#like. Ravenously. regularly sacrificing sleep for it.

[orcelito]

There are more trigun fanfics than there were back in April

This is creating a problem for me

#speculation nation #I WAS RAVENOUSLY READING FIC end of march beginning of april #like. Ravenously. regularly sacrificing sleep for it. #started running out of longer things to read (one shots r fine but i Rly like longfic. if u couldn't tell.) #so i started writing my own. #i dont tend to read much when im actively working on writing. and if i do it's Usually one shots #brief things to fill the time when i dont feel up to writing. but long things r iffy bc i get too absorbed and then it muddles my writing #since my gf was visiting i didnt rly have time for writing so i was reading in spare moments #she left today tho which means writing time is back on the table #but there are so many good new fanfics that have popped up since april........... #gonna finish the one im currently reading. and we'll see if there r any i Reaaaally wanna read #i swear tho ive read like 200k words in the past 3 days alone. and this is just me reading in spare moments. #(read: sacrificing sleep to read) #it's healthier for me to focus on my own writing anyways lmao. bc it forces me to take care of myself to obtain writing brain #and i dont feel that voracious hunger to just Keep Reading to find out what happens next w/ my own stuff #bc i already know what happens next lol. it's just easier on me in general. #but Oh i sure do like reading some good fics when theyre available... #anyways. yea im gonna b able to start writing ITNL 15 soon. hoping for the best in the coming days xoxoxo

[young-dumb-and-vaccinated]

The Cult Girl (Hannibal x Female!Reader) pt. 1

This is my first time publishing any of my reader insert work so don’t be too hard on me. Y/N is a psych student that needs a favor and asks her therapist for help. Lmk if you want to see more.

It was an unmistakable conflict of interest, your relationship with Hannibal. He was your therapist, your mentor, your partner, and many years your senior to boot. You recognized this monumental power imbalance. You put on a façade of embarrassment for the people who expected it; people whose proclivities were done in the shadows and therefore easier to get away with. Why should you be expected to rationalize your loving, mutually beneficial relationship to a person who regularly cheats on her boyfriend?

You'd dated men your own age before, and without fail, you always found yourself waiting for them to grow up. Hannibal made you feel comfortable. Both emotionally and physically. You had a side of his bed and a spot in his arms to fall asleep in every night. Given the choice, you could truthfully say you'd never want to leave his arms.

Like many unlikely relationships, it didn’t start out in the most romantic of ways. Clutching your laptop under your raincoat, you hesitated knocking. Your therapist had, of course, seen you at your lowest points and was sworn to secrecy, but this was a low you didn’t want even him to see. Standing outside of his home, in the so-incredibly-not-business-hours dead of night with mascara running down your face. 

You finally worked up the nerve to knock, telling yourself that he was probably asleep and wouldn’t hear you. This rationalization fell apart when the interior light turned on and the door unlocked. Although you’d been seeing Dr. Lecter for quite a while, his presence never failed to intimidate you. Now it was even worse. His severe expression was fixated on you as he silently awaited an explanation. 

“Dr. Lecter...” You lowered your head and fumbled with your computer. You made a point to kiss your last shreds of dignity goodbye before you opened your mouth again. “...could I please borrow a book?” 

Dr. Lecter narrowed his eyes. “I take it by the hour, this is an urgent matter, Miss [L/N]?”

“My midterm. It’s due in...” You glanced at your watch. “Eight hours.” 

“Well you don’t have a moment to waste, now do you?” Dr. Lecter said, a slight upturn in his voice connoting amusement. “Come in. Let’s find you that book.” 

You felt your muscles relax as he stepped aside to let you in. The house was spacious. Much too large for one person. That was really the only thing you could bring yourself to notice before he shut the door behind you. 

“Now what is this all-important book of yours called?” He asked, pulling your raincoat from your shoulders like he always did. 

“It’s called Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.” You explained, tucking your computer under your arm. “By Robert Jay Lifton.” 

“You’re in luck, Miss [L/N].” His thin lips turned up into a smile. “I have a copy from my own years as a student.”

You breathed an audible sigh of relief. You tensed your muscles and held in your excitement at the prospect of something finally going according to plan, even if that plan was your third or fourth backup.

You followed him into his office, which reminded you more of Belle’s library than any workspace you’d ever encountered. He must have had thousands of books in this room alone.

“It’s a fascinating read, but not one you could finish in eight hours.” Dr. Lecter's voice echoed from somewhere in the office, getting lost in the books. “Even for the most ravenous of psychology students, of which I know you to be.” 

"Hardly." You muttered under your breath. "If that were the case, I wouldn't be begging for help at 2am before the final paper is due."

"Procrastination is only human, my dear." He assured you, his voice drawing closer. "It's common in those with deep-rooted insecurities about their competency."

"Now that sounds more like me." You joked, leaning back on your heels. "Should you really be trying to validate my bad habits? I feel like that's counterproductive."

"Scolding you would be more counterproductive." He corrected. "You've been scolded many times before and you continue your bad habits. Only when we get to the root of your behavior can you begin to reverse it."

He emerged from the bookshelves and handed you a beat-up copy of Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, which you graciously accepted. 

“Thank you so much, Dr. Lecter.” You said, placing your hand over your heart. "I owe you my life."

"I'd hardly equate your life to a used book, Miss [L/N]." Dr. Lecter said. "I feel like, as your therapist, we should talk about why you do."

You looked away, smiling sheepishly. "Maybe sometime in daylight. I've taken up enough of your time as it is. I'll get out of your hair now."

"It would take you more time to get back to your dorm that you could use writing." He said, matter-of-factually. "Write your paper in my office."

You looked at him in disbelief. Your judgment was clouded with energy drinks and desperation. So your usual self-sacrificing polite denial was steamrolled by a very enthusiastic acceptance. "I would be forever indebted to you, Dr. Lecter."

"Miss [L/N]," Dr. Lecter cut in. "You're a student, you need to study."

You didn’t really remember a lot of what happened after you wrapped your arms around his waist, too overwhelmed with gratitude to think if an embrace was even appropriate. It was the middle of the night, so you had an excuse if he shoved you off him. But surprisingly, he didn’t. 

You broke the embrace and gathered up your book and computer. “Seriously, I owe you big time for this. You’re really saving my life here.” 

“Go write your paper, [F/N].” He ordered. “We can discuss why you conflate your academics and your life during our next appointment. For now, make yourself at home.”

And that you did. Dr. Lecter retired back to bed and you spent a solid four hours typing away. An antique grandfather clock kept count for you. When you couldn’t keep your eyes open any longer, you sent the paper off to your professor, editing be damned. You let sleep compel you, comforted by the fact that you didn't have to think about your paper for at least another week before the grading period was over. 

Dr. Lecter’s desk was the most comfortable surface in the world to you that night, because you slept for six hours with only your arms as a pillow. It was the first rest your body had gotten in quite some time. You were gently coaxed awake by the smell of something delicious. 

You followed the smell into a kitchen that could rival those of Michelin-starred restaurants. Dr. Lecter was hard at work, cooking something that enticed your nose. He cracked an egg and looked up at you. “Good morning, Miss [L/N].”

“I’m sorry.” You said, shaking your head shamefully. 

“For?” He asked, fixing his attention back on his recipe.

“Falling asleep.” You dropped your shoulders.

“I told you to make yourself at home, did I not?” He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. This time, he sounded like he was actually going to scold you. “Tell me, do you sleep at your desk at home?” 

“I try not to.” You answer with a shrug. 

“But when you feel yourself falling asleep, you usually put yourself to bed, right?” He continued.

You started to feel a bit stupid. “...yeah.” 

He poked at some sausage links in a frying pan, letting out a sizzle. “You could have taken the couch.”

“I guess I was just too sleepy to think of that.” You explained, preparing to be psychoanalyzed no matter what you said.

“No, you were just too polite to push the imagined boundaries of my invitation.” He concluded, busying his hands with plating whatever it was he was making. His tone was comfortingly familiar. “Miss [L/N], don’t sacrifice your comfort for what you think I perceive to be rude. If I found you rude, you’d know it.”

"I'm sorry." You repeated.

"Don't apologize." He said, reaching for the pepper mill. "I know your anxiety disorder makes you feel like you are a burden. I assure you, you are not. I want you to know for next time that the couch is open. Or you could take the guest bedroom."

You stopped yourself before you could apologize again. You momentarily pondered what he had to say before uttering a quiet but convicted "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." Dr. Lecter slid a plate across the table in your direction. "Eat, my dear."

You didn't need to be told twice. You usually didn’t care for sausage, but reconsidered when you took a bite. The meat was so flavorful and rich, a little noise of delight escaped your lips.

Dr. Lecter smiled, your little moan sending his ego through the roof. “You like it?” 

“It’s delicious.” You put your fork down, your face flush with embarrassment. “Way better than the food at the dining hall.” 

“Miss [L/N],” Dr. Lecter began, putting an extra sausage link on your plate. “If you find yourself in need of psychology texts, I’d be happy to extend my invitation indefinitely.” 

You nearly choked on your eggs. “On god?” 

“Given that you arrive sometime before midnight and perhaps call ahead, yes.” He answered. “Your studies are your life and breath, after all. You would find yourself very accommodated to here.”

This time, you'd really take him up on his offer.

#hannibal x reader #hannibal x you #hannibal nbc #hannibal lecter #reader insert #first fic #its probably crap #an attempt was made

[anubislover]

“A Heart to Be Used as Needed” Chapter 3

A month of torture. That was the only way Law could describe the wedding planning. His blood pressure was through the roof, sleep was harder to come by than usual, and he was beyond pent-up. After thirty-one days of reigning in Doflamingo’s extravagant suggestions, enduring his boss’ intense scrutiny, and ignoring the far-from-subtle mocking from his colleagues—all without his usual outlets for stress—it was a miracle he hadn’t just abandoned his ten-year plan and attempted to tear out Joker’s heart with his bare hands.

He could live without sex, but with the additional strain the wedding brought on, he barely had time for his experiments or even senseless violence to let off some steam. Joker might not have banned them, but it seemed he was determined to make sure he was too busy to get in any form of relaxation. People called Law sadistic, but clearly, he’d learned it all from the best.

Sanity close to snapping like a stale breadstick, he nearly called off the engagement by week two, but Baby 5 had inadvertently persuaded him otherwise.

Body parts spun in the air like windmills as Law sheathed Kikoku, a sadistic grin adorning his face when they fell to the ground, landing in a neat little stack on his laboratory floor. Baby 5’s head plopped on top of her arms, rocking unsteadily for a brief moment before rolling down the bloodless pile, across the floor, before finally being halted by his boot.

It might not have been as viscerally satisfying as tearing into a helpless victim with his scalpel and hearing them scream as the blood painted the walls, but it was far less messy and almost as effective at lightening his mood.

“Thank you, Baby-ya,” he cooed down at his decapitated bride-to-be. She’d been doing her best not to tempt him, believing his month of abstinence was his way of displaying his devotion to her, but still regularly visited his lab to drop off coffee and receive his approval on all the little wedding details she and Doflamingo had been obsessing over. She’d come down to ask him some inane question about the ceremony, but upon seeing how tired and stressed he was—not to mention how close he was to murdering someone—she’d immediately offered to let him cut her to pieces if he needed an outlet. The words had barely left her lips before she was engulfed in a blue aura, and the past ten minutes had seen her vivisected and put back together in nearly a dozen different ways.

Blinking away the dizziness, she weakly smiled up at him despite her obvious discomfort. Even if his Room made amputation painless, it was far from a pleasant experience. “I’m just glad I could be useful to you.”

“Of course you are. Now, you had a question for me?” he asked, gently picking up her head from the floor. She was such a considerate thing, sacrificing herself to suit his needs like that. It really did bode well for their marriage.

“I wanted to know if you think we should we use our real names in our vows,” she replied, eyes sparkling at the thought of their wedding day.

He stiffened. He’d nearly forgotten that she knew his true name. If she dared utter that fateful D. in front of Doflamingo, Law was a dead man. Forcing a smile and dropping a chaste kiss to her brow, he replied smoothly, “No. I trusted my name only to you and Buffalo, and that’s how it’ll stay. And I like the idea of being the only one who knows your real name; a romantic little secret between husband and wife.”

Somehow, her eyes sparkled even more at the prospect. “Whatever you want, darling!”

From then on, even though it drove him batty, Law’d made sure to be as involved with the wedding planning as possible. He didn’t fear Baby 5 accidentally revealing his name, but it was a strange and sudden understanding that she unknowingly had a small amount of power over him, and it was in his best interest to fully convert her to his side. Otherwise, she could be a dangerous liability.

So, the Surgeon of Death endured the hours of flower arrangements and napkin selections, all for the sake of keeping his bride happy and in check. In turn, she allowed him to cut her apart any time he needed, and as the wedding date grew closer, Law felt more secure in his decision to make her a part of his scheme. It turned out she had uses beyond her sexy body and Buki Buki no Mi. He’d taken to asking about her day and quickly discovered that she was far more observant than he’d given her credit for; she knew everyone in the Family’s likes, dislikes, schedules, quirks, and even a few of their secrets. To many, she was practically invisible, able to listen in on conversations, and her presence at any particular time was hardly questioned, as it was her job to clean the whole castle. She’d make a fantastic spy, and her happiness that Law was willing to listen made her eagerly spill some lovely tidbits about Sugar and Pica that he had every intention of exploiting.

At last the big day came and Law was able to breathe a sigh of relief. The ceremony had been opulent but thankfully not the multi-day festival and gladiator tournament that Joker had originally proposed. Sugar made an admittedly adorable flower girl, though Law wasn’t sure he wanted to know who the toy soldier acting as ring bearer had been. Doflamingo walked the bride down the aisle, and even the Surgeon of Death could admit Baby 5 looked so blissfully happy it was hard not to be a little pleased with himself that he’d made her dream come true.

Especially since it brought him one step closer to his own.

The reception had been a true test of his patience and resolve. Joker had thankfully come through on his promise that there would be no bread during dinner, but it was only a small comfort in the nearly five hours of off-color speeches, too-loud music, mocking calls for the new couple to kiss or dance, and just generally being trapped in a room full of the people he hated the most. It all served as a sour reminder that if the World Government hadn’t poisoned his city and murdered his family, he likely never would have become a pirate and his wedding day might have been worth celebrating.

Still, Law endured it all with a charming smirk, laughing off Buffalo’s embarrassing Best Man toast and playing his part as the contented groom. The woman pressed to his side made it all slightly more bearable, acting as a constant reminder of the delicious prize he’d finally claim at the end of the night. Though the poufy ballgown Baby 5 had chosen prevented him from teasing her under the table like he wished, making her shiver by lightly brushing her bare arms and the back of her slender neck had provided a suitable enough alternative.  

It was nearly midnight when, after the cake cutting and bouquet and garter toss, Doflamingo finally elbowed him in the ribs. “Go. You held up your end of the deal, and I can tell you’re ready to pop,” he sniggered. For the former World Noble, the whole affair couldn’t have gone better. His Corazon was even more firmly entangled in his twisted family web, his deadly maid wouldn’t stupidly run away with the next guy who proposed, and in a few years he’d have another genius child he could mold to take Law’s place after he got his eternal youth surgery. “Just don’t break the poor girl. She’s still got an important part to play, after all.”

The words were barely out of his boss’ mouth before Law activated his Room, teleporting himself and Baby 5 out of the ballroom and into his quarters. The hated feathered coat was spitefully tossed into a lonely corner of the room as he pounced on his long-awaited prize.

Amethyst eyes blinked in surprise; she’d been talking to Violet mere seconds ago, and now they were upstairs? Shouldn’t they have said goodbye to their guests? “Wha—”

Law cut her off with a fierce, aggressive kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth and savagely claiming the spoils of victory. He knew it was nothing like the soft, chaste peck he’d given her at the altar, but he refused to hold back now that he finally had the chance to indulge.

It was time for Baby 5 to discover what she’d really signed up for when she’d agreed to be the Surgeon of Death’s wife.

Still, when her tongue tentatively attempted to dance with his, he forced himself to slow down. This was not some whore he could satiate himself with and discard, but a valuable asset. He had to break her in carefully if he wanted her blind loyalty, and it was better to take his time and teach her how to please him, since she’d be doing it the rest of her life.

Besides, Law’d waited years to get his hands on the tempting little maid. No matter how ravenous he was, this was a night meant to be savored.

So, he pulled away to allow them both air, giving a lopsided smile as he loosened his tie and shrugged off the tuxedo jacket. “Sorry. I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve been wanting to kiss you like that for too long.”

“I understand, darling,” she said, cheeks flushed scarlet and lips already deliciously swollen. “I…I want to make you happy, so kiss me however you need.”

“‘However I need’, huh?” he taunted, trapping her against the wall. “That’s a dangerous thing to say to a man, Baby-ya. I’m beginning to see why Joker was so protective of you.” Leaning in, he bypassed her mouth to kiss along her jaw, nipping and sucking a hot trail to her ear. “You’re aware that I’m a man who has a lot of ‘needs’, aren’t you?”

“Of…of course! That’s why we’re perfect for each other!” she gasped as he wrapped his lips around the sensitive lobe. “I’m happy to attend to each and every one!”

A low chuckle rumbled like distant thunder as his tongue played with a delicate pearl earring. Releasing her flesh with a wet pop, he purred, “Of course you are. A good girl like you would do anything to please her husband, wouldn’t you?”

The shudder that rocked through her body and the way her breath staggered were highly amusing. Law’d both tortured and entertained himself planning out exactly how he’d defile her on their wedding night; imagining what he’d say and do to grant or deny her pleasure. It had become increasingly clear to him that she had a praise kink—which he intended to exploit all night long—but he was eager to see what other urges and weaknesses he could play with.

“Get undressed, Baby-ya,” he ordered, voice barely more than a growl as he pushed away so he could observe her properly, unbuttoning his shirt as he did so. Bit by bit, his dark skin and black, heart-shaped tattoos were exposed, and he preened at how his bride’s violet eyes were locked onto his lean muscles.

“Do…do you want me to undress completely?” she asked shyly. Nervous, she fiddled with the full skirt of her dress, though she couldn’t pull her gaze away from her husband’s chest as Law carefully stripped off his tie and shirt. She’d seen the bold, swirling tattoos plenty of times, but watching him peel away the soft linen in the intimate setting of his bedroom—their bedroom, and just for her—sent a jarring surge of liquid fire between her legs. “Or just to my underwear?”

A dark blue eyebrow lifted curiously, and Baby 5 continued, “I was given some special wedding lingerie and I was told you…might want to see me in it.”

Intrigued, a wicked smirk stretched across Law’s narrow face. He’d caught a glimpse of white lace and thigh-high stockings during the garter toss but hadn’t allowed himself to linger lest his already-straining control snap. “In that case, take off your dress and give me a little show. Let me see what naughty secret you’ve been hiding under that innocent gown all day.” Licking his lips, he added, “Oh, but leave the veil on.”

Obediently she nodded, reaching behind her back to unzip the fluffy white dress, letting it fall to the floor like a pile of snow. Law had to take a moment to stare at the ensemble underneath; whoever had dressed her had gone all-out with the lingerie. From the sheer, white lace corset to the matching stockings, garters, and panties that barely covered more than the essentials, she looked like a pin-up. The contrast of the pure color with such slutty scraps of clothing more than did its job turning him on. On top of that, each piece was adorned with little white bows, making her look like a present all wrapped up for him. Leading her further into the room where he could get a better look at her, he twirled his finger in a silent demand to turn around so he could appreciate the back. Blood instantly shot down to his cock when he saw the back of her panties had a heart cut-out right across the cheeks, another sweet little bow sewn daintily above it.

His brain quickly pushed aside any inquiries regarding who gifted her such a naughty ensemble. None of the options were particularly palatable, and the most likely one threatened to turn his mood from lust to loathing.

Instead, he wrapped his tattooed hands around her pale waist, yanking her towards him and grinding his already half-hard length against her pert ass.

“You look so fucking gorgeous.”

Her reply was adorably bashful. “Thank you,” she mumbled, head ducking to hide the blush that spread across her cheeks.

Oh, she was just precious. Such a sweet, innocent lamb, despite her impressive kill count and allegiance to one of the most vicious pirates on the Grand Line. A better man might even hesitate to strip her of her remaining virtue, but not him.

Innocence never lasted long around Trafalgar Law.

Sweeping aside her hair, he leaned down to nibble the sensitive shell of her ear. “Don’t be shy; you’re my wife, now. If there’s anyone you shouldn’t feel ashamed to show off your sexy body to, it’s me.” Dropping a kiss to her bare shoulder, he rasped, “In fact, you should wear this for me all the time.”

“But it’s wedding lingerie…”

“Who cares?” he asked, left hand sliding down to pry her legs apart. The sweet heat between her thighs urged him to wiggle his fingers beneath the fabric of her panties and delve inside but he held off, settling for just cupping her gently, gratified when she instinctively bucked against his palm. Carefully, he shifted their bodies so they faced the full-length mirror. His cock felt wonderful cradled against the soft meat of her ass, but he wanted to see her face as he played with her for the first time. “You look sexy as hell, and it turns me on. If I want you to wear it, you’ll wear it.”

“Yes, darling.”

“That’s a good girl,” he replied, chuckling as he felt her clench around his hand at his words. In the reflection he could see her cheeks flush further, and he briefly wondered if she might pass out. As a precaution, he wrapped her arms up and around his neck, with the added bonus that he now had full access to her luscious curves. “From the moment you kissed me, you agreed to be mine,” he purred, eyes locking onto hers in the mirror. Both his hands roamed her body, grasping and massaging the tender flesh hidden by intricate lace as he rolled his erection against her firm rump. “I’m curious if you even know what that means.”

“Of course I do!” she squeaked as his blazing palms squeezed her full breasts. She noted in the mirror how nicely his tan skin contrasted with her ivory tone, like coffee and cream. Further proof in her mind that they were perfect for each other. “I’ve read Giolla’s romance novels, and the girls…clarified some things for me during the bachelorette party.”

“Did they? Well, wasn’t that nice of them?” he chuckled as he teasingly traced the tips of his fingers along the lacy edge of the bustier. He doubted any of them had truly prepared her for what she was in for—the debauchery that took place in Trafalgar Law’s bedroom wasn’t easily put into words, after all.

A curious, devious thought entered his mind, and he whispered, “Did you fantasize about me, Baby-ya? Imagine all the sexy, naughty things I’d do to you now that we’re married? How I’d touch you and fuck you?”

“I…maybe a little…”

“Did you touch yourself while you thought about me?”

“N-no…”

Gold eyes narrowed, mildly insulted. He’d filled the wet dreams of men and women for years, but his bride hadn’t even pleasured herself while she imagined him fucking her? He harshly pinched her nipples as a reprimand. “Why not?”

Whimpering, her hips bucked in response to his rough treatment. It hurt, yet sent delicious sparks crackling trough her. “Because my body belongs to you! It’d be selfish to touch myself, especially when you weren’t allowed to!” Embarrassed, white teeth worried her bottom lip before she confessed, “And…and it wasn’t enough. E-even when I touched my clit, nothing felt as good as what you would do…”

A hot swell of lust shot straight down to Law’s cock. He found he liked the idea that a small, teasing touch from him could get her wetter than masturbation, and he knew he needed to get started immediately. “Stay right there, Baby-ya,” he rasped with a final sharp nip to the top of her ear, smirking as he felt the full-bodied shiver that ran through her at the promise in his voice.

Reluctantly prying himself from her warm body, he headed over to his desk and fished a small vial from the top drawer. It was filled with a red, viscous fluid that he swiftly chugged down, scowling at the bitter aftertaste. It was a solution he’d developed years ago that acted as a male birth control, leaving his seed infertile, though it wouldn’t diminish his performance—in fact, it reduced his recovery time to nearly half. Satisfied that he wouldn’t have to worry about producing the heir Doflamingo wanted while still getting to fuck his woman as much as he desired, Law discarded his shoes, socks, and belt before turning back to his wife, who had obediently stayed put.

“Given how…inexperienced you are, we both agree that I should take the lead on this, yes?” he asked rhetorically. Law wasn’t the kind of man who relinquished control, especially in the bedroom.

Coyly looking at him over her shoulder, the maid nodded her head. “I’ll do whatever it takes to please you, darling.” Biting her lip, she added, “Use me however you need.”

He hadn’t been looking for permission, but he certainly wasn’t going to refuse it. Prowling towards her like a ravenous leopard, Law spun her around, grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. With a feral smile, he dragged his tongue up her throat to just below her ear where he purred, “I’m going to fuck you all night long, sweetheart. I’ve got exceptional stamina, and I haven’t been satisfied in over a month thanks to you. So, get ready to be used thoroughly.”

Without waiting for a reply, he once more claimed her lips, this time taking a moment to appreciate them despite his hunger. They were smooth as the skin of a plum, softer than down pillows, and so deliciously pliant beneath his own. Prying them apart, he delved past to coax her tongue to dance with his; teaching her how sensitive the inside of her mouth was with every stroke and twirl. She gave a muffled mewl when he lightly brushed the top of her mouth with the very tip of his tongue, tickling her palette before pulling back to give her bottom lip a harsh nip.

“Ready for me to show you the kind of ideas you put in my head?” he rasped, running the pad of his thumb across the bite.

In leu of an answer she eagerly took his hand, wrapping her mouth around his thumb and sucking eagerly, just like in the lab. Smirking, he let her lavish his thumb with attention, piercing eyes never leaving hers as she licked and suckled, excited to see that hot, hungry look he’d given her in the garden again. The past month had been filled with wet dreams about the heady promise in his honey eyes, and now that they were finally married, Baby 5 was desperate to discover what his veiled words had meant.

With a chuckle, Law reluctantly pulled his hand back. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes,’ but didn’t I say that was one of my tamer thoughts? There’s a better place I want you to put that mouth.”

“Just tell me where, darling.”

“Get on your knees.”

Instantly she obeyed, the hard sound of the boney joints smacking down on the marble floor echoing through the room. Baby 5 hardly seemed to notice, though, as she realized her current position brought her eye-level with his crotch, cheeks flaming at the bulge straining against his dress pants.

Carefully combing back her hair so he could fully see her pretty face, he said, “I’m sure someone explained to you what’s expected of a loving wife when she’s in this position?”

Swallowing, she nodded, blunt, white teeth worrying her lip. “I’ve read about it in books and…Monet told me what to do. She said she’s…sucked you off, before.”

“Yeah, she has. Several times, actually. She was so jealous when she found out you’d be taking that honor from her.” Tilting her chin up to meet his eyes, the Dark Doctor smirked. “She tried to talk me out of marrying you; said you’d never satisfy me like she could.”

Baby 5’s eyes widened, then narrowed in jealous rage, flames igniting within the violet orbs as she snarled, “I’ll kill her!”

“Mmmm, maybe later. Right now, I think you should focus on proving her wrong.” Threading his long fingers through her hair carefully so as to not dislodge the lacy veil, he tugged her face closer to his erection. “Show me you can do better than her. That you deserve to be my wife. Start by unzipping me.”

Determined to outdo the imagined rival for her husband’s affections, Baby 5 studied his pants like a general making a battle plan. The light caught his metal zipper, and she suddenly recalled something Violet had told her about during the bachelorette party. Something she often did to drive Doffy wild whenever she was called to his chambers.

As carefully as she might handle the palace’s best china, Baby 5 grasped the little metal tab between her teeth, tugging down slowly. Her amethyst eyes remained locked on his as each tooth of the zipper unlatched with a gentle click, until his trousers were gaping open and her nose brushed against the soft fabric of his boxer-briefs. She kissed up the covered bulge until she reached the waistband, trailing her fingers lightly along his abdominal muscles before hooking them inside the elastic, pulling the cotton down to at last release his straining erection.

Law’s breath came out a little harsher at the show she put on. “Very good; Monet never did it like that. Such a smart, sexy wife I have.”

Eyes lighting up at his praise, she gently wrapped her hand around his fully-erect length, though her heart sped up as she finally got a good look at it. The books she’d snuck from Giolla’s room had always described a man’s equipment as being absurdly long, but Law’s, though intimidating, seemed far more manageable in comparison. About seven inches long and over an inch and a half thick, it felt like a steel rod covered in silk. The Corazon was usually such a cold man, but his shaft radiated heat against her palm, and she swore she could feel the blood pulsing through the thick veins. Giving it an experimental stroke, she blushed at Law’s pleased grunt in response. Confidence rising, she leaned in to take him in her mouth, but just as she was about to wrap her ruby lips around the mushroomed tip, she paused.

“Why are you hesitating?” He barely managed to suppress a growl, hand tightening in her hair. Law was a patient man, but at this point, he was far too on edge to appreciate any teasing when he was so close to finally getting sweet relief. She’d better have a good explanation; otherwise he’d cut off her head and literally fuck her throat.

Baby 5’s shoulders tensed at his tone and she averted her eyes in submission. “It’s just…if she didn’t want you to marry me, I’m worried Monet might have taught me the wrong way to do this. You know, as sabotage so you’d go back to her.”

Law grinned, mood instantly lightening. Of course the harpy would be the first to inadvertently damage Baby 5’s unquestioning trust in the Family. Jealousy was so easy to manipulate in his favor. “Aren’t you just the cleverest little thing? She probably at least threw in a few nuggets of bad advice in hopes of making me regret choosing you.” Rocking his hips forward, he brushed the leaking tip against her bottom lip, smearing a dollop of precum across the seam of her mouth. “I guess it’s a good thing you practiced on my thumb. Start like that, and I’ll tell you what else to do.”

Relief that she hadn’t made him angry was painted across her lovely face. Curious, she licked the drop of white fluid from her lips, surprised at the salty tang. Law’s hips jerked slightly when she experimentally flicked tip of her tongue against the glistening head of his erection, and the smirk he threw down at her proved it had been a good thing. Eager to keep him happy, she finally wrapped her sweet mouth around the frenulum, strangely enjoying the musky taste of him.

“Fuck, yeah, like that. You’re doing great, sweetheart, but I know you can take more.”

Needing no more instruction than that, the dutiful woman opened her mouth wider, allowing him to gradually sink another three inches inside her wet cavern until he hit the back of her throat.

Carding his fingers through her thick black hair, his hips jerked as she gave his shaft a particularly delicious suck, tongue stroking the thick vein that pulsed along the underside of his length. Regardless of whether or not she’d be useful in his plans, Law was definitely patting himself on the back for securing such a delectable and eager concubine. “Just like that, Baby-ya,” he praised. “Take a deep breath through your nose and relax your jaw; let’s see how you handle deep-throating your husband’s cock.”

Obediently she did so, and Law could have cum just from the feeling of her hot, wet mouth slowly engulfing his straining length. It was far from a new sensation, but after over a month of celibacy, the delicious feeling of her tongue stroking him as he sank into her, combined with the light scrape of teeth and the sight of those luscious, cherry red lips wrapped around his girth, made it nearly as overwhelming as the first time.

For a moment, she choked, unable to breathe around the thickness of his meaty shaft, her gag reflex straining against him. Law took a few seconds to enjoy the sensation of her throat muscles constricting before pulling out, allowing her to take in a few desperate gulps of air.

It took an absurd amount of willpower to stop himself from shoving his cock back inside her, Baby 5’s discomfort be damned. Logically, he’d known it would be too much for her—she’d never even been kissed before today, much less given head—but he just had the most twisted desire to push her limits and see how far he could go before she broke.

He ran the back of his tattooed fingers across her cheek. “I’m sorry, sweetheart; I thought you’d be able to take it. After waiting all month for you, I needed a proper blowjob, but I guess I expected too much,” he said, disappointment bleeding into his voice.

“No!” she gasped, panicked. Law needed her, and here she was, letting him down! “I can take it! I just wasn’t doing it right!”

A devilish smirk curved his lips. Perhaps she’d be harder to break than he’d assumed, at least physically. After all, this was Baby 5—a woman willing to destroy herself to make someone happy. The prospect excited him. “Well, if you’re sure you can do it, I’m not going to stop you. In fact, let’s make it easier; why don’t you focus on relaxing your throat and leave the rest to me?”

Swallowing hard, she nodded, once more opening her jaws as wide as possible and letting him fill her until the corners of her mouth hurt, wincing as the bulbus head of his cock bumped against the back of her throat. The fist in her hair angled her head back to take him better, while Law’s other hand stroked along her bulging throat, coaxing the tense muscles to relax and swallow down the mix of saliva and precum that gathered in her slick mouth. Inch by inch he worked himself further down with slow, careful thrusts, murmuring encouragement as she took him, finally stopping with a pleased groan. Baby 5’s eyes widened upon realizing her nose was buried in his pubic hair, the lightheadedness from lack of air and pride that she’d swallowed down all seven inches of him making her nipples pebble and sending thrilling tingles straight down into her core.

Face flushed and eyes dark with desire, Law gave the top of her head a little pat, like a dog who’d managed to get a new trick right. “There you go. Monet could never take me like this, but I knew you’d get there. Now just sit still and let me fuck your face.”

Slow and steady, he rocked his hips back and forth, using her mouth and throat shamelessly. The hands fisted in her hair guided her up and down his cock with no resistance, the woman completely submitting herself to his needs. With enough training, he was sure she’d be able to take him like this whenever he desired—and if training failed, he was happy to surgically modify her.

Little whimpers and moans sent delicious vibrations up his shaft as her throat clenched, further increasing his pleasure. Looking down, Law couldn’t imagine the innocent assassin looking more beautifully ruined. Tears had formed in her glazed eyes while drool leaked out of the straining corners of her mouth. The pure white veil was slightly askew in her mussed black hair. Scarlet burned across her cheeks as his swollen length pushed past plush lips with every thrust, and he swore he could feel her tongue rise up to stroke him. He was certain if he looked at her delicate neck, he’d see her throat bulging.

And yet, through the pain and tears, she looked almost blissful in the knowledge that she was pleasing her husband.

Her expression mixed with the pleasure he was feeling was enough to send Law over the edge. “I’m gonna cum, Baby-ya! Swallow every damn drop, sweetheart.”

The Corazon didn’t wait for her to brace herself, large palms merely holding her head in place as he fucked her face hard, groaning as his thick seed shot down her throat like liquid missiles. He could feel her desperately trying to swallow it all, the rippling of her throat muscles lewdly milking him.

Panting and pleased, he extracted himself carefully, stroking her tear-stained cheeks and whispering little compliments to the coughing maid. “You did so well, sweetheart. Took me beautifully. And that face—you looked so good sucking me off, I just couldn’t help myself. I’m a lucky man to have you as my wife.”

As she caught her breath and fought to swallow down the taste of him, her cheeks flushed further at his words of praise. Noticing this, Law chuckled as he rubbed her damp panties with his toe. “Did you cum just from sucking me off, Baby-ya?”

Whimpering, she rubbed her thighs together. “No, but if you need me to—”

Yanking her to her feet, he indulged in a deep, filthy kiss, tongue delving past her lips to taste the lingering drops of his seed still clinging to her teeth. When he finally pulled away to let her breathe, he chuckled, “As hot as I find the thought of you creaming yourself just from having my cock down your throat, I’d much rather feel you cum around me.” He ducked his head to trail wet kisses along her jugular in a false apology. “Did I hurt you? The first time’s never easy, but you did a great job.”

“You mean that?” she rasped hoarsely. Law hoped he hadn’t strained her throat too badly—he was looking forward to hearing her scream his name with what he had planned next.

“I’d never lie to you,” he cooed, voice full of poisoned honey as he nipped at her neck. “And since you were such a good girl, I think you deserve a little reward. Would you like that, Baby-ya?”

“If…if you think I should be rewarded,” she answered demurely, through the way her hands clutched his biceps betrayed her eagerness, especially when he started sucking the delicate flesh directly above her fluttering pulse.

Really, her pleasure shouldn’t matter. She was just a weapon in his arsenal; a tool to be used and discarded as needed. Her purpose was to be his fuck toy, alibi, spy, and secret weapon. But there was a small part of him that wanted her to enjoy this. That soft spot he had for his childhood friend demanded that, as much as this was his victory, Baby 5’s wedding night should be good for her, too.

Besides, the practical part of him knew that it was easier to ensnare the undying loyalty of those you’ve shown consideration to. It was how Doflamingo had managed to brainwash his “Family.” If Law wanted to break Joker’s hold on the loving-yet-volatile assassin and replace it with his own, he had to treat her even better.

Luckily for him, he was going to give her things the Heavenly Demon never would.

With a final luscious lick up to her ear, Law whispered, “You’re so damn precious I just want to eat you up. Sit on the edge of the bed and spread your legs. I love rewarding good girls like this.”

Instantly she did so, and Law took a moment to appreciate the sensual picture she made. Her thighs were pale and muscular, the white stockings and garters covering much of the flesh but leaving a sliver of skin at the top tantalizingly exposed. Full breasts were barely contained by the corset as she took deep, steadying breaths. And at the apex of her legs he could see her slick arousal seeping into her white panties, coaxing him to bury his head between her thighs and have a taste.

Slowly, he sauntered towards her, leaning down to brush a teasing peck over her lips, smirking when she unconsciously tried to chase after him as he pulled away. “Hold still, sweetheart; a good girl accepts her reward graciously.”

Her cheeks flushed further, and Law couldn’t stop himself from letting out a soft laugh. God, she’s so easy. I wonder if I could make her cum just by talking? Hmmm, maybe that’ll be tomorrow night’s fun. Mentally putting that on his agenda for the honeymoon, he slowly kissed and licked his way down her body, trailing his lips over the tops of her breasts, down her trim waist, smirking as she desperately tried not to wiggle as he teased her through the lace. Finally, his mouth reached her core. Firm hands stroked the exposed skin of her thighs before he looked up at her, grin stretching wide at her aroused expression when he ran his tongue along her covered slit.

“Ah, Law!” Baby 5 cried, burying her fingers in his dark hair as she tossed her head back.

In retaliation he sank his nails into her plump ass as he tugged her forward, mouth teasing her mercilessly. Even through the lace he could taste her feminine musk, and he knew the heat of his tongue was like nothing she’d ever felt before. She was undeniably untouched, but so wet and eager—practically begging to be used like a cheap whore.

Her hips twitched in time to his strokes, biting back mewls and moans as he pleasured her. Law had every intention of getting a better taste of her sweet juices later, but for now he retreated, ignoring her protests to reach under the bed and fish out a large box. “Don’t worry; I’ll give you more of that soon,” he promised, grabbing her shoulder with his free hand and pushing her down onto the bed. “Lay back against the pillows, close your eyes, and put your hands over your head. Your reward is only just starting.”

Aroused and keen to get more of her “reward,” Baby 5 did so, though her brow did furrow in concern when she heard a soft metal clink. Her eyes snapped open as her strength was sapped from her the second the Seastone cuffs touched her skin. “Darling, why?” she cried, weakly jerking her arms, but the chain was securely connected to a secret hook at the bottom of the sturdy headboard. She was further pinned down by Law straddling her waist. As he removed the gloves that had protected his skin from the power-draining metal, he rolled his hips so she could feel how he was already once more half-hard in anticipation.

Flipping the key to her shackles into the air and catching it easily, Law gave her a devilish grin before slipping it into his pocket. “Because I like the idea of you being completely helpless while I ravish you. You’re lucky it’s just cuffs—I’ve gagged and blindfolded my past lovers when I’ve done this.”

“But Seastone—”

“It’s just a precaution; can’t have you turning into a rocket mid-orgasm, can I?” he mocked. Holding out his hand, he surrounded her with a blue light as he whispered, “Mes.”

“Law, what are you doing?!” she cried as her heart popped out of her heaving chest, floating delicately over to her sadistic husband.

The Corazon chuckled, his wicked gold eyes studying the rapidly beating organ in his hand. “We’re married, aren’t we? That makes this mine by rights. I just thought I’d give it a little attention.”

“Wha-what do you mean?” she asked, a tremor in her voice. She’d seen him remove hearts before, but they’d always belonged to his enemies or people who seriously annoyed him. What had she done wrong? He said he was going to reward her for being a good girl, but this didn’t seem like a reward to her!

In answer, Law brought the transparent cube to his lips, dusting a feather-light kiss to Baby 5’s pulsing heart. It stuttered in his hand at the contact, and he watched the face of the chained woman beneath him contort in confused pleasure.

Like this, he had the power to crush the delicate organ to a pulp or give his new plaything sensations she’d never even imagined were possible. It was a hell of a rush, and Law intended to make it last. Honey eyes locked on her face, his tongue stroked up from the bottom of the left ventricle up to the aorta, relishing the way her mouth gasped in silent pleasure even as her brow furrowed in discomfort. Her fruitless writhing provided delicious stimulus to his hardening shaft as it rubbed against her stomach.

Reaching behind him, he stroked two long fingers along the soaked lace of her white panties, teasing her slit as he gave the heart another sensuous lick. The hips beneath him jerked in response, slick thighs attempting to snap together to trap his calloused digits, but he pulled away too quickly.

Helpless against the sensations, Baby 5 stared at him desperately, panic and lust warring in her eyes.

It was a look Law found unspeakably arousing. His fingers returned to curl against her, teasing her entrance through the barrier of her panties as he asked, “What is it, Baby-ya? Am I making you feel good?”

“Law, please…”

“You didn’t answer my question; am I making you feel good? How can I trust you to be a good wife if you won’t communicate with me?” he jeered with a smirk, pressing another fleeting kiss to the surface of the heart.

With a whimper, she managed to shakily respond, “It feels…strange. It m-makes me hot, but…scared, seeing you with my h-heart.”

He knew she was being honest; he’d played with his own heart a few times, partially out of morbid curiosity, and the sensation was hard to put into words. Adrenaline was certainly a common reaction, but the human body—being confused due to the inherent wrongness of such sensations inflicted upon a vital internal organ—usually let off a wide and fascinating array of responses. “You precious thing. Don’t you trust me? I mean, sure, I’ve broken plenty of hearts,” he said, giving it a little squeeze for emphasis. Baby 5 cried out in alarm and pain, and Law quickly loosened his grip, peppering kisses across it in apology, “but I’d never do such a thing to you.”

“You…wouldn’t?” she gasped, tears beading like pearls in her thick lashes.

Another kiss, this time more amorous with plenty of tongue, was his initial response. When she cried out in shocked pleasure, he rewarded her by finally slipping his hand inside her panties, giving her clitoris a firm rub. The little bundle of nerves was already slick with her juices and swollen with lust, prompting him to pinch it between his thumb and forefinger, chuckling at the way her hips tried to jerk under him in response.

“Of course not. You’re special, Baby-ya. The one woman in the whole world I could imagine being my wife.” Slowly, his index finger trailed down further to work its way inside her tight sex, chuckling darkly as she moaned. Experimentally, he gave a shallow thrust, and when she clenched around the digit tightly, he knew he had her.

Timing the curl and thrust of his finger to the licks and kisses he lavished across Baby 5’s heart, he watched as her cheeks flushed, and her fearful whimpers gradually morphed into lustful pants and mewls. Pleased, Law decided to kick things up a notch, forcing another long finger inside while rubbing her pearl with his thumb.

His cock swelled as he felt her hips buck, even as she once again scrunched up her face in discomfort. “Mmmm, how does that feel, Baby-ya?”

“It…it hurts. Just a little…”

“Of course it does. A precious little virgin like you is going to be amazingly tight.”

“I’m not sure you’ll fit,” she whimpered, remembering just how much of a strain deep-throating him had been. She knew the female body was designed for this, but if two fingers were already stretching her, the idea of taking his cock seemed impossible.

“Oh, I’ll fit. You just need some extra preparation,” he purred, finally returning her heart to the perfectly cubic hole in her chest before crawling down her beautiful body. He reluctantly removed his fingers from her warm depths, but only so he could strip her panties from her toned legs and finally get a good look at his prize.

Fuck! Law thought lustfully, black pupils dilating as he stared down at her quim. Pink and glistening, her netherlips looked just as kissable as the ones on her face. Her clit was swollen and practically demanded he play with it, while the scent of her desire teased his nose. What surprised him, however, was that she was perfectly smooth and waxed, except for a small, neatly trimmed patch of dark hair in the shape of a swirling heart, much like his tattoos.

“Do…do you like it?” his bride asked, voice trembling in anticipation. “Since it’s your motif, I thought—”

“God, you are just begging me to fuck you, aren’t you?” he growled. Really, she couldn’t have declared herself his property any more clearly, and Law felt his shaft swell even more.

“So, you like it?”

Leaning in, he pressed a fleeting kiss to her sensitive pearl. Naturally, she bucked at the electric sensation, and he responded by blowing a stream of cool air over it before replying, “It’ll do for tonight, but tomorrow, you’re shaving it so I can replace it with something more…permanent.” Raking his eyes across her beautiful, untouched body, he flashed his teeth wickedly. He could already picture it—his hearts tattooed on the smooth, sweet flesh above her ripe quim, ass, and around both nipples.

“Of course, darling,” she mewled breathlessly.

“Good girl,” was all he bothered to say before he hooked her legs over his shoulders and dove in to properly feast on her juices. Finally, he didn’t have to hold himself back; the flat of his tongue lapped at her dripping slit with abandon while his sideburns rubbed roughly at the delicate skin of the maid’s inner thighs. Baby 5’s cries of pleasure grew louder as he moved his mouth up to wrap his lips around her throbbing pearl, sucking hard as he thrust two fingers back inside her aching canal.

His tongue delicately flicked the pulsing bundle of nerves as he curled the digits against her G-spot. Baby 5’s back arched off the bed in response. “You like that?”

“Y-yes,” she mewled, hands balling into tight fists, her nails digging into her palms as she helplessly writhed beneath him. God, he was incredible! She’d never felt anything like this! Every time he twisted his fingers and flicked his tongue across her clit, another surge of fire and lightning overwhelmed her, making her toes curl and heart pound. It was a like a spring was coiling tighter and tighter in her lower belly, and she instinctively knew it was only a matter of time before it snapped.

Law could tell she was close. Her quim began to spasm around his fingers while her high-pitched cries bordered on shrieks, and for a moment, he considered denying her the orgasm that had been building up. But as much as he wanted to see her twist and squirm in frustration, he wanted to hear her scream as he pushed her over the edge so much more. And with how tight she was, the orgasm would make penetration easier for both of them.

So instead he pressed on, even managing to work a third finger inside before his bride at last came apart. Her back arched completely off the bed as she screamed his name in extasy, her sweet cream gushing over his chin and hand as her thighs clenched tightly around his head out of pure reflex.

It took Baby 5 a while to calm down from such an overwhelming orgasm, Law’s tongue sadistically lapping at her musky essence through the aftershocks, prolonging her climax. Tremors wracked her body with every hot lick, and when her legs finally relaxed enough for him to extract himself, the Corazon smirked down at her with an almost feral smugness. The flushed look of rapture did his ego good; she was staring at him like he was a god.

“So,” he drawled as he crawled upwards, brushing his damp lips against her mouth to let her taste her own juices, “did my lovely wife enjoy her reward?”

Barely able to catch her breath, she still attempted to chase after his lips as he pulled away. “Ye-yeah,” she panted. Her first orgasm had been earth-shattering and like nothing she’d ever experienced before. She felt like a stripped wire—exposed and sparking at the slightest touch.

“Such a good, sweet girl,” he purred, running his tongue along his upper lip to clean away the glistening cum. “You taste so much better than the whores I used to play with. Sweeter than honey. I think I’ll eat you out for dessert every night.” Wordlessly, he activated his Room, and he chuckled as he watched her instinctively flinch at the blue light. “Now, now; I’m not going to play with your heart again.” At least, not literally, he thought. He pulled the key out of his pants pocket before Shambling them, along with her corset and his underwear, off to the other side of the room. Careful to avoid touching the metal with his bare skin, Law unlocked the Seastone cuffs, dropping a light kiss to the assassin’s abused wrists once they were finally free.

With nothing to act as a barrier between them, his cock ground hotly against Baby 5’s aching cunt. “Ready to truly consummate the marriage?” he murmured, draping one of her legs over his hip as he lined up with her entrance. It was a rhetorical question—he intended on fucking her regardless of her answer. The woman existed to serve his needs, and with the serum now in full effect, Law was primed and ready to fill her with as much of his cum as she could take.

But the illusion of choice was important if he wanted to completely turn her to his side.

Baby 5 swallowed hard, clearly still nervous, but even more afraid of disappointing her husband.

Sensing her hesitation, he crooned, “I’ll make you feel good, Baby-ya. I promise. That orgasm was just a taste of what I can give you. Don’t you trust me?” He gave a slight pout for extra measure, and when she reached up to grab his biceps, bracing herself, he knew he had her.

Inch by inch Law sank his hot, pulsing shaft into her tight, slick sex, taking his time partially for his virgin bride’s sake, but mainly so he could savor the moment. Part of him wondered why he was enjoying this so much—tight and sexy as she was, fucking Baby 5 wasn’t that different from anyone else.

Then again, she was living proof that he’d managed to play Doflamingo for a fool. That his patience and subtle machinations were finally beginning to pay off. That Joker might have been powerful and difficult to kill, but he wasn’t some omniscient, unbeatable god—he was a mortal man that could be manipulated and beaten.

Claiming Baby 5, one of his most loyal subordinates, meant Trafalgar D. Water Law was one step closer to avenging Cora-san, and that was something to savor.

“You’re…so big!” the woman beneath him whimpered, nails digging into his tattooed arms as the intrusion stretched her virgin cunt. Even during the rare moments she’d sought to pleasure herself, she’d never been so full. It bordered on painful, the way his girth worked the untrained muscles. “Law, it’s too much!”

He could have laughed. An assassin who could transform into weapons complaining about pain? How ridiculous. “Now now, Baby-ya—a good girl would take her husband’s cock without complaint. It might be overwhelming right now, but soon you’ll be begging me for more,” he rasped, leaning forward to wrap his lips around one of her neglected nipples. She would beg him. He didn’t care what tricks or techniques he had to use; he’d have her screaming his name and cumming around his cock like the desperate whore that she was. It wasn’t just for the sake of testing her limits and loyalty; his pride demanded that she ended the night a flushed, lustful mess.

He’d waited weeks—years—for this, and he deserved nothing less.

Sneaking a hand between them, he flicked his thumb over her swollen and sensitive clit, smirking around her nipple when he felt her walls ripple around him in response. Wet tongue curling around the peachy nipple, he carefully strummed her little bundle of nerves with surgical precision as he slowly sank deeper inside her cunt. He could hear her pained whimpers gradually morph into ones of pleasure, and his free hand stroked up her sweaty body to play with her neglected breast, pinching and squeezing the amazingly soft skin.

His mouth released her nipple with a lewd, wet pop as he finally bottomed out, and a low, satisfied groan escaped his throat. She may have complained about him being too big, but her cunt eagerly sucked him in, silken walls instinctively milking his cock.

“See?” he grunted, giving a shallow thrust as she moaned beneath him wantonly. “I knew you could take it.”

“Ye-yes, darling!” she gasped, hips bucking experimentally to meet his thrust. When the friction resulted in a hot pulse of pleasure rocking through her core, she wrapped her arms around Law’s neck and threw back her head, submitting herself to him fully.

Thrusting hard and pulling out slowly, Law relished the feel of Baby 5’s wet heat milking his thick, meaty shaft. His fingers clutched her hips with a white-knuckled grip, lifting her ass off the bed so he could get a better angle, snapping into her hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs. His thumb was long enough to continue stroking her pearl, and his grin turned utterly depraved when the curved tip of his hot length pressed against her G-spot, coaxing a shocked and shameless cry from her lips. He didn’t think he could get any harder, but good god, her sexy little mewls and moans right in his ear made his balls tighten and his cock throb.

Baby 5 was in heaven, overwhelmed by the heady fire Law’s thick cock stoked inside her. Her heaving chest was flushed to match her face, her jaw hung loose as she moaned helplessly, and her sensitive breasts brushed headily against his chest every time he rammed into her, taking care to hit that magic spot inside her every time. That knot of pressure was building up again, tightening with every thrust, but somehow, she knew their current pace wouldn’t be enough to send her over the edge.

Or at the very least, she was certain she wouldn’t cum until Law gave her permission, and that wouldn’t happen until he got exactly what he wanted from her.

“Are you ready to start begging?” he groaned as he forced himself to maintain a slow and steady pace. Oh, he’d fuck her senseless, but not until she did what he asked. “Even good girls like you have to earn the right to cum. Tell me how much you like getting fucked and beg me for more.”

It was positive reinforcement, in a way; so long as she did exactly as he commanded, she’d get the pleasure she craved. The pleasure only he could give her.

“Please, Law,” she mewled in his ear, nailed scraping enticingly down his tattooed back, “you feel so good. I love getting fucked by you! Please, use me like you promised!”

Oh, she couldn’t have phrased that better.

Hooking her legs over his shoulders, he groaned as the new angle allowed her to squeeze him even more tightly. He halted his thrusts to lean forward and kiss her languidly, practically folding Baby 5 in half as pressed her legs to her chest.

When he pulled away, Law smirked devilishly as he whispered, “You asked for it, sweetheart.”

Forsaking any restraint, he proceeded to fuck her brutally, hips rapidly pistoning in and out of her like a jackhammer. The bed creaked with the force of this thrusts, though the sound was nearly impossible to hear over Baby 5’s desperate cries.

After what felt like an eternity, her silken walls clutched his cock like a vise as she erupted with pleasure. The greedy way she milked him was enough to set Law off, his hot, sticky cum gushing into her womb. A calloused thumb ground against her clit to drag the feeling out as he let his softening shaft rest inside her, relishing her warmth and the way she tensed and rippled around him.  

Sweaty, panting, and pleased, the Surgeon of Death eventually pulled out to study his handiwork. Baby 5 looked utterly debauched and satisfied, just like he’d always dreamed. Sweat-slicked hair gleamed like obsidian. Creamy skin glistened under the dim lights. Rosy nipples were diamond hard and straining for more stimulation on her abused chest. Red welts from where his fingers had grabbed her ass would surely darken into purple bruises to match her eyes. Drops of white sperm and her own translucent juices leaked from her swollen quim.

The sight, combined with the stimulating effects of the serum in his bloodstream and the fact that he was still horny after a month of celibacy, made his cock ache for more.

Gently, he fisted her thick black locks and coaxed her onto her hands and knees, drawing her head towards his lap. He hadn’t fully softened, so his shaft, practically gleaming from their combined juices, stood at half-mast, eager for stimulation before the next round. “Clean me up, Baby-ya. With your mouth.”

Panting, the maid obeyed, wrapping her hot little mouth around his cock and swirling her tongue around the leaking tip. With the hand fisted in her hair guiding her, she licked up and down the length of him, lapping up the salty cocktail of their mixed cum. For a moment, she wondered if he planned on fucking her face again, but he seemed to like the teasing kisses and sucks she pressed to the sides of his erection, making no move to force himself back down her throat.

“Mmmm, where’d you learn to do this, sweetheart?” he purred as the flat of her tongue ran along the sensitive vein that protruded from the underside of his shaft.

She pulled away to answer, her hot breath inadvertently teasing him as she replied, “Nowhere, darling. I was just imagining it was a popsicle.”

“Do you always eat popsicles like that?”

“I will if you want me to.”

His only response was a low chuckle, his licked-clean rod once more hard and aching. He knew he could go at least another round before he needed a break—but oh, what position to choose? There were just so many ways he wanted to fuck her; he was simply spoiled for choice.

Pulling Baby 5 onto his lap, he held her right above his pulsing erection. He took a moment to grind the tip against her entrance, teasing her with the anticipation of penetration, but refusing to sink into her just yet.

“Eager for my cock now, eh?” he asked as she wiggled in his firm grip above him, anxiously trying to sink onto his turgid member.

As the mushroomed tip brushed her pulsing clit, Baby 5 whimpered and nodded. The two intense orgasms had been exhausting, yet she still craved more. She’d never felt pleasure like what Law had given her, and as sore as she was from his rough pounding, she ached even more for him to fill her up again and bring her over the edge once again.

Gold eyes glimmered in devilish glee. Perhaps it was because she’d stayed a virgin so long, but it appeared his innocent bride was well on her way to becoming a nymphomaniac. “Then ask me nicely.”

“Please, Law,” she squeaked as he caught one of her pebbled nipples in his mouth and gave a sharp little bite.

“Please what?” he muttered against her pale flesh, nuzzling the soft globe.

“Pl-please fuck me again.”

“Good girl,” he chuckled as he languidly lowered her back onto his cock. “What position should I fuck you in this time? Any suggestions?” His long fingers caressed down her spine to slip between her smooth ass cheeks, the tip of his middle finger teasingly brushing against her puckered hole. “I’ve filled your mouth and cunt—shall we go for the hat trick?”

“I-it doesn’t matter to me,” she gasped, though there was clear hesitation in her voice. Law didn’t miss the way the muscles in her pert rear tensed at the suggestion. “So long as you’re happy.”

Annoyed, he stopped, hand moving from her ass to harshly grab her chin he could glare down at her. “You’re evading the question. If you don’t want to get fucked in the ass tonight, say so. I won’t stand for a dishonest wife,” he snapped. Much as he wanted her as his pliant little fuck toy, it was more important that she never even dreamed of lying to him. She’d of course be required to lie to the rest of the Family, but to him, she needed to be an open book. There was only room for one manipulator in this marriage, after all.

Law suddenly had a wicked idea. Cock still buried inside her, he rolled onto his back, groaning as the new position made her sink down even further onto his aching length. Steadying his breathing, he let one hand rest behind his head while the other gripped the maid’s waist. “If can’t tell me how you want to be fucked, you’ll have to show me.”

“What?” she asked, eyes wide and slightly panicked.

His grin was sensual and cruel. “Ride me. Fuck yourself on my cock. Rub your clit. Do whatever it takes to make yourself cum.”

“I can’t!”

“Didn’t you promise to be a loyal, obedient wife, Baby-ya? And yet here you are, on our wedding night, already disobeying me.”

“I…but…”

“You’re to do as I say, when I say it. When I tell you to ride my cock while touching yourself, I don’t care if you think it’s selfish to take your own pleasure; just do it.”

The pathetic little whimpers she made might have swayed a lesser man, but Law simply lay there, watching her struggle internally. If she was going to be part of his plan, he needed her to obey any order he gave her. If she couldn’t give herself an orgasm because Law told her so, how was she ever to be trusted to follow him during his coup?

Finally, with no choice but to accept the Dark Doctor’s sadistic will was greater than hers, Baby 5’s pale, slender fingers slowly inched down to her swollen clitoris, experimentally giving it a light rub. The reaction was immediate; her hips bucked involuntarily as the over-sensitive bundle of nerves reacted to the sudden stimulation.

The man beneath her groaned as her walls clenched around his length, and he could see the wheels turning in her head. “Do that again, sweetheart,” he rasped, his grip on her hip tightening. Obediently, she did so, sending more shockwaves through her core, once more earning a pleased sound from her husband.

It finally clicked that her taking her own pleasure would bring Law pleasure, and she took to her task with gusto, flexing her hips and thighs so she bounced up and down on his thick shaft, her back arching as it hit that secret spot inside her. Masturbation had never felt right to her, but this was different; Violet and Monet had told her that men rarely cared about a woman’s pleasure, but clearly her darling Law was the exception!

“Much better,” the man in question growled, forcing his own hips to remain still, relegating himself to do nothing more than watch and guide her. At least physically. Throughout the night he’d been forcing himself to keep his words cloyingly sweet, but now that his snare was surely tightening around her, it was time to test the waters with some dirty talk. “You look fucking delicious like that. I think you were made for my cock.”

“W-we were—ah!—destined to be together!” was her strained reply as she rested her free hand on his hard chest to give herself better leverage.

“You think destiny had anything to do with how horny I get you?” he scoffed with a smug grin, flicking his thumb across her pearl for a brief moment before moving it out of her reach, smirk widening at her disappointed cry. “Don’t sell my skills short. I’ve made women cream themselves just by talking. And you…well, you’ve starred in my wet dreams for years. If it hadn’t been for Joker, I would have fucked you in every room of the palace a hundred times over.”

“I…I never thought you wanted me…” she admitted as she quickened her pace, chasing after that fire Law had ignited in her earlier. It was harder without his touch, but he needed her to fuck herself on him, and she wouldn’t dare disappoint her beloved.

The way she clenched his throbbing erection was sweet torture. “Well, I guess you were wrong,” he groaned, unable to stop himself from bucking slightly. When she moaned in response and rested both palms on his chest, he glared, grabbing a slender hand and forcing it back between her legs. “I never told you to stop touching yourself, Baby 5.”

Small white teeth sank into her abused bottom lip as she once more pinched and rubbed her pearl. It felt so good, especially when combined with the way Law’s hard cock stretched her so perfectly.

But…it still wasn’t what she needed. The coil of pleasure in her belly was tightening, but not nearly as much as when Law had touched her. It just wasn’t enough. Wasn’t right. Her body was supposed to be his to play with—like this, it felt like she was using him.

“Law,” she simpered, peering down at him through her thick lashes, pouting in what she hoped was a seductive manner, “don’t you want to touch me?”

It wasn’t hard to catch onto her game—she had never been good at subtlety—and Law smirked cruelly in response. “I’ll touch you when you tell me what I want to hear.”

“I…please, fuck me in the ass,” she whimpered, pinching her clit harder in hopes of pushing herself just a little bit closer to that daunting precipice, but climax remained out of reach. Violet had warned her that being taken in that hole would hurt more than the others, but if that’s what it took to finally get Law to bring her over the edge, she’d endure it.

Tempting as it was to take her up on that offer, partially as punishment for continuing to lie to him, Law staunchly refused. As much as he’d love to defile all three of her virgin holes in one night, training his new concubine honesty and obedience was far more important. Besides, leaving that one orifice unfucked gave him something to look forward to. Perhaps he’d save it for a special occasion…

He shook himself out of his fantasy when Baby 5 clenched sharply around him, back bowed as she rubbed herself harder. From the way her cheeks flushed and the desperate sounds that were pouring from her throat, it was clear she was caught on the precipice of her climax, but not quite able to push herself over.

“You’re still lying to me, sweetheart. I’m not going to do a damn thing until you give me the answer I’m looking for.”

“What…you’re looking…for?” she panted, aroused mind desperately trying to figure out what he wanted so he’d just fucking touch her and release the tight knot that twisted tighter and tighter inside her pulsing core.

Licking his lips lewdly, he purred, “Tell me what you want, Baby-ya. Tell me what dirty things you want me to do to you.”

Swallowing hard, managed to choke out, “I…I want you to fuck me.”

Law rewarded her honesty by removing her hand from her clit and replacing it with his own, giving the poor, abused bundle of nerves a brief but tantalizing grind before resting his palm back on her hip. “How do you want me to fuck you? Do you want me to bend you over my desk and take you from behind? To spank your cute little ass until it’s red and throbbing, then fuck it brutally while I play with your greedy cunt? Do you want me to tie you up and fuck you with an assortment of toys?”

“Yes~” she moaned, furiously riding his cock like she needed it to live, bucking in a frantic attempt to have his thumb brush against her pearl again. She was so close, she just needed that last touch from Law…

He wasn’t letting her have her way, though. “Wrong. Those are my fantasies. I’m asking you to tell me what you want. Now.”

Like waves futilely crashing against the rocks, Baby 5 clawed and grasped at the Dark Doctor’s chest, wordlessly begging him to just touch her, but he stood resolute.

“L-Law, please,” she finally screamed, tears welling up in her amethyst eyes. “I just want to cum! That’s all I want! I can’t make myself…” she trailed off, face a lovely scarlet as she buried it in her hands, ashamed and aroused and utterly desperate.

Gold eyes widened in both understanding and fascination. So, her psychological damage was to the extent that she couldn’t even take her own pleasure? Couldn’t climax at her own touch because her mind saw that as being selfish? No wonder she’d been so responsive to his touch. So eager for another orgasm. She’d likely never fully experienced one before tonight.

Oh, this just got so much better.

Grabbing her muscular waist with both hands, he slammed her down onto his cock, his hips snapping upwards to meet her halfway, smiling like the devil himself as she let out a gasping cry in response when the curved tip hit her G-spot. “Such a needy little thing,” he chuckled, brutally fucking up into her. “You weren’t desperate to get married; you were desperate to get fucked, weren’t you?”

“Ah! No, I—” she tried to argue, only to be cut off by a sudden climax, her mental barriers finally deeming it acceptable for her to cum.

“You were looking for a hard, thick cock, not a ring,” he taunted, continuing to take her through the aftershocks. Mischievously, he shifted his hand so he could rub his thumb over her pearl, relishing the way her slick walls spasmed and clenched him so perfectly as he once more prolonged her orgasm. “You would have spread your legs for anyone. Poor Baby 5 couldn’t get the job done herself, so she was willing to marry the scum of the earth just so she could finally get off. What a slutty little minx.”

He hit his own peak just as her tears started to fall, hot cum filling her tight cunt while saline drops splashed on his bare chest.

As soon as he caught his breath, Law flipped them over so he could hover above her, relishing her broken expression like an artist appreciating his work. Sweaty, crying, flushed, and caught between post-orgasmic bliss and despair, hers was a face he chose to burn into his memories.

Yet as much he enjoyed taking her apart, he would always make sure to put her back together; she just wasn’t as much fun in pieces, and that went for her mind, too. It was almost funny—even though he was trying to turn her into an obedient, compliant little weapon and plaything, he was remiss to relinquish that feisty spark she had. He always liked that she was willing to talk back to him, and he was a greedy man; he wanted both her obedience and her fire.

It would take some time and careful maneuvering, but he was patient, and the result was well worth the effort.

Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, he cooed, “Lucky for you, I like slutty little minxes, and you’re definitely my favorite.”

“I-I am?” she hiccupped.

Cupping her face, he tenderly wiped away her tears, smirking slightly when he saw he was smearing her juices on her cheek. Leaning in, he licked away the mess, relishing the salty taste of her pain and pleasure. “Of course you are you precious thing. And so long as you’re only a slut for my cock, I’ll give you all the pleasure you could ever ask for. Because I’m your husband, and I always reward my good girl.”

Her smile was so beautifully ruined beneath him, he was nearly tempted to fuck her again, but his body demanded a break to properly recover. Acquiescing to his body’s needs, he pulled out and reclined against the headboard, wrapping his arm around his wife’s waist to pull her slick, exhausted figure against him. The veil in her hair was barely holding on to a few tangled strands, and he chuckled, plucking out the white lace comb and tossing it carelessly over the side of the bed.

As Baby 5 cuddled against him, Law activated his Room to fetch a cigarette and a lighter from his desk. The little orange flame licked at the end of the white stick as he promptly lit it, taking a long, steadying drag.

“So,” he began, releasing the smoke from his lungs as studied his thoroughly fucked wife, “was it as good for you as it was for me?”

“It felt amazing, darling,” Baby 5 replied, glancing up at the cigarette enviously. “Was it…everything you wanted, Law?”

“I got exactly what I wanted,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb along her swollen lower lip. “I knew he was wrong about you.”

“He?”

Though his expression remained carefully neutral, he could feel dark anticipation rise as he prepared to break her just a little more. “Joker thought you wouldn’t be able to satisfy me. Hell, none of the men did; they assumed you’d be a prude. Even took bets at the bachelor party on whether or not you’d get me to cum tonight.”

The naive maid’s jaw dropped slightly at the revelation. “They did?”

Law took a long, deep drag of his cigarette, drawing out her torturous doubts before he finally replied, “Mmm, I had faith in you, though. I knew such a good, obedient wife would give me all the pleasure I could ever ask for. Even if you did need some coaxing.”

“I…I’m sorry,” she whimpered, looking away in shame.

A tattooed hand gripped her chin, carefully turning her head back to face him. His other hand pressed the butt of the cigarette to the seam of her mouth, enticing her to part her lips and take it. “Shhh, it’s okay; now that we’re married, we’ll have plenty of time to practice. You’ve heard how…insatiable I am, and as my wife, it’s your duty to fulfill my needs.”

Her eyes lit up. “Of course!”

“My needs aren’t just sexual, you know,” he warned. “Now that you’re mine, that means you’re part of the Heart Army. Pica may outrank you, but you’re my subordinate now, so you no longer answer to him. My commands take the highest priority. So if I have a mission or task for you, you’ll obey without question, right?”

“Anything you need, Law!” she said happily. Though she’d miss serving with Buffalo and the rest of the Pica Army, it felt so good to know that her beloved wanted her at his side, even in battle.

Law couldn’t stop the dark, wickedly pleased smirk from curling his lips. Snatching the cigarette away, he gave her a long, hard kiss to compose himself. For a few minutes, he relished the way the assassin enthusiastically allowed him to dominate her mouth, tongues curling and stroking until they were finally forced to part for air. “That’s what I like to hear from my good girl. Can you keep a secret?”

“Yes!” she panted.

He gently ran his fingers through her sweaty, tangled locks before cradling her cheek with his palm. “Even from the rest of the family? Can you do as good a job keeping this secret as you have my name?”

“Anything for you, darling!” she cooed, nuzzling him affectionately.

His deep voice practically dripped with false concern. “Joker expects us to have a child together. Now, while I know you’ll be a wonderful mother, I’m scared; what if I didn’t remove all of my Amber Lead Disease, and it passes onto the baby? I couldn’t bear to watch my child suffer like I did.”

Violet eyes widened, the maid’s mind quickly remembering how weak and sickly Law had been as a kid. Of course he wouldn’t want his own children to endure the pain and stigma he had. And it might just kill her to watch her son or daughter wither away due to illness. “I understand, Law,” she said sadly, wrapping her arms around his waist to comfort him. “You need me to lie and say that it’s my fault; that I’m the reason we can’t have children.”

Long tattooed fingers stroked soothingly up and down her bare back. “No, but your consideration is appreciated. Doflamingo’s given me one year to study our DNA and do what I can to ensure we have a kid to carry on my legacy. But that’s not my only concern.”

She looked up at him, silently begging him to tell her what was on his mind. He knew she wouldn’t be able to bear the thought of her darling husband having troubled thoughts, especially now that he was dangling the possibility of a child in front of her.

“Perhaps I’m worrying over nothing concerning my disease, but even if you give birth to a perfect, healthy baby, I have so many enemies—people who might want to hurt our child. I even suspect there might be a traitor in our midst.”

Baby 5 gasped. “What?! Who?!”

He hid his grin by taking a long drag of the cigarette. Who indeed? “Right now, I can’t say—I only know that someone wants me dead.” That person was Doflamingo, of course, though only after he’d performed the eternal youth surgery. But at the sharp, protective gleam in his wife’s eyes, Law knew it was exactly the right thing to say. “I know we’re all supposed to be one big, happy family, but the Heart Seat is highly sought-after. Vergo is still bitter that Joker gave it to a disrespectful kid. Trebol frequently undermines my suggestions. Even Pica’s shown jealousy towards me, since no one mocks my voice.” Leaning in, he brushed his lips over hers. “I hate to say it, but you’re the only one I can trust, Baby-ya. The only one I know really, truly cares about me. The only one who would never even think to betray me.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Why else would Trebol have proposed? He must have caught on that I had feelings for you and wanted to steal you away.”

The fact that the disgusting executive had obviously proposed as a joke and had taken it back was irrelevant; in Baby 5’s cracked, romantic mind, this was a completely logical explanation. “He…to think I was almost stupid enough to accept his proposal!” she cried, burying her face in her hands in shame. He darling Law had been pining after her, and she’s nearly given herself over to another! Oh, how could her beloved even look at her, knowing she’d been so careless?

A pair of rough hands gently pried her fingers from her face, and gold eyes peered at her with adoration. “I forgive you, Baby-ya,” Law murmured, leaning in to brush a soft kiss to her lips. “What matters is you married me, and Trebol’s plans were foiled. But I don’t doubt he has something else up that snotty sleeve…”

“I’ll never fall for his tricks again!” she exclaimed, clutching his hands in hers, eyes full of earnest determination. “You said I’m the only one you trust? Then you’re the only one I trust! You were right, back in the lab; you’re the only one that cares about me enough to tell me the truth.”

Oh, the irony of it all. Still, perhaps later on he’d be more honest, once she was securely tangled in his web. He’d show her the dark side of the Doflamingo Family, offer up more proof that none of them had ever given a shit about her, and ensure that once his final plan for revenge was set in motion, she was past the point of no return.

The image of him standing over Joker’s dead, mutilated body was a regular fantasy, but now he envisioned Baby 5 resolutely at his side, arm a smoking gun as she shot a bullet or two into the heartless corpse for good measure.

The very thought brought a smile to his face, and he knew exactly what he had to say next.

Nuzzling her nose with his, Law whispered, “Baby-ya, I need to you promise me one last thing.”

“Anything.”

“If you see Joker trying to kill me, I need you to fight him with everything you have.”

“What?! But Doffy—”

“—has killed your fiancés before without hesitation. Perhaps it’s all some sick joke; to give you exactly what you’ve always wanted, then steal it away,” he sighed, hand dropping to run his palm up and down her thigh. The white stockings were smooth against his skin, and the likelihood of exactly who gave her the wedding lingerie once more taunted him. “Where you’re concerned, he seems to become somewhat…irrational and cruel. Despite us clearly being perfect for each other, it took a ridiculous amount of convincing to make him agree to our union.” Law’s other hand cupped her chin, tilting her head upwards so he could look into her eyes with trepidation. “I even wondered if perhaps…he wanted you for himself.”

“That’s ridiculous, Law—Doffy sees me as his little sister!”

A midnight blue eyebrow raised in disbelief. “Does he? No one can deny he’s even more insatiable than me when it comes to women. He’s been dressing you in that skimpy maid uniform for years—if he really saw you as his sister, he’d never put your body on display like that. He even told me he’d take you for himself if it weren’t for the fact that it would be the end of his bachelor lifestyle.”

“He…did he really?” she whispered, an edge of horror in her voice.

It took everything he had not to smile as he hammered the final nail in the coffin. “Baby-ya, who gave you your wedding lingerie?”

“…Joker did.”

Law shook his head. “Once we’re on our honeymoon, we’ll burn it and I’ll buy you a new set—the idea that he might be fantasizing about you in that puts me ill at ease.”

Baby 5 nibbled on her lower lip in thought. “But darling, if Joker wanted me for himself, why did he let you marry me?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say he’s got a long-term plan.” He pretended to think it over as he ran his thumb across her abused pout; she’d bit through the delicate skin hard enough that a few minuscule droplets of blood had bubbled to the surface, staining her already ruby lips a deeper red. “He only agreed to my request for your hand in marriage on the condition that I impregnate you with another medical genius—someone to replace me once I die giving him the Perennial Youth Surgery. Perhaps…once I’m gone, he intends to make his move. Take you for himself under the guise of providing for the widow of his late executive. He’d have you, eternal youth, and his next Corazon all in one fell swoop.”

“I’d never betray you like that, Law,” Baby 5 insisted. “Even if you died, I’d never even look at another man. And I’d certainly never marry the one that killed you!”

The Dark Doctor smiled like a leopard who’d had a baby deer stumble into its claws. “I know you wouldn’t. But if that’s really what Joker’s planning, we need to be careful. We can’t let him know we suspect him. We certainly can’t be sure who else in the Family might be in on it. So I need you to play the part of the feisty, dutiful maid and assassin while keeping your eyes and ears open for anything useful.”

“Absolutely. Anything I uncover that could be of use, I’ll tell you.”

“Good girl. And if the day comes where he realizes we’re onto him, do you promise to protect me, Baby-ya? To be a good wife and come to your husband’s defense should Doflamingo try to kill me?”

“Of…of course.”

Kissing her forehead to hide his smirk, he replied, “Such a good girl. I knew I was right to marry you.”

She beamed vibrantly at him; despite discovering that the people she’d considered her family had been plotting against her, she was comforted by the fact that she had Law by her side.

Wrapping her arms around his waist and gently kissing his tattooed pectorals, Baby 5 sighed contentedly. “It all feels like a fairy tale; I spent years looking for love, and there you were, right in front of me.”

The word “love” ripped at Law’s heart for a moment as Cora-san’s smiling face and final words overwhelmed his mind. What would his savior say if he knew what had been done in his name? Would he regret sacrificing himself for the sake of a man who would go on to take his place as Corazon?

It didn’t matter. Really, Law was doing more than the dead Marine had; he was successfully leading Baby 5 away from the Doflamingo Pirates. He was putting an end to the Heavenly Demon’s criminal empire. He would eliminate one of the shichibukai and perhaps even free Dressrosa as a result.

Not that he cared about any of that. All that mattered was revenge—the rest was just a lucky side effect.

Pushing away the memory of the man who had tried to protect him from this life, Law pulled his new wife flush against him. “Ready for another round, sweetheart?”

“Already?” she gasped as his mouth latched onto her throat, sucking a bright red hickey onto her neck—a mark of ownership nearly as unmistakable as the ring around her finger.

“All this talk of Joker lusting after you makes me want to remind myself that you belong to me; heart, mind, and body,” he purred, stroking her lush curves. “And you did tell me to use you however I needed tonight.”

“I did,” she agreed, turning her head to catch his lips in a kiss. He readily returned it, hands busying themselves with ridding her of the white stockings so she lay naked and defenseless to his lustful attentions.

Perhaps Cora-san wouldn’t approve of his actions. Would think him as cruel and monstrous as Joker. Right now, Law didn’t care. He deserved this. Life had been one massive pile of shit for him, from the Amber Lead to the genocide of Flevance to his servitude to Doflamingo—the universe owed him something as simple as a dutiful, sexy wife who could aid him in his ultimate plans.

Law needed this small victory to keep going. A reminder that his goal was attainable. And even if the universe didn’t owe him anything, Baby 5 did—he gave her her dream, so she had damn well better be willing to sacrifice everything for his.

They’d both be free of Joker or die trying.

The End

#Law x Baby 5 #baby 5 x law #op baby 5 #baby 5 #trafalgar law #trafalgar D. Water Law #Corazon!Law #fic: a heart to be used as needed #One Piece Fanfiction #one piece fanfic #op fanfiction #op fanfic #wedding night #lemon fanfic #lemon #doflamingo family #doflamingo pirates #donquixote doflamingo #one piece doflamingo #op doflamingo #op law #smutfic #emotional manipulation #revenge #smut with plot #happy valentine's day 2020 #one piece au

[aarcanefool]

Apprentice April asks #2

Again, shout out to @waitforawonder for their wonderful Meleena and inspiring me to do the rest of these. Answering for Taliesin/Julian, though some of them wandered over to the more general side of things

Question list here

1. What does your character feel when they see their LI for the first time each day?

A mixture of excitement, affection, and comfort. Neither of them have the most predictable sleeping patterns, so whoever wakes up first could go either way. If Taliesin is up first, he’ll do his best to let Julian sleep, and either snuggle close to try to get a few more minutes of sleep or sneak out to make or get breakfast for the two of them. If Julian is up first, Taliesin will join him as soon as he can.

2. What things does your character love about their LI?

So Much – Julian has a lot going for him. He’s a brilliant, caring, charismatic man who gives so much to the world and those he cares about. It’s hard for Taliesin not to be swept up in his energy. Most of all, he loves how loved and accepted Julian makes him feel, and hopes he can do the same for Julian.

3. What things about their LI annoy them?

You know that spiderman meme where they’re pointing at each other? That’s them with each other’s bad habits. As relatable as Julian’s self-deprecating humor is, it’s also makes Taliesin sad – not that he’s the coping mechanisms police or anything. Also, Julian’s habit of self-sacrificing/protecting early on made Taliesin uncomfortable (in the sense that he was worried that he didn’t deserve it), but they’ve both worked on their own sense of self worth and trust in the other’s ability to take care of themselves.

4. Who does what chores?

They really try to split them evenly. If one of them cooks, the other does the dishes or if they both make a meal, they’ll both do the dishes. They both try to make it so the other doesn’t have sole responsibility over any one chore, and if one has had a long day/etc. then they’ll try to  

As for both of them being a bit disorganized, they have a policy that whoever’s bothered by whatever clutter is welcome to move/stuff it into a closet somewhere or ask the other to do so, as long as they remember where it all went (or is otherwise marked as Do Not Move).

5. Do they prefer to stay at home, or do they like to go out?

Out, for the most part. While Julian may enjoy the rowdier, more populated parts of the city, Taliesin is more comfortable with the outskirts of the city. So, they may start off an outing with a trip to the market, then wander over to the docks, or spend the day wandering the forest and come back for a drink at the Raven.  

6. What are some little things they do for each other throughout the day?

They’ll check in on each other fairly often, usually to share something. Taliesin will bring offerings of food or something to drink, just for Julian to try. Julian will share interesting news or something interesting he’s found in his research. While they’re not exactly in the same field (Taliesin is pretty much stuck with being a magician), they’ll give advice and suggestions if the other is stuck on something.

7. What are some private jokes they share?

When they’re having a rough day, they like to cheer each other up by reminding each other they already beat the Devil, what else could stand in their way. Occasionally, Taliesin will claim, completely deadpan, that a minor inconvenience is worse than that was.

Taliesin also gets into Julian’s love of drama, and will try, usually while cracking up, to reenact scenes with him.

8. What are some embarrassing couple stories?

see above? 

Every so often, one will wake up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep and creep around the shop before accidentally stumbling across the other, who is also not sleeping

9. Is their relationship open or exclusive?

Hm, this is tough. I just want more poly ships I’m sorry. Taliesin isn’t opposed to having a polyamorous relationship, in fact with the right partners he’d probably really enjoy that. He’d prefer having a romantic attraction/relationship over a purely physical one, and he’d prefer a third partner (involved with both Taliesin and Julian) to almost any other arrangement.

10. How often do they need to be intimate?

Regularly? Fairly regularly. It’s not that Taliesin has a particularly high drive, but they’re both physically affectionate people and ~intimate moments~ are just one of the ways they can both show their affection, share comfort in each other.

11. Have they ever fought?

They’re both fairly conflict avoidant, so disagreements tend to stew until it boils over. Usually it’s never that serious, but they’ll always do their best to work through it, find out what was bothering the other and come up with solutions together.

12. Describe their perfect date

In general, Taliesin’s idea of a perfect date is something mellow; start with breakfast in bed or a picnic in the woods, and spend the day away from crowds – gathering herbs or maybe gardening – lots of hand holding and spoiling his S/O with snacks and flowers or seashells (really, whatever he happens to find). When night falls, he loves stargazing, finding constellations and making up their own together, that kind of thing.

13. Do they have an evening routine?

Sorta, kinda? They try to do something before exhaustion takes over, Taliesin will usually make a soothing tea, and then bathe and change into sleep clothes. They’ll usually spend the rest of the night talking about their day or reading together until they finally fall asleep.

14. Describe a “paid scene” with your character and their LI

Honestly, I can think of a few options and they wouldn’t necessarily be exclusive to Julian so, here are some just in general:

baking together, something a little silly and a little soft, and definitely sweet.

Again, star gazing – cuddling together under the stars, telling stories or just enjoying the night together

Singing together – teaching each other the lyrics of their favorite songs, something silly or something soft.

15. Would they go on a double date?

Definitely, they’d probably have a lot of fun with that too. They’d probably go with Portia and Nadia, or maybe ask Asra and Muriel (though I doubt Muriel would enjoy that). Taliesin’s idea of dates are fairly casual, so it might not end up feeling very date-like.

16. Who pops the question?

That would probably fall on Julian, if for no other reason than Taliesin just isn’t that invested in the concept of marriage. If he’s committed, he’s committed, a ring and a signature isn’t going to make that mean anything more to him than it already did, but he can understand the practical reasons for it and would happily accept if Julian asked.

17. Describe the wedding

It would be something small but festive. Friends, family, food, drink, music and dancing until the sun rises.

18. Any babies?

At the moment, no. While I think Julian would probably be a pretty good parent, and Taliesin isn’t against the idea, they’ve decided that’s a “maybe someday” conversation. They’re focusing more on each other and their work for now. Taliesin is a little hesitant, because well, he doesn’t remember his own upbringing or his younger cousins, so he doesn’t have a lot of examples on how to raise a kid. He’s also a little uneasy with the idea because it wasn’t that long ago that he could barely take care of himself. That said, with Julian and the other members of his found family, (especially Portia and Mazelinka) he’s reassured that any kids they have in the future would be very well taken care of and loved no matter what.

19. Do they stay in Vesuvia, or eventually move somewhere else?

They leave to travel fairly often, but they will always return to Vesuvia. It’s home for them now, and they have a lot invested there; the shop, Julian’s clinic, their friends and family. They’re both willing to travel, but Vesuvia is really the only place that Taliesin will see as home.

20. Talk about that family life.  What’s it’ like?

Again, no kids yet so I’m taking this to mean their extended family It’s fairly lively, with the two of them and their circle of friends. When they’re in Vesuvia, they try to spend a lot of time with Nadia and Portia, and Mazelinka, and Asra and Muriel… It can get hectic keeping up with them, but they wouldn’t trade that for anything. They’ll do family dinners together with Mazelinka and Portia, help with Nadia’s projects,or just visit with Asra and his family.

#oc: taliesin #apprenticeapril #these are really fun #would it be okay if the others ended up being answered in may #im procrastinating on studying for my final but i need to not do that lol #ill probably do it anyway time is fake

[sometimesrosy]

The 100 S5 rewatch: Sleeping Giants

All right going in. Everyone is coming home. This is when Bellamy finds out Clarke is alive. And when Clarke is captured. These are all long. I’m recapping the damn things and giving my commentary. Look under the cut. this is like 1500 words. If y’all want a tag drop a line. I need to start doing these more regularly so I don’t run out of time before the new season OMG ITS ALMOST SEASON 6!!

McCreary Shaw and Diyoza, handsome trio of incorrigibles. Oooh. One of those prisoners is impaled. Madi doesn’t think it’s the right thing to do to kill the prisoners. Clarke says it’s their home and they are taking it. The prisoners aren’t listening to Diyoza when she says hold. McCreary is like ‘this is not your damn army I’m not gonna—“

KAPOW Clarke shoots dude. McCreary rolls for cover. You shoulda listened to your ex girlfriend dude. She’s smarter than you. Bringing the earthmover in. Diyoza sends McCreary in to hunt down somebody to interrogate. Shaw doesn’t want to fight. “Why does it have to be war.” Diyoza’s mad because he gave up jets for spaceships.

Hey Spacekru. I love them. Emori’s flying them to elegius 4. “Commencing operation uninvited guests.” Ha ha. Raven is funny. Oh Raven had to take over. The ship was spinning and Emori couldn’t align it. Murphy is an ass to Emori. Echo takes out her sword on the ship and Bellamy eyes her. The past is already coming back. Raven sends Emori back to the ship to run diagnostics and Murphy offers to stay and help. But they snipe at each other so Harper stays instead.

Prisoners. Mining missions were dangerous. They sent people they thought were disposable. Sounds familiar.

Monty finds the com. They hear that the Eligius is hunting their people. Clarke puts Madi into the hole and tells her she loves her to lead them off.Bellamy is listening to them tracking her, and they don’t know that it’s Clarke. A feisty one, pretty, too, and Raven looks at Bellamy. They think it’s Octavia.

McCreary shoves Clarke to the ground, he’s such an ass. “You only caught one?” “We only saw one.”

“Her people will come for her, be ready.” They don’t even know. Shaw is playing good cop.

McCreary starts hitting Clarke and Shaw stops him. And then McCreary goes after Shaw because he’s not one of them. They are not a unified people.

Shaw sees the night blood. ‘Blood alteration like they had on Eligius 3. Two suns. No sunscreen.” Foreshadowing.

Clarke and Diyoza. Two peas in a pod.

Murphy Monty and Echo wheeling the fuel to the ship. Echo missed Murphy’s stupid little joke and Monty and Murphy are sniping at each other.  Useless. Coward. Brats both of them.

Echo finds the cryo sleepers.

Kodiak protocol coming. Harper’s trying to make Emori feel better. Wants her to give him a second chance. Murphy, “you were talking about me, weren’t you?” She says “don’t flatter yourself.” But they WERE talking about him.

Bellamy was looking at the ship manifest and they are all murderers. Raven tries to make him feel better because his grandpappy Blake was a 4 time phd and astronaut and he’s not at all like that. They’re still thinking that these people are descendants. They see the video when Diyoza takes over the ship. There’s the best dad in the universe mug. 

In comes Kodiak. Hush I need to watch Bellamy fight. God I love watching him fight. He’s gotten so much better at it.

MAN. Kodiak is TOUGH. Echo slashes him across the back and then runs his gut through and he just kicks her off. Bellamy has to choke him with a wire while Raven has been gut punched like three times.

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” This is a quote from Arthur C Clarke. He is mentioned. Clarke’s name sake.

Murphy wants to kill all the sleepers. Bellamy doesn’t want to start a war and escalate. Echo also agrees that they should be killed. “I know how you feel but it took three of us to take out one of them. Giving them reinforcements when we can stop it is a strategic mistake,” Echo says.

“We’ve been off the ring for less than a day and we’re already talking about murdering hundreds of people.” Bellamy is not happy.

“This is not murder. It’s survival. They die now or we die later. If Clarke were here this wouldn’t even be a question.” Murphy. Clarke is very much still a part of their lives. She’s dead but not forgotten. AND NOT DEAD.

“WELL CLARKE’S NOT HERE!” Bellamy yells.

“Exactly. She died so we can live. Bellamy This is how we do that.”

“Maybe not,” Raven says. She’s got the plans.

Echo says to rig it so they can trigger it from the ground. “Leverage,” Bellamy says. Murphy huffs off and Bellamy calls him back because he wants his opinion. He says it’s a risk.

“But Clarke didn’t die for us to live just for us to go back to the ground and make. The same. Mistakes.”

“What the hell. Let’s be good guys.” Murphy gets a little thrill.

Okay. I think that’s as important a conversations as Clarke’s voice over about there being no good guys. Remember season 1? Bellamy as the rebel king selfish ass and Murphy as the murdering psychopath? And Clarke is now the one with no mercy, impaling strangers.

Now Clarke with Shaw. I expect to see some good interaction with them in s6. Playing good cop. “Believe it or not, this is the best conversation I’ve had in a hundred years.” He’s from Saginaw MI. (JR is from Detroit.) And he was an altar boy, who rode a motorcycle. McCreary has found Madi, And Clarke speaks. “Please she’s just a child.” She tells about the trap that Madi is leading them into. “IF you let her go, I’ll tell you everything.” McCreary doesn’t want to listen but he’s standing down.

Let’s begin. Start with how the world ended.

“Which time.” Lol. Classic.

Wow. I can’t believe they’re still on the ship. So much happens in this episode. Raven tells Bellamy that she has to stay up there. Bellamy is like no no way.

He’s really affected by the thought of leaving her behind. He wants to stay. She tries to make jokes about him screwing it up. It has to be me. ‘I am not leaving you here.” She says he needs to go find his sister. But Bellamy doesn’t want her staying behind to kill 300 people.

“No no, I left Clarke behind to die and I can’t—“ like he breaks “—I’m not doing that again.” Foreshadowing there. And also showing how much that hurt him. It really did. You can see it in everything he does.

Raven flat out lies. Oh yeah there’s an escape pod. Calls him an idiot. He still doesn’t like it.

“Six years ago I promised myself I would find us a way to get us back down. Bellamy this is it. Please. Let me get you all home.”

Emori is like where is she? She offers Murphy to stay. “I said it’s technical.” Monty offers.

Murphy heads off, and Bellamy is like “NOW Murphy.”

He’s like nope. Raven might need backup. “Hey with Emori flying, this is the survivor’s move.” Making jokes. Why do they always make jokes when they’re doing something self sacrificing and don’t want the other to feel bad, “See ya on the other side.” Ugh that’s Jasper’s line. Emori smiles and then she’s like. Wait I don’t like this.

Raven is like… What the hell are you doing here? “Why is everyone so surprised? It’s not like there’s no escape pod—“

“There’s no escape pod.” She lied so Bellamy would let her stay. “You know what you were right. Dying alone would have sucked.” An actual reference to that time she tried to kill him after the ring of fire. And he was like, “I woulda shot me too.”

Emori putting the pod down. It makes me so happy when she sets that puppy down light as a feather. And then the big smile when Bellamy tells her they didn’t die.

OH they’re out. And Eligius finds them.

Clarke is telling her story and they tell her they’ve found new people. And she is FLABBERGASTED. They are about to kill FOUR or our people NOPE. Madi to the rescue. She is a BAD ASS. Thwack. Bam. Bam. All dead.

Bellamy staggers back. “She’s just a kid,”

“Bellamy? She says. Clarke knew you would come.”

“Clarke’s alive?” And he’s just stunned.

“She’s in trouble, we have to go.”

Monty steps forward and asks about the bunker and she’s just like yeah no let’s do that later, she grabs Bellamy’s hand and drags him off. THAT IS THE BEST SCENE.

Ugh McCreary, you are such an ass. Shocking her. OH DON’T WORRY YOU’LL GET YOURS AND CLARKE WILL GIVE IT TO YOU. Poor Clarke. She’s REALLY being shocked hard. DIYOZA STOP SHOCKING HER.

THE ROVER. I will not stop yelling. You can’t make me.

Clarke is like, “Madi… no,”  and inside the rover…

Bellamy is like, ‘Madi… no,” when she tries to take out a gun and go with him. And he promises he won’t let anything happen to Clarke. Parenting alike. Exact same dialog. “Take the rover back. I won’t let anything happen to Clarke, I promise.”

Clarke is watching him through the headlights. She has no idea who he is. But she jumps when she hears his voice.

Bellamy negotiates with his Captain Daddy mug and tells Madi to leave with a fist in the air, at which Clarke can take a breath finally. He walks towards her, watching her.

“283 lives? She must be pretty important to you.”

“She is.”

BOOM OUT.

WHAT A FUCKING MASTERPIECE!!

#the 100 #rewatch #liveblog #the 100 liveblog

[9ofspades]

Small College Gods

They were young, these gods. They were lacking.  

…

…

Gods that formed from a person’s fear of thunder could comport themselves with dignity, if with a certain lack of impulse-control.  They could have power.  They could rule.  

Gods that formed from a student body’s fear of examinations, now, those were a different class.  

…

…

“Drink up, pledge!”  Sobriety slapped the newly minted god on the back.  

Test Anxiety gulped, but grabbed the blue solo cup and downed it in one swig.

“Attaboy!” cheered And Sisterhood.  She was new, too, only a few months old, but you could expect her to never let the latest member forget that few month’s difference.  She chugged her own drink, a heady mix of warm-and-fuzzies in a fizzing can.  Poverty good-naturedly refilled it for her.  

“Congratulations – you’re one of us now!” said Sleep Deprivation, bouncing up and down in their seat.  

Treachery was about to comment, but was interrupted by a hesitant cough.  

“Ahem.”  

Everyone turned to look.  

There was a nerdy-looking girl standing at the foot of their East Campus shrine.  That was what they called it.  They didn’t have dominion over every school, of course; just fairly small, liberal arts colleges and universities with plenty of anxious test-takers and theatre majors and sports stars with their superstitions and rituals.  Their shrines stood in important epicenters:  the most historic buildings on campus, the site of a famous event, the roadsides by which students laid offerings for ravens or snakes, the best smoking spots, the center of Greek Life, the fields and rivers that made their way to campus postcards, the best dorms, the streaking greens.  Once, they’d tried to set up camp in a president’s home, but the old man had become so enraged by the masses of students sneaking into his house at three in the morning to pray over Dollar Store incense that he’d driven out all the believers and installed security cameras, and that was the end of the miracles.

This particular shrine was set up in the courtyard between several ancient-looking academic buildings; trees and flowers surrounding benches surrounding a statue of some sort of abstract art that the gods had claimed for themselves. A smattering of offerings lay at the foot of it:  hunks of cheese from the nearby shop, red solo cups full of the priciest beer Wawa had to offer, and a few bags of chips that had blown away.  The chips were rejected offerings.  They had been purchased from the on-campus convenience store where students could spend their campus-provided Flexible Spending dollars. The gods detested perfunctory offerings.

In the midst of all these offerings, the mortal girl stood, waiting.  

“Yes, honey, what is your plea?” asked Social Rejection in honeyed tones. The nerd girl flinched away from xem.

“I, uh… I have a test coming up?” she said timidly, making her statement sound like a question about her own schedule.  Time Mismanagement rolled her eyes.  

Sleep Deprivation frowned.  They were the most senior god present, but they weren’t very experienced with direct believer interaction yet, and this puzzled them.  

“Is it the content, a scheduling conflict, or something else?” they ventured.

“Ummm…”  The girl fidgeted.  “The, uh, I don’t really know anything about the subject?  And it’s a lot of material?  And I started this web serial and didn’t have time to do any of the readings?”  

Sleep Deprivation stroked their chin, where they had tried, without the slightest success, to grow a beard.  Behind them, Time Mismanagement tutted.  Sleep Deprivation shot her a warning glance – it simply wouldn’t do to be judgmental of your followers while they were asking you for help.  

“Hm,” they said, gravely, as if they were weighing sensible alternatives, rather than concealing the fact that they hadn’t the faintest idea what to do yet. “This seems like you’re under a lot of-”

“DON’T SAY IT!” shouted five gods simultaneously.  

“-pressure,” they finished.  “I know who can help.  This is a big, multifaceted problem, and the only person who deals with overall problems like this is-”

“We are NOT involving her,” Time Mismanagement yelled.  She grabbed Sleep Deprivation by the lapels and began shaking them.  

“Whoa!” said Sleep, rattling back and forth.  “Calm down!  I wasn’t planning on calling her in!”

Time narrowed her eyes, but let go of Sleep’s jacket front, which they carefully smoothed out before continuing.  

“I think the best thing you can do right now is to make some sacrifices to Time here –” he gestured at his assailant, who nodded – “and Exam Cram, who’s not here right now, but she’ll show up if you drop some protein bars. Peanut butter is her favorite. Okay?”  

The girl nodded, quickly, as if she was afraid the gods would be offended if she didn’t.  

“Great.  Once you do that, what you want to do is sit down at your desk and just study, without doing anything else, until your test.  How good is your YAKarma?”  

The girl tilted her head.  “My… Yonderworld Assistance Karma?”  

“Yeah.  How’s it doing?  Have you made sacrifices here regularly, offered the best booze and caffeinated beverages?”  

“Well, uh…” the mortal shifted from foot to foot.  “I didn’t really, at the beginning, you know?  Because I didn’t think I’d need any help?  But then I started doing badly in chemistry, and I… started coming here last month?  I sacrificed a bunch of stuff, remember?  Hot coffee, chocolate bars, Oreos..”

“Hang on,” the deity interrupted.  “What kind of coffee?”  

“A ginger spice latte…”

“Aromas, Brew-Ha-Ha, or-”

“Café Au Lait,” she said.  Firmly for once.  And she’d pronounced it perfectly, meaning she was probably in a French class, or had been, at least.  

“Okay,” said Sleep Deprivation.  “Your karma’s pretty good, then.  Send some prayers up to Distraction, and he’ll take care of focus for you.  And then, last but not least…” – they gave their most winsome smile – “…you need to appease me.”  

The girl had pulled out a notebook and scrambled to take notes, but this made her jerk up.  “Right – to stay awake?  For the test? Okay, sure, I, uh- what do you want?”

“More of that lovely ginger stuff from Café Au Lait, please, if you wouldn’t mind,” they said, smiling charmingly.  “And I wouldn’t say no to some caramel and whipped cream.”  

#tumblr fic #writing #college #alcohol #violence mention #blasphemy #small gods #college gods #small college gods #tests #exams #stress #coffee #convenience stores #typical college stuff #original

[razieltwelve]

Management (Final Rose)

Summer woke to agonising pain. For a moment, it was too intense for her to even cry out. Instead, she could only gasp for air and struggle to move. Somehow, she managed to grab Taiyang’s arm. He was awake an instant later.

“Summer!” His panicked shout roused the other occupant of the bed.

“What’s happening?” Raven’s sleepy expression vanished moments later as she realised what she was seeing. “Taiyang, what’s happening to her?”

Summer tried to form the words, but she could barely breathe. As her two teammates began to panic, the pain subsided just enough for her to get the words out.

“Pills. Top drawer.”

There was a mini scramble for the drawer, and Taiyang all but tore it out as he grabbed the bottle of pills and practically ripped it open.

“How many?” Taiyang asked.

Summer’s limbs jerked, and Raven reached out to stop her before she could accidentally kick Taiyang. “Two… just… two.”

Summer managed to get the two pills down her throat, and the pain finally began to pass. She slumped back into their bed, too exhausted to move or really think. Her eyes drifted shut, and she was asleep before either Taiyang or Raven could say a thing to her.

“What was that?” Raven growled.

“I don’t know,” Taiyang said. “I… this hasn’t happened before. But those pills…” He picked up the bottle again and peered at it. “Vanille prescribed these.”

“Then we’re going to call her. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night.”

X     X     X

Vanille was enjoying a pleasant dream about conquering the world with an army of sentient plush toys and giant hamsters when her scroll rang. It wouldn’t normally have done that, but it had identified the call as a priority call.

“Vanille?” Lumina murmured.

“Sorry. Go back to sleep.” Vanille sat up and took her scroll off the bedside table. “It’s about a patient.”

Lumina frowned. “Don’t take too long.”

“I’ll try not to.” Vanille made her way down to the living room and activated the ‘sphere of silence’ effect built into her scroll. It would prevent anyone from overhearing her conversation - and keep her conversation from waking up Lumina or the kids. “Is there a reason that you’re calling me so late at night, Taiyang?”

The man’s voice was calm, eerily so. It meant he was pissed off. “I’m calling because Raven and I woke up to find Summer in agony until she took two pills from a bottle neither of us have ever seen before. It had your name on it.”

“Huh…” Vanille sighed. Summer had gone off and done that stupid self-sacrificing thing again. “She promised me that she would tell you two about those pills and how they should be used. It seems she kept it from you, probably because she was afraid you would worry.”

Taiyang snorted. “That sounds exactly like her. What do the pills do, Vanille? And what are they called?”

“I haven’t worked out an easily pronounceable name for them yet,” Vanille replied. “As for what they do, one of the issues that Summer has had since she almost died has been a fluctuating level of Aura, along with problems regulating and controlling her Aura.”

“I thought you fixed that!” Raven appeared on the screen. “You said you fixed that!”

“I said I fixed it as much as I could. Frankly, the way Aura circulates through the body is extremely complicated. Aura is a higher-dimensional phenomenon, but the body isn’t. It’s like trying to build a tesseract out of cubes or something. When that Grimm injured her, it was able to damage her Aura’s ability to circulate properly. Believe me, that isn’t easy. There are a handful of Semblances that can do it, and none of them have the power to damage the Aura of someone like Summer for more than a few minutes, never mind months, even years. But the Grimm are monsters. It’s not surprising they’ve got countermeasures.”

“That Grimm…” Raven growled. “Could another one like it be out there?”

“Maybe, but it wouldn’t normally pose a threat to one of us. You have to realise that Summer’s Aura was practically exhausted when she got hit. Based on the data I have, it wouldn’t have affected her anywhere near as severely if she hadn’t been so exhausted. At full strength, Summer’s Aura is immensely powerful.”

“Then what are the pills for?” Taiyang asked.

“I won’t go into the exact specifics, but basically, the pain Summer feels is caused by her losing control of her Aura. Aura interacts dramatically with living tissue, but we don’t normally feel any adverse effects because we learn to control it naturally and instinctively as we get older and our Auras get larger. Summer right now has a potentially immense Aura, but she sometimes loses control of it. Those pills force a series of changes that basically knock her out in such a way that her Aura disengages and recedes.”

“You created a drug that can suppress Aura?” Taiyang hissed. “And you’re giving that to Summer?”

“Would you rather she die?” Vanille replied. “Because that’s the alternative. When she’s not knocked out like that, her Aura cuts off and reduces to baseline levels. Without that, she’d continue to lose control and probably kill herself.”

“How long will she have to take those pills?” Raven asked.

“Until she regains full control of her Aura.” Vanille rubbed her face. “Look. This isn’t going to be easy. That’s why she’s been doing the Aura control exercises I gave her. She’s been doing those, right?” Both of the others nodded. “Good. Plus, that’s why she comes to my lab regularly. I’m continuing to scrub out residual venom while applying other, more advanced therapies to help her along.”

“She told us those were routine checkups.”

“Complain to her about it,” Vanille shot back. “I’m her doctor, but what she tells you is up to her. I shouldn’t even be telling you this much, but Summer has clearly not told you what her pills are for despite them being potentially lifesaving if something goes wrong.”

“Do you think she’ll ever fully recover?” Taiyang asked.

“Give her a few years,” Vanille said. “The attacks have gotten considerably less frequent, and I’ve come up with other pills that should be preventing them from getting too bad. She probably forgot to take them.”

“She hasn’t mentioned those either,” Taiyang muttered.

“Then ask her about them. Don’t make me come over there.” Vanille scowled. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go back to sleep.”

“Uh… yeah, sure.” Taiyang sagged. “We were just worried.”

“I understand that,” Vanille said. “But if you want to ask someone about Summer’s medication, try asking her.”

X     X     X

Summer woke up in the morning to find herself staring into two pairs of concerned eyes.

“Summer,” Taiyang began.

“We need to talk,” Raven said.

#final rose #fanfiction #summer rose #raven branwen #taiyang xiao long #oerba dia vanille #lumina