deep breaths.

"It's true though," he said, keeping his calm composure.

You cracked one eye open at him to see him looking only at you, anchored to your eyes like you were his view of the safe harbor in the tempest, the eye of the storm far away from reaching you.

Suddenly, everything was fine. All was good. It was just you and him on the same boat going in the same direction. Nothing could rock your boat.

Until you felt the ride stop and the urge to look around grew and despite all efforts, you gave into it. You were standing on the highest point, overlooking the whole park. You stopped breathing just looking around at the point ahead on the horizon where the sky met the sea, surprised to see the moon and the twinkling stars peak through the cover of clouds. The view would've been spectacular if it wasn't a few seconds till the train would drop.

"No no no, don't look-" he tried to warn you before you did the opposite.

"WE'RE GONNA FUCKING DIE!" you screeched.

"-down."

"If we don't die now, I will kill you myself when we're back on the ground for choosing to make such a stupid wish. I swear to GOD-" you were cut off as the train fell down into the drop.

Against your wishes, you grabbed onto his hand and held on for dear life, screaming as loud as your lungs could let you. You let out everything you've been holding inside for the past month in one strong yell. Zoro let out a few surprising yelps too, holding tighter onto your hand. The whole thing was over and done with before you knew it and you found yourself actually enjoying it. Not one hundred percent but a good amount of you did.

All that work to curl your hair only to get a blow out when you got back to the ground. It stuck up all sides, curls dismantled from the sheer force of the drop but still standing. Your hands patted it down with a pout, making Zoro take the matter into his own hands, brushing through your hair to fix it. His hands felt so soothing on your scalp, taming your earlier rage at being dragged to that death trap.

"You acted all cool only to yelp like a school girl during the drop," you giggled, his yelps still fresh in your mind.

"No, I didn't," he argued.

"I think the people that sat behind us would beg to disagree. At least own up to the fact that you were a teeny tiny bit scared."

"I don't fear anything."

"Oh yeah? Look behind you."

"What could possibly be so scary behind me- WHAT THE FUCK!" he yelled as he came face to face with a person dressed as a clown, carrying around balloons. He almost punched them on impulse.

"I don't fear anything my ass," you looked at him as he put down his fist and apologized. Once he was certain they left, he straightened his posture and cleared his throat.

"I was just startled," he said, trying to assure you that the statement he made was true. But you got used to seeing through his bullshit.

"Sure you were. Wanna try the haunted house over there then?" you pointed to the shack where a few people just ran out from, some full on sobbing. A scream came from inside, his eyes going wide and that was all you needed to know. Roronoa Zoro did have fears.

"Absolutely not."

"You sure? Nothing's gonna happen to you. I can hold your hand," you teased him like he teased you before the rollercoaster ride.

"Did you say you want popcorn? I'm gonna go get us some popcorn," he laughed, looking for an excuse.

"Okay. Meet you by the benches?"

"Sure."

Walking around, you stumbled upon a long queue of couples lined up to go on the Ferris wheel clogging most of the circulation around the park. If you were being honest, the rollercoaster was much more fun than waiting for hours to see an overpriced five minutes coast view could ever be. Besides, you could drive up the road and see that for free too.

You walked around some more when one of the stands stopped you in your tracks - throwing darts. It wasn't the darts game itself that piqued your interest, but the fluffy beige bear smiling brightly, hanging above the targets. His brown eyes matched those of your green-haired man, warm chocolate infused with honey, too sweet not to stop and stare.

For some reason you found it really lonely sitting by itself up there. All the smaller prizes were won and replaced on the daily, but by the looks of it he's been there for a while, waiting for someone. No one seemed sharp enough to play the game to the end and take him home.

You wanted to take him home with you.

If only you had the darts talent running in your veins. The price for just a set of three darts was way too much and it took seven perfect shots in the bullseye of the targets to win the bear. Perks of having an amusement park next to one of the most popular beaches on the coast meant complicated games that no normal human could aspire to win.

Sparing it one last look that made your heart ache, you turned and went to sit on a bench, waiting for your date that just so happened to see you stop by the darts booth. More precisely, he saw that pout on your face as you looked at the bear hung up high above the targets when it clicked. You wanted that bear.

Zoro knew you wouldn't ask him to get it for you. You didn't like asking for things and he knew that you might not even accept it if he offered it. But the way your shoulders slumped as you walked away told him how much you wanted it.

Darts wasn't his best sport, but he was good with his aim and had a patience that could kneel most at his feet. So, he marched to the booth, placing the popcorn tubs to the side and started tracing his targets to see just what he was dealing with.

"Feeling lucky tonight?" asked the manager of the booth, a sly smile on his face at finding another victim.

Little shit. If only he knew Zoro had the power to send his little business into bankruptcy right at his fingertips. A grin of his own graced his features making the man's smile quiver at the seams.

"Oh, I'm feeling more than lucky."

He rolled up his sleeves showing he meant business and placed a wad of cash on the dirty table, picking up his first set of darts. He was dead set on getting you that bear no matter how much money he had to blow on throwing tiny arrows around.

Anything to not see that pout on your face ever again.

Shuffling your heels over the dust and rocks on the ground, you drew random patterns to busy yourself. A lot of things were weighing on your mind. You were questioning why you went out in the first place. To give this a chance, your brain told you.

To feel something, said your heart. Well, with Zoro, you felt the whole damn universe in one sitting.

There was no telling how this night would end anyways. But you were slowly starting to think Zoro ditched you there since it's been a while he left to look for popcorn. You sighed again, feeling your world tilt, when a pair of shoes stopped in front of you. You knew those shoes.

"I thought you left to get popcorn not to shake hands with the mayor-," you lifted your head up only to stop mid-sentence. Staring at him like he grew a third eye, you took in the way he balanced two tubs of popcorn under his arm and a big plushie in the other.

The fluffy bear.

"I did. They were out so I went to find another stand. And this is for you," he offered you the bear with a smile that made his dimple pop out.

That small indentation in his cheek that showed up when he puffed them on the inside, usually at times when he did something he was proud of. A pit you could hide in whenever you wanted to without him knowing.

"Buddy looked a little lonely up there," he added, tilting his head back to the booth behind him.

Looking into those plastic brown eyes, you took the bear and hugged it close to you. It was even fluffier than you thought a plushie could be. You snuggled into it noticing that it lightly caught his scent, besides the sugary theme park smell.

You teared up a little. Not out of sadness or anything, but because you were touched by the gesture. Because he noticed, which was a rare thing to come by nowadays. Zoro cared and he showed you time and time again, never once falling short to notice. To make you feel seen.

Sensing a change, he placed the popcorn down on the bench you were sitting on just moments ago, grabbing a gentle hold of your arms.

"Hey," he spoke softly, trying to reassure whatever storm pried onto you out of nowhere. His palms stroked your forearms up and down, earlier glee in his voice morphing into worry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," you shook your head looking away. It was stupid to have a crying session right now of all times.

"You look like you're about to cry. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no! Gods, no. You didn't. You're amazing," you smiled. In an instant, your arms reached out to wrap around his waist hugging him as tight as you hugged the fluffy bear.

"Thank you, Zoro," you nuzzled your head into his chest in deep appreciation for more than the bear, hands holding tight onto the back of his shirt.

Your sudden display of affection made his ears grow pink. He silently hoped you couldn't hear the way his heart was beating from how your head was pressed to it. He wasn't sure how to respond at first but hesitantly, his arms wrapped around you too, squeezing you closer for a moment. His chin sat on top of your head as he let out a deep sigh at the comfort it brought him. If only he could hold you like this all the time.

There weren't enough words in the world to express your gratitude to him. For how well he treated you. For everything he did to make you feel happy. You just wanted to do the same for him. At least even for a little bit if this wasn't going to last.

"You're welcome," he smiled softly at you as you pulled apart from the hug. "Now, what are we naming this little guy?"

"Well, he definitely isn't little," you barked a laugh holding the bear up next to your hip. Now that you were seeing him closer, he was half your size. "I'll name him Lovey and I will be his Dovey."

"Does that mean I have competition?" his arms crossed on his chest, playing jealous. "He does seem like a worthy opponent."

"I didn't realise you were a runner-up, tough guy," you patted his chest to calm his coyness down a notch.

"Did I not make it clear enough?"

I think you and me have very different definitions of clear.

"I don't know," you teased. "Did you?"

"Guess I have to go for Plan B," he said, checking his watch again.

He checked that watch of his hundreds of times tonight. Was he in a rush? Is his prince charming cover going to dissipate like Cinderella at midnight or something?

"What's Plan B?" you asked confused, hoping he would let some information slip.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he smirked tauntingly.

This man is an ore of surprises.

You've been waiting for Zoro in front of the park for a little over half an hour. He left to look for his car a while ago and there was no sign of him yet.

Huh, funny how I keep waiting for him. Both physically and emotionally. When does it end?

The sky turned darker and grey clouds rolled over. You felt uneasiness creep up on you, especially since he mentioned a Plan B. If the club and the amusement park were Plan A, what did Plan B look like in his book?

Five more minutes passed and Zoro returned, surprisingly by walking instead of driving, car keys swinging around in his hand.

"Zoro, where's the car?"

"So, uh, bad news. I lost the car," he smiled apologetically, pressing his hands together.

"What do you mean you lost the car? It's a huge jeep. How hard can it be to find a huge... jeep," you motioned around only to stop as you realized most of the cars around looked exactly like his. "Oh."

"Yeah, charm of living on the coast. But good news is that we are in walking distance from my place which was final destination. Though that surprise is kinda ruined now."

"I don't know what exactly you have planned at your place though," you stated, fishing for details.

"You have a point. Well, I can just come and look for it tomorrow."

He says that as if it's a daily occurrence for him to lose a jeep to the hands of sense. Though that made you think. Just how many times did he lose his car around here? But you'd rather not ask. So you asked something else.

"Won't you get a ticket?"

"Most parking around here is free."

"That's fine then," you shrugged, getting up with Lovey under your arm. "What about Plan B?"

Come on, dude. Give me a clue. Just one hint.

"It's on the way," was all he said as he extended his arm to you.

Okay, then no clue.

"Shall we?"

"We shall."

Of all the places you expected to make a pit stop at, Home Depot was the last thing on your list. Zoro had to pick up a bulb for his kitchen light that has been in his shopping notes for the past two months. Two. months. This is exactly why you make the lists on your grocery runs. He always forgets something.

In one hand you held your new fluffy companion close, while Zoro held onto your free one while you padded through the departments to reach the light section. Like any self-respecting humans, you stopped by the furniture section to look at a few sofas and test their softness together. They were so comfortable to sit on but you already had one in your apartment and from what Zoro let on he had one too many. Now, you wanted to reach final destination sooner.

A bit more waddling around floorings and hardware and you finally reached it - the beauty that was the light section. Bulbs of all kinds for all purposes, orientally decorated lamps and simple to more lavish strings of lights hung around each rack, one calling out more than the other.

The section extended into an extra part that seemed to have been arranged more recently. It called to you so you left Zoro looking for his bulb as you went to explore it more.

Following the multicolor trail bouncing off the racks, you came to a makeshift panel widening into the middle of the department. It was built to look like an arch of some sort. Like the kind you would see in extravagant wedding settings.

Fairy lights and crystal chandeliers of all shapes dripped down to paint the grey floors in a myriad of colours. You ventured under it, looking at all the ambient and decorative designs on display. A few lamps were so beautiful you seriously considered redecorating. Although, the warm golden light of a chandelier in the middle of the ensemble drew you in, its intricate framework sending rays of light reflecting from all lamps everywhere.

Zoro found the bulb he needed and turned around to find you gone from his side. He had to put a tracker on you at this point.

Following his instinct, he took just a few steps down the lights wing and found you right away. His breath hitched. There you were, revelling in the warmth of the light of a crystal chandelier. Its main frame made out of goldenrod supported dozens of glass flowers cascading from each side to create a bigger rozette above. The other lights reflected into the glass, shining a warm gold tone all over you, romanticising your features.

You looked like you stepped out of heaven. A fallen angel. His fallen angel.

You were curiously tracing the details of a crystal flower when he stepped closer to you, musky vanilla invading your senses. Turning to him you ended up nose to nose once again tonight, foreheads almost touching in that confined space. He was so close yet so far again. What was he waiting for?

Kiss me, you wanted to scream.

Kiss my lips dry.

Kiss me like I'm yours Zoro.

You were ready to beg. To have him close the distance faster and end this yearning.

He leaned in, breath ghosting your lips almost painfully.

In your daze, too focused on him finally showing a response, you backed up into a lamp that nearly knocked out everything else behind you. You turned around just in time to catch it, steadying it back to its place, saving dozens of installations from being crushed to bits and pieces. When you turned back around, his eyes closed in denial, letting out an exasperated breath.

And he pulled away. Just like that. He initiated the moment and he ended it too.

Now what the fuck.

"Did you get the bulb?" you exhaled, still in shock that the moment was gone as quick as it came.

"I have," he inhaled, straightening his posture, cocky smirk flying back to his lips.

Like he didn't just have me begging for a fucking kiss in the Home Depot lights section.

"Do you need anything else?"

"Nope," he got a hold of your hand pulling it between you, thumb softly guarding yours. "I have everything I need right here."

You're such an anomaly, Roronoa Zoro.

All you could think about was his place. Which was unexplored land to you. Your visit there wasn't too early of a feat in your relationship considering how much he loved your place. You just pondered on what was waiting for you there.

An open invitation to become more? A private tour of his home? A one night only limited edition Zoro? The possibilities with this man were endless.

A small stinging sensation brought your attention to your leg. Your ankles. Not having worn heels in a while, you didn't think it would be this bad if you left them uncovered and just slid into the heels for the night. Until it was that bad and trying to walk in a way that didn't give your discomfort away was hard. Every step down the concrete sidewalk had your the shoe brush like a bristle comb against your ankle.

You stopped to lean your weight on a fence, lifting your leg to be met with the new blood crescents forming on the ridges of your heels. Ouch. Rubbing your ankles to soothe the ache proved to be only temporary relief. You tried putting it back in the shoe only to scrunch your nose at the new wave of pain.

You've been walking for quite a while already. Who knew how much longer you had until you reached his place?

Before you could even register what was happening, Zoro dropped to his knees in front of you with a grunt. You blinked, bewildered at his behaviour. His wide back stretched, laid out for you. You didn't notice until now that his shirt was slightly see-through, the glory of his lean, strong shoulders fully in your view. No view of the coastline could compare to the one you had in front of you. Kneeling at your feet of all things.

You just stared for a while still confused but digging it, until his voice echoed like a wake up call in your ears.

"Get on."

"I can walk."

He turned his head around, pining you with an are you serious right now look. He was trying to be a gentleman but your hugely independent persona wasn't having any of that. Well, that and you were still mad about the home depot thing.

The kiss that never happened. The pulling away after railing you up all night, with a desperate sigh on his part, as if he felt the same. If he felt the same he would've said or done something to cement it. To make you stop feeling like a damn fool.

"I know you can," he added, voice turning so mellifluous to sweeten the mood that your knees almost turned to jelly. "I just don't want those red demons to scar you more than they already have."

He was sweet-talking you again.

He turned back around and made grabby hands over his shoulder for you to hurry up. You bit your lip annoyed that he was right. The heels would only scar your ankles more.

"Fine," you sighed and got on, closing an arm around his neck as the other wrapped the bear's arms around your own.

Certain that you got comfortable, Zoro got a hold of the back of your thighs to lift you up. The spot he touched behind your thigh tickled and you tried your hardest to keep stable and not move around too much. You did kick forwards in instinct once, earning a disgruntled huff from your humble transport.

"Is there a place you aren't ticklish in?"

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it."

You took a strand of your hair and tickled his cheek on purpose as he tried to blow it away.

"I will drop both of you if you don't stop that," he warned.

You leaned closer to the side of his head, the rim of your lips brushing just the tip of his ear, voice playing sweet whispering in the same way he did to you all night.

"Stop what?"

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, jaw clenched, tensing under your hold before slowly reconfiguring his pace. You hit a chord. You grinned in victory that it affected him when your smile fell as you caught sight of the corner of his lip twisting upwards. He welcomed your teasing only to reply with a remark of his own.

"Are you testing me, angel?"

Angel. That was new. So new that your heart fluttered.

You kept your composure unsure of how to respond. This was one of those times his teasing got too deep inside of you and tickled a chord you didn't even know was there. So you just deflected from it, securing your hold on him better.

"Drop me and I will end your entire bloodline."

A deep rumble of a chuckle that he tried to keep inside but failed, boomed under you. The heaviness between you dissipated little by little, unserious, and you giggled along with him.

"You're precious cargo. But I just might," he teased again, readjusting his hold on you.

Yet, the truth was he wouldn't. In fact, he would do anything in his power for you to be comfortable. Even if that meant carrying you and a midsized bear all the way to his place sprawled on his back like a sack of potatoes, with your red feet killers swinging in his hand as your warm giggles filled the night.

Though it was a far reach, the possibility of nights like these becoming a regular thing made his heart soar. Maybe there was a chance for more.

Entering the lush part of the coastline, palm-hidden domains morphed into villas upon villas of the rich and the elite in all kinds of styles running along the lap of a hill. Halfway up the steep hill, your humble transport climbed a set of stairs and stopped in front of a villa.

Your mouth hung open. There's no way this was his.

Your eyebrows reached the heavens when he fished around his pocket for the keys and jingled them in the hole, pushing the door open. This was his.

Once inside, he bent down for you to get off, placing your heels down, putting his own shoes next to yours. You hopped off taking in the place. Each way your head turned you were instantly hit with his scent.

"You're telling me your house was this close to the club and we spent new year's sleeping on the beach?" you asked, twirling around the place.

Walking in further, you came to a dip in the ground going into a spacious living room. Two medium couches and an armchair in a deep forest green laid around facing each other. He does have a couch too many.

"Well, I didn't want to hit third base that early," he said, walking into the kitchen area. "You did take me for a psychopath just for taking you to the beach."

Taken aback at his words, you turned around trying to recall when that happened.

"Pffft, I did not."

Stopping his ascent on a small ladder to change the broken bulb, he placed his hands on his hips and looked back at you then proceeded to utter the exact words you said to him on your first night together.

"Is this the part where you kill me or something?"

He even had the tone right. You laughed remembering his first impression. Oh, how wrong you were. He turned out to be way more than that.

"Fair enough."

Fixing fluffy Lovey on a couch, you walked around some more. The huge space was used so well, beige and green motives spreading all around, combining in neutrals with the dark grey oak wooden floors. Beyond the modern aesthetic and messily discarded trinkets it was so cozy. Compared to your apartment, this place was an oasis.

"You have a really nice house."

"Thank you. It's not much really."

Not much? He's not being real.

He fiddled some more with the lightbulb, lean forearms working to click it into place. Extending his hand to you, he motioned you to the flip switch to test if it works. You obliged and turned it on. The bulb glowed, turning the beige kitchen golden, just like the chandelier you saw.

Moving into the cooking area you realised even his kitchen was something out of the paradise of architectural design.

You leaned your elbows on the marble top, head resting on top of your knuckles, waiting for him to finish. Once he was satisfied with his work, he stored the ladder away and came to sit next to you, mirroring your position. Feeling his prying eyes on you, you turned to find him a few inches away, hip brushing yours, looking at you with a smile.

"Hi," you said softly, smiling back at him.

"Hi," he replied, the crescents around his eyes deepening.

You could sit there looking at each other until time would end. If it wasn't for your stomachs singing in unison demanding some attention.

"I thought that instead of going to spend loads of money on a restaurant, we could cook something ourselves," he suggested.

"You went grocery shopping without me?"

"Yep," he popped the p at the end looking really proud of himself.

You had to give him credit for planning the whole day out ahead of time. It's the most anyone has ever done for you.

"So, what are we cooking?"

"Well," he threw a towel over his shoulder, "your wish is my command tonight."

You loved his determination. Zoro could cook. Just enough to save his life if need be but nothing too grandiose - if that included omelets and fried rice with some creativity to reinvent the dish for every day of the week. Thing that required talent.

So, you thought of one simple thing no one could screw up. Something that would be easy, fun and quick to make that would fill you both. You settled on the pinnacle of good food.

"Then pizza it is."

"Had a feeling you'd say that."

He walked to the fridge and pulled out some of your favorite toppings and a jar of the tomato sauce you swore by. You gasped, holding a hand over your heart in fake excitement.

"You know me so well."

"I try my best," he said, making a bow.

You got to making the dough, mixing the ingredients while he connected his phone to a speaker. Jazzy, romantic music played and you craned your neck at him to see that playful smirk. He wasn't acting like the Zoro you knew.

"Dean Martin? Seriously?"

"What's wrong with it? It's-"

"Romantic."

You never saw anyone cut the music so fast. It gave you whiplash.

"Then what about this?"

The track changed to ABBA's Dancing Queen. You threw your head back with a laugh, shaking it at his questioning music choices.

"Friday night and the lights are low ~," he sang off key, sending you into another fit of giggles. He continued singing as laughter rolled out of you to the point you were holding your stomach in pain.

Cruising around some more, he finally let a pop playlist run in the background as you worked on the dough and he got busy with chopping stuff up. You snuck a few glances at him and stilled - that golden light bounced on his tan complexion, making his focused posture appear so snug and cozy, almost husband material. The amused twinkle was back in his brown orbs, resembling irresistible pralines.

He looked like home.

Feeling your cheeks heat up, you turned back to the dough, sprinkling flour on the table top and rolling it out to spread it as wide as you could eat it. Too focused on it, you didn't notice a floured finger coming to paint your face until the white powder was already smeared across your cheeks.

"You're such a child," you let out before you painted his nose with flour too.

"I think that makes two of us."

He cupped the side of your face, brushing his thumb over the flour covered bits. Though that only smudged the flour more, your heart beat accelerated to an uneven rate. He was too close again. Too close to let go again.

"You made me beg for this date so much," he spoke lowly, brushing your cheek in circles. "I don't do begging."

"Can't blame a girl for wanting to torment the guy she's interested in."

Before he could reply, your stomach grumbled again, annoyed that there was still no food present in it. His hand fell from your cheek, though his touch still lingered. Warm, singed, stamped on your cheek.

You finished decorating the pizza with everything you both liked and once it was in the oven, you crouched down to see it cook. Zoro followed on your side, knee touching yours.

"You know, it's not gonna cook faster if you stare at it," he mused.

"I know," you turned to look at him. The gleam from the oven light coupled with the kitchen light above played tricks on you because you could've sworn that hard, playful gaze of his turned softer. "I'm just surprised you can cook something other than basic military canned food."

"Oh, shut up," he laughed, playfully shoving his shoulder into yours.

You made small talk until the oven dinged that your pizza was ready. Letting Zoro deal with it, you ventured more into his living room like a cat looking for her next napping spot.

You walked all the way to the glass windows acting like an outer wall. Finding a handle, you pulled on it expecting it to be just for décor only to see that the glass slid open to give you access to a private beach front. Your jaw would crack if this man shocked you more tonight.

He has a private beach. Who the hell just has a private beach? And he said it's not much. Dude, I can move here if you don't like it.

Pushing the door open all the way, you took a seat on an extended wooden ledge overlooking the stretch of water you started liking so much. The sky was still cloudy, covering up the moon, yet some stars still sparkled through the white glare. A few birds played around in the trees, chirping as brightly as they would in the early morning. Waves lapped calmly at the shore, smaller than the naked eye could see, crashing into each other before they could make a sound on the sand.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath of the salty air, letting it sink deep into your lungs. Calm enveloped you like a warm blanket comfortingly there for you. It was more than an oasis. It was how Zoro made you feel. Though most times it was accompanied by chaos, you would always find yourself waiting for this serene peace.

"I see you've found your favorite spot already."

Zoro was quickly at your side with the pizza sliced, a bottle of wine under his arm and some glasses. He sat down next to you working on the bottle before anything else.

"Favorite doesn't even begin to describe it."

Hungry from all the dancing and walking, you dove into the pizza first. The dough melted on your tongue, nodding to yourself as the good tomato sauce hit your taste buds, among with all the other toppings.

"Is it edible enough?"

"It turned out way better than I expected."

"Hand me one," he opened his mouth, waiting for you to feed him a slice.

You picked up a smaller one. Careful not to smudge any of the toppings on his shirt, you held it out for him to take a bite. He stopped fiddling with the cork to take in the taste.

"You're right, this is heavenly. I didn't know my oven could cook like this."

You choked, slapping his arm.

"That's what ovens are for, dummy."

Red wine, darker than your dress, danced in the glasses as you clinked them together. Taking a sip, the sweetness hit you before it lulled into bitter cherries, spilling on your lips like the promise of love on this chilly February night.

"Look out," he pointed out towards the sea.

You looked everywhere. All you could see was a few boats out on the water, the sky clearing some more and the sea. You even squinted, thinking you weren't looking properly.

"I don't see anything."

He checked his watch to see he was too early. For someone who was always late in making decisions, he still had time. Huh, how the tables have turned.

He counted the leftover seconds in his head, leaning back to look at you the way he did on new year's on the beach. Your back was in his full view, covered by your dress and your hair that grew a bit longer. He still has that impulse to trace your spine with the pads of his fingers.

"Look now."

Right as your eyes fixed on the boats, fireworks lit up the night sky from far out on the water. Pink and red spun around in different shaped hearts.

Seems like the surprises keep on coming.

Too engrossed in the light show decorating the sky in cute and heartwarming messages, you didn't notice Zoro slipped from beside you until you heard slow music playing from the speakers. He sat behind you, hand extended your way.

"Can I have this dance?"

"Another one?"

"You can't blame me for wanting another dance with you when you look this beautiful tonight."

"Only tonight?" you questioned, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"All the time," he corrected himself as he pulled you closer.

You stepped left and right under the warmth of the lights and the fireworks, holding the man you've always wanted in your life. Suddenly, you were taken back to that night where you let it all go to have fun with a stranger. A stranger that became something more so fast.

Who knew you'd end up mending each other's solitude and fill up the cracking pieces in your hearts. You were both aware that you meant more to each other than you let on, but the words just didn't seem to find their way out to communicate that. That was your only fatal flaw.

The need to know where you stand was more powerful than anything right now.

Somehow, everything was perfect.

Maybe too perfect.

"This is so fucking cheesy," you quipped.

"What's cheesy?"

"Everything. This night, the food, the wine, the fireworks... you."

You've kept the uneasiness at bay all night but something made it explode everywhere in your body and it definitely wasn't the wine. Or the way he was looking at you with those deep brown eyes like he could tell what you were feeling. If that were true he wouldn't waste any more time than you already did.

"What is this really about?" he asked, hands falling from your waist to rub comforting circles on the inside of your wrists.

If it wasn't crystal clear until now, he knew what made you tick. And something pushed a nerve by the looks of it and the way you were avoiding his eyes.

You wanted the ground to swallow you up for letting your mouth run wild without any basis besides that nervousness. But you might as well just bite the bullet and tell him everything and be honest with each other at least for once. You avoided talking about it way too long.

"It all feels a little too perfect to be real."

Thinking that voicing your thoughts out would give you some semblance of balance was a wrong assumption. As soon as those words left your mouth, he let go of your arms, taking a step back. Once again, you let your inhibitions take over and reel you away from a great thing.

You got lucky by meeting him. But you still couldn't help but think his heart wasn't yours for the taking. Because he wouldn't let you take it. That you couldn't be more than friends with him because more would destroy the already amazing thing you had going on.

By the way his face fell, brown orbs more preoccupied with the wooden floors, you realized you probably fucked up even more.

Frankly, he did all this tonight for you. He was never the type to go out of his way for people, even the ones he had an interest in because he wasn't one to play the feelings game. To chase and court and shower in affection.

But he knew where you were coming from and why.

He didn't make it clear that you've been the sole object of his attention ever since he saw you that first night you came to the club. For him, that was just another night lost to endless glasses of alcohol to numb himself even more from the world.

Until you showed up.

Hair thrown into the same messy bun you always sported, uncomfortably shifting in your clothes as you nursed a different array of alcohol yourself, trying to do exactly the same thing he was doing. Numbing the feelings away. Keeping them at bay. Fighting them with everything you had in opposite corners of the club when you could've embraced them together from that first look that connected you.

The more time he spent with you the more he let those suppressed feelings in and realised that they didn't bring him any pain this time, but solace, comfort, hope.

The hope that he might just have a great thing in front of him worth changing his ways for.

While Zoro was having a revelation, you were having a war with yourself.

There was this monstrous fire harbored inside of you for so long. Zoro woke that fire and there was no telling of the destruction it could cause this time, especially with so many unsaid things lingering in the air. So many unshared feelings. Because he stood still like the sea washing on the beach instead of doing something. Anything.

Please, Zoro, your eyes begged but he wouldn't look at you.

He was danger, screamed your mind. The danger that you got too comfortable. That this was wrong and you put up the 'no vacancy' sign on the doors to your heart way too soon.

Let me in, your heart screamed, blood in your veins trembling in anger.

One rapid thump of your heartbeat drowned in the silence.

Two more passed and he stood still, gaze set on the ground.

On the third one, you made your mind up.

Before tears could well up in your eyes, you turned around with the intention of bolting out through the same door he carried you through not that long ago.

Sensing movement, he caught sight of you shaking your head, that pout he hated back on your lips. He hurt you. Because he was a fucking idiot who couldn't do words.

But he could do actions. He was willing to do even more to prove to you that this was right and it wasn't all just in your head. That he felt it too.

It only took you taking two fast strides in the direction of the door for him to make up his mind too.

"Then let me make it real," he caught your hand and pulled you to him, crashing his lips onto yours for the first time since that night at the club, kissing you like his life depended on your very own lips moulding to his own.

You felt the desperation, the anguish, the need. All of it to have you close and to feel you in more ways than one. Everything you've been feeling for the past month, hope, passion, the beginning of love, spilling from his lips onto yours. He was telling you everything he kept to himself with each desperate tug at your lip and you received every word.

The last time he kissed you was over a month ago, pressured by the new year's kiss tradition. Back then, he tasted like alcohol and his cologne. But now, he tasted like everything you've been waiting for. And you had a hunch he waited just as long for it.

Once you were past the shock of it, you kissed him back even harder, lips finally moving in sync with his. He got a rough hold of your waist and pulled you even closer to deepen the kiss. One of his hands tangled in your curls exactly the way he wanted to since he saw you at your apartment.

He wanted to be selfish. Let that monstrosity of his heart pour out all of those feelings to you. But he reminded himself he had to take it slow with you. So he let go with a small tug at your lower lip, spurring the eagerness inside of your tummy for more.

You pulled apart but remained close, foreheads touching in bliss. Though short, this kiss was sweeter and more meaningful than any chocolate box you could ever get. It was everything you needed to know what his heart held inside and how much more of him you still had to see.

He let you in.

"I wanted to do this for so long," he breathed haggardly, like you stole away all the air in his lungs with just one kiss. A kiss that was so long overdue.

"Why didn't you?" you voiced the question that's been hanging by a thread all night.

"I didn't know how you felt about me."

"You're such an idiot. But you're my idiot."

Shaking your head against his, you pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt and kissed him again, this time with more fervour. You wanted to make sure he understood where your feelings stood, where you wanted this to go and that you let him be in total control of it. Because losing control with Zoro was surrendering to a higher power. One that your heart loved being handled by.

You carved your own feelings into the way you held onto his cheeks and nibbled on his lips in unsated hunger, trying to put the torment, want and devotion you felt for him over the past month and a half into a language that he could understand.

And he understood.

Tapping your thigh, you got the message and jumped up into his strong arms that wrapped around you like a curtain of safety.

Your safety net.

He ripped yours apart to become it.

He held you to him so easily as he navigated through the furniture maze in his living room, taking off into a long corridor, all the while his lips discovered new grounds with yours. He didn't want to waste any more time if it involved you.

Zoro didn't care if this would end up being a fucked up disaster on his part, but he held back enough from showing you how he really feels. It was time he made things right with you.

You.

It was only you.

There didn't need to be anyone else for him.

Just you.

His hold tightened around you as he rounded a corner, not for security but to brand the feel of your being in his hands, to realize that he was finally holding you, feeling you where you were supposed to be all along.

Heavens, how much he longed for this. Your presence wouldn't dare to leave his thoughts just like he never left yours. Oh, he knew of the ardor your eyes held inside and was well aware of what ran around in your head because he let those same movies play in his own around the clock, early day into late night. Maybe he didn't let it be known, not like you did in wistful glances or pink tinted cheeks, but there were signs.

In the way his jaw ticked in disgust at every man who set their eyes on you every time you went out shopping, to the point he was ready to have an MME match if they stared too long. Or how his hand twitched to grab yours whenever you sat too close, the need to lace them together and press you flat against the couch in your apartment overriding his senses. And his mouth. Oh, his mouth. It wanted nothing but to taste every inch of you, everywhere you touched him and riled him up, every time your eyes drifted down to his lips, until there was nothing left to taste.

Hell would freeze over before that happened.

Kicking the door to his room open, he shut it just as swiftly, maneuvering your back to the nearest wall, moonlight the only thing illuminating the room. The cold wall cooled your burning skin, a breathy gasp leaving your throat right into his mouth with a kiss. He let go of your back, hands searching for your palms, pushing them against the wall beside your head. His mouth never left yours, exploring every depth, rise and sigh escaping you.

He hooked you higher up the wall with every kiss, atoning for every missed opportunity over the past month. Your legs tangled harsher around his torso, tugging him even closer as he pressed against you with all his might, feeling all of him and none of him at the same time.

Close just wasn't enough for any of you.

You needed closer. Attached. Intimate.

Soul on soul.

Patience wasn't your virtue at all tonight. You clawed at his hands, needy unlike anyone has ever made you. Except Zoro. Your head was filled with him. You were breathing him in and it still wasn't enough.

In one breath you were unglued from the cold wall and put down on the comfy edge of his bed, separated from his lips and from him. You whined at the loss of feeling him against you, ready to argue that having him kiss you mattered more than whatever had him lose the tempo. Although that need turned into anticipation just as fast once your eyes focused on his kneeling form before you.

Roronoa Zoro, on his knees, for you, eyes darker than the blackness of the night. That vulnerability looked lethal.

Those eyes. You could drown in them for a lifetime if they asked you to.

"Zoro," you sighed, chest rising up and down, expectant of his next move.

Oh, how he loved the sound of his name rolling off your lips. Usually so contained in the form of a sarcastic remark or to warn him to watch it.

Now, it was tuned to demand for his attention. And he wanted to make sure you got all of it.

One of his hands extended to your leg, calloused fingers trailing up the arch, circling mindfully around your wounded heel to hold it up to his lips. He pressed them to the inside of your ankle, slow and steady, eyes fixed on yours as you took in a sharp breath. The intensity of his unwavering gaze alone made heat pool between your legs.

Flutters rose in crescendos inside your belly at each kiss and there was no stopping them from roaming free. Not when he was watching your every response like your body was the eighth wonder of the world.

Your hands fell beside you, feeling the softness of his duvet to ground you as you closed your eyes to relish in the moment. Focusing on how plush his mouth felt on your skin on two different extremities. Wondering how they would feel on the rest of your body.

Unspoken but present in the air, that wish was his command.

His fingers trailed higher, past your calf, under your knee, roughly tugging you closer to the edge. Your dress bunched up your thighs as his fingers continued their perusal to reach the small of your back. Slowing his pace, he traced the dip in your spine all the way between your shoulder blades, your back arching involuntarily. Still on his knees, he moved closer between your legs as those fingers circled on your nape, pulling you down to meet his mouth halfway in another kiss, more fiery than the last.

This one sputtered with flames of passion. So much that you couldn't contain yourself anymore.

Your hands shot out to undo the buttons of his shirt. Frustrated with the top ones you just dug your fingers in the holes and pulled it open, poor buttons flying to the floor with a pang, interrupting your fast breaths. He broke apart from your lips to assess the damage only to find his chest half-exposed to your itching hands.

"That was vintage."

"I'll get you another one but I want it off, now," you muttered in a breath, grabbing his face to devour him. You couldn't get enough of how he tasted and every breath for air asked for another taste.

Hooking one hand around your back, he lifted you up and hauled you to the middle of the bed. His lips connected with the side of your mouth, dragging the bottom lip you liked biting so much between his teeth. He was just as annoyed at your dress, desperately looking for ways to feel more of you as he fisted the ends until they creased.

"I want this off too," he groaned, pulling on the skirt impatiently.

Said and done.

You sat up, letting the straps fall off your shoulders, pulling the material over your head to leave you in your undergarments. He licked his lips taking you in. The ferocity of his stare alone drinking you in like his normal glass of whiskey made tremors dance on your skin.

And he didn't even properly touch you yet. You weren't even sure you would survive his touch. The good thing was, you were about to find out.

"What now, loverboy?"

The nickname came out way more playful than you intended it to. It was enough to provoke him in ways that will damage you for anyone else. Ways that will tie his existence to your very own, unable to ever untie it.

"I'm gonna have you like no one has ever dared to before and no one will," he spoke, so deep that your buds prickled against the air at the gravel in his voice. "By the time I'm done with you, you're gonna wish you didn't test my patience for so long."

That turned you on even more. At the need present in him matching the same level of want flowing in your body.

He kicked the rest of his clothes off. Your eyes stopped at the huge package that laid under his clothes, a Greek god in the flesh and balls. They then lingered from the sculpted thighs you were so envious of, to his defined middle where you lost count of his packs and chest, going up to the arched bow of his collar bones, stopping at the plump lips that rushed to capture your own again. This time, he bit your lower lip for access to explore the rest of your mouth, tongues tangling in a dance of their own on the same rapid rhythm your hearts were beating in.

A hand sneaked under your back to lift you higher, pressing your chest flush to his, feeling all the shapes of his muscles against your own. His lungs breathed with yours. Your hearts came alive.

His lips left your mouth, moving down your jaw, prodding under it, heading to your collar bones in hungry fire. They left a burning trail in their wake, stretching tingles even to the edge of your shoulders where he pressed softer ones.

Kiss, lick and bite was his mantra that he repeated against your skin. He wanted to claim you tonight, more viciously than a wolf in heat would claim his mate.

Trailing down, he laid small and large kisses on your sternum, between your mounds. His palms sat on either side of your waist, rubbing circles to tease you more. Damn his teasing.

Feeling his lips, his hands and his torso pressed to you all at once turned your breathing erratic, saprking electric shocks inside of you. He was everywhere, taking your control away. Your eyes darted closed to find some kind of anchor besides fisting his sheets.

"Eyes on me, angel," he commanded and in a second your eyes snapped back to his.

He stopped just above your navel, waiting for you to catch your breath. That was a luxury. Once he was sure you were following, he continued all the way down to your lower stomach where the band of your panties stuck to you uncomfortably. Your breath hitched when he stopped there, blowing above where you needed him most, only to move down to your inner thighs, nipping on the softer skin with that amused smirk of his gracing the outline of his mouth.

He was trying to push you over the edge on purpose.

Fuck that.

One swift push and he fell backwards on the bed. You climbed on top to take the reigns and gain some control back. Little did you know that having you straddling him like that bid the beast inside of him alive.

You moved butterfly kisses from the crook of his neck, down his toned pecs. His hand latched in your hair, grabbing a tight hold around your curls, destroying them like he wanted to do all night. The pressure on your scalp pulled a moan from you just as you bit into his abdomen heaving a groan from him, his other hand digging into your waist as he raised up to meet your neck. He bit and pulled on it too, turning your insides to mush.

Sitting up with you on your kness, he hooked a finger on each side of your panties and ripped them apart down the middle with that shit-eating grin. You choked on every remnant of sanity as he threw the shreds to the side leaving you naked, fully naked, exactly like he wanted you.

Grabbing onto his shoulders, you moved to his lap, legs parted to cage him into your space. One look of confirmation that this was still what you both wanted had you sink down on him at once.

He was big. Collosal almost. He felt bigger than you thought you could take. Eyes closed, it took you a moment to get your bearings back but once you did, you felt him everywhere. His upper thighs supported the rest of your weight. His hands circled around you, both grabbing and holding you upright. His cherry wine-infused breath fanned the side of your neck.

And his eyes? Waiting for you as you opened yours. One look at them and your hips started rolling on autopilot. Every swing buried him deeper, further, closer to where your being called for him. And he let you have it. Letting you ravish his gear the way you liked it, feeling him stretch you sore.

His mouth went back to his mantra. Kissing the crook of your neck, licking it right in the middle and biting it hard enough to leave a bruise. To mark you as his. His and his only.

You gripped his shoulders, shifting to get a better position as your hips started getting tired. Silently, you cursed yourself for ditching gym with him because you didn't know how much stamina riding him would take out of you.

You were close and from how he gripped your waist to help your rhythm, pulling them faster front and back, he was too. He stopped nibbling on your neck, moving to your lips to swallow your quiet moans. He had to make them louder.

You rolled your hips until you couldn't find the energy to push into him anymore. He took that as his chance to take over again.

He pulled out, turning you around as he spread you on all fours. Your hands landed on the bedpost to support you as he climbed behind you. He laid kisses from your lower back all the way to your left shoulder where his lips brushed your ear just as his tip lightly caressed your opening. His warm breaths foreshadowed sin on your skin, making you wetter by the second.

And he entered you. One, two, three pumps and he got accustomed to your tightness just as you did with his size stretching you out. He bit the side of your neck with every thrust, sending your conscious into oblivion, chasing that high together.

Every moan you withheld from him earned you a deeper thrust. He wanted to hear you in all your glory. Wanted to know how badly you wanted him, not just like this but in every way.

In your lost haze, you ended up on your back closer to release. Entering you roughly, he pounded in you so fast you were seeing stars, head rolling to the side in complete ecstasy. His hand grabbed your jaw, tilting your field of vision back to him.

His free hand grabbed your hand for the millionth time tonight, placing it on the messy sheet beside your head, fingers smoothly sliding through yours as he kissed away all of your sighs. Your other hand climbed from deep down his waist to his upper back, hard rock muscles rippling under your touch like a stone thrown on the surface of a still river, disturbing its peace, turning it turbulent and wild. Waking up every primal urge in him as he groaned in your neck.

He accelerated, twitching inside of you and you came, letting your insides explode into a mess as he continued chasing his own high. He wasn't done with you yet, thumb rushing to rub another climax out of you as he was close to his own. His mouth bit into your breasts, grazing your buds one at a time, pulling on them in a way that added to your pleasure way more than the last one.

You gripped him again, tighter, and in no time you both came furiously, spilling everything you held back out onto that mattress. He pulled out, letting his seed fly onto your stomach.

You tried to catch your breath. It was gone somewhere between ecstasy and what laid beyond euphoria. He left to clean himself up, returning with a token of aftercare for you. He wiped his mess off of you, gentle and attentive to get everything off. Once he was done, he got in next to you, pulling you close.

You both just sat there for a while, reflecting on everything that happened. You still felt him inside of you, on you, above you, behind you. He managed to ruin you.

His voice cleared the quiet, making you focus back on the real world for a bit.

"You okay?"

"I just got fucked to oblivion. I would say fantastic but I can't feel my legs."

He chuckled. He would never fail to love your sarcasm. Even in moments like these.

"Did I go too hard?" he asked, not sarcastically but wanting to know if it was too much. If he went harder than he should have.

Looking at the vines of love bites he left on the entirety of your neck, the smudged makeup that looked almost natural, and your tousled messy hair, hard couldn't encapsulate it better. You would've said "you could've gone harder" but that meant urging him on another round and you were spent for tonight. So, you laid your head in the crook of his neck and closed your eyes, releasing a content breath, a silent confirmation that you were okay.

A single thought passed through your head - this was all kinds of right. Your once in a lifetime right time right place, as cheesy as it sounded. Maybe cheesy was good.

He was in his head thinking everything through in his own way, breaking down the once intense feelings into little flurries of emotion buzzing inside of him. That passion masked itself as denial for way too long. But tonight, you held his face and took that mask off, giving him clarity and he was able to feel something else.

Something close to love, he thought, chuckling to himself.

You cracked one eye open, taken aback at his sudden cheerfulness. One look at his face bathed in the glow of the moon and you saw him beaming.

"What are you so smiley about?"

He just shook his head, smile widening like a Cheshire cat that's been caught up to no good.

"Nothing."

Taking it upon yourself, you got up from his side with slow moves and straddled his waist, getting his attention back on you.

"Tell meeeee," you stretched, poking your fingers through every dent in his abs until he told you.

"What are you gonna do for it?"

Not this again.

Actually, this time, you knew what he wanted. A kiss. So, you just leaned over and caught his lips sweetly, smiling into it. His hand came to cup your face, smiling back. He pulled away, soft praline orbs gazing at you warmly.

"What if I still don't want to tell you?"

"Zoro, stop playing with me," you complained, slapping his chest.

"Okay. Okay," he held his hands up in surrender.

He sat up to lean on the headboard and get a better look at you - his ruined shirt hugged your smaller form, running all the way to your thighs. The marks of his feelings that he still couldn't utter decorated you everywhere. You sat back on his lap, arms crossed on your chest, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm not one to do feelings," he started, eyes darting down in thinking. "But you changed that."

Your eyes stayed focused on him, softening at his words.

You knew that he was a reserved person, keeping to his corner rather than reaching out into other people's. Until he found something worth thrusting his hand out at full speed to get it. Something worth hanging onto with his teeth.

As he connected his eyes with yours, brown blazing fire burning as bright and consuming as yours, it dawned upon you that something was you.

He was trying. For you.

"You were right. I am an idiot," he paused, fiddling with the ends of his shirt beside your calf. "It took me so long to figure it out but now I know."

Your heart started running when his hand held yours and brought it to sit on top of his own, running just as fast in his chest. Though the rate of yours spiraled out of control at the honesty of his incoming confession.

"I think I'm in love with you."

Your head spun, blinking in confusion at him.

"Am I hallucinating or did you just say the L word?"

"Yes. I did just say the L word," he nodded, confirming that he felt the same for you.

Before you could breathe it through, you leaned in for another kiss. He deepened the kiss trying to reach every corner of you. Wanting to both take his time and rushing to taste every part of you.

Breathless. Serene. And everything in between.

"I take it you love me back?" he asked, needing you to say those words back to him.

Your heart did flips at the way the word sounded coming from him. It dripped with honey and warmth.

"A little more than love," you grinned. "You do realise that I won't be able to stop it, right?"

"I don't want you to."

"Great," you clapped your hands together. "Because I will become so annoying."

He howled a laugh, throwing his head back, the sound you loved so much making you laugh too.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

You leaned down connecting your lips for the millionth time tonight. But you still couldn't get used to them or to the fact that your heart called out his name and his answered back calling out just as loud.

Falling forward into his arms, you sank like a ship happily waiting to meet its end in the depths of the ocean that was him. Because no ocean was deeper and so familiar to swim through than your Zoro.

He kissed the crown of your head, pulling you closer. Happy felt like an impossible destination until he held you to him like this, safe and warm in his embrace. He felt a tinge of it and he wanted more.

"Are you tired-"

Before the question even left his mouth properly, his eyes drifted to the steady rise and fall of your chest, drained body curled into him tightly, head tucked into the crook of his neck, chest pressed to his.

She's drooling again, he chuckled to himself, moving some hair away from your face so you wouldn't inhale it. You sat like a baby coddled in its mother's arms, but your position looked a little uncomfortable.

He pulled your feet from under you to get you in a better posture. Moving his arms around you, he got more cozy, drawing the covers over the both of you and let the night come to an end.

Birds chirped announcing a new day, with the sea singing the same tune as its waves crashed in a swirl outside. The morning sun peaked through the curtains, its soft rays caressing the top of your head, willing you to wake up.

The first thing you felt was your cheek pressed against something plush. A pillow. The pillows I fell asleep on last night were way better.

You rolled around the bed trying to find some more sleep when the thought of last night sparked your brain like the tip of a vinyl record player, making memories play faster than your sleepy mind could catch up to.

Lips kissing on every part of your skin available to sight, carving themselves on the hidden ones. Hands caressing your body like a holy prayer, thought but never uttered. Eyes making secret promises with yours in the darkened moonlight.

You turned on your back and opened your eyes, letting them adjust to the light in the room. The fluffy duvet fell to your lap as you sat up, stretching your sore limbs with a groan. Everything ached but in a good way.

Pulling the covers away, you folded them neatly on the bed and took in the space in the light of day. The beige and green from downstairs broke off into a two-tone sandy beige and a cotton white on the floor and the walls. It truly felt like home. And smelt like it too. That musky vanilla you liked so much enveloping you, mostly from his shirt.

After a steamy shower that your skin welcomed fully, you stopped in front of the mirror to see just what he drew on you last night. You traced the red marks down your body, feeling the ghost of his lips like he was kissing and biting those places again and again. He didn't need any words after all.

Rummaging through his wardrobe, you stole a t-shirt, fitting like a dress on you, and a pair of pants that barely wanted to stay on your waist. You had to roll them up and double tie the strings for them to sit still.

Taking to the long corridor, you followed the sunlit path and looked for your partner in crime. You found him in the kitchen, handling an egg carton, preparing for what looked like the Zoro Special - omelete with a bunch of side dishes and orange juice - or Champions' Breakfast as he called it.

He had his back turned to you, busy chopping up some tomatoes. You sneaked behind him, trying to be quick and silent on your feet, planning to jump him. You rounded the marble top of the island, grinning that stealth was on your side, only to get caught between his arms. He already sensed you from when you entered the kitchen so your surprise attack was doomed from the start.

Unpredictable like a breeze of the wind, he picked you up, placing you on the island as strong arms planted on each side, caging you in his space. He took one look at you, recognizing his clothes draped loosely on you, messy bun on top of your head and his heart did flips again.

"Fancy seeing you here," you said, shying away from his gaze. It looked hungry and not for any damn food.

"I could say the same," he spoke, raspy voice sending tingles down your spine. He studied you some more, lips perking up in amusement. "Trying to sneak up on me?"

"Maybeeeee," you played with the hem of his shirt. "What are you making?"

"My special-"

His words got caught in his throat as you laid your chin on the crown of his chest and looked up at him with the softest eyes he's ever seen, all his resolve crumbling to the depths of the fucking universe.

It was truly a wonder to him - how you could go from one extreme to the other, being both adorable and sexy at the same time.

"Can I be your special?" you asked, voice sweeter than candy.

"I wouldn't mind that," he smirked, leaning down to capture your lips in a slow morning peck quicker than you would've liked it to be.

As if on cue, your stomach made a noise of complaint that the pizza you made together last night got digested.

"Let's get some food in you," he said, patting it tenderly.

"Do I get to assist on the special?"

"You get to watch the special," he rubbed his hands together and got started.

Pre-heating a pan on the hob, he held a knife in one hand and an egg in the other. Your eyebrow lifted up in curiosity as he held the knife horizontally to put the egg on top of it, balancing it side to side. With a confident grin your way, he flicked the handle and launched the egg in the air swiftly turning the knife sharp-edge upwards, just in time to catch the egg right in the middle, separating its contents from the cracked shell successfully. The egg sizzled in the pan while your mouth sat agape, shook at the skills he was pulling.

"You really are the gift that keeps on giving."

"So I've been told," he said cockily, flicking imaginary dust off his shoulder. You hopped off the island and elbowed him playfully, settling beside him to watch the magic omelet take shape.

Once enough eggs were cooked, he arranged the plates. He cleaned up his working space and leaned in for a kiss you dodged on purpose. That brought an ambush of kisses on your face, from your forehead to your cheeks, your eyes, your nose, your jaw and your lips. Everywhere he wanted to leave his affection on you.

You managed to shimmy out of his grip and bolted out in the living room, through the open glass door on the beach. The wind blew cold, waking you up like coffee, making your heart thunder. He followed right behind you just like the night you met, leaving your footprints in the sand. Though this time he caught up to you way quicker, whisking you up in the air and spinning you until your stomach hurt from laughing.

The sound of your laugh filled his ears in the most beautiful way possible. And something else clicked in his head. He wanted that to be the first thing he heard every morning, every day, until you got sick of him.

He placed your feet back on the sand and brought you closer, waves crashing next to you like the beat of his heart. He had to give it a shot no matter what. So, without letting any other thoughts cloud his decision, he just asked.

"Do you want to move in with me?"

OH, boy.

Thank you for reading :)

#my heart calls your name #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x you #roronoa zoro x reader #opla zoro #opla zoro x reader #i need a roronoa zoro #one piece x reader

[deeplyridiculouslyinlove]

I just rewatched 02 x 07 for the first time since finishing all the books and I can't stop thinking about it. I feel like everyone is either on the side of (1) it was all a big ploy, or (2) that's it for Moiraine and Siuan they can never come back from this--but I really don't think either of those are true.

I think the most in character thing Moiraine could possibly do is forgive Siuan, for the following reasons:

Moiraine knows that she would do the exact same thing that Siuan did here--namely, sacrifice anything (even their relationship and their trust in one another)--for the sake of the world and their mission. And this shared goal, these compatible values, and this mutual understanding is literally what has kept them together despite 20 years of distance and secrecy from the world.

[MINOR BOOK SPOILERS] We see in one of the books that Moiraine believes she and Siuan have made their beds and will lie in them one day by becoming involved in the quest to find the Dragon -- I believe the way she phrases it is about payment coming due for all the rules they've broken and the secrecy etc. that they needed for their quest. If this is her attitude, she is not only willing to give up everything, but expects to give up everything. And she expects it of Siuan as well.

Siuan has already proven how much she would give up for their quest. She became Amyrlin despite, as we learn this same episode, how much she did not want to be trapped in the tower and could not see her future there. She gave up any semblance of a happy life (how she would picture it both with and without Moiraine!) for this quest.

In some ways, if Siuan had just let Moiraine take Rand through a waygate to Falme, it would have actually been a betrayal of their mission. Their mission wasn’t “get Rand to Falme.” It was “protect and train the dragon reborn.” Siuan feels the need to do that as acutely as Moiraine does--and critically, Moiraine knows this about Siuan.

This goes quadruple if Siuan actually did think Moiraine could be a dark friend. Siuan thinks Moiraine lied to her!! And Moiraine knows this too, since Siuan does at least have the chance to say "You lied to me!" Moiraine would understand that if there was any chance Moiraine had been turned or was compelled, Siuan had to try and stop her from taking Rand off to god knows where.

Literally just a few days earlier Moiraine had threatened to have Alanna take Lan’s bond by force if he stood in her way--aka, the way of her mission. At this very moment, Moiraine herself has spent days (weeks?) contemplating what it would mean to betray the autonomy and trust of those she loves most if it means saving the world. And she knows what side she's on.

When Moiraine says, “if you have ever loved me don’t do this” my heart shatters into a million pieces. But that line is not just ,“it will be a betrayal of our love and trust if you compel me." It is that, but it's also a call for Siuan to see Moiraine for MOIRAINE. She’s saying “you know me.” She’s trying to get her (Siuan) to see that what she (Moiraine) is doing is not about her shame and pride but about the mission. Because it is ALWAYS about the mission, Moiraine IS the mission, and Siuan loves her because of that, and Moiraine knows Siuan loves her because of that 

Moiraine clearly hesitates before going through the waygate. Her character isn't one to linger out of shock and betrayal. She lashes out and she puts up distance--we've seen this all season. Moiraine moves forward. So I read her looking at Siuan here as far more "I love you and I'm sorry [I can't help you? it's come to this? we can't reconcile?]" than "How could you?" or "You're a different person to me now." I’m not trying to minimize the violation Moiraine is also feeling in this moment, I just think that if the violation was her primary emotion she would likely behave differently. And if she can have this messy a set of emotions even in the heart of the moment, I have faith she can similarly hold multiple emotions later when reconciling.

The flashback scenes are so heartbreaking but they don’t have to mean that Moiraine and Siuan feel so betrayed and far from those versions of themselves that they will never be together again. Those flashbacks can also be saying “remember when we were those people?” Holding onto those versions of themselves is how they hold onto their love despite this scene.

Those flashbacks also remind us that their relationship in the show is like 50 years old. It is deep. People don't throw away 50 years of relationship without a conversation, even if there is a deep betrayal involved. And that's normal people--not even people who have given up absolutely everything for a cause that the relationship has now gotten wrapped up in. In the books, they are together for a few years and then seemingly go their separate ways when the Dragon is reborn. I don't think the show would have gone out of its way to deepen and lengthen this relationship just to end it so quickly and unceremoniously.

#anyway maybe I'm delusionsal #but it just seems absolutely impossible to me that they would spend that long building up their relationship to just be like okay poof bye #but I also think them working together and having this all be a big plot sort of cheapens the moment #plus that just isn't the type of show this is #and the episode titles have been more applicable to the following episode in season 2 for whatever reason #so daes damar can refer to the games everyone is playing in the finale #although I remain confused how siuan knew where to go and where the waygate is #ANYWAY I get why people are so distraught by what siuan does here but I just don't think moiraine will see it that way #moiraine is a morally complicated character despite being so sure of right and wrong and I just have to believe she sees that in Siuan too #wheel of time #moiraine damod #siuan sanche #siuan sanche waits for only one woman

[hale2me]

I Need A Favor ...

Eddie Munson x Reader (she/her)

This is the first real story I have ever written and I'm really proud of it and I wanted to share it with you all. Please give me ALL the feedback!!

Synopsis: You're a virgin and you want to have sex before you turn 23 but the only person you feel that you can trust is your best friend.

Oh also, in this Eddie refers to reader by their last name a couple of times which is the (Y/L/N)

Warnings: SMUT and Kink!! This piece is intended for 18+ only.

Word Count: 5.5k

We had been friends since we’re 13. I honestly considered Eddie to be my closest friend of everyone. We both had childhoods that weren’t so great and we were always able to bond over that unlike most people in Hawkins who came from a wealthy two parent home. 

Eddie and I always had a “thing” for each other but it just felt like we could never get the timing right. He always had someone he was seeing or vice versa. There was a VERY brief time we tried dating our sophomore year of high school but we just weren’t at the same place mentally and it was clear that neither of us needed to be in a relationship at that time - after all we were just kids. Though we had a failed romantic relationship, that had no effect on our platonic relationship. 

Even after all this time I still considered him to be my closest friend. He was always there for me, no questions asked. In my heart I couldn’t help but wonder if we tried again, would it work this time ? Twenty something’s who are mildly established and semi know what we want out of life.

I pushed that thought to the farthest part of my mind as there was something else that was bothering me that I really needed to address. You see, I’m still a virgin. I’m twenty two and the most I’ve ever done with a guy is make out. It’s not that I don’t want to have sex, I just haven’t felt that any guy I’ve been with I can trust enough. 

Sex is about exposing your most vulnerable parts and there wasn’t one single male I could think of that I trust enough to do that with … except Eddie. 

So I hatched a plan and hoped for the best. I was going to ask my best friend to have sex with me. You know, like a favor ? It was strictly sex. No relationship and no strings attached. He was free to be with whoever he wanted to and so was I. This was literally just about sex. Nothing more, nothing less. 

A couple of weeks passed before I found myself able to work up the courage. We had mutual friends and that evening the whole gang of us were together. We had a movie night at Eddie’s trailer as we tend to do at least once a month. 

The movie ended and one by one each friend left. As I had anticipated, it was just me and Eddie. I needed him all to myself so I didn’t have to worry about anyone possibly hearing and completely ruining everything. 

We sat on the couch together. I was sitting with my legs crossed and a pillow in my lap that I had been fidgeting with for almost ten minutes now. Eddie sat across from me with his legs sprawled out while his feet pressed into my legs. 

“You seemed a little off tonight." He questioned while staring at me squinty eyed. “Is everything okay ? Not like you to be so quiet.” 

I continued to stare down at my fingers while I fidgeted with the pillow. I wasn’t sure I could look him in the eyes while talking about what I wanted to. 

I let out a light sigh. “Uh-  yeah, no I’m good… but there was something I was hoping to ask you about. It’s been on my mind and I’m a little nervous to be honest.” 

His face immediately started to look concerned. He sat up from his lying down position so that he was now sitting cross legged style staring directly at me. I could feel his gaze. He was trying to assess me and figure out what I was talking about. 

“Oh okay? Well .. the floor is all yours (Y/L/N).” 

I finally got the courage to look him directly in the eyes. My palms were sweaty and I could feel a burst of energy hit me. Adrenaline had kicked in and it felt like it was working overtime. I stood up so I felt less restrained. 

“You see…” I began to pace slightly around the living room. 

“We’ve been friends for what ? Like ten years now ?” I started. “I consider you to be my best friend. Someone I can trust no matter what. Someone I know who will drop everything they’re doing to be with me if I needed you.” 

I looked up and now his face was extremely puzzled. He had undone his legs from the crossed position so that his feet were resting on the floor. He leaned forward with his forearms resting on his knees as he began twisting his rings around which is something I know he does when he’s nervous. 

“Well I need a favor... You know my birthday is in a couple of weeks and it got me thinking. I’m about to be a 23 year old virgin.” 

At this point I was absolutely terrified to look at his face but I knew I needed to. I wanted him to know that I was 100% serious. 

His eyebrows were now furrowed as if he was trying to pick up on where this is going but he had no luck. 

I continued on, “I know that you’re a bit more experienced than me about that topic…uh .. sex that is.” Come on (Y/N) keep it together here you thought to yourself. 

“Well to just come out and say it… I was uh.. hoping that you could do me the favor of being my first. I just want to get it over with so I don’t have to think about it anymore. And I don’t want a relationship and I expect nothing from you in return. Our relationship would remain exactly how it is right now- absolutely no strings attached. Just a one time thing and I completely understand if you don’t want to.” I felt as if I was starting to ramble now. 

His face at this point was unreadable. His confused face had left and he seemed much more relaxed now but I didn’t know if this was a good kind of relaxed or bad kind of relaxed. 

Was he trying to figure out how to get me to leave ? Did he think I was absolutely psychotic ? 

My face was red hot at this point. I was more embarrassed than I had ever been in my entire life. 

He sat there with no response still. His lips were pursed together as if he was thinking about something.

Probably how absolutely insane I am for asking this. 

“You know what? I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you this. I don’t know what I was thinking…” I trailed off and turned around to grab my purse and see myself out. “I’ll just go. I'm sorry.” I blurted out again. 

I turned back around, purse resting on my shoulder and shoes on my feet. I wanted to run for the hills at this point. My heart was racing and all I could think about was how I just ruined my longest friendship. I just wanted to go home and cry. 

Before I could leave he stood up. Staring at me for a moment with an expression that I could only describe as lustful. I felt like my body was paralyzed. I couldn’t move or speak at this point. I just needed him to say or do something. Literally anything. 

Without any words he walked over to me and stared down into my eyes. As if he was assessing to make sure this was what I wanted. His eyes burned into mine. 

He wrapped his left hand around my neck, intertwining his fingers into my hair so that he had a controlling grip while he placed his right hand at my hip. Before I could process the whole situation, I felt the warmth of his soft lips graze over mine. Almost like he was teasing me before he firmly pressed onto me. 

It felt as if our lips were perfectly in sync with each other. This wasn’t our first kiss though. Eddie very courageously asked me to slow dance at our Sophomore year Homecoming to which he used the opportunity to slyly get a kiss. Of course there were other kisses too during the time we tried dating but none of them compared to this. No, nothing like this one at all. 

It felt like there was a fire between us. Like I was starving for more than he could give me. Like I needed him more than ever at this moment. 

I snaked my arms around his neck so he knew to keep going. With every press of our lips I could feel the heat rising in my core. A spark had been ignited and I had no intention of putting it out. 

He pulled away gently and it prompted me to let out a gasp. I hadn’t expected it. He let out a chuckle and flashed me that grin that could make me melt. Especially right now. 

“Easy girl. I need to breathe too.” He spoke softly. 

I know he said it as a joke but I couldn’t laugh right now. I was so lost in my desire for him that all I could think about was what I wanted to do to him… what I wanted him to do to me. 

I pulled away some, trying to clear my head a little bit. My heart felt like it was going a mile a minute and I needed to catch my breath. 

“Well …? Is that a yes ?” I let out quietly after a moment. 

“Oh was that answer not obvious ?” He laughed again and walked closer to me to fill the small gap between us. 

“I would love nothing more than to be your first. Frankly, I’m quite honored… and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about this moment countless times” 

My breath hitched in my throat. I almost felt drunk. My ability to speak suddenly felt inhibited. All I wanted to do was find the nearest bed and rip his clothes off immediately. The thought of his bare body alone made me wet. 

I smiled up at him not knowing what to say next. He took my hands into his and stared down at me. 

“Are you sure this is what you want though?” He asked while squeezing my hands gently. “I wouldn’t want you to regret it and I’m not ready to lose my best friend.” 

My smile faded. “Eddie, you are the only man I have ever trusted. The thought of losing my virginity to anyone else just doesn’t seem right… I love you.” I breathed out. 

He gently bent down and kissed me again but this time he wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted my body upwards so that he was now carrying me with my legs wrapped around his torso. He never broke our kiss while doing so. I let out a quiet squeal not realizing he was going to grab me like that. 

I had forgotten how soft and warm his lips were. All I could think about is how they would feel on my body. I envisioned him planting small kisses all over me. 

There I go feeling the wetness in my panties again. 

Before I realized it, he had carried me to his bedroom, kicking the door behind him so it shut. He broke our kiss to sit me down on his bed. 

I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He didn’t say a word as I watched him make his way around his room searching for something. 

“Ah!” I heard him say. I watched him grab a small purple bottle and foil packet from his top dresser drawer. 

“It’s been a while since I’ve needed these.” He said as he walked back over to me. 

He threw the purple bottle down which I now recognize to be lubricant, along with a condom. He discarded the band tee he had been wearing all night and threw it on the floor behind him.

 I had been watching him so intently. He leaned down in front of me so that he was now on his knees in between my legs. He gently touched my thigh through my jeans and looked up at me. 

“Can I take your clothes off for you?” He asked. 

My mouth felt like the Sahara desert at this point. It became hard to speak so instead I just nodded at him. 

His ringed fingers found their way to the hem of my blouse. He gently tugged upward at the material. My torso slowly becoming exposed as he pulled the shirt off me. 

He threw my shirt in the pile with his own and then simply continued to kneel in front of me without saying a word. I didn’t know what he was doing but all I could think was that he had changed his mind after seeing me so exposed.

 I began wrapping my arms around my waist but before I could he grabbed my wrists.

“No. No, please don’t.” He stammered. “I want to see you. All of you.” 

He released my wrists and I unwrapped my arms so that they were now sitting at my sides. I had worn a black bra with a white lace trim. It was the only one that I had matching underwear for and I figured if there was going to be one occasion I would wear this for, this was it. 

He raised his hand and started tracing the lace. “Tell me if you start to feel uncomfortable at all.” He said. 

I nodded again while watching his eyes slowly drift over my body. My skin was so on fire at this point that his touch felt like a cold ice cube melting over me. 

Once he finished tracing the lace on my bra his hands moved downward to the button on my jeans. He slowly released the button and began unzipping. I laid my body back so that he could easily remove them.

The pants joined the floor pile of clothing. 

He seemed surprised at the fact that my underwear matched my bra. A very good surprised though. 

“You wore these.. just for me ?” He asked while his fingers began tracing the lace on my panties. His finger dipped lower and lower. I could feel his graze starting to reach my core. I simply nodded at him for a third time. 

His face was so concentrated at this point. I wanted to know what he was thinking but I was too afraid to ask. He then cracked a smile. 

“Excited are we?” He asked. Oh.. he must have felt the repercussions of what had happened in the living room. My face must have turned red because he seemed to have known I felt embarrassed for it. 

“No no. Don’t.” He shushed my thoughts. “This has to be one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received.” He said while letting out a laugh. 

My lips pursed and I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. 

“Come here.” He said while motioning his index finger for me to come toward him. 

God all I could think about is how good that finger would feel inside of me. 

I was sitting back up again on the edge of his bed practically naked. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. He wrapped his hand around my chin and pulled me in. I don’t think I could get enough of his lips, I thought to myself before being cut off by the sensation of his fingers running over my clit. I accidentally moaned into his mouth. Fuck that felt amazing. 

“Mmmm..” he hummed as he pulled away. “Does that feel good? I need you to tell me what you like, baby.” He asked damn well knowing that it felt good. 

I nodded once more. 

“No. You need to say it.” He spoke again while running his fingers over me.

I began breathing heavier. “Yes.. that feels so good. Please don’t stop.” 

He smiled clearly liking that answer. “Oh I had no intention of stopping my love.” He said while rubbing over me once more. 

I felt like I could combust right there and then. My legs were almost shaking and I couldn’t think straight. I never wanted this feeling to end. 

His head dipped to nudge my chin so that he could kiss my neck. Oh my weakness. 

His hands moved upward and eventually found their way to my back. He fidgeted with the clasp of my bra for a moment until it snapped open while still placing kisses on me. 

He got my bra off so quick that it made me wonder, how many times has he actually done this before ? I pushed that thought to the back of my mind. This is no time to be wandering off. There was a job to be done. 

I held onto the front of my bra for a moment before letting go. I felt so nervous suddenly. This was it. I was literally about to bare it all to my best friend. Eddie was about to be the first man to ever see me naked. 

Though I trusted him more than anything in this world, I still couldn’t help but feel scared. I felt like the last piece of my “childhood” was about to disappear and then just like that, I would be a full fledged woman. 

He must have noticed my slight hesitation as I clung to the straps still. 

“It’s not too late to say no.” He spoke. “I can leave this room right now if you want to get dressed and go home.”

This sentence alone reminded you why you loved him as much as you did. He cared about your well being so deeply and wanted to make sure he could do everything in his power to make sure you felt comfortable and safe. 

You grabbed his hands that were now sitting carefully by your knees- your bra barely hanging off your shoulder. “No.” You spoke. “I just needed a moment. I’m okay. I’m more than okay actually. Please don’t stop.” You slid the straps down your arms and discarded it with the rest of your clothing. Just one piece of clothing now standing in the way of you being completely naked. 

He leaned forward again to push you to lie down. He hovered his body over yours, continuing to sprinkle you with soft kisses. First your neck, then your collar bone, then he kissed down in between your breasts. The feeling was incomparable to anything else you’ve ever felt before. 

Your thought was disrupted when you felt his tongue glide over your nipple while his fingers tweaked the other. 

“Ohh” you let out. You never knew how good it could have felt to have your nipples played with. You threw your head back just a little to bask in the sensations you were experiencing. 

You needed more but you didn’t want him to stop what he was doing so you carefully moved your hands from your side and began touching yourself. 

This wasn’t something you were unfamiliar with by any means. You masturbate all the time, but this was different. 

You felt the fabric of your underwear and it was absolutely soaked. You pressed your fingers onto your clit with just enough pressure to make you let out a moan. It was at this point Eddie realized what you were doing. 

“Oh. You like this, huh? Are you touching yourself for me baby?” He cooed into your chest. After kissing your neck once more he moved back onto his knees like he was prior. He swatted your hand away and began kissing your thigh upward. 

Oh god. This was just as you pictured it before. 

“Your skin … is so soft ..” he murmured. You felt a jolt of electricity run through you. God he was a fucking tease. His hands ran up the sides of your legs eventually stopping at the waistband of your underwear. “May I?” He asked oh so politely. 

“Eddie please. Rip these off me already.” You basically moaned out. You didn’t have to tell him twice because before you could process it the last piece of your clothing was gone. This was it. This was what you’ve been waiting for. 

“I want to make you cum now if that’s okay ? Since it’s your first time you likely won’t from penetration.” He asked me through thigh kisses. 

He was definitely right. I don’t think I’ll enjoy the actual sex part itself but oh my god the rest was pure ecstasy. 

“Yes. Oh god yes I need to cum.” You moaned out. 

You heard him whisper “fuck” to himself before making his way to your glistening pussy. His hair tickling you along the way. 

He kissed your clit and then pressed his lips into the side of your upper thigh.

“Baby please. I feel like I’m gonna cum just from foreplay. I need your mouth. Please.” You were practically begging him to eat you out. You didn’t even care how desperate you might sound. You needed that release. 

“Yes my love” he simply responded and before you knew it his tongue had dived into you. His mouth was completely enclosed onto you. You could feel the gentle sucking and flicking he was doing to your clit. He would take turns between sucking and tongue fucking you. 

Your fists clenched into the blanket you laid on. Your head thrown back as far as you could possibly go. “Oh-my..” you spit out. “I’m gonna- c-cum” You felt almost embarrassed for the way he had you wrapped around his finger. He barely had to work for your orgasm. Eddie moved his arms up your body and you suddenly felt the coolness of his rings graze over your nipples and that was it. You were done for. 

With your mouth agape you couldn’t talk and you couldn’t move. Eddie felt the pulsation on his tongue as he finished you off. This had to have been the longest orgasm you ever had. 

After your body started to settle, Eddie kissed you clit once more and snaked his body upward so that he was laying on his side next to you. 

Your eyes were shut while you tried to steady your breathing. You could feel him staring at you but you were too relaxed to care. You were coming down from the greatest high you’ve ever felt. 

You opened your eyes after a few minutes and looked over to him. He was still watching you, taking everything in. 

“I’m sorry.” You barely we’re able to speak. “I didn’t think it would happen so fast… my god you can do wonders with that mouth.” 

He just smiled and laughed. “It’s a gift I suppose.” He said. 

You felt curious in the moment. “Can I .. taste?” You asked him. His face not quite knowing what you meant. 

“Uh well I mean can I kiss you ? I wanna taste it.” He seemed shocked and super turned on at the same time. 

Without speaking he leaned in and kissed me. Dipping his tongue onto mine. Letting me really get the whole thing. “Mmmm” I moaned. He released me. 

“You are full of surprises (Y/L/N). I wish I could get into that head of yours and know exactly what you’re thinking right now.” 

I looked away and smiled. “I'm thinking why the hell it took me so long to work up the courage to do this.” And laughed. 

We laid there in silence for a couple of minutes before speaking again. I wanted more. I felt like I couldn’t get enough of the feelings he gave me. I needed to know what else he could do to me. 

Without saying a word I rolled over and straddled him. My pussy pressing into his lower abdomen. He would probably have a trail of juices from me once I move off. I didn’t care. In fact it excited me more. 

I ran my hands through his chest hair first and then casually worked my way up to his face, leaning down and pressing my lips onto his. 

I could feel his hands grab at my ass trying to push me into him harder. His hips began to push upward into me. The pressure from his jeans on my clit made me feel like I could burst again at any time. 

My hands tweaked at his nipples while we kissed. He moaned into my mouth signaling to me that he liked that. I pulled away and moved his hands from my ass so that I could move myself down. Now sitting on his thighs I was in a perfect position to get what I wanted. 

“Tell me something ..” I spoke. “Why the fuck are you still wearing pants?” I asked as partially a joke but also partially serious. I wanted to see his cock. I wanted to know what he tasted like. 

He seemed surprised by my advances. At this point I didn’t care though. I felt no reservations about what we were doing. 

“Be my guest.” He said while gesturing towards the zipper. 

I undid the button and slowly pulled down the zipper suddenly feeling the heat rise inside me again. I could feel how hard he was getting through his pants. He lifted his lower body so that I could pull his clothing off. Once I removed his boxers, his cock practically sprung outward to be set free. 

“You see what you do to me?” He asked. 

Fuck I wanted him so badly now. The way he talked to me just made me drip more. I couldn’t control myself. I felt ravenous. 

I had never given a blowjob before so I wasn’t sure where to start. He must have been reading my face because he leaned up some and said, “Hold the base while you lick the tip. Once you’re comfortable you slowly take in more. Don’t push yourself though.” 

I felt so intimidated by his size. To be fair I didn’t have any experience to compare it to but I’ve watched enough porn to know he was sizable. He was what I would classify as an average length, however his width was twice the size I expected. 

I moved from his body to get down on my knees in front of the bed just like he had for me. He stared down at me, studying my every move. I pushed myself up and grabbed the base just like he told me to. I barely touched him and he had already let out a grunt. 

“Tsk tsk Munson. Getting excited already ?” I teased him like he did to me. 

“Can you blame me ?” He asked while continuing to watch you. 

You let your tongue slide right over the slit. It tasted a little salty. You explored the head of his cock with your tongue a little more while cradling his balls. It looked like guys really liked that in porn. Based off Eddie dropping his head a bit while I was doing it, I think they were right. 

After getting a feel for the taste I began to bop my head lower on to his shaft. Girls make it look so easy.. I already wanna start gagging. I didn’t though. I held it in as much as I could. 

Eddie began getting more excited as he began to push upward for me to take in more.

I watched his body move slowly up and down while he fucked my mouth. This was so hard but watching him enjoy it was worth it times a thousand. 

“Fucking fuck” he let out. I thought about making a joke about his language but I didn’t want to disturb his pattern. He was enjoying it so much and I felt as if I could cum from just watching him enjoy himself.

“Baby are you sure you’ve never done this before ?” He asked through unsteady breaths. 

I took him out of my mouth but continued to use my hand to glide up and down on him, using my saliva as a lubricant. 

“You’re my one and only.” I told him while placing gentle kisses on his thighs. 

“If you want me to cum during sex you need to stop. I don’t think I can take much more.” He said while pushing his hair from his now very sweaty forehead. 

I did want him to cum while we fucked. I wanted to watch him cum inside me. The thought alone made me press my finger back onto my clit. 

“I want you inside me Eddie. I need you. Now” I breathed. 

He lunged his body forward and grabbed me by my waist, throwing me onto the bed. 

Leaning over me he slid his hand onto my neck so that I was staring right at him. 

“If I hurt you or if you don’t feel comfortable - Any reason at all you need me to stop, tell me. I want this to be all about you. Okay ?” He asked. 

“Yes okay.” I said. He kissed me hard before moving down towards my hips. I watched as he leaned over to grab the lube and condom. It was like watching an artist paint. You couldn’t help but find it fascinating. The way he moved was so slow yet precise. He was so beautiful. 

The sound of the foil being undone snapped you back to reality. You watched as he rolled the condom onto his firm cock. He squirted just a little bit of lube into his hand and stroked himself with it. 

“Okay my love. I’m ready. Are you ready?” He asked while examining my face to make sure he knew I wasn’t lying. 

“I’m ready. I need you.” You blurted. 

He spread your thighs as far as they could go and used his fingers to massage your opening a little bit in hopes of loosening you up. 

You felt the tip of his cock at your entrance and braced yourself. He leaned down over you, now hovering your mouth with his own. 

He pushed himself into you just a tad but enough for you to gasp loudly into his mouth. 

It hurt. It hurt a ton. But you didn’t want him to stop so you tried your best to suppress the pain. 

“Keep going.” You murmured. 

He had been waiting for the green light to keep going. 

He bucked his hips further into you. This may have been the most painful thing you’ve ever felt in your whole life. It began to be too hard for you to mask your emotions. He was only about half way inside of you but  it felt like much more than that. He sucked on your neck as he pushed just a little more. 

You were thankful he couldn’t see your face right now. You let out moans but not the good kind- he didn’t need to know that though. I wanted this- I just needed to get through the discomfort. “Keep going.” You whispered. 

“Fuck- oh fuck.” He quietly moaned out into your neck. “You feel so fucking tight. I could cum right now.” 

This felt like the best opportunity to let him. As much as I wanted it, I needed it to be over soon. The pain was starting to become almost unbearable. 

“Cum for me Eddie. Give me all of you.” You let out into his ear. That was all he needed. 

He pushed himself all the way into you and you both began to cry out for two different reasons. Through the pain you watched him cum inside you. 

His face was gorgeous as he let go. The noises that left his lips I wish I could hear over and over again. 

His head fell into my chest and rested there for what felt like years. Time just stopped and you never wanted it to start again. 

He slowly came back to life and lifted his body enough to pull out of you. He removed the condom and disposed of it before coming back to bed. 

I just laid there in silence, basking in all my glory. 

Eddie laid next to me with his arm wrapped around my waist. 

“Well are the reviews in yet?” He asked with a grin. 

I rolled to my side so that we were both looking at each other. 

“I can honestly tell you that it was the best I’ve ever had.” I said before we both laughed. 

“Hey I know I said that this only needed to happen one time but … I was kinda hoping maybe we could do it again sometime …?” You asked in a hopeful tone. 

He smiled and leaned up to kiss me. “How about right now ?” He asked before climbing back on top of me.

#eddie munson #stranger things #eddie fanfic #stranger things smut #reader x stranger things #reader x eddie munson #stranger things season 4 #wow I am nasty #eddie munson smut #stranger things one shot #stranger things imagine #eddie munson one shot #eddie munson imagine #joseph quinn #joe quinn #stranger things 4 #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson fanfic

[floreuce]

this is going to be a weird post mutuals look away i just really need an answer on something and am too embarrassed to ask anywhere else 😭 sorry this is so long.

i have a very complicated relationship with religion. as much as i would love to believe it, my brain just refuses to let me. i’m not opposed to believing in something if my mind does change someday, but as for right now, i just can’t. the only strong beliefs i hold are superstitions like luck and gut instincts and all that, leading me to do research into pagan stuff because it’s the only thing i even sort of find myself believing in.

i’ve always felt a strong pull to hellenic polytheism, and while i guess i do sort of “practice” it, i also just believe that everything i’m doing is for fun and just because i can. i don’t think i truly believe any of it is real. a few years ago, i had two little altars, one to hera and one to persephone. i truly did view these purely as room decor. i wrote little notes that i would give as “offerings” to the altars but it was just a game to me. i stopped after a while because i got bored.

which brings me to the present. i recently started feeling a “connection” to aphrodite if you can even call it that. i randomly started thinking about religion again and aphrodite just stood out to me all of a sudden. for the past few weeks i’ve been “praying” to her but still i viewed even that as just talking to myself or organizing my thoughts. then about a week ago i was in the middle of cleaning my room and i noticed i had a lot of aphrodite-like items. seashells, fake (fake is important) pearls, heart shaped things, dried roses, etc. i had a free spot on my shelf so i put all the stuff together to make a little aphrodite altar. i had a heart shaped jewelry dish that i put at the center in case i ever wanted to put any offerings but i didn’t think i was going to.

then today, maybe two or three hours ago, i was tidying up again and i absentmindedly placed two things on the offering dish. the first was a bracelet from an ex boyfriend that i had had in my main jewelry box and didn’t want there anymore. the second was a five leaf clover (i have a million of them because i’m crazy good at finding them but that’s an entirely different story) because i thought it was cute and lucky. i didn’t think anything of these items, i barely considered them offerings. up until this point all of this was still just for fun. after i finished cleaning, i took a shower. i feel like it’s also worth noting that this was an extreme everything shower like i was really spoiling myself. i read somewhere that acts of self care can also be seen as offerings to aphrodite but that wasn’t my intention.

so finally here’s the reason i’m making this post. i need help. after my shower i was sitting on my bedroom floor brushing my hair. i wasn’t near anything else, it was just me and my hairbrush and open space around me. as i’m finishing braiding my hair, i brush a stray piece to the side with my hand and onto the floor rolls a pearl. a real genuine pearl. it came out of my hair ???? i literally don’t own any real pearl jewelry, and even if i did this pearl couldn’t have come from it because it doesn’t have a hole, it’s not a bead. genuinely how did a real authentic pearl get into my hair. im completely at a loss for words. i feel like it might have been from aphrodite???? i can’t see any other logical explanation. which is what im looking for, a logical explanation. please help me make sense of this 😭🙏🙏

#im dead serious about all of this and i really do want some advice #pagan #paganism #pagan witch #helenic polytheism #hellenism #hellenic polytheism #hellenistic #greek mythology #aphrodite #religion #witch altar

[obikindred]

Circling back around to this today, imagine the GUILT. Obiwan’s regular Catholic guilt is good (and also CRIMINALLY underutilized imo. Like nebulous guilt is all well and good but toss a very explicitly sexually repressed kind of guilt to his already weird sad fucked up emotional martyr salad and you have the saddest, most repressed Jedi in the order. He is SO torn up about everything in his life u just KNOW he takes everything personally. But THAT my friends is a tangent for a different day.) but this adds a new indulgence of the flesh (literally) for him to self-flagellate over.

Not only is he human all too human (hopelessly and endlessly in love with his charge), he ALSO just so happens to have a biological imperative to eat him alive. Maybe it’s something to do with his connection to the force, he tries to reason with himself, would he have more of a craving for midichlorians being Jedi himself? Or maybe its because he has already smelled the boy’s cooked flesh, already had a piece of him severed and all but served to him. Regardless of whatever wicked spirit seems to have possessed him, he makes sure to avoid solo missions with Anakin, doubly so if they will be planetside and risk any chance of getting stranded without his rations.

ALSO this begs a compelling question: does Anakin even know? On one hand, it would make for a fun hidden mutual obsession, Anakin obsessed with his master’s teeth, his hands, the knowledge that his prim, perfect Jedi master was secretly bloodthirsty and maneating, a creature of the flesh, and Obi-wan obsessed with the gnawing animal need to eat his darling boy’s beating heart. Imagine the yearning. It is horrible. It is painful. It is SO them it hurts. Anakin would give anything to Obi-wan if he would only just take it, and Obi-wan wants everything but won’t let himself take it, even if Anakin wants him to.

BUT on the other side, Obi-wan lying to and misleading Anakin about his rations and pills and secret biology for YEARS, right up until he physically can’t anymore. The hurt and confusion from Anakin not knowing why his master can barely stand to be alone in a room, or even a mission, with him since their run-in with Dooku, afraid that he somehow fucked their relationship up past a point of no return. Everything unraveling when they sit on opposite ends of their out-of-commission ship drifting hapless through deep space on a stolen ship, Obi-wan stumbling his way though an explanation staring at Anakin with a look the latter has never, ever seen on his master’s face. Never directed towards him. The pieces finally click together in Anakin’s mind and he is all at once angry, terrified, and unbelievably into this

#cannibalism tw #sorry for the repost #teehee #i was so so happy there was a bit of interest on my first post! i love this au a lot #kindof ties into my supreme fondness of harpies and other such humanoid demons #but i digress #obikin #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #star wars #no idea if this goes in the main tags

[blueberry-ovaries]

MISC. TAG GAME:

thank you for the tag @ronald-speirs, @panzershrike-pretz @malarkgirlypop and @grumpy-liebgott !!! sorry it took me so long!

Favorite place in the world you’ve visited?

oooh okay so recently i came back from europe, and i literally loved it so much! i oddly enough LOVED vatican city! and i absolutely adored venice and paris! however, london was also really nice! (i cannot decide i’m so sorry😭)

Something you’re proud of yourself for?

Honestly, going to University! Even when it’s hard and i hate it and have no idea what i’m doing, the fact i made it into university is something i’m very proud of!

Favourite books?

the picture of dorian gray - Oscar Wilde

a good girls guide to murder - Holly Jackson

5 survive - Holly Jackson

the outsiders - S.E Hinton

of mice and men - John Steinbeck

Something that makes your heart happy when you think about it?

my dog :) - his name is cisco and he was free to a good home and under fed, and now he gets treats every time we leave the house and sleeps on the bed

Favourite thing about your culture?

about being Australian? I would suppose our love for sport. We play so many sports over here and we support the aussies even if we don’t like the sport! For example the Matilda’s, our women’s soccer team! Soccer isn’t as big as AFL over here, but i’ve never seen so much support behind Womens soccer, let alone ANY soccer, as we’re very proud of our sporting teams!

When did you join the HBO War fandom? What was the first show you watched?

close to two years ago? i’m not too sure, but i watched BoB first!

Have you read any of Easy Company’s books? If so, which ones were your favorite?

I have not! but i am trying to get my hands on the Dick Winters and Ron Speirs books!

Favorite HBO War character and your favorite moment with them?

Babe Heffron! and the “are you serious?! only the goddamn nuns call me Edward” BUT the scene with Gene in the fox hole where Babe mocks Gene calling him Babe is a very close second

Do you make content for any fandoms, if so; what sort of content?

i have been known to dabble in other fandoms on other apps in fanfic writing 🤭

Favorite actor/actress and your favorite film of theirs?

ANDREW GARFIELD!!! and i am The Amazing spider-man enthusiast!!! (plus hacksaw ridge is a masterpiece)

Favorite quote/s that you wish to share with others?

Some quotes my dad likes to tell me when i’m really anxious over university/ actively having a panic attack are:

“you can only do what you can do” - which pretty much means that all i can do is my best, and the rest will sort itself out, there’s no use stressing over situations i have no control over.

“how do you eat an elephant?” - which basically means, to tackle something large you take it one step at a time, ergo - to eat an elephant you eat it piece by piece

Random fact your mutuals/followers don’t know about you?

Oh God, i’m not a very interesting person 🧍🏼‍♀️

I got swooped by birds in a century once and have hated birds ever since

If you’re a writer, do you need a beta reader (say yes so I can be your beta reader 🤭)?

i do not have a beta reader 🤭 so position is potentially open 🤭

Three things that make you smile?

- sunsets! i LOVE watching sunsets i just think they are so pretty!

- rainy days (only when i’m inside) But i love rainy days, when i can sit by a window to read or do homework etc. I just think there is something so beautiful about rain!

- chocolate chip cookies :) my FAVOURITE cookies! i do not care if they are basic i love them sm

Any nicknames you like?

most of my nicknames :) But especially the nicknames that my parents give me :))

List some people you love to see around on tumblr:

i’m so sorry if i forget anyone @malarkgirlypop @ronald-speirs @ronsparky @mads-nixon @panzershrike-pretz @executethyself35 @next-autopsy @winnielefou @1waveshortofashipwreck @footprintsinthesxnd @caffeinated-fan @dontirrigateme @softliebgott @xxluckystrike @easycompany123 (+ all my mutuals who i have not tagged, love y’all i just have shocking name recollection)

What would you do during a zombie apocalypse?

i mean it would depend on what kinda zombies?? But most likely keeping friends and family alive.

Realistically, dying. i’m not dealing with all that.

Favorite movie?

mulan!!! i LOVE mulan (clearly… i’m literally writing a fic with mulan ideas)

Do you like horror movies?

i got a live hate relationship with them. Like i HATE religious horror with a passion, it freaks me the fuck out, but the conjuring series has great story lines?? However i watched the nun once and i swear to god i almost shit myself whenever k had to leave my room at night?! I was CONVINCED that motherfucker was gonna be in my house.

NO PRESSURE TAGS: @mads-nixon @easycompany123 @executethyself35 @montied @ronsparky @dontirrigateme (plus everyone else who would like to do this! consider this an offical tag!)

#madsasks #madsrambles #blueasks #bluerambles #band of brothers #babe heffron #ronald speirs #bandofbrothers #dick winters #eugene roe #george luz #hbowar #band of brothers #donald malarkey

[xluciifer]

Read you post about internet relationships that become romantic. I agree with it wholeheartedly that it’s more likely to end in heartache. I feel like sharing a tiny bit of my heart that hasn’t fully healed yet. (Tw for disappearance/possible loss)

I met someone online, 13hrs apart. Both of us literally on opposite sides of the world. It was here on tumblr and we met through a fandom. Over the course of a year our mutual standing became more than that. We’d call on discord and video chat, send each other the sappiest messages to wake up to. This online dating lasted 2 delightful years. Until one day, they never logged back on anywhere. None of our friend group nor their followers heard from them or saw them on any other media sites. It was like they vanished off the face of the earth and none of us knew why. I couldn’t even properly look up news reports to find out if something happened. It’s been 3 years, I’m finally allowing myself to be open to finding a relationship in-person. But a large piece of my heart went with them and I’ll never know what happened to take them from me.

My apologies for this super sad and personal story. Your warning about relationships online I felt this may offer another example of caution.

Aww! 🥺 I'm glad you felt comfortable enough sharing your story with me. And I'm really sorry. I resonate with this story a lot because something kind of similar happened to me? Not the part of them never logging back on and disappearing off the face of the planet - but something similar. When I was 16-17ish, I roleplayed in the Kingdom Hearts fandom with friends on FB. We all grew super close the 4 of us, I was the only girl of the group. And I got really close to one of them, we'd talk all the time, roleplay and ship together, call on the phone, everything.

Then one day, I still remember it and have the message. He said he was going somewhere with his dad and he was drunk and his dad insisted that he'd come with and help. That's the last I ever heard from him. We may have dated a year give or take; didn't hear from him in days and a friend from the group messaged me and gave me the hard news. His dad hit head on with a tree and my boyfriend died on impact but his father lived. This happened back in 2011. It's been 13 years - and I'm just realizing that now. He was so young and I think fondly of him often, even if he isn't here anymore. The friend group don't talk to each other like we used to, but every other year or so we reach out to one another again.

So, keep your head up and your heart safe, think fondly of them always. ❤️

#sinner questions. #ooc ; out of heaven

[patronsaintofhomosandpain]

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both? 

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before

🎲 ⇢ what stops you from writing more in your free time? 

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual?

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app? 

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh 

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate

🥝 ⇢ do you lie a lot? what's the most recent lie you told?

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing? 

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

🐚 ⇢ do you like or dislike surprises?

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username?

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them

🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

Hi hi thank you so much for all the emojis!! 🥰

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

Pffftt well, I've been "editing" my book for the past two years, so..... Joking aside, I would probably give it a solid 8. Nothing is as good as seeing all the hard work you've put in and then just giving it that extra little cherry on top!

Now, if you're asking me about spelling and grammar editing.... Don't.

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis

🧛‍♂️🗡📓👻🏳️‍🌈

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both? 

I've never written a reader insert but now yall got me thinking 😅

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before

I have this weird thing where everyone thinks I look like someone else, and it's caused some pretty hilarious phenomenons. One time at the airport, a kid started screaming and crying because I waved at them. I still, to this day, have absolutely no idea who they thought I was ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

🎲 ⇢ what stops you from writing more in your free time? 

So I have this fun little thing called ADHD...... But yeah, honestly, I'm incredibly chaotic, and while trying to keep up with the real-life stuff and all the distracting stuff and all the projects I got going...... Yeah, that's why I'm typically up until 2 am writing lol

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Yay another one!!!

Zukka (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Anytime Hakoda takes Sokka for some father-son bonding time, Sokka relentlessly insists Zuko come along. Zuko and Hakoda think he's just being a clingy boyfriend, but he just wants to show Zuko that he is deserving of love from a father figure and that Iroh isn't just doing it out of guilt.

(In turn, Iroh tags along from time to time, and their trips quickly go from family bonding to a dad joke battle)

🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual?

Literally just come say hi!! I swear, contrary to popular lore, I don't bite!

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

I'm very lucky. Everyone in my family is doing great. Having this great opportunity to finish and publish my book. And I have great, supporting and loving friends 🖤

📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app? 

"He was just one of this like shitty guitar players in a shitty band."

"And?"

"And he was in a punk band, and I did graffiti. Can I make it more obvious?"

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

I never finished Stranger Things' first season, I don't know that I even got through the first five episodes. I was so bored the whole time.

Bonus hot take; I had the exact opposite problem with The Walking Dead. Around season five, I got really bored.

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Guys, go Google New England Vampire Panic. Very interesting to read about, and also a good band name if you're from New England!

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

Even if you absolutely suck at it, if it's something you love, do it with all the confidence in the world, and you'll find your place.

+ Nobody's as confident as they claim. It's all a production. Fake it 'til you make it, but don't sell your soul over it.

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

So I've recently gotten into Baldur's Gate, and I just really fucking need Gale and Astarion on like a buddy cop mission where it's just absolute clown to clown communication. Gale being his waxing poetic self, and Astarion is far too emo and far too gay for this shit.

I don't know! I'm willing to bully all my friends until one of them picks it up or I just do it myself lol

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

Don't force it. If it's not coming to you take a break don't chase it! You'll only wear yourself out and hate what you did write.

Rome wasn't built in a day, but it sure burnt down in one. Remember that.

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh 

Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Very specifically, "You're evil"

Muahahahahaha 😈

🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate

Oh man, I don't think there's absolutely anything redeemable about that woman.

1.) Uhh, when she shuts up, she's cute ig.

2.) She's fun to write because I don't get to be pure evil a lot.

3.)................... She's kinda the gateway to one of my favorite characters?? 👀

🥝 ⇢ do you lie a lot? what's the most recent lie you told?

Here's a fun little fact about me, I'm brutally honest sometimes to the point of offense 😅 and I don't ever really have a need to lie.

That being said, I love randomly lying to strangers for literally no reason. Just recently, someone was being rude and interrupted my dinner with my family, so when they asked what I did for a living, I gave them a very detailed description of how I work in a morgue. I've never worked in a morgue a day in my life lol but it got them to leave me alone.

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

Man, this might be too deep for tumblr, but it's that time of year again when I can't stop thinking about death and all that good stuff. I'll spare you guys the gritty details, though.

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

"Look, when I moved out here, I got a mess in Oakland waiting for me, okay? My friend got all this shit and fucked this guy over and this crazy motherfucker showed up ate half my burger and killed a fucking guy. When the boss showed up, told me to get his wife outta there, I did and I ain't never been back. I got know idea what's waiting there for me."

"Hm, that's unfortunate," I crossed my arms, "Especially 'cause I watched it happen in Pulp Fiction with you last night!"

"Goddamn it."

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username?

So I answered the username part over here, so I'm going to answer about my pen name now!

I actually changed my pen name fairly recently to Gabryél Grimm-Goretz. Gabryél is actually part of my legal name 😅 and so I thought it would be cool to use it because i never get to use it day to day. I went with Grimm-Goretz to kinda represent my family and heritage in a way while also leaning into how my writing is typically grim and gory.

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

Whelp, we've got a nice handful of followers over here now, and unfortunately, I can't tag everyone. BUT I want to tell you all that you are appreciated. You are talented, and you are loved! Never let anyone tell you you're not good enough 'cause they're no better 🖤

🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them

Right here! uwu

🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

I'm gonna be a little bit of a punk ass and tag myself here lol Link link link

I did this piece last year in celebration of one of my favorite band's new albums, and yeah! I just love it. It came out so good.

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

When a narrator is like, "She smiled tit-ly, so deeply that her large pendulum breasts heaved, then jiggled tightly into her pink, completely see-through lace bra. Her breasts were no doubt expressing their own excitement." 🙄

For you 😌💞

#okay maybe thats a fucked up meme BUT I LOVE YOU ITS FINE #gabyrels grumbles #gaybi answers things #writeblr #writerscommunity #writerslife #writers #writers on tumblr #writerscorner #writing #writblr #writer things #book blog #miss may i

[emmalostinwonderland]

WIP update

Hey, friends. I know literally no one is asking for this, but I started going through my google drive folders recently to see if I really do have as many WIP fics stacking up as I think I do... and apparently I have MORE than I thought.

I'm gonna go through all of them here mostly for my own peace of mind. However, if you read this and think one of the concepts sounds great and you want to shoot me some encouragement, my DMs and asks are open. Vague threats are also accepted, just to mix things up.

Anyway, synopses below the cut. Fandoms are tagged.

MCU

Steve/Bucky/Tony - Medieval Knights AU - est <20k words

Tony is the ruler of a small kingdom, and Steve is the lead knight. He and Bucky are together, and they open their hearts to Tony as time goes on. This is actually my fill for Fandom Trumps Hate 2023, so it's my top priority right now. I've got a full synopsis, most of the chapter outline, and literally none of the draft itself done.

Steve/Tony (with some Steve/Bucky in the beginning) - Conversion Camp AU - est >50k words

Steve meets Tony at a Pray-The-Gay-Away camp in 1995, they lose contact when Steve ages out of the program, canon events (super soldier serum and Iron Man) come into play, and they are reunited due to mutual connections with SHIELD or the US Military. So far with this, I have a very detailed synopsis, a full timeline for both Steve and Tony, a spotify playlist, character analyses, thorough research, and only like 800 words of a draft. This one WILL be finished, even if it takes me literal years.

Steve/Tony - Ireland AU - est <10k words

Tony meets Steve on the ferry from Liverpool to Belfast, and they have a whirlwind summer romance in Ireland. It's literally just a romcom. I wanted an excuse to fuck with their accents, so in this idea, Steve moved back to Ireland with his mom when he was super young, and Tony went to live with the Jarvis' (his godparents) in London after his parents died in his mid to late teens. I've got about 800 words in the draft, some loose research, and half a chapter outline. Maybe it'll get written, maybe not. Who's to say.

Steve/Tony - High School AU - est ~1k words

Steve and Tony are established high school sweethearts. They have Tony's parents house to themselves for the weekend. I wrote about 700ish words of this in January as a challenge to myself to write a whole oneshot in one night, but I chickened out when I got to the smut part, so it just sits in my google drive haunting me.

Steve/Tony - High Fantasy Soulmates AU - est ?? words

Steve is on a quest with a small party of his closest friends to take out the evil king in a neighboring kingdom. He meets his soulmate, Tony, in dreams every night. We all know what the plot twist is on this, so I'm not gonna bother spelling it out. I have about 4 sentences worth of an outline, but that's it.

Steve/Bucky - Friends with Benefits AU - est >20k words

Steve's wife, Peggy, finds that their relationship is getting stale and suggests inviting a third person to join them in bed from time to time. When Peggy ultimately leaves Steve anyway, he and Bucky discover something new just between the two of them. This is my latest collab with LouiKazooie! We have 2 others up on Ao3, and this one will likely be done before the end of the year.

Steve/Bucky - 1940's Canon Divergence - est ?? words

Dr Erskine sees Steve and Bucky's farewell moment before Steve attempts to enlist again, but he selects Bucky for the program instead in order to give him a higher likelihood of making it back home to Steve in one piece. I've got a synopsis, and I've got a one-liner for Howard written. That's it. Keep your expectations low.

Red, White, and Royal Blue

FirstPrince - Missionary AU - est <20k words

Alex moves to London for a study abroad program for international law, and Henry attempts to evangelize to him in a coffeeshop. Alex takes pity on him, and strikes up a tentative friendship with him. As they grow closer, Henry starts to realize that maybe he doesn't believe or connect with his religion the way he used to. I've got a detailed synopsis, and some of the scenes are clear as day in my head, but if I'm honest, there's no substantial outline or draft written down for this one yet.

FirstPrince - Din/Luke Oneshot Series - est ?? words

Alex and Henry roleplay as the Mandalorian and Luke Skywalker sometimes and the level of involvement gets more high stakes with every oneshot (like including cosplays or speaking Mando'a). This might be the dumbest idea I've ever had, but it's in my google drive so I had to include it here.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Percabeth - Revolutionary War AU - est ~10k words

Percy is a spy for the militia. Annabeth is a plantation owner's daughter. She joins the cause, providing secrets, maps, and the occasional distraction all while unlearning things she's believed her whole life. This was an idea I had on a flight somewhere, and I wrote a scene in the notes app of my phone until I could get to wifi again. Apparently I have 1500 words of the draft done? I've also got a character breakdown and a vague idea of the flow of the story. I'm excited about this one.

Idk I think 10 WIP fics is enough for now. This was painful to look at. Thanks for the support, guys.

#stucky #stony #stevebucky #stevetony #captain america #mcu #rwrb #red white and royal blue #firstprince #dinluke #pjo fandom #percy jackson #percabeth

[pallastronomy]

3 (both in and outside of frontier!), 5, and 12 for the revstar ask game!! teehee :3c

Going to try so hard not to give multiple answers for these but am probably going to fail lmao

Putting this below the cut. Azure ramble purposes you know how it is

3. What is your favorite friendship / character dynamic from the franchise?

In Frontier? Aruru and Shizuha hands down. It’s a dynamic I don’t think gets explored enough which makes me sad bc the parallels are there!! Albeit for different reasons both of them were terrified of aiming for position zero and bottling up parts of themselves for fear of hurting people and ending up alone and it’s just. Something about Aruru finally giving Shizuha the push she needed to keep moving forward and Shizuha being the one spearheading the effort to give that same push back to Aruru in Arcana Arcadia is just. Augh. My fucking heart. I want them to bond over that more in the future I want Aruru and Shizuha rivalry with the mutual understanding of ‘I don’t have to hold back or hide anything from you no matter what happens or where we go from here’ please

Aruru and Misora is a very close second bc hehe… the siblings ever. And also bc I am very very partial to friendships with my kins that remind me of me and my best friend and Aruru and Misora is definitely one of those lmao.

As for outside of Frontier? Uhhh. Literally any Fumi dynamic but Tamafumi and Akifumi especially. Idk what it is they just fucking fascinate me I want to study them under a microscope.

5. What is your favorite revue song?

Gotta hand it to Koi no Makyuu. I’m an absolute fucking sucker for good brass sections I’m sorry. Super Star Spectacle, Wagamama Highway (but specifically That One Section in the middle. You know the one), Hokori to Ogori, and Starlight are really close, and Yami o Terasumono gets an honourary mention by virtue of both being a banger and killing me instantly in context

12. What character(s) do you wish you knew more about/had a better read on?

Uhhh Seiran and Siegfeld juniour high kids by virtue of ‘I don’t know anything about them because I’ve barely seen them storywise’ but in regards to characters I’ve seen in action…. Surprise it’s a Frontier answer again. I’d have to say Lalafin on that front! I’d like to think I have decent understanding of Misora + Tsukasa + Shizuha and Aruru is… well. That’s literally me lmao. But I just don’t have that with Lalafin for some reason. I wanna know more about her man! There’s a level of understanding with what we know of the others’ backgrounds (and Shizuha and Tsukasa’s first year) where it sort of clicks that ‘oh yeah that’s why they do this or that’ but Lalafin just. Evades me. Maybe it’s because the info is scarce since the Frontier kids as individuals haven’t really been a focus until AA or maybe I’m just not picking it up but I’d love to be able to piece her together like I do the others. I’d also love to dig into more stuff with Shizuha just bc of the very clear density of stuff she’s got going on that I want to pick apart the details of more but she’s got more to work with too so. Honestly I’d kill for a better read on literally all of the non-Aruru Frontier kids. I want them to get more screentime I want more to work with! I want what Arcana Arcadia gave me with insight into Aruru but for the other four they deserve it I want to study them all

#revue starlight #frontierposting #azureisms #and Celeste talked about Frontier again and nobody was surprised

[leonstamatis]

these are really good questions so I’m going to throw a ton at you, feel free to choose which of them you actually want to answer

2, 7, 20, 40, 47, 65, 81, 93!

yeah!! i actually really love these questions i think they're great. good list. thank you hedge <3

2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

oh this happens to me plenty. i tend to have very detailed outlines as a rule, so there's not a lot that catches me off-guard in terms of plot. but actually there's a wip i've got going right now where the first scene is, currently, 3.2k and counting -- which is absolutely fucking unheard of for me, a person who doesn't write scenes over 2k if i can help it. but the characters involved just kind of grabbed me by the shoulders and said, there's still things to say and do here, it's not time to move on yet. it does tend to happen the most in terms of length of the overall fic; the recent d&d movie fic i did was supposed to be a five times fic, and it is... aggressively longer than that.

7. tell us about the plot of the first fanfic you ever wrote

when i was in first grade, i wrote a story about the flowerpuff girls. like the powerpuff girls, but they were flowers, instead. i think this is hysterical, because it's very much in line with my interests today. i didn't know that was fanfic though; if we're talking about my first intentional fanfic attempt, i used to post self-insert naruto fanfic on quizilla, a sentence that ages me significantly every time i type it.

20. what is your favorite trope to write?

i don't tend to set out to write tropes, actually, so this is hard to answer. part of me wants to say mutual pining, but in terms of classically written tropes, i don't think i've ever really... done that? i've been doing a lot of found family and nontraditional platonic friendships, though, so probably that.

40. best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

someone made the comment to me once that reading my fic was like walking through exhibits at a museum. i think of that often and i hold it very close to my heart.

47. what story are you most proud of?

forcing myself to answer this one a second time. i am really proud of killing the minotaur, largely because it provided the motivation to start working on other projects again and to stop caring as much about getting things wrong. it isn't perfect. but it's good.

65. what is your favourite title for a fic you’ve written? 

reciprocity!! i've been saving that title for literal years and i just. was so pleased and delighted to finally have a reason to use it. es my beloved.

81. if you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of writing advice specific to you, what would it be?

"it doesn't have to be perfect, it can just get done." this is a battle i fight with myself almost every time i write, and it always has been. i think i used to be better about just posting whatever, but there's always been some amount of "it has to be exactly what's in my head to be worth it," which isn't true or fair to do to myself.

93. do you hear other people’s writing styles when they talk?

sometimes! there are certainly friends where i can pick up on things they write that they also tend to say a lot in real life. i do have to know someone pretty well to do it, though.

#thank youuuu <3<3<3 #ask meme #tam.ask #candidateofloyalty

[savebrams]

Hello lovelies!

I hope you’re all having a wonderful day as you read this. It’s been a while since I’ve been on here for various reasons ~but~ I have hit a tiny milestone on tumblr for a bit now and I just wanted to give back because I am grateful for every single one of you 🥰

I started using tumblr like 5 years ago and only started really posting stuff sparingly within the last 2 maybe (maybe more idk). I have interacted with many awesome people throughout my time in fandoms even though I’m very shy, and most recently, the Hawkeye/Marvel fandom has been my home and where I have gained most of my followers.

That being said I’ve been working on this next project for a few days now (like I think I pushed myself to the point of burnout 😵‍💫) but I’m happy to finally talk about it.

I’m going to be doing my own personal Bishlova week throughout the following 7 days 😌, meaning I have a piece of fanart ready to post for every day of the following week.

The prompts are as follows 😉:

dogs

mission

lipstick

rumour

tangled

strangers

soft

And this is in order of least favourite to most favourite. I do like all of them, but not equally 😅 the Bishlova fanbase may be very tiny (and low key dying 🥴), but the people in it are very nice and welcoming. You have all been so kind to me regarding my past fanarts and reading every comment makes my heart soar. It’s nearly been a year since the Hawkeye show came out and I’m still stuck knee-deep in this hyper fixation. I really hope you like what I have prepared for you.

Also, I would love to make more friends in this fandom so if you have any questions or discussions or literally anything, don’t hesitate to send an ask or dm 😌

Finally, if you somehow reached this far, I know not all of you who will read this even care about this fandom and the fact that you’re still here is crazy (I know exactly who you are and I want the few mutuals I have from other fandoms to know that I literally think of you daily) I hope you have a great rest of your year.

tl;dr: I am grateful for all of you so I’ve got some art for you in return.

#holy shit I’ve never written this much in a post ever #long post sorry #thank you for being awesome!

[psychoticwillgraham]

putting this kink discussion post under a read more bc im kinda embarrassed about it

TW: talk of sexual gore

gonna out myself as more of a freak with this post: anyone else got a super niche, and I mean super niche, kink that they can’t find jack shit for? bc im making my own weird ass au (for u already know what ship) just so I can even make content for it.

ok, so y’all know that episode of billy and mandy where the brain eating rock alien literally eats brains by using its tentacles through the ear? yeah. uh. that’s my most niche kink, all thanks to that show. that specific episode gave me horrible nightmares as a kid, but when I rewatched it a few years ago, i realized that it was uh. really hot 😬 like the concept of someone not being able to think for themselves and having the monster/eldtrich being make them do whatever they want the person to do and they just have to take it? and they clearly enjoy it? yeah 👀

that kinda goes with my hive mind kink where characters have this done and are at the complete mercy of the monster (but it HAS to be consensual in the first place, so its like a mutual satisfaction thing), and unable to stop it, basically being a glorified fucktoy 👀👀 OH and they control the person’s thoughts so literally, head empty no thoughts.

so im doing an au (that’ll be posted on my whump blog first before I even think about putting it on ao3 bc it’s gonna probably be the weirdest hannigram fic on there and the most extreme, but I might as well let my freak flag fly) where will is cursed with immortality and I mean true immortality where he can’t die as long as there’s at least a piece of his body left, so to truly die, the heat death of the universe would have to happen, yeah lmao

and then you have hannibal, who’s the last of his eldtrich kind and needs to find a suitable vessel to carry his young (yes will is a trans man in this au just bc I want him to be), so he finds out about Will and sets off on trying to court him. he realizes pretty quickly that Will’s Different, and decides to test that theory by straight up stabbing him through the heart with a hardened tentacle (or w/e idk yet), therefore revealing himself. they get to know each other and obviously Will isn’t gonna out hannibal, so they begin a highly fucked up, very messy (gore wise) sexual relationship.

now when I mean gory, I mean gory. bc if you can’t die no matter what and have a kink for said gore, and ur boyfriend is an eldtrich abomination who’s a cannibalistic serial killer, wouldn’t you take advantage of that and constantly die during sex in the most fucked up and nasty ways? i mean I would, but I’m just a nasty freak. and the aforementioned kink in the beginning of this post is a thing in this as well. so the au is just an excuse for me to write creative gory sex scenes and see how nasty I can get. honestly I probably won’t even post certain parts of it unless a few people want me to.

i rlly think that this might be the limit for a lot of the fandom fic wise so I’m prepared to get shit for it. that’s why it’s going on my secret (only if I don’t give u the link) whump blog. so yeah that’s that.

#ash’s fic ideas #outing myself as a nasty ass freak with this post w/e

[wherewolf]

💕 🫀 happy valentine’s day 🫀 💕

#🐺 #giving my mutuals pieces of my literal heart this year #png #pngs #heart #anatomical heart #valentine’s day #greatest hits

[a-gal-with-taste]

I want you to know your prelude to the untitled fic GRABBED ME BY THE THROAT I legit had a dream about it 😭 silco kept talking/asking about "OUR daughter" and oh man he was so ready to have another kid already I'm dying what have you done to meeeee

Aw, thanks, glad you loved it <3!!! I've decided to name the fic 'Of Zaun' (Prelude found here) and I expect it to come out between my second and third multi-chapter ^^

Until then, enjoy this mini piece/future chapter bit...? ;)

Established F!Reader X Young Silco

Warnings: Major AU/Canon-Divergence, pre-canon, language, background tension, revolutionary shenanigans, mentions of pregnancy and childbirth, fluff oh my god so much fluff at the end...

The moment you watch Vander, shoulders-tense and steps sharp in contained rage, walk in, you hand your child over to Sevika.

Who immediately recoils as if your sleeping four year-old is a rapid, feral street dog, and not, literally, a sleeping four year-old. "I'll drop her, I swear..." She vows coldly, holding the fuchsia-haired toddler at arms length away from her, while still holding her in a clumsy excuse of a cradle as the toddler softly snores, but you ignore her. You know she's lying through her teeth.

You quickly slipped from the booth to swerve around the growing crowd of returning Brothers and Sisters, uneasy as you note grim expressions and downward glances. The way most of them pick up the first bottle they find abandoned on tables, left from when they had raced out upon the emergency call requiring the forces to gather, you fear the worse and feel your heart begin crawling up your throat...

Then Silco half-walks, and is half-shoved inside from a wayward shoulderbump from Benzo, whose face his split into a snarl of annoyance, and something dark. Seagreen eyes are burning as he glares after Benzo, but then go utterly frigid when they land on who the larger man walks over to.

You don't need to look to see the chilling look is given to Vander. Nor do you need to check to see if the look is mutual.

Swallowing, you stride up to Silco, putting a light touch above his holstered-hip as you murmur an invitation to follow, and though it takes a minute for him to finally drag his gaze from Vander, his arm wraps around you the very instant you are at his side.

He misses the way your breath catches slightly as his fingers rest on your abdomen. Silco follows after you give another tug on his shirt, and begin guiding him away from the dark looks of his fellow Sons of Zaun.

-

You go to the basement of The Last Drop, where  it is partially storage, and a partial hide-space during the increasing Enforcer raids deeper into the Undercity. Grabbing gauze as he silently, sharply unbuttons his shirt, shrugging it enough to reveal a large scrapped-shoulder, a collision with a ground.

You've barely begun to work on it before it spills out of him in a snarl.

"He just won't listen to me. We had them on the run, tails between their legs... for once, we didn't have to sneak back into the shadows, we could've given chase. Far back as the Alcoves, we could've taken them-"

It wasn't an uncommon phrase these days, unfortunately. Large personalities and larger heads seemed to be colliding more with the strain of Undercity life, under the eternal weight of Topside. Decisions were beginning to be made more rapidly, and executed more clumsily, as meetings between the leading force of the Children of Zaun were becoming scare.

It wasn't wide-spread, but there was uneasy shifts amongst the closer nets of the rebellion forces. You knew it was only a matter of who would crack first, under the weight of conflicting leadership.

But you knew Vander, and of course knew Silco. They would put their petty, youthful hotheadedness aside and pull themselves together soon enough, back and united more than ever before as they worked to unite a nation.

This rough patch would pass, surely. Vander and Silco wouldn't break apart now.

That didn't mean you enjoyed the rants your partner went on, seeing how tightly his hands curled as he lost himself in a mix of growls and snarls at his commentary of his co-leaders tactics. After straightening the new bandage into place, you reached down to cover the fist on his knee with your own hand, feeling him trail off into heavy breaths between his nose as his rage slowly tampered off under your touch.

"Sil," You said, paitently and quietly. He closed his bright eyes, and let out a slow breath before opening them to glance up at you standing beside him, out of the corner of his eyes.

They looked tired, and looked downright exhausted when you squeezed his hand again. "For the Nation," You reminded him, and his parroted murmur of the mantra is accompanied by his hand turning, curling your fingers with his own as he gives a small tug to bring you over.

He rests his forehead at your sternum, hands slipping up to loop loosely around your hips as you bring your own fingers to coax and curl though locks. The tie holding the ponytail at his neck slips out, allowing for you to go through and unknot the long strands in earnest, but he gives an appreciate hum everytime you stop to scritch nails along his scalp.

You feel him begin to relax, and take a small breath. His quiet voice beats you before you can bring the words out into open, "Violet?"

Warmth fills you, and you chuckle in response, "I'm afraid she and Sevika are nearing coming-to-blows. She thought her boots were the perfect sparring partner for her little fists after Sevika refused her another glass of sweetmilk... we may have a underground boxer on our hands." There's a huff of laughter at the tease, and he shakes his head slightly against your upper abdomen. "What a brazen child. Battling those much bigger than her at the slightest provocation... I don't know where she got it from."

"You don't?"

A pause, and he lifts his face up, resting a chin against you as he quirks a brow, expression smoothed out into careful innocence. "Not at all. I am the absolute model of perfect restraint and decorum... and I always know my limits against larger foes." Silco holds that inconspicuous expression against your deadpan one, before you give a small tug to his hair, and he smirks apologetically. Like father, like daughter.

"She's growing to be a fighter. A good one." You said after an eyeroll, returning your fingers though his dark hair as he hums, the sound vibrating though your skin as he continues lightly resting chin so he could gaze up at you. "All children of Zaun are... but," You sigh, and he slowly rubs a circle into your hip at the motion. "... I wish she wouldn't need to be, Silco."

"I know, darling." The arms looped around you tightened a bit, and you felt him sigh as he lowered his head again, forehead against your chest. "... that's why we need to put all out strength into this. Why we can't slow down, why we can't be arguing. We had them on the run, if we just pushed a little more, we could push them back. And if we push them back, we can overtake them. And if Vander sees we can overtake the Piltover forces, that future for the Children, for the Sons and Daughters of Zaun, may not be a vision much longer, we'd have the power to-"

"I'm pregnant."

You didn't know what caused you to decide to rip the bandage off right then and there. Perhaps it was hearing his voice slip into frustration again, or the mention of Vander, or the fact that you just couldn't keep it held in any longer, not since finding out early this morning. Regardless, it's slips out without your permission, and you find yourself stumbling over words as Silco goes still and silent.

Last time, there had been no announcement. You'd only found out of your expectancy when you were an entire river, and guarded-bridge away, before returning to him with child in tow. At his silence, a small bit of worry begins to fill you, and it shows in your voice, "I... i-i found out before you left today. I wasn't... we never really talked about s-siblings for Violet, but I... I mean, I know I would want another one, but I know this might not be the best time and-"

Your mouth stills when Silcos head snaps up to meet your gaze, lips parted and eyes locked on yours. "... you are?" He croaks out after a minute, seemingly out of breath as you swallow, before nodding slowly.

"You are." Silco repeats it, blinking slowly as you mutter out a quiet confirmation. He blinks again, once twice, before slowly rising, arms gliding up from your hips to your waist as you start to ask him what he would like to do-

His first kiss makes the anxiety melt, light and fleeting, and quickly followed by a second and third. You hear a breathless laugh from him as his hand reached up, cupping your cheek against a warm palm as his light kisses become quicker, halfway frantic, but no less adoring. They miss your lips more often than not, the quiet burst of amazed chuckling from him becoming infectious as he pecks at your cheek.

It trails off, but the rare, wide smile on his face remains as he cups your face in his hands, resting forehead against his own as he breaths out, "When?"

"About seven months."

"How many?" You resist a snort. "One, Gods willing." Or else you might really just break this man's hand, if you needed to go through such an ordeal more than once in the same day.

Another hoarse chuckle, and a press of lips firmly against your own before he pulls back just enough, asking, "Boy or girl?"

You can't resist a snort this time, rolling your eyes even under a second onslaught of his lips, even as you chuckle with giddiness at such a question, "Silco, I don't know." The next chuckle and even firmer press of lips against yours, suggests that he doesn't care either way. You wrap your arms tight around his shoulders with a happy sigh as you feel his hand slide from around you, palm almost carefully brushing against your lower abdomen.

He pulls back and there's a shuddering exhale against your mouth as he tilts his head down, forehead resting to yours as you feel his hand gently rest against you. You open your eyes, and feel a part of you melt as you see the tender, ecstatic and raw-devestation in his bright eyes as he looks down, focused on his palm resting against your belly.

"... This is why we need to push for it." He mutters, but there's not of his earlier frustration in his tone, no rage at the lack of reaching. Just a loving tone, and a quiet determination that you're familiar with. "This is why those of Zaun need to rise up, do what needs to be done, whatever needs to be done for our independence. For our freedom. For our nation, our future..." He closes his eyes, taking a slow, steady inhale; as though some part of him is taking a mental stand, and preparing for something he knows must be done...

Silco opens his eyes, and sees you watching him. Love in your own gaze, which only grows as he closes the small distance to kiss you again, a new mantra on his lips as you stand on the edge of your future, together:

"For our children of Zaun."

#let there be FLUFF #arcane #silco #arcane silco #silco x reader #silco x female reader #mom!reader #AU where Silco is the Bio-dad of Violet and Powder/Jinx #young silco #fluff #arcane vi #arcane violet #arcane powder #arcane jinx #my writing #of zaun!verse #arcane vander #arcane sevika #sevika #arcane benzo