Could You Do One Where The Reader Doesn't Smoke Or Like The Smell Of Cigs And Eddie Tries Not To Smoke

Not the shoulder pat in a date 💀

I wouldn't mind holding your hand. I guess.

13 from creativepromptsforwriting's Grumpy Affectionate Dialogue list.

Cloud Strife x reader Fluff

--

"So, how'd it go?" Tifa asks the second you've walked through the door - it hadn't even closed properly behind you yet. Had she been waiting to pounce? "We don't say hello now?" You raise an eyebrow, shrugging off your jacket. You’d been dreading her interrogation - it had been a sleepless night.

"Hello.” She grins. “How'd it go?" She puts her hands down on the counter and leans forward as you approach.

"Fine." You shrug, going to lift up the latch to join her behind the bar, but Tifa is quick – shifting so she’s now leaning on top of it, blocking your entrance.

“You pay me to work here, remember?”

“And do you see any customers? Anyway, this is important. I don’t think you understand how rare it is to go on a date with Cloud Strife. Spill!”

You sigh, sitting down heavily on the stool. Really, you should’ve known that the brunette would be keen to hear every single detail…

You’d started working at Seventh Heaven nearly four months ago now. Before Meteor, you’d worked in Wall Market as a cocktail waitress, doing bar tricks to earn tips off a bunch of Shira employees. It was just by chance you’d been walking by when Tifa had put up the help wanted sign in the window. The two of you had got on immediately and your skills honed behind the bar meant you could really start straightaway. The first time you’d seen Cloud walk in, you were immediately attracted to him - the blue eyes, blonde hair, the muscular, toned arms on display... Who wouldn’t be? He, however, seemed very indifferent to you, though Tifa disagreed. “He’s shy. He likes you - I promise."

It felt odd at first when she deemed herself a matchmaker – Cloud and her shared an apartment, with two kids – Denzel and Marlene – she assured you they were strictly platonic and she’d love to see him without a scowl on his face. Apparently he was always interested when you were working, especially if you were on a closing shift. Now everyone was based in Edge, all sorts frequented the bar. You’d experienced the same in Wall Market and weren’t afraid to cut people off but it was nice to have some sort of muscle around in case anyone became a little out of line. You thought it was Tifa’s doing, as Cloud would always offer up his services on the nights you were responsible for closing, even walking you home afterwards. When you’d thank him, he’d shrug, saying not to think anything of it.

He was chivalrous, you’d reasoned, trying not to get your hopes up there was something more to it, until two nights ago when he’d lingered at the point he’d usually head off when you’d unlocked your front door.

“Wait.” You span round on your heels at the sound of his voice, surprised that he’d gone off routine. “Erm, would you… Would you like to have dinner tomorrow night? With me.”

“With you?” You’re stunned.

“Forget I said-“

“No, I’d love to.” You interrupted, worried you’d blown it.

“Okay. Great. Er, I’ll text you.” And Cloud had then strode off into the night before you could say another word.

He’d texted - you assumed he’d got your number off Tifa from her string of texts the next morning - saying he’d pick you up from yours at 7, that he’d got a table at a restaurant nearby. You’d walked past it a few times but never been, and it seemed a popular spot for first dates - intimate, yet not overly fancy. He’d arrived promptly, saying you looked "nice" and that’s where things had gone a little downhill. There was nothing that happened to really distinguish this as a date...

“He didn’t get within three feet of me at any time the walk there, or the walk back. I know he’s quiet, but besides asking me if the food was okay, he didn’t say much at all at dinner. And then, after he’d walked me home, I said I’d had a really nice time, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, thinking he was nervous, you know?" Tifa nods. "But then he stepped forward, thanked me and clapped me on the shoulder, before he strode off.” You lay your head down on your arms. “It was a pity date, Tifa.”

“Okay, Cloud’s more hopeless than I thought,” she pats you gently on the head, “but it wasn’t a pity date. He set it all up because he wanted to take you out, I promise.”

“He could’ve swung that big sword of his all around him and not hit me, the distance he was keeping.” You continue talking into your arms, your voice muffled.

“I’ll talk to him.”

“No, don’t!" Your head shoots up, “That’ll make me look and feel even more pathetic. I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s a wake-up call.”

“You’re not pathetic. He’s just shy. Plus, I bet he’s feeling even worse than you are. He was out before I even woke up this morning.” She pauses, grinning slyly. “I did think that he might’ve stayed the night at yours…”

Your face flushes at that. “What?! No. He couldn’t get away from me fast enough.” The door opens and the two of you look, you praying it's not Cloud. "Delivery!" A man chirps. "Enough about my dismal love life, okay?" You get to your feet and go to take in the stock.

--

You got home that evening just after 6pm, preparing yourself for a quiet evening and an early night after the sleepless one before. It was surprising when there was a knock at the door an hour or so later – you weren’t expecting anyone. You looked through the eyehole and were nervous to see the tell-tale spikes of blonde hair, a nervous expression across Cloud’s face. Had Tifa spoken to him? Oh, Shiva…

You unlock the door, pulling it open cautiously.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” He smiles, a little awkwardly, but it’s sweet too. “Sorry, are you busy? I should’ve texted…”

“No, not at all.” You curse inwardly, you could’ve phrased that differently, sound more aloof. “What brings you here?”

“Uh, yeah…” It’s then you notice he has a hand behind his back. It’s quickly whipped out in front of you, holding a small, handpicked bouquet of pink, white and yellow flowers. “I wanted to give you these.”

“Cloud…” Your eyes widen, taking in the display. They’re the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen. “Thank you.” You accept them delicately, worried they might wilt instantly if you’re too rough with them.

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

“Sure. Let me just put these in water. Erm, do you want to come in?” You step back in anticipation.

“No, I’ll wait here.” He folds his arms.

“Oh, okay,” you nod. “I won’t be long.” You let the door swing close behind you, still holding the flowers so delicately. He delivers you hand-picked flowers but doesn’t want to come in? Is he breaking up with you? Can you break up even if you weren’t together in the first place? You grab a glass, filling it with water from the tap and placing the small bouquet in gently, before setting it down in the windowsill. You wonder if you’ll look at them in the same light when you return.

--

Edge, like its predecessor, had never been a pretty city in the desert. In the early evening though, fairy lights donned by the surrounding buildings cast a nice glow about the place and it was quiet as the two of you strolled through. Cloud hadn’t been the most talkative, as usual. Sometimes it looked like he wanted to say something, a comment on the tip of his tongue, but then his mouth would close and he’d nod to whatever nonsense you were spouting to fill the silence. It was at one of those moments when you hadn’t particularly been paying attention to where you were walking, catching your foot on an uneven part of the ground. You brace yourself for the impact and the embarrassment, but a hand grabs your own, yanking you back and upright, another hand on the small of your back – Cloud.

“You okay?” His brow is furrowed in concern. Your heart is thudding at the shock of tripping, or maybe the closeness of you two? It’s hard to tell.

“Y-yeah. Sorry, clumsy,” you know your face is red. “Thanks.” The hand from your back falls away, deeming your balance stable enough but your other hand isn’t released straightaway. You look down at the appendage in question, Cloud’s hand firmly clasped around yours. His eyes follow what you’re looking at and he seems to realise as his cheeks grow flush in the dim light of dusk, letting go abruptly.

“Do you even like me?” The question slips out of your mouth before you can even think what you’re saying. He looks almost startled by the directness of it.

“I thought the date and flowers made that obvious.”

“The flowers, okay, but the date and just now… Like, I know not everyone’s keen on public displays of affection, but you don’t even want to be within arm’s length of me…”

“I wouldn’t mind holding your hand. I guess.” It’s mumbled, his blue eyes directing at the ground.

“What?” You wonder if you misheard.

“I’d quite like to, to be honest. I’m just…” He meets your eyes at this point. “I haven’t really done this before.”

“That’s okay, neither have I.”

He looks sceptical. “That can’t be true.”

“I wasn’t exactly surrounded by gentlemen wanting to sweep me off my feet in Wall Market,” you smile. “Besides, it means we can try and work this stuff out together, if you want.” You hold your hand out, hoping he won’t notice the slight tremor.

To your relief, he takes it, deftly lacing his fingers through your own.

“I’d like that.”

- Masterlist . Requests welcome . Ko-fi

I can’t fix him but I could fuck him.

Source? I decided it was true

people who write fics. how do you feel about comments on super old ones you wrote like 2+ years ago

Selfish intentions.

Warnings: dirty talk, mild slut shaming, fucking in someone else's bedroom, Dom Deku, mentions of panty stealing. NSFW. This is just fucking filth. I did this in basically a quirkless college au so all characters are 18+ aged. Thanks. This is also like 1000 words.

Maybe this was a bad, bad idea. Could you bring yourself to care? Not at all. Not when Izuku Midoriya so eagerly buried his tongue in your dripping pussy, sucking hard at your clit while two of his thick fingers worked open your cunt. Vaguely, you wondered if by the time you were done Katsuki would know you both came on his sheets.

Your hand tangled in Izuku's thick hair, making him moan when you tugged from the scalp. The noise causes your clit to twitch against his tongue from the zap of pleasure it caused. Fuck, why was he so damn good at this? You looked down, watching as he lost himself in your taste, his hips grinding against the sheets of the mattress that were clearly neither of yours. God you could cum right then, knowing your juices stained his face and the sheets below you.

Being in a place you weren't supposed to be in made it so much hotter.

Inwardly Izuku was almost mush, he loved eating you out already but knowing that it was him who was making you feel this way and only him drove it home. He supposed he shouldn't be this petty, after all it's not like he could truly blame Katsuki for his panty thieving but...you were HIS girlfriend and part of him was pissed off that Katsuki had the audacity to even think of you sexually, to think about touching you at all. He resolved, if Kacchan didn't get this fucking hint, if you'd let him he'd fuck you in front of him.

After all, Kacchan had to learn his place; but for right now he was focused on you. Tracing the letters of his name on your clit as his fingers crooked up to hit that spongy spot inside you that had him crying out his name and pulling his hair. He ignored his throbbing length in the confines of his sweatpants in order to properly please you, tasting the sweetness of your release was always his favorite part. He could almost taste how close you were, feeling how your walls fluttered against his fingers as your cries rose in pitch.

His name fell off your lips like prayers in a church and his eyes fluttered when he tasted all you had to offer, lewd slurping noises coming from tasting the sweetness of your cum making it hard for you to think. When he pulled away you could only whine in protest, almost pouting as he took your shaky legs off his shoulders.

“Turn over, hike up that pretty little ass for me princess.” His voice seemed raspier, darker than you were used to as you obeyed his command, yelping when smacked your ass. The sting of it felt good on your heated flesh.

“Good girl, you're already a mess and I've barely started.” You could feel his grin as you hear rustling clothes before feeling his cock head slide between your dripping folds, he was fucking teasing you.  A mewl leaves your lips and you arch deeply, inviting him to slide into you but he continues his teasing instead. Finding your sweet whines and moans intoxicating to his ears and his ego, you're begging for him.

“P-please Izuku, please stop teas- oh!” Your pleads were clipped short as he slid his thick cock home inside you with one thrust. Your ass hitting his thighs with a soft smack. You moaned, you could never get used to how his cock stretched you out. You could feel how every delicious ridge and vein dragged against the walls of your cunt with even the slightest movement. He let himself be still for a moment, his hands rubbing your hips to let you adjust a tad before he started his thrusts.

He was driving you insane, the ridges of his cock dragged against your walls with every slow, mind numbing thrust he made. It felt like he was trying to memorize every inch of your walls he could explore but it was too slow, making your body hot with the need to be fucked like the dirty slut you are. You could tell this was on purpose, Izuku was always a wretched tease when it came down to it. One more pleasurable but oh so slow thrust made you snap at him.

Looking back at him you glared, “Fuck me like you fucking mean it or maybe I'll kick you out and wait for Bakug- OH.” Your words got cut off as a squeal like moan left your lips, Izuku starting a punishing pace as he pushed your head down to the sheets. His movements rougher than you were used to from him, more dominant.

“He couldn't fuck you good as me anyway.” He rasped, fucking into you harder with every word. His hand on the small of your back to keep you arched for him, his other hand gripping your hip. “Look at you, a fucking mess on my cock. Pussy fucking dripping so much I can feel it on my thighs.” You whimpered, not used to how crude he was being, the words making your ears burn but you loved them.

“I'm making you gush more than he could ever dream of and that's the point.” His hand that was on the small of your back crept up to your hair, pulling hard enough to make your back bow, head up and mouth open in a gasp. “You're mine and I'm gonna leave his sheets a mess with the fucking proof that you're mine.” The low tone of his voice sent shots of pleasure right to your core, a wet squelching sound echoing in the small dormitory from just how wet you were and how hard he was fucking you.

“Don't be afraid to make a mess on my cock, on the sheets, cause I'm gonna fuck you til you're squirting all over them.” The hand that was on your hip left to press against your throat, squeezing at it just enough to make your vision blur.

“He'll like it anyway. Since the fucking pervert steals your panties, I'm gonna make sure your juices even stain his pillow.” If you could see Izuku, you'd have seen the feral glint in his eyes as he sped up his thrusts. Determined to fuck you into an oblivious, incoherent mess while he had the time.

Katsuki had returned late in the night to his dorm, wrinkling his nose slightly when he opened the door at the smell of what seemed like sex. He looked around, brows furrowed in slow building anger but everything looked the same. Except one thing, a pair of very familiar red laced panties rested, soiled on his desk. There was a note with them that said enjoy and he recognized that it was the shitty nerds handwriting.

“Fucking Deku.” He rasped, trying to ignore the fact that his cock stirred in his gym shorts.

Hello 😊

How about Eddie having a huge crush on the reader but he’s unsure if she feels the same. when one day he comes in early to set up for hellfire and he finds her reading the players handbook like taking notes and stuff trying to learn more about D&D so she can surprise him and play the game he loves. Things get fluffy and it leads to a big confession and kiss 😭 I hope you have a wonderful day!!

ok but this. i love this. i swear you guys come up with the best damn ideas for fics <33 and i just hope i can deliver. (also shit, i completely forgot about the kiss etc. but if people want a pt.2 to this, i am more than happy to oblige, just hmu)

no explicit warnings. swearing.

Eddie Munson requests open // support your local writers and reblog+comment

_____________

Eddie made his way through the hallway. The chain on his jeans clinked with each step– steps, which in turn echoed through the empty corridor. It was an hour before Hellfire would start, so obviously, none of the other members had arrived at the school yet, and everyone else was most likely across campus, on the bleachers watching whatever sports game was happening that evening. So no one would be in this part of the school. 

That’s what Eddie thought, at least. 

He opened the heavy doors to the drama room. It had become an unofficial meet-up spot for Hellfire, primarily because of all the props that the Drama club had left behind from earlier productions. His favourite, of course, had become the large throne he liked to sit in whilst in the game.

Most days, whenever he could, Eddie would be sure to come at least an hour earlier just to finalise the specifics of the upcoming session. Of course, he had planned the entirety of the campaign months in advance, as he liked to put details in to bring back in the later sessions, but he was a perfectionist. He would spend the upcoming hour setting up his place at the table with all the books and files he had made for the forthcoming story. He would reread his notes, perhaps add in something he had thought of at the moment or cut something out he had doubts about. So, easy to say, he needed that extra hour before game time. 

But when he walked into the drama room, he noticed something was off, as the lights in the room were on. Not the usual dimmed ones the club uses, but the bright overhead lighting gave the entire room a yellow and artificial glow. 

He noticed you. Sitting on the ground against the wall, a large book in your lap, absolutely absorbed in it. To the extent that you didn’t see or even notice him walking up to you. Only when he said “Hi” did you scream and jump up. 

‘Woah, sorry,’ he chuckled, ‘didn’t mean to scare you.’ 

‘No, it’s fine,’ you coughed, closing your book quickly, trying to stuff it into your bag. But Eddie had already seen the title, and his interest peaked. 

‘Is that… the Basic Set?’ He pointed at the Dungeons and Dragons rulebook you were holding, the giant dragon on the cover not really allowing you to deny it. 

‘Uhm, yeah, I was just… I don’t know.’ You pushed it into your backpack, zipping it up quickly. ‘I should go anyway; the game is gonna start soon, so…’ you trailed off, not having anything else to add. You just got up, threw the backpack over your shoulder and walked past Eddie, leaving him dazed and confused. Only when you were almost at the door did he speak up. 

‘What’s your name?’ 

‘y/n,’ you answered. You didn’t need to ask him back. If the Hellfire Club shirt and the untamed hair hadn’t been enough of a giveaway, maybe the smell of weed would have been. Though no one would admit it, everyone at Hawkins High knew Eddie Munson. One way or another. Maybe just in the passing of conversation, but that guy was infamous around your school. You had never talked to him before that moment, for various reasons, mostly because of what you had heard about him from your friends. It was better to not hang around the likes of him and his other freak friends. 

So, when he walked up closer to you, you could feel your heart pounding faster and faster. You told yourself, there was nothing to be scared of. He was just a guy… a very attractive one, at that. You couldn’t lie to yourself. Something about him appealed to you; even if every cell in your body told you it was wrong, you were attracted to him. And maybe that was the reason your curiosity with this game of his had started. 

It started, to be exact, during a certain lunch period. You were walking towards your locker to put away your books from the earlier classes and retrieve your lunch to eat outside. Eddie had been standing only a few feet away when you reached the spot. He was talking to someone, both of them wearing identical Hellfire shirts. As you unlocked your locker, you couldn’t help but listen to what they were talking about. Now, you couldn’t remember what the conversation was about anymore, but they had mentioned stuff that sounded just like a fantasy book or movie. Something that, unknown to your friends, you had seen and read a lot of. It was such an easy way to escape from the hell living in Hawkins. 

Hearing them talk about it for the extended time needed to get your lunch out of your locker was enough for you to get hooked. You weren’t sure what exactly, but you were intrigued by the idea. A quick search in the yearbook for their little “Hellfire Club” told you enough. It was a Dungeons and Dragons club.

A few weeks later, when you finally made an excuse for your friend not to hang out, you went to the library and to your surprise, found an entire dust-covered shelf filled with manuals and rulebooks. You had no real intention of playing, but just wanted to know what the whole thing was about. 

That led you to the Drama club classroom an hour before the big game, catching some alone time to read a few more pages of the book. You hadn’t even realised you had trespassed into the unofficial Hellfire lair. 

Eddie had crossed the room now. He had his arms crossed, tapping his fingers on his bicep. 

‘Would you– are you interested in playing?’ 

‘No,’ you said, probably too quickly. Not intending to insult him, you corrected yourself, ‘I just… was just reading into it. Don’t really know how to play.’ 

‘I can teach you,’ he smiled. ‘It’s not that hard, especially if you’ve got the background information already,’ he cocked his head in the direction of your backpack. 

‘No, I don’t want to bother you–’

‘I didn’t mean now, if that’s what you were going for. I’ve got a campaign to run.’ He said, and you noticed his backpack left on one of the larger tables in the room. 

‘You’re running for class president?’ you asked, to which he started laughing. Then you remembered: a campaign was the game, the story they played. ‘Wow, ok, that was dumb of me,’ you laughed at yourself. 

‘It’s almost finished though,’ Eddie continued once his laughter died. ‘Maybe another session or two, depending on how much the rest decides to wise up. Then we’ll be starting a new one, and it might be easier for you to get started… if you’d like.’ He spoke slowly, cautiously, as if the wrong word would scare you off like a hunter who’d step on a twig while looking for deer. And perhaps, you would have ran of. The door wasn’t a foot away from you. At any given time, you could have told him to piss off and you could have walked away. Who did he think you were? Trying to get you to join his cult. 

Well you were the person to do exactly that. You had already read enough to see that nothing the media was saying was true. It was a harmless, pretty fun looking, game, that clearly had a very strong community around it. 

But it didn’t matter what you wanted. If your friends would ever find out that you were spending your evenings with Eddie “the Freak” Munson and his squad of cult members, playing some game where you would kill monsters with dice… you would never see the light of day again. 

‘I don’t even have a character sheet,’ you tried to use that as an excuse, but Eddie wasn’t buying it. Instead, the corners of his lips tightened in a smirk. 

‘The fact you even know what a character sheet is, sweetheart, tells me more than enough.’ He was findings his very amusing. There you were, one of the most preppy students in all of Hawkins High, holding tight on to your backpack strap hiding what most of the people you knew would almost consider illegal contraband. He could practically see the gears in your head turning, fighting the urge to join him on the dark side… not that you would even know what it meant… although, you had already surprised him aplenty in the few minutes you spent together. He wasn’t against one more revelation. 

‘How about my house, over the weekend? I got nowhere else to be.’ 

‘I-’ you didn’t know what to say. 

‘Scared your boyfriend will be upset if we hang out?’ He looked up at you from behind his eyelashes, reading your face for a reaction. 

‘I don’t have a boyfriend.’ You were earnest in your response, maybe too earnest. But Eddie didn’t seem phased. Nothing of his following reaction sounded as if you had just past some kind of test or trick he tried to put up. He just nodded, maybe shrugged a little. 

‘So, what do you think?’ He held his hand out for you to shake. You stared at it, probably for too long, inspecting the rings on his fingers. 

‘I really got to go.’ And with that, you pulled the door open and ran off. It was true, you had agreed with your friends to meet at the game, and you were most likely running late, but your sudden exit had more to do with the uncomfortable feeling in your stomach. You didn’t know what to do, so– you ran away. 

You were almost at the exit leading to the fields, two corridors away, when you stopped running. It was ridiculous, and extremely rude. Eddie had been so nice to you, so welcoming, and you just shut him down and ran away as if he was some psycho trying to lure you into a dark basement. 

Eddie sat down at the table, trying to replay everything that just had happened in the room. Little made sense of it, but then again, when did things in his life ever make sense? 

He pulled his campaign folder out of his back. A thick and black dossier, with the Hellfire logo scratched onto it with marker. Inside, a collection of scraps of paper with millions of his ideas scribbled into them. A system that would only make sense for the craziest of minds: his own. 

He flipped through the pages, when the door of the room opened again. He met your eyes, saw how out of breath you looked but how you tried to keep your composure. But most importantly, he saw your smile, your excitement. 

‘You should probably give me your address,’ you said, still in the threshold, ‘you know, if you want to meet up.’ 

𝑺𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 - 𝒁𝒐𝒓𝒐 𝒙 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

This is a quick little Valentine's Day fic for Zoro! Short and sweet (pun intended,) but I loved writing it. I have a few other things I'll be trying to post leading up to Valentine's Day, but at the very least I've managed to get this out. I may end up editing it after the fact as I usually do.

CW: SFW, strong language, alcohol, tsundere-ish Zoro, female reader

~2k words

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

“I hate chocolate.” 

“Good. These aren't for you, anyway.”

Zoro grumbles under his breath as he follows you out of the little confectionery shop, begrudgingly holding a bag of various chocolates. He's never been a fan of sweets, not at all, not even a little. So when you dragged him inside on the one day you have off the ship, he was a little annoyed, to say the least. 

“What, so you bought this many for yourself?” He asks. His steps keep in time with yours as he walks beside you, careful not to lose you in the crowd.

“Nope. For the crew.” You explain, peeking into the bag you carry. “I thought it'd be nice to get everyone something since it's almost Valentine's Day.”

Shit. Zoro knew he was forgetting something. 

“Right. Valentine's Day.” Zoro mumbles, glancing down at the bag again. 

God, how could he forget? Everyone's been babbling about chocolates, roses, festivities, and the cook has certainly been the worst offender, asking every woman aboard if they'd be his Valentine. Somewhere between his training, their fights at sea, and taking naps with you, he lost track of time. His eyes remain locked on the bag of chocolates, and just as he's trying to push the strange blend of feelings from his mind, he feels you tugging on his arm. In his train of thought, he'd started veering off the opposite way. 

“Whoa, there. Ship's this way, Mossy.” You say in your goddamn adorably teasing tone. It makes him clench his jaw. 

“Yeah, I know. And don’t call me that.” Zoro responds curtly, bristling with annoyance. 

It just makes you laugh. 

“Whatever you say.”

---

Zoro stares at you from across the deck, watching you hand chocolates to your crewmates. Luffy's confused at first, then overjoyed; Usopp’s awkward, then grateful; Franky's making his stupid poses; Nami's taking it off your tab; Robin's thanking you; Brook's asking to see your panties; Chopper's wiggling and grinning; Sanji's nose is bleeding; blah blah blah. All the same antics, the same lines, yet all Zoro is focused on is that look on your beautiful face as you give out your Valentine's chocolates. Your eyes light up with every ‘thank you,’ every hug, and all Zoro can do is think about how the hell he forgot about Valentine's Day. 

But it's too late now, isn't it? The ship has already left the port and he didn't buy any flowers or gifts. He sucks at making cards, expressing his feelings, baking cookies - basically, anything that could make a decent Valentine. Then there's the most troubling part of all. Is he even your Valentine? Does it even matter?

You've been dating each other for somewhere around two months now. That doesn't necessarily mean that you're Valentine's, though. Nothing was ever said, neither of you asked the other, and at this point, he's not even sure how to bring it up. It seems rather obvious to him that you'd be each other's Valentine's, but that's what makes it even more frustrating - what seems obvious to Zoro isn't always obvious to others. Sometimes he's exhausted being surrounded by so many idiots (though he refuses to admit that he’s one of them.)

But not you. You're the idiot he doesn't get tired of. But, god, why did it have to be chocolates? Valentine's Day has always seemed like some kind of worthless, annoying day where everyone just gives out candy and useless junk as an excuse to make out. Making out, Zoro can handle - sweets, not so much. But then there's you, who's all sugar and spice and everything nice. The antithesis of what he's supposed to like, but your attitude has proven irresistibly charming to the stoic swordsman. 

The way your smile beams across the ship could end wars, call ships away from danger, light up the moonless sky as it so often has when you've been on watch together. It's damn near impossible to deny how much he loves to see that look on your face, and even more irritating that currently he's not the one that put it there. So, chocolates. Zoro can't do that. But that smile? He'll maim, kill, and die for it. He reasons that maybe there's a simpler way. 

---

You're a little skeptical when your boyfriend asks you to come up to the crow’s nest in the middle of the night. Hell, neither of you is assigned watch and it's well past your usual hours for training. Usually, this late at night, Zoro's fast asleep in his hammock if he's not tucked into your bed with you. So, what gives?

“Just shut up and trust me.” He chides, his tone slightly irritated but mostly playful. Well, that's Zoro.

As you follow him out onto the deck, the cool night air hits the exposed skin from your pajamas. The stars are beautiful, glittering above in a way that's almost distracting, but you don't linger your gaze on them for too long. Instead, you stay closely behind Zoro, your arms crossed over your chest long enough to keep some semblance of warmth. The journey up the crow’s nest is longer than you'd like given the temperature and your sleepy mind, but you swear you can almost smell something weird wafting down from the open door hatch. 

It's not only until you peek inside that you recognize the scent of lavender, and through the candlelight, you recognize a large blanket, several pillows, a bottle of sake, and some kind of food on a few plates. As you're trying to register what you're looking at, Zoro pulls your hand gently to assist you up the rest of the way. 

“What is this?” You ask, and the way your lips curl into a smile makes Zoro's heart stutter. 

He lets go of your hand, walking across the planks of the crow’s nest to his makeshift picnic. It’s a romantic setup that took him all evening, and he can recall the several conversations he had with himself to try to figure out something to throw together. He’s a little satisfied with himself - smug, even - but he maintains his usual demeanor for now. Zoro doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, after all.

“Well, what does it look like?” Zoro responds in his classic, gruff tone. “Made you a picnic. Since it's Valentine's Day and all that.”

Your eyes glance around the candles, and while the setup is fairly simple, you can't deny the wonder you feel at the sight. Never once had you expected anything like this from Zoro. Quite truthfully, you thought he would have forgotten or written off the whole thing as stupid. Taking a few careful steps, your gaze finally glances back up at him. 

“Where did you…I mean, food and candles? I really didn't…”

Zoro hums, and his lips finally quirk up into a cocky smile for a moment. He couldn’t keep that smug feeling aside for long, especially when your eyes light up the way they do.

“Candles are from Robin, and I owe Nami for tricking the cook into getting us some snacks.” He responds before his eye flicks back up to yours. “You like it?”

“Like it? This is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me.” You grin, and you move to close the space between you two. It makes Zoro's heart stutter yet again. 

“Really? Is the bar that low?” Zoro replies with an amused huff. “Didn't think it was all that impressive. I pulled it together sorta last minute when I realized Valentine's Day meant so much to you.”

“It doesn’t.” You respond quickly, and you let out a laugh at Zoro’s shocked expression. So, you elaborate. “I mean, I like Valentine’s Day because it’s an excuse to express how much people mean to me. But the holiday itself doesn’t make or break anything. I wasn’t expecting you to actually care about it, which is why I never said anything.”

Zoro seems contemplative for a moment, his eye trailing carefully over to the makeshift picnic. He lets out a huff, one hand resting casually on his sword, the other against his thigh. 

“Of course I don’t care about Valentine’s Day.” He says, almost snapping. Guess you struck a nerve. “It’s a stupid holiday designed for people like that love cook to hit on women. I didn’t even know it was Valentine’s Day ‘till you bought all that candy.”

Despite his harsh tone, you can’t help but smile a bit wider at his response. He seems irritated, and likely just because he was in his own head about it. And god, that smile you give him…

“But I care about you, moron. That’s why I threw this together.”

Zoro sits down on one of the blankets, patting a pillow next to him for you to join. You don’t hesitate, and as you sit down you watch as Zoro grabs the bottle of sake and pulls the cork out with his teeth. He spits it aside, taking a long swig of it. If the candles weren’t so dim, you might have been able to notice the way the tips of his ears light up red. 

“I already told you that this is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me. You don’t have to feel weird about doing it just because I wasn’t expecting it.” You finally speak up, a hand moving to rest on his forearm. “Seriously, I appreciate this. It’s honestly really…sweet.”

Zoro takes his free hand holding the bottle of sake, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand with a sigh. He’s definitely embarrassed, but that sweet tone of yours makes something in his chest feel lighter. 

“Yeah, well…I don’t normally do sweet. You know that.” Zoro says, setting the bottle of sake down between the both of you. And he knows that you know that - hell, you probably know him better than most people. “Just felt like now that we’re dating, I wanted to see you…have a good Valentine’s Day.”

“For someone who claims to hate sweet, you’re very good at it. Thank you, Zoro.” You reply, leaning against him just a little bit. The skin-to-skin contact makes Zoro heat up a bit, and when you lean in closer, you can’t contain the small giggle that leaves you. “But I feel like I should let you know that Valentine’s Day isn’t for another few days.”

Zoro’s expression drops once again, and that stupid annoying feeling of irritation fills him. His head snaps in your direction, and he visibly bristles. It makes you laugh.

“Dammit! Why the hell were you giving everyone chocolates so early then, woman?” 

“Because I didn’t want them to go bad! Plus, I’m horrible with surprises. I get too impatient.” You laugh again, and that laugh somehow both irritates and soothes Zoro. He’ll never understand the effect you have on him.

Grumbling, he grabs the bottle of sake again. Before he can bring it to his lips, though, your hand moves up to his chin, gently pulling it so that he looks right at you. With a grin, you lean forward and press your lips tenderly against his. That irritation in him is gone, and his eye slowly shuts as he feels you both melt into the kiss. Goddamn, Zoro hates sweets, but the taste of your lips against his is addicting. His chest aches when the kiss breaks, but your lips linger against one another.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” You murmur.

Hexteam Modern au part 3

I am Jewish. I am an anti-Zionist. I am always and forever pro-Palestine.

My grandmother was born in Palestine before Israel existed. My grandmother, who died less than a decade ago (in her 70s) was already older than the settler colonial state of Israel. Judaism exists without Zionism. Zionism goes against the Jewish religion. Zionism is white supremacy.

From the river to the sea Palestine WILL BE FREE