One Piece Doodles

Donnie sirena mi patron

Donnie x fem! Reader The little merturtle 3

Summary: Prince Donatello was the third of four brothers, the prince of an underwater yokai city, but he has always been searching for something else far more interesting than the mystic arts he is used to, he wants to know everything about the human world, their traditions, their creations... But when he finds himself entranced by a human princess it might just be the last push he needs to make his dream of exploring the land a reality.

"You started stirring slightly, your eyes fluttering open while you reached up to hold the scaly hand on your face, Donnie knew he had to leave immediately, he knew he should be back in the water, he couldn’t let you see him! But maybe…he wanted you to see him."

Warnings: Angst with a happy ending, tooth-rotting fluff

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The alchemist and the queen

A pair of eyes stared at Donnie as he sobbed at the bottom of his treasure cove, now only filled with piles of dust and burnt memories, the gargoyles slowly came out of hiding, swimming in circles around him.

“Oh, poor guy” Huginn said “That was really tough, don’t you think?”

His companion nodded sympathetically while Donnie raised his head to see them, a glare prominent between his brow “Oh, yes it was, I didn’t expect king Splinter to treat one of his children like that! It was so unfair.”

“Yes! So unfair!”

“What do you want?” Donnie snarked “That was private, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong” He growled.

“Man, sorry! We’re being rude Huginn” Muninn said, and Donnie heard Huginn apologize “We don’t have any ill will, we were just passing and hear the whole thing, it sounded like someone was in trouble.”

“Yeah, and after what we watched we just wanted to see if you were okay” Huginn finished, Donnie loosened his guard slightly, he was way too tired to fight them now, the crying had taken away all his energy and he just wanted a long nap.

Before he could tell them to leave again Huginn spoke once more “The collection you had was incredible, oh I love human stuff”

“Yeah! Master Draxum has a lot of their things lying around” Muninn said happily, grabbing Donnie’s attention.

“Draxum?” The turtle asked.

Hook.

“Oh yeah, you’ve heard of Draxum right?” At Donnie’s deadpan look that said he absolutely didn’t or he wouldn’t have asked Muninn continued “He’s a great warrior alchemist! He has been experimenting with human DNA since forever, he and Big Mama used to work together but that was, well, it was when Big Mama was still queen.”

Donnie raised an eyebrow, he had heard about Big Mama, at least briefly, but she had been long since dethroned by his father when Donnie was just a guppy, the only thing he knew about her was that she was dangerous and had been exiled because of that.

But of course, he thought bitterly, his father didn’t tell him many things it seemed.

“Why would he experiment with human DNA?” Donnie asked.

Line.

“Well usually Big Mama would give favors to her most valued subjects and a couple of times the requests were for them to be able to walk on land with the humans, with her magical powers as an energy source and Draxum’s alchemy they managed to find a way to give yokai the ability to live up top and vice versa, it was a time when both humans and yokai coexisted!”

Donnie’s eyes widened and he could have gotten whiplash with how fast he looked back at the gargoyle; the words that had just been spoken to him seemed like an impossible fairytale, it couldn’t be true, could it? A time when humans and yokai interacted together.

His mind went into overdrive, piecing all the puzzle pieces together, the mandate for yokai to not get in contact with humans was only put in place when his father acquired the throne, maybe that was how he himself had learned of yokai while being a human?

Donnie gulped loudly, his father had said he was ‘turned into this’, maybe the two of them had done that? And maybe that was why Big Mama had been exiled.

His eyes shifted between the gargoyles “So Draxum could help yokai walk on land?”

Huginn nodded “Definitely, why? Are you curious? It’s only natural, humans make so many cool things, it just makes sense.”

Donnie hesitated for a moment, he looked down at the pieces of debris covering the floor of his cove when he found it, his eyes paused wide on a piece of rock that had been separated from the rest, your statue had broken mostly in tiny pieces, except for your face, it lay there right in front of him sending a pang through his chest again, of both sadness and anger.

It pushed him to make a choice.

“Guide me to them” He ordered.

Sinker.

Huginn and Muninn smiled at him “Sure buddy, come on! Follow us.”

Swimming around in circles somewhere still in the reef were Raph and his two brothers.

“I didn’t mean to tell” He swore, “It was an accident!”

“We know, big guy” Leo said, kicking a pebble with his tail.

“We just need to give Donnie some space, what happened was…” Mikey cringed “Devastating to him, to say the least” He muttered, it didn’t make Raph feel much better.

He was about to say something else when they both heard Shelldon calling out to them, they turned to see the little turtle hurrying their way.

“Dudes! It’s Donnie! He’s going with some gargoyles far away from the limits!” He explained rapidly.

The guys all looked at each other worried “Which way was he going?” Leo asked.

They soon caught up to their brother who was swimming along the gargoyles, Raph recognized those gargoyles, he’d heard tales from the castle’s servants when he was little, of a banished alchemist and his subjects, it made him hurry as his mind alerted him of danger.

“Donnie!” Raph called swimming close to his brother “Where are you going?!”

“I’m going to see Big Mama and Draxum,” Donnie said in a monotone, a firm frown still set on his face that told his brothers he didn’t plan on changing his mind or listening.

Raph still tried “What?! Donnie no! Draxum is dangerous, he’s a demon!”

“Why don’t you go tell father Raphael?” Donnie bit back, looking at his brother for just a moment before continuing on his way “You’re good at that.”

Raph faltered slightly but Mikey gave him a reassuring look and the three all followed their brother into the lair of the exiled queen and warrior.

“Wow” Donnie winced once they reached the entrance “Stunning choice of décor,” He said sarcastically, looking at the dry algae laying around the unkempt place, he saw then something that petrified him, in between the algae there was something else, something alive and looking dry, many of them shriveling where they stood stuck to the walls of the cave, some beings with eyes, staring straight at him.

Donnie shivered and swam faster, wanting to get to the end quickly, maybe this was a bad idea.

One of those things took grasp of his arm and he gasped, pulling rapidly, grossed out by the thing, and feeling nauseous, he managed to unlatch it from his wrist, and without looking back he reached the end of the tunnel as fast as he could.

“Come in, come in~” A feminine voice called out to him, Donnie breathed heavily after the experience but turned to see a yokai with pink skin and white hair looking back at him with a sweet smile. “Oh my, you look so white! Such worry is not good for your emerald complexion, here, sit, sit, I’ll get you something to drink.”

The woman guided him to a seat and Donnie by reflex sat, now holding a flower in his hands as a cup, he recovered from his panic and looked attentively at the woman with skepticism “Are you Big Mama?” He asked.

“That I am turtley-boo, oh look, your brothers are here” She said smiling at the other three turtles that swam in with caution. “come, come, I do not bite, oh it’s been so long since we’ve had guests” The woman hummed, her attitude and his brother’s presence –Though he’d deny it— calming Donnie slightly and apparently his brothers too who while still weary sat down next to him.

Before Donnie could get to the point of his visit she spoke again “Now, you’re here because you have a thing for this human, a human princess at that! You certainly know how to choose them, darling, she is quite a catch.” Big Mama said nodding her head approvingly but making Donnie tense up once again.

“How do you know that,” He asked with his eyebrows furrowed, Mikey was surprised he didn’t deny it.

“Oh dear turtley-boos it used to be my job, as you might know, to know everything about my subjects, to help the hidden city prosper! And of course, you do not remember me, but I was right there the day you were all created” She hummed knowingly making them all look at her questioningly “Oh you were such adorable little turtles just before Draxy made you into what you are, better, stronger! So powerful and intelligent!”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, that’s nice and all, uh? Auntie? I guess, can I call you auntie? But I’m sorry, you just said we were ‘created’? As in, you know, do you mean born? “Ok, no, I’m confused about whatever you’re going on about” Leo blabbed looking for an explanation for this whole entire messy affair.

Big Mama hummed “You’re right, that’s so rude of me, perhaps Draxy can help me explain, Oh Draxy~!” She called out and from another room inside the cave a goat yokai walked out, firm in every step he took, way more serious than the old queen attending to them.

He didn’t have a friendly look to him, Raph thought, no wonder Big Mama was the one greeting guests with that attitude.

Draxum greeted them all as if he knew them personally to their shock, the two gargoyles hanging from his shoulders “It has been too long, my warriors.”

“Thank you, yes hi, this only raises more questions” Leo groaned loudly.

It wasn’t for long, the two exiled yokai used a magical orb to show them the day of their ‘mutation’ is what they called it, or bits of it at least, not that the boys would know.

It was explained to them how with Splinter turned into a merman they were mutated from mere turtles to merturtles and how Splinter was accidentally mutated into a rat afterward, what was left clear was that Draxum had created them, to Mikey that essentially made him their second dad and Big Mama had been there that day, working as the power source that helped in their creation.

“Your father and I had our disagreements” Big Mama looked sad, only Leo wasn’t buying it “After he was rejected by the human world he started going against all of our work in uniting both worlds, Draxum and I were exiled out here because we were the last connection between both” Big Mama lamented but then smiled softly at Donnie “Poor turtley-boo, longing to be understood, for a world he cannot have, humans are so full of curiosity aren’t they? Just like you, is that why you crave it so much? But thankfully, you found us, and what could be better for the relations between humans and yokai to thrive again than an alliance between the royalty of both worlds? Oh darling, wouldn’t it be beautiful?”

Donnie’s heart was beating hard in his chest with those suggestions, was it possible? Or was it dumb for him to believe? But his mind kept telling him that everything was right there in front of him! Draxum and Big Mama had just placed all of their cards on the table, while his own father had hidden the truth from them for their whole life!

His chest filled with hope when he saw how Raph and Mikey were much less tense, processing the situation with softer eyes, he could even see Mikey smile slightly.

Leo though wasn’t buying it at all, he could tell something wasn’t right.

“Donatello” Draxum spoke this time taking Donnie’s attention “Follow me for a moment will you?”

Donnie looked from the yokai who stood up to walk through one of the halls to his brothers, Leo was about to stop him but Mikey spoke first “Go! We’ll be right here!” He said cheerily and Raph agreed hesitantly, they were right there after all.

Donnie followed the yokai and they walked silently for a moment “Child, your curiosity is not a fault, in fact, without people like you our world would never get anywhere” The yokai assured finally looking back at the merturtle who was giving him his complete attention, his words reassured Donnie, no one had ever truly understood his fascination with the human world but this yokai had been working with humans before he was born, and Donnie, well Donnie craved the approval, he started smiling smugly at the older yokai’s words.

Draxum continued speaking “It is the intelligence you were blessed with that would make the world you seek a reality, do not let anyone fool you, here” Draxum stopped in front of a table filled to the brim with colorful potions, shining bright with unnatural colors, he took a fuchsia-colored one that reflected its light on his skin.

 “This is the potion that you need, the only way to get what you want is to become human yourself, it requires a strong energy source which Big Mama will help you with, after finishing the correct ritual you will be fully transformed.”

“A human?” Donnie was hesitant before questioning “I heard you helped yokai walk along humans.”

“Well that is true” Draxum agreed, Big Mama and the rest of Donnie’s brothers entered the room then, listening by the door “However I fear humans have not seen yokai for decades, it might be dangerous if you kept your form, looking like a human would help you socialize with them,”

Donnie nodded his head and his father’s words from before were back in his mind.

“That human you saved may have been grateful the moment she breathed, but once she realizes who saved her, she won’t look at you as a hero but a monster.”

It pained him slightly to think it might be true, a new insecurity had made its way into his mind, turbulent as it was already through so many events, but with that potion, he wouldn’t have to worry about that, if he could meet you as a human then –his heart beat a little faster— his chances with you might be much better, and eventually, he could tell you who he truly was, once he knew you’d be open to it.

Donnie nodded taking the bottle in his hands, Big Mama placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Now, before anything you must know this first, every spell has to be extremely specific and it has a cost as you boys may know” She began explaining “The potion and my magic will make you human for one month! It is very important that you keep track of the time because before the sun sets on the last day you need to make the princess fall in love with you.”

“What?!” There was a chorus of the four turtles exclaiming at the same time.

“But why?” Donnie asked blushing wildly.

“Well, the terms and conditions settle with a true love kiss as many do, I’m sure you know, but don’t worry I am sure you can do that!” Big mama pinched his cheeks, and he batted her hands away “The reason for that is the cost of the wish, to keep the form and remain on land for more than a month would be too expensive, only the true love kiss may seal the magic then.”

Donnie grunted in acceptance, he knew how costly spells could be and this wasn’t a simple one, his request was huge.

“If she does kiss you before the end of the month you may remain human, permanently! But if she doesn’t, you’ll turn back into a merturtle.” Big Mama finished.

Raph looked like he was about to say something, to pull Donnie away and tell him he shouldn’t go through with it, Leo beat him to it.

“That’s it?” He asked doubtfully “He’ll just be back, no other consequences?”

“Oh Poseidon, no” Big Mama assured, “Just like that! The only thing I ask of you Donnie is that you reunite our worlds, after all, you wouldn’t want to leave your brothers behind surely, nothing would be more perfect than that.” She said, turning to Donnie.

He was excited, a moment ago all his dreams seemed to have shattered into a million pieces and now he had a chance to explore the human world and its wonders like he had wanted his whole life and he could meet you! Properly, like he had wanted, there was only one more thing he needed to ask, even if he just wanted to dive right in for the potion before his brothers decided to pull him away.

“What is the cost to transform in the first place?” He asked and the attention of his brothers went back to the exiled.

“Your voice” Big Mama answered easily.

Raph gasped “His voice?! How is he even supposed to make the princess fall in love with him in a month if he can’t even talk?”

Donnie winced, his brother did make a good point, of course, the situation couldn’t be so perfect.

“Oh don’t worry, there are so many other methods of communication my dear! I am sure you will figure one out, and if she truly is worth it, I’m sure she won’t mind! So, whenever you want turtley-boo! You only need half of the potion and I’ll make the contract.”

“Donnie” Leo spoke quietly close to his twin “I know you want this but I don’t trust Big Mama, there’s something they’re not telling us.”

Donnie rolled his eyes “Oh come on Leo, this is my chance! This is the only way I would ever get to see the human world!” Donnie’s voice made Leo deflate “If I tried anything else dad would chain me down to the castle’s floor, I’m ready.”

Without listening to Raph trying to stop him Donnie hurriedly gulped down the fuchsia liquid, it went down quickly to the dismay of his brothers, and he left half of it untouched.

Rays of golden color started enveloping him, coming out of Big Mama’s hands, her eyes now glowing white, and a piece of paper floated right in front of Donnie, he took the pen in front of him and quickly signed his name on the paper, he tried to read its contents while doing so but only got so far because once his name was fully signed in it disappeared, the golden light turned green and Donnie started feeling a scratch on his throat, he coughed loudly before feeling like the water left his body.

His brothers looked at him in panic and determined Leo took the bottle with potion out of his grasp, chugging a whole gulp of it in before reaching out towards Raph and forcing the drink on the eldest’s mouth who coughed wildly after that having been taken by surprise, Leo did the same with Mikey and pulled them both toward were Donnie’s transformation had just begun.

“Wait!” Draxum yelled but the three other turtles were engulfed in the light too.

Mikey watched in terror as Donnie yelled, his tail separating in an instant and suddenly there was a pair of feet where it used to be.

He himself started feeling weird, but on his upper body, before he could think about it though Mikey felt someone pulling him to Donnie and he realized then that his brother could not breathe under the water anymore.

Donnie’s lungs felt like they were on fire, he was clawing at his throat and realized his gills were gone, he tried to pull himself up, but thankfully he was dragged up out of the cave by some pairs of…fins?

They reached the surface and Donnie gasped, breathing heavily, the air was sweet salvation from all the pain he’d just endured, two bodies pushed their way under his arms, pulling his tired body toward the shore, belatedly, he realized the fish pulling him forwards were his own brothers, transformed into fish, or well, Mikey was a fish, an overly grown goldfish.

It made Donnie wonder if they were more related to Piebald than they’d originally thought.

Raph however, looked like a full-grown alligator snapping turtle, it must have been the effect of drinking just a bit of the potion without the contract Donnie had made with Big Mama.

Donnie was deep in his delirium, trying to make sense of what was happening to deviate his mind from the pain he had just experienced, so he looked for Leo, assuming surely that like his tail he’d become a sailfish after the spell.

They were about to reach the shore, but Donnie couldn’t stay conscious any longer, unable to find Leo to distract himself, he blacked out.

You were walking outside the castle, the building lifted from the sea but overlooking it by rocks and pillars, you rested your back against one of its walls while Mayhem played around close to the water, Mayhem had always seemed to love the sea as much as you did, sometimes it seemed like if you left him alone he would swim deep into the waters like they were home.

Your smile was soft but was soon eclipsed by your thoughts as they wandered back to a couple of days ago, your mind kept repeating the words of your savior over and over again, it made your heart flutter, what you remembered him saying about wanting to know your world and you, you wondered what he meant exactly.

You were snapped out of your daydreaming by a bark from Mayhem, sighing softly you pulled yourself away from the wall and started walking away from the castle.

“Do you think Casey is right?” You asked your companion with a small frown “Maybe a did drink too much seawater? I mean I swear I saw a tail disappear into the water” you chuckled humorlessly, worried that so many mermaid tales had just messed with you that day and you had just imagined an impossible romance.

Mayhem’s bark in response made you smile again “You’re right, I can’t just give out hope already, right? I know what I felt that day” your confidence returned, at least slightly, maybe you should go around town again. You weren’t able to see him properly that time but you were sure you’d recognize his voice anywhere.

Donnie felt the beginnings of a headache and groaned while recovering consciousness, he must have been laying on the beach because he could feel the sand beneath his…actually, his back felt weird over the sand.

His hand reached up to his head to get rid of the headache when he felt it, Donnie jumped up to sit up straight at the feeling of five fingers on his forehead instead of three; his eyes examined the foreign hand in front of him with fascination and his expression turned gleeful at the realization of what he was looking at, a five-fingered hand in golden brown that was his own.

His gaze went down quickly to where his purple tail would rest to find in its place a pair of legs the same color as his arm, he was human! He was truly human! He moved his feet in fascination, the fingers moving almost one by one while his hands were flapping rapidly; he was so excited he could scream!

No sound came out of his mouth, but he was too elated to care or notice at that moment.

Mikey gasped with sparkly eyes “Donnie! You’re human!” His little brother screamed like he hadn’t noticed already “Ohmigosh, you look so weird but so cool! But what will dad say?! Oh what if he finds out, wait of course he’s gonna find out, oh and I’m a fish now, he’s gonna be so pissed, maybe he’s worried already! What if he comes looking for us? What if he mobilizes everyone and—”

“Mikey!” Raph called out beside him “Calm down! We can’t panic now! No one panic!” He said, already panicked, his eyes barely leaving Donnie who still looked too excited to care about what was happening around him, he was trying to stand up on both legs, at first, he almost fell down, but he managed to hold himself up, even though his legs trembled under his body.

That was until he heard Raph’s next words.

“We need to go back and tell pops, I should have done that the moment you started swimming to Draxum” Raph’s words sent Donnie into a frenzy, he reached out to his now more of a turtle brother, shaking his head over and over to express his discontent “Don’t shake your head at me, young man! Look at what’s happening! Maybe we can get Big Mama and Draxum to turn you back and give you back your voice! We’d go home and back to normal, then you’d just be…”

Raphael’s rant stopped slowly while he stared into his brother’s eyes which were just the same despite his human appearance, Donnie looked pained and it sent guilt straight into the core of Raph’s being “Just be…miserable for the rest of your life” Raphael conceded looking down at the sand and sighing, yes, he was worried, but it wasn’t fair of him to take away his brother’s final chance at everything he had ever wanted. He sighed before looking back at Donnie “All right all right, we’ll find that princess and get you that kiss.”

Donnie grinned wildly, his legs unconsciously moving up and down under him, making him unstable for a moment before he steadied himself again, he only then noticed one of his brothers must have covered him up with an old boat sail while he was unconscious because it was tied around his figure, ignoring that, for now, he instead punched the air to show his excitement, his brothers chuckled at him looking much calmer now.

“All right! We’re getting Donnie his smooches and giving dad a vacation, let’s go!” They heard Leo’s voice call out and looked around but couldn’t see anything “Right here big guy, ugh it’s weird calling you that instead of Raph” The merturtle mumbled.

Instead of what Donnie thought he’d find his eyes stumbled into a tiny red-eared slider turtle looking at him from over a rock and the now man couldn’t stop himself from falling backward on the sand as he tried to recover his breath, laughing soundlessly but wildly at the appearance of his twin brother.

Raph’s and Mikey’s laughter was much louder, and Leo only rolled his eyes “Oh give it a rest, would you?! I do all of this so we can help Donnie out and all I get from you guys is mocking!”

“You turned us into turtles and a fish!” Raph exclaimed “We don’t even know how to get back to our bodies! And how is Mikey going to follow Donnie on land?”

“Well yeah, I didn’t know what exactly the effect would be on us” Leo mumbled almost in a whisper “But! We do know when we’re going to be back to normal! We didn’t make a contract and only took a small dose of the potion, in a month regardless of what happens the three of us will just be back to normal no worries! Right, Donnie?” Leo said confidently and Raph looked from him to Donnie with skepticism.

Donnie who’d just recovered his breath looked thoughtful, he considered what Draxum and Big Mama had said and it seemed about right, he nodded in reply and started looking around for his mask which was nowhere to be seen, while he marveled about it being gone and realized finally that there was hair where it usually rested on his head Raph sighed and Leo looked smug.

“All right fine, now, how do we find this princess?”

You were still walking close to the shore when Mayhem suddenly started jumping around you, barking and trying to pull you further away “Woah, what’s up Mayhem?” You asked the pet who kept making motions for you to follow, and you gave in with a chuckle, following Mayhem as they ran far away from you.

“All right Donnie, can you just tie that better? It’s gonna fall any moment now and I really don’t wanna see THAT” Leo groaned pointing at the cloth over Donnie’s body who was trying to hold it over his shoulder and waist.

A familiar bark took their attention, nearing them quickly.

Mayhem rushed over Donnie’s way and not knowing what to expect he hurried over to a rock, trying to hide from the creature behind it, Mayhem jumped close to Donnie who looked back in amazement before he heard your voice, repeating the scene back at the ship when he had seen you for the first time.

Donnie’s knees wobbled for a moment but he stabilized himself again quickly seeing you reunite with your pet before your eyes went up and clashed with his.

You seemed to pause in surprise and he wondered for a moment if you had recognized him somehow despite how different he looked now.

Mayhem went back to Donnie, jumping around and turning back to look at you like he was saying ‘Here! He’s right here!’, when you looked at this man you had the same feeling from before with your savior, you were confident Mayhem was right, this was him, it had to be, he looked shipwrecked, his hair drenched and he was covered in only a battered sail that had probably belonged to your own ship.

“Are you okay sir?” You asked as you neared him, Donnie’s eyes never leaving your face as he smiled and nodded rapidly at you, you smiled back before looking back at Mayhem and reaching out to hold them in your arms “I’m sorry if my, uh, dog, scared you, they’re harmless, just a bit hyperactive sometimes” You chuckled trying to avoid his gaze, it made you a bit nervous, you wanted to ask, you really wanted to ask if he was whom you thought, but if your eyes crossed with his again you were worried you’d stutter your question instead.

If you could only hear him speak it would confirm everything.

“Have I met you before?” You asked still petting Mayhem “You seem very familiar to me” That wasn’t true, you had never seen his face before but the feeling wouldn’t leave your body.

Donnie’s eyes seemed to sparkle when he heard you say that, he wanted to answer ‘Yes! That was me!’ but knew he couldn’t, if you just looked back up, he could nod in confirmation.

As if you had heard his thoughts you looked back up at him again allowing him the chance to nod in response, your smile seemed to widen impossibly and he could have swooned, feeling dizzy from your reaction “We HAVE met! I knew it!” You said letting go of Mayhem to get closer to him, forgetting how nervous you had just been a moment ago at the confirmation “You’re the man who saved me, I had been looking for you! What’s your name?”

Donnie faltered, realizing he couldn’t tell you his name.

Your smile dropped slowly “What’s wrong?” You asked worriedly and Donnie tapped his throat with his hand, trying to explain he couldn’t speak, you caught on “You can’t speak?” Donnie nodded and noticed you looked surprised then a bit disappointed “Oh, then you couldn’t be who I thought, I’m sorry for mixing you up” You smiled in apology and Donnie felt like smashing his face on the sand, no! He was! This was recent, his mutism happened just now! Oh, but how could he tell you so? How would you even believe that?

Donnie could hear the groans of his brothers coming from behind him and felt the need to groan too, instead, he leaned over the rock he had been standing behind and tried to make signs with his hands, there had to be a way for him to explain this!

You looked up at him curiously as he once again tapped his throat trying to communicate something, he waved his hands away from his throat in a leaving motion, trying to explain his voice had left, your head tilted to the side in confusion “Your breath?” he quickly made a dismissing motion, repeating the signal from before and then making a wave with his hand to simulate swimming “You need help?” you asked and his movements became wilder, in his frenzy he leaned over too much and almost fell, you gasped but managed to catch him quickly before he did.

Donnie was shocked at realizing he was now in your arms, his movements halting while you tried to lift him back to his feet “Woah careful!” You said worriedly but his cheeks felt really warm and if he could speak he would be completely unable to form a coherent sentence, for once he was relieved for his mutism if only for a moment, how were you so strong?! Despite lacking his tail he knew he couldn’t be too light.

“You really must have been through something” He tuned back into reality when you spoke, you looked worried about him but then smiled reassuringly “Don’t worry! I’ll help you” You said, with him standing up again you still laid one of his arms over your shoulders thinking he might need help walking since he seemed to have trembling legs.

Donnie was surprised but happy, you were taking him to the castle! He looked back over his shoulder towards his brothers with a grin, Mikey and Raph were making signs of approval and smiling back at him, but Leo was once again nowhere to be found.

Or so did Donnie think before realizing there was a weight on the sail covering him, he looked down to see Leo sitting on it, traveling along without doing anything and smiling lazily back at Donnie, Donnie rolled his eyes at his brother, secretly thankful that he was small enough to follow along.

He kept walking with you, his legs a bit wobbly but you helped him keep steady all the way to the castle.

Oh well

No scarf version

Yeesss I finally finished 🥹

For @chaoticspeedrun little mermaid au! Hope you like it👉👈this audio was stuck on my head and thought this would be perfect for Donnie😂

((I haven’t animated in a long time so it might be a bit rusty😭))

AAAA HEYYY SORRY I WAS GONE LOL I MADE MY OWN TURTLES!!! MY AU IS CALLED TMNT VEGA⚡🙏🏾

Sleepover

Posted:09/13/23

Title: Sleepover

Buggy x GN Strawhat Reader

Fluff

Summary: Since Buggy is suck as a head on the strawhat's ship, you decide to pass the time together with a flirtatious game of never have I ever.

Author's note:

Word Count: 1552

OPLA Story List/ Master List/ Requests Here

Warnings: Language

🔞18+ page due to dark and adult themes. Minors will be blocked 🔞

"I don't want that thing," Zoro said, putting his hands up when Usopp tried to hand him Buggy's head. "It's your turn. I've had to listen to him all day." Buggy rolls his eyes as the two men go back and forth. "I'll take him." You say. Unopp didn't question it and tossed him to you. "Watch it!" Buggy shouts at him. Zoro and Usopp run off to dinner. "Hi." You greeted, looking down at him. "Hi~," He says back with a sarcastic smile before rolling his roll again. "Do you want to play a game with me?" You asked. He looked up at you, confused. "A game?" He questioned back, wondering if you were messing with him. You nodded and began to walk back to your quarters of the ship. He sighs. "What the hell am I supposed to play, dim-wit? I'm a fucking head." It was your turn to roll your eyes. "There's lots of things we could play. Blackjack, truth or dare, never have I ever -" Buggy cuts you off when you finally get to your room. "What is this a sleepover?" You set him next to you on your bed. "Well, do you want to play any of them, or do you have any better ideas?" He thought about it for a minute. "Never have I ever..." You smiled at his answer. "I'll go get the shot glasses!"

You came back from the ship's kitchen with two shot glasses and a nice bottle of whiskey. "I got the good stuff. Don't tell Sanji." Buggy thinks for a moment trying to recall which one was Sanji. "The French bimbo?" He questioned. "That's the one. He's really into cooking, so he'd be mad if he knew I was using the nice whiskey for cheap shots." Buggy takes note of this. "Nothing cheap with me, sweetheart." He says flirtatiously. "You're makeup says otherwise." You stab with a smirk. "Hey!" You don't give him a chance to say more. "Who goes first?" He scoffs. "Well, obviously, I should go first." Buggy ego speaks. "You're right, age before beauty." "Yes -" He catches himself. "You little shit. I'm not that old and twice as beautiful as you!" You chuckle. "Whatever old man just go." He shakes his head thinking. "Never have I ever eaten a crewmate." Your eyes widen before you start laughing. "What? I've done fuck up shit but not that." You waved your hand while laughing. "Eaten as in Cannibalism or as in oral?" You try to clarify. Buggy burst out laughing. "You dirty little bitch. Cannibalism." He confirmed. "Nope, I've never done that." He nods. "Okay then, oral." Buggy says, changing the meaning of his question. "I've been on a pirate crew only for a few months, dude. Do you think I've had time?" "A few months and still no? You're not trying hard enough." His joke makes you flustered. "What do you mean?! I'm not trying." The topic was starting to embarrass you. "Then that's the problem." "Problem?! That is hardly a problem." You both bicker for a few minutes about wwhetheror not you should be trying to fuck your crewmates. Buggy couldn't care less about your sex life but found it entertaining to embarrass you. "Okay! Whatever, my turn... Never have I ever..." You look around the room looking for ideas. "Never have ever made a kid cry." Buggy scoffs. "You can't ask shit you know I did." You chuckle. "Why? Because you'll know I'll win." "You won't win even with that sshinylittle rule." You laughed. "Wanna bet?" The question made Buggy smile. "Hell yeah. What's it worth to you?" His eyes are fixed on your lips, watching you bite down. "Umm... If I win, you have to tell him a true story about yourself." He jokely hissed. "Ohh, how dangerous~" He mocked you. The tips of your fingernails tap the shot glass. "What do you want if you win?" You asked looking at him. He gives you a chuckle. "When I win..." Buggy corrects. "I want a kiss~." Your eyes widen. "What?" He clarifies for you. "You have to kiss me and not just a little peck. A 30-second French kiss~" Blush fills your face. It wasn't the worst thing, was it? You thought before giving an audible sigh. "Fine, but only because I know I'll win." Buggy smirks. "Sure you will... now, give me the damn shot." It had almost slipped your mind that you would have to help him. "Oh, right." You pour the first shot of the night and place the cool glass on his lips. Buggy doesn't break eye contact as he downs it. "Alright, cupcake. Never have I ever stolen from a crewmate." You huffed and filled your glass with the stolen goods. "1-1" you mumbled. "Never have I ever hid a body part to spy on people." He rolls his eyes while you poor his shot. "Never have I ever slipped edibles into Sanji's cooking?" You choke on your spit. "How-" Buggy smiles proudly. "Drink bitch." He demands.

☆

"Damn it!" You say taking another shot while Buggy laughs at you. "Piss off!" You shout back playfully. "Okay, my turn..." You set down your glass and think for a moment before a wicked smile spreads across your face. Buggy looks concerned. "What's with that look l/n?" You smiled. "Never have I ever... used my own dick to fuck myself." Buggy's face goes pale from shock before his face turns red with anger and embarrassment. "WHAT THE HELL?!" You burst out laughing while Buggycusss you out. Letting him get it out, you wait patiently with a filled shot glass. "YOU PIECE OF SHIT-" There's a sudden banging on the wall. "Clown, if you don't shut the hell up, I'll cut out your tongue and throw it in the sea!" Zoro shouts. Making you realize how late it has gotten. Buggy bites his tongue. You laughed quietly to yourself at Zoro. Buggy couldn't help but quietly laugh about it, too. "Whatever, shit stick. Just give me the shot." You wipe the tear from your eye. "Yes, sir." You replied jokingly, putting the glass to his lips. The comment didn't help Buggy's embarrassed blushing. "It's getting late. Do you want to be done?" "Sure but only because I'm in the lead." He answered with a chuckle, causing yoh to put the bottle away. "So um... where have you been sleeping?" "Where ever, I'm left." Buggy says through his teeth. "Oh..." He watches you think for a moment. "Well, I have an extra pillow if you wanna lay on that." Buggy is a little taken aback by the suggestion. "My how bold~ At least take me out for dinner first before inviting me to bed~" He jokes, watching you pull your sheets back.

"Or... you know pay what what you owe~" You look at him confused. "Pay what I owe - oh! Right. The kiss." You pull the sheets over your lap. Your hands are more careful with him than the other crewmates. "Does it have to be French?" You questioned nervously. "Damn right, it does. That was the agreement. Now, pucker up." Buggy closes his eyes and puckers his lip dramatically. Sighing you press your lips to his. Buggy's relaxed into something natural and sweet. The feeling of his cheap old makeup smears across your lips. Buggy opens his mouth slightly, letting himself get greedy with being paid his part. You welcome him in and let his excited tongue desperately try to dominate yours. The surprise of passion was found sparking I'm his actions. You wanted to wonder when the last time someone kissed him was or showed him in sort of affection without a sour taste of fear to ruin it? However, you didn't let yourself wander away from the warm, wet kiss. Even when you had to pull away for air. Your eyes were still closed. Arms tried from holding him up yet not relaxing. Buggy didn't say anything. He just stared at your messed-up lips. The stain of his makeup gave you your own small clown smile. Oh, how you could enchant his whole audience if you were part of his show. No one spoke when you opened your eyes. The souls gazed into one another. Longing for something unnamed. "I um... I think that was more than 30 seconds." Your chuckles match together. "Probably." Another moment of uncomfortable silence fills the room. "Your arms tried?" He asked quietly. "Mh? Oh yeah..."

Placing him on the side of his face on the pillow so he faced you. "Is that good?" You asked, laying down next to him. "Yeah, fine." He says like a brat. Buggy watches as you close your eyes, still facing him. The bed sways back and forth as he continues to stare. "This really doesn't bug you?" He asked genuinely. "Does what bug me?" He scoffed. "Oh, I don't know, maybe a creepy serial killer pirate clown's decapitated head sleeping next to you." You don't open your eyes. "It's fine Buggy just go to sleep." There's a moment of silence. "Don't tell me what to do..." He mumbled before closing his eyes.

Donnie w/out glasses: *death glaring reader*

Reader: *internally panicking* what’d I do wrong?! 🥺

Donnie w/out glasses: *squinting at the blurb that is reader* I can’t see shit

Dancing in moccasins

Bartolomeoxreader. Modern AU. An opposite attracts story!

Lots of swearing, some violence.

*****

You and Bartolomeo are of an age and both grew up in the same little town, but you are as different as two people can be. Barto is a thug, a good-hearted but prone to violence hoodlum who never finished school, and supports himself working odd jobs and gets involved in a different brawl every week; with his green hair, heavy motorbike and disrespectful attitude, not to mention the way he dresses, he’s well known to the local authorities. For Barto, the ideal night is spent drinking at a bar, getting in a fistfight with Gambia and his other friends -the Barto Club, obviously named after their leader- against another of the town’s gangs, riding around town on their bikes, and then camping all together at the place of one of them, nursing both an hangover and bruises as they sleep until late. 

You are at the other end of the spectrum. A straight-A student, you won not one but two prestigious scholarships for academic merit, and were accepted into a prestigious university; you spend your time reading, writing, visiting museums and attending conferences on various subjects. Years spent poring over books and staring at your computer’s screen -to study, not to play videogames or wasting time on social media- have ruined your sight to the point you have to wear thick eyeglasses, and your look is as classic as they come: plaid skirts, blouses and tweed jackets, moccasins and oxfords. Your criminal record is unblemished, you never even got a parking ticket or a fine at the library, and only drink a glass of wine on special occasions, more because you genuinely dislike alcohol than because you think there’s something wrong with it. 

In short, you and Barto hang out with different crowds and have no friends in common, but he was hired as a cashier at the same grocery shop where you work -those scholarships were not, unfortunately, enough to pay for your tuition, and you didn’t want to ask your parents for a loan- and so you did start to bond. You helped Barto learn to use a till and manage the shop’s books, and he insisted you let him carry all the heavier packages, and even defended you when a drunk customer started harassing you. You spend your breaks together, and he insists on walking you home every night, given the lateness of the hour, and even though he lives in the opposite direction, claiming -every single night- that he has to meet a friend in your neighbourhood.

In the end, six months after you started working together, you have become… friends, in a sense, and while when you first met him you were a bit intimidated by his weird hair and clothes, not to mention his name in town is synonymous with troublemaking, you did come to respect him immensely: Bartolomeo -it’s just Barto, alright? Not even my mum calls me Bartolomeo- is headstrong, determined, the sort of person who never gives up on something he cares for and lets no one disrespect him, all characteristics you admire in a person. He’s kind as well, even if he’s too embarrassed to admit it: he regularly comes to work still tipsy or with a bruised face, and he and his bike are regulars at the town’s illegal street races circuits, but you have also seen him buying -not stealing, buying- a bottle of milk from the shop to feed the neighbourhood’s stray cats, and to carry the purchases of a few old ladies to their car, saving them the effort, even though that is not part of his duties. 

He has told you he quite likes working at the shop, for once, and you are proud of all the effort he is putting in it; he might not be the sort of friend your parents, or society, would want for you, and you still disapprove of his habit of getting into fights and causing trouble for the mere thrill of it, but Barto is a good man, clever, kind, and…

… and you have gotten a crush on him, maybe even something more. It is your first time, but you feel yourself blushing every time his hand touches yours as he passes you a bottle or a can to put on the shelf, and one day you happened to catch a glimpse -you weren’t spying on him, you swear!- of his naked torso as he changed into his work shirt in the toilet, and the image wouldn’t leave your mind for days.

So yes, you like Barto, and, you decide after much deliberation -seriously, it took you less time to decide what university to attend!- you would gladly start a relationship with him, if he were to ask you, or accept your proposal. The problem is, much as it grieves you to say it, Barto has never given you reason to even just suspect your feelings are reciprocated. He’s always friendly and appears to sincerely enjoy your company, but nothing more; he doesn’t have a steady partner, but sometimes he mentions a man or a woman he went on a -social or, err, domestic- date with, never the same person for long, which makes you suspect he might not be interested in a more long-lasting relationship, no matter who with. You’re not even sure he considers you a proper friend; one day his friend Gambia came into the shop to buy some groceries and he refused to introduce you, mumbling something you didn’t catch before grabbing his friend’s arm to pull him towards the frozen foods section. 

The people he likes are probably as different from you as they can be; girls who wear low-rider jeans and heavy make-up, who hold their liquor as much as their boyfriends do and hold on their backs during a motorbike ride. Barto did offer to take you for a ride once, but you declined, because you were scared of falling, and of the speed the bike could reach, and you could see how disappointed he was, even though he didn’t insist. 

Why would Barto want to go out with you?, you reflect sadly one night as you close the lid of your laptop before preparing for bed; you have just received an excellent grade for your latest exam, but you can’t find any joy, nor satisfaction, in that result for once; there are so many other people he would like better, people who have more in common with him that simply thirty hours of work a week. He has probably never thought about you as a potential partner, content with being your colleague and nothing more…

 … then I’ll have to show him; show him I can be more than a colleague, and that no matter how boring and mousy I seem, I can make a man’s head spin, if I put my mind to it. Even yours, Barto. 

Your decision is taken. The perfect occasion presents itself a week later, when you read in one of the magazines you are arranging on a shelf that the Dressrosa, a popular club Barto told you he and his friends often hung out at, is going to reopen soon after a period of closure for renovations. That very night, as you and Barto walk towards your home, you gather your courage and propose that the two of you attend the Dressrosa’s opening night together, just the two of you.

Barto refuses.

“Why? Are you going with your friends? Can’t I… come as well?” you ask, sounding small.

“It’s not that; I mean, I’ll probably go with the boys, but… it’s not the place for you, (name); you shouldn’t go to a club like that.”

“But… I thought you liked the Dressrosa.”

“I do. Just… promise me you’ll stay away, alright?”

You have no way of continuing the conversation, because you have reached your complex; Barto mumbles a goodnight and then leaves, briskly walking away while you remain at the door, looking at his retracting figure while your heart breaks in a million pieces.

He’s ashamed of you. Ashamed of what his friends, and the other men of the town, would think if he showed up at the Dressrosa with a woman like you by his side; does he think they would laugh about you both, calling his virility into question since he was unable to attract a more desirable partner? Would he choose to avoid being seen in public with you, rather than chiding his friends for making fun of you and your clothes?

Well; if that is the reason, then Barto is not the sort of man you thought he was, nor the man you’re interested in being in a relationship, or even just friendly, with. By now he knows the job well enough not to need your help, and from tomorrow on, you promise yourself that night as you take a quick break from your usual night study session, you’ll spend as little time with him as possible, using your bicycle to return home and spending your breaks reading rather than talking to him. Part of you will probably miss him, but if Barto is unable to look beyond your clothes and love for studying, and cares more about his friends’ opinion than to spend time with a person who cares for him, then too bad for him, and you won’t waste your tears on a man like that. 

Still, no matter how determined you are to leave your affection for Barto behind, since he’s clearly not worth it, you are still annoyed, and upset, that he thought the Dressrosa, one of the town’s most popular clubs, was not the right place for you. Who gave him the authority to decide? Does he really think that only because you enjoy studying, spend most of your time in the library and only drink cola and tonic water, you are unable to enjoy yourself and spend a night dancing? In that case, you decide as you reach your first-row seat for your first class of the day, your laptop already at hand to take notes, you’ll show him! You’ll go to the Dressrosa opening night by yourself, wear a nice dress, dance and meet new people, and when Barto sees you you will ignore him, making it clear that you are more than able to have fun, preferably without him. 

A perfect plan, except for one single detail: you’ve never been to a club before and have no idea what to do, how to act, and especially what to wear, to a place like that. Fortunately, you have recently become friends with a girl attending a few of your classes, named Nefertari Vivi; her father is a famous fashion designer, and she is studying to follow in his footsteps. Who better than her could suggest you what to wear for your first visit to a club?

So you stop Vivi at the end of the class, explain your situation -at least regarding the Dressrosa and your desire not to look like a fish out of water; mentioning Barto would be too humiliating- and beg for her help, which your friend is happy to lend. 

Two days later, three before the day of the club’s re-opening, you go shopping together, and on your request Vivi chooses a dress, shorter and more ostentatious than anything in your wardrobe, a pair of high-heeled shoes, and even a few accessories. 

“Come on, try them on, let me see how you look.” she excitedly invites you, and you obey, disappearing in the shop’s dressing room. You emerge a few minutes later, and the woman staring back at you from the full-length mirror is… well, not you, or at least not a version of you that has ever existed before. But you look good, even though you just need to look at your naked legs, or the portion of cleavage left exposed by the dress, to feel embarrassed. And the heels are so high! Do women actually dance in these?

“Are you sure this is alright? I mean, I know one doesn’t wear to a club the same clothes she puts on to go to class, but…” you stammer, unsure of how to express what you think and fear, but Vivi, who is a kind soul who would never deliberately embarrass you, assures you that there’s nothing inappropriate in what you are wearing, at least for a place like the Dressrosa. Of course you don’t have to wear what she chooses, let alone something you don’t feel at ease in, and if you’d rather keep your legs covered, or choose a less modest neckline, she can…

“No, it’s fine. These are fine, really.” you rush to add, already regretting your objection as you retreat towards the dressing room, more than a bit unstable on your new shoes “I’m gonna take them off and go pay.”

And so it is that you buy your first club outfit - quite an expense, for clothes you doubt you’ll ever get to wear a second time, but you are sure it’s worth it. 

Over the next few days you pointedly keep your distance from Barto, who seems to perceive you are angry or upset for some reason, but when he tries asking what is eating you, (name)? you avoid meeting his eyes and ask him to leave you alone because you are busy with your book, which he does, with a roll of his eyes. Later that day, you hear him make plans over the phone with his friend Gambia to attend the Dressrosa opening night, and the humiliation inside you reaches the breaking point: he does intend to go, knows you want to do the same, and still he won’t invite you.

I’ll show you. Oh, I’ll show you alright, Bartolomeo!

Finally it’s the big night. Two hours before the club’s opening, you reach Vivi’s house with your new clothes in a bag, and she helps you prepare, even enlisting the help of his father’s assistants, Pell and Chaka, to take care of your hair and make-up. 

“You look lovely, (name).” she says in the end approvingly. The effect of the outfit, so different from anything you have ever worn before, not to mention the fact you are wearing contacts rather than your usual glasses, is even more striking now that you are all dolled up, but as you observe your reflection in the large mirror in Vivi’s room -which is bigger than your apartment- the feeling of estrangement has been replaced by something akin to pride: you may be a four-eyes teacher’s pet, a woman who has never been asked on a date and feels more at ease in the library than in a club, but you can look good, and even make heads turn towards you, if you put your mind to it.

You can’t wait to see Barto’s reaction when he’ll see the new you. It might be childish, and petty, but you hope that he’ll realise how pretty you are, and it will be too late, because you will have moved on, and maybe even met someone else…

You thank Vivi for her help, promising to reciprocate if she ever needs it, and she wishes you a good night and begs you to call her tomorrow to tell her how it went. 

You reach the club by metro, planning on taking a taxi to return home. You are more than excited as you join the long queue before the entrance, and finally you are allowed to pay for your ticket and enter; no matter what happens today, you know already this night will be unforgettable. 

The inside of the Dressrosa is not different from what you had imagined: a long bar counter, loud music, a DJ, go-go dancers on podiums, bouncers patrolling the area. The energy in the large, dark room is electrifying, exciting, sensual, and just a little dangerous; unlike what you would have imagined just two weeks ago, you soon decide you like it.

It would be excessive to say that the moment you step into the room, every single head turns in your direction, half of the other patrons wishing they were you and the other that they were with you, but you swear you can see appreciation in the gazes of two young men who openly look at you on their way to the bar, and a girl you had shared a few class with last year recognises you and compliments your outfit. 

You look around you for a while, observing the crowd that has quickly filled the club to capacity, and to your relief you quickly decide you are not out of place as far as your clothes are concerned; if anything, your dress and high heels look positively tame compared to what some other people are wearing, but at least you do not look like a fish out of water, which is reassuring.

Deciding to take your time before joining the dances, you reach the bar, sit on a stool and ask for a cola, to the great amusement of the barman. “Would you prefer a fruit juice, darling?” he asks, openly derisive, but then he starts to prepare your drink, which you are free to enjoy as you observe the place and the people filling it; the dance-floor is already crowded, and while the music is different from the classic composers and opera pieces you’re accustomed to listen, it is catchy, and who knows, maybe someone will come inviting you…

“Hello.”

A man is leaning against the counter by your side as he regards you with interest; he is very handsome, with long blonde hair and an outfit clearly chosen to emphasise the wearer’s athletic physique. 

You can’t believe he’s talking to you. “Err, hello.”

“Name’s Cavendish.” he says, offering you a smile that is blinding even in the stroboscopic-lit darkness of the club; you have always had a weak spot for guys with a nice smile “Why haven’t I seen you here before?”

“Well, this is the first time I… I mean, I usually prefer other clubs.” you quickly recover, praying inside you the man -Cavendish- won’t ask you to elaborate, because you don’t know the name of any other club, let alone the ones that could impress him “But I heard the Dressrosa was a good place, so…”

“It really is, especially now that you are here. Can I know the name of such a pretty girl?”

He’s flirting with you, you feel flattered to realise, like no one in your life had ever done before; you tell him your name, and you spend a few minutes talking - or rather screaming at each other, since the music is so loud you can barely hear yourself. Catchy, yes, but you know already that tomorrow morning you’ll wake up with a migraine.

You and Cavendish are talking about your jobs when suddenly you notice a green mohawk in the crowd, out of the corner of your eye: Barto is standing near a sofa his friends are huddled on, staring in disbelief at you. Feeling extra petty, you smile and raise your glass at him, and then turn to look at Cavendish, trying to look completely interested in what he has to say. As you expected, a minute later…

“(name), what the fuck are you doing here?!”

Barto is now standing next to you, looking supremely pissed and incredulous, even though you could swear you can see him blush when his gaze falls on your naked legs “And what the hell are you wearing?!”

He, you must admit, looks amazing, black leather trousers hugging his strong legs and backside, a shirt left unbuttoned just enough to offer you a peek of his firm chest, silver jewels on his fingers and ears. 

“So? I asked you a question!”

“Dude, leave her alone.” Cavendish intervenes chivalrously; then, turning to you: “You know this guy?”

You are sorely tempted to deny. “We work together.” you admit “Leave me alone, Barto; I am perfectly fine.”

“You shouldn’t be here, (name). This place is…”

“I happen to like this place. Now, please, just go.”

Barto seems ready to argue some more, but then he sees something in your gaze, and he gives up; he leaves, clearly angry. 

“Your ex?” Cavendish asks, looking at Barto’s retracting figure; you can’t help following his eyes, until the ever-moving crowd of the club swallows your green-haired colleague.

“Oh, no; we’re just colleagues.” you explain; it’s not a lie.

“Well, I bet he wants to be something more.”

You both remain silent for a minute; Cavendish gulps down his drink, and then, just as you find yourself wondering, despite yourself, if you shouldn’t stand and follow Barto to explain yourself, he takes your hand. “Dance with me?”

You have never danced before, not since your ballet classes as a young girl -which you enjoyed, even though you and your parents agreed it was better to interrupt to allow you to dedicate more time to studying- and you don’t quite know what to do. Fortunately, there are no choreographies involved: people just seem to stand, swaying to the music, hugging a partner or in groups, at most waving their arms or jumping in place. As soon as you have reached the dancefloor, Cavendish’s hands find their way to your hips, which feels a bit premature since you have known each other for twenty minutes, but what do you know?, maybe this is how it works in places like this. So you look discretely around you to observe what other women are doing, and then circle his neck with your arms, which Cavendish seems to appreciate.

Neither of you notices a woman, dancing with two others nearby, whose eyes follow you intently, an expression of displeasure on her pretty face.

“You are very beautiful, you know.”

“Thank you.” you say, sincerely touched; you can’t help but wish Barto had been the one to utter those words, but he wasn’t, he didn’t want you when you proposed you go to the club together, and you have to forget him.

You remain on the dancefloor with Cavendish long enough to lose track of time; you enjoy dancing, but you keep bumping into other people, and at some point, you feel a hand -a masculine hand, no doubt- squeeze your backside. You cry out in alarm, and turn, and the closest people are laughing at you; you demand to know who touched you, and they ignore you. 

“You okay?” Cavendish asks when you tell him what happened; he seems to be genuinely sorry but, he tells you, accidents like that happen all the time at the club, and most girls get used to it.

“You mean they don’t fight back? And their partners and friends don’t intervene?” you ask, flabbergasted; you are the least athletic person in the world, and have been a victim of bullism since you started school, but the one time you were molested -you were fifteen, and one of the school’s rugby player decided it would have been fun to grab your skirt to tear it and expose your underwear in the middle of the corridor- you slammed a eight pounds physics textbook in his face. It was the one time in your life you were called to the principal’s office, but it was worth it.

“Sometimes they do, but it’s so dark here it’s hard to say who did what. Listen, I am very sorry; just don’t think about it. If it happens again I’ll intervene, I promise.”

You nod numbly, thinking, once more despite yourself, that Bartolomeo’s reaction would have been completely different, had he been present; he would have forced the people who might have witnessed the incident to listen, and then he would have beaten the crap out of the person responsible and forced him to apologise, even if it meant being kicked out from the club, even if it meant being blacklisted from the Dressrosa.

He would have done it; even if he doesn’t reciprocate your feelings, even if he considers you nothing more than a colleague he is forced to spend time with. He would have defended you, whatever the price. He would have done it for you. 

“You want to stop?” Cavendish asks kindly, and you shake your head; you remain on the dancefloor for a while, but the fun you were having until a minute ago seems to have evaporated. The smell of alcohol and sweat impregnates the air, the music is loud, and every single other patron of the club seems to have decided to bump into you before the end of the night. In the next hour you see Barto two more times, the first as he sits by himself on a sofa nursing a beer, the second as he talks to a very pretty woman -you recognise her by her long pink braid; her name is Rebecca, and she’s a student of your university, a friend of Vivi- a sight that you have no right to be sad about, but you do, almost as if you could feel your heart breaking in a hundred pieces.

Suddenly you feel suffocating; suddenly, even though the evening has been somewhat pleasant until now, you wish you had never set foot in the Dressrosa. 

“I’m going outside for a minute; I need some air.” you tell Cavendish, and he nods.

“I’m coming with you.”

“There’s no need, really…”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.” he says kindly, and you, who had actually hoped for a minute of peace and solitude, can do nothing but nod.

The bouncers standing guard at the entrance stamp your hand as you leave the club, so that you won’t have to pay again when you decide to re-enter. The landscape you find yourself facing is quite desolate: a large parking lot full of vehicles, a few people smoking, someone who didn’t even bother -or manage- to find a more secluded corner before starting to puke their guts out. You let Cavendish’s hand on the small of your spine guide you to the back of the building, where at least the music is a bit less loud, and you can finally breathe a little more freely.

The two of you rest your backs against the wall, alone save for a few garbage bins, full of bottles and plastic cups, and a cat huddled on the hood of a car. For a few minutes neither speaks; Cavendish has lit a cigarette, while you are still thinking about Barto, and wondering if he’s going to leave with Rebecca to spend the night with her, like part of you had hoped he would do with you, had he accepted your offer to go to the club together.

Well, he’s free to; Barto is not your boyfriend, he has a right to spend time with and date and sleep with whoever he pleases, and his life must be no concern of yours. It mustn’t; you can’t allow a guy who declined to be seen with you in public out of embarrassment to break your heart, because a man like that doesn’t deserve you. Still, you can’t help but feel sad about it, because you do care about Barto, and you thought he cared for you as well…

“You alright?” Cavendish asks after a while, the smoke of his cigarette spreading in the cold air of the night.

“Yes, sure; sorry, I just wanted…”

Suddenly he is smiling as he throws the cigarette on the ground and stubs it with his foot. “Yes, I know.” he interrupts you, and a moment later his arm has circled your waist, pulling you close “I know what you want, baby.”

And a moment later he is kissing you.

It is so unexpected, even though it shouldn’t be, that for a moment you don’t know how to react; you remain perfectly still, your mind gone blank because of the shock, as Cavendish kisses you passionately. It has been years since the last time something like this happened to you, and it should be pleasant, because he is attractive and he complimented and paid attention to you and his mouth is warm and soft against yours, but it’s not, it’s not pleasant at all!

Why the hell is he doing this? You barely know him, and you have not consented to this in any way! Could he not -oh God he just put his tongue in your mouth- could he not at least ask or make sure you also wanted this…?

For a minute, maybe two, you try to get used to the kiss, to find some pleasure in it, to feel what a person is supposed to feel in a situation like this; but you don’t, and when Cavendish pushes you against the wall behind you, gently but forcefully, and puts his free hand on your breast, you realise you need to stop this now.

You do. “Stop it; please, you need to stop.” you say, and push him away from you, in case he thinks you are just playing coy, and Cavendish does take a step back, looking at you with eyes full of disbelief.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, and you don’t quite know how to answer, because you don’t want to offend him, because he did treat you kindly and doesn’t deserve it, but you’re not sure you’d want to see him a second time. 

So you explain that while you do find him very attractive and had fun spending time with him, you are not interested in getting any closer, and poor Cavendish is completely flabbergasted.

“But… but you did dance with me, yes? We’ve been together for hours… and you let me accompany you outside…”

And this was enough to make him believe you wanted him to kiss you? Is Cavendish used to women falling at his feet five minutes after meeting him -it could be, since he is handsome and clearly knows it- or it is you who, since this is your first visit to a club, have no idea of how relationships develop in places like the Dressrosa?

In any case your decision is made and so, without hesitation, you tell Cavendish you are sorry to disappoint him, and that you never intended to let him on, but you have no intention of kissing him, never did, and you’d really like to remain alone now.

“Are you really sure?”

“Absolutely. Listen, I appreciate you keeping me company, but I don’t want you to waste the rest of your evening on me.”

Cavendish seems to agree, because a moment later you part, still amicably, and he leaves, in search of a woman more sensitive to his charm. The moment his blonde figure disappears from sight, you sigh to yourself, resting your back against the wall.

What a disappointment! Your first kiss in years -you could calculate how many exactly, but you are too embarrassed to- and you wasted it on someone you had no real interest in. You had expected so much from this evening, and yet here you are, head hurting because of the loud music, the packed room that made you feel claustrophobic, and you’ve been touched without consent by not one but two men!

Why the hell did you come here? This is not the right place for you, and you’re not the right person for a club like the Dressrosa, and there’s nothing wrong with it. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to try something new, but this has been a completely wasted evening, and your desire to show Bartolomeo you could have fun without him and despite his declining your offer is beneath you, something you should and do feel ashamed about. Oh, why did you not stay home with a cup of tea and that book you wanted to start reading…?

Busy as you are feeling sorry for yourself, you don’t hear danger approach until it’s too late.

“Hey, you!” the woman calls you, marching in your direction “What were you doing with my boyfriend?!”

You blink, absolutely sure you have never met her before. “... excuse me?”

“I’m talking about Cavendish! I saw you, you know, flirting with him and rubbing yourself on him! He’s mine, and you have to stay away from him!”

Cavendish did mention, as you made each other’s acquaintance at the bar, that he has recently broken up with a woman he had dated for a while, because she had been too controlling and obsessive, to the point of following him around and forbidding him from hanging out with his friends; he could have lied, obviously, to attract you, but you are almost sure the woman is the one framing the truth as it suits her.

“Hasn’t Cavendish broken up with you a while ago?”

“He… shut up! You don’t know what you are talking about!” she orders, her pretty face now bright red “You slut, you need to stay away from my man!”

Not wanting to get involved in a -former- lovers’ quarrel, you tell the woman you have no interest in Cavendish and she is free to go get him if she wants, but she doesn’t believe you, already convinced as she is that you have somehow seduced her man to take him away from her. You are usually a non-confrontational person, inclined to solve problems with words and reasoning rather than arguing or worse with violence, but tonight your patience has reached its limits; so you bite back at her, making it clear that you have no interest in Cavendish and that maybe he’d be still dating her, rather than kissing other girls, if she were less controlling and obsessive…

“Kissing?!”

Shit.

It’s too late, unfortunately, to take your words back, and learning you have kissed her ex turns the woman’s anger into full-blown rage. She swears at you using words you had never even heard before, and then, still unsatisfied, starts threatening you. “I can find out where you live, you slut, I’ll cut your face with a knife!”

“You can try!” you answer, equally furious; how dare she?! Does she not know you could go to the police for words like these?! “Who the hell do you think you are? The only way you can get a man to date you is by intimidating other women to stay away? You are pathetic!”

You are really fed up with all of this; fed up with this idiot, fed up with this sordid place, fed up with yourself even, since you got yourself in this stupid situation to get back at a guy who never even wanted you. Why didn’t you stay home?

“You know what? I’m sick of this. I’m leaving.” you declare, turning on your heels -your poor feet hurt, after a whole evening with this stupid, uncomfortable shoes, and you can’t wait to take them off and make yourself a footbath- and that is your mistake, because there are few things more dangerous than to take your eyes away from a person who is threatening you. 

You had noticed the glass bottle in the woman’s hand, but you had paid no mind to it, just vaguely thinking her behaviour was due to the number of drinks she had imbibed, not imagining that the harmless container might be used as a weapon; you are grabbed by the shoulder…

“You bitch!”

… and the moment your body is forced to turn, an arm is raised above your head…

“Noo…!”

… the bottle is smashed against your forehead, and the world turns into pain and the red of your blood.

“(name)? Oh, fuck… (name), baby, please, talk to me, please… open your eyes…”

Obeying is the hardest thing you have ever had to do -and since you have once taken three exams in a day, skipped two grades in school, and enrolled in more optional courses than any other student in your year, that is saying something- but you have recognised the voice calling your name, and this makes you less afraid of the world you could find yourself in once you come around. 

“Are you alright?” Barto asks; he’s kneeling on the ground next to you, genty supporting your head with one hand while the other is holding a dirty napkin already soaked in blood - your blood. You can feel it on your forehead, on your hair, dripping down your cheek, syrup-like dense and sticky, and you’re terrified, because you don’t…

“... know.” answer in a small voice “W-what happened to me?”

“You don’t remember?”

“I… yes, a woman hit me with a bottle, but… am I hurt? Barto, I am bleeding… I can’t see well…”

It’s true, his face and the wall behind it swimming in front of you, first clearly visible and then shrouded in darkness and then somehow opaque, as if you couldn’t focus on them, but Barto assures you your eyes are fine, even if some blood trickled on the left one. “You are probably under shock.” he murmurs, and then anger fills his face - an anger that is not aimed at you “Where is the bitch who did this to you? I’m gonna kill her!”

“No…”

“Oh, yes! I know I shouldn’t hit women, but I swear, I’ll make her wish she was never born…”

And this is when you start to cry. Out of pain, yes, and of fear and anger, but out of relief and gratitude as well, because until a moment ago you and Barto had, if not properly fought, at least been more distant than you had ever been since the day you first met, and he still came to help you when you needed it… as if he cared for you.

“Oh, fuck… (name), I’m sorry…”

“I-it’s not your fault.” you stammer. You are pretty sure you’ve never looked worse in your life, between the blood, the tears, and the ruined make-up, and Barto is at the same time the first and the last person you’d want by your side in a situation like this “Please, I just want to clean myself… I need to go to the toilet…”

“Good idea. Give me your hand. Come on…”

In the end he has to almost lift you from the ground, and then his arm around your waist is guiding you back inside, as you cross the room in the direction of the ladies’ room.

“Come on, we are almost there.” Barto says encouragingly, and you nod numbly, still a bit wobbly on your legs, clinging to his shoulder to keep yourself upright as you limp by his side.

The white-tiled room is occupied by several women who fix their make-up in front of the mirror, smoke, or make out against the cubicle’s walls; they react with surprise when they see Barto, but then they notice you, still sobbing softly, and every one of those women you have never met before immediately offers their help, at first making sure this guy with the mohawk is not the one who decked you and then assisting you in cleaning the blood away from your face and hair.

“I’m afraid you need stitches, girl.” one of them says with a wince, as she observes the wound “There’s a clinic behind here…”

“Yeah, I know the place.” Barto points out, preoccupation evident on his face as he listens to your moans “Sorry, but can someone go take her stuff?”

One of the women volunteers, soon returning with your jacket and purse, while another gives you her water to drink and a third even offers to fix your make up. You thank them all profusely, their kindness so welcome in a moment you desperately needed some, and in the end you and Barto leave the toilet together, him once again holding you by the waist.

“I’m bringing you to the clinic, alright? My bike is right here.”

“I can’t ride a bike.” you murmur as you finally leave the large door of the Dressrosa behind you.

“You just need to hold on to me; we’ll be there in five minutes.” 

“Barto, I really can’t…”

“Yes, you can. (name), believe me.” he tells you, taking your face in his hands, large and rough, but so kind as they cradle your head, and suddenly you are so close he could kiss you, and the mere thought makes your heart tremble “I promise you won’t fall. I know it hurts like shit, but hold fast, alright? Five minutes, and we’ll be at the clinic. Can you do it for me?”

There is very little you would not do for him, but if there’s a right moment to tell him, this is not it. The truth is you have always wanted to ride Barto’s bike, a beautiful, powerful vehicle that is his pride and joy, but you refused the only time he offered to take you for a ride, afraid you’d be too scared and you’d make a fool of yourself begging Barto to slow down or to stop because you were feeling sick. He probably wants a girl who knows her stuff about bikes -“it has two wheels, and an handlebar”, that’s all you could say- you have thought ruefully more than once, a girl who probably has one of her own, unlike you, who take the metro to go to class and cycle around the rest of the time.

Still, that is a thought for another moment as well. The bike is parked on the back of the club; once you reach it, Barto helps you mount behind him, and you hold on tight, still too in pain and too scared of falling to appreciate the fact you can feel his athletic, solid body in your arms, the pleasant smell of his aftershave filling your senses. 

“Barto, please…”

“Don’t worry, baby.” he says, turning to look at you with a smile, as he starts the engine, the bike coming alive under him like a lion roaring “You’re safe with me.”

You believe him.

You reach the clinic less than ten minutes later, the brief journey at low speed and perfectly safe, and enter the waiting room, empty save for a clearly exhausted doctor taking a cup from a vending machine, a nurse pushing a patient in a wheelchair towards a corridor, and another nurse sitting behind the counter. 

It is she who Barto walks determinedly towards, having left you on one of the chairs available for the waiting patients. “Sorry, is Nico Robin here tonight?”

The woman Barto has asked for appears a minute later; she seems to be only a few years older than you, tall and slender, clad in an immaculate doctor coat, a stethoscope hanging from her neck. 

“Hello, Bartolomeo.” she says kindly, apparently not at all upset to have been called upon when she was probably already busy with something else “I’d ask what brings you here tonight but I think I can see it with my eyes.”

“This is my friend (name); some bitch at a club smashed a glass bottle on her face.” Barto succinctly introduces you “Can you give her a look? And she probably needs something for the pain.”

“Of course. (name), I am doctor Nico Robin.” the woman kindly introduces herself to you “Can you come with me, so I can get a look at your wound?”

You nod quietly, and five minutes later you are sitting on a hospital bed in a small, white-walled room, while Robin takes care of your wound and Barto stands guard by your side. He has taken your hand in his, squeezing it gently every time he sees pain on your face: you had never gotten stitches before, and you really wish that was a gap you wouldn’t have to fill.

“Alright, all done.” Robin announces in the end as she stands from her stool, to then retrieve a small mirror from a shelf “Have a look.”

You do, and fortunately now that it has been cleaned and closed, your wound looks… a bit less horrible than before. “Will it leave a scar?” you ask, dreading the thought of having a reminder of that horrible moment on your skin forever, but fortunately the doctor -Robin, please- reassures you.

“It shouldn’t; it’ll take a while to heal, but you should be fine. You will have to keep a bandage on it for a few days, though.”

That is a sacrifice you can bear. 

“That’s good; your face is too pretty to ruin it with a scar… even though you’d have looked badass, (name), I’m sure.” Barto points out; then, as if realising he has just paid you a compliment, he blushes furiously and looks away, hands in his pockets.

You thank Robin profusely for her help, and she just smiles in return, walking you to the door before returning to her job.

“How do you feel?” Barto asks quietly as you walk back to his bike; he seems nervous, as if fearing you could blame him for what happened, or tell him you never want to see him again.

Those are, of course, the farthest things from your mind, but you are too tired and in pain to focus on it; the only thing you want now is your home, your bed, and a cup of chamomile.

“Better, I think; I hope I’ll feel better tomorrow morning.” you answer, forcing a smile “Can you accompany me home, please?”

He nods, and so a minute later you’re riding through the night, the roar of the engine deafening you, and you are cold and tired and in pain and your feet are killing you, but you feel safe, clinging to Barto’s warm, solid body, no longer worried but sure that he’ll bring you home, safe and sound, just like he promised.

He does, and in the end it is very late, so late it is almost early, when Barto sees you retrieve your house key from your bag, standing in front of your complex and looking more ill at ease than you thought he could. 

“Listen, I…” he begins, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck “I… err…”

“Yes?”

“Shit… (name), I am so sorry.” 

“It’s not your fault, Barto. None of it is…”

Your friend shakes his head, apparently determined not to be comforted. He found you outside the club because he saw Cavendish inside by himself and asked him about you, he explains, but had he arrived five minutes earlier he could have stopped that bitch from hurting you. Or even better, he should have accompanied you to the Dressrosa, so that he’d have been by your side at all times…

Ah.

“Barto?”

“Yes?”

You swallow, now turned to look at him; you have never been afraid of Barto, but suddenly asking the question waiting behind your lips is the hardest thing you have ever done. 

“Why didn’t you want to go to the club with me? Are you… ashamed of me? Of the way… I dress? You thought people would laugh at you, because you were with me?”

The ten seconds that follow are the longest, tensest of your life, but Barto seems too stunned to react, staring at you as if he had never met you before. 

“Oh, shit.” he says in the end, finally realising the effect his refusal had on you “Oh, God, (name), no! I could never… be ashamed of you! Do you really think I care about what people think?”

“Well, I thought… the clothes I usually wear are not exactly the sort you wear to a club… and there were so many beautiful women…”

Another shake of his head, before your friend rests his hands on your shoulders, staring at you like a man does when he’s making a solemn promise, or swearing on his life what he says is the truth. 

Bartolomeo, it turns out, is doing both things.

“The only beautiful girl I could see tonight is you.” he murmurs “And believe me, I would have been happy to go to a club with you; or anywhere really. Proud to.”

“But then why…?”

“The Dressrosa is a dangerous place, (name); you’ve seen it too. It’s nice, the drinks are good and the music too, but the violence… Police have to intervene all the time, one time  I’ve seen three stabbings in one night, and no girl goes there without at least two guys protecting her, because you never know what could happen. I just didn’t want something bad to happen to you; I should have told you, but I didn’t want you to think I thought you couldn’t take care of yourself. I wanted to take you somewhere else, a nicer place where we could drink and dance and have time to talk, but…” 

“I beat you to it.”

“You did. I am so sorry, (name); it’s all my fault.”

You sigh, at the same time relieved you were able to clarify the misunderstanding, and feeling more stupid than ever; had you and your friend just talked, him admitting the reason for his refusal, and you being less petty and avoiding going to a place you weren’t even really interested in, all this mess could have been avoided. You could have spent a nice evening somewhere else, and now instead you have a new pricey outfit you will never wear again, and an ugly wound on your head that will take weeks to heal.

“I just wanted you to look at me.” you mumble; you can’t bear to look back at Barto, and suddenly you feel stupid, and childish, and so so tiny “Not as colleagues who help each other and spend their breaks together, and not like friends either. Girls like me are seen, but rarely looked at. I wanted you to look at me, and to want me.”

“But I do want you.”

“You don’t have to lie to make me feel better, Barto. I ruined your night, I’m sorry…”

“You didn’t. Fuck, I would have been happy to have a bottle smashed on my face, if it meant I’d get to take you home.” he says, and you can feel him tremble  “(name), I… I do look at you, and want you. I just… I’m not good for you.”

“Barto, no…”

Another determined shake of his head. “You know that too. You’re good, smart, you don’t get in trouble… you’re probably gonna have a great career and make a lot of money; I’ll be lucky if I get to work at the shop for the rest of my life and pay my rent with that. I’m not saying my life sucks; I like my life. But you deserve better, (name); you deserve a guy who can study with you, and who can afford to buy you nice things, and-and bring you to all those places for brainy people like museums and…”

He doesn’t finish the sentence; he can’t, because you have grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and smashed your mouth against his in a kiss that is passionate, fierce, and expresses everything you haven’t dared to utter in words. Barto is clearly taken aback, but a moment later he’s moaning in your mouth, one of his arms holding you by the waist while the fingers of the other run through your hair. 

“Shit, baby…”

“Don’t talk; just kiss me.” you tell him, without breaking the kiss, and you can feel Barto laugh softly against your mouth.

“As you wish…”

You could get inside, you have the keys to the complex in your hand, but you can’t stop, you can’t stop kissing him and holding him and having your hands discover his skin through and under his clothes. Barto is holding you as if never wanting to let go, his strong hands moving up and down your sides, his tongue doing something so unspeakable to yours you can feel your knees buckle, if it weren’t for the wall now pressed against your back. You are kissing near the complex’s trash bins, in sight of any tenant who just decides to look out of their window, your wound is still hurting and Barto tastes like cheap alcohol and smoke, but it is your first kiss, and it is perfect the way it is.

The moment Barto’s hands touch your buttocks, you jump.

“Shit, sorry… I didn’t mean…”

“No, it’s fine.” you hurry to answer; you’re bright red in the face, he can see it, and you don’t care “I-I don’t mind; quite the opposite in fact.”

Barto laughs, clearly pleased as his hands slide downwards, his fingers grabbing at your flesh. “This is a side of you I didn’t think existed.” he murmurs.

“These stupids clothes don’t count?”

“I think you look very pretty tonight; but you always look nice.”

“Seriously?” you inquire, breaking the kiss to look at him; maybe it’s stupid to ask for reassurance in a moment like this, since Barto is clearly doing his best to prove how much he likes you, but you can’t help it “I thought… I mean, my long skirts and blouses and all the rest are pretty boring compared to what other girls wear…”

“I like your long skirts and blouses and all the rest just fine; and you are sexy as hell whatever you wear.”

“Barto…”

“I’m serious, (name).” he insists, and he really is, as he takes your face in his hands once more “Do you really think I care about the sort of clothes you wear? I know you, and I want you; I want you so much it hurts. And I know I’m not good for you, and that you deserve better, but if you actually give a damn about me, if you just give me a chance, I promise…”

“Ssh…”

A finger on his lips silences Barto. “I do much more than care for you.” you reassure him “I want you too, Barto; because I know you too. I know how clever, kind, and protective you are; I have wanted you for a long time, and I am so happy I got to tell you.”

You share a smile, still holding each other tight; no more words are necessary as Barto lets you lead him to the complex’s door, which a minute later closes behind you.

You find yourself whistling softly, something you only do when you are particularly happy or relaxed -or both things together, like in this particular instance- when, thirty-six hours later, in a sunny early afternoon, you leave the faculty building where most of your classes take place. Your bag, hanging from your shoulder, is as usual heavy with the weight of your books, but by contrast, your step has never been so light as you move towards the main door, walking past students and professors, some of which you greet with a nod without lingering. 

On a day like this you would normally spend the little time before you’re due at work in the library studying, but not today; today you have plans, plans that made focusing on your morning classes harder than ever, but the moment has finally come, and you can’t wait to…

You are so deep in your thoughts, it takes you a moment to realise your phone is ringing in the back pocket of your slacks; you plan on not answering unless it’s an emergency, given the fact you are expected, but reading the name of the screen makes a smile appear on your face.

“Vivi, hi! I’m sorry, I had promised I would…”

“(name)... hi, it’s Cavendish.”

You stop in your tracks, momentarily stunned. “... Cavendish?!”

“Yes, that’s me. I was talking to Vivi, we are old friends, and when I mentioned the Dressrosa we realised we both knew you.” he explains “I thought it wouldn’t be fair to ask her for your number without your permission, but I hope you don’t mind if I called you.”

Glancing at your watch -five minutes more and you’ll be late- as you force yourself not to sound too frustrated, you assure him that no, of course you don’t mind. Cavendish then tells you he heard about your misadventure with his ex, and he can’t help but feel guilty for what happened, even though you assure him he has no fault, especially since your wound will heal soon.

“That is very good to hear. The truth is… well, I was wondering if you’d let me buy you a drink sometimes? I know you… well, you didn’t let me kiss you, but we did have fun together, didn’t we? I’d really like to get to know you better. Just a drink, I promise I won’t do anything you don’t want.”

You thank him for the offer, and admit you enjoyed spending time with him at the club, but, you add, you are going on a date right now, and at the moment you are not interested in seeing anyone else.

Cavendish, to his credit, takes it pretty well. “I see. Well, have a good-day then.”

“You too, Cavendish. Thanks for asking, and will you please tell Vivi I’ll call her soon?”

He promises he will, after which you say your good-bye and finally close the call. 

Well, that was unexpected, you think as you put your phone away, but you know declining the request for a date was the right thing to do; you doubt you and Cavendish would have much to talk about, and he’ll surely find someone else to date soon… just like you have.

Barto is waiting for you in front of the university’s courtyard, sat on his bike, and grins happily when he sees you approach. “Here’s my woman!”

“I’m here! Sorry, I got caught up.”

“I already thought you had changed your mind…”

“Never.” you assure him decisively “Now come here, I need a kiss.”

You share one, long and passionate, indifferent to the many students and professors, some of whom know you personally, surrounding you; both of you are smiling when you part.

“Are you sure you don’t mind coming?”

“Of course not; if you like this bar, I want to see it as well. We have just the time for a drink before work.”

“Can’t we skip it and spend the rest of the day in bed at my place? I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” Barto laughs, before opening the tail box “You can put your books here.”

You do, and a minute later you are sitting on the bike behind him, happily holding Barto’s warm, solid body tight; he grins as he starts the engine. “I won’t let you fall, I promise.”

“I know you won’t; I just like hugging you.”

“Ah, well, in that case…”

You are both smiling; a moment later the roar of the engine has filled the air, and the bike is speeding down the road, carrying you both away under the early afternoon sky. 

here’s your damn fish

The Red String of Fate: Ch. 4

Pair: Donatello x Reader

Word Count: 4.6k

Rating: T?? (Characters depicted are adults)

Content/Trigger Warnings: None other than minor injury?? (I never know what needs warning or tagged. If there's anything let me know!!)

Authors Notes: aaaaAAAAAHHHH!! It's finally done!! 😭 I apologize again for this taking so long. I got hit with writers' block pretty bad, but it's finally here!! I just hope you all like it. 🥺 This chapter is very dialogue heavy btw, but onto the story!~

||Chapter 1|| ||Chapter 2|| ||Chapter 3|| ||Chapter 4||

—————————————————–

CHAPTER 4: FATE FULFILLED

Pain throbbed from the top of your head and you had a hard time opening your eyes. Your lids feeling heavy as they blinked, your vision blurry and dark. Just as your sight began to clear, you felt something touch your hand. Turning your head to the source, you saw a figure squatting next to you. Picking up your arm from the ground and reaching for the glowing light on your finger, and it was then that you remembered what was going on… 

You had gone out tonight in search of your soulmate all by your lonesome, without any means to protect yourself, and some fool had mistaken your cosmic tether for a real piece of jewelry and attacked you for it. Now you had to hope that your assailant was sane enough, doubtful, to leave you be once they realized that the ring wasn’t actually tangible. But of course, you weren’t that lucky… No, it only made them more curious when they couldn’t pry the light from your finger, and they took a cautious step closer to your body. Surely to inspect your being for any other possible valuables, since their first inquiry was technically a bust. 

Stupidly, you parted your lips to inform them that you had nothing on you. Except for your phone, which would suck if they stole it, but it would be better losing that than your own life. As soon as you took in a breath to speak however, the assailant suddenly levitated from the ground, and you heard them cry out as they were thrown into some nearby clutter. 

Your eyes grew wide, realizing this was your chance to escape. Quickly, you used your hands to push up from the ground and sit up. But just as you got on one knee, a spell of dizziness rushed to your head and your vision began to fade. Feeling that you were going to pass out, you put your hands to the cold hard ground once more and just as you braced yourself everything went black. 

You weren’t sure how long you had been out for, but there had been a strange sound of something solid colliding with, what you could only assume was your assailant by the groans of pain that followed; that brought you back to consciousness. You opened your eyes to find yourself lying on the ground again. Remembering that you had feinted, you opted to pick yourself up slowly this time, despite the concerning circumstance. The last thing you needed was to slip and knock yourself out entirely after being given the opportunity to escape. 

Shuffling onto your knees, you sat up carefully and rubbed the cloudiness from your eyes until you felt something wet on your left hand. Looking at the back of your palm, you squinted to make out the substance, but it became clear when red leaked into your vision. 

That would certainly explain why you were having so much trouble picking yourself up. 

“Please…” Your assailant croaked, but the only response that was given was another smack of that reinforced noise you had heard before. 

While you knew you should just mind your own business and get the hell out of dodge, there was a part of you that wanted to know who had come to your rescue. Quietly, you turned your body to face the scene. With your head still swimming from the blow and the limited light in the alleyway, you weren’t confident you were seeing things clearly. Looming over your assailant was a giant of a figure. You blinked in disbelief, not quite understanding the outline of their body. There appeared to be a large apparatus on their back covered with a variety of vaguely recognizable objects attached to it. 

They wielded a weapon that was foreign to you. There had been rumor of a masked vigilante in New York who would use a hockey stick, or cricket bat to fight off assailants. But this mysterious figure had been using what looked like a long metal rod, just as tall as they were to fend off your aggressor. You were unsure you could trust your eyes with anything you saw in the darkness of that alley, but there was one thing that couldn’t be mistaken. And that was the was your soulmate.

This shadowy savior that was violently beating down the fiend that attacked you, was your soulmate.

Your throat tickled with unease, forcing you to swallow your disbelief. Although, it did make sense. The love-binding string had led you to this area, and as unfortunate as it was to admit, you couldn’t count on the average New Yorker to come to your aid in an attack. A strange sense of pride and appreciation clashed with your concerned nerves, however, at the sight of your soulmate’s brutal retaliation on your behalf. If you didn’t stop them, they were going to kill the stranger who attacked you. And regardless of what their intentions were, you weren’t gonna let your soulmate commit such a tragedy for you. Even if the two of you were cosmically tied. 

“S-Stop…” Your voice came out weak, and it was clear that the command hadn’t reached your soulmates ears as they lifted the long rod over their head again; rearing to bring it down once more over the thief. “Stop! Please!!” You exclaimed with all of your chest and that struck them. 

They immediately froze on the spot. Their weapon halfway through its swing. 

You stared in silence at them, trying to take in their features now that they were standing still. Unfortunately, they had their back turned towards you, and the gold light that shined from their hand was mostly blocked by their massive stature. You extended a hand to inch yourself forward on the ground, and they suddenly moved. Turning their body quickly, and making an attempt to flee. 

“Wait!!” You called out to them and they stopped again, their back still facing you. “Please, don’t go! I–” You fumbled for words as you tried to come up with a reasonable excuse for them to stay. They should want to stay on their own, shouldn’t they? Didn’t they know that you two were soulmates? Fated by the magical string? But as you pondered these thoughts, you remembered your plea before you had been attacked. 

You had been begging for them to show their self. You knew they were in the alleyway with you, but they had chosen to stay hidden. They were… afraid. Which seemed a bit ironic for the fact that they nearly had beat a person to death, but perhaps that added to their fear. 

Blood trembling down your forehead and over your eyelid snapped you out of your thoughts. You rubbed the back of your hand over your eyes and injury. Smearing the red substance across your skin, but you could care less about that at the moment. “L-Look…” You placed your hands back to the ground and began to pick yourself up. “We don’t have to talk about the soulmate thing but could you help me get some medical assistance? I think there’s a gash on my forehead…”

Your soulmates' breath hitched and they covered the gold light on their hand. Submerging their self in the shadows completely, but you could hear them shuffling indecisively in the dark. If it had been anyone else, you would’ve just disregarded them and been on your way. But you came out tonight with the goal of meeting your soulmate… You just hoped they would make their decision before you passed out from blood loss. 

Finally, they spoke and it took you by surprise. Your own breath catching in your throat.  “I… want to help, it’s just–” they paused briefly before continuing their explanation. “I-I’m going to step out of the shadows now. Please, don’t scream.” 

You’d be lying if that didn’t rustle your nerves. Anytime you heard that phrase be used, it unintentionally gave you the heebie-jeebies. However, there was a tenderness to their voice that quelled your unease. You might’ve been more easily swayed since it was your soulmate the horror movie line had come from. Regardless, you could tell by their tone that they were genuinely concerned about coming face-to-face with you, and it tickled your heart.

“Only if you don’t judge me for coming out bare foot and in my pj’s.” You joked, and swallowed nervously when you didn’t receive an amused response from them. 

You strained your ears to listen for their approach, but they caught you off guard when they silently emerged from the shadows and into the minimal light of the alleyway. Your gaze was pulled upwards as you took in their towering height. They had looked massive before, but it simply did not compare to actually standing in front of them. Your eyes met along the way of taking in their stature. Emerald pools circumferenced with bronze halos, glimmered behind glass lens, and just as you noticed the purple material framing their eyes; you were blinded by a gold light that erupted from below. 

You recoiled from the abrupt light, shielding your eyes with an arm.

“Oh! Sorry…” They quickly smothered the light with their other hand once more.

“It’s okay.” You squinted your eyes to help adjust your vision. 

This time, they slowly revealed the golden light, which in turn illuminated the rest of their shadowed features. Your eyes expanded at the sight of them. 

Pebbled olive colored flesh patterned the top of their dome, and covered their cheeks. The texture extending down their neck and exposed skin of their upper body. Toned muscles stiffened behind what looked like pale plates of armor covering their torso. Which explained how they so easily maneuvered the long weapon against your assailant. You noticed that the weapon itself had been sheathed behind their back, on what you thought was a large pack of some sort, but now that you were in close proximity for inspection….. You still weren’t sure what it was.

Besides some knee pads and a few strips of purple colored fabric, the only clothes were modified pants and boots to fit the armored body of your soulmate. They brought up their left hand, giving you a meek wave, the golden light bringing attention to their digits… Or lack thereof. Three fingers, instead of the average five, and in an instant, it became abundantly clear why they were hesitant in revealing their self to you. What you were looking at… wasn’t human.

Your lips parted in awe, and you hadn’t even realized you didn’t return the small gesture until they frowned and dropped their hand. Fidgeting with their other, they turned slightly and averted their gaze from yours. The skittish motion made you frown in response, and you immediately felt compelled to console them. There was a part of you that questioned the sudden need to be so sympathetic to a total stranger but– They weren’t really a stranger… They were your soulmate. 

“I’m sorry, I just–” The two of you spoke at the exact same time and that pulled their attention back to you. Their eyes blinking in disbelief just like yours had at the strange occurrence. 

“You go ahead–” You echoed one another, followed by nervous laughter. 

“Ah–” A frustrated huff expelled from their nostrils after you both parted your lips to speak once more. However, they finally took initiative. Taking a step closer to you, you drew in a silent breath as you braced yourself. Lips pursing into a thin line as you stared up at them with curious eyes. 

You watched as their right hand approached your face. Noticing that the underside of the three-digit palm was lighter in hue than the top. Just before they made contact with your skin, their hand flinched and they pulled it back. Realization flickering in their gaze. They swallowed and you saw the tiniest blip of pink swipe over their bottom lip before it disappeared back inside their mouth. 

“Is it… Okay if I touch you?” They paused waiting for your approval but quickly added on to their statement, “J-Just to take a look at your injury?” 

You felt your cheeks rise as a small smile carved into your face. “What are you, a doctor?” you teased and your heart fluttered seeing their lips curve upwards into a soft smile as well. 

“Well, I don’t have a degree perse…” Their head cocked slightly as they inspected your injury with just their eyes. “But I am quite knowledgeable in the medical field.” 

A soft snort blew out of your nose. “Then sure.” 

They reached out for your forehead again, but stopped just before touching it once more. Their tongue clicked against the roof of their mouth. It opening to speak but nothing came out. Instead, there was a brief moment of silence where you noticed something processing behind their eyes. Their smaller digit curled downwards as the larger pointed up.

“Actually… Would it be okay if I– Took you somewhere else to be checked over? I promise I’m not trying to be weird or anything it’s just that right now I’m–”

“Exposed?” You filled in the blank, and they looked at you with genuine surprise. Although, it wasn’t exactly hard to guess. If they were hiding from you, their soulmate, then it was probably safe to assume that they kept their self hidden from others as well. Not to mention the fact that they were some giant reptilian man thing… 

“...Yes.” They confirmed with a slow nod of their head. 

“Ye–Yeah…” You nodded your head back but internally cringed at how hesitant you sounded. You wanted to trust them; they were your soulmate after all. But it was still a scary scenario to be put in, especially after what had just happened. At the thought, you leaned past your soulmate and back at your assailant who was lying on the ground. You couldn’t make out much through the dim alleyway lighting, but you could hear the sounds of labored breath, wheezing from their lungs. You couldn’t help but wonder what kind of injury they had sustained from your soulmate’s hand and it made you frown again.

“Will they– be okay?” You asked hesitantly.

Your soulmate turned to the source of your inquiry, as if they had completely forgotten about the person they had just beaten down. “...They should be.” They answered solemnly, their tone making your eyebrows arch but before you could ask anything more, you were suddenly lifted off your feet. In one quick motion, they had positioned you in their arms. One hand pressed against your back, and the other in the pit of your knees. The shock and sudden motion sending a rush of dizziness to your head again.

The same heaviness that had hit you just before you passed out the first two times came over you again. Your vision blurred and darkened, but through it all, you heard the voice of your soulmate call out to you. 

“Oh no… H-Hey! Stay with me!” They commanded and you mumbled in compliance. Although it was difficult to keep your head up and eyes open. Feeling the abrupt sensation of ascension, consciousness was futile. Your head rolled onto your shoulders and your eyes fell shut as you drifted away for the third time this night. 

—————————————————–

You regained consciousness feeling your shoulder being gently shaken. “Hey… Hey…” Your soulmate called, and you forced your eyes open. Albeit your vision came back slowly. You blinked the blurriness from your eyes and when everything cleared, you found your soulmate kneeling before you. Even on their knees they still towered in height. 

You couldn’t help but notice the change in lighting. Soft blue rays from the moon cascaded down from above, making more of your soulmates' features evident, than the dim lighting of the alleyway had. Your eyes focused on their shoulders and specifically the way the skin there seemed to be pulled into the textured rim that clung to their back. Just as you drew the observation it finally clicked for you. 

“You’re a… turtle?” You breathed. 

They blinked behind their glasses and their chest deflated with a soft sigh expelling from their nostrils. “Correct....” They answered sounding a little surprised. Without taking their eyes off of you, they reached behind their back and pulled out a small black container. Opening it, you saw a small stash of medical supplies that could be found in the average household. Band-Aids, disinfectant wipes, gauze, Q-tips, a wash cloth, etc… This time they didn’t bother asking your permission before going to work on your head.

You flinched and hissed at the touch of the wet wipe doing its job, sterilizing the cut on your forehead. 

“Sorry…” They cringed in response but you nodded your head for them to carry on.

“Is it bad?” You asked, and there was a click again as they parted their lips to answer but they lingered in thought. Their eyes flickered down to yours just as they noticed your brows bend with worry and they quickly spoke up.

“You won’t need stitches, but I’m worried you might have a concussion.” They finally answered, dropping the disinfectant wipe to then pick up a roll of gauze. They unfurled a section of the medical dressing before wrapping it around your head. Ripping it apart when the area of your injury was covered and securely taping it off to make sure it wouldn’t come undone. “I’m gonna ask you a series of question, answer to the best of your abilities.” They explained and pulled out a small flashlight from one of their pants pockets. 

You had a few questions of your own…

“Well, isn’t that slick?” You huffed and they paused briefly before running the light over your eyes. 

“What do you mean?”

You followed the light back and forth until they were satisfied with… whatever results was needed from this kind of test. You never knew what it was for when you went to the doctor's... “Claiming that I might have a concussion so that you can get information out of me.” Your lips curled upwards just a bit, but they just stared in confusion. You could tell they were processing the insinuation in their head, and when they finally got what you had meant their eyes popped. The prescription of their glasses making the expression look a tad comedic.

…But in a cute way.

“Don’t be–Don’t be silly! I’m genuinely concerned for your well-being! Not trying to inadvertently learn things about you!…” They refuted and dropped their gaze in avoidance. “But… Would that be so wrong if I was curious about you?” They sheepishly glanced back your way and you smirked. 

“Fine. Shoot.” You sighed, leaning back into whatever is what that had you propped up. Although, the soft smile that carved into your soulmates face at your compliance made your brows perk with attention and you felt a flutter in your chest once more.

“What’s your name?” They asked first.

“Y/N…”

“What state do you live in?”

“New York.”

“What were you doing before this?”

“Looking for you.” 

They blinked and shifted back slightly. Their gaze dropping once more but it flickered between you and their hands as they contemplated over something internally. “Right…” They finally spoke. Their voice coming out low and quiet. You were quickly realizing that your soulmate didn’t have much of a poker face as it was evident by their soured expression that something was eating away at them. 

“Are we… on a rooftop?” You tried to distract. 

“Yes,” they answered but their voice was distant. Obviously, still caught up in their thoughts. 

Still, you had to take a moment to let the amazement sink in. Even though it was clear that they had the muscle to support you, you still wondered how they maneuvered to the top of a building with your unconscious body. Regardless, your brows furrowed at the failed attempt to distract them from whatever was on their mind, so you tried a different approach.

“Can I ask some questions about you?” 

Finally, they turned their attention back to you. Success. 

“Ah…” Their body shifted, readjusting their weight that had been put on their one knee. You saw the bulge in their neck bob as they swallowed nervously. “Ah, yeah… Shoot.” They forced a reassuring smile. 

“What’s your name?”

“Donatello. Although, most refer to me by ‘Donnie.’”

Most, huh? So, there were other’s that knew him? Were they like him or was he talking about other humans? You’d be lying if you said the query didn’t prick at you. You were just so curious to know, but you didn’t want to pry. Not right now at least… So, you stuck with the basics. 

“Do you… also live in New York?” Your brows arched with interest.

His chest swelled at the question and he smiled again. Although, this one was genuine. “Born and raised.” 

You couldn’t help but to smile back at that response, but it was short-lived because of your next inquiry. “What’s bothering you?” You asked, or really commanded to know and he gave you that same wide-eyed look of surprise that you had caught him off guard again. 

“Don’t you…” He started but paused on his thought. Hesitant to finish what he was going to say. “...wanna know why I’m a giant turtle man thing?”

“Well, yes, but I figured that’s a subject I can ask about at any time because you’re always gonna be a giant turtle man thing. Unless… You’re a wereturtle by night?” One brow rose over the other and you smirked. 

Air blew from his nostrils in amusement. “Noo…” 

“I didn’t think so.” You smiled softly. “....So what’s the matter?” 

The corner of his mouth twitched and he lowered his gaze once again. He bent his other knee down on the rooftop and sat back on his rear. Hands in his lap. “It’s just…” He started, and you saw the little bit of pink wet his bottom lip again. “If I hadn’t been such a coward, I wouldn’t have to be concerned about you having a concussion right now. And because you were hurt, I lost control of myself… That’s never happened before.” His voice was quiet as he spoke, regret evident in his tone. 

You straightened your back at his admission. Feeling warmth spread throughout your chest, but there was also a sting of sadness in your heart. It was sweet knowing that he cared so much about your wellbeing, but he wouldn’t be so troubled if you hadn’t been foolish in going out tonight like you had. Your gaze dropped to his lap and your eyes were pulled to the golden glowing string attached to the smaller digit on his left hand. Just a few minutes of preparation and you might not have been attacked, but in those few minutes you might’ve missed the opportunity to meet your soulmate.

The situation might not have been ideal, but you didn’t regret it.

You extended your arm, reaching out with your left hand and gently placing it atop his. A small smile pulling at the corners of your lips feeling the texture of his scales against your smooth fingertips. You hadn’t noticed before when he initially picked you up, but they weren’t as rough as you expected them to be. When you looked back up, you found him staring down at your hand as if you were the one to only have three fingers. 

“You’re not a coward. Anyone with some common sense could understand why you would be hesitant on revealing yourself to strangers–” You saw him begin to part his lips to interject, so you hardened your gaze and continued before he could get anything out. “But what ended up happening was not on you, okay?” You spoke firmly and gave them a short nod. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing for putting the both of us in that situation.” 

You watched as he took in a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds in thought before letting out his exhaustion through his nose. “I just can’t accept that.” He shook his head.

Your brows furrowed with frustration, and your lips puckered in a small pout at his defiance. “Why not?”

“Because… I’m–I’m supposed to protect the citizens of New York. It’s… kind of the reason for the way I am.” He explained, averting his gaze again. 

You weren’t sure if it was a nervous gesture of his, or if it was because the whole ‘soulmate’ thing was making him more bashful the normal but it stung every time he looked away from you. You wanted to look into those beautiful hazel-colored eyes that lit up the dark. You needed him to know that he didn’t have to be afraid of you. So… you did something unexpected. 

“But Donatello…” You started, and then slowly wrapped your fingers around the top of his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

That did the trick.

Instantly, he turned his attention back to you. His eyes flickering between your gaze and the hand wrapped around his. You couldn’t help but smile at the flustered response, but you continued. “You did protect me. You saved me and now I’m here, with you... The only place I wanted to be tonight.” 

His chest swelled and the pigment of his cheeks turned a shade darker at your words. He parted his lips to speak, but whatever he was thinking about saying got lodged in his throat so you took initiative again. 

Delicately, you moved your fingers between his. Your pinky on the outside of his largest digit and thumb, ring and middle finger in the gap of his hand, and your index and thumb between his smaller digit. It was… different than what you were used to, but it felt right.

This time it was you who dropped your gaze, but only to look at the gold strings attached to both of your hands. The glow of the fabric mellowed into a serene light, but it was still strong. “Is this… Where you wanted to be tonight?“ You asked, looking back up to him with large, hopeful eyes. 

Finally, he held your gaze. The green-bronze color of his eyes almost disappeared to the black of his pupils as he stared longingly into your pools. It sent an unexpected, but pleasant chill down your spine, and you did your best not to shudder. He drew in a silent breath, and relaxed his shoulders but tightened his grip on your hand before speaking. 

“I didn’t believe in this–” he nodded to his string, “before it appeared to me and even when it did, I was skeptical. It didn’t seem probable for the universe to pick someone like me to be fated to someone like you, but regardless… I came out tonight with the intention of finding you. So yes, this is exactly where I wanted to be.” He smiled and gave your hand a soft squeeze. 

Your heart overflowed with bliss and you could feel your throat seize with emotion. Moisture began to collect in your eyes for the third time tonight, but before they could over flow, the gold light coming from your strings of fate erupted into a flash. You clenched your eyes shut until you sensed the light die out. Peering one eye open slowly, you checked to see what had happened to the magical apparition and both of your eyes shimmered with intrigue when you found something new in its place.

Your once red string of fate had now solidified into a golden band of destiny…

—————————————————–

Iiiiiit's donnnneeee!! FINALLY!! I hoped you enjoyed it. This was a challenge for myself to write something on the fluffier side and I think I did alright. ^^; I do apologize for the lack of.... romance? I guess??? KISSING basically, lol. Idk if people will be mad about reader and Donnie not kissing at the end but the way I see it... Even though they are soulmates, they still gotta build up their relationship! I may do another one-shot in the future diving into some romance, but not any time soon. (I also have ideas for doing a RSOF fic for the other brothers but those too will be put on the back burner for now...)

Anywhoo... Hope you liked it!! Thanks to everyone who liked and reblogged the fic! And to those who sent me messages about it! It means so much to me and always brightened my day to see them! Love ya'll! 💖💕💕💖💕💖

Tag: @eveandtheturtles