II. IS IT LOVE? MAN, THIS IS SO CONFUSING
Synopsis: The consequences of a laundry mishap lead to an unexpected search for a phone number.
Pairing: Vista x Fem!Reader
Content Warnings: Adult themes, mentions of the porn industry, and rockstar culture.
Authorâs Note: Sorry for being so fucking late and for not feeding you any smut. Iâll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible đ
Mandatory @bouquet-bride tag <3
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In a scale of one to ten⌠how fucking stupid could you be?
No need for confirmation.
You were sitting next to your friends as the lecturer droned on through the first class of the year. As much as you wanted to be a good student and pay attention, it felt impossible when the weight of your own stupidity was crushing you, making you sulk like a naughty child whoâd just realized Santa skipped their house entirely.
Even thinking about that damn thing made you flinch with regret.
Who in their right mind forgets two very important pieces of paper in their pocket before doing laundry?
You, apparently. Thatâs who.
What kind of self-induced amnesia had you caught?
You couldâve sworn youâd emptied your pockets the second you got back to your dorm.
You remembered doing it, right?
Turns out that was just your exhausted, fucked-up brain gaslighting you into epic failure.
When you finally checked your room later, you realized the âpapersâ you thought youâd saved werenât their numbers at allâ they were just your old bus tickets.
Things just never worked out for you.
You were clearly destined to be punished by some cruel cosmic force, doomed to eternal unhappiness.
There wasnât much you could do about it, even after sprinting back to the laundry room in a panic.
It was paper. It was soaked.
What did you expect? A miracle?
Ever since, youâd been moping and sulking hard. Your friends noticedâ of course they did. At this point, you were making it everyoneâs problem. They were curious anyway; they hadnât heard a peep from you over the entire holidays. They knew about Luffy, knew youâd spent Christmas with his family, but they had no details.
All day, theyâd been chattering about their own breaks while you just listened. No way in hell were you dropping your absolutely feverish, dreamlike holiday saga in the middle of class.
So your friends grew impatient, convinced you were deliberately being mysterious.
You werenât trying to be mysterious. Right now, you felt like you were single-handedly holding back an entire dam with nothing but a flimsy stick.
After enough prodding, you told them to grab lunch first, because theyâd definitely need to be sitting down to digest this.
Itâs fair to say the hype lived up to expectations. In fact, they were beyond impressedâ they were straight-up shocked as you spilled the juiciest details. Then you got to the part where Ace and Thatch showed up, and your friends started screaming like rabid fangirls. People at nearby tables shot you dirty looks.
By that point, you wanted the floor to swallow you whole.
There was no way you were finishing the story.
But your mouth had other plans. It kept going, word after word, like you had zero control. Watching your friendsâ expressions evolve was like witnessing a slow-motion car crash.
And then Vistaâs name dropped.
Out of the three women staring at you, only one recognized it immediately. Her eyes went comically wide.
âIt canât beâŚâ Adassa muttered. âI mean, itâs not a common name, but it canât beâŚâ
âWhat do you mean?â Selene asked, arms crossed.
âHeâs a pornstarâŚâ Adassa finished, watching your face carefully.
God, you were hilarious. Someone needed to tape your mouth shut.
âI beg your finest pardon,â Cora said.
âBut it doesnât end there,â you continued.
âOf course it doesnât,â Selene deadpanned. âNow what? Youâre gonna tell us you lived out your own personal porno?â She caught the shiftâ the blush creeping up your cheeks, the flicker of shame in your eyes. âYOU HAVE TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME.â
Once again, the entire restaurant turned to stare as your friends lost all volume control. Given the topic now on the table, keeping it down wasnât really an option.
âAll this, while under the same roof as Thatch and Aceâ as in Infernal Wakeâs Thatch and Ace? I think I need a minute,â Cora said, fanning herself.
âHow did any of this even happen!?â Adassa demanded.
âI donât know!â you wailed, matching their panic. âI walked into that house completely blind. Luffy didnât say a damn thing about his rockstar brother or his insane family. I barely survived it, and now Iâve lost their numbers and I want to dieâŚâ
You buried your face in your hands and groaned loudly.
âHold onâ numbers, plural?â Selene latched on. âAs in, you didnât just hook up with the pornstarâŚâ
âNo, I only⌠had sex with Vista.â The last part came out a whisper. âBut Thatch gave me his number too.â
âOkayâŚâ Their brief calm shattered instantly. âTHEN WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST THEM!?â
âI DONâT KNOW, IâM AN IDIOT. THE JACKET WENT THROUGH THE WASHING MACHINE WITH THEM STILL IN THE POCKET,â you lamented.
âAnd you canât just ask Luffy to get them back?â Selene pressed.
âMaybe Thatchâs, but definitely not Vistaâs,â you said.
âThen ask for Thatchâs at least,â Adassa urged.
You shook your head. âThatâs so embarrassing.â
âGirl, you havenât gotten laid since⌠well, basically since you got here,â Cora cut in. âDonât waste this once-in-a-lifetime shot. In a few months youâre heading back home anyway.â
This wasnât your real home.
âYeah, I donât know,â you mumbled.
âSomebody grab me before I slap some sense into her,â Selene growled.
A month went by, and you never asked Luffy for Thatchâs phone number.
You tried not to think about what Vista and Thatch might be thinking of you right now.
However, no matter how hard you tried, the thought would slip right past your defenses: âThey gave you their numbers, and you chose not to call. They must think youâre a bitch.â This tormented you at least ten times a day, especially before going to sleep, when your mind could only replay your bad choices and most embarrassing moments on an endless loop.
By mid-February, Luffy came bouncing up to you one day, blabbing about how Ace had told him that Infernal Wake was going to start touring in a couple of months. The first show was in a nearby city, and since Ace had invited âLuffy and his friendsâ that meant you were coming too.
You didnât really know Luffyâs friends that wellâyouâd never spoken to any of themâbut when you started getting together to plan the trip for the concert, you quickly realized why that bunch of very different yet somehow similar people were such a tight group.
This trip could be your golden opportunity to talk to Thatch again and explain yourselfâ if he even wanted to hear it after the not-calling-him thing or if he even remembered you. Maybe he was petty like that, though the person youâd met at Christmas didnât exactly strike you as the bitchy rockstar type. But you never know.
With the Thatch situation tentatively sorted, you were left with the Vista problem, which was ten times harder to figure out.
âAre you seriously going to keep moping?â Selene asked. âYou know there are a hundred guys out there. I mean, it wouldnât be the same, but thatâs only because what you found was top-tier dick.â
Those lovely words were spoken right in the middle of the dairy section at six in the evening on a random Thursdayâ truly a classy move that made the granny analyzing a yogurt label give you both a sharp side-eye.
âSelene!â you hissed.
âWhat?â Selene shrugged. âItâs true.â
This only made you whine like a loser, folding forward over the handle of the cart you were pushing.
âHave you tried telling Luffy?â Selene asked.
âNot really, but he invited me to his brotherâs concert.â
Selene hummed. âI guess that solves one of your problems.â
âI donât know what to do about Vista, though.â
âAh, yeah, the mourning of the pornstar dick. Classic,â Selene said. âDidnât you say he owned a company or something? You could rent one of his movies⌠Maybe the companyâs number is on the VHS case. You call, you ask for him. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.â
You stopped dead in your tracks. âWait, thatâs actually genius. Youâre a genius.â
âI suppose our next stop is the video store,â she said.
âYeah, but I donât think we need to rent it, just check the back of the case for the phone number,â you said.
âArenât you a little curious about what his movies are like?â she asked, then remembered something. âRight, you arenât. You lived the whole thing.â
And you wanted to die of embarrassment.
âSince weâre there anyway, we might as well rent it and watch it,â Selene said.
âWhere? In the common room?â you asked, dripping sarcasm.
âNo, Milo from audiovisual has a TV.â
âWhy would we involve Milo from audiovisual in this?â
âHeâll think weâre freaks!â you protested.
âI think thereâs no one on campus freakier than him, I can assure you. He wonât mind, heâs a total weirdoâŚâ Selene trailed off, and you caught the sudden glint in her eyes, the faint flush of embarrassment.
âAnd you like him,â you finished for her. âIâm not going to watch a porno with you two if it means youâre just going to hook up.â
âYou could always kiss the TV,â she teased.
âHa, ha, very funny.â
You went to the video store afterward. You had to admit, you felt a little awkward venturing into the adult sectionâ especially with all those men back there giving you nasty looks. Selene, in another classy move and a brilliant display of her free will, barked at them, and they quickly minded their own business.
âAlright, letâs go find your honey-boo,â she said.
You wanted to fire back something snarky about how she should never use that word again, but honestly, you were just feeling shy.
Vista had his own fucking section.
You hadnât realized heâd filmed this many moviesâ how the hell had he managed that?
âDamn, heâs famous famous. Iâm surprised I didnât know him⌠though Adassa did⌠huh.â
âWhich one should we pick?â you asked.
âThis one looks cool⌠Caveman style. Nice.â Selene shoved a film right in your face. âMaybe this one⌠Ohhh, look, heâs kneeling. So pathetic. Iâm taking this one for myself.â
You were flabbergasted, but yeah, okay. âSelene, I only need the company number on the backâŚâ
âYeah, but thatâs boring. Donât you want to see what your man does for a living?â
However, you were a little curious.
âWhat about that one?â Selene pointed at a VHS. âDidnât you like reading those fantasy books about gay men in the mountains?â
âYeah, that one!â Selene said. âLook, this oneâs like medieval fantasy. Okay, weâll take these three.â
There was no arguing with her.
The same chaos unfolded with Milo when Selene banged on his door. He opened it with a confused look on his face.
âWhat the fuck are you doing here?â Milo asked.
âMove, weâre coming in.â Selene basically pushed him aside and strode in like she owned the place. You gave Milo an awkward hi and followed right behind her.
âSelene, what the fuck?â He turned around. âOut!â
âDonât be a dick. I even brought you one of those Wano movies, you disgusting pervert.â Selene tossed the VHS onto his bed.
Milo sighed, clearly exasperated. âFine, whatever. What do you want?â
âYour TV,â Selene said.
âFor what?â he asked.
âTo watch porn, obviously,â Selene replied.
Now Milo looked intrigued, but Selene shut that down fast. âDonât get some twisted fantasy in your head, weirdoâ this isnât ending in a threesome. Now get the TV out.â
Milo rolled his eyes, closed the door, and walked over to pull the TV from his closet, where it was hidden next to piles of what looked like some very questionable movies.
âWhat are you going to watch anyway?â Milo asked.
âThese.â Selene handed him the VHS tapes.
Milo snorted. âYou want to watch this shit?â
âYeah, you got a problem with that?â Selene shot back.
You stood there awkwardly as they arguedâ were you⌠a child of divorce?
âYeah, this dude? Câmon,â Milo said.
âWhat? Are you jealous that one of his legs is like two of yours?â Selene teased. âOr maybe the insecurityâs coming from somewhere else?â
Should you just leave and come back when theyâre done?
âStop being a cunt, alright? The TVâs mine. No TV, no weird-ass porn watching.â Miloâs threats were clearly emptyâ Selene could probably kick him out of his own room if she wanted.
âI mean⌠we could watch it somewhere else,â you intervened.
They both seemed to have forgotten you were even there.
What a weird way for them to flirt.
âNah, itâs alright.â Milo cooled down a bit when talking to you.
âGlad to see you came to your senses,â Selene said, plopping down on his bed and patting the spot next to her so youâd join.
The room reeked of stale weed and unwashed guy in a way that made your nose wrinkle. Still, Milo's sheets were unexpectedly soft, carrying that clean detergent scent that almost made up for the rest.
Milo sauntered back from shoving the VHS into the player, then flung himself onto the bedâ the mattress dipped and bounced you and Selene a bit, the old wooden frame creaking like it might give up any second.
Credits rolled, then the title splashed across the screen: âA Princess Taleâ
Selene passed you the blunt soon after, and you pulled a few deep drags, hoping the smoke would loosen that tight knot in your stomach.
Not just youâ Milo was locked in, eyes narrowed at the storyline. He even shushed Selene once when she tossed out a comment, which earned him a quick smack on the arm.
For a guy who prided himself on hating everything mainstream, Milo giving this porno his stamp of approval felt like a miracle.
Vista was magnetic, charismatic as hellâ you almost forgot you were watching filth because his acting, and the actressâs, felt so damn real. The costumes were solid too, especially for the obvious low budget. In addition, the sets were incredibly well done. The movie was probably shot in some crumbling real castle, because the stone walls, the torchlight, and the whole atmosphere screamed authentic.
The three of you were already murmuring about how surprisingly decent the production was when the first full sex scene hit, and all of you let out an audible gasp.
It was raw, filthy, and intense.
You felt a wave of something you couldnât name wash over youâ a growing heat in your lower belly that made you press your thighs together.
This was the kind of fucking that looked like genuine hunger, like they couldnât get enough of each other. Vista was relentless, a wild beast unleashed. Yet he never lost his manners; at the end of the day, he was a knight rescuing a princess.
You couldnât help but feel a pinch of jealousyâ it should be you.
Youâd lost count of the nights youâd spent sleepless, tossing and turning, drenched in sweat and regret as you tried to imitate the sensations youâd experienced with Vista. It was pointless; you never could quite get there. You always got tired or missed the exact spot you needed to touch to reach your goal.
Instead of a satisfying orgasm, you were met with frustration every single time.
And now, watching Vista do his jobâthrusting hard, grunting low, making the actress cry outâyou couldnât help but remember the night youâd spent with him.
âIs he actually that good?â Seleneâs voice cut through your spiral.
You glanced at her, nodded slowly, heat creeping up your neck that even the weed couldnât blunt.
âHoly fuck, is that even possible?â he whispered, eyes wide.
âDidnât you swear these movies were garbage?â Selene teased him.
âYeah, yeah,â he muttered, waving her off, gaze locked on the screen.
You needed to cool off, or at least think of something elseâ though it was pretty damn hard with Vistaâs sounds filling the background. You snatched up the VHS case, scanning the back until you spotted it: a tiny phone number printed beside the company logo.
âIâll be right back,â you said, standing. âAnd please, for the love of god, be clothed when I return.â
âWhat kind of animals do you take us for?â Selene scoffed.
The kind who'd be fucking on that bed right now if you weren't cockblocking them.
You slipped out and headed downstairs to the common room.
As you walked toward the phone, you couldn't help feeling nervous. Your hands were sweating and your heart was in your throat. As much as you wanted to stay cool about the whole situation, you just couldn't. The lingering echoes of what you'd felt in Miloâs room still haunted you, compounded by the nerves already eating you alive and the numbing doubt that made you want to crawl into a dark corner and never speak to another man again.
You took a deep breath and glanced at the VHS case to mentally prepare yourself for what you were about to do.
It was late, maybe no one would even answer.
Your fingers kept moving.
Maybe Vista wouldn't want to hear from you after a month of absolute silence.
The phone began to ring, and you held your breath. Whatever happened next, you hoped it wouldn't turn into a terrible mess.
Just when you'd decided it would ring out, a voice answered on the other end.
âRose Fantasies SL, how can I help you?â
âHiâŚâ You hurried the words out. âI was wondering if I could speak to Vista?â
âYouâre speaking to him.â
âSo, uh, I lost your phone numberâŚâ Smooth. Real smooth. He probably had a dozen girls on rotation, that told him exactly nothing about who you were.
âOh, itâs you,â he said, voice warming instantly. âI was starting to think my brother stole you away.â
âOh no, I lost his number too,â you admitted.
Vista chuckled. âI see. So howâd you track me down?â
âIâd rather not reveal my sources.â
âYou watched one of my movies,â he said, amusement clear.
Liar, and a terrible one.
âI donât know what youâre talking about.â You tried for innocent, it landed somewhere closer to desperate.
âDonât worry, Iâll pry it out of you eventually.â
Your face burned. The weight of his words felt ten times heavier, considering you were standing in the middle of the common roomâ a couple of guys playing cards at the table and girls glued to a movie on the TV.
âSo, I⌠I was just calling to, yeah, let you know I lost your number. Thatâs it, really.â
He hummed, thoughtful. âRight. I guess that means we should go on a date, then.â
You winced at your own volume, glances flicking your way.
âA date,â he repeated, calm as ever. âI gotta treat you proper before I fuck you again.â
âRight, how silly of me.â
He laughedâ genuinely delighted at how easily you unraveled. âThis Friday. Iâll come pick you up.â
You floated back upstairs, a different person entirely. Opened the door to that hazy, stinking room and found exactly what you'd feared: Selene and Milo tangled up, lips locked, hands wandering, your plea for decency ignored.
Selene finally broke the kiss, spotted you in the doorway.
âWhat happened? Did someone answer?â
You let the pause hang, just for the drama.
âIâve got a date tomorrow!â
Selene shoved Milo off her like he weighed nothing. She launched herself at you, screaming, jumping, both of you bouncing like giddy fangirls.
âA date with the pornstar?â Milo asked, sitting up, hair messed.
âHappy for your pussy, then.â From Milo, that was practically poetry.
âDonât be a fucking creep!â Selene snapped.
âWhat? I meant it nicely.â
âWhat are you gonna wear?â Selene turned back to you, ignoring him completely.
âOkay, letâs go figure it out right now.â She scooped up her stuff in seconds. âBye, Milo!â
âWhat about your damn tapes?â he called as you both bolted. âSelene!â
On Friday afternoon, after being unable to concentrate all day, you found yourself in Seleneâs flat amid a hurricane of clothes and stress.
While you had been in your room, Selene had selected some outfits she deemed âdate with a pornstarâ appropriate. However, now that you were trying them on at her place, she didnât look pleased with the results.
âI think thereâs something missingâŚâ she commented.
âYou usually rock that dress⌠but I donât know, it doesnât feel like a date kind of look. Whereâs he taking you, anyway?â Adassa asked.
âHe didnât specify. He just said, Doll up, love,â you replied, imitating his voice. âThat doesnât really tell me what he has in mindâ it could be anythingâŚâ
âWell, itâs at night, so that means either a restaurant or the movies,â Cora said.
âOr he could take you dancing,â a manâs voice interrupted. You all turned to see who it was. âHe seems like the kind of guy whoâd love that corny shit.â
âSince when have you been here, Milo?â Adassa asked.
âI had lunch here,â he answered simply, which prompted Adassa and Cora to exchange a knowing look with Selene. âBy the way, those shoes donât go with that dress. You probably want something longer but with a bit of spiceâ you know, like that dress you have, Selene.â He said it so casually as he sat in an armchair and lit a cigarette that all the women in the room were stunned. âNot that heâd care what you wear. He probably just wants to take it offâŚâ
He was cut off by a pillow hitting him squarely in the face.
It was too good to be true.
Still, his advice was spot-on, and you headed into Seleneâs room to change into the dress Milo had mentioned.
Fortunately, Selene had a very similar body type to yours, so sharing clothes wasnât unusual.
When you returned to the living room, you ran into Seleneâs roommate, who was likely heading out for the weekend. She gave you an appreciative whistle and said, âDamn, girl, you look groovy.â This was followed by a subtle nod of approval from Milo, which felt like winning a contest by earning the pickiest judgeâs endorsement.
Vista, the gentleman he was, had followed the directions you'd given him, and now he was ringing the bellâ which sent everyone in the living room into a full-blown panic.
Noisy as they were, they all wanted to catch a glimpse of Vista, but you didn't want this embarrassing chaos hitting your date night so early, so you shoved them all into the kitchen to hide.
Foolish to think they'd actually stay put.
You opened the door, and there stood Vistaâ tall, refined and a small bouquet of flowers in his hand. Flowers you clearly didn't deserve after ghosting him for a whole month since Christmas. He didn't seem to mind, though; no resentment, no awkwardness in those steady eyes.
As for you, you were barely holding it together. You'd forgotten just how overwhelming he was. Taller than you remembered, definitely buffer if that was even possible, smelling like expensive cologne and confidence, impossibly handsome, and already speaking while you hadn't caught a single word.
He smiled, warm and unruffled. "You look lovely this evening." His gaze shifted past you into the apartment, and you knew exactly what he'd spotted. "Ah, hello there. I'm afraid I'll have to steal your friend away for a while."
Your friends erupted in a chorus of âOh, itâs alright,â âHave fun,â and âNice to meet you too.â
Vistaâs charm was unavoidable.
He was lurking in a corner, still smoking and trying to act nonchalant, but he was looking awayâ and you could notice a faint blush on his cheeks. As a matter of fact, you were probably the least fazed person in the room, which was saying a lot.
"We're leaving now, bye," you blurted, stepping outside and pulling the door shut behind you.
Of course, as noisy as they were, you caught them crowding the windows againâ not even pretending to be subtle anymore, heads poked out, whispering and waving like a bunch of gossiping aunties as you walked toward Vista's car. A sleek navy blue Cadillac that screamed money and probably turned heads with envy from every guy on the block.
You were so overwhelmed, juggling your friends' antics and Vista just existing in all his glory, that you didn't even notice he'd opened the door for you until you nearly walked into it. That, plus the knowing, amused look he gave you, made you want to melt into the pavement.
"There's no need to be nervous," he said calmly, voice smooth as ever. "It's just me."
You wanted to deny it, say you were fine, but he'd see right through the lieâ your voice would shake, your hands would tremble, or both. The flowers in your grip were probably wilting from the earthquake in your fingers. "I know."
"Long time no see, huh?" He eased into the driver's seat, starting the engine with a low rumble. "I'm pretty much the same since Christmas, no need to worry."
"Ah, right." You let out a shaky laugh. "I forgot you were a Dungeon Master, my bad."
That earned a genuine chuckle from him, and from there, the night flowed easier.