Arranged Marriage

Treasuring YOU

"What would have happened, if Big Mom hadn't changed her mind about the wedding?" You ask. He stands up, takes your neck and guides you back into the bedroom, you let him. He opens the door to the closet. You like this closet a lot more than the other one. Those outlandish gaudy dresses aren't here. AND there's regular clothing, for real people.. not just princesses. Clothes the queen never would have allowed you to wear. Which never made any sense to you because you were stuck inside the castle all day anyway, who would have seen you? You carelessly finger through the clothes. Shorts, jeans, belts, tank tops... but what catches your attention is the all white gown hanging on its own rod by itself. You feel a knot in your throat. "I picked it, do you like it," he asks. You touch the fabric, it's light, airy and long. It's so simple which is what makes it so elegant. No bows, no ribbons, no flowers, no veil. No veil.. "Where's the veil?" You ask. You feel his hand return to your neck, he leans down to whisper in your ear, "I didn't think you wanted one." He rubs his lips against your ear. You feel suffocated in your emotions.

"I can't breathe," you push past him and run back out to the veranda for fresh air. Katakuri follows you, "you didn't like it," he says sadly. "No, I loved it. You were actually going to marry me? Why?!" Your body was shaking. "If you were to marry into the family, I wanted it to be with me," he says. "When did you even have time to pick out a dress? Before or after you threatened to stab me?" You snear. "I was never going to actually stab you!" He scoffs. "Besides I picked it out before I met you," he says. "What do you mean, 'before you met me'?" You ask like the idea is ridiculous. "I went over the portfolios of women attending The Tea Party with Mama, that's when I saw your picture," he blushes, realizing the idea does seem childish, "I picked you before I met you, that's when I got the dress." You guessed this was why everyone acted like they were all in on a secret together at Big Mom's Tea Party.

"You picked a wedding dress out just from a picture? You saw my picture and decided you'd marry me?! Just from a PICTURE?!" You yell. "Why are you so angry?" He asks defensively. "What if you ended up hating me?! HUH? Then what? What if you hated the sound of my voice? What if you hated my sense of humor or the way I walk?" You went off on a rant. "The way you walk?" He says cautiously. "Yes! Or how I chew?!" You scream. "Why are you screaming at me? How you chew? What does that even matter?" He asks. "It matters! Or what if I wasn't smart enough for you? Just a pretty face and nothing else?!" That one was especially difficult, because it was the queen's opinion of you. "Mmm, I see," he says playing along, "what about the way you interrupt me, insult me, belittle my authority?" You grin, "Yes! Wait... HEY!" He chuckles, "what does any of that have to do with love?" You blush, "None of any of this has to do with love! You can't love someone after seeing their picture? What if I showed up and you decided you hated me?" He shrugged, "then I wouldn't have kept the dress. But what about this? What if you showed up.. Looking exactly like your pictures, with enough bravery to run a battlefield. And jokes that are so horrible they're ALMOST funny. And nag for trusting people blindly and spreading hope and kindness when they hardly deserve your time. Someone people can't help but want to be around. Someone creative in their problem-solving and honest about their mistakes. Someone who seeks justice for those who can't find it themselves. What about that?" You're stunned. What just happened here? Did he just see ALL of you? Is that what he thought of you? After everything he still wanted to... it didn't matter. None of it mattered. "What's the point of any of this now? Your family got what you wanted. You don't have to marry me! You can just do whatever you want. That's what The Charlotte's do. They take whatever they want! They hurt whoever without caring!"

"I could, but I haven't," he says. "Well why not!" You yell, sounding offended. "I can't marry without Mama's permission," he tells you. That's horrible. You start to see the cage that Katakuri's in as well. The favorite, the protector of his family, can't do whatever he wants whenever he wants. "Would you have said yes?" He asks. Yesterday.. Sure, absolutely. But now? "I wouldn't have had a choice but to obey," you say sadly. "I'm asking you, that's a choice," he says softly. Is he asking you now? Right now if you'd marry him? Was he crazy?! Even if you wanted it, he couldn't, he'd just said as much. "I don't understand why you're not just taking me?" You tell him.

"Is that what you want from me?" He says and he runs his fingers under your jaw and his thumb across your lip, "do you want me to 'do whatever I want,' to you?" You feel lightheaded, your mouth open and panting. "Tell me to stop," he says as he pulls you closer. But you don't want it to stop. This is all you've wanted since he had you up against the door outside his bedroom on Whole Cake. This was proof, your stupid cravings for him haven't changed. But your trust in him is gone. He slips the straps of your romper off your shoulders, "tell me to stop," he says again. "Tell me you want this," he begs you for an answer, but you don't know the answer you want to give. He takes a step back, his fingers leaving your body. When you don't say anything he walks back into the bedroom.

You run after him, "I want this!" You yell. Your answer surprises you. He turns back to you, his arms crossed, "prove it," he says sternly, "take off your clothes and get on the bed or I won't take you seriously." You pull your arms out of the straps of your romper and wiggle it down past your hips until it falls to the floor. "On the bed," he orders you. You climb onto the bed and pull the covers up over yourself. He stalks toward the bed and finds your ankles under the blankets. He grabs them and yanks them roughly until your legs are dangling off the bed. Your hair splayed out behind you on the bed. You gasp at the sudden jerky movement. He gets down on his knees. "I'll show you how much I treasure you, but if you look under the blanket, I stop, do you understand?" You nod, but you don't understand what's happening.

He pulls the blanket over his head and adjusts your hips until you're sure you'll fall off the bed soon. He pulls off your panties and grabs your ankles, placing your feet on either of his shoulders. You blush, he can see absolutely all of you right now. You wished you knew what his expression looked like. Good or bad? No one had ever seen this much of you. He grips your thighs in his hands and opens them wider. "You look silly with a blanket over your hea-" you gasp as he tongues up your center between your legs. You arch your back and he does it again. "Tell me to stop," he says, panting. You reach down to stroke his hair but he swats your hand, "no hands under the blanket, or I stop," he growls. You pull your hands up over your head. So many rules...

You grind your hips against his tongue, you want more, but he shushes you and strokes your stomach, "shhh, let me do it." You whimper, "don't stop!" You hear him chuckling under the blanket and it frustrates you, you groan. He licks up your core more quickly and rhythmically. He groans at your sweet taste. You feel like you're going to explode. Like you didn't know you could ever feel this amazing. Suddenly you're overly sensitive and can hardly take his tongue any longer. Your hips buckle and you wiggle away. "Stop," you say breathlessly. He licks his lips and kisses your thighs before coming out from under the blanket. "You broke me!" You pant. He smirks, you can see his chest rising and falling rapidly. "I didn't break you," he pants. He wraps you up in the blankets like a cannoli and pulls you onto his lap in the bed. He kisses the back of your head. Why did you let that happen? This would make running away from here more complicated than you thought..