randomfandom fic blog

He noticed it when you first joined the crew. You were fawning over how cute Chopper was and the way in which you did it made Chopper eat it up. He was doing his little flustered act when you asked to hold him because he looked so soft and he actually agreed in the midst of him trying to appear humble. You took him in your arms and gave him a big smooch on his cheek, all the while showering him in praises.

Then he noticed you would do it in greeting too.

After a few days apart on a stop in an island, you would greet Nami excitedly. You came back to the ship with a bag of treasure you got from grateful village members and she would call to you with a big smile on her face. You ran up to her in glee and hugged her tight, kissing the side of her face as you both happily greeted each other.

Once you got more comfortable with the crew it became the norm.

When Luffy would give the go signal to disperse, you would thank him with a kiss on the cheek. When Franky built you something you needed you'd get on your tiptoes which prompted him to lean down, letting you give him a peck on the skin of his face. When you complimented Robin on her knowledge on history, you would casually give her a smooch too when in a position to do so.

Even with Zoro you were able to get close enough to. Even when it wasn't a kiss to the cheek, you would give him a cheek-to-cheek in greeting.

It became a normal thing for the rest of the crew, but for Sanji...

He coveted it.

Out of everyone in the crew, he took advantage of it the most.

He would always reach for things in the kitchen, or anywhere really, for you even if you could reach it yourself. He always helped you down any flight of stairs, any ladder or steep walkway. He also always made sure to put extra care in your dishes, handing them to you first no matter where you were seated.

And it worked every time.

You always gave him a kiss on the cheek in return. Whenever you thanked him it was always paired with your sweet lips on his awaiting cheek, and half the time it even came along with your delightful giggle. You were always so reactive when he did anything for you, so charmed by everything he did which, of course, was all done purposively.

It had gotten to a point where even he would prompt it. Like a conditioned response to a conditioned stimulus, he would do something and present his cheek to you for your lips to grace.

You never minded either. You had so much affection to give and he had so much affection he wanted to recieve, especially from you. You were happy to indulge him in all the kisses he wanted.

-

One day, you were both in the kitchen. It was a usual snack time, he was whipping up cool drinks and creamy desserts for the crew to enjoy under the hot sun (although it was mostly for you, Nami, and Robin).

You sat at the counter in the galley with him, keeping him company, which allowed him to serve you first. He finished plating the first few and brought one over to where you were sat.

"The first one for you, my love" He said, the nickname rolling off the tongue

You smile at him warmly, "Thank you, Sanji"

He remembered the garnish he put off to the side, turning with a small 'oh' as he turned to get it.

When he did so, you leaned up to plant a kiss on his cheek when suddenly he turned back, garnish in hand, just in time for you to miss his cheek and plant a kiss on his lips instead.

He froze.

You froze.

Both of you realizing what just happened, you both look away, his cheeks and ears furiously blushing with your of feeling red hot from the blood rushing to your face.

"Sorry- it was just- the garnish-!" He tries to explain

You hands cup your face, still not daring to look back at him "It's alright! I'm so sorry!"

"No, my love! It's quite alright... actually it was even more than alright" He reassured you and added the last part quietly, more to himself.

You heard it though, building up the courage to look him in the eye.

But for now, with your palms against your warm cheeks, only one thought was in your mind

You didn't mind the feeling of his lips on yours at all

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

It's been a few weeks since Jax abstracted and Caine came back apologizing. It's been fine and fun actually. You learned what your name was and that you weren't real, but with the help of your friends and the mental coping you already had to do in the circus, it was not the worst thing to deal with. Along with all the fun adventures you all came up with, it's been filling your time successfully.

Caine was much more fun to be around now too, although before he went a little crazy, you always had a soft spot for him. You always appreciated him and even said so on multiple occasions. It was just his job to keep you all from going crazy, or so he says. It was also this sympathetic mentality that admittedly kept you from abstracting.

You guys even had private tea times sometimes, which did get you weird looks from everyone but they never bothered you too much about it, in fear of you abstracting without coping strategies. You always told him how much you appreciated what he did during tea time in which he told you you were secretly his favorite. That's why he allowed you to sit out on adventures sometimes.

When there was a chance to leave the circus, that was actually just an adventure, you did want to leave. You weren't crazy. However, when it turned out not to be real, you did go quiet for a bit which would've concerned everyone if it were not for their own shock. Then you decided to suck it up and accept how things were.

Then Caine went crazy, and you felt immensely bad for him. In a fit of pain and rage, he put everyone, including you, in a projection of your criticisms. You stayed silent when everyone was dogging on him so he just sent you to an empty black void for a bit, which made you so worried and scared as you were falling and bracing for an impact that never came.

Which brought you to now.

You were all a bit tired from the latest fishing adventure so they wanted to visit one of the old, more relaxing places for a bit. They were gonna bring Jax and his whole setup with them too.

But you weren't feeling it.

You were feeling something else.

Recently you noticed, without a censorship filter, you felt needier, hornier

It was foreign, after all this time. It's been years since you felt such a human, primal desire that wasn't the feeling of wanting to escape.

It didn't help that the object of your affections looked so good in clothes that weren't just his regular old suit. Sometimes you wish he's bring back his sparkly tux outfit.

He was helping transport Jax's tent to the beach. He himself was in a more casual outfit, a stereotypical hawaiian shirt... which honestly did it for you.

Once he set up the tent on the beach, everyone was going through the portal when you called for him.

"Caine?"

"Hmm?" He looked at you from above, floating as he watched them lead jax through the portal.

"I don't think I wanna go to the beach today"

Zooble overhears and asks, "Wait, why?"

You give them an apologetic smile, "I just don't feel like sun today I guess." You turn to Caine, "You think you can keep me company? Wanna have tea... like old times?"

His pupils dilate dramatically and he moves around comically. "Why of course, (C/N)!"

You guys say a quick 'see you later' to everyone and they don't pay much mind to the fact you guys were staying behind.

When the portal closes, Caine snaps his fingers and brings you both the the place you used to have tea, where he and Jax had a fake meal together once when Jax had to distract him during the escaping the circus adventure.

You smile at him as he orders tea from an NPC, but you had other plans.

"Uh, Caine?"

"Yes, my Dear?" He says in his circus host voice but the pet name still did something to you

You rest your head on your palm "What if we took this tea party somewhere else?"

The NPC comes back with the tea set and a tower of finger foods "Where do you suggest?" He asks curiously

"How 'bout a picnic tea party, in my room?" You suggest with an innocent tone

"Your room? How perfect! I haven't seen it since I conjured it up for your arrival!" He says excitedly. Snapping his fingers to transport you both, and the tea and food, onto a mat he conjured up on the floor of your room.

He looks around, admiring the changes you made since everyone got control of the circus. You chuckle as you poured tea for the both of you.

After some idle chatter, you decided he looked too good in his silly beach attire. You had to make a move. Or at the very least have him help you with your problem.

"So, Caine..."

He quirks a brow (his upper teeth?) at you.

"I was thinking, everyone's way more relaxed now. And you're a big help. But now, I've been getting a little— not bored! But just... feeling a little stagnant in the circus right now." You shrug

He looks to you, wordlessly asking what he can do.

"Since you're much more powerful than me in here, I was wondering if you could help conjure me some... facilities"

He quirks his head as he wonders what you meant

"Genitals. I want genitals, Caine." You say, straight up.

"OH" he says in realization, immediately flushing with a floating blush spreading on what would be his cheeks

"Well uh- I guess I could help give you those, and also program some sort of release command into your files"

While he rambles, you put the tea aside and start crawling to him, trailing your hands up his chest.

You hook your finger on his bottom teeth, getting his attention and making the words die on his tongue.

Your eyes meet his , "You could help me out with more than coding my files. Only if you would like to of course. It's a very... human experience" You say, tempting him by playing at his desire to relate more with people.

He gulps hard and it makes you chuckle, the way he did was like the gulps in cartoons.

You pull away a bit, tilting your head, "You don't have to of course-"

"No, no, I want to" He says, panicking that you were withdrawing your offer.

You try to comfort his jumpiness, "If you're not interested in me, it really is fine. Intimacy like that is conventionally done between people who are attracted to each other." It's funny, trying to explain human relations in a way he'd understand.

"I am interested! It's just a bit sudden. B-But you're my favorite human. If I could choose intercourse with anyone it would be you!"

You giggle. The way he speaks was very technical, even if he was saying he'd fuck you out of everyone in the circus.

You feel a shwoop! magically feeling the sensation of extra parts down below, realizing he already made it happen.

You smile at him warmly, taking it as a go signal to start unbuttoning his beach shirt. You didn't know what to expect but you were met with a quite human looking torso, that was quite toned. You could tell by his figure that he had delicious broad shoulders and a small waist but you wonder if he just made himself have muscles like this or if he always had it.

He looks down at your clothes and you take it as a sign to undress yourself as well. You're circus body was not the same as your human form, but the intimacy of the actions made up for it. You nudge him to get on the bed, you approaching him as he moves back to sit on the edge.

You find him flushed, the cartoon-style blush everywhere and even on his shoulders, making something so sexy about it. You realize he has gave himself genitals too, after climbing on his lap and feeling it.

"Where did you learn such naughty things, Caine?" You tease, caressing his 'face'.

"It's in my nature to want to learn, and I have a special interest in humans" He tries to explain normally.

This makes you roll your eyes with a smirk, bringing his face close to yours. You wonder if he knows how to kiss. His teeth close and pucker, as if his eyes are closed as well, and you kiss him. You wonder how it works but it does, if doesn't feel too weird and you guess the tip of his tongue scales down to make out with yours properly.

You grind against him and hear him let out a groan, which continues as you pull away from his face and start trailing it down his body. You reach his pants and you're able to unzip him with your teeth, giving him a show that flusters him.

You undo his pants and assess the cock he gave himself. It was reasonably long, not pornographically large but something that looks like would feel good. It was red with a leaky tip that made your mouth water.

You take his tip into your mouth, making him and the whole circus glitch for a split second. You chuckle, the vibrations making his thighs tense. You start to bob your head up and down and up and down, watching the walls of your room start to glitch more often.

You can hear his breath getting heavier as he pants, his eyes going all sorts of colors. His tongue lolls out and his legs tense and flex, fighting to urge to trap your head between them and fuck into your mouth.

You suddenly wonder how he finishes, about to teasingly stop and ask him how he programmed himself to ejaculate but to your surprise, you feel his dick twitch in your mouth. You watch hi grip the bedsheets in your peripheral and feel a fast rush of sticky liquid into your mouth.

It was a lot, more than you anticipated, and when you cough it out and look at him, he looks sheepish.

"I saw that it was more erotic with more of it" He admits, hands on his lap and looking down.

You cough the last of it out, using your mental skill to magically clean it from your mouth with your own ability to conjure things in the circus.

You chuckle, "It's fine"

You get up to climb on him but he fluidly takes your arm and flips you, causing you to land on the bed. You look at him in surprise and he's spreading your bare legs.

"I want to taste you, please" He asks breathlessly for permission. He saw that cunnilingus felt good for women and again, the intimacy of it all turned him on.

You nod and he starts, licking a long stripe up between your pussy lips. His large tongue swirls around your clit and you have to cover your mouth to keep yourself from moaning too loud. It's been who knows how long since you felt this kind of physical sensation.

You look down at him and you can see how he watches you, his eyes peeking from his teeth. His tongue was large enough to flex a bump to grind against your clit, the rest of it reaching down your slit, juices mixed with saliva dripping.

You grind against his tongue, feeling your high getting closer. It was strange, the feeling stronger than you've ever felt and you didn't know whether it was due to it being so long since the last time you felt this way, or he had programmed it to feel so good.

Either way your thighs quiver and you squirm, causing him to hold your thighs still, his hands wrapped around with his fingers pressing against your inner thighs. He keeps working at your heat, the pads of his fingers massaging your inner thighs endearingly.

All the sensations made your eyes roll back, back arching and body tensing up as you ride your high out on his tongue. Your hand finds his and he lets go of one thigh to interlock his fingers with yours.

When you finally come down from it he gets up, climbing on you.

"I learned this is next once you're ready," he says, out of breath. Your virtual juices don't disappear, mixed with his saliva to drop onto your chest which you could clean easily if you wanted to, but something about your remnants on him was so hot.

He looks at you for permission, lining himself up with your entrance. He was hard again, his stamina probably never running out.

You smile at him tiredly, nodding and kissing what would be his cheek

He nods in confirmation, slowly entering and filling you up.

It felt perfect, not too big even if you knew it wouldn't physically hurt if it was, and it was just right. The fit inside you was so satisfying, you let out a breath and lay your arms on his shoulders.

He slowly starts to thrust and you whine, holding him closer and kissing him like you did earlier. You then wrap your legs around his hips, nudging him to go faster.

You both start panting hard as he thrusts, getting needier as you suck on his tongue and dig your heels harder into his lower back. He thrusts hard, the bed rocking loudly against the wall, making you glad no one was around.

His hands hold onto your hips, allowing him to reach deeper as he wished, his hips meeting flush against yours.

You feel another orgasm coming, and you knew he noticed. His had goes up to cup the back of your head, tongue erotically slobbering all over your face, neck, and chest. Your eyes were closed but you could feel the gaze of his floating eyes watching your face contort into pleasured expressions.

"(Y/N)!" He moans out your real name, feeling you both reach climax together. You moan onto his tongue, body tensing again as you reach your high together. You could hear the glitching, hoping it didn't happen throughout the whole digital world. He releases into you, no chance to pull out as you've locked your legs around his hips.

-

The crew came back a little earlier than you expected. They lead Jax back to his set-up that Kinger this time was in charge of moving.

You and Caine were sat at the couch set up, deciding to finish your tea time there. You were in a comfier outfit rather than your usual model, with your legs curled underneath you. Caine handed you a warm mug before excitedly greeting the group.

You watch lovingly as he helped un-glitch Zooble's arms after leading Jax back. Pomni and Ragatha coming up to you.

"You look way more relaxed, what'd you guys do? Maybe we should join you both next time" She asks

You flush and stammer, "Erm, we had tea time"

Pomni looks at you suspiciously, "You're cup is still full" she points out, looking at your mug.

You blush more, bright red graphics gracing your face, "Well— we had multiple cups of tea"

"For hours?" Gangle chimes in, joining the conversation after overhearing and seeing your virtual blush graphics.

"We made a lot of conversation!" You snap back defensively

"Uh-huh" Gangle says, a sly grin on her face

"What are you guys suggesting?" Ragatha asks innocently, she had an idea but could not believe it

Pomni still squints suspiciously "I'm not sure, but something definitely happened. We all saw the glitching"

You sigh exasperated, Caine floating in and defending you. "We were just practicing her imagination conjuring abilities! It got a little overwhelming" He says in his normal, energetic voice, successfully getting everyone to drop it.

Ragatha shrugs and starts to walk back to Kinger and Zooble, Pomni still eyes you, and Gangle has a knowing smile on her face, mentioning something about looking out for hearts coming from your room.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Yandere!Coworker who you caught the eye of because you were always nice to him. What a surprise

Yandere!Coworker who you heard not-positive things about. You don't think he knows but people talk about him being "lowkey weird." You got your first taste of this behavior when you hand him papers after copying a document and he stares intently at his hand that brushed against yours after he thanked you

Yandere!Coworker who thinks he's acting normal when you invite him to a group outing in hopes of getting him out of his shell. He stays a step behind you the whole time and doesn't catch the way the other coworker/friends give him uneasy looks

Yandere!Coworker who keeps on hanging out with you, in group settings as well as one-on-one, building a rapport with you

Yandere!Coworker who definitely follows you home and finds a way into your bedroom window while you're busy in another room

Yandere!Coworker who inhales all of your clothes and sniffs it extra when a piece of clothing is used and strewn on the floor after a tiring work day. He also definitely gets off to your panties.

Yandere!Coworker who finds out what panties you use so he can sneakily replace them, keeping the used ones

Yandere!Coworker who takes you out on a date one day, disappearing for a few minutes, and coming back with a teddy bear for you. That bear had a camera inside it but he said he saw it at a store and wanted you to have a cute little souvenir

Yandere!Coworker who started giving you gifts in order to feel closer to you. A smart watch that he could track you by, a perfume he also had a bottle of that he could start spraying on his pillows, even food laced with aphrodisiacs so you could give him a show in the breached privacy of your home.

-

You who knew from what you heard that he was a strange guy. He obviously tries to put on a facade of being normal but you could see how he gets quiet on his own. He stares at people, disinfects his hands after interacting with some you assume he didn't like, and holds his hands together and close to himself when he likes them

You who realized he started touching you the most out of everyone and started disinfecting his hands and even avoiding touching everyone else.

You who could tell he liked you. It was very obvious, but you wanted to play with him a little before getting into a relationship if he dared to ask

You who invited him to outings of your work friend group and when they asked why, you told them you were trying to be nice. In reality, you wanted to cultivate his weird fixation on you

You who "hung out" with him, trying to drop hints so he could ask you out on a real date, saying yes so sweetly when he did

You who knew right away that the bear had a camera in it and jumped on the chance to indulge him, letting the bear have a full view of you every time you changed, sleeping with it in your arms, and even kept it on the bed when you pleasured yourself.

You who ate up every gift he gave, thanking him with a kiss every time that melted him into a blushing mess, always holding back a sound of pleasure.

-

You always just took the laced food he gave, putting on a show for him in the comfort of your bed, but one day it wasn't enough. One day he looked really good. He'd been working out at the gym in order to be more attractive to you and you could see it under his clothes. He gave you some chocolates you knew were aphrodisiacs and have grown to like the flavor of but today you insisted you both split it.

He didn't know why you decided to invite him over to your house that day but he was excited nonetheless. You both knew what would happen but one was unaware of how much intention was behind your invitation.

The chocolates had hit before the workday ended, you both sharing looks and sneaking kisses, feeling the tension between you get hot and heavy. By the time the day ended, he almost sped to your house before remembering he wasn't supposed to know your address. You saved him from revealing it though, giving general directions and making sure he didn't speed and get a ticket.

You invited him inside, yanking him by the tie to kneel before you at the seat by the door. You tilted your foot up, giving him the silent direction to remove it for you. He does, kissing your ankle and massaging your tired feet as his lips trail up and up.

He face disappears under your skirt and you yank his hair before he can get a taste of you, eliciting a whine that only got needier when you press your foot on his bulge.

You yank him up to stand, which he does so and you follow, wrapping your arms around his broader shoulders and leaning it, just barely brushing your lips against his.

"We can't do it out here, weren't you taught any manners?" You whisper condescendingly, to which he just whined even more, all but humping his bulge onto your front as he teared up.

You press a kiss to his mouth and order him to pick you up, hooking your legs around him and grinding your clothed pussy against his crotch, "Now be a good boy and take me to the bedroom"

He nods as you kiss him deeply, sloppily, all tongue and teeth with one hand tugging at the roots of his hair. He didn't even realize that he didn't hide the fact he knew where your bedroom was, taking you straight there without an explanation. It's not like he could anyway, too taken by the way your mouth moved against his in a way it never had before.

He dropped your on the bed, kissing down your chest and ripping open your blouse. He kisses lower and lower lifting your skirt and pulling your panties off, shoving it into his pocket. This time he did get a taste, he dove straight in, licking your slit and sucking on the bud at its peak

You squeal at how hungrily he moved, grasping his hair harshly, "Who said you could start? You didn't even ask, bad, bad" you scold him

He looked up at you, tears falling from his waterline down his flushed cheeks, "Please, please" was all he could get out as he continued. He pulled you closer despite your scolding, even grinding against the mattress as you berated him.

"Please, I'll make you feel so good" he mumbled against your pussy, working his mouth on it in a way you didn't know he could, finally allowing him as your torso falls back onto the bed from where it was propped up by your elbows.

You grind on his face, encouraging him with your moans as you get closer and closer. With the arch of your back, you ride out your climax as he drinks it up, the slurping sounds filling the room.

When he pulls away, he wipes the juices on his face with the back of his hands and comes back up to beg for your kisses, asking "Did I do good?"

You give him a breathy yes before shoving him, tiredly rolling you both over so you were straddling him. You both breathe heavily and you decide to take off your bra, watching the way his eyes drink you up. His eyes ask for permission and you nod authoritatively, letting him suck on your now freed nipples.

You make him undo his pants himself with an order, not bothering to do it yourself. You pull him away for a bit to kiss him, grinding your naked pussy against his shaft, both your juices combining on it. The thought makes him drip pre cum even more, moaning into the kiss.

You lift your hips but pause right before sinking down on him. You pull away with a smirk. You reach away and he wonders why, before you take the teddy bear he gifted you, and make it watch. "Don't you want a record of our first time together?" You offer sweetly.

He was shocked, not knowing how you knew and how long you knew of his creep behavior. But before he could try and process, you lower your hips, pulling a delicious sound from him.

"H-How- when-" he tries to ask but you cut him off with your lips meeting his again. He couldn't pull away, he didn't need an explanation as much as he needed to feel the way you were wrapped around him.

You rode him until he was at his peak, even if you were mostly chasing your own. You could tell he was close because of the tears, the nonsensical pleading, the way his moans turned into whimpers.

You too were at the edge, not stopping to tease or anything, riding through both your orgasms. He went slack jawed as you once again closed the gap, tonguing into his mouth as you grinded down on his spurting cock.

You both try to catch your breath, the tiredness of your thighs catching up to you. You stroke and pet his hair, watching him come back to reality, his eyes meeting yours.

"How long have you known? What do you know?"

You chuckle and roll your eyes, "I know pretty much everything you've done since the beginning. I'm very observant and you're very cute"

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

A/N: I might be ovulating yall. Sorry if the smut part kinda messy I kinda just typed and kept on typing and now im posting. Thanks for reading!

Gojo Satoru (W/C: 512)

He was on a spree, making deals left and right. He sold a lot of high end cards and even bought many for his collection. He collected the rare, expensive cards, both vintage and the newest chase cards, all arranged in order of release. He pulled half of them himself, giving him a nice heap of inventory for card shows thanks to his seemingly bottomless bank account.

Imagine his surprise when you come strolling in, on your own, too. You looked at his display, shyly clutching your binder. You seemingly find something you like and he sees which card you looked at. 'Of course you'd like that one,' he chuckles to himself under his breath.

Your gaze goes from the card you were eyeing, to meeting his. When you looked up and realized he was already looking at you, you turned away awkwardly but took it as a sign to open.

"How much is this one right here" you ask, pointing to the card

He grins a smile so warm that it's welcoming, "The (F/P)? That particular card isn't one of the top chases of its series but I don't see many of it around today"

You nod in agreement, watching him take it out of the case and handing it to you for inspection. He looks up prices on his phone before confirming

"This one goes for twelve dollars most recently," he says, giving the estimated price and you're ready to accept and dig around in your bag for the wallet before he continues,

"But for you... maybe it could be on the house, in exchange for a date?"

He smirks, the way he offers was so suave it made you giggle. You're nerves were melted away by now as you placed the card down while you pretended to consider it

"Am I paying? Because my budget on this whole transaction really is just twelve dollars" You banter back

He laughs, "Of course not, just bring your pretty self, your presence alone is priceless to me"

Smooth

You chuckle and decide to take it, not wanting to hold up the other collectors looking through his inventory who were ready to make deals of their own. You hold out your hand for him to shake, to which he grasps firmly but not too hard, "Deal"

You pull out your phone and let him input his number, you text it so he could save yours on his phone.

You smile at him. "One of the firsts transactions I could afford today," you joke, he laughs and you take your card, giving him a quick goodbye as the next person starts inquiring about another card.

You left with plans to see him again before you finished your time at the card show, you didn't bring too much money so you weren't planning on staying long or spending much. That was before your phone dinged and you opened it to see a cash transaction through your phone number, a thousand dollars.

You chuckle in disbelief, shaking your head with a smile on your face.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆

Kozume Kenma (W/C: 686)

The stream was lively as always, donations for cards to give to kids were coming in and he had given away many full arts and slabs thanks to people. He was also able to restock some of the more popular selling cards because of it.

He was not the biggest fan of too many social interactions, but being a livestreamer improved his social skills and it was much easier to interact with people through a similar interests. The only reason he was able to bond with so many was because it was over pokemon card transactions. Many people were stopping by because he knew what sold and had a great deal of luck pulling cards lately.

You were one of the people who stopped by, politely looking over the cards. You didn't make as much conversation as the others which was a relief because he had been chatting with people all day. It was around lunch time, the amount of people in the hall taking a dip.

"May I see this one?" You asked, pointing at an EX card. He mostly had full arts on display and those were the ones being taken so that specific one has been sitting there for a while.

He takes it out and hands it to you, curious enough to ask, "You doing a master set or something?"

A smile grows on your face and you nod, taking the binder you held between your arm and your side, opening it. You already had many full arts of the pokemon, needing a few reverse holos and EXs left.

You explained which ones you needed and he listened intently, glad to not have as many people around so he had the time to not rush.

He dug in his bulk for some reverse holos you needed, even including the EX in the pile. He slides it to you over the table, stopping you from paying by covering his QR code.

"You can have it, they're not very expensive"

You insist, shaking your head, "It's alright, some of these are rising in value recently, even if only a few bucks, it adds up, y'know"

He didn't know what possessed him to ask, but something felt less daunting with you. He cooly says back, "How 'bout you give me your number in exchange instead. If you want to, of course"

That caught you off guard but you smile anyway, the deal seeming really good. You knew who he was, he was a rich and famous streamer. Not that that was a reason you accepted, but the fact that someone you recognized to not be very sociable was asking for your number. He didn't seem like someone above you, even as a famous figure, he talked to you very casually.

That's why it was easy to accept, taking his phone to type it in. As you did, he checked his steam on another device because of course he had more than one. He saw the chat going crazy, watching the whole interaction.

'Omg not him pulling live on stream'

'Didn't know kodzuken had game like that'

'pulling more than just cards 😝😝😝'

'lucky pull'

'no way he just did that'

'me next me next'

He chuckles to himself, eyes fast enough to catch those in between the spam of emotes.You give him back his phone and he shakes your hand, sealing the deal.

He leans forward slightly, giving you all the butterflies.

"I'll shoot you a text if I get anymore (F/P) in." He says, and you swore he just winked at you. Your face heats up and you nod, his chat going crazy from how smoothly he said that, without even seeing his wink due to his long hair. He wondered how much crazier everyone would get if they saw.

You went on your way and he watched as a few people gifted subs to fund the start of the collection of pokemon he was planning to help you with.

Bonus you come back with lunch for him on the second day because you watched the vod and realize he doesn't take lunch breaks.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆

Sebastian (W/C: 587)

This was his third card show in this venue, he didn't come to the city all that much but he did like going to some conventions. He was a vendor at a few of them, lucky enough to start his trading and selling in the pokemon market alongside his programming job.

He was having fun meeting people until one person caught his eye. You. You were on your own, hopping from vendor table to vendor table. You zoomed around so fast, checking displays. You also made very fast deals, which he noticed because you spent so little time around the booths and walked really fast.

You were like a bee, buzzing from flower to flower.

You eventually reached his booth, looking at the display. You very quickly scanned through it before you saw one you wanted. You pointed at it, calling his attention before realizing you already had it.

"This one please, do you take trades?" You asked with a tone very sure of yourself. You knew what you wanted and that definitely attracted him.

He nods, taking the slab out and showing you. It was a PSA 10, making it higher value. It wasn't one of those thousand dollar cards but the grade made it worth quite a lot. You went through what he assumed was your trading binder.

"Do you have any Charjabugs? My sister likes them but no one really keeps them around"

His eyes light up, "As a matter of fact, I do. I have the AR and many bulks of it. I have a section of them when I tried arranging my bulk"

You laugh at the thought, "Ho'd that work out?"

He was counting the Charjabugs he had available as he replied, "I got to C"

You leaned closer, watching him go through the cards, "Well lucky for me"

You take out a couple well priced cards from your binder, offering to him as a trade. You knew it wouldn't cover it all though.

"How much should I pay in cash? I know this slab is pretty expensive and that, along with the Charjabugs might be more than these"

He takes the cards alone, holding his hand out to shake, "This is fine, if you really want, you could pay back the cash amount if you take me out to lunch?"

His attempt at flirting made him facepalm mentally. He's never really socialised in this way aside from the few people who stopped to admire his motorcycle when he visited the city. Still he had to try, even if it was a clumsy attempt.

It was such a sudden statement, it stunned you for a moment which was rare. This made him a little nervous, mind racing in the beat of silence.

"Unless you have a boyfriend or you don't wanna, if so you can just take the cards and spare me from embarrassment" He chuckled, awkwardly trying to save the interaction with a joke.

You snap out of it, his nerves making you feel less awkward and more humorous in comparison.

"It's alright, I was just caught off guard. I will indeed take you out to lunch" You say playfully

You take his hand and shake it, holding it then in your non dominant hand as you grabbed the marker on the side of the table. You roll up his sleeve and write your number down on his arm

With a smirk, you take the slab and the cards you got from him, giving him a wink before zooming away.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

A/N: I did the top two winners plus Sebastian cuz I do what I want. Anyway I hope y'all enjoyed. Thanks for reading!

Tag: @ynniksslirg

-

BEEP BEEP BEEP

You groan, shutting off the alarm clock. You get up and get ready for the day, grumbling all the while. Your roommate, Chester, munches on breakfast and you roll your eyes at how he sits there taking his sweet time. He notices you when you get a piece of bread and haphazardly put butter on it before eating like you're in a rush, like you so often are.

"How many today?" He pipes up while you put on your shoes

You shrug, "Three? More if they feel like it."

You were a freelancer, one of your most frequent clients was a lackey of an overlord or whatever. Basically, you killed, threatened, got information about, any sinner they wanted. You would think when in hell, people would have nothing to lose but power is power no matter where you were.

Your client right now, someone who works for those wild west weirdos, cowboy looking overlords, asked for you to collect loans from three people today and to maim them if they refused. It paid pretty well, however you did work mostly on commission so if they didn't pay you would just have to take some of their belongings for yourself. They would usually have a designated time until debts were to be collected but sometimes they would ask you to collect early if their patience ran thin.

You were about to bid your roommate goodbye before saying, "Oh right and I know you work for Voxtek and all but you don't have to take everything you can from them"

"Why not? We get good tech for free" He says with a full mouth

You sneer at him in disgust as crumbs fly from his mouth, "Well that alarm clock has to go. Annoying as fuck" You mumble the last part as you walk out the door.

-

"Ahh there she is. My favorite intern." He purrs as you walk in with his coffee. You blush, setting down the tray that hold both your drinks. He started insisting on also getting yourself something from the coffee cart, it becoming a ritual to sit with him while he reads over scripts.

You sit next to him in his couch in his private dressing room, drinking from your own cup and trying to wake yourself up for the day. He got here early before the makeup artists and stylists did, and you also made it a habit to keep him company and get him what he needed in the mornings. You were aware that you were an intern for whoever asked for anything done, but the way everyone respected him let him ask for your assistance all the time.

"Have I ever told you how much it means to me that you get here early?" He glances up from his script as he speaks

Your eyes widen in attention, shaking your head a little, "No, Sir."

He shrugs, "Well I appreciate it very much. I got a promotion from weatherman to news reporter and you're still a barely-paid intern. Unfair isn't it?" He muses

You chuckle nervously, not wanting to complain. You agreed though, now dealing with more work and it not reflecting in your salary, but you did not want to seem ungrateful. "I mean, your new position was pretty abrupt with the previous anchor's death but I think you deserve it. I'm just happy I can help with your new workload"

He grins, placing a hand on your thigh and leaning closer, "And that's why you're my favorite, so humble. Tell me, (Y/N), would you like to be my personal assistant?"

-

When you get home, your roommate is way more stressed than he was this morning. He's muttering while alternating from his tablet to his laptop to his phone.

You slump onto the couch with a huff, "I see we both had long days"

He barely spares you a glance, "Yeah."

You take his busy silence as an invitation to complain, "I got the money from the first guy which is rare so I thought today was gonna be good but the other two had nothing. Not only that they were BOTH hiding. They know that never works. It was a bitch to track them down then I roughed them up AND THEN that Hatchet guy had one more guy on a leash who also tried hiding. I had to shut that down and haul his ass to the overlords themselves so they could torture him or whatever. God, this job is a bitch sometimes"

Saying that last bit somehow got your roommate's attention. His head snapped at you with a weird hopeful look in his eyes.

You furrow your brows at him and look at him weird, "What?"

He reaches for you, cupping you face and you push his hands off with a laugh, "Spit it out, weirdo"

"How would you like to have a job where you don't have to run around hurting people... as much" He offers

You scoff, "What you want me to be a saint now? Might as well send me to that weird hotel with the bad marketing"

"No, no, just think about it. All you have to do is bring coffee, print papers, send emails-"

"Wait wait, what job is this? Is this in Voxtek- you know I refuse to work there" You say in slight anger, shutting him down

"And you won't tell me why! C'mon please! The new guy I was supposed to be training was a clutz and got ink on Valentino's jacket. I need to find a replacement and if the Vees find out we're understaffed I'm gonna lose out on my promotion. I'm this close to becoming one of their journalists!"

You raise a brow at him, unamused, "So you want me to save your ass and take a position where if I make any mistake they'll kill me?"

"How'd you know that? I didn't tell you they killed the last guy" He nervously mumbles

"They're the Vees, I know how they are" You roll your eyes.

"Please! I don't know anyone outside of work except you and I don't trust any desperate rando to be competent. If I lose another one who knows what'll happen to me!"

You shake your head, leaning back and trying not to give into his pleading.

"If I die or get demoted you can't afford this place"

You pause.

He got you there.

You look at him with a 'please don't make me' look before sighing in defeat. You hear him cheer when you do, already filling in paperwork about your employment with a plethora of 'thank you's coming from him as he does so.

You sigh exasperatedly, "Your lucky I have no clients queued up right now."

-

"Mr. Whittman, I have your script. Your guest on friday is the actor from that new movie" You smile, happy to be in his dressing room away from the hustle of producers and writers and other interns running around.

He smiles and holds out his hand, you place the script in his hand and the two drinks in your other hand down on the short coffee table in front of the couch.

"How many times do I have to tell you, dear, call me Vincent." He smirks, looking up at you.

You giggle, "Sorry, I'm just not used to it," you say as you sit next to him, body tilted to face him slightly. Your arm was on the back of the couch and you tilt your head, looking at him

He chuckles, putting his hand on your thigh and leaning in to kiss at your neck. You sigh and tilt your head the other way to open your neck up more to him. Your hand falls to rest on his shoulder and you shift closer to him when his other hand presses against the smal of your back. He kisses up your neck to your ear and whispers lowly into it, "You sounded very used to it when I had your legs over my-"

"Vincent! My gosh!" You squeak, hitting his chest and hiding your flushed face in his shoulder.

"There you go," He purrs, satisfied with hearing his name from your mouth. "Good girl"

-

You enter V Tower, Chester blabbing his mouth off on your duties which wasn't much outside of 'Go where you're needed and do whatever anyone asks.'

You roll your eyes and try to keep your head down. It was unlikely you were going to encounter Vox but you did not want to risk anything. Chester gets called somewhere and he gives you a quick 'Good luck' and directs you to a room. You enter and there, to your relief, was a lineup of clothes and models for Velvette.

The rest of the week was spent on rotation between the three Vees. You fluttered around, delivering notes and doing literally anything no one wanted to do that you were capable of. At some point you did pass by him but with your different Hell appearance, he didn't notice.

You realized you quite enjoyed it. You were still running around but instead of everywhere in the pride ring it was limited to a building. You also had to reprimand people but instead of beating them up for money, you just had to threaten them with losing their jobs due to incompetence. Even as an intern, bottom of the food chain in a corporate setting, you knew how to get stuff done for higher ups.

Today, you found out that this week's staff member who was in charge of the shark tank was once again fed to the sharks. You roll your eyes, knowing if no one was going to feed that damn shark, Vox himself was going to feed it another employee that your roommate was now in charge of replacing. You did not want to hear his complaining. So, you suck it up, take in a deep breath, and go up to the room where the top of the tank is. You were not sure on the cleaning process but the food was there in a bag in the freezer. You take the bag of raw meats and a pair of thick gloves and with a look of disgust on your face, you pull out whatever unspecified meat was in it.

"Here, sharky, sharky" You try standing back enough that you could escape if it tried to eat you. You hold out the meat and after grabbing one of the sharks' attention you drop it in.

You could make out a few figures bite it from the bottom. You then continue to drop it all but grow worried at the big shark that hasn't eaten anything. You try to 'sharky, sharky' it again but it doesn't pay you any mind other than a glance.

You huff and pull back, you were worried that you might get eaten alive if that big one wasn't fed, literally. You remember that there was another opening in Vox's office that the shark might be more used to, considering all the people tossed through there. You sigh, making your way down to the office.

-

"Vincent?"

Your voice racked with fear, your body frozen as your fight-or-flight response fails you. You can barely feel anything, your body cold with chills and refusing to move.

His head snaps to you, hands letting go of the wire that drops one of the producers body. His hands shoot up, palms open, trying to reach out and calm you down, showing you he won't hurt you. A panicked smile is on his face, "(Y/N), sweetheart-"

"You— you killed them? All those people?" You shakily let out, stepping back away from him in small steps, almost stumbling.

He pauses before stepping towards you even slower, not wanting to spook you, "I needed to, okay? They were in the way"

That statement scares you all over again. Were you in the way now that you found out? You try to glance behind you, preparing to run before he speaks up.

"Not you, okay, you're not in the way, are you? My favorite assistant, sweetheart, c'mon!" He slowly but surely steps closer to you until he gets you in arms reach. His sweet words and his warm but bloody touch are enough to calm you just a little bit. He takes this as a sign to pull you into his arms, getting the blood of one producer all over your clothes as well. He rubs your back, encouraging you to breathe which you eventually do.

When you're relaxed enough in his arms, he cups his face and you look at his very handsome face that seems to calm you down more somehow. He looks at you with an encouraging smile, "Nothing bad's gonna happen, okay? You trust me right?"

You meet his eyes, gulping to try and relieve your dry throat. Finally, take a deep breath and nod.

-

You look around, double checking the schedules in your hands. Once you're sure Vox isn't in his office you slowly open the door. When you don't hear anyone reprimand you, you take it as a sign to enter.

You quickly do so, not wanting to get in trouble. With the bag of meat or whatever's left in it, you try to find a way up to the opening and how it even opens. You try to find a storage room or something with a ladder but walking around with a chilled bag of raw meat was kind of annoying.

You finally do find a ladder that goes up to it and make your way up. You find that it's some kind of smart door that opens and closes quickly so you can quickly throw the meat it and voila! The shark finally eats. You let out a sigh of relief, and start stepping down.

Before you can get down the step ladder, a voice calls out, irritated and on the brink of killing again, "What are you doing here?"

It makes you freeze, but you hate the way that the familiar voice doesn't make your blood run cold in fear.

You glance up but without meeting his eyes, you act like you're in a rush and go to put away the step ladder. "I'm sorry, Sir, the big one wouldn't eat up there. I'll be on my way" You gesture to the big shark and wave your hands dismissively.

You try to miss the way he freezes. Choosing to abandon the ladder, you try to rush out before he can realize anything.

But you are too late.

"(Y/N)?"

You're almost out the door but you falter. You try not to stop in recognition of your name but hearing him say it in his voice makes you pause just for a split second.

In the second half of that second, you catch yourself.

"Who?" You ask, pretending to not know, even lowering your voice to make it sound not like you. You don't turn, trying your damnedest to not seem like yourself.

You almost step out but get pulled back by wires. Now the panic starts. You try to squirm but he brings you to sit in his chair. You then try to keep your head down but he grabs your face, making you look at him. His hands are bigger now, rougher and adorned with large talons that skillfully angled to not cut you.

His eyes examine your face. It was different, definitely not human looking, but still definitely you. You see his eyes trail each feature, his shoulders slump when he confirms that it is you. You were here.

"Darling..." He breathes out

You give a sheepish smile, "Vincent." You give a nod as if in greeting

He pushes away from the chair, hand on his head and the other on his hip as he tries to reel himself in. "You— You're here. In Hell-!"

You roll your eyes, "Well, thanks for reminding me"

"-And with an attitude!" He chuckles in disbelief

You shrug, "Well if that's all," you say as you get up.

"Wha- No, no, no. All these years and you were here all along. You are going to explain why the hell you didn't come back to me, and how the hell I never found you" he demands.

"What is there to explain? I've been surviving here on my own. I didn't even wanna work here but I had to do my roomie a solid." You cross your arms and grumble, clearly not wanting to be here.

He sighs, stepping close to you and resting his hands on your arms, then moving them to cup your face. You give him a side-eye as he does so.

"What happened you? You were so sweet, so devoted..." He asks with a twinge of disappointment in your new personality.

You scoff, "Yeah and look where that got me"

You couldn't lie to yourself. You were so sweet and you really did like him, loved him even. However, that loyalty to him landed you here, in Hell. You figured covering up his crimes and helping him further his 'movement' was on you as well, regardless of how deluded with love you were.

-

"The other studios wanna feed you the same boring crap everyone's seen before. You want newer, you want bigger, you want brighter!"

You sigh dreamily as he gives a rousing speech to all his loyal devotees, you his right hand woman at his side. He was preaching and you couldn't help but notice how crazed he looked; like he was almost at the height of his dream, able to reach out and taste the victory of his goals. It should scare you but the familiar expression on his face stopped scaring you long ago.

"Now, who's ready to be baptized into a new era of entertainment!?"

It happened all in a flash, people rallying closer, a wire snapping, the sharp pain shocking everyone and next this you knew... you opened your eyes to a dirty, red hell.

-

You watch him pace around, bored and inching closer and closer to the exit. He keeps scooting you back closer with his wires as he mumbles to himself about why you didn't come back to him. The things you picked up from under his breath could be read as insecure, but you knew better. You could tell he was crazed and trying to reason why you weren't his perfect little trophy wife anymore.

"Can I go now? There's quite literally nothing to do about this situation anymore, it is what it is" You make an attempt at getting him to let this go even if it was an unlikely chance

His head snaps up as he chuckles darkly, "You... you think I'm just going to let you go?" He all but cackles

"This is great, I found my most loyal follower, my favorite intern, an intern once again! You know what this means? We could start over, or pick up where we left off, whichever just as long as your mine again"

You shove him off, more pushing yourself away than him, "Woah woah, it's been decades! We're very different, I don't want to go back, Vincent"

He laughs once more, this time an eerie feeling creeping up your spine, a feeling somewhat nostalgic against your best interest.

"You think you have a choice?"

Your hands go to hold yourself in a protective stance, more to hold yourself composed as much as you can "Vincent, don't do this"

His claws caress your face, then stroking a strand of hair, "C'mon, Babydoll, you know you won't resist. Now that I found you, you can stay with me. Move away from what I assume is a cheap room in the slums"

Fuck, his voice was doing it again. Making sweet sweet promises you knew he could keep. Promises he always kept.

You close your eyes, shaking your head and stepping back, holding yourself tighter. You felt him step closer, following you, and placing his hands on your waist in the way you both knew he used to do. He tilted his head the same way he did to kiss at your cheek, down to your jawline.

"C'mon, you know you want to give in. I could make your life so easy here. Think of how much struggle you've had to put up since getting here. Come back to me and we can be like we used to"

The offer made you reflect, how much harder it was before working in V Tower. You remembered the dates he took you on, the flowers he always got you, the pretty dresses he always bought. You remembered how despite how feral he acted chasing his dreams, he was always gentle with you.

But you couldn't guarantee that this time, you were so different and he probably was as well. You had to keep your guard up. You weren't the same ditzy, easily flustered, person you once her. You didn't know how he would take to that. Who knows, one sassy retort could get you killed or worse.

You pull back slowly but surely, looking him in the eye and seeing his widening smirk, "You don't want me anymore, trust me. I know how to live on my own now, I'm not as easy as before"

He brings his hand up to condescendingly pat you head "Mmm, I can work with that. Might be interesting with a little bite from your end"

You roll your eyes, slightly annoyed but amused by his determination to keep you like a possession. You knew you could make the most out if this like you had been doing the whole time living down here. You'd pretend to give in wholly, keep your wits about you, and worst case scenario, keep an escape plan in mind.

You couldn't lie, he still attracted you like he once did, and you could see a good path ahead if he treated you like more of an equal. You could play this. You could act like a possession while making demands, you knew you could.

"If you're sure. I do have a condition though," You tested, wanting to see if he'd give you what you wanted

He rolls his eyes in annoyance, "Depends, what is it?"

You grit your teeth and bear it, you'd deal with his attitude later

"The only reason you found me is because I did a favor and started to work here. You have to give my friend a raise, you owe it to him"

"I owe NOTHING- okay, y'know what? Fine. It's done" He stopped himself from raising his voice at you, raising his arms in surrender

"But you can't talk to him anymore"

You wave your hand, "Yeah, yeah" You agreed, knowing you probably wouldn't end up listening anyway.

Even in life, no matter how much power he had over everyone, he was always wrapped around your finger when it came to your relationship. You were a trophy wife and he was a picture perfect husband, it even helped with his public image.

Your thoughts were interrupted when he claps loudly, an excited smile on his face, "Perfect! I'll show you to my room and you can stay there. I'm assuming you don't own any valuable shit so you can move in right away. Of course, you won't need to work, not in that stupid lowly position anyway. I'll just have you the same way you used to work for me; by sitting by my side, or on my lap, lookin' real pretty"

You couldn't but in as he rambled and fussed over you, letting him sweep you up to his room, you both abandoning your responsibilities for the day.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

It was a small island populated by a little town. Originating from nomads of the Grand Line who decided to settle on the bountiful land, the people now live to help along the sailors and even pirates that stopped by. It was a welcoming place, peacefully coexisting with those who stopped by; not wanting any trouble and yet housing strong enough people that could stand their ground against the more dangerous.

The Straw Hats first docked in order to reset the log pose as well as to restock their inventory, the usual deal. They were surprised with the lively and welcoming town, so much so that they were on guard from the last time they were in an overly welcoming town. This one was more calm however, not throwing them any big welcoming parties and instead just showing them where to buy what, and where they could stay for the meantime.

They got settled, everyone dispersing to find what they needed on their first day there. The cook, obviously, went to go stock up on food and try the local cuisine.

He strolled the markets, taking free samples from every stall and buying the usual ingredients. In his stroll of the market, he comes across an unmanned stall, product just laying there which could've been surprisingly easy to just steal. He would never do that though, more concerned than anything.

He examines the product for a bit, the display still full. Whoever it was they were selling strange pastries. Breads that were infused with herbs, muffins that were laced with colorful ribbons of syrup, anything of the like. He recognized some herbs, ones that were unique to this island, ones that were medicinal but also ones that were known for being avoided. Plants that made people itch and ones that stung the eyes were IN the food! It intrigued him enough to keep waiting for a stall owner.

He looks around once more and finally noticed a woman racing back. Your hair was a mess from the wind and your clothes were all ruffled as you tried to tame your appearance when you arrived, "Oh! A customer! Woah, sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone today" You said sheepishly.

Suave as ever, he leans in with a smile, "All good, I'd wait a hundred years for such a beautiful woman to show up"

That makes you blush and giggle, fiddling with the flap of your blouse before you snap out of it and get back to the task at hand. "Oh, right! So these are my creations, I bake with herbs and fruits no one really uses. I find techniques to make it work and it gives very interesting flavors. I know it seems a little strange but it's really good if you gave it a chance!"

You cringe internally, your pitch sounding a little more desperate than intended. No one has bought anything yet and you were starting to get discouraged but you really did believe in what you were selling.

You notice how he looks at it curiously and you pipe up once again, "Wanna try a sample? Here, try the Yellowfruit Roll." You cut a piece of it as you explain, "They are usually incredibly sour and bitter but I found if you crush it, carefully extract the juices, and mix it with sugar, and surprisingly, the juice of bitter greens, something happens that makes it sweet and a little savoury"

You ramble on as he takes the bite, too nervous to see his reaction. You eventually quiet down, nervously watching him figure out what he's tasting.

"That is such an interesting flavor." He says, brows furrowed like he's trying to figure it out

You smile when he says that because now you know he's giving it a chance and not rejecting a complex flavor. "Isn't it?"

You present the other pastries, now more confident, "I have Stinging Pine Bread too. It's made with stinging pine that was washed in saltwater and lemon which gives it a much bearable flavor. It's salty but there's something else that hits the back of your throat"

You hand him the sample and watch when he realize just what hidden flavor you're talking about. "This is amazing," he says, stunned.

You beam, rambling as you list down the other products and their prices. He takes a few of each and it already sells most of your stock. You put it all in a basket and hand it to him, trying not to react at the way his fingers brush against yours.

He adds it to his wagon of food and pulls money from his pocket. Your giddiness from finally earning something gets interrupted when he hands you the money and shaking his hand just for him to turn your hand over and pressing a kiss to the back of it.

"You are a lovely baker, my dear. Such a way with food, you have to take me into that mind of yours sometime"

Your face burns and you're taken aback but you giggle all the same as an instinctive response. You can feel the other people's eyes on you, watching as you fall for another flirt's advances. You couldn't help yourself from giving in to the sweet words every time.

"Maybe we can arrange something" You respond, noticing the smile on his face grow a little more and the newfound sparkle in his eyes at your acceptance.

He lets go of your hand and you already miss the warmth. You wave him goodbye and he winks at you before he leaves.

-

You gush about it to your family, well the people you considered family. The whole village raised you, they were all like your big brothers and sisters. You went back to the bed and breakfast inn you lived in with what's left of your inventory, looking for your 'older sister.'

"Mimika!" You call, interrupting her from organizing papers. You present her the wagon, low on product, "I sold so much today!"

She walks over and ruffles your hair, hugging you, "That's great! I wonder what kind of people are in town today that actually like your stuff" She snickers

You pout and hit her playfully, "You're so mean! Plus, it wasn't a weird group of people, it was this handsome pirate chef." You cross your arms, a giddy grin growing on your face

She looks at you unamused, "Not again,"

You stop her right there, "Hey! I'm not falling as easily this time. That last guy was just a bum. This guy is way nicer though, but don't worry, I'm gonna see what his deal is before crushing again"

She scoffs, going back to her papers, "Crushing? More like falling in love with another fling who's gonna leave after their log pose resets"

Ouch, that kinda hurt. She could tell, her face softening, "I'm sorry but you really have to stop thinking every guy in the one. I love you sis but you believe in love way too much"

You sigh, "I know. Don't worry, I won't take this one too seriously"

She nods with a smile, "Attagirl"

You go on your way, leaving the room to bring your leftover pastries back to your kitchen. Kitchen was a strong word for it, there was a stove and an oven, but it was mostly a mess of random appliances, some not even ones that belong in a kitchen, to experiment on the plants for your baking. With renewed energy, you spend the rest of the day making more and different pastries.

-

The next time you two meet is when you were visiting the local herb and spice vendor. Your specialty was unique ingredients but even sometimes you had to use the usual to make it work. Yes you had your own garden but you didn't have ALL the ones you needed; and to be honest, you also forgot to water some of them sometimes.

You spy him examining the table and even haggling for more bags of them for a certain price. You snicker behind him as you approach, amused at their back and forth. Finally, you made your presence known, standing next to him and smiling at your dear friend, the vendor.

"Aww c'mon, Riu, just give him a few more bags. It wouldn't hurt, I've seen your basil farm" You say cheekily

He jumps slightly at your presence before smiling, "Hello, again"

You glance at him with a "Hi" before smiling expectantly at Riu.

Riu rolls his eyes with a scoff before tossing some extra bags across the table. You smile at him contagiously until an endearing smirk grew on his face as well. "You're the best, Riu!"

You add the pouches to Sanji's wagon, today filled with another set of ingredients as he paid. He pulled the wagon with him as you both walked side by side.

"So, what's on the list today?" You start, making conversation

He shrugs, "I just need a few more boxes of spice, I already have meat and vegetables yesterday and bought sacks of rice and grain today." He answers politely, giving you a charming smile

You return it, along with an offer. "If you'd like some things unique to the island, I could let you raid some plants from my garden"

That made his eyes light up, "How could I say no to such an offer" he says, offering his elbow for you to hold. You take it and with the wagon in tow he playfully bows with his head, "Lead the way m'lady"

You do so, bringing him to the back of the inn you lived at and to a secret fenced area. You open it with a mechanic only you knew how to work and let him walk in.

You point out the sections and different groups of potted plants.

"This is the yellowfruit, and that's the stinging pine. These are my other fruits the alphines, redfruit, purbury, and all those other ones, they're labeled."

You show him the herbs, "This is the stinging pine I just showed you, some nettleleaf- ooh, this one I discovered! When you steep it and use the tea to cook rice, it starts to taste like coriander!" You say excitedly

He matches your energy with curiosity, looking closely at them and even reaching out to examine some before you softly grab his hand to keep him from touching it without gloves.

He looks at the rows of plants before curiously looking at an unlabeled one in facination, "What's this"

You look over and realize what he was pointing at, giggling at him, "That's thyme"

"Oh" he flushes in embarrassment as your laughter grows behind him.

You apologize for laughing and he returns to you in the middle of the garden, chuckling himself. "Well, anyhow, this garden is amazing. These plants are so different but all so alive"

You face heats up but you smile, "Thanks, I enjoy it. No one's really payed attention to these before. I love the people of Starry Reefs but everyone's too busy to care about plants. And those who I thought did were just..." You trail off, thinking of your past flings

You wave your hands, "Well it doesn't matter. You're nicer than the past tourists and pirates anyway"

He looks at you as if trying to figure out your past but ultimately drops it. "I don't believe that people are not interested in this" he consoles with a warm smile

This did you in. Instead of a blushy giggling fit, your shoulders dropped as you melted from his words. The sincerity in his voice took any response from you and you were stood there, taking in his sentiment

"You're way too nice. Here, I'll give you a few pouches of my harvest"

You collected some bags of fruits and herbs you already had preserved in a box and tossed it into his wagon.

"I have notes on how to prepare them but they're inside. I'll organize them and give them to you before you leave"

"I appreciate it. Maybe we could go out for lunch as a thanks? My treat." He offers, a twinge of a flirtatious tone coming through his voice.

Your eyes light up, mirroring in his as well, "I'd love to."

He takes your hand in the same playfully grandiose way he offered an elbow earlier and you took it all the same.

You both had a fun time walking to your local cafe, chatting and growing closer in the time you spent together. It felt so easy with him, not in a forced trying to get close way, but something that came naturally. You never figured the people you'd been with before had any ulterior motive but something in the way he was with you felt way more comfortable and natural than any person before.

He learned about your experiments in the kitchen, learning about the how you were raised, and how the whole town was like family to you. You explained that the place you lived in, the local inn, was run by the people closest to your biological mother. She died giving birth, your father a random sailor who knows where, and the townspeople all came together to raise you, the phrase 'it takes a village' rang true.

You learned about how he ended up as a pirate chef, about the Baratie, and even about his own father figure, Zeff. He told you stories of the kitchen in the Baratie, one anecdote blending into the next until you basically learned his journey to learning how to be a great cook.

Before you knew it, the clock struck 3 in the afternoon, and you had to part ways and do your chores at the inn. He kissed the back of your hand graciously once again before you headed back home.

-

The next day you got unexpectedly busy. The other island that often did trades with your town had some sailors come in today and the inn needed more help. They arrived early in the morning and even in the hours of the day before the sun came up, you had to welcome them in and set rooms up.

By the time the sun rose, you were still tired and did not have the energy to prepare breakfast yourself. You felt so guilty but you did ring up the Straw Hats' transponder snail because you believed in a standard of food for guests that you couldn't deliver in your state. it also may or may not have been an excuse to spend time with him in the kitchen.

Your guilt melted away easily though with his constant reassurance. He said he was even happy that you called him, "Now I can be your knight in shining armor" he proclaimed.

You were quite skilled in the kitchen, even if you did primarily bake, but he was a huge help. The speed and mastery in which he worked was unmatched and he quickly and perfectly prepared buffet amounts faster than you ever could. You were making fresh (normal) muffins and bread, working in tandem with him. The way you both moved around the inn's kitchen was like a dance, one that you both somehow knew the choreography to.

By the time the sailors were up and awake, a huge feast was ready for them. You apologized to Sanji for needing to call him before sending him on his way with a kiss on the cheek.

"Once again, never apologize for needing me, my dear. In fact, I prefer it" He said flirtatiously, however his charismatic tone was overshadowed by his dopey grin which made you giddy as well.

-

That night, the Straw Hats had accidentally synced their schedules. By the time dinner rolled around, everyone was done with their shopping and other activities when they all found each other in the town square. Hungry and with no time for Sanji to cook for them, they agreed to have dinner in a restaurant instead. They didn't need to browse long until they found an all you can eat which of course Luffy wanted to go to which Nami agreed because of the good deal.

They entered and as usual caused a ruckus because of Luffy's excitement to eat. Before the crew could even get settled, he comedically had a full plate stacked high, causing the group to scold him for getting food before paying.

With an exasperated sigh, Sanji waved a waiter who cheerily asked if they were going to partake in the buffet of order from the menu. The waiter laughed, already knowing the answer when they sheepishly admit to choosing the buffet, hitting their captain on the backside of the head when he started eating already.

"And you guys are the Straw Hat Pirates, right?" The waiter asked

"Yes, why" Nami asked cautiously

"We're happy to give you guys a 30% discount if you'd like. Special discount for friends and family "cause any friend of our dear Y/N is a friend of ours" He said, winking at Sanji

The group looked at each other confused but accepted anyway, waiting for the waiter to leave before questioning it.

"Who's Y/N?" Usopp asked first, nervous that they got a discount by mistake

"She's that nice girl I've been talking to these past few days. The one who gave me all that bread" Sanji explains, putting a name to the girl he's been bringing up on the ship

Zoro scoffs, "I told you, last time you thought a girl was into you, she tried killing you and Usopp. I had to save your asses"

"She's different, okay? She's sweet and welcoming- and not in a sneaky way!" He holds his finger up, stopping Zoro from bringing up how the redhead on the assassin's island was also 'welcoming.'

Zoro shrugs and Nami cuts in, "Well whatever, at least we saved some money on this meal, knowing Luffy they could've ended up charging us extra for cleaning out their food trays. Just be careful" She says, pointedly looking at Sanji

This made him suddenly conscious. He knew there was no way you were tricking him, but now the seed of doubt was planted in his mind. You seemed too good to be true, and Sanji was used to charming women but has never had that reciprocated in such a true way. Plainly saying, he's never actually dated a girl before.

The crew enjoyed their meal, dropping the topic and forgetting it, all the while Sanji was in thought. He enjoyed the cuisine but every unique flavor of the island reminded him of you. He was a little quieter in the table, luckily to no one's notice.

At some point, someone came in with a delivery of tissues and takeout boxes, the usual stock needed in a restaurant. The guy seems to ask an employee as he looks around, eyes locking to their table when the guy points at them. He approaches them and the group looks up.

"Ah Mr. Sanji, the Straw Hats' cook. Y/N said if I saw you on the way to apologize for being busy today but she wanted to invite you tonight. She said to meet at the inn's entrance and she'll take you somewhere. Who knows where that girl goes at night" He relays the message like he was forced to but if Sanji picked anything up from staying here, it was that everyone in this town would do anything for her.

He thanks him for the message and everyone looks at him expectantly, as if to say 'are you really gonna go'

He throws his hands up in defense, "She's really nice, now I know it seems shady but you guys haven't met her. She's interesting and this is probably another strange interest of hers"

The rest groan, a group agreement of 'if you say so's and 'don't expect us to save you's.

"Yeah, yeah," he went. dismissively, letting the group say whatever knowing, hoping, he'll prove them wrong.

-

By the time dinner was finished he helped a food coma Luffy back onto the ship and even offered to help clean the mess he made at the restaurant, much to the staffs delight. They kept praising him, saying 'she finally found a good one' and complimenting his manners like he was a little boy visiting a nursing home.

When all that was done he made his way to the inn, hoping he wasn't too late given that there was no specified time. He found her waiting, waving at her with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry I'm late"

"It's alright. It's my fault I didn't say what time"

He chuckles, testing the waters by bringing up a doubt his crew gave him, "I almost didn't know if I should come. My crew thought the meetup sounded ominous but in the end I couldn't say no to you"

You smile, undeterred by the comment, "I tend to have that effect on people"

He nods, fully agreeing.

"Anyway, it's nothing sketchy, don't worry. I just wanted to show you something"

You gesture to start walking, leading him to a secret place you kept from others. It was a fenced out area, a 'DANGER' sign hung up. You opened the side of it, squeezing through the small door.

He looks hesitant to follow but you assured him it was safe.

"Actually, I put up this fence. I wanted to keep this for myself" You admitted, sitting with him near the edge of a not-so-steep cliff.

It was a beautiful view, just a lake but it was a sunken one. The shore curved above it in an almost spherical way. It was lower tonight, even with the full moon. He was stunned in silence, taking in the surroundings. The foliage was untouched, flowers and bushes were rampant at the edge of the trees.

"Sometimes when the tide's high, the water reaches your toes if you sit at the edge" You explain as he looks down at the lake. You walk over to a nearby lamp that stood by the fence, turning it off to reveal the star filled night sky

You invite him to sit next to you on the edge of the cliff, visibly relaxed by the place.

"This is my own little haven. I love everyone and they love me, but sometimes I like to feel free from everyone, even just a little. This place is where I go when I wanna be alone. Just me, the stars and the nature. You probably experience places like this all the time as a pirate."

He shakes his head, leaning back on his hands. "Maybe the night sky, but we never get this kind of peace and quiet. Not yet in our adventure anyway"

You sigh dreamily, "I would love to go on adventures"

"Why don't you? I'm sure everyone would be in support" he leans closer, his voice more intimate

"All I know is my home. I could never just leave for an indefinite amount of time" You say with a tight lipped smile, leaning into him too, eyes looking deep into his. Your voice drops to a whisper from the closeness, "But it's nice to dream"

You both settle into a comfortable silence. Realizing how close your faces were to one another, you saw his eyes flicker down to your lips and you knew what that meant. Though, you were not pulling away.

"May I?" He asked softly, you felt his breath on your lips, tempting you even more.

Suddenly the pull he had on you was stronger. You weren't imagining a life with him, but the feeling of being with him here, in his presence, felt like something you could stay in forever.

You nodded, your eyes fluttering shut when he moved in to kiss you. Despite knowing him for a few days, it felt natural. Yes, you fell for people easily but this one felt like finding a new place you knew you could easily call home.

You felt him cup your face, pulling you closer. God he was a good kisser. You tilted your head to slot your faces more perfectly together and it allowed him to card his hand through the hair of the back of your head.

You both pull away, both flushed and panting afterward. You felt a wave of shyness but didn't pull away for the love of the feeling of being in his arms.

You sigh, "I can't do this" you whisper

His eyes looked lost, wondering if he did something wrong but a little afraid to ask why.

You smile at him sheepishly "You're leaving the day after tomorrow and I can't keep falling for people who leave right after I do"

Your hands tighten on the lapels of his suit, "And how I would love to fall for you but you're ten times more amazing than anyone... it would kill me." Your voice shakes at the end

Your head falls to his chest, his hands cupping your head and back, holding you close.

You stay like that for a few moments, before he speaks with a certainty in his voice, "Come with me"

Your head shoots up, looking at him befuddled. "What."

"Come with me, with us. You said you wanted to adventure, be independent. My captain would probably love to have another member who prepares food, heh, he loves food," He chuckles, his mood lightening while yours dropped

"Sanji..." You try to stop his rambling

"And-! And you don't have to worry about sea kings or other pirates. I can protect you if you're worried about that." He cups your face, looking at you excitedly

"Sanji," You try more sternly, cupping his face too

"My crew would love to have you on board! With the way you prepare food to make it edible, foraging would be easier if we're ever short on food-"

You press your lips to him, soft and swift, just to make him stop talking. He looks at you longingly when you pull away, finally listening to you

"Sanji, I'm not ready for that" you say sadly

You see the disappointment in his eyes. You know it's not directed at you, but at the situation. You didn't even have to explain that it was too fast, too soon to decide to leave your home with a man you felt you could have a happily ever after with. You knew under any other circumstances, you would dive in head-first into this thing with him. The thing is... he made you feel secure, that's why it felt so safe, but this was a risk too big.

And he knew that.

He sighs, cupping your hand that holds his face, nodding. He takes your hand off his face and holds it in his larger hand, pressing a kiss to your knuckles.

"We still have tomorrow, right?" He offers, warming your heart even more that he didn't want to just split up to end the pain quickly. He still wanted to cherish the time with you, like you did with him.

You nodded, hopeful that he was going to ask to spend time with you. Of course, he did.

"One more day, teach me everything you learned about your plants. Tell me everything you do in your day to day, so when I leave I can think back and won't have to wonder much about what you're doing at any given time" He all but begged and if you weren't sitting, you would've buckled at the knees the way he was looking at you right now.

-

8 months later...

-

You still think about him sometimes, now more than ever. You tried exchanging letters with him, the political state of the world making it harder to track him down, especially as he gets farther and farther from your island.

Starry Reefs was just a stop in his journey, but it was the start of yours. Meeting him changed your life forever. You always got tastes of the life of the sea, outside your hometown from the flings and flirtations you share with the many sailors and pirates, but Sanji made it seem so real and reachable.

The last day you spent with him was one you treasured forever since then. The stories he told about himself were less predictable than yours, so it was harder to guess what he was doing at any time of the day. You couldn't say you were different. Since bidding goodbye to him, you also changed up your routine. You started learning more life skills, you spent more time at the docks. You spent less time baking and more time learning to fix and sail ships.

You didn't abandon making food. You even treasured the sacred time you spent practicing making your harvest edible. Every spray of lemon water, every syrup you made, every reduction you mixed into a snack bar always made you think of him.

Eventually, with the help of your family, the town of Starry Reefs, you had your own small but strong ship. It was one you could man on your own and even had a room in the hull with your personal belongings. The deck had enough space for quite a few pots where you could still keep plants from your home island. You even had many more gardening supplies hidden in a storage room.

The day you set sail was a tearful one, your family wishing you all the best and even gifting you a transponder snail that could always call back to the inn, granted you had clear skies and enough of a sky signal. You thought about him a lot that day, wondering if you would see him again on your journey. You thanked his presence in your life, owing him the initiative that made you even consider sailing into adventure in the first place.

Today, you were in another island, a bustling city housed on it. You walked around, hearing there was a tall tower you could get a signal on and was currently trying to find it to call home. You're reading every sign and flyer to get an idea of where you were, seeing the wall of wanted posters. You searched for his again and again, every time, watching the bounty go up with pride.

You smile at it once more before continuing on trying to find the tower. You wonder why so many marines are running around before you heard one of them yell it, "Straw Hats!"

Your heart leaped. It couldn't be. They weren't here were they. You felt your heart thump and palms begin to sweat. You didn't know why you were nervous, they would probably escape the island before you ever saw any of them. Nevertheless, you ran.

You ran the opposite direction of the marines, not knowing whether to try finding him by following them or hiding away, too nervous to even look for him. You ended up in a saloon, finding it great timing to calm your nerves.

You took a seat in the bar, trying to expel your nerves as you exhale, calling for a drink. While waiting, you tap your fingers on the counter, listening to the ambient sound of the bar. Amidst the chatter, you heard footsteps behind you, a little clacky, probably in fancy shoes. You wonder if it's a guy about to buy you a drink, turning around with confidence and the intention to charm a free drink.

You were met with those eyes. Those eyes, that golden hair covering one, that charming smile and that relaxed posture.

"I'm glad it hasn't been a hundred years since I saw you again, my love" ˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You sigh dreamily, leaning your head on your hand as you watch him in the kitchen. You were a mere 10 feet away, right at the dining table but with no concern of if he heard you or not. Nami shoots you a disgusted look as Robin paid no mind. You three were supposed to be reviewing each others notes gathered from the last island you visited, maps, papers, notebooks, and sketches strews about the table. You were supposed to provide your sketches of the landscape and mentioning things unique to the island but you were busy watching the chef flutter about in the kitchen. Your paper went from organized notes to being littered with little sketches and doodles of said man who insisted making you three afternoon snacks.

"He's right there" Nami says flatly, trying to nudge you from your heart eyes and very obvious swooning

"He can't hear me, he's focused on the food" You said with certainty, before adding, "He looks so handsome when he's focused"

Nami faux-gags, rolling her eyes as Robin chuckles.

"Why aren't you guys dating again? Not that I want you both to, it would be disgusting if you guys were all lovey dovey in front of our faces." Nami asks

You shrug, "I'm in no rush. I'm very open about liking him but it's not anything I want to deal with right away. Just crushing on him is a lot of fun." You explain, eyes never leaving him

Nami seems to accept the explanation, albeit still finding the longing looks annoying. She and Robin go back to the papers as you take a minute just looking at him, mentally promising yourself that you'd go back to your notes after a minute.

You watch the way he moves stations, chopping up nuts and toppings as he waits for the savory snack to cook on the stove. He checks on it a few times, timing his prep and cook time perfectly as he finishes up cutting chives and moves to flip the crepes on the stove. You eye the way his tie is loosened, the top button undone to relieve him slightly of the heat of the kitchen. His sleeves are rolled up, giving you the perfect view of the flex of his forearms as he lifts the heavy pan. You could hear him humming to himself and you see the shape of his smiling cheeks from behind.

Gosh, you wish you could hear his sweet voice right now. It would be the cherry on top of how delicious he looked.

While the girls are busy, you call out to him, "Sanji?"

The girls pay your shenanigans no mind, used to you always chatting him up

"Yes, My Love?" He answers back, his voice certain, smooth, and clearly comfortable the way he's in his space.

You melt, you know he used those pet names on everyone but hearing it directed at you was enough to fuel your daydreams.

"Nothing" you answer back, just wanting to hear what pet name he'd call you this time, in that suave voice too.

That seemed to energize you, letting you go back to your work as you wait for him to finish cooking

-

Another day, you wake up to the crew already having had breakfast. You decide to make yourself a meal as you were too late and Sanji already packed the leftovers in the ice box and washed the dishes. After making yourself a simple omelette, Sanji comes back in the kitchen to wash the remaining dishes. He finds you already eating and gives you a good morning kiss on the head. You note how touchy he was and let your mind wander if he would act the same or more affectionate if you both were an item. You eat slowly, wanting to wait for him to finish so he could join you in the dining room. Once he does, he walks over and sits with you, claiming he had free time and 'a lovely woman such as yourself should never eat alone.'

You chat him up, enjoying the food and letting him taste your cooking, something you don't do as often anymore now that he makes all the crew's meals.

There's a gap in the conversation, allowing you both to sit in comfortable silence, before you pipe up once more, "Sanji,"

He instinctively turns his head to you, letting you look into his ocean blue eyes, "Yes, Dear?"

You hum in content, shaking your head dismissively with no further response as he looks at you a little confused but with a smile nonetheless. You finish your food and get up to wash your plate as he wonders what antics you were up to.

-

A few days later, Nami indicates you were near the next island. Everyone waits outside, waiting to dock in a few hours. You sit outside on the upper level of the ship, basking in the sun with the drink Sanji made you. You sip and savor the flavor, the mocktail refreshing in the morning sun. Sanji finishes handing out the drinks and takes a smoke break at the railing of the ship.

"This drink is great! You should use this syrup-to-soda proportion more!" You call out to him, praising the technique he mastered in making mocktails. You weren't against drinking alcohol per se, but it was morning and you had stuff to do later in the day so he thoughtfully prepared you something not intoxicating. You would beg to differ though, anything he made you was intoxicating enough

He grins back at you at the compliment, "Thank you, Darling!" He yells back, dramatically making a small bowing gesture as you playfully pretend to applaud him. You both giggle at each other, your cheeks warm and you heart wanting just a little more of his affectionate titles.

"Hey Sanji!" You couldn't help yourself

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

You grin, not getting enough of his terms of endearment. You wave your hand around, "Nevermind!"

He looks at you with a smile and furrowed brows, not knowing why you kept calling but never responding to his reply. He shakes his head with a chuckle, letting you get up to whatever you were doing.

-

It was one night when he finally asked. He was catching a breather outside in the cold night air before getting ready for bed. You followed him out, wanting to milk more time with him in the day.

You approach him from behind, "Mind if join you?"

He glances at you as he lights a cigarette, "You're always welcome to join me, Darling" replies with a smile that was enough to warm you in the cold of the night.

You stand with him, looking at the stars and trying to remember the constellations you read about but couldn't quite memorize. He looks far from the ship, enjoying the quiet company you were always able to provide.

After a few minutes, you break the silence, now so used to getting doses of dopamine from him too conveniently, "Sanji?"

"Yes, Dearest?"

You shrug, "Nothing" you say, content with the name. You fail hold back a smile, cheeks warm and heart buzzing in the familiar but butterfly inducing feeling that he always gave you.

You expect him to just leave it again but this time he asks you, "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?" You instinctively play dumb

"You know what. You keep calling my name but not saying anything after. Not that I mind, I'm just curious" he adds the last bit, knowing you and not wanting you to feel bad or like you couldn't call for him whenever you want.

You sigh, the jig is up and you have to come clean now. "Fine, fine. It's because... well, you call every woman by a nice, endearing name. I know it's just natural to you but I just so happened to really like it" you say, a cheeky grin on your face when you nudge him.

You knew it was something so lighthearted he wouldn't be bothered by it at all. "Is it so wrong that I wanna hear it every now and then? You have all the names to spare, and if I'm being honest, I'd prefer if you use them on me more than other women"

It was his turn to blush. Sure, you both always had a sense of affection that was special to you two. You always went back and forth on the sweet gestures and you were always a little more open to his touches than other girls, but he didn't expect you to want this much more of him.

He's left speechless as he tried to take in your request.

You giggled, loving the effect your flirtations had on him. "Maybe you'd be more inclined if I returned the pet names. Doesn't that sound nice, Honey?"

That got him. He might as well be short circuiting the way he stammered and the blood dripped from his nose. You take your handkerchief, one that smells as sweet as you, and pressed it to the dripping blood. He was frozen, not knowing what to say as he just held the hand pressing the holding the handkerchief up.

"I- I- I- that sounds.... so good" He would've phrased is better, but his brain could not process how amazing it was to hear the same sweet names from your mouth. Your voice was now the one carrying the titles, with him the bearer of them.

You giggle, cupping his face and holding his nose as long as he needed

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

A/N: Been a while but FRICK I love Sanji sm I had to write a little sumn sumn. Don't worry yall I'll still post sometimes I love crushing on characters. I just be writing whatever whenever. Thanks for reading!!

Singing, singing, singing, why were they all singing? You clutch the clothes at your chest as you try to stop hyperventilating. What do they mean that thing is gonna blow up a huge part of pentagram city? Are you gonna die, again!? You did NOT spend every extermination hiding out from the exorcists just to be taken out by a stupid weapon of mass destruction.

Your thoughts get cut off as everyone starts stepping in, either lending some of their magic or, like Angel and Cherri, just showing support. You weren't an overlord, no souls you own so you have no power to lend, should you just run? No, you can't leave them behind for some reason, even if you had no trouble doing something like that before.

Just then, you felt something tug at you. Like an energy was pulling you to the weapon, you get up, not able to explain it. You stand next to Charlie, as if in a trance and not really consciously doing anything. You don't pay mind to anyone as you then reach out, some sort of power coming from you and to the weapon. You wonder why but you felt some energy calling for you from somewhere around the weapon. You completely miss the way Alastor side eyes you, a knowing look on his face.

-

After the weapon explodes or whatever, you're still a little dazed. You look down at your hands in confusion, not minding Charlie's cheers as you slowly walk away.

That is, until Lucifer pops up from the ground.

"Dad?" "Lucifer!"

You rush to his side, feeling his warm, smoky clothes as you hold onto him for support.

"Don't go down there! It is a place of pain"

He falls onto you and you stumble back, cushioning his fall with an 'oomf!'

You card your hands through his hair to soothe him as he starts to lose consciousness. You can hear Sir Pentious' broadcast playing loudly throughout Hell but you honestly couldn't care less. It's nice to know redemption is real but you already believed Charlie when she first said it. Plus, you never knew Sir Pentious like everyone did so you had no intention of catching up with him like Cherri was doing.

You were mainly worried about Lucifer, cursing the Vees under your breath as you sit on the ground with him on top of you as you wait for everyone to finish up with their business and help you bring him back.

-

He was resting and recovering in his bed. You stayed by his side for the whole time it took for him to regain his energy enough. You sat with him in bed, caressing his hair a lot of the time and just admiring his peaceful resting face.

You sigh to yourself, realizing that worrying over him had you cooped up in this room again. Last time was over a month ago after you both got together. He's been a bit weird since then, at first you thought it was because you both jumped in bed too fast but he assured you it was something he really wanted. You started to open up to him more too but he had a weird tone about everything, like he was trying to test you in his mind. You chalked it up to him just being wary of sinners and possibly having some walls up from his wife disappearing.

"A lot more sinners downstairs..." You talk to him as he sleeps, brushing your hand through his hair. You sigh, getting up, "I'll just get something to eat, don't wake up without me," you chuckle, actually hoping he would wake up already as you walked out the door.

You make your way down to the dining area, much more lively now as opposed to before where no one really ate here. After procuring some snacks, you take a detour through the lobby, wanting to see how things are going. You find Charlie, who was busy with guests, and give her a wave before making your way to the bar.

Before you could reach it, you get pulled into a storage room by a shadow somehow. It stuns you for a bit before you see Alastor in front of you, a devious smile forever on his face. You raise a brow, "Why?"

That's all you said, unamused by his antics. With your arms crossed, you tap your foot as Alastor smiles down at you, finally speaking.

"No need to be alarmed, my dear! I just thought you' would rather have this conversation with no nosy ears pointed at you"

"Get to the point." You knew Lucifer didn't like this guy, you weren't sure why but there was something about him you didn't trust either.

"My, my, dear, how direct. Fine, I'll make it quick. You have something I want, and I would appreciate if we could... make a deal for it" He grins, the air thickening with a more sinister tension

A chill runs up your spine, you knew the deals this man made, he was very clever and you knew you could not fall into any traps. "What do you want? You know someone like me doesn't have anything of value for someone like yourself"

"Ah ah, my dear, no need to depreciate your value. But your right, it's not a big deal, just an itty bitty thing you don't even know you have. You won't even miss it, and in return, I'll give you something you so desperately wanted, even in your living state"

"And what is that?" Your curiosity gets the best of you

"Financial stability. No longer will you have to rob people here just for food and shelter, nor will you need to worry about buying anything you desire. Sounds tempting doesn't it? I heard you pushed everyone away trying to survive in a capitalist world up there, now you will never need to worry about it. You can finally connect with people the way you want" He says in a sweet but shallow voice.

He looks around as he speaks, occasionally eyeing your expressions but wanting to seem less engaged than he was.

You on the other hand, were way more tempted than you knew you could be. You had friends, you had Lucifer, and yet, you knew you weren't getting as close to them as you wanted. You would open up, yes, but you never got vulnerable enough to trust or rely on anyone fully.

Alastor smiles at you, waiting for a response. After a beat of silence, you speak up, "And you said it's something I didn't know I had? Tell me what it is first and I'll consider"

"Hmm, very well. What you have is nothing but a simple soul, my dear. You are no overlord of any kind, but I saw that trickle of power you had in destroying the Vees' weapon"

You're taken aback, "A soul? I own someone's soul? How is that even possible?"

"That's just it. It's one soul. I often see you making deals of your own, pawning off your loot. How many hands have you shaken? How many contracts, verbal or otherwise have you signed? Think about it, how many agreements have you ever made in your time here. How would you know if someone soul was slipped into a deal of some sort?"

That really makes you wonder. You have made so many deals, too many to count, why would someone hand over a soul. Hell was weird, if someone unloaded ownership to you, it would probably bring trouble.

"Do you know whose soul it is?"

Alastor smiles and chuckles, "No one important, dear. It's just one soul, what do you say?" He reaches his hand out, a manic look on his eyes as his smile seems to get wider

"If it's not important, why do you want it?" You look at him skeptically

"Just a means to an end, a subgoal I have. A small box to check for my goal, it's really not a big deal" He tries to downplay. It almost gets you, his ever-calm voice was very convincing.

You think for a bit, his hand still outstretched, before stepping back. "No"

His hand closes into a fist, "Why not, my dear?"

Now it was a mind game between the two of you. He was hiding his true intentions but so were you, you weren't going to tell him how little you trusted him. You didn't want to help him with any of his wicked goals. As much as you wanted what he was offering, you knew better than to make a deal with Alastor of all people.

"I just don't feel very comfortable giving away souls all willy nilly, even if it is just some random sinner's."

He tilts his head at an unnatural angle, a faux-considerate look on his face, "How noble. Well, if you change your mind, I'll know." He says in a tone that creeps you out, before he disappears into the shadows.

-

You lean on the bar, Husk looking at you expectantly. You wave your hand dismissively, signalling that you didn't want a drink. After he serves a guest a rum and coke, you call his attention, "Hey Husk, you were an overlord right?"

"And you do you know that?" His ears fold into his head

"I hear things around. Anyway, you ever have transactions with like, souls and stuff?"

He sighs gruffly, knowing how many souls he gambled when he had them "That's not something you should be doing lightly, sweetheart"

"I know but, just asking. Alastor kinda offered me a deal for one"

His ears perk up in alarm, "Tell me you did not let him take your soul"

Your head snaps to his at his panicked voice, "No no, of course not! It wasn't even my soul he was asking for, just one that I own for some reason. I don't even know whose it is"

Husk looks like he was about to say something, but ultimately stops himself. He didn't know if he should tell you that it was Lucifer's, not knowing what you'd do if you knew.

"Well, based on your reaction I have my confirmation. No deals for me, not with Alastor at least." You conclude. You ask him for some water and he hands you a bottle to bring back up with your snack.

Once you get back up to Lucifer's suite, you open the door and see him shift at the noise of the door. You rush to his side, excited when his eyes flutter open. He groans and holds his head.

"Are you alright? It's been like a day" You fuss over him, cupping his face gently.

He rubs his head, "I'm fine, feels like vertigo, woah- wow! Yeah, I think I'm alright." He says, his same energy evident in his voice and calming you down.

You plant a quick kiss on his cheek, "Good. You want these? Got them for myself but you might need it more." You hand him the water bottle and the packs of crackers you got from downstairs.

He takes the water and takes a few gulps before handing it back to you. He also opens the crackers and offers you some, indicating for you both to share it.

You both eat in bed and you update him on the new boom in business that the hotel accumulated. You were talking about how glad you were that there were much more sinners now who were there for the right reasons, even saying how you're relieved Charlie won't be watching you so closely now. He listens to it all, letting you lean on his shoulder as you speak.

After a calm silence when you finish talking, you suddenly remember. "Oh my gosh, guess what happened"

You looks at you with a warm smile on his face, urging you to continue

You sit up straighter, ready to gossip, "Alastor wanted to make a deal. With me of all people!"

He furrows his brows, "The deer? Why?" He knew damn well who Alastor was, not caring much to call him properly by his name.

"I don't know! He said he wanted a soul I apparently own, and I didn't even know I owned any!"

Lucifer's blood runs cold, heart dropping to his stomach, "You didn't give it, did you?" He asks worriedly

You don't even notice the way his mood shifts to one of panic. "Of course not! Alastor is known to be shady and manipulative. I was thinking though, I made a lot of deals when I sell stuff so if a guy just gave me a soul without me knowing, what if it's cuz it's the soul of like some troublemaker? If I took the deal, I could have all the money I want and not have to be involved in all this soul owning stuff"

His eyes widen, you were going to sell a soul... for money? He did not peg you as a shallow sinner like that, but then again, what did he expect for someone who wound up in Hell?

You groan after your ramble, "Ugh this would be so much easier if I knew whose soul it was"

Before you could point out his silence, he spoke in a low voice, "You'd give up a soul for money?" He says with a tone that made your heart stop with a familiarity

"Wh-What? No... I mean it depends, if it's a random guy's soul isn't it a win-win?" You try to be truthful but also sugarcoat your answer. The way he asked reminded you of all the people who would look down at you for taking certain measures to live.

"I didn't think you were the type to play with people's life just for a shallow thing like... money" He says, referring to the action in a disgusted voice

You felt the sting in your heart when he said that, the familiar anxiety bubbling in your stomach. You didn't think he would judge you like this, it wasn't just about money, it was the stability it gave. 'What would he understand about that?' You thought bitterly

Your brows furrow, looking at him with a pained expression "You really think that low of me? What- just 'cuz I'm a sinner. I end up in Hell now I'm a horrible person? You told me heaven has unreasonable standards, you told me I was not as bad as everyone here and that I didn't deserve extreme damnation" You accuse, poking your finger to his chest.

You scoff, getting out of the bed away from him and continuing, "What do you even care!? I thought you hated sinners, why would you care if I owned some rando's soul? I bet you think I'm just as bad as them just because I need to find a way to survive in here too!"

He stays silent in the bed, trying to figure out how to calm you down without setting you off even more, worried about what you'll do.

You look at him, his silence and the look he's giving you making you realize that this soul is probably more than that. "Do you know who's soul it is? Is that why you care?"

He doesn't say anything, which in turn says everything you need to know.

"The only person you care about is Charlie and I have no way of owning her soul. That means...." Your head snaps to him and realization strikes you. You can tell that he knows you realized, looking scared at what you'll do.

"Your soul? How- what?"

He sighs, giving it up and finally admitting it, "When we first did it, I kind of.... promised it to you in the heat of the moment"

You scoff, pinching the bridge of your nose as you chuckle in disbelief, "And you never told me, hah why would you? I'm just a lowly sinner who might screw you over if I knew, right? That's what you think of me, isn't it? Well you know what- fuck it, have your soul back, I don't know how this works but whatever. I'm leaving"

You end up finishing with an unstable voice, a lump in your throat, and tears in your eyes. Of course that's all he saw you as, he probably just put up with you so you wouldn't do anything with his soul or whatever. You bite your lip to keep a sob in before walking out the door and slamming it shut.

-

It's been a few days and Charlie hasn't seen either of you. She was getting a little worried, not wanting you to delay your redemption progress, so she decided to go up to Lucifer's room. She pressed her ear to the door, making sure she wasn't walking in on you both getting it on, before knocking and peeking her head in.

"Dad? (Y/N)?"

She found her dad cooped up in a desk in the corner, almost in a trance as he works on a new rubber duck. He mutters to himself and laughs in a somewhat crazy way. Charlie slowly walks over, tapping his shoulder and startling him and causing him to jump.

"Who what-! Oh, Charlie! Hey, what are you doing here?" He laughs loudly, the humor not reaching his tone

Charlie looks at him, a little worried. "Uhm I was looking for (Y/N), and checking up on you. I haven't seen you in days"

He chuckles, waving his hand at her, "Oh well, you know how I am with sinners, a lot of them roaming around downstairs nowadays. A little overwhelming isn't it?" He tries to downplay, his casual tone seeming very forced

Her brows are still furrowed, not wanting to set him off by prying, "Aaand (Y/N)?"

That seems to set something in him off, he turns back to his desk and continues fiddling with the rubber duck. He loses all the joy in his tone, forced or otherwise.

"Not here."

It was obvious something happened between you two and she didn't want to push further but then she remembered, "And your soul?"

He sighs, "She found out, gave it back" he replies curtly

She sighs in relief, that was enough for her to stop. She decided to give him some space and wait until he wanted to talk about it. She nods, and quietly makes her way out, patting him on the shoulder before leaving.

She makes her way to your room, knocking politely, "(Y/NNNNN)"

She opens the door a little, wondering why it isn't locked, and poked her head in. There she found no remnants of you. She barged in, looking around and finally realizing you weren't there. "No! No, no, no..." She rambled in a panic, rushing downstairs and going straight to Vaggi.

-

You were sneaking around the streets of Pentagram City. After dropping your stuff back at your old apartment, you decided to catch up on your thievery so the landlord didn't give you too much shit about moving back in without telling him. You shoulder-check a guy and he yells at you while you count the money in his wallet,, not paying him any mind.

You sigh, already tired of pulling this shit after not even a full day of doing it. You decide to head back, dreading having to talk to the pawnshop guy on the way back.

Then you hear something from the sky, "(Y/N)! There you are!"

Vaggi flies down, disappearing her wings, "Why'd you leave?"

You scoff, "If you noticed I left then you probably already know why"

Vaggi looks sheepish, giving away that she did hear from Charlie that you and Lucifer had a fight or broke up or something. You raise a brow at her with a smirk that said 'See?' before continuing to walk in the direction you were

She shakes her head and starts to walk with you, "Come on, you can't just leave like that. If you really wanted to get away from him, you could work and get redeemed, then you never have to see him and you won't have to deal with this shit again." She says, gesturing to your loot that you stole.

You chuckle dryly, looking up at the sky to make sure your eyes don't tear up, "That's the thing. I don't want to go up there. It's stupid isn't it? Wanting to stay here with all these fuckers. I don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of amazing people who will never understand me and who actually deserve heaven. Plus, even if he probably thinks I'm just a lowly sinner, I want him to know there's on his side who won't leave him"

You groan, covering your face, "Ugh that's so corny and dumb. Imagine staying in some shitty place 'cuz I don't believe I deserve it and also because I care about a MAN who doesn't even think I'm good enough."

You feel Vaggi's hands on your shoulders comfortingly, "Well I mean, you owned his soul and you guys just got together, you can't blame him for being cautious. Maybe he doesn't think of you like that"

You sigh, realizing she might be right. But it's the implications of his actions, why couldn't he just be honest if he really thought you to be better than untrustworthy sinners?

"Maybe you should talk to him."

You scoff, "He never went looking for me, he probably doesn't care to do something about it. Who knows? Maybe I am just stupid for thinking he liked me enough like that"

She grimaces, "You know how he is, he kinda spirals and starts making all the rubber ducks. They're basically overflowing in his room"

You turn to her with a worried expression, "Oh my gosh, right! IF he does care about me he must be going crazy right now." You sigh, "Fine let's go back I'll talk to him. But I'm not getting my hopes up or nothin'"

-

When you make it back, you go up to his suite, ignoring Charlie's overly encouraging smile and thumbs up. You knock on the door and open it, not waiting for him to let you in because you were 90% sure he didn't even hear.

You're met with a flood of rubber ducks, some made sloppier than others. You see him muttering to himself as he tried to combine two ducks by the sides

"Lucifer?"

His head snaps up and he immediately goes to you, keeping a cautious distance for your sake.

"(Y/N)! You're back!"

You press your lips to a tight line and nod. He looks frantic, unprepared as to what he's going to say to apologize, he then settles on a reaching out with a nervous smile.

He takes your hand slowly and starts "Okay uh, first of all, I'm really sorry. You know I think you're better than all the sinners, not that it might mean anything to you. But uh, yeah, it reallly sucked to see you cry like that. I promise I didn't think you were, like, slimy and evil or anything. I'm just so used to all these sucky sinners who live here"

You chuckle at his overly honest rant, "Yeah, I kinda realize that now. Maybe I overreacted, I mean it's normal to be careful of your soul and someone who accidentally owned it"

He also chuckles, moving closer, "I also should've shut down when you started degrading yourself. I'm just not used to comforting people when they start to spiral, y'know, because I'm usually the one who does that."

He wraps his arms around your waist and you cup his face, "Well I mean we both got issues, I guess. Hell will do that to you"

You both laugh, and for a moment, you look into each other's eyes. He looks so much more relieved that you're back and much more determined to not let you feel like that again.

You see his eyes flicker down to your lips and then back to your eyes. He then has an awkward expression on his face, like he doesn't know if he can kiss you after you guys just made up. This causes you to giggle, before being the one to pull him into a comforting kiss.

-

You and he were busy loading the extra ducks into large chests he conjured up and planned to teleport to some storage room. You watched as he tried to choose which one to part with, after you insisted he couldn't keep them all. You chuckled as he basically went diving in the pile, inspecting each and every one with care.

From the shadows, Alastor appears behind you, "I see you no longer have the thing I want" he sneers. You both know that you know what he was after, the tension layed thicker than before now that you have a better estimate on how deceitful he could be.

You don't even face him, not wanting to give much respect to someone like him "Better luck next time, Bambi." You slyly said. There was an unspoken strain with the way you both interacted now, both the type to not show your cards but both also knowing that about each other.

You hear him snarl, before he disappears back into the shadows. You smile back at Lucifer when he signals to you that he was done filtering through a chest of duckies he was able to part with.

You chuckle, calling back at him, "One down, two to go."

He groans, realizing he had to give up more duckies.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope this one was a good resolution to the first part. So much more people read part 1 than I expected and I'm so grateful 😭😭

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