Denying the Devil (Doflamingo X Reader)

A Simple No Will Suffice

(A/n)
I had a ton of great suggestions on who the gay friend couple should be for this story and it took some thinking to settle on one couple in particular. I chose who I did since I really haven't ever written about them and though I think it's a popular ship, it's one I've never delved into and I thought it'd be fun to do so~

"It's not a big deal (Y/n)." Your best friend rolled his eyes and huffed.

He pushed a bit of green hair back and frowned at you, his dark brown eyes practically boring holes into your own. You'd had this conversation a thousand times before and it was becoming more frequent, especially since your friend had claimed to have found his "soulmate."

The two of you were out on an evening run and had stopped to catch your breath, still new to the whole daily exercise thing. At least you were. It led to normal, friendly conversation and then eventually, a less friendly conversation, much to both of your distaste.

"It's all one big sham if you ask me Zoro."

"You won't say that when you find your partner." He retaliated with confidence stretching himself out while you were still bent in on yourself a bit.

"Look, your boyfriend is cute. I'll give you that. And maybe you get along real well, but that doesn't mean you're meant to spend forever with him."

"Soulmates are nothing new. You can't deny it's a thing just because you don't like it."

"It's just..." You straightened out, moving to the side as a biker passed by, scowling at you two for taking up the sidewalk. "If you can't control who you're with, who's to say you can't lose control of other things in your life?"

"Now we're getting to the bottom of this." He chuckled, giving you a tap on the shoulder. "You're a control freak."

"No, I'm not. I'm just not keen on someone else calling all the shots."

"We may be together, but he doesn't rule my life and I don't rule his."

"The way you talk about him says otherwise." You mumbled under your breath.

"What was that?" Zoro smirked as he started moving ahead of you, ready to keep going. If only he knew he was leaving the walkway. You swore if you weren't there, he'd have taken a wrong turn and gotten himself lost long ago.

"Nothing greenie." You smiled sweetly as you pulled him back to the sidewalk and started leading the way. "Now let's get this done, I've got work in the morning."

He trotted after you, rolling his eyes as he fell in step beside you. The talk would be dropped for now only to get picked back up later. That's how things usually went with that particular topic and you never expected that to change.

----

You were beginning to wonder if going on those runs were really all that beneficial. Zoro talked you into doing it when you complained about always feeling tired. He said it'd make you feel more energetic to exercise on a regular basis. So far, it only left you indefinitely sore. Every time you'd get up the morning after a hard run, you ached and you spent the better part of your time getting ready on shaky legs.

It was getting easier to tolerate at least and when you got moving, the aches and pains melted away. At least you dressed comfortably for work; jeans, a nice shirt, and sneakers. It was one of the perks to your job you never took for granted. Nothing beat getting to avoid a uniform or a skirt.

You had a big job for the day and you were planning on getting in on the action early. Somehow, you'd managed to struggle your way through college and got your degree in journalism. Now you put it to use as a freelance photojournalist, getting the best pictures for the hottest topics and selling them off to whoever wanted them the most.