It Was A Bad Idea Honestly. No Scratch That, It Was A TERRIBLE Idea. The Idea Being Of Which Is That

u can’t touch this🧂

Hasbrowns.

hashbrowns

warnings: just a lot of cursing, but like, nothing major, this is just a crackfic!!!

gn!reader x arataki itto

@light679 has the hots for oni leon

"i said id like an order of hashbrowns..."

"what?? i can't hear you?" the man on the other side said.

this is why you never fucking went to mcdonalds.

a sigh left your lips.

"CAN I GET AN ORDER OF FUCKING HASHBROWNS?!"

"yeah yeah okay whatever," he groaned, a frown forming on your face. "that'll be one order of hashbrowns, or something...?"

"yeah. thanks."

"uhhhh...." the man, no, idiot, on the speaker seemed kind of... slow. "can you wait in the... the parking lot? cause your order will be given to ya there..."

"okay. yeah, whatever, thanks. cool. bye."

you eventually pulled into a parking spot there after paying.

not even 5 minutes later, a-

a massive... god damn... oni?? tapped on the glass of your driver's side window.

"hellooo???" he exclaimed with a raised brow as you rolled down the window. "yeah, uh, are these... er..."

he clears his throat.

"FUCKING HASHBROWNS!!!" he shouted, mocking you loudly enough for the entire lot to hear, "yours?"

"um. yes..."

"cool." he dropped the bag into your hand, his number written on the greasy little putrid bag of half-burnt hashbrowns.

"hey dumbass!" you shouted back at the absolute fucking idiot trotting away in his black mcdonalds uniform.

"IS THIS YOUR NUMBER?!?!"

he briefly stopped, shock written on his face.

there is no way you just matched his tone when he mocked you with the "FuCkInG hAsHbRoWnS!!" thing...

"uh, yeah..." his ego washed over him again like a wave on the beach. "the one and- ONI's number, ha ha ha!!"

that... fucking BASTARD!!

"FUCK YOU!!!" you howled, honking your horn at him, while he ran away like his life depended on it giggling as if he was a little schoolgirl, his cheeks more crimson than his own horns.

well, i guess you're never going to mcdonalds ever again...

these hashbrowns suck anyways.

𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 as much as you wanted to stay by his side, you couldn't bear the thought of watching him fall in love with other women while you're stuck at the kitchen washing dishes and measuring ingredients. so you dreamt of leaving, of traveling to different islands to share your lovely songs and tunes; but the more your desire to leave grows, the more sanji finds himself drowning in your warmth.

or,

you and sanji over the years, wherein five times you tried to leave him and the one time you finally did, despite his refusal to let you go.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬 musician reader, 5 + 1 things, pining, unrequited love, not actually unrequited love, heavy (kind of) angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 HERE IT IS! the response to the sneak peek was crazy, and so i rushed to get this done. i only watched the live action so beware of minor mistakes if you ever saw one. english is also not my first language and you are welcome to correct me anytime for any grammatical errors. title is a lyric from the last time by taylor swift ft. gary lightbody. this fic is also posted in ao3 with its full summary and WITH A BONUS CHAPTER. enjoy reading!

𝐰𝐜 11.3k

"There you are."

Your soapy, wet hands almost dropped the ceramic plate you were currently washing in the dirty kitchen sink as soon as you heard a familiar smooth and honeyed voice. Abruptly turning off the sink so that the sound of his approaching footsteps were clear to your ears, you wiped the sweat off your forehead with the back of your hand before turning your body towards him.

He was carrying a stack of plates, a fresh batch to add to the pile you had to wash, with an obnoxious yet handsome smile plastered on his lips. You took a deep breath to calm the growing irritation at the bottom of your stomach, reminding yourself that this was your job and you only had a couple of hours to endure until you're free to lock yourself up in your bedroom. You were particularly looking forward to writing today, and the thought of finishing the lyrics to your new song tonight slightly eased your mood. Accepting your fate, you pointed to the remaining space beside the sink.

"Place it there." You told him, albeit begrudgingly as you turn on the sink again and pour more soap on the battered sponge.

You took a mental note to ask Zeff later about buying new sponges, and if you were lucky to catch him in a good mood, you'll put in a request to get the sink fixed and cleaned. Your eyes scanned over the grime and rust around the area. If you were going to spend the rest of your life washing dishes, then you might as well get a proper kitchen sink to do so.

An amused laugh fell out of the golden haired man you grew up with, surprised at your compliance to do the job you hated. The sound nearly sent your poor heart into a dizzying whirlwind of little nuisances called emotions. "What a hardworking woman."

"I could say the same to you. It seems like you have a new record today." You said while you splashed dirtied bowls with soap water, smiling at him teasingly, "Thought you would've been kicked out of the line by now."

"The old man just can't help but to accept the fact that I am a greater cook than him." He smirked, wiping a knife with a dish cloth. Trying not to roll your eyes, you shook your head at his usual display of arrogance, yet you can't help but to grin as you began to hear scratching sounds against the floors.

"Then you better get those chopped carrots ready." You replied, and when you got to finish your sentence, the doors to the kitchen swung open, revealing the head chef.

Zeff's cold and steely eyes immediately landed on the blond. He walked towards him with a fast pace despite only having one leg, his braided mustache bouncing in each step.

"Aye, aye, aye. Why haven't you started on the carrots yet, little eggplant? Can you get any slower?" He scolded, loud enough for the whole staff to hear, but none of them even flinched. You returned back to your plates and glasses, smiling softly. This was part of your routine everyday: to listen in their silly arguments.

However, before the younger chef can reply, you butted in, "Sanji fetched some of the plates for me. Since there's a lunch rush, I couldn't leave the kitchen."

Zeff let out a low hum. You couldn't even see Sanji's face, but you knew him well enough to know that he was smiling triumphantly, knowing that he won this time. After a few minutes of contemplating, the head chef clicked his tongue. "Don't defend him, little lass. But I'll let it slip this time. What are you waiting for, then? Start cutting them!"

"Yes, chef." Sanji answered in a jovial manner, placing the carrots on a chopping board.

Twisting the faucet lever so that the water flow from the sink is gentle and quiet, you then paid attention to their little banters every now and then. You brought up a wine glass and positioned it by your side to try to get a glimpse of the two most important men in your life. Through their reflection on the glass, you can see Zeff hunching over Sanji's knifework, nodding every time the vegetables were correctly sliced.

On the other hand, Sanji was unbothered by the head chef's observations and continued to cut the ingredients calmly. Some of the strands in his hair fell down on one side of his face, covering an eye, and most people would think that it was an unusual way of styling hair; yet it was one thing out of many that you loved the most about him.

You accepted it years ago.

You accepted the fact that you somehow fell in love with Sanji Vinsmoke along your weird journey of working in a sea restaurant full of former pirates and making music while at it. How the pesky feelings grew and wrapped themselves around your aching heart, you didn't know. Maybe it was when he learned to cook your favorite food and gave it to you afterwards, or the way his crystal blue eyes reminded you of snowflakes every winter.

Or maybe it was when he pulled your hair out of jealousy the moment he learned that Zeff would be taking in another child in his care, but brushed it and even braided it after the latter cleared the misunderstanding. Maybe it was when he supported you in your dreams and told you they weren't silly, maybe it was when he fought off drunk men that were trying to hit on you. Or maybe it was the way his voice would drop an octave lower whenever he asks you for a favor. The list could go on and on and you still wouldn't know the reason why. It doesn't matter anyway. You tripped, you fell, and now you're pining.

Drying off the last of the plates, you washed your own hands after and patted them dry on your skirt. You were the last one to leave the kitchen, the other staff already back in their quarters after a long, exhausting day of cooking. You fixed the signature blue bandana tied in your hair then went on your way towards the upper deck.

You weren't blessed with a talent in cooking, so you offered to do chores instead. Washing the dishes, cleaning the restaurant, and doing the laundry were few of the things you do in the Baratie. You can't say that you enjoy it, but you were beyond grateful that Zeff gave you a chance despite his opposition to let a woman work inside his restaurant.

As you were about to go to the newly laundered clothes you hung on a thin wire earlier that morning, you heard two voices speaking. You also smelled cigarette smoke wafting through the air, and you only knew one person who could be smoking at this hour. Your breath hitched in anticipation.

"You bringing a woman to your bed again, Sanji?" The other person asked playfully, but there was a hint of disbelief in his voice. You carefully took a peek so you won't accidentally reveal yourself and be accused of eavesdropping. Two people came into view with their backs facing you.

"Now, what are you talking about, Patty? I am a gentleman. I only had a nice chat with the lovely lady and escorted her back to her ship." Sanji interjected, a cigarette hanging on his lips.

Patty huffed. "I didn't know that chatting included kiss marks on jawlines."

This caused Sanji to laugh and say, "Not my fault she was charmed by my food."

"The boss man ain't gonna like it when he finds out about this."

"He's not gonna find out." Sanji assured him, wiping off the said kiss mark on his jaw. You stared at him as he did so, and you pitied the woman who planted that kiss, knowing she was just one of the many beautiful ladies Sanji had flirted with before. However, a tinge of pain in your chest said otherwise, taunting you that it was not pity you're feeling, but foul jealousy.

"Why don't you look for more decent women, eh? How about 'little lass' for a change?" Patty suddenly suggested.

It was like someone had hit your stomach with one of the metal pans in the kitchen with the way it lurched in surprise and nervousness. Your heartbeat started to quicken the longer you waited for his response, making your grip on your skirt tighter. In moments like these, you allowed yourself to hope, to wish that he saw something in you and that he finds you beautiful and lovely enough to be the person standing by his side.

But his answer made all that hope crumble down into nothing but dust.

"I don't see her that way." Sanji said after a long stretch of silence, taking a long drag from the cigarette then releasing the smoke in a single breath.

Ah.

You blinked repeatedly, trying to keep the tears from forming. It's always been like this, so why can't you get used to it? Taking a deep breath, you gulped away the knot forming in your throat and decided to leave. You can grab the clothes later.

"You're too kind for him." Someone behind you spoke, making you jump and tense up. Turning around, you saw Zeff looking at you with an unreadable emotion in his eyes and his hands on his hips, almost like he knew your secret. Of course he does. He always sees everything.

You stumbled on your words. "Sir?"

"That boy is always up to something." He began, switching his attention to Sanji. "One minute he's stubbornly immature in the kitchen, and the next he'll be a thirsty man staring at women like they're liquid booze."

Clearing your throat, you forced a smile.

"Well, he can be a lot sometimes." You agreed, remembering the days when the two of you would fight over irrelevant matters. Then you chuckled and continued, "But he's kind. He's gentle, and lovely, like a freshly made poem you keep repeating in your head. But then he's also confusing, hot-headed, and reckless. He's like the sea, isn't he? Calm yet wrapped with mystery, dangerous yet beautiful..."

You trailed off, an unbearable heat rising up your cheeks and neck once you slowly began to realize that you just ranted out your feelings to the head chef. You glanced at him with wide eyes, preparing to see a disgusted look on his face; however, Zeff didn't appear to be repulsed by your little speech. In fact, the corners of his lips were slightly quirked up.

"But I cannot swim. If I were to drown, he wouldn't save me." You quickly added, hoping to shut down the topic.

He sighed. "You will meet someone who deserves you as much as you deserve them, little lass." He simply said. He then laid his hand out, and on his palm was a little box poorly tied with a ribbon. "Here, for you."

Altnough you were a bit confused at the random gift, you accepted it and cradled the box to your chest. "I'll be okay, Zeff." You insisted, grinning cheekily. "When I become famous, I'll sing my songs here in Baratie, and people would flood the restaurant to hear my singing. And to eat your food too, of course."

The head chef nodded, relief flooding his expression. "I look forward to that." He said while awkwardly returning your smile.

That night, when you were sure that everyone in the Baratie was asleep, you opened the loose floorboard on the floors of your bedroom and grabbed the wooden box you kept hidden for a long time now. You opened the lid and began counting the Berry you saved for the past few months.

Tomorrow was the perfect day to leave.

You just can't stay here. Yes, you had a roof over your head, delicious food to eat everyday, and clean clothes to wear but you were so miserable. This wasn't the life you wanted. You wish to go out there, sing your heart out, and fall in love with someone who actually loves you back.

A knock on your door made you freeze. You held your breath as the person on the other side continued to knock a few more times. "You awake?"

Pain surged through your veins, your chest twisting in agony. Sanji.

"You didn't come down for dinner. I guess you're too tired, hmm?" He said, his muffled voice gentle, and the sound almost prompted you to stand up and open the door for him. But you dug your fingernails in your palms and resisted, because you can't just let this opportunity pass by.

You heard a brief clinking sound before Sanji spoke again, "Sweet dreams, ange."

Once his footsteps faded away, you cautiously moved towards your door and opened it as quietly as you can. There, on the floor, was a small plate with a slice of your favorite desert: angel's food cake, topped with fresh cream and strawberries.

You bent down and saw a note beside the plate. And when you got to read the contents of the note, you burst into tears and sobs that wracked down your entire body.

Happy Birthday

— S.

You ate the cake with tears silently falling down your cheeks, and that was the first time you failed to leave Sanji Vinsmoke.

⸻ • ⸻

Today was the day, and you won't allow anyone to ruin it for you.

You had saved enough Berries to travel around the world and sustain yourself for the upcoming months. Your notebook containing the lyrics of the songs you wrote laid open on top of your bed as you spent all night revising them while planning out an itinerary. Then you'll find a place to settle in, a stable job that required doing what you loved the most, and overall just be peaceful and free from pirates and chefs and pirate chefs. It was perfect.

Folded clothes surrounded you everywhere, ready to be packed in your bags. Once you finished stuffing them all in, you grabbed your treasured instrument, the one thing you couldn't live without: your guitar, which has been with you since you were a little child. It was given by your mother and you've been attached to it ever since.

It has scratches all over its wooden surface, and the strings needed some fixing occassionally, but you wouldn't trade it for the greatest treasures in the world. You ran your fingers over it, suddenly feeling like it was lacking something. Seeing the paint chipping off at the corners, you figured that it needed a little color.  You'll need lacquer, and paint if you managed to find some.

You set the guitar aside and left your bedroom to head downstairs to the kitchen. As you were about to push the doors open, a loud, angry shout made you stop in your tracks.

"I won't ever become a pathetic waiter for you!" Sanji's thunderous yells can be heard from outside. Your shoulders tensed up. It was a good thing that brunch was over and all the customers had left.

Zeff's own furious voice followed, "Leave then, for all I care! You can do anything you want, but don't you ever serve one of your shit dishes in my kitchen!"

A frown settled on your face. Their fights were a normal occurrence to you, but this one sounded more grave than usual. Crossing your arms, you stepped in closer to the entrance and hesitated whether you should go in or not. Before you could make a decision, Zeff beat you to it by pushing the doors open, rage emanating from his figure as he ignored and walked past you.

Without hesitation this time, you entered the kitchen, greeted by the sight of Sanji bowing over the counter, breathing heavily, his face covered with his hair. He didn't move an inch even as you approached him, the clacking of the heels in your boots echoing throughout the room.

Both of you were silent as you rummaged through cabinets, trying to find lacquer to cover your guitar with, while he tried his best to calm himself down after his outburst. Many cupboards later, you finally found a small can of used up lacquer, but as you started to reach for it, your hand completely stopped mid-air.

You looked over your shoulder, and found Sanji already recovered from the argument seeing that he was on the move again, preparing a cut of beef tenderloin and other ingredients he needed for tonight's dinner.

Slowly, you closed the cupboard and went closer to him. He still refused to look at you. And so you watched him place a bag of flour on the countertop, slices of cold butter, and a variety of spice bottles to season the meat with.

Sanji began to wrap twine around the beef tenderloin. You sighed, and before you could stop yourself, you grabbed a bowl and decided to help him. Your guitar can wait.

It was rare for you to cook inside the kitchen, having so little knowledge about food and how they were prepared, but you knew this recipe well. You poured two cups of flour through the sifter, followed by placing heaps of the cold butter in the mixture.

The moment you started to mix the dough for the puff pastry, Sanji quickly pointed out in a monotone voice, "You're adding too much butter."

You raised your head and glanced at him, his attention now on the meat he was searing on a skillet. You smiled, glad that he was speaking again.

"You're beginning to sound like the old man himself." You joked lightly.

His jaw clenched. "Don't compare me to that shitty geezer."

In a softer voice, you asked, "What happened?"

"The usual." He replied curtly. "Didn't approve of my dishes."

You perked up upon hearing about a dish he made himself. Sanji was talented when it comes to creating his own recipes, and sometimes, you would be the person he chooses to test them out. Every time he lets you taste them, your chest would feel warm and you wouldn't be able to sleep for days because you'll keep replaying it in your head. "What did you make this time?"

"It doesn't matter. He'll never agree to any of them."

"Maybe I can—"

"Drop it. Don't poke your nose in things you're not involved." Sanji cut you off, his hardened gaze meeting your concerned stare. You only blinked at him, straightening up.

"I see." You muttered, eyes landing on the bag of flour. You looked at him, then at the flour, then back at him. A smile began to form on your lips as a devious plan formulated itself in your brain. Sticking your hand inside the bag of flour, you took a fistful of the pillowy powder and threw it straight into his face.

Sanji jumped back, flinching and closing his eyes when some of the flour's particles managed to enter them. His jaw dropped open in surprise, hands quickly removing themselves from the skillet's handle to dust off the flour that rested on his now white hair. You tried to stifle a laugh as you watched him struggle getting the flour out.

Once he managed to clean himself, he stared straight at you and said in the calmest way possible, even if you knew deep inside that he was fuming, "What was that for?"

A high-pitched snort left your mouth. You covered it to prevent yourself from laughing.

You cleared your throat and smiled at him innocently. "Am I involved now?"

His piercing blue eyes then started to sparkle with mirth, amusement replacing the vexation previously swimming in them. He also looked to be trying to push down a smile, and that made your heart skip a beat. "You're insufferable."

He reached for the bag of flour. You squeaked and took off running, trying to escape from his attack, but he still managed to throw a small amount on you. Giggling, you ran the opposite direction to confuse him, and yet he caught up with you, throwing another round of flour. This time, it hit your cheeks, making you laugh loudly. He laughed along, pointing a finger at you because you probably looked crazy at the moment.

You tried to take the bag of flour away from him, but he just took it an as opportunity to catch your arm and grip it firmly. He pulled you into his chest, caging you completely.

With your cheeks warm and your breaths short, you tilted your head up and looked at him, noticing the way that you were both covered in flour; and not only that, you also noticed the short distance between your bodies and how your noses were almost touching. His pupils were dilated, black dominating the alluring blue shade that kept haunting your dreams. You drank in the attention he was giving you, the breathing coming out from his soft lips, and the comfortable silence that wrapped around the both of you like a safe little bubble.

"Caught you." Sanji muttered, voice deeper and huskier, making you let out a quiet sigh. His arms snaked around your waist as he leaned in closer. A million questions started to run inside your head, begging to know what this situation was and how you got into it. "Nowhere to run now, darling."

A slamming of doors shattered the secret moment you shared, and you immediately pulled away from each other. You pushed down your disappointment and hid it in the secret crevice in your heart as the two of you faced your intruder.

Zeff observed your flour-laden figures, his thick eyebrows scrunched together in irritation. He then demanded, voice seething and dripping with anger, "What in the hell are you two little brats doing?"

Sanji blurted out in defense, "Zeff, we—she was the one who started it!"

"And you went along with it!" You accused incredulously, grinning from ear-to-ear. Sanji grinned back, shaking his head and biting his lower lip.

"Oh, shut up before I stitch your mouths! Just by looking at you two, I already know that you snot-nosed shits are both at fault!" Zeff shouted, clicking his tongue at the sight of the half emptied flour. "Wasted them good flour for your childish fights. You're even worse than fatwits. Get out and clean the toilets!"

"Not the shitty toilets!" Sanji groaned, and you couldn't blame him for it. The bathroom area smelled revolting and the floors were always wet for some reason.

"I don't wanna hear complaints from you when you've dirtied my kitchen! Off you go!" Zeff dismissed, and you can't help but to laugh again when you saw Sanji pout like a little kid.

The head chef watched the two of you leave the kitchen together while giggling and exchanging fond looks. Patty, who also saw the whole situation unfold, suddenly appeared beside him, snickering, "I can already hear the wedding bells ringing."

Zeff took a deep, tired breath.

"Oh, they're ringing alright."

You cleaned and scrubbed the toilets the entire afternoon with the man you're in love with, flushing your plans down the drain and forgetting all about them, and that was the second time you failed to leave Sanji Vinsmoke.

⸻ • ⸻

You didn't know how you ended up in a ship full of pirates.

Well, maybe you knew. A little. But it wasn't supposed to be like this.

Your knuckles were beginning to turn white with how tight you were clenching them. A mix of emotions swirled around in your chest, namely confusion, impatience, and hesitation, pondering about whether you should be irritated at yourself or at Sanji.

The opportunity was there, handed to you like a steak on a golden platter, or a miracle that suddenly fell from the sky. The day you met Luffy and his strange pirate crew was the day you immediately realized that he was the key to your exit from the Baratie. He was friendly; a good pirate, according to his own words, so you figured he would allow you to tag along for a while until you find an island to get off to. You just had to ask for his permission and wait for his reply.

Luffy agreed. And you were ecstatic. You were finally going to leave Sanji Vinsmoke and your pathetic, unrequited feelings behind.

Or so you thought.

You watched in horror as he followed you when you boarded the Going Merry, also carrying a bag of his own. He said something along the lines of Luffy needing a cook for the journey to the Grand Line but you couldn't care less. You got here first. Why was he here?

So here you were, sitting in a corner, lonelier than ever and regretting your life decisions. You watched Luffy and his friends celebrate after defeating the pirate Arlong and saving Coco Village from his inhuman hold over its people, but Sanji and the beautiful orange haired Nami were nowhere in sight.

The thought of them being gone together at the same time left a bitter aftertaste on your tongue.

Nami. The first time you laid eyes on her, ethereal was the word that came up to your mind. With soft deep saffron locks that framed her small face and a wide blue eyed gaze, she would have the cruelest of men begging for mercy and affection at her feet.

Unfortunately, Sanji was one of those men.

Fuck, you cursed mentally, rubbing your face with your hands to try and forget about the times he flirted with her and the moments he wouldn't stop talking about her or kept asking about her favorite food or dessert or if she's into blonds. Your already battered heart doesn't need the usual reminder that he'll never see you that way, that you weren't going to experience his sweet words and his loving gazes.

You took a sharp breath. It's okay, you tell yourself over and over again until they were buried in your heart. They'll make a great pair, Sanji the cook and Nami the thief. A strong man with an equally strong woman. Yes. That makes sense.

You'll leave soon anyway, and you'll no longer have to worry about seeing them or how they were going to end up together.

And yet you can't help but to think about the things that could've been if you were the one he was in love with instead.

You were crossing your arms and hugging yourself as the crisp afternoon air was getting chilly when a hand gripping a shot glass filled with amber liquid appeared in front of you. Looking up, you saw Luffy smiling widely at you, waving the glass encouragingly.

"Come on, just one drink! Usopp poured this for you!" The captain exclaimed heartily, obviously trying to uplift your spirits and to make you feel welcomed in his crew, even though you did nothing but to guard the Going Merry while they were fighting for their lives.

You shook your head and smiled politely. "No, I don't drink. Sorry."

Luffy's smile faltered, but he recovered quickly. He nodded, setting the glass down on top of a barrel. "Well, okay." He said, then turned to Usopp, who was currently downing a whole bottle of whiskey. "Hey, where's Nami?"

"Oh, she's with the cook," Usopp replied cheekily, wiping his mouth after drinking. There was a teasing tone in his voice as he continued, "Someone's getting a boyfriend tonight!"

With that said, you reached for the shot glass that Luffy was offering you earlier, grabbed it swiftly, and poured the whole thing down your throat. The whiskey tasted unfamiliar, and it burned and made you dizzy at first taste, but it doesn't matter; as long as it can make you forget just for a little while, you were willing to drink more of the horrible beverage.

Zoro, the green haired swordsman and the captain's first mate, stared at you as if you had lost your mind, but a tinge of concern was visibly written on his face. "Woah, slow down." He warned sternly.

"I thought you didn't drink." Was all Luffy said, blinking in confusion. You chuckled tiredly.

"Now I do."

Drink after drink, glass after glass. You lost count on how many times Usopp poured whiskey for you, or how many times Zoro shook his head in disbelief. Luffy was the same old happy-go-lucky captain throughout the disaster that was starting to brew inside you, turning your brain into mush. You can barely lift your head or your fingers as you asked for another shot in an incoherent voice. Luckily, Usopp was still able to understand you, tipping the whiskey bottle yet again towards your glass.

You started to raise the glass to your lips, eager to just get severely drunk and be over with it already. However, you suddenly felt strong fingers wrap around your wrist to stop you from drinking; and when you caught sight of a familiar silver ring with Baratie's jolly roger inlaid upon it, you didn't need to look up to know who it was.

Sanji's voice was unnervingly calm as he questioned the crew, but the slight shake in his words lets you know otherwise. "Which one of you allowed her to drink?"

"No one. She took the glass and made the decision herself." Zoro drawled, challenging the chef, "The last time I checked, waiter, you were supposed to be the one responsible for her."

Sanji ignored him and turned his attention to you. He stole the shot glass away from you, then kneeled and held your hands comfortingly, smiling. "Come on, ange. It's time for you to rest now." He said quietly, yet loud enough for only you to hear.

You stubbornly shook your head repeatedly and whined loudly. "No! Don't touch me!" You cried, prying your hands away from his, "I don't like you...!"

Zoro huffed in amusement at your declaration. Sanji glared at him for a short second before looking at you again. This time, he stood and gently placed his arms under your shoulders to raise you up. Once you were standing on your feet, he swept you up and carried you bridal style with ease. Another whine escaped your lips.

"Put me down! I want another drink, please, just one more!" You pleaded while throwing weak punches on his chest. Sanji only smiled and began to lead you towards the sleeping quarters. You continued to thrash in his arms as he walked slowly and in small steps so he wouldn't drop you.

Sanji carefully set you down on your hammock. "No drinks for you until you actually learn how to take them." He told you, tucking a stray piece of your hair behind your ear. His thumb caressed the soft skin of your cheek and rubbed it in circles, noting how fast you were heating up due to the alcohol. You pouted.

"Pretty please, Sanji...please..."

He chuckled, staring at you intensely. "Maybe some other time, ange."

You went quiet, staring back at him with half-lidded eyes. Then, you crossed your arms like a child and asked, "Why do you keep calling me that?"

Sanji raised a brow. "Call you what? Ange?"

You nodded. "I don't like it."

He began to smile, the dimples on his cheeks appearing. You briefly wondered if he'd allow you to poke and feel them. "Why?"

"I don't know what it means. Is it an insult?" You wondered aloud, your eyes widening in curiosity.

A hearty and warm laugh came out from Sanji, his eyes forming half-moons as he cackled at your words like they were the biggest joke he heard in his entire life, "Oh, my dear girl, how could I possibly insult you?" He managed to speak between laughs, "It means angel. You're an angel, to me at least. My angel."

Oh.

Your lips parted in surprise. Blinking, you simply said, "You're not Sanji."

He's not Sanji. He wouldn't call you angel; you're not even sure if he found you beautiful or attractive. You wear the same old tattered dresses that Zeff bought for you a long time ago, and you didn't even bother to style your hair or put on face powder like all the other beautiful ladies do. You look nowhere near to an angel.

But Sanji only grinned. "I assure you, I am very much Sanji. The little brat who pulled your hair when we were barely eleven years old."

Your breath hitched at the thought of him remembering one of your fond memories in your childhood. "You remembered."

"Of course I remembered." He whispered, cupping your cheek one last time before he got ready to leave. He turned on his heel and was about to walk away when you spoke.

"Are you going to see her again?" You asked, and he quickly noticed how broken your voice sounded. Sanji faced you in concern and was taken aback with how deep you were frowning. He figured that you were just drunk and women tend to be different when they were intoxicated. You were no exception to that, it seemed.

"Hm?" He hummed, prompting you to elaborate further.

Tears began to form in the corners of your eyes. You shakily mumbled, "Nami...you're going to Nami, aren't you?"

Sanji froze, an icy cold rush filling up his body. A knot formed in his throat, and it continued to tighten the longer he stared at your face. You looked so hurt—like he just destroyed your beloved guitar into pieces. Your lower lips were trembling, your eyes glistening with unshed tears. For a moment, he couldn't find the courage to answer you, feeling like he could die at any second now if he answers your question.

But the answer was simple.

"Yes." He breathed out, a sharp pain stabbing through his heart.

And it only became worse when a teardrop finally rolled down your cheek. "Why?" You rasped, and Sanji didn't know that a single word can hurt this much.

He tried to give you a reassuring smile but awfully failed to do so. He started to explain, "We were just discussing something—"

"Why not me?"

Those three words coming out of your mouth felt like a final blow to his heart. He can feel himself bleed, drained of life and soul because of you and your words alone, and he let you. He let you kill him, he let you make him swim in his own guilt and he doesn't why, why, why.

More tears fell out of your angelic eyes, staining your cheeks with wet trails, and he tried to hold himself back from wiping them off. You choked out, "Why not me, Sanji? I have been asking myself that question for the past decade, and it eats my brain every night like some kind of plague, but I let it anyway. Because why? Why can't you just recognize me and appreciate me and see me? Why can't you go to me if you want to talk about your dreams, or what dish you're planning to create? Why do you have to seek solace in other women when you have me standing by your side everyday, me who is willing to listen to you and whatever you have to say?"

Angry, red rimmed eyes glared at him. Your hair strands stuck to your skin and framed your face as sweat began to form on your forehead. Teardrops clung to your wet eyelashes and your face was drenched like you just took a swim in the ocean. You were burning with fury and rage and want, struggling to breathe properly after your little rant, and Sanji thought you couldn't be more beautiful. You were so beautiful.

"Oh but I couldn't blame you for that. She's just so beautiful, so perfect, and so strong. She could give you anything you wanted and she could be anything that I never was." You hiccuped, smiling forcibly, "But in the end...I will still love you. I will always love you. I think."

You scooted closer to him, leaning in until your faces only had a few inches apart between them. You didn't notice how his lips were slightly parted in shock, nor his eyes that were starting to glisten with his own tears. "No matter where I flee to, or where I lay my heart on, or which skies I look at—it's always you, Sanji. It's always been you."

"I had been so selfless all these years, Sanji. So please, can you pretend to like me too, just for today, before I leave?" You whispered meekly, cupping his cheeks with both of your hands. Numb and completely speechless, Sanji simply gave you a single nod as a response.

You gingerly pressed your lips against his, and he immediately tasted the saltiness of your tears. But your lips were soft, as he expected from an angel like you. And so he couldn't help himself; he closed his eyes and delicately kissed you back, repeating your name in his mind like a sacred prayer and wishing to the stars above to not let the moment end.

However, you broke the kiss by losing consciousness and falling down on your hammock, knocked out and peacefully snoring.

Sanji spaced out, not moving from his position. No. It's not that he didn't want to move—he couldn't move. He couldn't feel anything except for the drumming of his heart, knocking on his chest desperately. His lips were still tingling and his ears and neck were warming up.

He gulped, loosening the collar of his shirt to cool himself down. He needed a cigarette. And a drink.

Scrambling to get up even with his trembling legs, Sanji managed to stand properly. He avoided your sleeping figure and decided to get out of the room as soon as possible. However, when he took a step forward, his foot touched a notebook lying on the floor.

Sanji bent down and took the notebook. He flipped it open, and after reading only the first page, he finally came into a conclusion.

Heartbroken, drunk, and unaware, you dozed off the rest of the afternoon. When nightfall settled on the azure horizon and dusk fell on the rough surface of the sea, you missed the chance to walk away from the crew yet again; and that was the third time you failed to leave Sanji Vinsmoke.

⸻ • ⸻

The next morning, you woke up feeling much better with only the memory of you drinking and crying yourself to sleep and nothing else. Everything was normal, and the crew began to make plans for their next adventure during breakfast.

Everything was normal, except for Sanji, who was quiet throughout the whole discussion. And of course, just like always, you were the only one who noticed his strange behavior. You tried to catch his eyes, but he looked at everywhere except you.

When he finally met your gaze, you gave him a soft smile, hoping he would smile back and everything was fine and you were just overthinking it.

He doesn't.

⸻ • ⸻

"Are you really going to leave?"

Taking your gaze away from the heart shaped cloud you spotted on the clear blue sky, you faced the person who asked the question you were dreading for some time now. Luffy was staring curiously at you, awaiting your answer. You can't help but to smile softly at the captain, whose kindness you have yet to repay.

"I believe we already talked about this, captain." You said, recalling your short conversation last night. He kept asking you if you were really sure about your decision while his eyes darted to a certain blond haired chef every time he shoots you the question. It was strange, and you felt even more suspicious when Sanji pretended not to hear your answer and even refused to glance your way.

Luffy put his hands on his hips. "You know, you're welcome to stay and be a part of my crew."

You crossed your arms, smile growing wide. "And what, pray tell, is my role? Sing battle songs and chant your names while you swing your gummy arms at pirates?" You joked playfully.

The young captain stroked his chin in deep thought, almost like he was considering your suggestion. "That's not a bad idea."

You bursted out laughing, shaking your head in disbelief, "I'll leave first thing in the morning. I told Nami to dock at a nearby island."

"What about Sanji?" He suddenly questioned, leaving you flabbergasted for a split second. You weren't prepared to hear Sanji's name after days of not talking to him properly.

Him not speaking with you wasn't a strange occurence at all; back when you were still in the Baratie, there would be days when Sanji wouldn't bother to acknowledge your presence and would completely ignore you. This would happen whenever he was extremely busy with his cooking or he had a disagreement with Zeff.

And it seemed like this was one of those days, seeing that he had been ignoring you for about a week now. Yes, you have been keeping count. Although he doesn't appear to be angry with you, the short-lived exchanges and the abrupt cut-offs before you could say anything deeply concerned you more than it should have.

You tried to rack your brains for reasons on why he was acting like this. Maybe Nami had rejected him for the hundredth time, or Zoro kept throwing insults in his direction—or maybe his cigarette packet had ran out. Maybe his kitchen knives weren't sharp anymore and he was struggling in the kitchen.

Should you ask him? Should you go to him and demand him to tell you what's wrong?

You pressed your lips together. It sounded like the worst idea you've thought of so far. You convinced yourself that Sanji was fine and he'd be back to normal in no time; there would no need to talk to him.

"What about him?" You faltered, chuckling to ease the tension in your body.

"You care for each other." Luffy explained bluntly and matter-of-factly, "What does he think about you leaving?"

A shaky sigh made its way out of your lips. How will you tell the captain that his cook has been avoiding you like you were some kind of rotten fish these days?

"I..." You stammered, gathering the courage to lie to Luffy even if you thought it would be the gravest sin you could commit, "He...agrees. Yeah. No need to worry."

Luffy grinned, but it didn't look normal at all. You winced in embarrassment. He knew that you were lying and was totally unconvinced.

Luckily, he didn't voice it out. He only nodded and said, "Great! Oh, I have an idea! Why don't you sing for us before we part ways? Think of it as a farewell party for the crew."

Hearing the pure and genuine excitement dripping from his voice, you couldn't turn him down. It was a good idea too, and now that you thought about it, you haven't performed for them yet. "Sure." You agreed, shrugging.

He raised his fist up in the air and cheered. You smiled, watching as he shouted for his crewmates' names to come down and listen to you sing. You prepared yourself for an impromptu performance, making sure that your guitar was properly tuned and your voice was clear enough to give you the best version of your singing. Sitting on top of a barrel, you faced your audience of four, all their eager eyes watching your every move.

As you struck the first chord to your song, you tried hard not to think that Sanji wasn't there to watch you sing the song you secretly dedicate to him.

In the kitchen, Sanji busied himself by plating the food that he'll serve to his fellow crew mates for dinner. He grabbed a large plate and placed the chicken drumsticks that his captain favored, but Luffy wasn't the one in his mind when he cooked those. Looking at the food, he wondered if you would love them too.

He shook his thoughts off and took the plate with him outside. Approaching the crew, his steps slowed down when he heard a familiar singing voice and a melodic tune of a guitar.

Sanji almost dropped the plate.

It was you. Of course it was you, you were the only one he knew who had a voice like that. It was you, and you were singing with a lovely smile painted on your sweet lips, the very same lips that touched his a few days ago, resulting in him not getting a wink of sleep every night. The beam of the sunset right behind you colored your hair in the different shades of the sky as the dulcet-filled notes you made echoed throughout the vast sea. For a moment, he was worried that you were going to attract ferocious sea beasts with your angelic voice and steal you away from him.

He could hear his blood pound in his ears the longer he observed you from afar. You looked happy. Happier than you were when you stayed with him and Zeff. His chest tightened, knowing that you leaving and go on adventures on your own was probably the best decision you could make, even if that means leaving him too.

You were finishing up your song by the time you saw Sanji standing behind Usopp, silently listening. He met your gaze, and for the first time ever, you couldn't read his mind. His expression was blank as you stared at each other, and as you opened your mouth to say something, he cut you off.

"Dinner's ready." Sanji announced shortly, setting down the plate in front of Luffy and then walked away without saying another word.

That was your final straw. You immediately put down your guitar and followed him into the kitchen. You didn't care about how you felt Nami's watchful eyes on you as you went after him, nor how Luffy was scarfing down the dinner and was definitely going to finish it all before you could take a bite; you just chased the blond with determination oozing out of you.

You roughly pushed the door open and found Sanji washing the pans he used for cooking. He glanced at you briefly then quickly looked away after. This irritated you even more as you demanded, "Is there something bothering you?"

"You should eat before the food gets cold." He said with an empty voice.

"Sanji!"

He stiffened. You rarely raised your voice at anyone. Sighing in defeat, he dried off his hands and fully faced you.

Your eyes were sharper than his knives, cutting straight into his soul. "I've known you for a long time now, do you think I don't notice whenever you have a problem?" You glowered, taking a step closer to him, "You have a problem. What is it?"

It happened fast. His hand landed on the small of your back and pulled you to his chest, and the other was placed on top of your cheek, and in a single motion, Sanji captured your lips with his. You gasped in the kiss, your heart dropping to the soles of your feet when he tilted his face to deepen it. Your fingers tightly grasped the sleeves of his shirt for support as he passionately moved his lips against yours. A pleasant heat ran down your spine, your whole body tingling and warming up. You were simply drowning. There was no other way to describe it, and it was only caused by his fervent kisses.

Sanji pulled away, resting your forehead on top of yours, and you took it as an opportunity to breathe in air that you lost. "You are the problem." He murmured lowly, eyes darting down to your swollen lips. Confused and lightheaded, you didn't get the chance to retort.

"Ever since that night, ange, you occupy my thoughts. You gave me a taste of your lips and you didn't even remember the next day. Do you know how that feels, hm?" He said, pecking your lips once again. You made a noise in the back of your throat, turning your head sideways so he couldn't kiss you anymore, but he took your chin and hungrily connected both of your lips.

He spoke between kisses, "You torture me. Ever since I read those songs you wrote about me in that little notebook of yours, you torture me with your presence."

That was when you snapped out of your daze. With all the force you could muster, you placed your hands on his chest and pushed him away. Sanji stepped back, surprised at your reaction.

Without giving him a chance to ask you anything, you ran off and left the kitchen, slamming the door loudly so you wouldn't hear him calling your name and be tempted to go back in his arms again.

You arrived in the sleeping quarters, locking the door behind you. You were sure that the others would understand you needing your alone time. Once you made sure you were on your own, your body collapsed altogether, your back sliding down against the door as you panted heavily.

He knows, was all you could think about. He knows about the songs. He knows about your feelings.

Well, you finally got your answer to your previous question, but a more complicated one replaced it. With trembling hands, your fingers raised themselves to your lips, touching its surface. You hated the way that you still felt his warmth on top of them.

A lone tear slid down the side of your nose. He was cruel. Sanji was cruel.

You didn't come out of that room for days, refusing to talk to anyone as you gathered your scrambled throughts and pulled yourself back together, and that was the fourth time you failed to leave Sanji Vinsmoke.

⸻ • ⸻

A stack of books, most of them being a collection of maps compiled in one, rested beside you while you flipped through the pages of the one you chose among them.

Nami has been lending you her books ever since you shut yourself out from the crew. You ignored all of them and only let Nami in, hoping that she'll be able to understand you; and she did. She was a good listener. Although you weren't particularly close with each other, you trusted her and told her everything: your dreams, your problems, your feelings, and Sanji. In return, she confided in you too.

"Here. So you can finally decide on where you will go to," You recall her saying while she handed you her collection of world map books, "and to distract yourself, of course."

"You're too kind, Nami." You said in admiration. Maybe this is why Sanji was enamored with her. She was a beauty inside and out.

Nami shrugged, yet she was smiling. "Just helping a fellow woman out."

The books did take your mind off the stubborn blond haired man that was still resting inside your heart, even if it was only for a fleeting moment. You tried to search for islands that will be suitable for you to start your career, narrowing some of them down into choices, but your eyes wil always lead back to where the Baratie was stationed.

You leaned back against your chair, letting your head hit the wall with a soft thud as you released a sigh of frustration. Not only will you need to prepare yourself for a journey all alone, but you also have to talk to Sanji sooner or later, whether you like it or not. The kiss distracted you more than the books Nami gave you. You think of it in the morning and dream of it at night, and it only got worse every time you remembered that he kissed you like he loved you.

Relaxing in your seat, you closed the book and listened to the silence.

The Going Merry docked for a quick trip to a market to gather fresh ingredients for food. Sanji will be gone for the meantime and you were free to roam around the ship without his heated stare boring holes in your skin.

But the peace was ruined by rushed footsteps and Usopp breaking into the room, almost destroying the door with his brute force. You frowned, standing up on alert when you saw how nervous he looked.

"Sanji's injured!" He exclaimed, which got your brow raising, knowing that he had a long history of lying to people. However, he forcibly pulled Sanji inside, and you were greeted by the sight of a bruised man, whose lips were bleeding and cheeks were starting to yellow.

You immediately sprang into action. You took the first aid kit you packed in your bag and grabbed his arm, making him sit down on your chair.

"How did you get into a fight in just a span of ten minutes?" You asked in irritation, wetting a cloth with saltwater to wipe off the blood on his lips.

Sanji grunted, tensing up when you took a hold of his face and dabbed on his lip using the cloth. "Some petty vendor was selling overpriced onions, and they weren't even the best of quality."

You stopped for a minute, glaring at him. "So you decided to punch them instead of talking it over?"

He only huffed in reply. Pursing your lips in annoyance, you continued to treat his wounds in silence, noticing him flinching and wincing in pain whenever you compress the bruised area with ice. "Who's being petty now?" You scolded impatiently, "Stay still."

The only sound that filled the room was you hastily rummaging your kit trying to find an ointment and an awkward silence that made you want to jump into the sea and never swim back to the surface. You unscrewed the lid of the jar of ointment and scooped some with your finger, looking at Sanji as you did so. He looked back at you quietly, and you tried hard not to think about the fact that you have to touch his lips in order for you to apply it.

It seemed like he realized that too, glancing down at the dollop of ointment on top of your finger, then back to you. You just gave him a small, uneasy smile, showing him that you weren't uncomfortable even though you were, and shyly took a step forward.

As gently as you could, you spread the ointment on the wounded area on his lips, reminding yourself to not be distracted on how soft they looked.

"A busted lip because of overpriced ingredients...it almost feels like you're doing this on purpose so I wouldn't get the chance to leave you." You half-heartedly joked to lighten up the atmosphere. However, you were greeted by nothing, not even a smart comeback or a funny joke from the blond. You hesitantly observed his reaction, and saw that he was grim and serious, guilt swimming in his beryl blue eyes.

The realization began to sink in.

Oh.

You should've known from the start. Sanji was a great fighter; he wouldn't be injured in the first place. "Sanji..."

Sanji took your wrist and held on it tightly. Your breath hitched, only then realizing how much you missed his touch, his warm, gentle, and loving touch.

"Let me go." You weakly said, even though deep down, you didn't want him to.

"Tell me you're not in love with me." He said, sounding utterly desperate that it almost made you fall down to your knees, "Tell me, and I'll let you go."

When you didn't answer, he stood up and cupped your cheeks with both of his hands. He pleaded, "Look at me. Look into my eyes and tell me you don't love me."

"Please don't do this." You whispered in pain as you tearfully shook your head.

"Stay. Please, stay." Sanji begged, pressing his forehead against yours, "What can I do to make you stay? Tell me. I'll do anything. Do I need to kneel? To beg for your forgiveness? Tell me what you want. I'll do anything in my power to make you the happiest woman in all of East Blue. Just please, don't leave."

"I can't." You answered, closing your eyes, a few tears streaming down your cheeks. You hate the way he was making this so hard for you.

He only continued, "Hate me, curse me, shout at me, if you must. Anything but you leaving me. Or do you want to make me yours? Then I am letting you. Whatever you want, mon ange—my heart, my soul, my attention, they're all yours. I'm all yours."

"No..."

"The crew will be incomplete without you." Sanji insisted in anguish.

"I have dreams, Sanji. Just like you and the rest of the crew." You explained softly, placing your own hands on top of his in attempt to comfort him and relieve him from his confusion.

However, he was persistent, "You can achieve your dreams without leaving. You can stay, and I will support you in everything you do. You're better off staying with me—with us."

You said firmly, "I will not spend the rest of my life doing what I don't want."

"Even with me by your side?"

A few second pass before you finally reply, "I'd be miserable."

Pain flashed on his face, making you want to take back your own words, yet you remained strong and unyielding. Sanji took a deep breath and stepped away from you, saying, "I'd rather have you miserable here than go out there and encounter ruthless pirates."

The statement quickly irritated you, frowning at him deeply. "You think I'll have problems with pirates when I've been serving them for years?"

"Oh, darling, you wouldn't be able to say that once you've encountered worse ones, with bounties higher than you could ever imagine." He snapped, voice raising with each word.

"I can manage on my own!" You bit back frustratingly, your tears evaporating into anger.

Sanji scowled at you, impatiently running his fingers through his hair. "You can't fight!" He shouted, voice breaking in the process, and with it, your heart too. It shattered like glass and the shards landed and pierced through your lungs, rendering you breathless. Your eyes widened, mouth dropping open in shock.

Seeing your expression, he immediately snapped back to reality, regret writing itself on his face. You shook your head in disbelief and let out a humorless laugh, "Are you telling me that I'm weak?"

"I didn't say that." Sanji quickly said in a hushed manner.

"But you're implying it!" You choked, still can't believe that he doesn't trust you. He doesn't trust you enough to accomplish your dreams on your own, and that he was not confident that you'll succeed without him by your side.

You wanted to ask him about the passionate kiss you two shared, about his loving gestures that confused the hell out of you, about his fresh bruises that he received on purpose so that he can get you to stay, and why he did all of that. You needed confirmation. But the question that left you was, "What am I to you?"

Sanji stayed quiet, and your heart broke again once more. Deciding that this was the last time he breaks it, you walked away and left him alone to tend to his own injuries.

He lit up a cigarette as he listened to your fading footsteps. A single teardrop fell down from his eye the moment he placed the cigarette between his lips, and all he could think about was that you hurt more than the bruises on his cheeks.

You packed your bags and spoke with Nami, telling her that you were ready, and that was the fifth time you tried to leave Sanji Vinsmoke—and tomorrow, you'll finally succeed.

⸻ • ⸻

The sun had just risen, and the early morning breeze smelled of the ocean, the calming sound of waves filling your ears. It was one of those days when the sky was clear and the sunlight wasn't harsh but pleasantly warm on your skin, making it the perfect day to start working on a new song and strum on your guitar for the melody.

But today was different. You were standing on the first step of the ship's staircase that leads to a docking station and a wooden walkway towards an unfamiliar island that was soon to be your new home. Your fingers clenched on the strap of your bag, finding this moment to be surreal. You have tried many times to leave, and here it was, right on the palms of your hands.

"So. This is it, huh?" Your trance broke as Nami commented beside you. She was the only one to bid you farewell and watch you leave, since the others were still asleep. You thought of Sanji and how he looked like when he was sleeping, staring at his handsome features so you can memorize them and implant it in your mind. He was your first love; you didn't want to forget him.

You smiled. "Thank you, Nami." You said earnestly, "I would've liked to spend more time with you. It's tiring to speak to men sometimes, don't you think?"

She laughed. "Yeah." Then, she caged you in her arms and hugged you tightly, surprising you for a second before you laughed too and returned the hug. "Stay safe out there."

"I will."

"So you planned to leave? Without saying goodbye?" A new voice interrupted, breaking the hug you and Nami both shared. You swiveled to look behind you, and there stood Sanji, appearing to have just woken up, with the strands of his blond hair sticking up in different directions. You observed his dejected expression, the downward tilt of the corners of his lips, and the glistening of his tired eyes. You stared at his crumpled suit and his crooked necktie. Despite how messy he looked, he will always be perfect to you.

You walked forward and looked at him fondly, with your eyes full of so much love reserved for him and him only. "Thought it would hurt less." You said, raising your hands to touch his hair and brush it down, "And I was right. How can I leave now when you're standing in front of me?"

He sighed shakily as he felt your soft fingers threading through his hair. "Then don't." He whispered. You only smiled at him. He didn't smile back, but that didn't stop you from taking both of his hands and caressing his knuckles using your thumb.

"Every night, I'll look at the moon and think of you. I'll tell my stories, sing my songs, and whisper my secrets to it. Just like what you and me would do when we were little." You told him softly and endearingly, "Would you be so kind as to look at the moon too and think of me?"

Sanji's eyebrows were scrunched together in agony, muttering, "I can't make you stay, can I?"

When you didn't answer, he just nodded his head, understanding what you wanted to stay. He forced a smile and tightly squeezed your hands. "I'm sorry."

"I'm yours." You answered, placing a soft kiss on the back of his hands. After letting your lips linger on his skin for a while, you slowly let go, and with one last glance at his face, you stepped back and made your way downstairs to the docking area, leaving before you could change your mind.

Sanji watched you go. While you walked away from the Going Merry, from the crew, and from him, not once did you look back. He just watched as you went farther away and became smaller in the distance, until you blended in with the crowd and you were just another person in a sea of people. And then you were gone.

It was the sixth time you tried to leave Sanji Vinsmoke, and this time, you finally did.

⸻ • ⸻

The red velvet curtains began to draw in front of you, gently falling back down on the stage as you said your final good-byes to your audience for tonight, a bouquet of roses cradled in your arms while you blew delicate kisses towards them. You can still hear their loud cheering and clapping even as you retreated to your personal room backstage.

A middle-aged woman greeted you inside when you stepped in the room and closed the door behind you, whistling. "There she is, our talented rising star!"

You only laughed at the silly nickname, setting the bouquet of roses that one of the people gave you in tonight's show on top of your vanity table. "You exaggerate, Madam. I have only performed two shows in your beautiful theater."

The madam, who was the owner of the theater you were currently working in, shook her head in disagreement. "And those two shows are sold out!" She informed you proudly, placing her hands on your shoulders, "Let me know if you want to add more, you are welcome to perform here anytime."

"I'll think about it." You replied, smiling. The madam patted your shoulder twice before she left you alone, humming happily to herself. You huffed in amusement, fully aware that she doesn't appreciate your talents at all, but only cared for the money.

Regardless of that, you were happy. It has been a couple of years since you left the Strawhat Pirates and pursued your dreams all on your own, and you've been traveling to different islands across the seas to perform. You never had a permanent home; being a musician meant going to many places from time to time to share and spread out your music.

Yet you can't help but miss life on the sea.

You missed washing dishes on the Baratie and the late night conversations you had with Zeff. You missed Luffy and his weird antics, Usopp and his jokes, Zoro and his blunt comments, and Nami and her kindness.

You missed Sanji and everything that he was.

You stared at your reflection in the vanity mirror on your desk. Your hair was pinned neatly, you had make-up on and you were dressed fancily for your performance. Years ago, you wouldn't look like this. It was hard to believe how much you've grown and changed, but these days, you felt like you wanted your old self back. Slowly, you took the itchy pins off your hair, and cleaned your face with warm water and a cloth. You replaced your dress in a more comfortable one and went outside.

Looking up at the night sky, you saw a bright full moon with no stars in sight. It was just the moon and its beauty, illuminating the pitch black sky with its glow. You silently watched it, a smile growing on your lips as you felt a tug on your heart.

"I wonder what you're up to, Sanji." You thought aloud, cheeks heating up at the memory of your first love and his golden hair and his contagious smiles. Then, to your surprise, a voice spoke unexpectedly.

"Well, I am fortuitous to have met such a beautiful angel."

You froze. No one referred to you as angel except for one.

Sanji.

As you turned around, he was already walking towards you. And there you both were, bathing under the moonlight, with him grinning at you mischievously and you looking at him lovingly.  You didn't know how he found you, but what mattered was that he searched for you and now he was here, and he was still making your heart beat fast in your chest just like all those years ago.

How the pesky feelings stayed and wrapped themselves around your aching heart, you didn't know. But maybe it was because he was standing in front of you, and the way his next words made you run into his open arms and kiss him until you were both breathless,

"There you are, ange."

taglist part 1 @angel-luv3r @appalost @chexmixtrys @nimtano @sparklyphantom @natalieisfreeziing @reallysparklychaos @maydaylovex @johnnysactualgf @mochamei @kisumisumi @ttokyocat @mypurplewinee @rosaliinnn @nonniecannie @court-jester-stuff @detectivelucy07 @megumiif @untitledandrandom @erin-the-king @fangeekkk @nikolaevna-art @candesstuff @chaoticevilbakugo

FUCK YOU ALL ADMIT IT- AYATO IS THE TYPE TO LOOK ALL HOT AND PRINCELY WHILE SWEATING A WHOLE BUNCH AFTER MURDERING A WHOLE ASS HILICHURL CAMP ON HIS OWN- HE WOULD DRY HIS FOREHEAD WITH HIS SHIRT SHOWING HIS ABS AND IF HE SEES YOU STARING HE WOULD GIVE YOU A LITTLE SMIRKAISJDIOAUIDASI UDIASMDUASIODUASIO UDOI

﹒postscript : a little drabble based off this fanart by aransmind on twitter ( X ). wc 0.4k ɞ‎ cw innuendo

you can feel a tightness around your eyes as you catch f1 racer satoru violating the regulations, again. he’s pushed a rivaling motor off the track this time, a scowling expression visible on your face.

aaand, today’s grand prix goes to gojo satoru once again! he is truly a veteran, boasting his 4th win in a row!

you shake your head, grumbling. you know nobody is going to say anything about his little antic, they never do. he’s gojo satoru after all. everything need’s to be an exception for him.

“did you see me there, pretty?” speak of the devil. the man himself is sprinting towards you with a stupid grin on his face, knowing damn well he’s about to get lectured.

“gojo.” you scowl at him. “how many times have i told you that you can’t push a motor off the track?” you press your lips together in an attempt to calm down.

“whaaaat? i don’t remember doing such thing.” he brushes you off nonchalantly. “he was in the way, anyway.”

“sat-gojo.” your ears flush a bright red color as you nearly slip up. “that’s not how it works, and you know it.”

“sa-to-ru?” gojo tantalizingly spells out his name, each syllable rolling off his tongue. “that what you were about to say, huh?” he smirks.

he was completely ignoring your warning.

“i was not!” you snort at him. “you’re such a pain in the ass, im just waiting for the day you get disqualified.” you gruff.

“me, disqualified?” gojo laughed at the thought. “mmm, maybe in a different timeline.” he cocks his head to the side, as if he’s giving it a long thought.

“you know, maybe ill rat myself out.” he looks down at you with a teasing smile, widening as he watches your eyebrows raise curiously. “if…”

“oh my god, no.” you shake your head immediately, already knowing what he’s going to say. “do you ever give up? i’ve told you no 5 times already.”

“give up? im offended you think im that easy.” gojo pouts. “come on, i know you’re just playing hard to get.” he reaches his hand out to wrap it around yohr shoulders, to which you quickly swat it away.

“aw, i thought we were buddies like that.” that menacing pout appears on his face again.

“we’re not.”

“that’s not what you said last week.”

his suggestive remark causes you to intake a sharp breath, redness spreading across your face.

“i told you we don’t talk about that!”

I have finally gathered the balls to send a request-

This my first time doing this and I'm so sorry if I'm awkward and doing this wrong help

AhEmmmMmMm anyways may I request the "Are you jealous? <(￣︶￣)>" Fluff with Diluc and/or xiao!! (If you don’t mind and if you’re not busy ofc)

Tysmm!! Have a wonderful day 💗💗

Slimed

Diluc x AFAB!GN!Reader / Xiao x GN!Reader

Summary: You start collecting little nice slimes from your adventures, you can't help it, they're just too cute to be left behind in the wild all alone and sad. Anyway, your boyfriend starts to become jealous when you take care of your little army of slimes instead of him :(

Prompt: "Are you jealous? <(￣︶￣)>"

(I'll give this a little warning and say that in this, Diluc is a simp for reader's mommy milkers, that's why it's AFAB reader. So just a smidge of horny juice ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Diluc

The first night, Diluc found it so cute coming home to you sleeping on your shared bed, two slimes enjoying the warmth of your body, a hydro slime resting on your tummy, and a pyro slime nuzzling your cheek.

He did bring up the fact that the pyro one can burn you, but...

"Oh, Diluc. Burny here would never do that." You raised the little pyro slime up to his face, the blob looking at him all confused. "He's my little baby~" Then, you brought the little slime to your chest, your lover visibly perplexed that the slime's expression immediately turned happy from confusion.

The second night, there was three more slimes, which the red-haired man assumed to be triplets, since they were all geo slimes sleeping stacked up together just above your head.

And things happen, so now, there was a freaking mommy anemo slime sheltering her two babies with her wings. Andddd... They're sleeping on his side of the bed.

That same night though, you weren't asleep, you were singing a quiet song to your pets, watching as they all swayed side to side in perfect sync.

You hear a cough from behind you.

Following the sound, you see Diluc!

Awww, you were just thinking that Diluc would absolutely love seeing that you just thought the Slimies, that's what you started calling them, how to dance.

"'Luc, you're home! I wanted to show you something important!" You jumped off the bed, almost tripping at the process, before jumping into the arms of your lover.

Does Diluc want to be mad at you for letting slimes invade the bed? Yes.

Is he mad at you for letting slimes invade the bed? Hell no.

He loves you a little too much to be mad at you for having such a big, soft heart.

I mean, you took home an anemo slime and her children because when you looked at their eyes for the first time, you knew they needed help, and you would die of guilt if you just left them their in the wild.

Diluc especially isn't gonna be mad at you after you just pulled him a chair, presented the "Slimies" on the bed in front of him, sung in your beautiful voice whilst the slimes dance to the soft melodies.

"What do you think? Isn't it great?" You asked ever so enthusiastically, even clapping for your little slimes.

"Of course it was, darling. You don't sing very often, but when you do..." Diluc had stood up from his chair, walking closer to you before sitting next to you on the bed. He had gently took your hand in his. "It's the best." With that, he kissed the back of your hand.

The red haired man did love seeing the slight tint of pink on your cheeks.

"But, uhhh.... Where are we gonna sleep?"

So that was the fifth night, the slimes took one side of the bed.

Diluc laid on his back on the other, you on your stomach on top of him, hugging his form as you slept peacefully. It was a pretty cold night, he would be lying that he didn't love the feeling of your body against his.

"No naughty touchies, Diluc! The babies might wake up and see us!"

On the seventh day, you asked the Winery's staffs' help in creating a small bed that's big enough for the mommy anemo slime and her babies to sleep in beside your own bed.

Now you have both sides of the bed back to normal... sort of.

Diluc knows that look, that look on the pyro slime's small face as it was squished between your breasts.

The look of utter superiority.

Great, he can't touch you in that spot, because "the slimes will see" but it's okay for that little bugger to just squeeze his way between those pretty mounds?

That's unfair.

"Diluc! Burny would never do such a thing! He's the sweetest little angel in the world." You had scolded him when he told you about that.

You had taken your three little geos for a walk in the city and manage to find yourself in Angel's Share to visit your favorite person in the whole wide world.

Surprisingly, it was pretty empty, just a few people upstairs drinking with their buddies.

Diluc's eyes landed on the three blobs that you held to you upper body, his lips tightening at the sight of the geos nuzzling your soft chest.

Great, not them too.

Your tiny gasp brings his attention back to your face. "Diluc..."

You smiled teasingly at him.

"Are you jealous?" His face and ears instantly heat up, your expression was just like: <(￣︶￣)>

"N-No... It's not like I'm mad that they get to be so close to you and I can't----" The red haired man cursed himself, not realizing what he just said. It made you giggle.

You gently placed the geo triplets on the bar counter, going around so that you could enter behind the counter where he is.

"Come here, you big teddy bear." You wrapped your arms around him, his figure stammering down a little so his head rested on your chest.

"How does that feel?" Despite Diluc's distaste for affection in public, he admits that he probably wouldn't pull away even if a costumer walks through the door.

"Good..." His voice was muffled from being buried on your covered skin.

You both hear the front door of Angel's Share open.

"Uhh... Is this a bad time?" Both your face were red as Diluc's hair as the Cavalry Captain's voice comes from the doorway.

Xiao

"Xiao..."

From the balcony of Wangshu Inn, he heard your whisper being carried by the wind.

Though you didn't seem distressed, Xiao felt worry run through him as he uses his power to look for you.

The situation is... a little less worrying than he thought.

"Can you help me get these little guys back to the Inn?" You had gestured downwards, directing his eyes to the big geo slime hiding behind your legs, with three other smaller slimes hiding behind the big slime.

The Yaksha had looked at you all confused. "Why?"

You frowned at him, putting your hands on your hips sternly. "Look at their eyes, Xiao. This geo slime family needs our help!"

From closer inspections, he definitely saw a few rough spikes and gashes on the mother slime, its facial expressions sad and begging, looking at you all hopeful.

Xiao looked back at your face...

Oh no, you had that puppy dog eyes again. You know he can't resist that.

And now you're both here, your delicate hands working on "healing" the mother slime's scars.

You did read somewhere that in the wild, geo slimes uses soil to patch up their wounds, rolling in a big pile of dirt to cover up scars.

"She must've been unable to do that because she just gave birth to these adowable triplets." You pat the heads of the three geo babies snuggly wrapped with your blanket.

You and the big geo slime are on the floor. "Don't worry, ma'am. We'll heal those wounds in no time." You bring out the bucket of dirt that Xiao managed to give you.

"Shouldn't you do this outside, where it's not gonna be a pain to clean up?" The Yaksha peeps in, receiving a pout from you.

"No, Love. It's too cold outside, their momma could get sick." You're not even sure if that can happen, but better safe than sorry. The guilt will rip you in half if you manage to make the poor slime feel worse.

As you take a handful of dirt in your hand, smearing it in the places where there are wounds and scars, Xiao's eyes follow your movements.

It's so similar, kind of like when you treat his own wounds when he gets into one of those tough fights with demons.

You even comfort the slime the same way, with a soft whisper that everything is going to be alright, that you're trying to make it feel better.

There was a feeling in his chest, a feeling that made him feel so pathetic. Why is he suddenly so envious of that slime?

Maybe it was because, your hands was on something else living that wasn't him? But it's a freaking slime, an injured, mother of three slime at that.

"See, we didn't make that much of a mess." Xiao's attention went back on you as your proud voice rings in his ears.

"And their momma looks so much better!" You scooped the little bit of dirt that fell off onto your hands and back in the bucket.

You smiled seeing the little content expression on the big geo slime. You realized, you can't just keep calling her the "momma geo slime".

"You need a name, huh? How about... Mocha?" You looked back at Xiao and giggled, a sound so beautiful in his ears. "What do you think, Xiao?"

"If that's what you want." He walked closer before sitting beside you. "Mocha, it is."

You said you were gonna let Mocha and the triplets live in the wild again after she and her babies are fully healed.

They've been in the Inn for a month now, sometimes you'd take them on your adventures with the intention of finally letting them go... but you just can't!

You always came back with them in your arms. They've become irreplaceable parts of your heart!

As Xiao was about to ambush a camp of corrupted monsters that's getting close to Wangshu Inn...

"CHARGE!" The tip of your sword was pointed at the direction of the monster camp, Mocha, Champ, Cookie and Sugar bouncing their way to the monsters.

With a sharp inhale, Mocha spat out a gigantic rock at the enemies, instantly crushing two of the monsters.

You ran up to the camp as well, taking on three of them at once, your sharp blade doing quick work of the monsters.

Meanwhile, the triplets had smacked the last three monsters so hard that they think they probably flew into another dimension.

"Hahahah, good job, team!" You exclaimed as you knelt down to the slimes' level, rubbing all of their heads just like they like it.

Xiao felt his eyes narrow, you used to compliment him and give him a little kiss when he would come back to the Inn after fighting off some threatening enemies.

Impulsively, he teleported in front of you, the geo slimes excited to see "that guy that Y/N really loves" again.

"I just wiped out the other camps of monsters..." In the middle of his sentence, he just realized what he's saying. Actually trying to impress you rather than just reassuring words.

You smiled at him, standing back up. "That's great! Verr and Huai'an are gonna be sleeping peaceful tonight!"

Xiao looked at you expectantly, waiting for you to do something... very important to him.

"Uhhh, Xiao?" You just realized that he was staring at you, making you a bit confused.

With a sigh, the Yaksha steps closer to you, the four geo slimes just looking back and forth at your interaction.

"C-Can I get a k-kiss?" His ears turn pink as he says that, your eyes widening at his question.

Oh, My Archons, when did your lover become this cute?!!!!

You giggled, even though the heat rose up to your cheeks as well, "Of course..."

Instead of the usual cheek kiss, you passionately cupped his face, pressing your lips together for a sweet kiss.

So sweet even the slimes felt shivers, and they don't even know what you're doing.

As you both part, you smiled "Are you jealous of the slimes?" You softly spoke, your forehead still against each other's.

...

You already knew the answer, "Yeah, you definitely are." You gave him one final peck before backing up, looking back down at the cute bundles of joy.

"Come on, guys, let's get back upstairs." Before walking away, you looked back at him, a teasing smile on your face.

"Maybe tonight, I'll make it up to you. Some Almond Tofu and.... a chat." His eyes were still blissed out and lips plump from the kiss.

You are a piece of work, "Yeah, a chat."

What a "chat" it was.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Oh my absolute God, I had so much fun writing this! Like genuinely, I didn't know I needed to write this, especially after writing for so many NSFW requests. Also, you're not awkward at all, you're cute uwu (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧

I hope you like this and thank you so much for requesting!!! God blessed that you got the balls to request because I love this so much! Probably one of my favorite from my own work!

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖࣪  lover !!

ᝰ.ᐟ even if he doesn't exude this energy to outsiders, you're happy to know that your boyfriend is the biggest simp around when it comes to you. or: the cute things he'll do for you.  (fem!reader)

featuring yoichi isagi, seishiro nagi, reo mikage, rin itoshi, rensuke kunigami content contains hotel bathroom sinks designed by a man, slight jealousy (reo is the jealous boyfriend), height differences (nagi + kunigami + rin are described as taller), wearing his clothes + clothes is described to be oversized on you (nagi), called a simp by his teammates (kunigami), clingy bf (yoichi <3) author's notes hq version coming soon!!! i just wanted to write something soft n fluffy for once <3

౨ৎ YOICHI ISAGI — goes viral on tiktok when the two of you go on vacation to celebrate your second year anniversary. you're recording yourself from the bathroom of the private villa he rented out for the two of you, and you originally wanted to record what an absolute joke the sink is. there is literally no counter space. nowhere to place any of your makeup or skincare products. yoichi interupts the video unknowingly, knocking softly and asking if he can come in. he doesn't realize you're filming, and it's entirely genuine when he asks, "is everything okay? you sounded frustrated? did you need help opening something?" you laugh before explaining the situation, and he's silent for all but one second before he goes, "oh! i'll just hold your makeup bag, and i'll hand you the stuff when you need it." (poor yoichi means well, but he's standing there for over an hour as you laugh at him when he can't tell the difference between a tube of lipgloss and liquid blush. the look of concentration on his face as he nods intently while you explain what each product is for is absolutely adorable; it's the same concentrated look he gets when he's reviewing game footage, meaning he's taking this seriously for you.) he's also the type that loves to follow you around. it's a common joke for his fans to comment "walk him like a dog, sis!" on any candid photos of you + yoichi because he is almost always holding your hand while trailing behind you. he's like your shadow as he follows you around different stores in the mall, and even when you tell him he can just sit down with the other boyfriends while you just try on some clothes, he refuses to leave your side. tries to follow you to the dressing room, and gets all pouty when he realizes he's not allowed in. makes you walk outside the dressing room with the new outfits on so he can rate them (he is incredibly biased and believes everything looks good on you and forces you to bring everything to the cashier so he can swipe his card to get it for you <3)

౨ৎ REO MIKAGE — cannot handle anyone else taking up large chunks of your time, especially when he rarely gets to see you during game season. makes a face anytime he realizes that the server at the restaurant is a guy. the server will smile at you and tell you that he'll get started on that meal for you right away, and reo leans forward once he's gone and goes, "i can't believe he was flirting with you right in front of me! disgusting!" he's actually convinced that every man in the world wants you for themselves, and if you tease him by threatening to run off with any of these men, he'll instantly frown and start telling you to take that back right now! however, he is entirely convinced that you are the greatest thing to ever grace this earth, and he feels so proud whenever you two are out in public and a fan or an employee compliments you. they could say anything postive about you, and he'll beam with pride, going "i know, right? i tell her this all the time!" it's almost common knowledge that the easiest way to get on reo's good side is to treat you well. he also loves listening to you gossip, and is the type of boyfriend who loves all your friends (even if he can't quite remember their names; it's only important that they treat you kindly and loyally), and hates everyone that you hate. he's also less forgiving than you; if someone backstabs you but you forgive them and grant them a second chance, just know that reo still hates their guts and he'll make it incredibly obvious.

౨ৎ SEISHIRO NAGI — can’t help but make video game versions of the two of you any chance he gets. he’ll pretend to not notice the way your eyes light up when you pass by any claw machine containing plushies of your favorite anime characters, but somehow he’ll manage to find himself at the machine, casually winning you your favorite as if the game isn’t designed to make everyone lose. (he’s just that good.) even if you’re not as big of a gamer as him, he’ll watch you play sims 4 (and subsequently watch you spend 3 hours on the create-a-sim section because you’re trying to create a perfect carbon copy of the two of you.) looks for his favorite hoodie only to glance over at your still-sleeping form on his bed and realizes that you’re wearing it. you look adorable in it; he’s taller than you, bigger in every aspect, so the material swallows you up. (he doesn’t wake you up nor does he ask for it back.) despite the fact that he’s taller than you, nagi is definitely a big baby, and is constantly the little spoon. he loves to come home and bury his face in your neck, loves the way you gently run your fingers through his hair (it’s the easiest way for him to fall asleep), and he’ll constantly try to find ways for you to hold him.

౨ৎ RIN ITOSHI — grants you “scary dog privilege.” literally will mean mug every man in the street as the two of you are walking together. everyone thinks that rin would be a selfish lover from his outside appearance, but he surprisingly puts up with a lot of your antics because he loves you so much. you don’t bother buying a step stool because you count on rin to get you anything you need from the tall shelves (and when you’re mad at him, he’ll purposely find ways to get all your most-used items on a hard-to-reach area so you have to sulkily seek him out and ask for his help. there’s no way in hell you put your face wash on top of the fridge, and rin looks all too happy to grab it for you.) he has a very bare social media account and most of the time, he just posts whatever his publicists draft up for him. the only post he has personally created and shared himself is the one of you on your birthday; in a sea of promotional posters and professionally taken game highlights, the smiling faces of you and rin stand out. (it’s the happiest any of his fans have ever seen him look.)

౨ৎ RENSUKE KUNIGAMI — his teammates make fun of him because he is notoriously loyal to you. they tricked him and took him out to a strip club, and there’s a viral video of kunigami staring intently at his phone, never looking up once at his surroundings. (he was going through your instagram feed + then ran out of photos to look at, so he started going through his camera roll to look at pictures and videos of you.) is the boyfriend who embodies the phrase ‘wear whatever you want, baby, i can fight.’ there’s a photo of you two that did numbers on pinterest. kunigmai is such a big guy, towers over you, honestly, but he readily gets down on his knees for you. in the photo, you two are dressed up to attend a gala. he’s on his knees, and you have one high-heel clad foot resting on the top of his thigh as he looks down and is adjusting the ankle strap of your heel for you. his friends shared the photo in the team groupchat and called him a simp, but kunigami knows that if they had someone half as great as you, they’d act just the same.

Title: 13 Stepbrothers; Your new home

Character(s): Zhongli, Diluc, Kaeya, Ayato, Albedo, Childe/Tartaglia, Thoma, Venti, Xiao, Kazuha, Arataki Itto, Chongyun, Bennett

Summary: Modern au; You were young when your father was planning on remarrying again. Your father is always busy always outside the country for work that his fiance said that you could stay at the teyvat residence, and live with 13 of your future stepbrothers!

Note: Inspired by the anime Brother's conflict (kinda?), but I just wanted to write for something platonic really so this happened.

Warnings/tags: Fem!reader, the reader is around 6 years old here, this is purely platonic, this is also a crack story and not to be taken seriously. not the best relationship between daughter and father hinted, but other than that it is pure fluff! Over 8k

How It Happened

You clung to your father as he pushed you to the people he trusts to take care of you while he would be gone with his fiance abroad overseas. You were a small child, 6 years old and scared as you were in the center of strangers who will soon be your stepbrothers. You weren't sure what to do but hold on to your father's hand refusing to let go as your soon to be stepmother laughed at how adorable you were.

You looked down, a bit scared but at the same time a bit excited that you will now have a bigger family.

You have always been alone ever since you were probably born, your mother and father both had you at a late age and when your mother gave birth to you she passed away a few hours later. Your father loved you, truly he did! But he can't look at you in the face as you only reminded him of your mother so he started to pour everything into his work leaving only a little time with you. He would leave you to a nanny almost every day and when he had to leave the country for a few days or months for work he would give you to his relatives.

He was a rich man and he gave you almost everything, you never really lacked most things. If you told him that you wanted a toy it would be in your hands the next day, yet the only thing that he could never give was his time. Too busy, instead he would just apologize to you kissing the crown of your head as he tells you that he could next time, and yet when you asked again it was the same thing.

You finally understood that he didn't really have time for you, instead, you would just hug that pink bunny that he has gifted to you a long time ago. One that he picked by himself one that you didn't ask for, but cherished because it was proof to you that he loves you.

You would watch other kids talk to their parents, as they spent time together. Cartoons and animations that showed hugs that the main character and their parents would have, you would crave it. But there was also another thing that you wanted, a sibling…

Someone to be around, right by your side. It didn't matter if they were younger or older than you. You would prefer if you could have multiple siblings so you would be less alone so when you asked your father for a sibling, you didn't get an answer and that was the end of that...

So it was a surprise when he suddenly asked you if you were okay with him getting married again? Were you supposed to yell at him telling him how he betrayed mom or how he is going to abandon you? You watched a few dramas and movies where a child would react that way when they heard the news that one of their parents where marrying again.

But you don't remember your mom, having no memories of her. You wondered if he would abandon you but when he suddenly told you how the person he wishes to marry has 13 sons, your eyes immediately glittered. You wanted a family of more than two, you wanted siblings, people with who you could be with and not feel the gap when you were with a nanny or babysitter or how you would at your cousins enviously when they talk to their parents.

So hesitantly you nodded watching your father sigh in relief that you were okay with him marrying again. And after two or three months your father told you to pack up cause you are moving from the flat you lived in.

You asked him in the car after you and he packed your necessities, clothes, your favorite toys and such where you guys were going did he tell you that you are gonna now live with your soon to be stepbrother. Your father had finally confessed to the person he wished to marry and now the both of them were wearing their engagement rings you noticed the thin piece of metal on your father's ring finger as he drove making a turn.

He told you that when she heard that you were living almost practically alone she grew mad at him and burst into anger and told him that you should at least then stay with her son in the teyvat residence where it was a big modern mansion like flat with a connected living room and kitchen. Four floors where the first and second floor is used for rent while the upper floors were for the family.

You would have your own room and bathroom. But you will also get 13 brothers who you care about you more than a nanny would or so your father's fiance said. Your father's fiance expressed feelings feeling of concern that it would be awkward between you and her sons as not only was everything sudden, some of them were actually old enough to be your father. So really what she also wanted was time for you to get used to your new and very big family.

Your father has met her sons a few times in the past and thought that it would not be a bad idea and agreed to bring you to the residence.

So here you are now. In front of your future stepbrothers, not all of them were here only a few but it was scary as you continued to cling to your pink bunny rabbit...

Zhongli

Lawyer | Age: 30

The oldest in the family, he is the leader as his mother would always be out of the country for some business and now more on travels. Zhongli is the one who gathers the family when their an event and keeps them up to date. The brother all trust their brother except when something is needed to be paid. That one, they would handle as they all know that he always forgets to bring his wallet with him.

He was used to his family, the ruckus and their personalities. He was the one who watched most of them grow up and become adults, he is always busy but he always makes time for his family. But still, it was rather sudden for him when he was told that he would have a young sister soon, as the family has been all men for the longest time. He wasn't sure if he could take care of you at first as he only took care of boys and all, but when his mother told him how you were almost always alone at home he was a bit reluctant to say no.

Zhongli was told to ready a room on the 3rd floor near the living room before you arrived so he wasn't surprised when he saw you with your father and with a few pieces of luggage right beside your dad that seemed to belong to you as your dad told him that he would be leaving you in his care.

“Hello, my name is Zhongli.”

Zhongli was a busy man but when he couldn't take care of you he would make sure to ask a brother to watch over you. But when he could, he would work at home in the living room as you stayed beside him doing your homework, drawing or watching tv. He liked you, but he wasn't really attached to you unlike his other brother, Zhongli just chalked it up to time. He needed to spend time with you to actually look at you as a little sister.

So one day when he had time to pick you up and not ask his other brother to pick you up due to his usually busy schedule, he was surprised when you handed him a paper with a drawing of him and his brothers. It was badly drawn, with just circles and squares for a body and with uneven eyes and red smiles. But it was warm and he knew that you spent a lot of time on the drawing. Thanking you he noticed that you didn't draw yourself on the drawing and when he asked you you just awkwardly looked away.

Unable to ignore this, that day when the two of you got back to the residence he sat you down in the living room on the table with crayons and color pencils. Giving you a blank paper he told you to draw on it and that was your homework from him. You were reluctant at first but you did what he said and when you were done he took the drawing inspecting it. It felt almost like a test when he finally nodded at your work but it took you by surprise when he started cutting around your drawing.

So when you saw him gluing the picture of you and pasting it right in the middle of your drawing of him and his brothers, you didn't know how to react. But that day you were in his arms as you cried on his shoulders. You don't know why you cried, but that day was the day Zhongli finally thought of you as family.

It is still hanging on the fridge.

__________

Diluc

Has his own wine company | Age: 28

Second oldest, he lives outside the residence in his own house. He would occasionally visit, home. But he isn't really the closest to his siblings compared to the other brothers. He was probably the last to know that you moved in… by bumping into you in a corner of the corridor.

Why was a small girl here, how did she come in… Diluc was sure that Chongyun and Bennett are both middle school students and not kindergarten students that they would bring a small kid like you as a friend… He would not put it past some of his siblings to joke about getting or even stealing a sister but never in a million years did he think that they would actually do it!

When he found out who you were, he was furious as to why he was never told about the fact that you are his mother's fiances daughter and that you now live here!! He glared at Kaeya who Zhongli asked to tell him and comfortably forgot.

He didn't like that you now live here, taking the room that was also once his as he moved out around 3 years ago which is fine… but like why did your father decide it was the best idea to leave you with them who were practically strangers? He didn't like the situation but you misunderstood and thought he hated you. (Kaeya later told you that he didn't hate you and that you don't have to return the room to him.)

He didn't really think that he would interact with you much after all he didn't live in the mansion, and that was the case for months till Zhongli called him asking him if he was free to pick you up from the kindergarten on the way as Diluc had to grab some things from the house. He wasn't sure at first but reluctantly searched your kindergarten up on his phone’s map.

After awkwardly talking to the teachers of your school, you finally hopped into his car… silent. Diluc found it a bit awkward so he started asking questions (mostly about your father), but you would only answer with one word and grunts. He glanced at you and finally saw your rather gloomy face, he sighed and parked his car.

Diluc asked what was the matter but he didn't get a proper reply, mostly you just avoiding his eyes. When he asked did something happened at school you shook your head, but hesitantly took out a piece of paper and showed it to him. Reading he finally understood what was going on.

The paper was about a parent-teacher’s meeting and if he was not mistaken which he rarely is, your father and his mother are in another country on a date or something. When he asked you when your father was coming back home, you told him that it was after a month. He looked at the schedule and noticed it was next week.

He didn't say much after that, he took you home and such but he didn't give you back the paper only to suddenly tell you that he would be the one attending this and that you don't really have to tell Zhongli and that he would. But really it was a huge surprise to you when you saw him the next week wearing a suit as he talked to the teacher.

Other kids asked if he was your dad as they have never seen your dad ever, even the teacher in the next class asked you if he was your dad.

“Please don't worry, her father isn't available right so I am the one replacing him for the parent teacher’s meeting.”

Diluc didn't know why he was so inclined to go to this meeting for you, but seeing you so sad that your father could not come to the meeting he impulsive decided that he would be the one who would go. The smile that you gave him when the two of you went to get ice cream made all his coming regrets leave him.

He would start to take candy anywhere with him, and when he sees you he would place candy on your hands after a short talk. Kaeya would tease him for it as he was one of the few brothers who vehemently refused you moving to the teyvat residence.

Which he choose to ignore.

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Kaeya

Adopted son, Famous Model | Age: 28

Kaeya was abandoned at a young age by his father and was later adopted into the family. Watching you he understood your hesitation and the hopeful look that you had in your eyes about the prospect of having a family. When he found out that his mother was dating he did a bit of background research on your dad to see what the man was like. He found out that he had a daughter you.

After a few questions he asked his mom, he found out how you lived. While you had most things, it wasn't hard for him to guess that you didn't really have the best father and daughter relationship with your dad. Too apart, disconnected, envious of others yet unable to do anything, you were a family yet at the same time apart. So when it was his turn to greet you he smiled kindly, with a little mischievous in his eyes as you looked at him curiously yet shy.

“Hello, my name is Kaeya. It is nice to meet you, my future little sister.”

It was a surprise to many when Kaeya took his time to talk to you, not that he did anything weird he always took care of his little siblings when he could and it wasn't like he was bad with kids! Yet his brother would always look at him in shock when they saw you and him chatting, when you are so awkward and shy around the other brothers but looked completely comfortable with him. They were bound to think that something was wrong!!!

When Ayato and Childe glare at him, he would just grin at them teasing them that he was one of the few that got close to you than them first. There were a few times he held you in his arms, as you looked sleepy taking you to your room as Venti whines that he could also do that, why do you have to be more comfortable with him?! Kaeya always listens to you, he was always kind but not pushy. He would tease you often but never too far.

There was one time when you finished school did Kaeya picked you up as all your siblings were busy. He had a modeling appointment that day, so instead of going back home you and he headed to his work. The people all cooed at you, surprised as they teased Kaeya on the fact that he never told him that he has such a cute sister.

That day there was a surprise model shoot where Kaeya and you modeled together. It did go on the magazines or anything but Kaeya was able to get copies of it to flaunt to his siblings.

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Albedo

Scientist | Age: 27

Albedo didn't give a huge reaction, as if he didn't care... almost. Sure he was glad that his old mother has gotten married again and would not be alone once again but what he thinks of you coming to the house... nothing really. Too focused on his research and all to dislike or like the idea and all.

Albedo wasn't there when you first arrived at the residence, meeting you at the kitchen late at night

The first thing that went through his mind right then was that you were less troublesome than his senior coworker Alice's daughter, Klee. As he hands you a glass of water that you where struggling to get as the cups were too high for you to reach.

A mental note to make a place for cups where you could comfortably grab.

Albedo was rather good with kids, no that many of his family knew. So that one time when he found you alone in the living room he took the role of watching over you. He had time and all so it didn't really matter. Small talk leads to you asking what he does for work, science then led to him telling you many facts he knows about birds and butterflies.

Albedo didn't mind having a sister, in fact, he adored you when he could. While not as out there as say Childe and Ayato he would let you play with his art supplies and you would start going to him when you had an art homework you needed to do.

There was that one time he took you to the science lab as Rhinedottir found out that he now had a sister and had ordered him to bring you here so that she could meet you. Both Rhinedottir and Alice noticed you come into the lab holding Albedo's hand all the while looking excitedly at everything and while it is not really noticeable they did notice a tint of pride in Albedo's walk and the shine in his eyes as he teaches you what he does here.

Really it is just too cute. How he would blow the hot chocolate so that you won't burn your tongue when you drink it before giving it to you. As he watch you and Klee talk with each other, playing with dodoco which he looked at them as if to ask if it was really alright for you to play with bombs. He trusts Klee but my, it is just adorable that they could watch the usually quiet and stoic boy fret over somebody.

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Ayato

Model | Age: 26

A rather popular actor, he is famous for the many roles that he got. Currently, he is for a series called ‘Genshin’ where a traveler lost his sibling, Ayato is working as one of the many side characters but because of how many people like him he is probably coming back.

When Ayato heard that he would be getting a sister he was delighted really. Ever since he was little he always wanted to have a little sister and kept asking his mother if he could have a little sister… but in reality was always awkward when he told his mother that he wants a sister that look just like him when she already broke up with her husband, his dad.

Ayato didn't ask anymore when he understood the situation of his family.

After he heard that his mother was going to marry again after so many failed marriages he started to lose a lot of hope in his mother’s love life.... till he heard that her fiance has a little daughter but he choose to ignore it as he has grown up and out of that phase of wanting a little sister for the longest time…. Till he heard that you were coming to stay with them…

Wait what??

Sure Ayato wants a sister and all but not like this…? You were so young he wasn't sure if it was alright to separate you from your father. Was what he thought till your father told him that it was alright and that the two of you were used to it… Ayato started to deeply dislike your father, out of everything Ayato always valued family and to see you alone, your father countries away as if you don't mind him.. looking as if you were used to it... made his blood boil.

But it wasn't his place to say anything so instead, he choose to watch over you, be that person who your father cant be and become someone who you could look up to. Ayato tried to get to know you… but…. Why are you running away from him??

After trying to talk to you multiple times Ayato found out from Zhongli that you were scared of him. Which surprised him actually, like why? Why were you scared of him, he doesn't look scary, does he? He didn't understand…

He tried to get close to you with gifts and presents even food as it seemed to work for Thoma. But you continued to avoid him when he smiles at you, almost in tears. Kaeya and Childe made so much fun of him.

One day you wanted to go to the playground, you asked Albedo if he could take you to the playground but unfortunately, he was too busy to do so. So instead Albedo asked Ayato to take you to the playground. Ayato took this as an opportunity to get close to you and said yes.

That the walk to the playground was one of the most awkward trips that he had ever had. You were quick to head to the swings when you finally got the chance. Ayato sighed as he watched you play on the swings he planned on reading a book but he was rather thirsty so when he spotted a boba shop he choose to make a quick trip there.

When he came back with two boba drinks in his hands he noticed you yelling at a group of boys. They told you that the park was theirs and that you should just scram if you didn't want to get hurt. Ayato could see your fear but you stayed where you were glaring at them, it wasn't until one of the boys suddenly choose to pull your hair did he intervene stepping right behind you as he looked at the boy who was pulling your hair and the other kids.

When the kids saw him they all froze, Ayato even noticed the “leader” peed themselves on their pants. He didn't threaten them, he said nothing horrible really but maybe it was because of his angry tone that they ran off scared... probably.

Ayato sighed suddenly feeling rather tired, till he suddenly heard a small “thank you” and saw that it was you who said it, not avoiding him but instead looking at him in the eyes.

After that, he just tried to spoil you every day. Dear! if only he had taken a video that time.

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Childe / Tartaglia

Works at a toy company | Age: 25

Childe was a son when their father married a woman for like around 5 years or something, things didn't work and it just got worst and worst that they choose to have a divorce. They wanted nothing from each other and when it came to their children they decided to she would take the oldest with her while the ex-husband would take the 3 other kids with him.

When Childe caught wind that his mother is remarrying and that her fiance has a small daughter. He was absolutely ecstatic!! A younger sister? Of course, he would love to meet her! And the fact that she might stay here is even better! He does have a blood related younger sister but his father who took his three blood related younger siblings choose to leave the country and while Childe could talk to his sibling by call or video chat in the end they are not together and it is difficult when he had to watch his sibling grow farther and farther from him it is just... disappointing.

Childe loves children, he adores his younger siblings... apart of the triplets… They make his blood boil. Thoma is cute but too mature sometimes but Childe spoils Itto, Bennett and Chongyun a lot. But in the end, they are all boys nobody was really able to fill the empty role of his young sister. Childe genuinely wanted to coo at how adorable you were when he first saw you but held himself.

“Hey, my name is Ajax but you can call me Childe! Nice to meet you, little sis.”

If he only could, he wants to grab you and go shopping, buying you everything that you were interested in and touched. Give you a pretty tiara and pinks gowns, play with you and all so to see you actively run away from him as if scared of him he started to pout.

Childe started to whine when he would see you grow close to other siblings even more than him even tho he was trying his best to get close to you unlike them! Diluc had to yell at him telling his brother that he is a grown man and that he shouldn't be mopping and whining, glaring murder at his other brothers when he sees them with you, like a child.

It is just not fair, he is willing to buy you everything! Let him play with his future little sister!! Childe pouted when he watched you interact with Zhongli for once he was jealous of the oldest brother...

It was when your little bunny's right ear ripped, and you were crying did he finally have the chance to interact with you. While you were in tears, trying your best to control your sobs Childe heard your small cries from behind your door did he worry and knocked on the door asking if you were okay.

When you told him about your pink bunny rabbit, he told you to wait, heading to his room he brought a sewing kit that he had and started sewing your bunny’s ear back. You were surprised, looking at your bunny it was a bit wonky but not bad. That was Childe’s first hug he got from you.

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Venti

University Student | Age: 20

Venti, Xiao and Kazuha are triplets. As kids, they grew up together yet much to their mother's surprise all have vastly different personalities. When Venti found out that he was gonna have a little sister he was absolutely delighted! He saw a picture of you that your father sent to his mother and cooed at adorable you looked.

He pouted when everyonde suddenly decided that they would definitely never let you near him when he is seen with a bottle of alcohol he could handle himself!

When he finally get to meet you his eyes sparkled as waved smiling cheerfully at you. When you returned his smile tho a bit hesitantly at first he just wanted to hug and tell you over and over how adorable you are.

"Hi, my name is Venti! So you are my little sister now? You are so cute, ehe~"

While he says that would take care of you often, it is not really that… often. As the boy was always out with friends till late at night partying and on the weekdays he was at university.

But when he does have the time he would teach you how to play the harp, help you do your music homework or play games with him. The two of you would pull small pranks here and there with the siblings and most of the time in the end he would be the one scolded.

One time when he came back home very late, drunk after a party. As the living rooms and the elevators are connected he wondered why the lights on the kitchen that was right beside the living room were on and headed there thinking that he would be seeing one of his brothers as he plan to annoy them or something but then he saw you.

You were placing your cup on the table when you noticed him and jump in surprised, Venti understood that you were here just to get a glass of water and was about to ask you something- He didn't remember what happened after but he woke up on the floor, with a blanket on covering him, a pillow under his head and a killer hangover.

He thought that it was one of his brothers that gave him the blanket and while thankful was quick to forget about it as this wasn't really the first time. So whenever he would come back home the next few days drunk and wake up with a blanket around him the next day. He always thought that it was his brother placing a blanket around him till Kazuha told him that, no it ain't that.

It was you who kept on covering him with a blanket, somedays Kazuha would find you waiting for Venti, when you notice that he hasn't come home. The next moment Venti was right next to you and basically asked you if what Kazuha is true which you nodded, wondering why he was asking as if him being drunk was normal or something…

Venti swore that day never to drink to the point that he would come home and end up sleeping on the floor. But he also started to try and put more effort to spending time with you.

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Xiao

University student | Age: 20

Xiao when he first found out that you would be coming to the teyvat residence absolutely hated it. He is too busy and a child in the house noisy as most of them are would only be annoying for him really. But he had no choice really not when most of his brothers were okay with it and his mother asked him with puppy dog eyes.

Xiao narrowed his eye at you, when he noticed you staring at his tattoos when he finally reached home after school, Venti went somewhere with his friends probably to a party while Kazuha choose to disappear for a while now. Not that he cares, it has nothing to do with him.

You flinched at his glare and looked down intimidated by his gaze, and Xiao decided to play his video games in his room instead of the living room big tv.

"Hmph."

It was a surprise to everyone when Xiao was the first brother you actually grew close with and bonded with. Childe and Ayato both were shocked when they realized this and since it was not like they could really do anything about it they became super passive-aggressive towards Xiao.

You would also be surprised if you didn't forget how scary his glare was when you first meet him. But unlike the other brothers, he was at home pretty much most of the time apart from university. Zhongli would always ask him to look after you and since Xiao had always had so much respect for his older brother he had no choice but to follow.

At first, you were given a cold shoulder as he tells you to head to the living room since he can't trust you not to break anything in his room, he would play a game on his phone or console in the living room while you would do something else.

But it was thought time did the two of you got close. One day he noticed that you were bored and in a roundabout way offered to play a game with him as he had nothing to do back then too, finding no interest in most of his regular games that day. You guys played multiple games together that day. Zhongli took many pictures of the two of you together both focused on the game you were playing at that time.

At one point he let you in his room to show you the games and all he had around. The two of you grew close and he would often give you head pats as a sign of care while acting tough and a little mean even tho know you know that Xiao actually cared about you, he would always go out of his way to help you while playing off as if he didn't want to do so. Be it grabbing a cup from the shelf you cant reach, teaching you your homework when you were confused or unsure of what to do.

Xiao would deny it whenever asked if he helped with something.

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Kazuha

University Student | Age: 20

Kazuha just smiled at you when you finally arrived, he didn't express any dislike maybe a bit of concern at first when he found out that your father would just leave you with them and go on to have an early honeymoon with their mother disguised as a business work.

but in the end, he didn't care as much as others.

When Kazuha first meet you was when you were trying to help Thoma clean the garden in front of the mansion. He was resting on a bench as he played with a leaf with his fingers when you looked at him curiously. Kazuha smiled at you suddenly and when he got your attention he started to play a small tune with the leaf he was holding.

He wanted to smile but couldn't when he heard a gasp and then small pit pats of steps growing closer and closer. You were quiet as you watch him in awe of how he made sounds with a leaf only when he was done did you speak telling him that was so cool and how did he do that?

“Well, that is a secret. You must be ____… I am Kazuha.”

When you found out that he was your brother, you were surprised. But maybe because of the leaf tune that he made when you two first meet he won a few points as, unlike other brothers you weren't really awkward around him. Sometimes you would bring a leaf when you see him hold a leaf in his hand as if you were going to sneakingly copy him or something. It is cute really and Kazuha was more amused than annoyed by everything.

You and he would meet up in the garden when you had the time or weren't already hanging with another brother. It wasn't really decided that you would meet him at around this time or where to meet but since you always see him in the garden at a certain time you would always try to follow it.

It was nice to have a company, unknowingly as time went on Kazuha had grown used to seeing you right beside him sometimes watching him. He was delighted when you finally made a sound with the leaf that sounded more like a PIII- than anything bit it was progress. Kazuha thought that he would be able to spend more time with you when the summer vacation starts… So imagine his surprise when he heard that you were sleeping all morning almost every day when summer vacation finally started, what he thought was the time he would spend with his little sister.

You guys don't talk often outside the garden but when he asked why you were waking up so later and when you vaguely respond that you were waiting for someone and that you didn't want them to get cold he connected the dots when Venti suddenly whined about his hangover.

Kazuha then just smiles at you and told you that nobody is going to be sleeping on the floor tonight and even after you should sleep early tonight and not sneak out past your bedtime.

You hesitantly nodded…

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Thoma

Highschool student | Age: 18

When Thoma heard that he might get a younger sister soon and that she was coming to live in the teyvat residence, instead of excited he was a bit worried. Worried about how others would react to meeting you, would they scare you away or will you cry since you were in a new place and outside your comfort zone and with some of his brothers right in front of your face.

His worries were proven true when he saw the excitement in his older brother Childe, Venti and his younger brother Itto, how they keep on saying that they would be the best brothers! Thoma looked at Ayato who was chuckling aright beside him as if this wasn't a problem at all, but when he saw his brother Ayato’s eye, Thoma knew there would be competition…

Thoma wasn't really able to talk to you the first time when he saw you in the living room with your dad as your father talked with the others. As he had to calm Itto down before the teen could charge into the group and probably scoop you in his arms. It was only later when you were exploring the kitchen did you meet Thoma who looked at you surprised but ended up smiling at you asking if you want to eat anything.

“Hey my name is Thoma, I am one of your brothers. Uhhh, want anything to eat?”

You quietly ate the Dango that Thoma gave you that day, and was later found by your father and Thoma’s mom who laughed as they asked if you already bonded with one of the brothers. After that when you started living in the residence it was always to Thoma did you go for snacks, as if silently labeling him as the snack keeper.

You weren't necessarily close with Thoma at first as you were with Xiao, but Thoma absolutely loves to watch you eat the food he prepared or made. Your chubby cheeks as you chew on the cake or whatever dessert or sweet he brought that day. It is a secret from the other brother but Thoma probably is the one who poked your cheeks the most, which is a surprise considering that Childe also pokes your cheeks often and surprisingly Diluc too.

Maybe because of that, you started to grow close with him too faster than other siblings Thoma is the one who you would unconsciously look for when Xiao isn't there. Maybe because of how he was always in the living room watching him clean, while you eat the fruits that he cut for you or you attempt to try and help him.

Or maybe it was that time when you actually got so sick, a high fever you stayed in bed as you unconsciously called your dad. Thoma was the one who looked after you, changing your towel when needed, giving you medicine on time and just staying right beside you watching over you.

The other brothers would have helped but it seems that day all of them apart from Thoma were all very busy and unable to cancel their appointments when they heard that you were really sick. Thoma stayed by you telling you that it was okay and that he will be by your side and when you ask if you will be alone he told you, you will never be alone.

The next day it was Thoma with the high fever.

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Itto

Highschool student | Age: 17

Aside from Childe and Ayato, Itto's reaction to having a baby sister was just as big. Jumping up and down asking Zhongli when he would get to meet her. Zhongli told him it won't be after a month or two depending on your father and everyday Itto would nag the oldest brother in the family asking him when you would come to visit family and when he could see you.

Although he has two brothers younger than him Itto always dreamed of having an even younger sibling where he could act like his older siblings where they could look for him when they need help and care. And sure he helps his two younger brothers but he wishes that he has a sibling where he could carry them on his shoulders and show them how awesome he is! Chongyun and Bennett do look up to him but Itto still wants a younger sibling where he could read storybooks too and carry them with one arm just as how his older siblings has done for him when he was a kid.

So when he finally saw you Itto almost threw himself at you if not for the fact that Thoma was holding him back telling Itto that he might scare you.

"You may call the Awesome Me, Big brother Itto!"

Itto at first tried to get close to you, but maybe because of how pushy he was you started to actively avoid him that he became almost like a sad puppy as he watched you interact with Albedo, Kaeya and even Xiao just fine. He wanted to be that awesome brother too!!

So when you saw him almost mopping around as Kaeya told you that he is surprised that Itto was like this as he never saw the boy this sad before you knew it was your fault.

So "carefully" you approached him, and Itto could not be anymore happier! Following what Thoma said he tried his best not to scare you away, which most of the time failed really badly. But the more you got used to Itto's personality the more you open up in the end, so it didn't hugely matter. Just Itto being Itto

Itto would go around almost yelling at his school how he got the best younger sister in the whole wide world. And would flaunt all the pictures the two of you had taken together. One time when Zhongli took you to Itto’s school to pick him up, Itto yelled when he saw you. Grabbing you and placing you on his shoulders he ran back to his school yelling that his little sister is here and how you are so adorable. See! See!! He has the best sister!!

From the beginning, he is the one who always yelled out loudly that you were his sister and that you and he were family! When you felt so lonely there was a high chance he could be in a corner just waiting to scare you by saying family or little sis! Always telling you that you belong to the family even tho your father and their mother weren't even married yet. It made it easier for you to open up, otherwise, it would probably take even more time for you to come out of your shell.

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Chongyun

Middle school student | Age: 14

Chongyun thought you were a ghost the first time he meet you, late at night when you were looking for something to eat when it was difficult to leave your room as you were still shy back then. Chongyun had heard that a little girl moved to the residence, he didn't have time to meet you as he was busy with studies and training martial arts.

So in a dark living room, the only light coming from the fridge is kind of freaky most children would think. Chongyun spotted you, almost glowing from the light of the fridge and screamed. He didn't know what he was thinking when he moved to hit you thinking that he must exorcise you, he wasn't thinking and moved on instinct thinking that if he hit you once you would be gone.

The poor boy was topped by Albedo, who was watching over you that day as he was worried that you didn't eat much that day. He didn't want to scare you by appearing so suddenly in this dark place so he hid, only to have to come out of his hiding when he saw Chongyun about to hit you.

He woke up the whole building, all the brothers woke up when they heard Chongyun’s shout (Thinking that Chongyun was probably seeing things as it wasn't the first time) and bolted out of their rooms when they heard the cries of a small girl. DID CHONGYUN HIT YOU?? The boy was furiously apologizing to you as you cling to Zhongli’s arms, frightened and crying.

After that you avoided him, whenever you see him you would retreat to your room which broke the small kid's heart really, some of his brothers chuckled the first time but grew to pity their little brother when it became constant.

Chongyun tried to talk to you at dinner, but half of the time you ignored him or just hesitantly answered him avoiding eye contact. At this point, Kaeya stepped in and took you to another room and explained the misunderstanding, while Zhongli and the other brothers did try to explain they didn't do exactly well and still left the awkwardness in the air.

Kaeya told you that Chongyun was really sorry and that it was all a misunderstanding, the man added a small joker two telling you that even he would be scared of the fridge ghost. You laughed and finally listened, planning on giving Chongyun another chance. So when you opened your door, in front of you was Chongyun holding two popsicles in his hands.

“Ummm… I wanted to give you a popsicle… Do you… want one?”

After that the two of you started talking again, it was awkward at first but Chongyun felt a bit of pride when he showed you all the gymnastics he could do, he had to be careful not to show you too much fighting worried that you might be scared again but the giggles and wows that he got from you when he does a handstand or something similar fills him with pride.

He didn't remember what he thought when he heard that you will be living here at the teyvat residence. He probably didn't care much, but not that you are here and will become his little sister he didn't mind and really like it and when you ask if you could do the same as him he promised you that he would teach you how to do it.

Of course with another brother present and a lot of soft mats if case you get hurt while you try to jump… Chongyun might have become a wee bit protective

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Bennett

Middle school student | Age: 14

When Bennett heard that he was gonna get a little sister when his mother is going to remarry, Bennet grew excited. He wasn't as loud with it as Itto and Childe, but he was skipping when he went back to his room… not before tripping on a wire cable. Bennet was actually adopted into the family similar like Kaeya as his parents died in a car crash. Their friend then took pity on Bennett and adopted him, so here he was now.

Even with Kaeya, Bennett occasionally felt outcasted from the family so to him when you join the family he felt he won't be alone anymore!- Not that he wants to outcast you from his family, no! He wants to be the one who welcomes you, be beside you like what Kaeya had done for him and this time become a big brother after always being the younger brother! Arge it is hard to explain- but Bennett is definitely happy!!

Bennett's second meeting with you was when he saw you in the living room alone, he wanted to greet you, and halfway to his hello he tripped again on wires and fell on his face. He didn't break anything but he got a small cut on his face from somewhere he wasn't sure.

You looked at him in worry your shyness gone out of concern for him as you run towards him asking Bennett if he was alright? He told you he was alright but you suddenly stood up and ran to your room before he could say anything else and came back with a pink bandaid with bunnies on it, sticking it on his face. All the boy could do was grin and thank you for it.

It wasn't on purpose, really that he started tripping on wire or anything really right in front of you. He wished he didn't show you such an uncool side of him but what happened happened and it is not like he could really do anything about it.

His brothers teased him about how many bandaids he had that was pink and bunny design. But it was cute and instead of him being a big bro you became a nagging and watchful little sis that constantly worried about him and later he would get a kiss from your pink bunny doll on top of the bandaid while you started to sing for the pain to go away.

So imagine his surprise when Ayato called him to pick you up from the kindergarten as he suddenly had work that day only to see you being picked up by the other kids in the kindergarten the teacher was nowhere in sight. He heard them say that you were motherless and that your father would leave soon after and that he didn't want you since he always outside the country, away from you. They said mean things over and over and over... that you don't have a family...

You started to cry when one of the kids try to take your rabbit doll away did Bennett scream at them to leave you alone. Seeing a boy older than them the kids got scared and ran away just not before pushing you to the floor. He picked you up as you cried in your arms telling him what they said was right and that you were alone.

He hugged you tight, telling you that it was alright and the bullies were gone he told you that you had a family and that it was with him your brother! and also that your other brothers were all waiting for you at home, that your family is waiting for you at home.

When you finally collected yourself you told him that you and him weren't family and that this was different. But Bennett stopped you with a smile as he placed a bandaid on your nose where there was a small cut there.

"You are family! It doesn't matter if we are not blood-related or if our parents have yet to marry. I think of you as family and brothers all of them all think of you as family and nothing could change that!"

Some things to take note of~ (or just notes of things I was thinking when I was writing this)

♡ Reader's father should be around his late 40s (early 40s when the reader was born.) While your mother was in her 30s when she gave birth to the reader. They always wanted to have a kid but it never really happened so the reader was a happy surprise that time.

♡ Reader's soon to be stepmother married multiple times excluding your father she married a total of 3 times.

♡ Her first husband she had Zhongli, Diluc, Albedo and Ayato till they got separated. Childe was with her second husband she had another 3 kids with him but he took them when they separated, while with her third husband she gave birth to the triplets Venti, Xiao and Kazuha then Thoma, Itto and Chongyun. Kaeya and Bennett being adopted.

♡ She should be around her 50s right now

♡ Readers father's job had something to do with being a traveler, so that is kinda why he would go out often while his fiance and reader's soon to be step mother is a rich lady with her own business and all but sold it when she choose to retire early. She met your father when the two of them were in a foreign country. And they somehow clicked.

♡ There is a chance where you/reader got close with Kaeya, Albedo, Thoma and Xiao first, and Ayato and Childe absolutely hate it. (Kaeya and Albedo because in canon they took care of Klee and for Xiao’s reason is a bit more elaborate; the reader here has always been alone so brothers like Childe and Itto can be overwhelming for her Xiao is just the opposite which would be nice after the sudden change of atmosphere. Thoma... is obvious.. and not because I adore this boy too much..)

♡ It is kinda hinted that the reader knows a drunkard before coming to the teyvat residence on Venti's part. Reader's father asked many of his relatives to take care of you and while not written here close friends too. Use that info as you wish.

Note: This was not supposed to be this long..... like I was probably thinking around....2k words...? but things keep adding and adding and this happened and now this is the longest post I ever made~

Some characters had more text than others, I know that but I didn't want to spend even more time on this than what I have done already. I hope you understand.

But all in all, I am happy with how it turned out and I hope you like it! comment or reblog this if you do!! I really love reading your thoughts!

Other than that.... it is almost 3 am I thought I would be done with this 3 hours ago, soooooo~ good night guys and have a nice day/night~ zzzzzzz

PERSEPHONE — ryomen sukuna x female reader

summary: ryomen sukuna, ruthless tycoon of the alcohol industry, is used to crushing rivals. but when his former meek secretary walks into his office as his newest competitor, he’s blindsided. you’ve transformed into a powerful force, ready to go head-to-head in a high-stakes battle for dominance. as tension rises between you — both in business and something far more dangerous — sukuna realizes this fight might cost him more than just his empire.

content warnings & tags: enemies to lovers, modern au, business tycoon sukuna, mentions of depression and alcoholism, angst, slow-burn, mentions of other jujutsu kaisen characters (suguru geto, choso kamo, yuuji itadori) - this takes place in the same universe as my upcoming salaryman!choso fanfic

word count: 6,203 words

notes: and the award of best liar goes to.....in my defense i needed a break from all the smut writing, so please! please, enjoy the first official chapter of an impulse project. there will be multiple parts to it, so worry not! and please, grill me in the comments. get as critical as you can get, i need the advice. thank you for reading!

"you’re fuckin’ shit at your job! pathetic, you hear? if i see you here ever again, god so help me, you’ll never find another job again."

those words still echoed in your mind. sukuna's sneer, the disgust that dripped off every syllable. that day, three years ago, you were swiftly replaced, just another disposable pawn in his empire. it wasn’t that you lacked skills. in fact, you were precise, efficient — everything a good secretary should be. but no one could keep up with him. sukuna’s fiery temper was like a storm you never saw coming. always brewing, always on the verge of eruption. the minute you faltered, even slightly, he was there, leaning over your desk, barking down at you like you were nothing.

the flashbacks always left a sour taste in your mouth, but you weren’t the same cowering woman anymore. back then, the memory of his cruel words had left you teary-eyed in the restroom stalls, wiping away mascara smudges and biting back sobs. but after you left, you swore you’d prove him wrong. you refused to be just another forgotten casualty in sukuna’s warpath.

and now, you had your own wine company.

persephone.

sukuna found the name laughable at first, but the numbers? they didn’t lie. your brand was making waves, quickly becoming a sensation in the high-end wine scene. it wasn’t just some trendy label either — it had substance. the quality was undeniable, and the industry was taking note. especially his industry.

“fuckin’ ‘persephone,’ huh?” sukuna muttered under his breath, leaning back in his sleek office chair. he was alone, fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest, his expression unreadable. “she’s really givin’ me a run for my money now.” he chuckled, but it wasn’t from amusement. it was that low, dangerous sound he made when something — or someone — was starting to piss him off.

he was the king of the alcohol game, dammit. ryomen had become a powerhouse in just four years, dominating the market with everything from vodka to rum, sake to whiskey. his brand wasn’t just a name; it was a status symbol. people flaunted his bottles like designer bags. you had ryomen on your bar? you were in a different league.

but lately, his sales were dipping in a very specific category. wine. your wine.

“you’re tellin’ me,” he grumbled, looking at the sales report, “that some chick i fired is takin’ a bite outta my profits? unbelievable.”

his current secretary, a polished woman with the demeanor of a robot, stood nearby, silent. she knew better than to interject when sukuna was simmering like this.

“it’s just wine, boss. nothing we can’t —”

“shut the fuck up,” he snapped, cutting her off. “i’ll tell you when it’s ‘nothing.’ right now, it’s a goddamn problem.”

his thoughts raced. part of him hated the fact that you were even on his radar again. you, the same woman who used to flinch when he raised his voice, the one who could barely get out an apology without her hands trembling. he could still remember how you’d stammer through excuses when he’d tear into you for something as simple as a typo in an email.

“god, she was useless,” he muttered to himself, leaning forward and running a hand through his pink hair. but then, a frown crept across his face. useless… or just unlucky enough to work under him?

he shook his head. no, he wasn’t going down that road. feelings, regret, all that emotional bullshit — none of it mattered. it only got in the way of the goal. sukuna was focused, driven, and nothing could pull him off track.

except maybe you.

he hadn’t dwelled on it much back then, too busy building his empire. but now, here you were, with your fancy brand and your goddamn ‘persephone’ label, threatening the wine segment he’d dominated for years.

“she must think she’s somethin’ special,” sukuna muttered under his breath, a smirk playing on his lips. “bet she’s struttin’ around now, huh? all high and mighty.”

he could imagine it — you, standing in front of a boardroom, confident, assured, looking down on everyone the way you probably thought he’d done to you. but that wasn’t going to last.

he rose from his chair, walking over to the window of his penthouse office that overlooked the city skyline. night was starting to fall, and the lights of the city below twinkled like stars.

“well, brat,” he said quietly to himself, voice low and dangerous, “you better enjoy it while it lasts. ‘cause when i’m done with you, you’ll wish i never fired you in the first place.”

he smirked at his own reflection in the glass. maybe he’d underestimated you back then. maybe he’d been too quick to write you off. but that didn’t change the fact that he was going to crush you now.

and this time, he wouldn’t even need to raise his voice.

saying that you were fucked was the understatement of the century.

the alcohol industry? you picked it on purpose — almost like tempting fate itself. it started innocently enough, with your last paycheck crumpled in your hand, drowning your sorrows in ryomen wine — the same wine you used to grab for sukuna when he’d bark orders at you. you swore you could still hear his voice every time you cracked open a bottle. the sharp aftertaste didn’t help, either. you switched to other brands when your wallet allowed: cloudy bay sauvignon blanc, stags' leap cabernet sauvignon, anything that felt like an escape from his shadow. but your funds ran dry faster than you expected, and soon enough, you found yourself back at your mother’s place, sulking like some NEET loser who couldn't face the real world.

and sukuna? that scumbag was true to his word. not only had he fired you with no remorse, but he made damn sure no one else would touch you with a ten-foot pole. rumors spread fast, and he made sure every single one painted you as the problem. you couldn’t get a job to save your life. so, you hustled. babysitting, tutoring, walking dogs — you did whatever you could just to scrape by. but it was humiliating, feeling like you were clawing at survival while your old boss sat on his throne, sipping his overpriced sake and not giving a second thought to you.

the worst part? you craved a drink. every time you got a little extra cash, you were tempted to blow it on just a bottle of something — anything — to numb the exhaustion. but your mother’s concerned eyes on your gaunt face made you stop. she was already worried enough.

then, one night, as you absentmindedly scrolled through your phone in your cramped childhood bedroom, you stumbled across a buzzfeed article: "how to make your own wine in ten easy steps!"

it was absurd — who the hell makes wine from scratch? but you clicked it anyway. the gears in your brain started turning as you read it over. step by step, you memorized every detail. the next morning, you raided the supermarket like a woman possessed, stuffing your cart with grapes, yeast, and whatever else you could get your hands on. you were going to make your own wine, because if you couldn’t afford it anymore, then screw it — you’d just make the damn thing.

you spent hours in the kitchen, your hands moving frantically, following the recipe to the letter. and somehow, against all odds, the first batch tasted… good. like, really good. your mother, usually uptight about everything you did, even cracked a rare smile when she tasted it.

“this is actually delicious,” she admitted, setting the glass down. “you should bring some to my gardening club next week. the ladies would love this.”

it was a small suggestion, but it lit a fire in you. making those first few test bottles for her friends? it wasn’t just a distraction anymore. it was the first real sense of purpose you’d felt in months. and when they praised it — truly praised it — you realized this wasn’t just a hobby. this was your way out. your way to rewrite the script that sukuna had burned into your life. you weren’t just going to survive. you were going to live.

what you didn’t expect was for your little wine experiment to become such a big hit. 

the ladies from your mom’s gardening club practically lost their minds over your creation. they praised your "natural talent" for winemaking, showering you with compliments and, more importantly, money. they insisted you make more, some even handing over cash in advance just to guarantee their next bottle. you were floored. you could practically hear the sound of money flowing in as you eagerly took order after order, working day and night in your makeshift wine lab — your old side hustles as a barista and a dog poop scooper long forgotten.

now? you were a businesswoman, and damn if you didn’t love saying it. your mom did too. she proudly bragged about you to anyone who would listen. whenever someone asked that tired, familiar question — "what’s your daughter been up to these days?" — your mom would light up, puffing her chest with pride as she told them all about her daughter’s successful wine venture.

time blurred as you threw yourself into your work, orders coming in steadily, and with them, a steady income. it wasn’t long before you had enough to take your mom out for a nice dinner — your treat. the look of pride on her face when the waiter handed you the bill? priceless. you didn’t even feel the pull to drown your sorrows in alcohol anymore. sukuna’s wine? fuck that. the high you got from creating something that people loved, the thrill of turning your passion into profit — that was better than any drink could ever be. but, of course, ambition is a funny thing. once you start getting a taste of success, you start wondering — what if i could get higher?

that’s when suguru geto crash-landed into your life. literally. 

one day, his car broke down in front of your house, a random stroke of luck that led to something unexpected. what started as a quick fix turned into a fast friendship, and in just a week, you went from being casual acquaintances to best friends. turns out, suguru’s aunt was part of your mom’s gardening club, so you two started seeing each other more often, and he quickly became your biggest supporter.

“you know,” he said one afternoon, lounging on your couch, “you should make this a real thing.”

“it is a real thing,” you laughed, raising an eyebrow at him.

“no, i mean like — patent it. sell it in supermarkets. let the whole damn world know about you.”

his words struck a chord in you. you stared at him for a moment, your mind spinning with the possibilities. could you really do that? could you take persephone to the next level?

“i don’t know, sugu,” you murmured, biting your lip. “that’s a lot of pressure. i mean, i’m doing fine as is —”

“fine?” he cut you off, grinning. “you’re thriving. don’t sell yourself short. you’ve got something special here, and you know it.”

his confidence in you was almost overwhelming. it made you wonder — what if he was right? what if this little wine brand of yours wasn’t just a side gig anymore, but something bigger? something that could rival even the big names like… ryomen.

the thought sent a chill down your spine. sukuna.

no. this was your time. your success. and this time, it was on your terms.

your confidence, once sky-high, was quick to deflate as reality hit you like a brick wall. how the hell were you going to get the money to start? you weren’t exactly rolling in cash, and even with all the orders you had, it wasn’t enough to cover what you needed to expand. you were, in every sense of the word, still a nobody in the business world.

sitting on the couch, your mind raced, spiraling through all the worst-case scenarios. that’s when suguru, ever the calm one, leaned back casually and smirked.

“honey, you forget,” he said, shooting you a knowing look, “my talent is breathing money.”

your eyes widened. “you’re seriously gonna fund this?”

“why not?” he shrugged, the confidence in his voice unwavering. “i know you’re serious about this, and i’d rather bet my money on you than anyone else. plus,” he added with a grin, “this is gonna be fun.”

his belief in you left you speechless, and soon after, your mother chipped in too, offering up what she could. “you’ve got something special here,” she said softly, her eyes shining with pride. “we both believe in you, and you know what you’re doing.”

with their help, you pooled together just enough to get things rolling, investing everything accordingly. you finally gave your company a name — persephone. it felt like a declaration. this wasn’t just a passion project anymore; it was your shot at proving yourself, at rewriting the story that sukuna tried to burn into your life.

you managed to get your first stock sent out to the supermarket you used to work in, thanks to your old manager who, having tasted your wine himself, vouched for it without hesitation. he agreed to stock your goods on a trial basis, just to see how the public would respond. you sent the stock out tentatively, crossing your fingers and hoping against hope that you could sell out, just maybe.

you spent that afternoon waiting for a response, nerves gnawing at you, until exhaustion pulled you into sleep. you weren’t prepared for what you’d wake up to.

when you blinked awake, the first thing you saw was your phone screen flashing — seven missed calls from suguru and three from your manager. panic gripped you as the worst thoughts raced through your mind. what if something went wrong? what if people got sick from your wine? what if —

you quickly dialed suguru back, your heart hammering in your chest.

“y/n!” his voice came through, excited, breathless. “you’re not gonna believe this. your entire stock? sold out in four hours. people are demanding for more! even the other supermarkets are calling in, asking for you!”

you blinked, the words not fully sinking in. sold out? your whole stock? your mind spun as you processed what he was saying. a rush of disbelief and euphoria flooded your senses all at once.

“i — what? are you serious?”

“dead serious,” suguru chuckled. “this is just the beginning, y/n. your life’s about to change, and fast.”

and in that moment, you knew — this wasn’t just a lucky break. this was it. your life was about to change forever, and sukuna? he wasn’t looming over you anymore. you were about to loom over him.

all of this was just one year ago. persephone blew up like dynamite, becoming the “it” drink with gen z practically overnight. people everywhere dubbed it “the hot girl drink,” and it spread like wildfire on social media. celebs, influencers, and even rappers were endorsing it — rihanna, beyonce, hell, even international actors from countries you never thought would give you the time of day. your pet project had turned into a full-blown empire, something you never even dreamed of. the insane part? it wasn’t just a fad — it was here to stay. persephone was the new, unbeatable champion of the wine industry, holding the number one spot for the entire year. nothing — and no one — could touch you.

market experts were scrambling to crack the secret behind your success. every business magazine, blog, and analyst was pouring over the data, trying to figure out how the hell a tiny, unknown brand could rise to the top so quickly. when forbes asked you to explain it, your response had been simple:

"all you need is a little bit of love in the mix. that's why everyone loves us."

love? bullshit.

sukuna scoffed, slamming the magazine down on his desk as he glared at your interview in the newest issue of forbes. his eyes burned with frustration as he scanned the glossy page, your face plastered on the front cover — forbes, of all things. he remembered when he was the one on the cover. and now it was you, alongside some other guy, suguru geto, your so-called "business partner." his hands fisted the edges of the magazine as he forced himself to read through the article, bile rising in his throat.

"fuckin’ love," sukuna muttered under his breath. "what a load of crap."

what really pissed him off wasn't the fact that ryomen wines had dropped to number two in the market. no, they were still crushing it in vodka, rum, and sake — dominating, even. sukuna still smugly held onto that victory, and in truth, ryomen's other sectors were thriving. but it wasn’t about the numbers.

it was about you.

you, of all people, had stolen his top spot. the quiet, cowering secretary he’d dismissed without a second thought had somehow clawed her way up to rival him. beat him. and that, more than anything else, was what grated on his nerves. it was like a personal insult, like every bottle of persephone on the shelves was a slap to his face.

he didn’t understand it — couldn’t wrap his head around how you, someone he once considered nothing more than a weak, insignificant nuisance, had built something this big. this powerful. it was unthinkable.

but it didn’t matter. because if there was one thing sukuna hated more than losing, it was losing to you.

“get ready,” he muttered, tossing the crumpled magazine into the trash. “this ain’t over.”

he wasn’t about to let you bask in your victory for long. oh no, sukuna never did well with defeat, and you were about to learn exactly what that meant.

sukuna’s sundays were always a mixed bag when his brothers came over. on the one hand, he secretly enjoyed not being alone, the house filled with chatter and energy he rarely allowed himself to admit he missed. on the other hand… they had their quirks, quirks he didn’t always have the patience for.

today was no exception.

“oii, nii-chan!! is it true you’re cooked?” yuuji’s loud voice rang through the kitchen as he leaned over the counter, his face full of boyish excitement. at eighteen, fresh out of high school, yuuji was all energy and enthusiasm, completely missing the tension in sukuna’s glare.

“we are not cooked, brat. now scram!” sukuna growled, his patience already wearing thin. it wasn’t that he didn’t like yuuji; he loved the kid in his own harsh way. but today was not the day to bring up the one topic that had been gnawing at him for weeks now — persephone.

yuuji, of course, remained completely oblivious to his brother’s thinly veiled rage. “dude, we need to try it out — for sampling purposes, of course!” he corrected himself quickly when sukuna’s eyes darkened, the older man’s low growl sending a shiver down his spine. choso, standing quietly by the side, let out a silent sigh of exasperation that went unnoticed by both of them. as the eldest brother of the three, choso was used to playing mediator between sukuna and yuuji’s endless energy.

“talking about that cheap wine in front of your brother? seems like choso here isn’t teachin’ ya manners, brat,” sukuna scoffed, throwing a sharp glare at choso. but choso wasn’t fooled by the display — he knew sukuna well enough to recognize the silent plea in that look. sukuna wasn’t just angry; he was frustrated and on edge, and right now he needed choso’s help to avoid losing face in front of their younger brother.

choso, ever the calm and rational one, stepped in smoothly. “sukuna’s right, yuuji. why don’t we try some of his wine instead? ryomen’s pretty coveted, you know. you can even tell your friends you’ve got the inside scoop on the best stuff,” he suggested, his voice soft and persuasive. he knew yuuji’s weak spot — flexing on his friends — and wasn’t above playing that card to steer the conversation away from persephone.

yuuji’s eyes lit up at the mention of flexing to his friends. “yeah, that’d be awesome! ryomen’s, like, top-tier,” he agreed quickly, the previous excitement over persephone fading as he eagerly darted toward sukuna’s personal bar.

“but only a sip!” choso called after him, his tone firm but affectionate. yuuji grinned and gave a thumbs-up, too eager to care about the warning.

as soon as yuuji was out of earshot, sukuna’s shoulders relaxed slightly, though his scowl remained. “thanks,” he muttered under his breath, leaning against the kitchen counter with a scowl that barely concealed his relief.

choso merely nodded, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “you should really tell him what’s bothering you, sukuna. pretending it’s not a problem won’t make it go away.”

sukuna’s jaw clenched at the suggestion. “i’m not pretending anything,” he shot back. “just not giving that cheap wine any more attention than it deserves.”

choso didn’t argue — he knew better than to press sukuna when he was like this. but even as they heard yuuji clattering around in the bar, talking excitedly to himself about the bottles he found, choso couldn’t help but wonder how much longer sukuna could keep up this front before the tension snapped.

soon enough, sukuna bid choso and yuuji goodbye, grunting a half-hearted “good luck” to yuuji for his academics and giving a curt nod to choso. it was their silent agreement to continue taking care of yuuji, a bond forged through the ups and downs of their unconventional family. deep down, sukuna wished his brothers could stay longer, but he knew his work environment would be more chaotic than conducive to yuuji’s growth. the kid needed some normalcy, a chance to be a teenager without the weight of sukuna's world pressing down on him.

choso had that normalcy. he had a simple job and quiet life waiting for him back home, something that balanced him out in a way that sukuna hadn’t found in years. as he watched them leave, sukuna couldn’t help but wonder what life could have been like if he hadn’t run off at twenty-seven, leaving his twenty-two-year-old brother to shoulder the burden of raising a thirteen-year-old yuuji all by himself. it felt like a dick move, something no older brother should do. but he’d made up for it in his own way — by rapidly building a name for himself in the alcohol industry, ensuring his brothers were taken care of.

the weight of those thoughts pressed on him as he closed the door behind them. he had sent ample money back to support choso and yuuji, ensuring they lived comfortably and never struggled. yuuji’s education had never been compromised, and sukuna took a twisted sense of pride in that. everything he did — every deal struck, every bottle sold — was silently for them, though he’d never admit it out loud. they knew, though. they understood the sacrifices he’d made and the lengths he’d go to protect them.

leaning against the closed door, sukuna let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. the house felt empty now, the echoes of yuuji's laughter fading away. but he was used to this emptiness. it was part of the job, part of the life he’d chosen. yet, as he glanced at the bottle of ryomen wine sitting on the counter, the nagging feeling in the back of his mind grew louder. persephone was thriving, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than just a business — it was a challenge, a direct competition that tugged at his pride.

he shook his head, pushing away the thoughts. no need to dwell on that right now. there would be time to strategize, to find a way to reclaim what he’d lost. for now, he had work to do, deals to make, and a reputation to maintain. but the tension lingered, a constant reminder that the game was far from over.

every business professional and their mother had heard of the forbes awards — one of the highest honors in the industry, recognizing outstanding achievements in categories like innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship. it was a big deal, and of course, sukuna was invited. how could he not be? he was the face of ryomen, and ryomen was synonymous with him. it would have been a moral sin to overlook his presence.

but alongside him, in a stunning twist of fate, you were invited as well. your heart raced with excitement as you entered the grand hall, arm in arm with suguru, who wore his usual calm demeanor. the ambiance was electric, filled with murmurs of anticipation and the soft clinking of glasses. you felt like you were floating, clad in the prettiest gown you’d ever worn, the fabric hugging you in all the right places. your excitement bubbled over as you and suguru chatted animatedly, sharing whispers and laughter about the event.

sukuna sat a few seats ahead of you, his presence commanding attention even before the ceremony began. he glanced back at you and suguru, his brow twitching in annoyance. that bastard, he thought, irritation prickling at his nerves. was he annoyed because you were here, or because you were here with suguru? who the hell does he think he is, cozying up to you like that?

he clenched his jaw, forcing himself to focus on the stage as the lights dimmed. why the fuck does it matter? sukuna knew he should be above this, above whatever twisted emotions were gnawing at him. but it was hard to shake the feeling that your success was a direct challenge to him. persephone had blown up like a wildfire, and now here you were, practically glowing next to some random man.

the announcer’s voice boomed, echoing through the hall as the first award was presented. sukuna’s mind raced. everyone in this room is waiting to see me win. his heart pounded as he thought about the years of work, the sacrifices he made to build ryomen into what it was. these people need to remember who the real titan in the room is.

he couldn't help but steal glances at you, laughter dancing on your lips as you leaned into suguru’s space, that smile of yours bright enough to rival the stage lights. you think you’re some kind of star now, huh? the thought twisted in his gut. you don’t know what it took to get here.

as winners were announced, the crowd erupted in applause, and sukuna forced himself to smile politely, though inside he was a storm. you’ll never be more than a little brat who got lucky, he told himself. and yet, here you are, basking in the glory that should have been mine.

with every name called, the tension in sukuna grew. he could feel the eyes of the room shifting between him and you. they’re waiting to see what i do next, he mused, resentment and determination colliding within him. they think this is the peak. they have no idea what’s coming.

the night was still young, and the real competition was just beginning.

“and this year’s forbes most innovative company award goes to — y/n l/n & suguru geto for persephone!”

you sat there dumbfounded, too shocked to move, even as cheers erupted around you, your name being called echoing in your mind like a beautiful melody. suguru was beside you, his excitement contagious as he urged you on, “y/n, we won! go on, what are you waiting for?”

you won. you really won. the gravity of it settled in, and you felt a rush of emotions. you hoped your mother was tuned in tonight — oh, who were you kidding? your mother and every other mother in the room had tuned in, probably with their phones in hand, eagerly documenting the night. your mom's hourly reminders of “forbes award show tonight, my daughter is winning” played in your mind like a comforting mantra.

it took all your physical strength to push yourself up from your seat, legs trembling as you shakily walked toward the stage. the camera panned in on your nervous expression, capturing the moment for the world to see. when the award was handed to you, a giddy laugh escaped your lips, a blend of disbelief and joy.

“i — i don’t even know where to begin. i’m just… i’m just someone who started out in her mother’s kitchen.” the crowd chuckled, and you caught a glimpse of suguru, his face radiating pride. “and here i am, getting an award from forbes.” the room erupted into cheers, and you could feel the warmth of their applause wrapping around you.

“i….i made it, mom! i really did, i—” your eyes inadvertently wandered, locking onto sukuna, who was seated a few rows ahead. his expression was thunderous, livid anger practically radiating off him, his tattoos appearing to shift in the dim light as he stared you down. if looks could kill, you were certain you’d disintegrate on the spot.

for a fleeting moment, you felt like that meek little secretary from years ago — the girl who cowered at his angry words, whose confidence had crumbled under his disdain. your breath caught in your throat, palms clammy around the award that suddenly felt like a shackle, the blaring stage lights pressing down on you.

“t-thank you,” you mumbled quickly, and with that, you rushed off the stage, confusion buzzing in the air as people murmured about your abrupt exit. suguru’s brows furrowed with concern as you settled back into your seat beside him.

“hey, what’s wrong? talk to me,” he whispered, his hand finding yours beneath the table, offering a comforting squeeze.

“i saw him,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper, the reality of your win overshadowed by the weight of sukuna’s gaze.

the moment hung in the air between you, an electric tension that made your heart race. you had won tonight, yet the thrill felt tainted, as if sukuna’s presence had darkened your moment. suguru's grip tightened, grounding you, but the storm brewing inside you was harder to quell. this victory should have felt like a celebration, but instead, it brought the ghosts of your past crashing back, threatening to overshadow everything you had worked so hard for.

you should be counting your lucky stars that you exited the stage as soon as possible because if you had stood there for even one more minute, holding the award and basking in the stage lights, sukuna would have popped a blood vessel.

how could you — of all people — have won the award? it felt like a cruel joke, a slap in the face to all the hard work ryomen had poured into every drink they crafted. sugary excuse of a wine — that’s what he thought of your creation. it didn’t matter that you had poured your heart into persephone; to him, it was a mere distraction, a gimmick that somehow managed to catch fire while he’d been left to stoke the flames of a legacy he had built with his own hands.

sukuna’s jaw clenched, and his hands balled into fists, nails digging into his palms as he tried to reign in the rage bubbling beneath the surface. what the hell did you do to deserve this? it wasn’t fair. i revolutionized the industry, he thought bitterly, a storm brewing in his chest. i put everything into ryomen, and yet here you are, stealing the spotlight with your little pet project.

he couldn’t even pay attention to the next awards being given out; they were just a backdrop to the humiliation he felt. this isn’t how it’s supposed to be. he scanned the room, trying to gauge the reactions of others. do they think this is a joke? he wanted to scream, to lash out at anyone who dared to think persephone was on his level. the mere thought of you being lauded for your success twisted in his gut like a knife.

you didn’t know the sacrifices it took to build an empire, he raged inwardly. you didn’t endure the sleepless nights, the harsh decisions, the pressure of making a brand that people could depend on. to sukuna, ryomen wasn’t just a company; it was an extension of himself, a representation of all he had sacrificed for his brothers, for his future. and now, you had waltzed in and claimed an accolade that felt undeserved.

every cheer from the crowd felt like a taunt, a reminder of how far you had come and how deeply he loathed that it was you who had taken this honor away from him. you’ll never be more than a flash in the pan, he promised himself, a mantra to ease the burning rage. i’ll make sure of that.

his mind raced, plotting and scheming as he gripped the armrest of his chair, knuckles white. i need to show them who the real titan is. he had to reclaim his dominance, to put you in your place. it didn’t matter how many influencers endorsed you or how popular your product became; this was just the beginning, and he would not be overshadowed by someone he once considered insignificant.

as you settled back into your seat, a shaky smile still lighting up your face, sukuna's gaze hardened. this isn’t over, he vowed silently, his heart pounding with a mix of anger and resolve. you may have won tonight, but I’ll be damned if i let you steal my thunder.

days had passed since the forbes award show, but the victory felt hollow for sukuna. sure, he walked out with an armful of awards: the stevie awards, recognizing achievements in management and customer service; the international business awards, celebrating excellence in global innovation and leadership; and the business excellence awards, which honored outstanding performance across the board. it was a haul that solidified his status as a titan in the industry. but even with all that, his mind was consumed by the nagging echo of your name.

how the hell did you manage to steal that one award? it nagged at him like a splinter, refusing to be ignored. it didn’t make sense. even though your win seemed like a mere trinket compared to his accolades, it felt like a theft — a theft of something more precious than gold.

wasn’t it enough that i built this empire from the ground up? he thought, frustration simmering just below the surface. i sacrificed everything to get here, and you — of all people — come in and claim a piece of the pie? it infuriated him to think of you standing on that stage, giggling with disbelief, so carefree and unburdened by the weight of the industry that he had shouldered for years. i’ve earned this!

flashbacks from the award show rolled through his mind like a montage — standing on stage, the lights shining down on him as he accepted award after award. the applause ringing in his ears, the pride swelling in his chest as he shook hands with industry leaders, the kind of recognition that validated every sacrifice he had made.

“congratulations, sukuna,” one executive had said, clapping him on the back. “you’ve really outdone yourself this year.”

“what can i say?” he had replied with a smirk, “i’m just that good.”

yet, while those moments should have felt triumphant, all he could think about was you. that fleeting moment when you stood up there — why couldn’t he shake the image of your smile, your shocked expression? it stirred something within him, an unsettling mix of envy and anger.

you didn’t earn it, he seethed inwardly. you didn’t work your way through sleepless nights or the pressure of making decisions that could sink a company. you just made a drink and got lucky with some influencers.

he wanted to dismiss your success as a fluke, but something about it gnawed at him. why does it bother me so much? he questioned himself, feeling a surge of confusion mixed with annoyance. you weren’t a threat, you were an annoyance, a temporary blip in the industry. yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that you were becoming something more — something significant.

the thought of you overshadowing his hard-earned victories was infuriating. i won’t let you steal my thunder, he promised himself, his resolve hardening with every passing day. he could not let the narrative shift. this isn’t over; i’ll make sure everyone knows that ryomen is the name that matters, not your little hobby.

but as the days turned into weeks, sukuna found it increasingly difficult to focus solely on his empire. every time he turned on the news or scrolled through social media, your name surfaced, wrapped in praise and admiration, while he was left wondering how you had somehow infiltrated his thoughts, stirring up feelings he had long buried. it’s just a phase, he told himself, clenching his jaw. i’ll crush this little competition of yours. soon, no one will even remember your name.

but deep down, a flicker of doubt loomed. what if they do?

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gojo never imagined an arrange marriage with you, but now you’re all he can think about.

he thinks about you when he’s training, when he’s seated at his round table, when he’s in his bed, everywhere, every time, you’re all he can think about.

and you’re oblivious to it.

you heard the gossip everywhere you walked, about the girl gojo was pleading with his family to marry. how much he loved her, how beautiful she was, how much more elegant she was compared to you. you knew you were never his first choice, not even his fifth, but it hurt even more when everybody acknowledged it.

you stopped wearing your wedding ring, started acting like you were just another person there. luckily gojo didn’t seem to be in any hurry about making heirs, so pretending like you two were working things out didn’t even matter anymore.

you find yourself alone most of the time. your maids were kind and patient, but they had so many things to do throughout the day that you felt awful pestering them to walk around the estate with you.

eating dinners with gojo became normal, but most of your other meals were in silence, always feeling like a speck of dust in the large dining hall.

one day when you’re walking around aimlessly you stumble across the training grounds, the open space below you filled with men swinging wooden swords back and forth at each other.

it wasn’t difficult to find your husband, his white hair hard to miss in a crowd of others. he didn’t notice you watching from above, and so you stayed hidden, not knowing if the men were picky with who watched them.

he was swift and agile. everything he did was precise and with meaning. no wonder he was named the best warrior of the north.

you found this to be more entertaining than walking around the gardens for the tenth time or watching the cooks assemble the next meal, so you didn’t even notice how gojo looked up to see you, somehow slipping away without you knowing.

you were in a state of watching but not really thinking, almost jumping out of your skin when you heard his voice behind you.

“didn’t know i had an audience,”

you yelp, flinching as you look behind you to see your husband all sweaty, panting slightly as he moves his hair away from his face. you eye the stairs that led him up here, wondering how you could’ve missed that.

you laugh sheepishly, giving him an apologetic smile as you pick are your nails.

“i’m sorry,” you scratch behind your ears, feeling heat rise to your cheeks under his intense gaze. it’s unfair how pretty somebody can look, especially after training for an hour straight, “i was just walking around and i saw this.”

he waved it off, shaking his head as he leaned his sword on the wall.

“not a problem,” his eyes shine, “i just would’ve tried harder if i knew my wife was watching.”

my wife.

the words fall so smoothly from his lips you wonder how many times he’s said it before. with malice, hatred, necessity?

you smile a little bit, eyes crinkling around the edges as you look away briefly, not noticing the way gojo chased after your cheerful face.

“how’d you get up here? where are your ladies?” he asks suddenly, looking around at the fact that it was just you up here.

“my what?” you say, looking up at him through furrowed brows.

“you know,” he waves his arm around as if that would help, “you’re ladies in waiting,”

you scrunch up your nose a little bit, something he noticed you did when you were confused.

“oh, well, my maids are working right now,” you tell him, noting that he still didn’t look any less confused.

“no, not your maids, your ladies,” he tilts his head to the side, “the girls your family sent them up to help you around.”

you stare at him, unblinking.

“the girls that are your friends, the ones that help accustom you…” gojo trials off when he realizes he’s not getting anywhere with you.

you feel even more embarrassed than when he caught you watching him, hating the way you were clueless at yet another thing in this life that no one explained to you.

“the girls you hang around with?” he finally lands on, hoping this jogs your memory.

you shake your head, eyes wide as you fidget with the fabric of your dress. his eyes fall onto your finger, lingering on the fact that you’re not wearing your ring.

“who do you spend your time with throughout the day?” gojo seems even more lost than you. he’s seen you with…? well surely that one time…?

“by,” you swallow, embarrassed, “by myself. i walk around a lot.” you admit sheepishly.

“your family didn’t send…?” he answers his own question with his silence.

this entire time you’ve been alone?

he opens his mouth to speak but somebody beats him to it.

“satoru! get down here! we’re still not done!” his friends shouts from below, and you look over your shoulder to see all the men staring at the two of you.

gojo stares at you, unblinking.

“i,” he swallows but can’t find any words.

you can’t either.

he leaves you there, running down those stairs as he shouts at the other guys to resume what they were doing. that entire day he was off his balance because he kept looking up to see you there, but you weren’t.

maybe you were just walking around, like you said.