#Writers feedback

[dancingwiththeplanets]

The number of notes on this astounds me 😅😅 clearly I should rush out that second one I’ve been writing

Allow Me To Walk You Home, Commander

Commander Cody x fem!reader masterlist

Word count: 2.4k Summary: Cody can't flirt when he's drunk. a/n: nice to see you all again! It's been a while.. I've been writing a lot lately :) took a quick break from a heavier piece I'm working on to do something more fun with one of our favorite troopers. Please enjoy! I'll definitely be writing a lot more clones from now on!

Finally.

You sigh, watching the last group of clones stumble their way out of their booth, one of them tripping over the platform and failing to catch himself before rolling around on the sticky floor in a fit of laughter. You scrunch your nose up in disgust as you continue wiping down the counter, evidently alone in your scrutiny of the grossness as the other troopers howl with laughter, one of them hoisting their friend up and supporting his weight over their shoulder. The men, previously sharp looking in their naval uniforms, definitely looked a little worse for wear as they stumbled drunkenly out the door, and you’re pretty sure a few of them had lost their hats at some point in the night. 

They swing the door open, but not before one of the more drunken soldiers shoots you a corny wink and makes a clicking noise, shooting ridiculous finger guns at you, “Thanks, doll!” He calls out at you, before backing into the closing door and letting it slam in his face. 

You chuckle, shaking your head. A relieved sigh leaves your body. You truly thought they’d never leave. It was already well-past when you normally kept the place open. Grabbing your bag from the back room of 79’s, you make sure to shut out the lights, close the blinds, lock up the register, and grab your keys for the front door.

It’s been a long week. You recently got promoted to manager after your boss decided, literally  at the flip of a dime, that she was going to go traipsing around the galaxy with her new girlfriend. No judgment…to each their own. But a little more responsibility and a proper heads up really would have been nice. Because honestly, you’d only just started working at 79’s a few months ago and officially got handed the keys and a manager's book on her way to the space port. So basically, you got the post-it note rundown version on how to keep this place running a week before she left, abandoning the place in your care. 

And you’re not gonna lie, it’s been tough.  

You rolled your shoulders and groaned at the soreness you felt all over. You’d never intended to become a full-time manager and server, and the business side of things on top of the late hours you spent here nightly, it’s really, really had you doubting your competence.

Throwing your coat and hat on, you open the door and feel the cool air bite into your skin with a hiss. Coruscant can get pretty windy in the later hours of the night. The evidence of such shows when a big gust of wind suddenly hits you from the side, threatening to wrench the door violently from your hands before you can lock it. 

You whisper out a few curses, feeling your hat swoosh off your head with the wind while you struggle with the door for the upper hand in your game of tug-a-war. 

Dank farrik. You grunt out in frustration. I liked that hat.

You dismiss the hat as a lost cause, given the layout of the windy city and the open space highways, odds are it didn't survive. You’d just have to make the trek home tonight without it. 

When the strong gust passes, you take advantage and finally clip the door closed, making sure to test all three locks with a jiggle before leaving the bar for the night.

“Excuse me-” A voice slurs from behind you, instantly provoking a panicked scream to cut through the previously silent night. 

You whip around, looking to the dark area where you think the sound originated from. Your hands covering your beating heart as you catch your breath.

There, leaning against the wall connecting the street to your bar, just barely lit by a dying street light, sits a wide-eyed and frozen clone in white and orange armor, holding what looks to be…your hat? You sigh, agitated by the scare, but let your hands relax down by your sides.

“Uh..I- I’m sorry!” He says, holding up his hands in a show of surrender, making you furrow your eyebrows.

You take a few steps towards him, closing the distance between the two of you, not at all worried about your safety with the trooper. If anything, you’re worried he’s the one in need of help, sitting crookedly propped-up, half-asleep and definitely intoxicated by the looks of it. 

“I-I’m not a threat.” He promises, raised hands waving out and away from his body as if to confirm his own words. 

You sigh tiredly, rubbing a hand down your fatigued face, “I know, honey.” You say, letting yourself squat down to rest on your heels so you can get a better look at him. 

He nods once more, acknowledging your understanding, before glancing down at the warm cloth in his hands, scrunching it up a bit with furrowed brows before his eyes widen in recognition again and he quickly holds it out to you, “I think this got away from you.” 

He offers up a kind, crooked smile with your hat, further holding it out to you and encouraging you to take it, and you can’t help but smile as you reach for it. 

“How very thoughtful of you, -” you do a quick once-over of the clone, not immediately noticing any distinguishable rank marks on his armor. You try the word out apprehensively, spelling it out slowly, “-Sergeant?”  

He straightens up instantly, eyes widening once more and using his arms to further push his body up against the wall. You lift your hands up, ready to slow him down if he tries to stand.

“S-Sergeant?” He stutters, baffled as if accused of something. “N-no ma’am. It’s Marshal Commander Cody of the 212th, at your service.” 

Ah. So. You’ve got a stranded, drunken Commander on your hands. A Marshal Commander at that. Certainly not your usual stray trooper lingering around the closed bar intoxicated. Not that it happens all that often, but you can’t say you’ve ever had the responsibility of a Commander on your hands.  

You smile apologetically at him, hoping you haven't come across as uncaring on account of your fatigue, despite also trying not to giggle at the slurred version of a clearly rehearsed introduction. “My apologies, Commander Cody. It’s been a long night, and admittedly, I’m not the most familiar with clone armor and rankings.”

The Commander sighs, leaning back at-ease again. He lets out a chuckle, shaking his head a bit before looking overwhelmed by the action, “S’alright, I don’t blame you. I would think myself a sloppy shiny if I saw me like this.”  

You pause for a moment to think. Not quite sure what to do with him. There definitely wasn't a chapter in your manager’s booklet titled What to do when you stumble upon an intoxicated Commander of the GAR passed out in front of your bar. You were just gonna have to wing this one.

“Well, speaking of which, Commander,” You say, enunciating his title and earning another sweet smile from the man, clearly he liked hearing you say it. “Care to tell me what you’re still doing out here at this hour?”

He huffs, shrugging a shoulder lazily and letting his head lull back against the wall to gaze up at you. “Just… catching hats for beautiful civvies.” You smile sweetly at him, and though you’re pretty sure he was just kidding and not really flirting, you can almost see the hearts in his eyes at your response, further provoking a giggle to escape you. This poor guy is really out of it.  

“I see,” You say, the smile not quite leaving your lips. You tug the beanie on as you push up from your squat, his eyes following you as you rise. He frowns a bit at the sudden distance between the two of you, from his perspective at least. “Well, as comfortable as you look down there, it’s a bit late for both of us to still be out, wouldn't you say, Commander?” You put extra emphasis on the title, bringing a slight blush to his ears and having him shuffle his extended feet back a little.

“O-oh, yes. Of course,” He says frantically, trying to match the speed of his words with the speed at which he rises, “Allow me to escort you- whoa!”

You lean over quickly to catch the Commander as he loses his footing, wrapping your untrained arms awkwardly around his chest and shoulders before he could face plant into the concrete. 

“-Walk me home?” You finish, laughing a bit breathlessly as he groans in your arms, muttering out an apology. “Funny, I was just about to offer the same to you.”

“N-no, Ma’am. That’s not necessary at all,” He mumbles, trying to straighten up and out of your arms. You’d slipped down onto your knees to support the Commander as he’d lost his balance, currently propping him up with a hand to his shoulder. “I was just, uh, you know. Setting up my line?” He pauses to clear his throat, “Ma’am.” 

“Your line?” You ask, nodding unconvincingly at the ‘I’m not drunk you can take me seriously’ look he’s really gunning for. 

“Y-yeah,” He chuckles, glossy eyes meeting your gaze as you steady his arms for support.

“Well you know because I- uh,”. He scratches the back of his neck uncertainly, the words slipping out before he could think them through, or come up with something better. “Just- uh, well I-I fell. Right?”

“Yes,” you bite your lip to keep from laughing, “Yes, you did fall.”

“Exactly, hah, I uh- well cause I fell for..for you?” He shakes his head in confusion, a dramatic frown on his face, and this time you can’t help but let a little laugh escape you, to which his eyes widen and he huffs in exasperation, “Ah forget it, I don’t know. Something about falling for you.” His frustrated face is blushing in embarrassment and you place a hand on his shoulder. 

“Commander, I think it’s best if I walk you home now.” 

He sighs, “Yes ma’am, I think that would be best.”

-----------------

You weren’t actually sure where you should take the Commander, but the Republic Military Base seemed like a good bet, plus it was close to 79’s. 

To say that The Coruscant Guard was surprised to see a civvie stumbling towards the base with a Commander slung over their shoulder at this hour would be an understatement. In fact, you’re pretty sure bafflement isn’t even a big enough word to cover it. 

The two Guards posted at the front gates went through practically every stage of emotion before settling on one: shock, concern, understanding, humor, then downright hysterics. 

In fact you were pretty sure they were crying under those buckets. 

And Cody, poor Commander Cody, just leaned right up against you and glared at them, not even bothering to defend himself. 

Eventually, one of them made a call to a Commander Fox who called a Captain Rex who called someone in Cody’s battalion to retrieve him at the gates. 

You could hear the laughter approaching from behind the walls before it even opened, prompting the Commander to mutter a “Kriffing hell, here we go.” He grumbles out another apology, before the gates slide open to reveal two fully armored troopers in white and orange armor, who just melt at the sight of their Commander in your arms.  “Ooooohhhhh, Commander,” One of them bellows, “There you are!”

“Oh we’ve been absolutely distraught! Worried sick, sir!” “Thank goodness this lovely lady brought you home! You must have been so cold out there in the dark!” You can see the two Corrie Guards trying to stifle their laughter as Cody mumbles something under his breath. You can feel the purposefully muffled insults hitting your cheek and turn to smile at him, prompting him to look up at you with apologetic, guilty eyes again. Your locked gaze was suddenly interrupted by one of them clapping a hand on the Commander’s shoulder, imbalancing you for a moment before he was pulled onto a new shoulder. 

“Awe, come now, Commander. Leave the poor girl alone,” The trooper sighs dreamily as the Commander shrugs him off, reluctantly glancing back at you a couple times as he walks away, sporting much more coordination now than you’d thought he had.  

The one closest to you chuckles, lingering by you for a moment, “Thank you, for making sure he got back safe.”

You smile at him in return, “Well, I don’t think he would have left me out there alone if it were the other way around, would he?”

The clone pauses, tilting his head at your words before speaking, “No, he most certainly would not.” He seems to nod at you again in appreciation, before moving to walk towards his Commander and brother, waiting just inside the gates of the base. 

You could hear Cody muttering to the other trooper as they waited, the latter hollering back at the two of you “Waxer, get a move on.” Waxer throws a quick wave your way, before turning and clapping a hand onto one of the Corrie Guards.

“Make sure she gets home safe, will you?” He says, waiting for the shock trooper to confirm with a “Yes, sir!” 

You assume the Guardsman starts to comm someone for an escort, so you watch the three troopers retreating into the base, catching the tail end of their conversation.

“No. You said what to her?”

“That you fell for her?”

“Would you two lower your voices! She might hear you!”

“Oh, Commander,” Waxer cries out dramatically, heaving between bouts of laughter, “What happened to your smooth game, sir?”

The other trooper laughs at the taunt, you never caught his name, and you can vaguely hear Cody threatening them both with something unintelligible in the distance. 

“Must be some girl, eh Boil? To make our savvy Commander forget how to flirt!”

“Oooh she is at that,” You hear Boil sing, “One time I caught her restocking the higher shelves at 79’s, and she was wearing this pretty little number that just barely gave me a peak at-”

“Alright that’s it-” You hear the unmistakable tone of a Commander, before hearing two sets of feet run, screaming joyfully down the open hallway, followed by a loud, muffled curse and a bang as the Commander lost his balance and face-planted straight into a wall. 

[sinisternoodles101]

UHM GULPS. this is so embarrassing but me and my best friend @keplitz are writing a fanfic for fun. so if anyone wants to check it out… yunnooo kicks a rock. it’s not the best bc we’re not writers typically. this is purely for fun <:3

Reader and DCA are paranormal Hunters and become friends eventually. YAYY!!

[harrywavycurly]

I am begging y’all to hit reblog on fics you like. Leave a comment if you’re comfortable. Tell the author how you feel about it in the tags, in their inbox, or anything because too many authors are leaving because they don’t feel appreciated.

[zephyrd17]

Helloooo a quick question for all the fanfic enjoyers out there!

Please reblog for sample size!

[writingwithfolklore]

Questions from Beta Readers are Rhetorical

You know when people leave you questions on your work during the feedback process like, “why is she doing this?” or “who is this again?” or “how does this relate to what was just said?” You’re not meant to reply back and answer those.

They aren’t asking because they want you to explain it to them—or at least, that’s not very helpful to the actual work. They’re asking because something in the manuscript is unclear. Most readers won’t have the benefit of having you next to them to answer questions as they go—the work has to hold up on its own. If something is unclear, it should be addressed in the text, it’s pretty useless if it’s addressed only in your answer back to your beta reader.

So actually, when people ask me questions about my manuscript, I don’t answer them at all. I go back into the work and try to clarify, and then I have them read it again. If they have the same question, it means I need to try again until the confusion is cleared up.

Sometimes the people I edit for reply back with paragraphs of explanation, and I tell them that it’s great that they understand it, but I don’t need or want them to explain it to me afterward. I was asking the question so they knew what exactly was unclear to me (a bit more helpful than saying “this is confusing”). I want the understanding to come from just reading the piece.

That being said, some beta readers might want you to chat about it further with them—it’s up to you guys! But if you don’t also address the question in the work, you’re not doing yourself or your piece any favours.

[bratdotcom]

Oh, Honey

( college!Ford Pines x reader || second- not first date jitters )

Ford's eyes were trained on the paper slipped into his newly bought electric typewriter, he adjusts his glasses with his palm as he types. Unsurprisingly, having six fingers on each hand helped a lot when trying to reach an essay word count. 

Ford somewhat wishes he went to the library to type out his paper. His fingers were starting to cramp from making contact with the keytops of his typewriter. Maybe asking Fiddleford to tweak with how the keytops were fixed would help with the spacing? He'd have to ask later. 

Ford hears a knock on the door.

He almost falls out of his chair, something under his sleeve makes a loud beep sound. It was his watch. It was supposed to remind him of something. He couldn't remember what.

"One moment!" He calls out to whoever was at the door, adjusting his glasses again. He stares at himself in the reflection of his window to check if he at least looked somewhat presentable. Ever since he woke up at nine, he's been working on his paper. 

He messes with his hair to make it seem like he actually brushes it in the morning, running his fingers through it to make it look nice. "I-I'm coming!" He looks away from his reflection at the door. Whoever it was, they seemed impatient.

Surely, it wasn't that serious, the knocking seemed to get louder and louder and- oh. 

He forgot about you. He also forgot that it was a Saturday. And that the paper he was working on wouldn't be due until next month. 

Ford almost trips over his untied shoelace as he scrambles to answer the door.

"G-greetings." Again, Ford adjusts his glasses. This time, because he was embarrassed. He can't believe he forgot he agreed to a date. A date with you. 

He smiles awkwardly, already feeling his face heating up in embarrassment.

He's red by the time you make eye contact with him, while he's trying his best to avoid making eye contact with you. "You look great." He says, not having looked toward you once. Not like he had to. He knew you probably looked better than him right now. He was still in the clothes he wore yesterday- he was too busy working on equations to change into his proper sleeping clothes. His fingers tug on the cuff of his button-up sleeve. 

"And you look," you look him down from his head to his shoes. Which he most likely, also, slept in. "Comfortable." You say with slight amusement. Ford could hear the smile in your tone.

"Thanks." He replies, looking down at the floor. Ford then realizes that he's wearing his dress shoes. And that one of his laces was untied. 

To avoid embarrassing himself more, and to avoid looking at you, he immediately kneels down to tie his shoe. He can feel the sweat build up around the collar of his shirt. He mentally slaps himself in the face for wearing white. 

"Were you powdering your nose or something? I heard you struggling in there." You look over his back and into his dorm. You see papers sprawled out on a desk, three questionable-looking coffee mugs, chewed up pencils, and sticky notes. Everywhere. Like he was trying to remember everything. 

Ford gets up, you both hear his knees crack loudly. Which wasn't normal. At all. Good grief. He needed to go out more.

"You...you can come in, if you'd like." He says, unable to stop himself from stumbling on his words. He steps to the side, once again, almost tripping on something he forgot he had put on the floor. This time, a stack of textbooks he placed next to his dresser. 

"Thank you." You say in a pleasant tone, looking around the room. You couldn't tell which side of the room belonged to Ford or to his roomate. Both sides were equally messy and somewhat neat.

"My bed's uh, right there." He points to your left, to a bed with a book laid face-down on the comforter. "Don't mind my roommate's side- he's working on something right now so don't touch anything- please.”

You smile along to his words. "Sir, yes, sir." You pretend to salute him as you traverse through the room, making sure to be careful where you step. 

You were going to be the death of him. And you didn't even know it yet.

"I'm going to the washroom! Uh, please excuse me!" Ford says in a tone louder than he wanted to say. He quickly turns around and makes a beeline to the bathroom. You snicker to yourself as the bathroom door closes behind him.

"I will, don't worry." You say loudly enough for him to hear over the sound of him turning on the bathroom sink. He felt stuffy. And sweaty. 

"Get. Yourself. Together." He points at himself in the mirror, glasses off. He needed to calm down. He desperately needed to calm down. How did he get the second date? How? 

This wasn't even the first date. He passed that base! Like what Fiddleford said! Why was he still nervous? 

He splashes cold water onto his face to wake himself up, stray droplets splash onto his shirt. Looking in the mirror again, he bares his teeth at his reflection. 

Ford brushes his teeth- just in case. You haven't kissed yet. But it wouldn't hurt to brush. He couldn't remember the last time he brushed his teeth. Or if he did this morning.

He wipes his mouth on his towel before looking in the mirror one last time. He looked presentable. He hoped that in your eyes, you thought the same. 

Opening the bathroom door, he's met with the sight of you sitting on his bed. Looking around at all the posters he and Fiddleford hung up. Sometimes, he forgot they were even there. 

"Do you like the decor? You can take a poster if you want." Ford had no idea why he was offering you one of his posters, but that's what people do on a date, right? Give each other things? Gifts? 

You chuckle as you turn him down on his offer. "No thanks, I think my roomie would kill me for messing with the decor back at my dorm." Come to think of it, Ford's never actually been to your dorm before. It was always you going to him, not the other way around. Ford laughs along, not knowing what to say. 

"So, are you ready for our little field trip?" You ask, watching as he stepped around the room to search for something. Ford wasn't actually looking for anything in particular- he just wanted to seem busy, so you'd think he was cool. "Field trip?" He repeats with a raised brow. "Yeah, we're going to that café with the good pumpkin lattes, remember?”

"So we're going into town, then?" He asks, slapping himself on the forehead mentally when he realizes how stupid his question must've sounded out loud. Ford could do fifth dimensional calculus but couldn't be smooth for the life of him. "Yes, we're going into town." You reply, leaning your elbows against the foot board of his bed.

"Let me grab my coat." He says, playing with the collar of his shirt as he opens his closet. To add insult to his multiple figurative injuries, several hat boxes and shoe boxes fall straight out of the closet and onto his face.

"Oh shit!" You exclaim, quickly getting up from his bed to help him.

Ford tries to angle himself in a way that wouldn't get his face squished between several hat boxes and shoes. He's never done anything this physical in years.

"Uh, here. Let me..." You carefully pull off his glasses so that they wouldn't get in the way. Carefully, you pull each box off of his person in a way that wouldn't hurt him and place each one onto the floor. 

It was a silent exchange, Ford couldn't see, and you didn't really know what to say to make this feel any better.

You try your best to slip his glasses back onto his face. You almost poke him in the eye. "Sorry." You both say in unison, which makes Ford's face go red. For a man who prided himself in being an overachieving genius, he surely felt stupid now. 

He stumbles back, almost falling over the boxes you set aside earlier as he reaches for his coat. "Let's go, then?" You say, watching as he folds his coat onto his arm. "Y-yes. Let's go." 

For the first time ever in his life, Ford extends his arm out for you to hold onto. He keeps his fist closed as he does so. He hopes he's doing this right.

[capefoxalix]

A Map of Strictland and the areas around

No one ask me how long this took to make.

[enemiestolovershoe]

New Beginnings Part 2

Matt Sturniolo x preg!reader

Summary: Matt and Reader welcome their Newborn

Word Count: 5,2k

Warnings: use of y/n, detailed birth, labor, crying, not proofread

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

25 Weeks

It had been a crazy few weeks for you and Matt. The baby was growing fast, and your belly had popped, making everything feel more real. You and Matt had been excited and nervous about everything that was coming your way, but now there was something even bigger on your minds: finding out the gender.

At the 25-week appointment, you were lying on the examination bed, your belly round and visible beneath the thin layer of gel that the ultrasound technician had just applied. You glanced at Matt, who was sitting beside you, holding your hand tightly as the ultrasound machine hummed to life.

"You guys ready for this?" The tech smiled, clearly enjoying the moment as she moved the wand across your belly. The screen lit up with the image of your baby and every time you saw it, your heart skipped a beat. The tiny human you and Matt had created together—it was beyond overwhelming.

"Honestly?" Matt chuckled nervously, squeezing your hand. "I don't know if I’m ever going to be ready for this."

You laughed softly, your eyes glued to the screen. "We’ll figure it out. We’ve got Nick and Chris for extra hands, right?"

"Extra hands?" Matt raised his eyebrows, smiling. "More like extra chaos. Especially Nick."

The tech chuckled at your exchange, her focus on the screen. "Well, it looks like your little one is doing great. Everything looks good...and I can definitely see the gender. Do you want to know?"

Your heart leaped into your throat. You and Matt had already decided to wait for a reveal, thanks to Nick's insistence on planning something big. Still, the temptation was real, especially when the tech said she could see it right there on the screen.

You met Matt's gaze. He gave you a small smile and a nod. "We’re sticking with the plan, right?"

"Yeah," you agreed, your voice shaking a little with excitement. "Can you write it down for us? Nick’s got this whole thing planned."

The tech smiled again. "Sure thing. I love a good reveal party."

As she printed off the image and scribbled the gender onto a piece of paper, you and Matt exchanged looks of pure excitement. It was hard to believe that the answer to this huge question was just a slip of paper away.

When the appointment wrapped up, the tech handed you the sealed envelope. The paper inside seemed to hold more weight than you expected, as though knowing the secret inside made it feel heavier.

"Good luck resisting the urge to peek," she joked.

Matt laughed, holding up his hands in surrender as he took the envelope from you. "I swear, no peeking. This is all for Nick now."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

28 Weeks

Three weeks later, Nick had pulled off a full-blown event for the gender reveal. You weren't even surprised. If you were expecting anyone to go all out, it would be Nick Sturniolo. He had rented a picturesque little villa for the occasion, and you and Matt arrived to find it completely decked out in every shade of pink and blue you could imagine.

There were pastel balloons arching over the entrance, blue and pink ribbons tied around every chair, and even tables full of finger foods—mini sandwiches, cupcakes, and a gorgeous pasta buffet that had clearly been arranged with care.

"Nick," you breathed as you stepped out of the car, looking around in amazement. "This is insane."

Matt looked equally surprised, his eyes wide as he took in the scene. "He actually did it."

Before you could say more, Nick came running up, arms outstretched, a huge grin on his face. "You guys like it?!" he asked excitedly, giving both you and Matt huge hugs.

"Are you serious?" Matt said, laughing. "This looks incredible."

"Not to mention the food," you added, eyeing the table. You hadn’t even made it inside yet, but you could see how much effort Nick had put into the whole thing. "Nick, you outdid yourself."

Chris appeared beside him, balancing a plate of pasta in one hand, and garlic bread in the other. "Yeah, props to him. This is probably the best food I’ve had in a while."

Nick beamed with pride. "I told you it was going to be epic. Now, are you guys ready to find out what you’re having?!"

You and Matt exchanged a nervous glance. You had been counting down to this moment for weeks, but now that it was here, it felt surreal. It wasn’t just a hypothetical anymore—soon, you’d know whether you were having a little boy or a little girl.

"I’m ready," you said, nodding firmly, though the nerves were buzzing in your chest.

"Ready as I’ll ever be," Matt agreed, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

As you walked into the villa, Nick led you toward the backyard, where a large crowd had gathered. Your families were there, along with all of the triplets' friends—people you recognized from their YouTube videos. There was even a large "Team Boy" vs. "Team Girl" station set up, where people could grab badges and make their guesses.

"I'm team girl all the way," Matt announced as he pinned a pink badge to his shirt.

Chris snorted. "Nah, it’s a boy. Gotta keep the Sturniolo boy streak alive."

“I‘m also team girl“ you chuckled.

Matt chuckled, shaking his head. "We’ll see. Either way, this little one is going to be spoiled."

A few minutes later, Nick called everyone’s attention to the backyard, where two large smoke canons were set up on either side of a huge arch of balloons. Pink and blue balloons filled the sky, drifting lazily in the warm breeze, adding to the excitement of the moment.

Nick grabbed a microphone, grinning from ear to ear. "Alright, everyone! It’s time for the big moment! We’ve got Matt and y/n here, ready to find out if they’re having a boy or a girl! Who’s ready?!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, and you could feel your heart pounding in your chest. Matt stood beside you, his arm wrapped around your waist, and you leaned into him for support. This was it.

Nick handed you and Matt each a smoke cannon, and you felt the cool metal in your hands, your fingers trembling slightly. The anticipation was almost too much.

"Okay, on the count of three, they’re gonna pull the triggers," Nick announced. "Everyone ready?"

You took a deep breath, your hands shaking with nerves and excitement. Matt squeezed your hand, his excitement clear in his eyes. "You got this," he whispered.

"Three…" Nick started, the crowd joining in. "Two… one!"

You and Matt pulled the triggers simultaneously, and for a moment, the world went quiet as pink smoke exploded into the air. You stared in shock as the cloud of pink engulfed the backyard.

"It’s a girl!" someone shouted.

Matt turned to you, his eyes wide, and a huge smile spread across his face. "It’s a girl. We’re having a girl!"

Your heart swelled as tears sprung to your eyes. "We’re having a girl," you repeated, your voice barely a whisper as you wrapped your arms around Matt’s neck.

He hugged you tightly, his hands gently cradling your back as you cried into his shoulder. You could feel his excitement and joy radiating through the embrace, and it made your heart feel like it could burst. You were going to have a daughter.

Before long, Chris and Nick rushed over, joining the hug. "Oh my God, I’m gonna have a niece!" Chris shouted, practically bouncing with excitement.

Nick grinned, pulling you into a bear hug. "This is going to be awesome!"

You laughed through the tears, overwhelmed by the love and happiness surrounding you. "I can’t believe it," you said, shaking your head as you wiped your eyes. "A little girl."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

35 Weeks

As the weeks went by and your belly grew even bigger, the time had finally come to work on the nursery. You and Matt had been planning it for weeks—scouring Pinterest boards, bookmarking every cute piece of furniture and decor that caught your eye. Now, at 35 weeks, you were ready to put it all together.

Well, almost ready. The triplets had insisted on helping, so you had a feeling you’d be doing more supervising than actual decorating.

Chris and Nick arrived early that Saturday, armed with coffee and donuts. You were already in the nursery, sitting in the rocking chair you’d picked out, rubbing your belly absentmindedly. You were definitely feeling the weight of pregnancy now—your back ached, your feet were swollen, and even sitting for too long made you feel uncomfortable. But the excitement of seeing the nursery come together kept you going.

Matt was already unpacking the last of the furniture boxes when Chris and Nick strolled in.

"Alright, what’s the game plan?" Nick asked, setting the donuts down on the floor before taking a look around. "You guys got a vision?"

"Yeah, we do," Matt said, holding up his phone. "She’s been saving Pinterest ideas for weeks."

You laughed, leaning back in the chair. "I’d do it myself, but…" You motioned to your belly, which was now large and very much in the way of most things. "I’m not exactly mobile these days."

Chris grinned. "Don’t worry. We’ve got this."

And with that, the triplets got to work. Matt and Chris assembled the crib while Nick hung up the shelves and artwork you’d picked out. You watched from your rocking chair, smiling as the room slowly came together. It was everything you’d imagined—soft pinks, creams, and gold accents, with delicate floral prints and stuffed animals in every corner.

"You guys are seriously amazing," you said, your heart swelling with gratitude.

Matt turned to you, wiping sweat from his brow. "We’d do anything for you—and for her."

Nick smirked as he finished hanging the last shelf. "This little girl is going to be the most spoiled baby in the world."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

41 Weeks

Now at 41 weeks, you were officially past your due date, and to say you were getting impatient would be an understatement. Your baby girl was stubborn, just like her dad, and no matter what you tried, labor just wasn’t starting.

One evening, you were sitting in the living room with Matt, Chris, and Nick, discussing all the things you’d tried to get things moving. Spicy food, walking, bouncing on a yoga ball—you’d done it all.

"I even tried that whole pineapple thing," you sighed, leaning back against the couch cushions. "Nothing."

”Maybe you should try sex”, Nick blankly said.

”Nick, when I said we tried everything, I mean everything”, you‘re getting frustrated.

Chris chuckled. "Well, at least the cookies are a good backup plan. I mean, if labor doesn’t start, at least we’ll have snacks."

Nick laughed, giving you a wink. "I read somewhere that cookies actually have magic powers. Maybe these will do the trick."

You rolled your eyes, standing up and waddling toward the kitchen. "I’ll believe it when I see it."

As you reached for the ingredients, you felt a sudden, sharp cramp in your abdomen. You paused, frowning, and then—

Your water broke.

You stared down in shock as the liquid pooled around your feet. For a moment, you couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe. Then, finally, you managed to say the words that would change everything.

"Uh, guys? My water just broke."

The room went silent.

And then all hell broke loose.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Labor

All four of you stood frozen, staring at the small puddle on the floor.

Nick, naturally the first to speak, broke the silence. "Are you sure you didn’t just piss yourself?" His voice was light, but the shock was clear on his face.

You shot him a look, shaking your head. "No, Nick. I’m pretty sure this is happening."

Matt’s eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Okay. Okay. Oh my god, it's happening! Chris, grab the hospital bag!" His voice was shaky, panic starting to take over. "Nick, call the hospital, tell them we’re on our way!"

Chris, already ahead of the game, was moving before Matt even finished the sentence. "On it!" He darted to the hallway, where the hospital bag had been packed and sitting for weeks. "Got it!" he shouted, slinging it over his shoulder and heading for the door.

Nick pulled out his phone, already dialing. "Okay, okay! I’m calling!" he said, pacing a little. "Man, this is really happening. Holy crap."

Matt turned to you, immediately switching to his softer, more concerned tone. "Come on, babe. Let’s get you changed real quick," he said, leading you carefully toward the bedroom, his hand supporting your back. "We don’t want you showing up at the hospital soaked."

You nodded, feeling the rush of emotions hit you—excitement, nervousness, fear. "Yeah, not exactly how I want to make an entrance," you joked, though your voice trembled.

Once in the bedroom, Matt gently helped you out of your wet clothes, his hands shaky but careful as he eased you into some fresh leggings and one of his hoodies. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly, his eyes full of concern, trying his best to stay calm for your sake.

You took a deep breath, focusing on staying composed. "A little scared. But I’m ready." You placed a hand on your belly, feeling the baby’s movements. "I can’t believe we’re actually about to meet her."

Matt kissed your forehead, his hand resting on your belly alongside yours. "You’re incredible, you know that? We’re gonna be okay. I’m right here."

Back in the living room, Nick was still pacing, phone pressed to his ear. "Yeah, we’re heading there now... yep, water broke... we’ll be there soon," he said, hanging up. He turned to you and Matt, wide-eyed but grinning. "Alright, hospital’s ready. Let’s go!"

Chris stood by the door, holding the hospital bag like he was guarding something precious. "Got the bag. Car’s ready. Let’s do this!"

You walked carefully back into the living room, Matt’s arm around your waist. Another contraction hit, sharper this time, and you gripped Matt’s arm, exhaling slowly through the pain. "Okay, okay... these are definitely getting stronger."

Nick, naturally, had his phone out again, recording the moment. "Alright, this is it, guys! We’re officially on baby watch. Y/N’s contractions are coming in hot, and Matt’s holding it together... kinda."

Matt shot him a glare, though there was a small smile tugging at his lips. "Nick, do you have to film everything?"

"Yes," Nick replied, unbothered. "The people need to see this."

You laughed, despite the pain. "It’s fine, Matt. Let him film. At least it’ll give him something to do instead of making stupid jokes."

"See? Y/N’s cool with it," Nick said triumphantly, zooming the camera in on Matt’s stressed face.

Chris opened the door, gesturing for everyone to hurry. "Alright, let’s move, people. Baby’s not gonna wait forever."

Matt guided you toward the car, his grip on your arm steady but his face full of barely-contained panic. He helped you into the passenger seat as carefully as possible, glancing nervously at you the whole time. "You good?"

You nodded, smiling up at him. "I’m fine, Matt. Let’s just get to the hospital."

Once Matt was in the driver’s seat, he started the car a little too aggressively, the engine roaring to life as he sped out of the driveway.

"Matt, slow down!" you exclaimed, gripping the door handle as he took a turn a little too fast.

"Sorry!" Matt said, clearly frazzled. "I just... I don’t know! I want to get you there as fast as possible."

Nick, sitting in the backseat with Chris, was still filming. "And here we go, folks. Matt’s driving like he’s in a Fast & Furious movie, but don’t worry—I’ve got the whole thing on camera." He panned the phone toward you. "Y/N, any last words before this baby arrives?"

You shot him an amused look. "My only thought is, if Matt doesn’t calm down, we might not make it to the hospital."

Matt groaned, though he slowed the car slightly. "I’m calm, I’m calm," he muttered, gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly.

Chris leaned forward, resting his chin on the seat in front of him. "Matt, man, we’ve got time. No need to speed. Also, anyone want to place bets on how long the labor’s gonna be?"

"Chris," Matt snapped, his voice tight, "now is not the time."

As Matt turned onto the main road, the streetlights whizzed by in a blur, their dim glow casting flickers of light over your face. You were gripping the door handle tightly, your other hand still squeezing Matt’s. The contractions had picked up, each one more intense than the last, and you could feel the pressure building with every passing moment.

Nick, in the backseat, still had his phone out, filming despite the tense atmosphere. "Alright, Y/N’s in full-on labor now," he narrated softly, trying to keep the tone light but clearly nervous himself. "Matt’s driving like his life depends on it. Chris, how you feelin'?"

Chris, sitting next to him, shot Nick a glance. "Me? Why are you asking me? I’m not the one about to have a baby."

Nick shrugged. "Just trying to document the vibe, man."

You groaned as another contraction hit, sharper this time. Your breathing quickened as you leaned forward in the seat, trying to brace yourself against the pain. "Matt..." you whimpered, squeezing his hand hard.

Matt glanced over at you, his face pale and full of worry. "I know, babe, I know. We’re almost there, I swear." His voice was shaky, and you could see how hard he was trying to keep it together for you.

"Keep breathing, Y/N," Chris chimed in from the back, his usual laid-back tone gone. "In and out, just like the birthing classes."

You managed a nod, following his advice, focusing on your breath. But when the next wave of pain hit, it was stronger, and you couldn’t help but let out a sharp cry.

Matt panicked, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "Oh my God, are you okay? Should I go faster? I don’t know what to do!"

"Don’t speed," Chris said quickly, leaning forward to look at the road. "We don’t need a car accident on top of everything."

Nick, still filming, chuckled nervously. "Yeah, maybe keep it at a reasonable pace, bro."

You managed to laugh through the pain, though it was shaky. "I’m fine... just get me there."

As Matt pulled into the hospital parking lot, he practically skidded to a stop, parking crookedly in his rush to get out of the car. He ran around to your side, opening the door for you, his hands shaking as he helped you out.

"You’re doing so good," Matt said, his voice softer now, more grounded as he wrapped his arm around your waist, helping you walk. "We’re almost there, I promise."

Nick kept the camera rolling, filming as the nurses rushed over with a wheelchair the moment you entered the lobby. "Alright, we’re officially at the hospital," Nick narrated into the camera. "It’s happening. The baby is coming."

Chris grabbed the hospital bag as Matt helped you into the wheelchair, the pain making it harder to focus on anything but getting to the delivery room. The nurses were quick, guiding you down the hall while Matt walked beside you, holding your hand the entire time.

Nick and Chris stayed back in the waiting area, Nick lowering his camera for a moment as they both sat down. "Well, I guess this is where we wait," Chris said, leaning back in his chair.

Nick nodded, glancing at the doors you had just disappeared behind. "I can’t believe it’s actually happening. We‘re gonna be uncles."

Chris grinned. "Uncle Chris has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?"

Nick picked up his camera again, aiming it at Chris. "Guess we’ll just have to sit tight and wait for the good news."

Inside the delivery room, the atmosphere was tense, but it had a sense of anticipation. The bright lights shone down on you as the nurses helped you get situated on the bed, Matt standing right beside you, gripping your hand like his life depended on it.

The nurse, adjusting her gloves, smiled down at you with a calm and experienced expression. "Alright, Y/N, you’re doing great. We’re at 9 centimeters now, so we’re almost there. It’s going to be intense, but you’re strong, and we’re right here."

You squeezed Matt’s hand tightly as another contraction hit, the pain spreading through your body like fire. It was overwhelming, and all you could do was close your eyes, trying to breathe through it. "Oh my God... Matt..." you whimpered, your voice strained.

"I’m here, babe," Matt said, his voice full of panic but also so much love. His thumb stroked the back of your hand, though his hand was shaking. "You’re doing amazing. Just keep breathing, okay? You’ve got this."

The contraction passed, leaving you breathless, and you took a moment to relax before the next wave came. "I don’t know if I can do this," you whispered, the pain and exhaustion taking over. "It hurts so much."

Matt knelt beside you, his forehead touching yours, his eyes filled with nothing but admiration and concern. "You’re the strongest person I know, Y/N. I swear, you’re doing incredible. She’s almost here, just a little more. I’m right here with you."

The doctor entered the room, checking your progress, and nodded. "Alright, Y/N, it’s time. You’re fully dilated, and we’re going to need you to push with the next contraction."

Your heart raced as you nodded, trying to prepare yourself mentally for what was coming. You had read about this, learned about it in birthing classes, but nothing could prepare you for the actual moment.

Another contraction hit, this one even more intense, and the doctor’s voice cut through the pain. "Alright, Y/N, big push, let’s go!"

You gritted your teeth, grabbing onto Matt’s hand like it was a lifeline, and pushed with everything you had. The pressure was unbearable, and you let out a scream, your body trembling with the effort.

"You’re doing so good, babe!" Matt’s voice was shaky, his eyes wide as he watched. "Just keep going, you’re so close."

The nurse beside you smiled, her voice encouraging. "That’s it, Y/N! You’re doing great. Keep pushing."

You gasped for air as the contraction faded, your body collapsing back against the bed for a brief moment of relief. But before you could catch your breath, another contraction surged through you, and the doctor was right there again.

"Alright, Y/N, here comes another one! Big push again, you’re almost there!"

The pain was all-encompassing, but you pushed through it, literally, gripping Matt’s hand and bearing down with everything you had. "I can’t..." you cried out, feeling like you were at your limit.

"You can!" Matt said quickly, his voice almost desperate. "You’ve come this far, just one more, baby. Please, you’ve got this."

"One more push, Y/N," the doctor echoed, her voice steady and reassuring. "You’re almost there, I can see the head!"

That gave you the final bit of strength you needed. You let out a deep breath and bore down one last time, pushing through the pain and exhaustion, feeling the pressure change as your baby started to emerge.

And then... it happened. A sharp cry filled the room.

You collapsed back against the bed, tears streaming down your face as you heard her — your baby girl — crying for the first time. The doctor held her up, and Matt’s breath hitched in his throat, his eyes wide and filled with tears. "She’s... she’s here," he whispered, his voice breaking.

The doctor gently laid her on your chest, and the world seemed to stop. She was perfect. Tiny, red-faced, still crying, her little body covered in vernix, but she was perfect. You wrapped your arms around her, feeling her warmth against you, and the tears flowed freely down your cheeks. "Hi, baby," you whispered, your voice trembling with emotion. "Hi, Mavis."

Matt leaned down beside you, his hand trembling as he touched her tiny head. "She’s... she’s so beautiful," he breathed, his eyes glistening with tears. "You did it, Y/N. You brought her here."

The nurse smiled warmly, giving you both a moment to bond with her before gently speaking up. "Matt, would you like to cut the umbilical cord?"

Matt’s eyes widened, but he nodded quickly, standing up a little too fast in his nervous excitement. "Yeah, yes! Of course." He took the small pair of scissors the nurse handed him and, with shaking hands, cut the cord, his face filled with awe as he completed the task. "Wow," he whispered, as if the weight of the moment had just fully hit him.

You smiled up at him through your tears. "You’re officially a dad now."

Matt laughed, wiping his face quickly before leaning down to kiss you softly on the forehead. "And you’re officially a mom. You’re amazing, Y/N."

As you both looked down at Mavis, she was still nestled against you, her little body calming as she snuggled into your skin. The room was filled with a peaceful quiet now, the chaos of the birth replaced by the soft coos of your newborn daughter.

In the Waiting Room

Out in the waiting area, Nick was pacing nervously, his camera trained on Chris, who sat bouncing his leg anxiously. "Alright, it’s been like... hours, and we haven’t heard anything yet," Nick narrated into the camera. "This is intense."

Chris nodded, leaning back in his chair.

After what felt like forever, Matt finally came out, his face tired but beaming with the biggest smile they’d ever seen. He didn’t say a word at first, just motioned them over with his hands.

Nick immediately started filming, the camera shaky as he rushed over to Matt. "Well? Well?"

Matt grinned, his eyes red with tears. "Mavis Rose is here."

Chris let out a whoop, pulling Matt into a tight hug. "Congrats, bro! You did it!"

Nick lowered the camera for a second, wiping his eyes before raising it back up. "I’m not crying, you’re crying," he muttered, his voice thick with emotion.

"Do you want to meet her?" Matt asked, smiling so wide it looked like his face might split in two.

"Uh, duh!" Chris said, standing up quickly. "We’ve been waiting for hours!"

Inside the room, you were still holding Mavis, her tiny body curled against you as she slept peacefully. Matt led Chris and Nick inside, and the moment they saw her, both of them froze.

Nick was the first to break the silence, his camera still rolling. "Oh my God," he whispered, zooming in on Mavis’s tiny face. "She’s... so tiny."

Chris leaned over to get a closer look, his face softening in a way you hadn’t seen before. "I’m Uncle Chris now," he said, grinning proudly. "Damn, she’s beautiful."

You laughed softly, still exhausted but full of happiness. "Yeah, she really is."

Nick lowered the camera just enough to lean in and gently touch her tiny hand. "Uncle Nick’s here baby girl," he said softly, his voice full of emotion. "Welcome to the world."

Matt sat beside you on the bed, wrapping an arm around you as you both looked down at Mavis, surrounded by family. You knew in that moment that everything was perfect

Matt, who had been quietly watching, grinned at Nick and Chris, the pride in his eyes evident. "Want to hold her?" Matt asked softly, glancing between the two of them.

Chris’s eyes widened, and he took a small step back. "Wait, me? Are you sure? I don’t want to drop her or something. I’ve never held a newborn before."

You smiled and gestured for him to come closer. "You’ll be fine, Chris. Just be careful with her head."

"Alright, alright, but if she starts crying, you’re taking her back immediately," Chris said, moving in slowly like he was handling fragile glass. Nick held his camera steady, capturing every moment. Matt gently helped Chris cradle Mavis into his arms, adjusting her head in the crook of Chris's elbow.

Chris looked down at her, his face unreadable for a second, until a soft smile spread across it. "Holy crap... she’s even tinier up close," he murmured. "She’s... she’s perfect."

Nick smirked from behind the camera. "Who would've thought Chris would turn into a softy."

"Shut up, Nick," Chris muttered, but he didn't take his eyes off Mavis, completely mesmerized.

Nick grinned. "Alright, my turn. Pass her over, big guy."

Carefully, Chris handed Mavis to Nick, who adjusted her gently in his arms. The change in Nick was immediate — the goofy, sarcastic vibe was gone, and for a moment, he was completely quiet. "Whoa," he whispered, his eyes wide. "She’s so light... and warm." He glanced up at you and Matt. "I can't believe you guys made her. Like... she's real."

You and Matt exchanged a look, both of you smiling through your tears. "Yeah, she's real," you said softly, brushing a hand over Mavis's tiny head. "And she’s going to be so spoiled by all of you."

Nick laughed quietly, glancing down at Mavis with a fond smile. "Oh, you better believe it. I’m gonna be the coolest uncle."

Matt chuckled. "We might have to fight Chris on that one."

Chris crossed his arms, pretending to look offended. "I’m definitely the favorite already. Just wait."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, well, I’ve already got some outfits in mind for her. Pink Vans. A little leather jacket. She’s going to be the most stylish baby out there."

Matt grinned, leaning against the bed, his arm still wrapped around you. "That actually sounds pretty cool. As long as she’s comfy."

You laughed softly, the exhaustion from the labor hitting you in waves but the love surrounding you making it all worth it. "You’re all going to spoil her rotten."

Nick handed Mavis back to you carefully, and you cradled her close, feeling her tiny body settle against yours. Her little breaths were soft, her tiny fist gripping onto your shirt like she never wanted to let go.

Matt leaned over and kissed your forehead, his voice soft and filled with awe. "You did it, Y/N. She’s finally here. Our little girl."

Chris and Nick, still hovering nearby, shared a look. "We should give them a little time alone," Chris said, nudging Nick with his elbow.

Nick nodded, though his eyes lingered on Mavis for a moment longer. "Yeah, you’re right. We’ll be in the waiting room if you need us. Just... let us know when you’re ready for some more uncle time."

You smiled at them as they quietly left the room, leaving you and Matt alone with your daughter.

As you looked down at Mavis, tears welled in your eyes once more. It was overwhelming — the love you felt for this tiny human, the warmth of Matt beside you, and the family you had both created.

Your little girl was finally here.

[yoarasheesh]

Iida Tenya having a crush on his senpai - Iida Tenya x Reader

(headcanons that got out of hand and turned into a bullet-point scenario)

• You first met when your classes had joint training - 2-A, as the younger ones, were roleplaying as the injured, and 3-A as the rescue party.

• He was sitting, leaning on the wall behind him. Soon after the exercise has started, you ran into the faux-burning building and knelt next to him. After reading his casualty card, you took your mask off, looked him in the eyes, and said in a serious and reassuring tone "I'm gonna get you out of here - don't you worry"

• Oh boy. His heart sure did skip a beat.

• And then you just picked him up, like he doesn't weigh anything to you?! He's definitely not a small guy, and yet, you carried him out of the building on your shoulders with ease. He was really glad he was wearing his helmet, because he was absolutely certain that his face currently flashed a bright red color.

• After those classes, he paid a close attention to you at school. Whenever there was a chance to look at his upperclass men training, he was admiring your strength and dedication. He regretted not telling you how impressed he was by your confidence and professionalism after your common training, so he made sure to publicly praise you whenever there was a chance.

• If there was any occasion to do this without looking suspicious, he would go up to you and ask for advice about hero techniques, and also your plans after graduating ("it's very important to do research among your upperclassmen!!")

• He caught himself thinking about you more often - about your confidence and heroism, about the things others could take an example from (how maybe he would like to spend more time with you...)

• After he stated during lunch that your performance during the sports festival was brilliant, and your mastery of your quirk is exquisite, Uraraka pointed out that, well, Iida-kun must certainly have a crush on you, looking how much he talks about you, and *how* he talks about you.

• He immediately protested, although the red color of his face and increased speed of hand-chops were somewhat of a clue that he wasn't *exacly telling the truth*.

He said that it would be very unprofessional to go after your upperclassmen in a school preparing for serious work, and he shouldn't be distracted you from your studies, as you're nearing graduation! Also, it would be demeaning to your abilities, if he praised you only because he had a crush on you!

• But oh boy, did he have a crush on you. Obviously it wasn't the reason he admired you, actually, it was the other way around. He just for some strange reason felt the need to inform others how great you are. Maybe that was because he felt the need for others to agree how amazing you were, so he would feel more like a kohei trying to catch an occasion to learn from his upperclassmen, and less like a *hopelessly puppylove-striken schoolboy*?

• He obviously went to his older brother for advice.

• In short, Tensei told him that he shouldn't worry about your graduation, because after you graduate and start working it'll only get more busy. Besides, doing hero doesn't come in the way of romantic relationships *that much*, especially if both parties are in the same profession ("look at out parents for example!") And so what if you're older? If you think Tenya's a good guy for you, a year one way or another shouldn't matter.

• Well, he certainly helped with some of Tenya's dilemmas.

• He decided he should ask you out, if not on a proper date (yet!! he didn't want to come off as overbearing - and as a proper date he meant the real deal, a restaurant, fancy clothing, candle-light...), then at least to spend some time together outside of school.

• During lunch break he came up to your table and asked if he can speak with you privately, causing your friends to exchange curious glances. After you came with him to a place where it was unlikely for somebody to listen to your conversation, he bowed and asked if you would be willing to go for a walk with him after school. He understands if you decline, as he's sure you're a person who knows how to make themselves busy, and even if you don't have any other plans, you also don't have to go if you simply don't want to!

• After you agreed, he stood up straight again.

"Well, I'll see you then!" he said, while bowing his head again, and walked away to sit with his friends, his calm demeanour hiding the fact that his heart was absolutely pounding, and that he just felt more stress than in any of his hero training.

• As much as he felt it would be appropriate to dress more elegantly to a meeting with a girl, he kept reminding himself that it's casual, that this isn't a date, just a simple walk - that's why he finally decided to wear his usual polo shirt.

• He felt his heart skip a beat again when you came to the place you agreed upon, wearing civilian clothing. He liked very much how you looked in the U.A. uniform, and he didn't expect your casual wear to be so *cute*.

• As you walked around the campus park and you explained your special hero techniques to him, he thought how good it is that soon the society will have you as their hero. Your honesty and confidence were inspiring to him - he strived to be like you, as a hero.

• As you were sitting on a bench, he didn't notice when he zoned out - when instead focusing on your words, he thought how gorgeously your eyelashes surrounded your eyes, and how your cheeks were slightly flushed, and how your lips perfectly suited your face- *oh how he wanted to touch these lips*

• "Iida-kun?"

• *Oh no.* He panicked when he realised he was caught. He didn't know what to tell you, he just froze. He obviously couldn't tell you that he liked you, that would be *so* out of place-

• You turned your head to him, looking up to his flushed face.

"Why- why did you invite me to this walk, Iida-kun?" you asked after a few moments of silence, looking away, your hair falling down to cover your face.

• "I-..." he just stood there, looking at your face. But wait... Are- are you blushing? Is that what he's seeing? Oh no, did he embarass you?! Or... or maybe you felt the same way as him...?

He clenched his fist, feeling how much he was currently sweating.

• Suddenly, you grabbed his hand (*oh no, you're going to feel all the sweat on his hand!*) and looked him deep in the eyes.

• "Iida-kun, *how* do you feel about me?"

• He felt his heart pounding, and a nervous feeling in his stomach. But oh, how he loved this moment, you being so close, holding his hand... He admired your face, the flushing of your cheeks, the eyes looking at him with this *emotion* inside, the slight partment of the lips, awaiting the answer...

• As your faces got closer, he saw you looking through half lidded eyes at his lips, and he was unknowingly doing the same thing.

The next thing he knew, your soft lips were pressed agains his, the warmth from them coursing through his entire body. Oh, they might be just the softest thing he touched in his life.

His chest might just burst now. He felt his breath quicken, and his blood flowing - he squeezed your hand, delighting in the moment.

• As you two finally parted he looked you for a few moments, with something you could only describe as love-eyes... Until he suddenly stood up in front of you and bowed frantically.

• "Y/N-san, I like you!! Would you please be my girlfriend??"

[celebrimborium]

Amazon waiting to renew...

I'm part of the (invite-only) Amazon Preview program where Amazon Studios send you questionnaires about their content to get audience feedback.

A couple days ago I got a survey about The Rings of Power Season 2. It was extremely detailed and took me an hour to complete.

One question early on basically point blank asked how I'd feel about the show getting cancelled (options ranging from "extremely disappointed" to "not at all disappointed").

Take that for what you will.

(Fwiw I do think S3 has been soft-greenlit but Amazon is mulling it over due to the viewership numbers and they will likely retool the show and exert stronger influence, however long it may take and whatever budget cuts this might spell.)

[royalarchivist]

I say this in the kindest way possible, but I think this style of prose is more appropriate for a personal account rather than an update account. I have no idea who's being talked about half the time. 🥲

[ Tumblr meme via @mikaikaika ]

[dancingwiththeplanets]

@nekotaetae thank you 🥹💖💖

I’ve always felt that Wolffe has this really shy and cautious side to him when it comes to life outside the GAR… when he’s not being Commander Wolffe. I hope I’m not the only one 🙈

Wolffe Pup

Commander Wolffe x fem!reader

masterlist

Summary: You introduce a very timid Wolffe to your adoptive daughter and it's love at first sight.

a/n: I've decided to make my annual reappearance with no explanation as to where I've been and a 5k Wolffe x fem!reader story to melt your hearts. Enjoy ;)

Your fingers fidget anxiously with each other. The platform is busy. Of course, it’s always hectic the first few hours after a campaign, but maybe everything seems busier today with all the thoughts racing through your head. 

Today was the day Wolffe was going to meet your babygirl. Your sweet, little Aurora.

The thought brings tears to your eyes. She's everything to you, that bubbly little thing. The biggest cheeks, toothless smile, and deep brown eyes that somehow remind you of Wolffe’s. 

He wasn’t even a part of your life when you went through the adoption process. Or even when you’d finally taken her home. You and Wolffe met a few months into your journey through single motherhood. You were young, yes, but stable enough in your job, and always yearned to care for a little baby and give her all the love someone else couldn’t.  

Wolffe never pushed for you to share your daughter’s life with him, and you made sure to give yourself the time to get acquainted with her first. To build the bond and love between you two, even though you felt it from the first time you held her. And Wolffe was so patient and understanding with you wanting to take your time introducing him to Aurora. But at the same time, you shared so much with him because you knew he loved it, and it just warmed your heart how calm and attentive he was, with a little smile on his face, when you showed him pictures of her little growing body and shared with him how she was doing. You knew he already felt like she was a part of his life. 

So here you waited, nervously. Biting your nails now. You’ve tucked yourself into your corner, the ‘safe place’ Wolffe designated as yours long ago, saying it was too chaotic in this place for you to ever be wandering around searching for him and vice versa. Though you have a sneaking suspicion his orders have something to do with the time he found you surrounded by a bunch of his flirting troopers- shiny’s, obviously- far away from your agreed waiting point that time. That’s not a mistake any knowing trooper would make with the Commander’s girl. And unfortunately for them, Wolffe didn’t seem to care that Boost had definitely put them up to it, snickering at the shiny’s petrified faces as their Commander marched in their direction and fortified himself in front of you. 

You really did try not to laugh. But they did look like they’d just found out they were committing treason or something. It would have been extremely funny if you didn’t catch sight of that frightening scowl on Wolffe’s face as he turned away from them, before softening it to a look of concern. 

“If they bothered you, I’ll assign them to hard labor in the cargo bay for 10 months, not 5. Just say the word.” 

“They weren’t bothering me, Wolffe.” You smiled, encouraging the frown to disappear from his stern face. 

He let out a huff, “Well that makes one of us.”

Your cheeks tug upwards just thinking about him, about how irritated he’d been with the men– pretty furious actually. Shouting out retributions and threatening to sanction them all to Fox for prison guard duty. He’s truly not that harsh though. You were held tight under his arm, wide-eyed and shocked by his reaction as he shouted, to the point where you had to intervene and tell him it was just harmless fun. His gloved fingers were firm around your arm, unhappy eyes softening as he looked at you regrettably before finally yelling at his troopers to get lost and whispering something to you about encouraging them too much. 

The memory makes you giggle, and warms your cheeks as you remember to relax and just wait for your Commander to come by for you. Butterflies in your stomach and a shy smile on your face, it’s hard to contain your giddiness, you’re just so excited to see him… It’s a special day. 

You finally spot a distinctly marked helmet emerging from the crowd. Not quite the trooper you were hoping for, but you’re pleased nonetheless. Where there’s a Boost, there’s usually a Wolffe. 

You smile brightly at the trooper as he approaches, thankful to see that he’s made it home safely. You know how much these boys mean to their Commander. 

He raises his hand up in an awkward wave, looking a little stiff as he walks over to you and pulls off his helmet. You would be concerned about his behavior if it weren't for the smile that he tossed your way, albeit laced with discomfort.

You raise your eyebrows at him in a ‘what did you do now’ manner, assuming Wolffe’s tardiness is because of him. 

“Uh, hey vod'ika.” He says, coming to a stop in front of you. 

“Hi Boost, successful mission?” You ask, smiling politely.

“Yeah, um, look…I need to apologize for… something,” He says, his hand raising to nervously scratch at the back of his neck. 

You frown a bit, confused but ready to let him say his piece, “Okay?”

“It’s uh, about Wolffe.”

He hesitates, eyes darting up and down like he’s having a hard time maintaining eye contact with you. You give him an encouraging nod, attempting a small smile again despite the pit in your stomach growing bigger, “Okay?”

“It’s just that, uh,” He clears his throat, adjusting the hold on his helmet. “Well w-we knew the Commander was, uh,” Another grunt to clear the windpipe, “Just, uh, that he was going to be meeting your-uh…your daughter,” This time he coughs, seeming to struggle with the admission, “Uh, you know, whenever it was that we got back, that is..”

The smile was wiped clean off your face halfway through that sentence.

“Okay.”

You can see the panic flashing in his eyes, noting your less than pleased reaction already, but wanting to quickly explain the situation, “And..um… well we may have given him,” Another cough, “A little bit too hard of a time about meeting her.”

Insult and defensiveness immediately boils your blood, your frown quickly morphing into a scowl, “What about meeting my daughter?”

His eyes widen immediately, “Oh! No no - osik - no, it’s nothing like that, it's just- ah,“ He sighs, covering his face with both hands and grumbling curses in Mando'a. “Look I’m so sorry it’s just… he was all excited and-”

“-I know he was excited, is he not anymore?” You ask, anxiety and worry making you sound more angry than shaken - which you definitely feel.  

Boosts face morphs further into panic at your distressed reaction, quickly raising his hands in a harmless motion, “No! He's been so looking forward to it! Beaming with pride, ma’am..” He rushes, sounding desperate. “But we… the pack I mean, uh…we may have sort of insinuated that… well that…”

“That what?” You ask, sounding more hurt now. 

He winces, his voice sounding small as he mutters, shamefully, “..that your baby would burst into tears at the sight of his face.” 

Your mouth hits the floor, utterly mortified, “You what!” 

“We’re so sorry, vod’ika.” A second remorseful voice speaks behind you. You whip around to see Comet, approaching you slowly and looking like a kicked puppy.

“C-Comet! Boost! You know how insecure he is about his scar!” You snap, your own nerves getting the better of you. “What in the galaxy did you say?” 

“It was harmless teasing at first! Honest!” Boost defends, jumping back in. “Just stupid stuff about wearing a baby harness over his armor and being a dad and…and he laughed along at first, seemed to like the teasing actually..the boys caught sight of his datapad and, look it was just harmless teasing!”

You sigh, trying to level your disappointment and anxiety. “What’s this about his datapad?” 

“His..? Oh, the picture of you. A-and your daughter. Ma’am.”

“Her name is Aurora.” You grumble, the sadness growing in your chest. 

“Right,” Comet says, a hand coming to rest on your shoulder. “Aurora, that’s a beautiful name.” He says, an apologetic and guilty smile on his face. “She’s beautiful vod’ika.” 

Your heart tugs a little at the words. She is. The most beautiful. 

“Well I know that.” You still scoff, though your temper calms down a bit. “Wolffe..showed you a picture?”

Comet rubs the back of his neck, nervously looking at Boost, “Not exactly, we grabbed his datapad when we caught sight of the resting screen image. Sorta, passed it around out of his reach.”

“Which picture?” You ask reluctantly. Wolffe saved a picture of you and Aurora as his resting screen image? When had you even sent him one?

“A very beautiful picture.” Comet smiles, “the two of you cuddling or something. She’s laughing.”

Your heart flutters. 

Oh, that picture. 

On his last excursion you’d woken up to a message he’d sent after you fell asleep. The 104th had decided to head out early the next morning into a droid-heavy sector on an already hostile planet. You knew you probably wouldn’t be hearing from him for a few days, which was enough on its own to keep you seriously on edge without the added risk, but he promised he’d be careful and told you he loved you.

You didn’t even think twice about pulling your babygirl up close and snapping a photo. Come home safe to us, you wrote. It was you and your Aurora…she had a big smile on her face as you tickled her, her ear gently caught between your teeth as you bared them like a rascally pup chewing on its favorite toy. It’s one of your favorite pictures of the two of you ever, so silly and tender at the same time, Rory shining front and center in that one, and he set it as his datapad screen.. 

You couldn't help the little smile, just imagining him shouting orders in the strategy room or walking through the hanger holding the datapad, image flashing to life every time he lifted it in his grasp.  You have no doubts, you want that man in your little girl's life. 

These thoughts bring you to sigh, before scowling at the boys in front of you. These di’kuts. You know deep down how much Wolffe has been looking forward to this. It was something you never would have expected from the hot-blooded Commander. You’re not even sure he realized how invested he was in what you had. You think most women venturing into single parenthood would feel confused, maybe threatened, meeting a man who so desperately wants to be a part of little Aurora’s life in any way you shared with him, even if he tried to suppress it and not put that on you. 

He was so patient and understanding with you wanting to take your time introducing him. But at the same time, you shared so much with him because you knew he loved it, and truthfully it just warmed your heart how smiley he would get when you showed him pictures and told him how she was doing. You knew he already felt like she was a part of his life. 

Which evidently now was a problem. “You guys,” you sighed, rubbing your hands over your face, “This is not good I-I don’t know what to do-“

“Please, please, don’t be mad at him if he’s weird, vod’ika,” Comet pleads, bringing you back to the moment, and reminding you that now, you were extra pissed. “It was our fault! You-” he sighs, pain filling his features, “-You should have seen his face when the words left Sinker’s mouth, we got in his head.”

Boost groans at Comet’s words, distress covering his face at the apparent horrific memory. 

“What exactly did he say?” You grit, still not sure if you’re feeling more defensive over Wolffe or your baby right now. 

The two look at each other, deciding who has to be the one to say it. Comet, being the youngest, gets the short end of the stick and crumbles under his brother's glare. 

He sighs, defeated, before speaking, “That the second the baby was in Wolffe’s arms and she got a good look at his scar and the eye she’d burst into tears kicking to get away from him and then his eye would have one of those stress malfunctions and twist around in weird directions before smoking so he’d have to pop it out and then he’d drop it because he’s so uncoordinated and it’d roll on the floor so he’d have a gaping hole in his face which does actually look very frightening and he’d be trying to catch his robotic eyeball as it rolled on the floor and she would be so mortified and scarred that she could never look at him without screaming again.”

The two are silent as you process the words. 

You can’t even say anything. Hands rubbing your eyes and slowly trying to catalog the damage in your head, before sighing, exasperated. You look back up at the boys, both of whom have their heads hung low and regret painting their features, having relived the admittedly vivid horror story concocted by their brother. 

“Right. And where. Is. Sinker.” You demand. 

“Hiding from you, ma’am.”

—————————

Thankfully, Wolffe met you with the same loving embrace and press to your forehead that he always did after a mission. 

Everything was reassuringly normal, until you got into the lift of your building.

“Um…Wolffe?” You ask calmly, noticing the nervous tap of his fingers against his belt, each gloved finger making a loud, tacky noise of resistance with the contact, echoing in the silent elevator. 

"Yes?" He turns to you, immediately stopping the action as well as the swaying on his feet and giving you his complete attention.

“Is everything okay?”

His eyes widen a bit in realization. “Oh. Yes, ma’am! Uh, I-I mean yes, beautiful.” A not so convincing smile spreads across his face.

You arch an eyebrow at him, hoping to lighten the tension with a playful, “Yes ma’am, huh?” 

“S-sorry, love.” He says, attempting a small smile while he adjusts something on his wrist vambrace, “It was a long tour I…I guess I’m a little tense. It was hard on the men and…there was just a lot to do.” 

You smile at him understandingly, the lift door opening. 

Almost there…

You unlock the door. 

We can do this Wolffe… 

“C-cyare,” Wolffe stutters, “Look, m-maybe we should do this another time. I- I don’t think I’m up for this-” He frowns, lowering his gaze to the corner of the tight space.

“Wolffe, seriously, that’s enough.” You frown, sounding unimpressed. “What are you worried about?”

“W-what if she doesn’t like me?” 

“Oh my god.” 

“No” he sighs, “You don’t understand I’m- just look at me. I’m not soft, I’m not pretty, I don’t know how to sing lullabies for crying out-” He huffs, “I don’t even know what babies like to talk about!” 

“Wolffe, seriously, I love my daughter to death, but you are giving an infant old way too much intellectual credit.” You say rolling your eyes. 

Those boys are dead. 

Wolffe sighs again, running a hand over his hair, “But love, you…you don’t understand. She’s going to take one look at me and that will just be it. And then-” His eyes widen, dread swallowing his facial expression, “O-oh my God, my eye. The scar, the cybernetic, wh-what if it scares her-” Wolffe’s face is flashing with absolute horror as he builds up the worst possible scenario in his mind.

Shit, shit, shit. 

What to do..what to do…think...

“Come on,” You say with finality. If you know one thing about your Commander. It’s that the best way to have him deal with a situation, is to give him no other choice than to face it in the heat of battle. 

Your hand hovers over the open button on the control panel. 

“Wait!” Wolffe suddenly snaps, hand snatching your wrist in place.

“Ahh!” You scream, startled. Your arm immediately shoves Wolffe on the shoulder, his form swaying only slightly from the movement “Wolffe! Seriously, you are making me so tense right now!”

“I-I’m sorry it’s just,” He sighs, ”I-if she hates me...please don’t break up with me.”

“Wolffe,” You laugh in exasperation, starting to feel more sympathetic for your poor boyfriend. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you..” You say, lying straight through your teeth. “But I need you to know everything’s going to be fine. I promise. My girl’s got good taste, and she already knows your face. I’ve shown her a million times. I know she’ll love you.”

Wolffe stares down at you with soft eyes. Looking away briefly before straightening up and giving you a gentle nod. 

Your stomach flips with nerves and excitement as you step through the opening door. There’s no way this could go wrong. Not with your Aurora. Certainly not with your Wolffe. No matter how hard and unyielding this man may be in war, even with his brothers, it’s his love and responsibility over them that makes him so stern. He’s protective, he’s caring. 

You try to conceal your own excitement, seeing your little bundle all cozied up in the Nurse Droid’s pouch. Wow, you’ve missed her. You press a gentle little kiss to her head, but don’t want to give Wolffe long enough to start backing for the door before he meets her. 

“Wolffe…this is Aurora,” You say, calmly moving a sleeping Aurora from the nurse-droid’s pouch and into Wolffe’s tense arms. His eyes widen in surprise, arms quickly shifting to find a way to hold her as the slight weight of her slowly lets into his arms. 

His eyes dart around in panic, looking at you nervously for direction. 

“Introduce yourself, Wolffe,” You say quietly, almost unable to contain your excitement at this image before you. “She’s been waiting to meet you.”

Wolffe’s body relaxes slowly. You recognize the almost invisible deep breath he takes in before letting his eyes land on your daughter's sleeping face, and it’s almost as if her peaceful state transmits into Wolffe’s nerves the second he lets himself look at her, really look at her. 

“A-Aurora.” He mutters, more to himself, causing a smile to creep onto your face. You can hear the calm slipping into him like a trance. 

“Yeah,” You almost whisper, placing a hand on her blanket in his arms, the other resting supportively on the Wolfpack emblem on his pauldron, hoping to further distribute a semblance of calm between the two of them. The last thing you need is for Aurora to scare Wolffe away by waking up in his arms screaming. 

That would take some work to repatch. 

“I don’t really call her Aurora much anymore, though.” You whisper, eyes captivated by the image of your girl engulfed delicately by Wolffe’s strong arms. 

“O-oh?” He asks, almost distractedly, glancing up at you before looking back down at the little warm bundle again. 

“Yeah,” You hum, “I’ve been calling her Rory.” 

You hear a deep yet sharp inhale, delivered almost laboriously slow so as not to unsettle the sleeping baby in his arms, “R-Rory?” He asks, his deep voice losing a bit of its composure. 

You grin, finally glancing up at Wolffe, having forgotten to make sure he was comfortable with the encounter so far. And you weren’t all that surprised when he didn’t meet your gaze, still looking at your daughter’s peaceful features. “Like…like roar-y?” He gulps, eyes wide like he’s looking straight into a bright star, “Like a-”

“-Like an animal roar,” You giggle under your breath, “Yeah, I thought you might hear it that way. But it’s R-o-r-y, Rory.”

You look up at Wolffe again, expecting to see a look of amusement on his face, but you’re slightly alarmed to see his features tense, lips pulled back into a tight line and jaw tightly set as he continues gazing at her.

“O-oh.. Wolffe, I’m sorry is this too much? A-are you okay?-” “-That’s the cutest fucking name I’ve ever heard in my life.”

You pull your lips between your teeth, trying not to give away that you’re absolutely elated, surging with love and excitement, unable to hide the smile breaking out on your face. 

“She’s…she’s so beautiful. So much more than in the pictures.” Wolffe mutters, “She looks just like you.”

You can’t suppress the laugh that escapes you at that, muffling it as best you can in front of sleeping Rory. “Wolffe, I didn't give birth to her.”

“She still looks just like you.” He mutters seriously, shaking his head in disbelief at your little girl. 

You admire your boyfriend holding your daughter in his arms. A Commander, hardened by war and tragedy in his life, gently caressing your daughter's forehead with his thumb, you don’t even think he realizes he’s doing it. Her little head small enough in his palm that he can support her neck and reach all the way around her to stroke her features. Your heart swells with heavy emotions, bringing tears to your eyes at the raw beauty of this moment.

You hate to interrupt them, but Rory runs on her own clock, and evidently…”It’s pretty late Wolffe,” You murmur, leaning up whisper in his ear. “I think Rory needs to rest in the nursery now.” 

“O-oh,” He says, shaking his head gently as if coming out of a daze. Yup, you’ve definitely lost your boyfriend to your daughter, and you are totally and completely okay with it. “Of course.” He looks down at Rory and then to your arms, awkwardly leaning forward for you to take her but not quite sure how to maneuver her without disturbing her slumber. However, he looks slightly heartbroken that his brief time with her is up. 

“Why don’t you take care of her, I’ll show you where to go so you know where you can find her,” You say gently, adding an encouraging smile at the end. 

He straightens up, nodding dutifully at the responsibility and taking extra care to follow you down the hallway into Rory’s nursery. 

He knows where the room is already, but he’s not going to argue for you to take the little girl away from his arms. When you reach her crib, he’s hesitant to place her down, but with some light instruction he settles her in easily. Admittedly it does take some extra coaxing for you to pull him out of there, reassuring him for the umpteeth time as you close the door that no she does not need any blankets and yes she will be perfectly fine. 

“You’re closing the door?” He asks, bewildered at the barrier you’ve placed between yourselves and Rory. “But what if-”

“Wolffe,” You stop him, bracing him with a hand on each shoulder, “I promise you with all my heart that she’s okay in there. Now, come with me,” You guide him to your room, just a few steps down from your daughters, and lead him to his side of the bed. 

He immediately starts removing his armor, having spent the night here with you enough times for the motions to feel natural upon entry. Aurora always spent those nights with your mom or sister, few as they were. She was so little, and you were still getting to know Wolffe when you adopted Rory. You wanted to make sure it felt right to introduce them before you did. 

“Here,” You say, bringing the monitor from your bedside table around to him. “Listen.”

He takes the device in his hands with furrowed brows as he sits on the edge of the bed, looking curiously at it. You squat down in front of him, reaching for the volume knob and making sure it’s turned up a little bit more than usual. You can tell he’s about to ask what the monitor is for. Is it broken? Did you need him to fix it? Then you hear the babble of Rory mumbling in her sleep. 

The slumberful noise makes you smile, just as you know it will to Wolffe. As expected, the sweetest grin you’ve ever seen stretches Wolffe’s features, and he shyly tries to hide it, knowing you’re watching him, as he looks away from the device in his hands.

“Now you can hear her,” You say reassuringly, tenderly squeezing his knees as you rise. 

The two of you go to bed early, using Rory as an excuse to cuddle quietly in bed and whisper to each other for hours, wrapped up in each other's arms. Wolffe detaches himself from your arms every so often to make sure the volume on Rory’s monitor is working alright, normally when she gets too silent. It feels wonderful and warm and extra special to be held tightly in Wolffe’s grasp this time, like you’ve shared the most beautiful part of yourself with him and he embraced it more than you could have even hoped. 

—--------------- 

You wake to a sound you’re all too accustomed to. Groaning instinctively at the high pitched cries ripping through the monitor. Your arm swings out to your bedside table to lower the volume a little as you roll towards the edge of the bed, only to waft against the air when you do. 

Instead, you hear a deep groan, then a startled gasp in the bed as Wolffe bolts up. And for a brief moment, you panic at the speed in which your boyfriend is sprinting out of the bed and towards your door.

“Wolffe, wait!” You shout, completely awake now as you jump up and catch his arm just outside the door.

“But it’s- it’s Rory! She’s…she’s..” He gasps, nearly pulling out of your grasp, but slowing his stead when you’ve gently wrapped your arms around him, sensing that he should listen to you first.

You sigh, relieved that you prevented your boyfriend from bursting into your daughter's nursery ready to fight off a threat, probably scaring her in the process.

“Hey, she’s okay, hey.” You say, guiding his face to look at you. “She’s okay, I promise.”

He looks a little confused, eyes still swimming with alarm from having woken up to the cries of your distressed baby. You can feel his heart pounding beneath the skin of his chest, he was scared. He’s used to waking up to blasters and bombs going off, and you feel awful for not preparing him for this, having experienced him jolting awake in the middle of the night, trembling and covered in sweat. Letting him hold you tightly to his overheated, sticky skin as he mutters needless apologies into your hair for waking you. 

The cries of Rory startled him at first, especially being such a disturbing, foreign sound. Jumping into soldier mode to take down the immediate threat is his body's natural reaction.. 

“Wolffe, look at me,” You mutter soothingly, one arm wrapping over the warm skin of his muscular shoulders, hand resting on his cheek, the other down by the waistband of his synthetic shorts. You trace gently against the black fabric hugging his form, hoping to calm him with your touch. 

The heat of his body radiates off him, warming your bare arms against his skin. You hope the skin-to-skin contact is as soothing to him as it is to you. 

“Babies cry…a lot.” You explain gently, “Aurora has trouble sleeping through the night still, she’s probably just hungry.” 

“Oh I-I knew that. I’m,” He sighs, eyes closing as he looks down in shame, “I’m sorry.”

“No my love, please don’t be. I know you just want to protect her.” You say, pressing a warm kiss on his collarbone, then pulling him down to press your lips into his cheek. “Come see, it’s okay.”

You have Wolffe leaned back in the nursing chair holding Rory and a bottle in no time. Her eyes are glued to his face. Unblinking, calm, analyzing each of his features through whatever sharpness of vision she has at this age. Wolffe isn’t any different, you notice, letting her take him in while he does the same. You allow your gaze to follow his, looking at each of her sleepy, delicate little eyelids, her button nose, those cheeks that you just want to smother in kisses. It’s so hard not to squeeze this little thing with how much you love her. 

“So,” Wolffe grumbles, sounding gruff and sleepy, but peaceful. “You…you don’t think she's afraid of the scar?”

“Are you kidding,” You say gently, “Those eyes look pretty relaxed to me.” 

You smile, continuing to gaze into your daughter's face. Wolffe holding a milk bottle in his hand and feeding it to her with strong, steady hands. She almost doesn’t blink, the way she’s staring up at him, big eyes stretching uncomfortably wide to get a good look. Pure curiosity and interest swimming in her pupils. Her gaze flutters down his face minutely, before resting on his eyes again. It’s unbearably captivating, and you shake your head at her reaction to him. 

“If anything,” You add with a giggle, “I think she’s going, ‘damn, look at that scar. Nobody’s gonna mess with me with this guy around.”

A small grin spreads across Wolffe’s face, and despite the forced doubt in his tone, you know he’s eating every word up, “Yeah, I’m sure that’s exactly what she’s thinking.” He says with an eye roll. 

“That’s what I thought,” You tease, flashing him with that endearing smile he claims can win him over anything.

He huffs, but the grin on his face spreads to a full fledged smile as he glances over your features, “Like mother, like daughter, eh?” 

“Mhm.”

[sarabethsilver]

It's so striking to me that Lorelai has no opinion about the fact Luke kicked Jess out because he prioritized work and independence over high school... since that is precisely what Lorelai did herself? She ALSO dropped out of high school right before reaching the finish line, despite being smart enough to graduate. She obviously managed to build an amazing life for herself anyway. She never once voices regret over dropping out. It was the right choice for her!

So the fact Luke judges Jess so harshly and kicks him out without hesitation over making the SAME CHOICE Lorelai made for herself? Yeah. If I were Lorelai, I'd have some opinions on that. It's weird that she doesn't. It's another example of Lorelai seeing similarities between herself and Jess... yet sincerely believing that he did not need or deserve the kind of loving support she so readily received as an 18yo dropout.

[lavenderspence]

I wish more people understood how important it is to interact with the things and writers you love - comment on their fics, reblog their fics, send them an ask telling them how you feel about their fics. your feedback might be that one thing that helps the writer keep going.

let this be your reminder that your feedback is not only appreciated, but it's also needed - show your writers love!

[writingwithfolklore]

You don’t need thick skin to be a writer

              One thing you’ll hear a lot is that to be a professional writer/artist/etc. is that you have to have thick skin. This isn’t true. Or at least, it’s not entirely true.

              You’re allowed to feel upset when you get negative feedback on your work. You’re allowed to cry, or scream into a pillow, or want to destroy your work and your laptop and give up on your dreams. You’re allowed to feel whatever you feel in the moment.

              What you actually need as a writer is not to numb these feelings out, but to make sure you don’t act on them. Cry, but don’t beg your editor or beta reader to take back their comments. Scream into a pillow, but don’t argue with the people who gave you feedback. Shut your laptop and think about getting rid of your work, but please please don’t actually delete anything.

              Because really, to be a writer isn’t to have thick skin but rather the determination and courage to keep going despite negative feedback. To critically reflect on feedback rather than just tossing it out because it upset you, and to keep your work even if you’re frustrated with it. If you can keep going, you can be a writer—no matter what your initial emotional reaction is.