Need
Dabi x fem!Reader
⇢ word count: roughly 1.5
⇢ plot: Dabi gets home and is kind of wound up. He needs you to help him out...
⇢ warnings: 18+, minors DNI, rough manhandling, couch-sex, steamy kissing, cunnilingus (female receiving), fingering, rough sex, multiple orgasms, creampie, use of Dabi’s fire quirk, marking (Dabi makes a red handmark on reader's skin)
⇢ personal note: a little reward for @/the-beard-of-edward-teach
The sound of the door being slammed shut echoes through the tiny apartment, announcing the return of your boyfriend from his mission to gain new members for the LOV.
"Oh hey baby, how did the recruit–" Your words are caught in your throat when you see the expression on his face.
You can tell he is mad. Really mad. Yet, his eyes hungrily take you in.
Oh shit…
Dropping his coat on the floor, he's at your side in an instant, grabbing you by the waist and swinging you into his arms, striding with long steps toward the couch.
He throws you down onto the cushions, lurching right on top of you.
“What the—?” You ask, dizzily.
"Shut up." He commands and settles himself between your legs, hooking his hands under the seam of your shorts, yanking them down. Just hearing that fierce, possessive voice of his makes your legs fall obediently apart.
"Dabi–" But you can't finish the sentence, not with him grabbing your pants and igniting his quirk.
"Told you to be quiet…" A blistering heat arises, the burnt shreds of the remains thrown across the room with one casual swing of his arm. Your eyes catch a glimpse of his erection straining against the stitches of his pants. It gives you just enough time to suck in a breath before he dives down and starts his assault on your sensitive nub.
His mouth descends on your clit, tongue stroking over it in a way that drives you instantly crazy. Alternating between hungry licks of your sensitive pussy and dragging his tongue back and forth over your clit, you squirm, getting wetter by the moment, causing you to quickly rise toward your climax.
“Ah fuck, you taste so fucking good—” he groans against your pussy. He's going rough, which is both delicious and aggravating at once. It awakens a need inside of you, a need for him to push a finger inside you, to do all kinds of filthy, dirty things to you. Your entire skin prickles with awareness and your pulse starts to race.
"Touya–ahhh–" you moan as he finally plunges his fingers into you without warning, curling them against that sweet spot of yours. Between Dabis' fierce licks of your pussy, you whimper, his need for you driving you crazy. You're getting closer and closer to your high, the rasp of his tongue against your clit becoming almost too much. Then, his hot lips latch around it and he starts sucking.
Without a warning, you come.
The orgasm pounces through you like a storm, making you arch and goosebumps ripple across your skin. You throw your head back as your legs close around him and a scream rips from your lips. Dabi rides you through it and it's so filthy, the way his slurping sounds echo off the walls.
He growls, pinning your thighs apart again, his tongue dipping inside your entrance to taste all of you. "So fucking sweet—”
Panting, you slowly come down from your high. Dabi raises his head and you look down at his face, with his mouth gleaming, wet from all your juices.
"I need a minute—" you pant, dizzy and breathless.
"M not fucking done with you yet." He growls low in his throat, and then his big body pushes over you. The clink of his belt buckle tells you what he is about to do. Another quick dive into his pants, and he frees his throbbing cock. You glance down and see it dripping with precum. Taking it in his palm, he slides his hand along its impressive, pierced length, playing the head of it against your soaked folds.
You catch your breath, surprised again at how good that feels. How good everything feels with him. Every time.
Dabi fits the bulbous head of his cock against your core, wetting it, and then pushes forward, swiftly, burying himself balls deep at once. Your mouth drops open into a sinful moan—
—because even though you're dripping wet, you never get used to how thick and girthy he is.
He pulls out, his gaze riveted to where you are joined, his dick glistening with your juices/slick, and then his gaze flicks up to lock with yours. Without a warning, he starts pumping into you. It forces the air from your lungs the way he thrusts into you. Dabi’s hands grip your hips, digging his nails into them, raising them to meet his before he thrusts into you again. His movements are feral, he picks up speed, his thrusts taking on urgency. The look in his eyes is possessive as he pumps into you, over and over again, heavy balls slapping against your ass.
“Dabi s too much,” you cry out, impaled on his cock as you struggled to adjust to his speed.
“Shut up and take it—” A low growl builds in his chest, deep and rumbly.
Mind-numbing sensations spiral through your body with his movements, and your arms fly up to hold onto him. Your bodies come together so roughly that you are slammed against the armrest of the couch, your back sliding over the coarse fabric of the couch, making your skin raw.
His thrusts take on a fiercer edge and the harder he drives into your body, the more IT heightens your own pleasure. You feel the stir of another orgasm starting to build in your belly, when one hand slips between your bodies, his calloused thumb pressing through the folds of your pussy, finding your clit, starting to rub against it. You gasp at the sensation, arching your back. Faster and harder he claims you– and your fingers clawing into his shirt, closing your eyes while he focuses on that one particular spot that will make you scream again.
You can feel your body clench around him, your pussy tightening in response to the impending orgasm. You're almost there— but you need more, need something else to give you that little push. As if he knows, his next thrust is followed by a sudden heat on your hips. Dabi doesn't break his gaze when the heat increases and you realize what he's doing. Shocked, you try to writhe away from him.
He doesn't let you, keeping you right there, his hand steady on your hip. The heat turns into stinging pain that shoots right up your spine. And it's exactly what you need, what lights you up like a dynamite fuse.
You cry out, digging your nails into Dabi's shoulder when you come undone around him. Everything shatters inside you, and you give a choked cry as your insides clench and release, the orgasm battering through you. The nasty wet sound of his cock thrusting into you fills the room while your tight silken walls continue to milk him.
"Fuck," Dabi growls, his own movements becoming erratic and he shudders as his own release finds him. You feel his cock throb with each shot of his cum, twitching as the heat of it sweeps through you. Dabi continues to thrust into you, fucking back every drop of his essence, but he's coming so much that it squelches out. It's so naughty, the way your juices –mixed with his cum– stick in a frothy mess to the base of his cock and leak down your ass.
He leans in over you, his chest pressing to yours, and then his lips are against yours, claiming your mouth in a heated kiss, his tongue flicking against yours. It's as forceful and messy as the sex you had. There’s a slight musky taste to his mouth, and you realize you're tasting… yourself.
“Dabi–” you moan, still dizzy, still clinging onto him.
"Fuck, baby I needed that." A raspy groan comes from his throat as he pulls back and out, his cock –hot, sticky, and still twitching– pressing against your folds. "M sorry. Shitty day���"
"Don't be, it's not like I didn't enjoy it—" You laugh breathily, still trying to catch your breath.
Then his gaze falls on the angry red handprint on your hips. His face turns into an apologetic grimace before his azure eyes flick up to meet yours. He strokes a loose strand of hair behind your ear, “Are you okay? Did I hurt you too much?”
“Just a little bit,” You interrupt him with a kiss. "But it's ok. I got off on it."
“That's my girl—” He chuckles, directing soothing circles over the red burn. “I'm sure, it will fade."
"Next time make sure it doesn't." You tease, a hand raising to idly play with his raven strands.
He stalls, his blue eyes taking you in for a moment, contemplating. Then his lips curl up into a wide smirk and you gasp as you feel him getting hard again, pulsing against your puffy folds.
Oh no…
"Shouldn't have said that," he snorts and grabs you by your hips to flip you around. "Ready for round two?"
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So is the Life of a Pirate (1/?)
Series: One Piece
Chapter: 1/?
Word Count: 5019
Rating: T
Pairing(s): Sanji x OC (Reader)
A dalliance six years ago has a funny way of catching up to Sanji when the Straw Hats stop to restock the ship.
a/n: I'm not sure how often I'm going to update this, but I have 4-5 chapters already done, so do what you will with that information. Depends on how well this one does, I guess.
“Come on, Mama!” a little boy cried at his mother’s knee. His big, blue eyes staring up at her. His soft, round cheeks cradled in her palm. His light blonde hair falling in his face, “Please? They don’t believe me.”
“Who doesn’t believe you, Ash?” his mother asked. Cordelia was nineteen when she arrived to her island of Beniville Bay. It wasn’t an easy trip to her new home, but she wouldn’t have asked for it any other way. Getting to Beniville Bay got her the sweet little angel at her knee. But only a few years later, her son would be born. Her world would be turned upside down.
“The other boys,” Ash took Cordelia by her hand and tried to drag her off.
“Ash, I’m working,” Cordelia giggled, holding her post at the tavern, “I’d love to entertain your friends, but if I’m going to do that, you’ll have to bring them here.”
“Ok!” Ash took that as all the permission he needed. And he bolted from the tavern.
“You got your hands full with that one, Cordelia,” the owner of the tavern sat at the end of the bar, her laughter deep and hoarse.
“I know I do,” Cordelia agreed, slumping over the bar, “But he’s my handful, Nora.”
“What’s he on about anyway?” Nora wondered, “He said something about how the other boys don’t believe him.”
“It’s the same story he begs for,” Cordelia sighed out, “When I was still out there. Before I settled here.”
“And the argument could still be made you haven’t fully settled,” Nora pointed out, “You always look out to the sea.”
“Because it’s where I belong,” Cordelia confessed, “And in a perfect world, I’d go back to the sea. But I can’t. I got Ash to think about now. I can’t just take him and bring him out to sea. It’s much safer for him here.”
“I think it’s the other reason,” Nora smiled softly, “You’re waiting for him, aren’t you?”
“Him who?” Cordelia went back to wiping down the bar. The sooner she could switch her train of thought, the better.
“You know damn well who I’m talking about, girl,” Nora gave her a little nudge, “I may be getting up there in years, but I know that look when I see it. There’s someone you’re waiting for. Isn’t there? And that’s why you’re still here. In case he ever comes back.”
“Waiting is pointless,” Cordelia wrung out her rag and threw it in the bucket under the bar, “I have other priorities that definitely take precedence over that.”
“Do you remember his name?” Nora nodded to the empty barstool next to her.
“Of course, I do,” Cordelia took her seat, “It was-”
“Mama!” Ash came barreling back into the tavern with two other boys behind him, “Tell them! Tell them!”
“Ash,” Cordelia held her face in her hands, “Alright, boys. I know I’m not getting out of this one. Grab a seat. I’ll tell you.”
“Ash said you knew pirates!”
“Yeah! And that you were a pirate!”
“My dad said pirates are bad!”
“Alright, alright,” Cordelia settled them, “You wanted me to tell you my stories, didn’t you? I can’t do that if you’re still running your mouths.”
“Yes, ma’am.” All three of them were dead silent and listening intently.
“Alright,” Cordelia began, “Now, there’s something you need to understand, boys. There are bad pirates. That is one hundred percent true. Because there were some bad pirates that gave me this…”
Cordelia extended her arm and showed off a burn scar on her wrist. It was no ordinary burn scar, though. Ash put his fingers up to it, “What’s that, Mama?”
“It’s a brand, baby,” Cordelia went on, “I’m from a place called the Savinon Isles in the South Blue. They were peaceful little islands. And I loved it there. I grew up there. But when I was about sixteen, those islands were raided by pirates. They took everything they could. Berries, jewels, artifacts, map charts, anything they could get their hands on. And they even took a few of the girls from my village. Including me. And they made sure we knew who they belonged to. So, they burned that mark into my skin.”
“Did it hurt?” one of the boys asked.
“It was the worst pain I ever felt until Ash was born,” Cordelia admitted, “But I had to stay strong. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t even change my facial expression. I just had to wince through it. And it was unbearable…Maybe this isn’t a good story to be telling you three.”
“Come on, Mama!” Ash pleaded.
“We can handle it, Miss Cordelia!”
“Yeah! Honest!”
“What happened next?”
Cordelia did her best to ever forget what happened next. She pretended like it never happened. But those pirates did things that she would never fully be able to shake. But that wasn’t the end of her story. And she knew it. A little smile crept across her face, “Well, those pirates didn’t know who they picked up on the Savinon Isles. Because my home wasn’t the only one they ransacked. Whenever they’d have me on deck, I would look everywhere for any possible escape routes. Or so they thought. What I was really doing was counting the crew. There were fifteen men on that ship. And there were easily double that of the girls they took.”
“They took other girls?”
“That’s not ok.”
“You’re right,” Cordelia agreed, “It’s not. People aren’t meant to be cargo. People are meant to be people. They’re not supposed to be kept. But when they’d all go to sleep at night, the other girls and I would talk. And when we’d talk, we were planning our escape. But it wasn’t enough for us to escape. They would pay for their crimes. And because it’s not like the Marines were going to do anything for us, we had to take those matters into our own hands. They thought they had us completely broken of our spirits. And they almost did have a few of them. But their captain…I had a personal vendetta against him.”
“What’s a vendetta, Mama?” Ash cocked his head.
“It means he and I had problems,” Cordelia explained, “And that the only way they’d be solved was violence, bloodshed. Trust me, Ash. He definitely got everything he had coming his way. But because he thought he had me broken, I didn’t get shackled anymore. So, I let that go on for a couple nights. Just so I could somewhat earn his trust. But then…Then, I lost his trust. And for a good reason.”
“What’d you do?”
“I radicalized those girls,” Cordelia jumped down from her barstool, “I took one of the crewmen’s swords and one of their guns. I tiptoed into the captain’s cabin while he was sleeping. I patted him down for any weapons he might have had on him and made sure I took any of the others away. And I put that gun to his forehead and cocked it. I was ready to pull the trigger and end him right then and there, but we were miles out in the ocean. We needed to get to shore. When he woke up and realized the predicament he was in and that all the other girls were in on it, too, he called the crew on deck. And I ran that ship all the way to shore.”
“And what about the captain? What’d you do to him?”
“What any good person would’ve done,” Cordelia shrugged, “I let him go.”
“WHAT?!”
“Mama,” Ash gasped, “After everything he did, after how much he hurt you, you just let him go?”
“I’m no killer, Ash,” Cordelia assured him, “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t pull the trigger. But he didn’t know that. What I could do, though, was that the second I heard one of the girls call land, I had the original crew of the ship lined up at the plank and I watched each and every one of them jump into the water. I’m not sure how many survived after that, but I know the captain sunk all the way to the bottom. I made sure of that. He had rocks in his pockets. There’s no telling how many the sea claimed that night. But the girls and I…Oh, did we celebrate that night. And into the morning. And into the next night. And we were all miserable for a week after that. We docked and restocked the ship before they were all reunited with their families.”
“But what about you, Mama? Did you go home, too?”
Cordelia could feel a blow to the heart she didn’t need. But she still pushed forward, “I didn’t have a home to go back to. When my village was ransacked, they left it in flames. So, I was on my own. Those girls were the only family I had left. But I was alright. My notoriety for taking on an entire pirate crew didn’t go unnoticed. I even got stopped by a Marine vessel.”
“The Marines stopped you?!”
“That’s right,” Cordelia nodded, “The Marines stopped me. Because I didn’t change my jolly roger. I needed other pirates to know my ship wasn’t to be messed with. Because seeing his flags…Then, only seeing me on board…That sent a message. And even the Marines realized that. They boarded and searched what was now my ship because they didn’t believe me when I said I was the only one on it. They told me the former captain had a bounty on his head. I told them his head was at the bottom of the ocean for trafficking. They told me it wasn’t my place to give his execution and I should’ve just collected the bounty. But then, I showed them my brand. And I looked that Marine captain in the eye and told him it was entirely my place to be his judge, jury, and executioner. They left me alone after that. And left me ten million berries for my efforts. Ten million measly berries for my efforts.”
“Ten million berries can get a girl pretty far on the open sea,” Nora chimed in.
“And it did,” Cordelia sat back down, “That’s when I ended up here. I made myself comfortable, kept food in my belly and a roof over my head. And I didn’t trust a pirate after that.”
“But Mama,” Ash flopped over, “You always said we could trust pirates.”
“We can,” Cordelia nodded, “I didn’t say the story was over, did I?”
“You didn’t…”
“There are definitely bad pirates, boys,” Cordelia confirmed, a smile on her face, “That much is true. But where there are bad pirates, there are also good ones. There are very good pirates in this world. And I think I knew the best of the best.”
“What were they called, Miss Cordelia?”
Cordelia couldn’t help it. Her heart turned into a puddle. Because only one pirate crew came to mind, “The Straw Hat Pirates. And I knew all of them. Although, there were only five when we met.”
“Who were they?”
“Well,” Cordelia laughed to herself, “They were…All something. They all had their own things going on. There was Zoro, their swordsman. He was lucky if he could find his shoes. But he’d probably get lost finding his way back. I could’ve given him a compass and a map and he wouldn’t be able to find the bathroom ten feet away. I also wouldn’t trust him with a bottle of sake. It’d be gone by morning. And yet, you could throw a coconut in the air in one piece and by the time it was down on the ground, it’d be cut in eighths. You don’t take Zoro’s swords away from him. He won’t hesitate to run someone through if they deserve it. And there was Usopp. I have yet to meet someone who’s a better shot than Usopp. You want someone who could tell a story? Have Usopp tell you a story. Because you won’t get a better one. And there was Nami, their navigator. I told her about what happened to me on my old ship. And she told me what happened to her with the last pirate crew she was part of. We bonded that night. But the girl had money on her mind. And I can’t blame her. And then…Then, there was their captain.”
“Was he like the other captain?” Ash worried, cuddling closer to his mother’s side.
“Oh, no, no, no, sweetheart,” Cordelia could hardly hold herself together, stifling her laughter, “The Straw Hat captain couldn’t have been further from that. I remember their captain. He was the worst of all of them. In fact…Hold on.”
Cordelia went over to the bulletin board they kept in the tavern. Wanted posters covered it like wallpaper. Every so often, a bounty hunter would come in and take one, but she knew there had to be one on there. The one wanted poster she was looking for. Nora glanced over her shoulder, “Who are you looking for, Cordelia?”
“Hang on…” Cordelia kept scanning them. Only to find an all too familiar grin sticking out from under one of them. And she grabbed that wanted poster. And she slapped it on a nearby table, “I knew I’d find him up there. That’s him. Monkey D. Luffy. I can still hear him introduce himself in my head. That’s something you can never shake. My name is Monkey D. Luffy and I’m going to be king of the pirates! And you know what, boys? I think he will one day.”
“What makes you say that, Miss Cordelia?”
“Because,” Cordelia took the wanted poster back and rehung it, “He ate all his vegetables.”
“Really?”
“God no,” Cordelia laughed, “I’ve never met someone more carnivorous in my life. Luffy wouldn’t hurt a fly. Unless someone hurt one of his friends. That’s when things would get messy. Then again, I’ve heard stories about Luffy through the grapevine. He’d overthrow entire governments if he’s not kept in check. And with the rest of his crew, it’d be a disaster. But he had a good heart. There’s no doubting that. That’s what made him one of the good pirates.”
“Who’s the other one?” Ash asked.
“What?” Cordelia looked at him strangely, “What do you mean, the other one? I told you about the whole crew.”
“No, you didn’t,” he shook his head, “You said there were five. You talked about Zoro, then Usopp, then Nami, then Luffy. That’s four, Mama. What about the other one?”
“Oh,” Cordelia let out a little sigh as memories of her encounter with the Straw Hat Pirates flooded her thoughts, “That other one. Their cook…Their cook was…special.”
“What was his name?” Ash’s eyes only got bigger. And in those eyes, Cordelia saw…everything.
“Alright, boys,” Cordelia shook it off, “You’ve heard enough. I’m sure your mothers are looking for you. And I’m not going to have it be my responsibility when they find you in a place like this. Ash has an excuse, but you two don’t.”
“Aww…”
“Bye, Miss Cordelia!” And just like that, the boys took off.
“Mama?” Ash knew there was something not right with her. All they had in life was each other. The slightest change in Cordelia’s demeanor wouldn’t go unnoticed, “Why wouldn’t you tell us about the other pirate?”
“Don’t worry about it, Ash,” Cordelia brushed him off, “Go in the back and wash up. I’ll get dinner going for the three of us.”
“That’s awfully sweet of you, Cordelia,” Nora awed, “Thank you.”
“Sure,” Cordelia needed to get her head back on right. And she could always find her peace in a kitchen.
But once Ash was in the back, Nora stopped Cordelia from putting her apron on, “You know you’re going to have to tell him some day.”
And with those few words, Cordelia’s heart sank to the floor, “I know. But it’s not going to be easy, Nora.”
“I know,” Nora took her hand, “But it’s better than lying to the boy. One day, he’s going to look at the wanted posters and he’s going to see a familiar face.”
“I don’t want to talk about it now,” Cordelia snapped a bit, “And we’re not going to talk about it now. We’ll just…Let this go. Just for now.”
“Alright,” Nora dropped it, “But Cordelia…I remember when those Straw Hat Pirates came to town. They came through this very tavern.”
“I know,” Cordelia felt the heat rising in her cheeks, “How else would I have met them? I’m just glad Luffy didn’t eat us out of house and home. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make dinner and then, I’m going to take my son home and tuck him into bed.”
“Fine by me.”
Dinner was quiet. Dinner was a little uncomfortable. Every time Cordelia looked over at Ash, she could feel another crack splintering off in her heart. And how the inevitability would soon be upon her. As much as it’d pain her. But once the plates were cleared and cleaned, Cordelia brought Ash back to their cozy, two bedroom house just off the square.
The moment his head hit the pillows, Ash was sleeping like a baby. However, sleep wouldn’t come as easily for his mother. Cordelia watched out the window, her stomach in knots and her heart in dire straits. It wasn’t until she closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep that the ache would stop.
The next morning, Cordelia was awake bright and early. And Ash still slept. She refused to leave him home by himself. That meant him being lonely. Cordelia had to go to the market for Nora, so she only had one option. Carefully, she slipped into Ash’s bedroom and she put a hand on his shoulder.
“Ash…” Cordelia nudged him, “Asher Grey…You need to wake up, baby. We have places to be.”
Those big, beautiful eyes slowly opened, sparkling in the morning sun, “Where do we have to go, Mama?”
“We need to go take care of some errands in town for Ms. Nora,” Cordelia helped him out of bed, “Why don’t we get you clean and dressed, ok?”
“Ok,” Ash fell into his mother’s shoulder, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. But he knew better. Slowly, but surely, he pulled himself together and grabbed some clothes out of the trunk at the foot of his bed, “Are these ok, Mama?”
“They’re just fine with me,” Cordelia allowed, “I’m going to go run the water.”
“Ok.”
As Cordelia got Ash all cleaned up (and then, herself), he took her hand and the two went to the market. All the fresh produce sat nicely in their individual stalls, bright and beautiful. It wasn’t going to be much. Only a few vegetables and some eggs for the tavern. Nora had her meat supplier coming later that afternoon, so it wasn’t like Cordelia needed to pick that up. However, there was something bright orange that caught Cordelia’s attention. But it couldn’t have been, she thought to herself.
Until that bright orange turned her direction, the face of a young woman revealing itself. And the woman’s eyes grew as they met hers, “Cordelia?”
“Mama,” Ash looked up at her in confusion, “Who’s that?”
“No way,” Cordelia gasped, “Nami!”
“It is you!” the woman’s arms ended up around Cordelia’s shoulders, “It’s been so long!”
“It’s been too long!” Cordelia swallowed the tears bubbling up in her throat. Because she knew what she’d have to do next.
“Wait,” Ash looked up at his mother, then back at the woman in front of them, “Is she that Nami?”
“She is,” Cordelia nodded.
“Hi there,” Nami cracked a smile, not sure how to act around a four year old. She got down to his level, “I’m Nami. What’s your name?”
“Ash,” he played a little shy, hiding around Cordelia’s leg.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ash,” Nami got back up, “So, what’s his story? Keeping an eye on one of the neighbor kids, Cordelia?”
“Well,” Cordelia bit her lip, “Not quite. Could we find somewhere to go talk?”
“Sure,” Nami agreed, “But I’m kind of a mission right now.”
And that got Ash’s attention, “Wow! You mean, you’re on a real pirate mission right now?”
“It’s not that exciting, kid,” Nami giggled, “Just doing some shopping for the cook on my ship.”
“So…” Cordelia’s heart sunk, “You’re saying the whole crew’s here?”
“Mmhm,” Nami nodded, “In fact, when we needed to restock, I brought us here.”
“Wonderful,” Cordelia winced, “Great.”
“Are you sure about that?” Nami wondered, “Because you might want to tell the rest of your face that.”
“Again,” Cordelia reiterated, “It’s been a while since we last saw each other, Nami. Come on. Let’s go talk. I’m sure the produce can wait.”
And so, Cordelia and Ash took Nami to the square. Somewhere bright and open where Ash could run around with his friends and where Cordelia and Nami could catch up on things. The square of the village was always bustling with life. Plenty of kids for Ash to play with, young couples on the cusp of falling in love. It was a beautiful place. And it had been a beautiful place since Cordelia first arrived.
“So,” Nami looked over at the sweet, little boy she ran into at the market, “Ash is your son?”
“Yes, he is,” Cordelia confirmed, “I know. Hard to believe. But that’s my baby. I swear, he turned my life around.”
“I’m sure,” Nami gasped, “That’s bound to happen when you have a freakin’ baby! Why didn’t you tell us?”
“That’s where it gets a little tricky,” Cordelia gnawed on the inside of her cheek, “Because it’s just Ash and me.”
“What about his dad?” Nami wondered, “Or is that a touchy subject?”
“It’s funny,” Cordelia twiddled her thumbs, “Nami, how old would you figure Ash is?”
“I don’t know,” Nami looked him over, “Probably…Four? Five?”
“He’s almost five,” Cordelia told her, “And how long would you say it’s been since we last saw each other?”
“It’s definitely been a few years,” Nami started doing the math in her head.
“Would you say about six?”
“Actually,” Nami thought back, “Yeah! Probably about six. Give or take a few months.”
“And with that in mind,” Cordelia nudged her along, “What happened the last time you guys rolled through here?”
“Well,” Nami giggled, “You were working at that tavern.”
“Still am.”
“And when we walked in,” she went on, “I remember Luffy practically licking the inside of your fridge clean.”
“He came damn close,” Cordelia laughed, “Yeah. And what else?”
“Zoro passed out on the floor,” Nami added, “And I had to be the one to carry him because Sanji was nowhere to be found. You know, Cordelia, come to think of it, you weren’t either.”
“Yeah,” Cordelia’s face settled into a soft smile, “Yeah…I wasn’t. And neither was he.”
“Oh, Cordelia,” Nami awed with sheer disgust on her face, “Tell me you didn’t…Tell me you didn’t run off with Sanji. Tell me you didn’t fall for his garbage.”
“Hey,” Cordelia defended, “It’s not all garbage. I fell for his garbage in the way you feel bad for a puppy left in the rain.”
“And you still wake up in the morning with fleas in your bed and pee in your slippers,” Nami argued, “Come on. You deserve better than that.”
“Well,” Cordelia glanced out at the square at the sweet little boy she loved more than anything in the world, “After you guys left, I met a man. Tall, good looking, strong…When he found out I was pregnant, he was over the moon. He couldn’t wait to be a dad. But then, my first year with Ash went by and…He took off. Because Ash didn’t look much like me. And he didn’t look a thing like him. So, he knew Ash wasn’t his son. And it’s been Ash and me ever since.”
“I’m so sorry, Cordelia,” Nami took her hand, “What happened then?”
“I know Ash was way too young to remember this,” Cordelia smiled, “But I needed to clear my head and what better way than taking some time out at sea?”
“You took your one year old out on the boat?” Nami gasped, “That’s pretty ballsy.”
“And it was a hell of a time. He learned to walk on the deck before he learned to walk on land. And when he finally walked on land for the first time, it was like he never learned to walk at all.”
“He learned on his sea legs,” Nami teased, “But he seems to be doing alright now.”
“We both are,” Cordelia confirmed, “But you guys being here…That could very well be a disaster. For everyone involved.”
“Why?”
“Hey, Ash!” Cordelia called out to him, “Come here!”
Ash ran right up to his mother’s knee, “Yeah, Mama?”
“Oh, nothing,” Cordelia pushed his hair out of his face, leaving Nami a bit speechless, “Just making sure you’re doing alright. We might need to be getting home soon, sweetheart. I have no doubt we’re going to have company tonight.”
“We’re having company?” Ash wondered, “Who’s coming over?”
“Well, Ash,” Cordelia sat him on her lap, shooting a quick glance at Nami, “How would you feel about having a house full of pirates for dinner?”
“Really?!” Ash squealed, “You mean it, Mama?”
“I’m sure Nami could talk her captain into it,” Cordelia hoped, “Right, Nami?”
“Anywhere that promises to feed our captain,” Nami sighed out, “You know he won’t be able to say no.”
“Yay!” Ash bounced down from Cordelia’s knees, “Our house is going to be full of pirates!”
“Cordelia,” Nami kept her voice down, “You do realize what this means, right? If I tell everyone we’re coming to your house for dinner…”
“Do not tell them you’re coming to my house,” Cordelia demanded, “Please, Nami. I already know this is going to be a hard pill to swallow, but don’t tell them it’s my house. And don’t tell anyone about Ash.”
“I won’t,” Nami swore, “Not a peep. But I will gladly tell the boys to come by your house.”
“Thank you.”
And just before they parted ways, Nami looked back at Ash. Then, back to his mother, “Hey, Cordelia?”
“Hmm?” Cordelia grabbed her bags.
“Is it me,” Nami wondered, “or does Ash’s eyebrow kind of…Curl up a little?”
“On his left one?” Cordelia flagged him down, “Yeah. It does. You’re not wrong.”
“It’s weird,” Nami grabbed her own bags, “Because I know someone else who’s got the same thing.”
“I know you do,” Cordelia bit the inside of her cheek, “It was great seeing you again, Nami.”
“See you later.”
And just like that, Cordelia grabbed Ash while Nami headed back to the ship. Although, the walk back was interesting. While Ash rattled on about how excited he was to meet the same pirates his mama knew all those years ago, Cordelia had too much on her mind to even let it process. He’s going to freak. He’s going to get one eye on Ash and he’s going to freak. I don’t think either one of us is going to be able to handle that. But I’ve taken care of Ash on my own for the last four years. I don’t see why I couldn’t keep doing that. What am I thinking? We’ll be fine. No expectations.
“Mama?” Ash grabbed the door for her, “Are we really going to have a house full of pirates?”
“That’s right, baby,” Cordelia dropped her fresh produce in the sink, “We’re going to have a house full of pirates.”
“I can’t wait to tell the others,” Ash bounced on his chair at the kitchen table, “They’re going to be so jealous!”
“Yep,” Cordelia sighed out. I’m sure there were a lot of women here that would’ve been jealous of me if they saw who I was with that night, “Are you going to help me cook or are you going to just sit there?”
“What do you need me to do?”
For the rest of the afternoon, Cordelia and Ash were peeling, sauteing, boiling, and slow roasting. All within reason, of course. Cordelia wasn’t going to let the baby near the heat. He didn’t need to burn himself. In her heart, Cordelia wanted nothing more than to be petty. Granted, she always told herself since she was pregnant with Ash. She didn’t need anyone else. It’d be herself and Ash. And that’s the way it would stay. But she looked at her spices. And there sat the sealed bottle of oregano. A part of her wanted to break its seal, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
But then, night fell over Beniville Bay. And Cordelia could hear the hustle and bustle outside start to dim down. Until it got to be the ruckus on her front porch. She could hear assorted chatter floating in through her open kitchen window wondering where they were, whose house Nami was taking everyone to for the evening, what was going on. Along with the faint smell of cigarette smoke. And it made her smile. It had been so long since Cordelia had seen her favorite group of miscreants. But she knew it may not go well. And she had braced herself for that.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Ash,” Cordelia caught her baby’s attention while he sat at the kitchen counter, “You ready? We’re about to be taken on by a bunch of pirates.”
“I’m ready, Mama!” Ash could hardly contain himself. He hadn’t been able to sit still since he met Nami that morning. He couldn’t wait to have his house full of pirates.
“Alright,” Cordelia wiped her hands off on one of her tea towels and went to the door, “I want you to behave yourself tonight, Asher.”
“I will,” Ash promised, sticking his pinky out to his mother.
“Thank you,” Cordelia kissed the top of his head, “Because I’m about to have enough babies in the house tonight.”
Well…Here goes nothing.
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