#had to go back and read what a throwback

[ashton-ryder]

"Okay, sure thing," Ash nodded, having no problems with whatever they wanted to learn that's their decision, he can give people his opinion on what they should work on but he wasn't going to shadow them, they'll have to discipline themselves. "Then let's start with a few laps back and forth," he gestured from one end of the roof to the other, "work on your offensive techniques, ways to maim, harm, before we try them out."

He remembered enough of her current skill set to dive right into conditioning without having to reassess again at the start. Worked out well considering he usually preferred being on defensive. "Laps around the roof, whenever you're ready," Ash giving her the space, starting off slow with just conditioning of stamina, ready to join her on the quick runs around the roof. "And if you need a hard stop just let me know."

Little did either of them know a two meal offer would be like winning the lottery come spring time. For now it was a small wager with revisions still stocked and spices lining the shelves. Everyone's fridge was still on and Courtney was downstairs chatting with Ria in the community room.

Rosie did a little jog in place and twisted her arms back and forth to stretch her torso. In hindsight, she should have warmed up inside, the chillier weather out here already tightening her muscles. She was learning lessons already! Although infected wouldn't exactly wait for her to stretch while chasing her.

"Umm..." Usually Rosie went with Ash's schedule on training. He was a great teacher. Letting her pick today's exercise was as good a mark as planning out the others -- he was open to her decisions and what she wanted to focus on -- not just blazing through what he thought they should do. As always, Ash was considerate. He would have made a really good doctor, the medical kind that was.

"How about offense ? Like I'm offense."

[sorrowandpride]

Got accepted into my school's Nursing program, which is notoriously competitive, during the first round of offers 🥹

[meazalykov]

playgirl

lena oberdorf x bayern!reader

part one

summary: why do you treat her the same way as everyone else?

warnings: 18+, reader is flirty with anyone who breathes, no smut in this one but part two does have smut hehe

you’ve always loved the game. if you’re honest though, you love the reactions just as much. 

watching how people react to that smile of yours, the wink you’ve perfected, the easy charm that makes your teammates shake their heads with a smirk or roll their eyes but secretly smile, because it’s just so you. 

at bayern, you’ve earned yourself quite the reputation for being a flirt, sometimes during inappropriate times. 

your teammates have started making bets on how quickly you’ll charm or flirt someone new. it’s become a little tradition—how many days until you get the newbie to blush? your record— ten minutes after the new player arrived to bayern campus for training. 

throwback to 2022, when you were first teased by the community for being a flirt. you were in a league match against wolfsburg, and the game was getting intense. it was one of those tough battles where everything counts. 

you’re all over the field, slipping in and out of spaces, weaving your way through defenders as a midfielder. you feel eyes on you—the ref’s watching, maybe just to make sure you’re not pushing any boundaries. 

and, of course, you decide to push them anyway.

there’s a late tackle; your foot catches the ball just as you catch lena’s ankle shortly before. 

you got her the same way she gets your other teammates on the pitch. 

lena goes down, nothing too dramatic—just enough to make the point. the ref’s whistle blows, sharp and clear, and you’re up in an instant, wiping at your forehead with the back of your hand, and glancing at the ref with a small, cheeky grin. 

you’re almost positive the yellow card is coming out. in fact, she’s already reaching for it.

“oh, come on, audrey,” you say, flashing that practiced smile, all easy charm. 

was it inappropriate to call a ref by their name? maybe.. 

“surely, you don’t want to ruin your record of being my favorite referee?” your voice has that light, teasing lilt, and you can see the ref pause, hand hesitating over the card.

the ref gives you a once-over, a look that says really? but you know she’s flustered, if just a little, and you see her lips twitch. your hand rests on your hips as you smirk at the ref who’s an inch taller than you. 

audrey, the ref, chuckles despite herself, then shakes her head, tucking the card back into her pocket. 

“fine, you get this one. just this once. that’s your warning.”

you flash her a wink, all sunshine and charm, and mouth a quick, 

“thanks, beautiful,” before jogging away. in the crowd, a few fans catch the moment on camera. they catch the smirk on your face, the amused eye-roll from the ref, the way she can’t quite seem to hide the smile.

“what the actual fuck?” lena, who’s still in the green kit, stands up and gives you a questioning look. 

you shrug your shoulders at lena, before walking away towards pernille who was too focused to entertain your behaviors. 

by the end of the day, the video’s all over social media. 

“y/n flirting her way out of another yellow card”  reads one tweet with a thousand likes and counting. 

can you believe this girl? says another. 

tbh i’d do the same thing if i had to ref a bayern game.. another tweet with thousands of likes rolls onto your timeline. 

your teammates are sending it in the group chat, poking fun at you, but you just reply with a simple– works every time :) . they know you too well.

then there was that game against hoffenheim shortly after, where a midfielder came in too fast, misjudging her slide tackle. you see her coming but don’t fully dodge her in time, so she clips your leg, and you go down, rolling just a bit to make sure the ref doesn’t miss it. 

you’re not one to get worked up or start shouting at opponents, not when there’s a much more fun approach. as soon as the ref blows the whistle, you look up at the opponent with a grin, leaning on your elbow as if you’re lounging, not sprawled on the pitch.

“that wasn’t necessary, memeti.” you say, giving her that half-smile, the one that could make anyone melt a little. 

“if you wanted my attention, you didn’t have to tackle me.” the ref is already on her way over, but you’re focused on the player in front of you, who’s gone a bit red in the face, trying to play it cool. 

“shut up!” she rolled her eyes, but the blush on her face spoke for itself. 

“i can, but next time, maybe after the game– just ask for my number?” you tease.

the poor girl stumbles over her words, muttering a flustered apology that’s lost somewhere between a laugh and a mumble. 

the ref arrives, giving the hoffenheim player a yellow card with a look that says be more careful, but your focus is still on memeti, who’s looking anywhere but directly at you. 

“i’ll let it slide,” you say, standing up and patting her shoulder with a grin, 

“just this once.” you jog off while her teammate pulls her up, cheeks still pink, probably regretting the tackle but hopefully not the conversation.

later, that one’s trending too. clips of your cheeky grin as you flirt right in the middle of a serious game have fans in hysterics, filling the comments with laughing emojis, shipping suggestions, and endless comments.

the amount of “potential girlfriends” you have among the woso community couldn’t be counted on one hand. no wonder you had a reputation..

just before the olympics in 2024, you captained your national team against canada. your country’s watching, eyes on you as you step up to the role. 

the energy is high, the pressure intense, but you know how to ease the tension in the best way you know how. 

yes, you’re going to be serious in the captain role but that doesn’t mean that you couldn’t let go of your happy charm.

jessie fleming is on the opposition captaining canada, and you’ve always liked her style on the pitch—she’s calm, composed, a little serious in her focus, which only makes the idea of teasing her that much more tempting.

you stroll up to midfield for the coin toss, giving her a once-over with an exaggeratedly thoughtful expression. she’s polite, professional, and you know she’s not expecting anything out of the ordinary. 

that’s not exactly your brand, is it?

“you know, jessie,” you start, your voice all casual charm, 

“if i had known we’d be captains together, i might’ve dressed up a little.” she glances over, a faint smile tugging at her lips, but she’s still playing it cool.

“oh yeah? is this what sophia was telling me about?” she replies, a hint of challenge in her eyes.

you nod, shrugging your shoulders and giving her a once-over, your expression full of playfulness. 

“of course. i mean, it’s not every day i get to lead my team and have canada’s captain all to myself for a few seconds.” the ref flips the coin, and jessie calls it, winning the toss. she shakes her head at you, clearly amused but not giving in fully.

“just make sure you don’t get too distracted out there,” she says, raising an eyebrow. 

“wouldn’t want to see your team captain lose her focus.”

you flash her a grin. 

“oh, don’t worry about me. i��m great at multitasking.”

throughout the game, you keep it going. every now and then, you throw her a little smile when you’re in passing range. you can tell it’s getting to her, in the tiniest way, the slightest hesitation in her reactions, the way she sometimes looks down at the ground with a smile she’s trying to hide. 

your national teammates pick up on it too, nudging you, calling you out in the locker room afterward.

“really, y/n? flirting with the captain of the other team?”

“it’s a strategy mal,” you say with a grin, shrugging nonchalantly. 

“i’m surprised you haven’t caught feelings for any of these players you flirt with,” one of your teammates wraps their arm around your shoulder as you laugh lightly at their opinion. 

“well, its bound to happen someday. until then, just let me fool around—” 

later in the month, after the whistle blows in paris. you stood outside of the box with a bright smile on your face. 

you’re on cloud nine, body on fire with the energy of a thousand games. the stadium is a whirlwind of noise, the crowd erupting in cheers that roll over you like waves, mixing with the adrenaline that hasn’t faded from those final minutes. 

you’re laughing as sophia runs to jump into your arms, practically breathless as the magnitude of what you’ve done settles in. this isn’t just any win—it’s the paris olympics.

i’m a gold medalist! you think, the four words repeating in your head over and over again.

it feels impossibly surreal. there’s a dizzy, euphoric rush pounding in your chest, and every person on the pitch is a part of that ecstasy, celebrating like the world stopped for a moment, just for you and your team.

in the midst of the chaos, you find yourself pulled toward sam coffey, drawn in by that familiar, steady presence. she’s grinning just as hard as you are, a little breathless, her eyes shining with that same disbelief. 

though you know sam isn’t interested in you in that way, her friendship means a lot, and in this moment, it feels like she’s the only one who can ground you in the midst of all the noise.

without a second thought, you drape yourself over her shoulders, arms looping around her in an affectionate, nearly crushing hug. you rest your chin on her shoulder, feeling the warmth radiate from both of you, and laugh, the sound muffled against the shoulder of her jersey. 

“you were unreal out there, sam,” you say, still half-giddy, voice warm and low. 

“i mean it—what would I have done without my defensive midfielder.”

she huffs, amused but still a little embarrassed, nudging you with her shoulder. 

“oh, god, stop. i’m already overwhelmed, and now you’re getting all loving on me?” she says, trying to sound exasperated, but her voice is full of affection. 

“you and your never-ending charm routine...we won the gold medal, y/n. could you at least give us a break?”

you laugh, that joyful, easy laugh that’s only possible in moments like this, and shake your head, hugging her a little tighter. 

“flattering you is a public service, coffey, and i’m just doing my job,” you tease. 

“but don’t worry—straight women aren’t my type, anyway.”

for a split second, there’s silence before she bursts into laughter, the kind that’s contagious, her whole body shaking with it. she leans back a little, looking at you with a grin that says she’s torn between wanting to smack you and hug you back. 

“you’re actually the worst,” she says, her eyes twinkling with humor. 

“i can’t believe they let you near a microphone. you’ll flirt with anything that breathes.”

“hey, that’s not true,” you say, acting mock-offended, raising your hands in defense as you finally pull away, still laughing. 

“i’m very discerning.”

before you can respond, you feel a familiar arm drape around your shoulders and turn to see tierna, her own smile as bright as you’ve ever seen it, all warmth and pride as she takes in the absolute chaos around her. 

tierna’s always had a grounding presence, and with her, you share something special.. aka the bond of being teammates and being two of the very few openly queer players on the active roster. 

that small, shared understanding has always made your friendship feel effortless, a solid foundation that you both lean on in the busyness of national team life.

you turn to her with an affectionate grin, arms wrapping around her in a hug that’s just as warm and joyful as the one you’d given sam. 

“tierna, look at us—the open gays on the team winning gold!” you exclaim, laughter bubbling up as you hold her close. 

“i mean, seriously, what did we do to deserve this?”

tierna laughs, squeezing you just as tightly, and the two of you sway for a moment, laughing together at the absurdity of it all. 

“you know, i ask myself that every day, y/n,” she replies, her voice teasing but her smile soft and genuine. 

“but i guess putting up with you for years was our sacrifice to the football gods.”

“oh, come on,” you say, laughing, pulling back to look at her. 

“you know you’re lucky to have me. i mean, who else would make it their mission to get under the other team’s skin with a smile and a few praiseful words?”

“you’re ridiculous,” tierna says, shaking her head, but her gaze is fond, and there’s a deep pride in her eyes as she looks back at you. she’s been with you through the highs and lows, knows your quirks, and she understands better than most how much this gold medal means to you, not just for the win itself, but for the journey, for the battles you’ve fought and won just to be here.

coming back to munich after the olympics feels like settling into a warm, familiar hug. 

sure, the thrill of that gold medal still makes your heart race, but there’s a quiet kind of joy in returning to your bayern family, where the intensity of international competition eases into something softer, something a little closer to home. 

the lounge room is buzzing with familiar faces, and as you pour yourself a coffee, your eyes land on sydney. she’s wrapped in her red hoodie, her bronze medal tucked away somewhere, though you’d seen her flash it around proudly a few times already through the bayern group chats. 

you can’t help but grin, the sight of her bringing back memories of watching her team’s fierce fight against spain.

sydney’s just taking a sip when you wander over and, without much thought, place your head on her shoulder, letting out a playful sigh. 

“syd,” you say, your voice warm, 

“i just have to say this— i’m just so glad i got to watch germany whoop spain’s ass.” you squeeze her shoulder, the cheeky grin tugging at your lips impossible to hide.

sydney’s laugh is immediate, her shoulders shaking as she tries to hide her smile behind her mug. 

“don’t word it like that,” she scolds, trying to sound serious, but the sparkle in her eye gives her away. 

“we didn’t whoop anyone’s ass.”

you shrug, laughing softly, refusing to back down. 

“just calling it like i saw it! i mean, it’s true, and you know it.” 

“you’re just saying that because your ex plays for spain!” 

“woah woah!! don’t mention her now! take the compliment syd” you laugh as you remember your ex girlfriend, the goalkeeper at madrid who you haven't had contact with in nearly three years. 

before syd can respond, her girlfriend sam approaches, catching sight of you draped over sydney. you turn immediately, flashing her a mischievous grin. 

“scottish kerr! missed you so much,” you say, drawing out the words with dramatic flair. 

“i was lost without my favorite coffee partner. did you miss me at all while we were off with our national teams?”

sam chuckles, raising an eyebrow as she leans against the counter, crossing her arms. 

“miss you? please,” she teases, giving you a playful push before dragging your arms back into a hug. 

“you were probably too busy charming half the tournament to even notice i was gone. pretty sure the cameras caught you chatting your way towards that gold medal.”

“hey, that’s just part of my play style,” you say with a laugh, shrugging innocently.

“i was still thinking of you the whole time, sammy, i swear.” she rolls her eyes but smiles, reaching out to ruffle your hair.

just then, the door opens, and you glance up to see lea walk in, her eyes lighting up as she spots the group of you.

it’s the person beside her who catches your attention and makes you do a slight double-take—lena, with a brace over her knee and a slightly stiff walk with her crunches. 

you remember hearing about her ACL injury over the break, and seeing her now, a mixture of empathy and surprise runs through you. 

she meets your gaze, her expression softer than usual, and there’s a faint blush that rises to her cheeks when she notices you looking. 

she’s trying to act casual, but there’s a certain vulnerability in her stance that’s new. without a second thought, you straighten up, leaving your coffee to the side as you take a step toward her, a soft smile pulling at the corners of your mouth.

“hey, lena,” you say, keeping your voice warm and easy. 

“it’s good to see you. how’s the knee holding up?” 

lena shrugs, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“it’s… getting there,” she says quietly, the slightest hint of embarrassment flashing across her face. 

“just wish i didn’t have to spend my first season with bayern stuck on the sidelines.”

you shake your head, quick to dismiss her worry.

“trust me, you’re exactly where you need to be. and honestly, i can handle getting you whatever you need—coffee, tea, water, a ride home? just sit down and relax that knee; we’ve got you.”

her eyes widen at the offer, surprise flickering across her face, and that faint blush deepens. your seriousness catches everyone by surprise, since you’re known for being silly with your bestfriend sydney.

“oh, uh, thanks,” she stammers, clearly a bit taken aback. 

“a water would be nice.”

you flash her a quick smile and head over to the fridge, grabbing a chilled bottle before passing it to her, giving her shoulder a gentle pat. 

“it’s all part of the team service, right? you’re with us now, so let me take care of you. no need to be so tough all the time.”

lena ducks her head slightly, clearly trying to hide her smile as she takes the bottle. 

“thanks, y/n,” she says, her voice soft, almost shy.

out of the corner of your eye, you notice lea watching the exchange with an amused grin, her eyebrow raising as she shares a knowing look with sydney and sam. 

lea has warned lena before that you’re, well, famously flirtatious with just about everyone. the line between your genuine kindness and your endless flirting can be hard to distinguish, and you’re certain she’s wondering if lena realizes this herself.

lena’s still looking at you, her gaze lingering for just a second longer than usual, and for once, you don’t mind letting her believe that maybe, just maybe, this moment was more than your usual personality.

“relax, okay? we’ve got all the time in the world,” you call out, still smiling at her as you handed her the water, the playful sparkle in your eyes softening just a bit as you watch her settle down on the couch.

throwback to the first day of the preseason, before the olympics, the sun hung high above the bayern training complex, casting a warm golden hue over the field that morning. 

your eyes caught sight of lena at the far end of the building where the medical rooms are, her hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail, and she was dressed in the bold red of bayern—a stark contrast to her usual wolfsburg green. 

your heart skipped a beat; she looked undeniably hot. honestly, you forgot that she was transferring here. how? you weren’t sure, maybe too caught up into texting all of your contacts back during your free time.

anyways, you smirked at the taller girl and called out, 

“wow, ms. oberdorf! look at you in red instead of green. who knew it would suit you so well? red is definitely your color.”

lena turned at the sound of your voice, amusement dancing in her eyes. a soft chuckle escaped her lips, and you couldn’t help but notice how her smile lit up her face. 

“thanks, y/n. it’s nice to meet you too. very friendly of you to say,” she replied with a teasing tone, her eyebrows raised conspiratorially.

you shot her a playful glare, barely masking your laughter. 

“really? nice to meet you? friendly? come on, we’ve known each other for ages. you don’t need to act like we’re strangers.”

“hey, new season, new beginnings,” she said, shrugging playfully. 

“besides, we’ll be seeing each other every day now, so I thought I’d make a good first impression for you.”

“mission accomplished then,” you replied, your heart racing in a mix of flirtation and thrill. 

lea rolled her eyes seeing the both of her annoyingly flirtatious friends teasing each other, she might get annoyed by the second day of training! 

during the water break after sprinting for medical stuff, you caught sight of lena standing nearby, stretching her legs. 

you walked over towards her, noticing that she was sitting alone as most of her german national teammates were completing their own medicals as well. 

“you know, your thighs are making me jealous. i mean what the fuck lena? how?” you said, flashing a sly grin. 

“i could say a not-so-appropriate thing.. but I have to ask, is it just for show, or is there something else I should know about?”

lena’s laughter rang out, genuinely warm. 

“you’ll have to find out for yourself—you might just be joining me in lifting tomorrow,” she shot back, her voice lowering just enough to send your heart racing.

tomorrow came– and you were both outside on the pitch standing in line, your arms brushing against one another. the simple contact sent a wave of electricity through you. 

“you ready to get your ass beat?” lena teased, a smirk playing on her lips.

“in your dreams,” you shot back, a competitive glint in your eye as you looked down at the orange pennie you had to wear. 

“besides, I’m more worried about you trying to distract me with all that red.” 

“i’m taking that as a challenge, y/n,” she replied with a flirtatious wink, her tone playful yet confident.

as the drill began, you found yourselves running side by side. midway through, lena matched your pace, nudging you slightly with her shoulder. 

“got to keep up, y/n! I thought you said I looked hot in this color.” 

“only because it’s true,” you laughed, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks as you pushed her back. 

in that playful exchange, the world around you faded into a blur.

you joined in the drills, faking a stumble just slightly so you could fall back and end up beside her again. 

“you know, a little help wouldn’t hurt,” you said, brushing your arm against hers as you both jogged to the next station. 

“holding up okay in that red? it must be heavy from all the eyes looking at you.”

“don’t worry about me. i can handle it,” she shot back with confidence, and just as you turned to meet her gaze, she lightly bumped your shoulder, sending a jolt of warmth through you. 

before the national break that led into the olympics, lena and you had fun. obviously, you took training very seriously since you’re both world class players, but the small moments made your day. 

even if you didn’t want to admit it out loud.. 

training wrapped up and now you had to go home and pack for your 5am flight back to your country, play a few friendlies, then go to paris..

“y/n!” georgia called out, her voice teasing. 

“we just had to find you. you know, we couldn’t help but notice your little dance with lena during the last few days.”

“what are you talking about?” you replied, feigning innocence. 

the smile creeping onto your face betrayed you, and you felt your cheeks flush a little.

“oh, come on!” klara chimed in, stifling a laugh. 

“you two were practically vibing the entire time! I’ve never seen you on the receiving end of flirting like that. it was kind of… cute.”

“cute?” you echoed, trying to play it cool. 

“you’ve got it all wrong. we were just having fun. she just got here from wolfsburg and i figured she might want another friend who isn’t just lea..”

georgia raised her eyebrows, clearly unconvinced. 

“fun? that was more than fun, y/n! you’ve finally met your match.” she smirked, crossing her arms as she leaned closer, clearly enjoying your flustered reaction.

“please, you’re imagining things,” you protested, laughing as you felt your cheeks heat up even more. 

“lena and I just have great chemistry on the pitch according to the coach, that’s all.”

klara shook her head, a grin plastered on her face. 

“chemistry? or is it more like a connection? because from where we were standing, that looked like flirting at its finest.”

“you’re both ridiculous,” you retorted, trying to hide your embarrassment beneath a playful glare. 

“shut up already!”

“make us!” georgia shot back, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“you might want to take a page from lena’s book on how to flirt, because it looked like you were a little bit overwhelmed there,” klara teased, nudging you playfully.

you tried to suppress your laughter but found it impossible.

“okay, okay, you win. I might be a little… flustered, but if you tell the rest of the team that i said that then you’re cooked buhl.” you point at the german with a smirk, your voice a little softer now as you thought back to your exchanges with lena. 

“though, it’s not a big deal.”

“it’s totally a big deal!” georgia insisted, her expression serious for a moment before she burst into laughter again. 

“just admit it, you’re into her. we’re here for the gossip, y/n!”

rolling your eyes but smiling, you glanced at the duo. you knew they were just teasing, but their encouragement had a way of making you feel both flattered and flustered. 

“I’m not giving you any shit,” you said, shaking your head.

“what’s it going to take for you to admit that she’s got you wrapped around her little finger?” klara pressed, both girls leaning in closer, clearly eager for more details.

you threw your hands up in mock surrender. 

“fine! I might think she’s interesting, okay? but that doesn’t mean anything!” the laughter that erupted around you made your heart feel light.

“it means everything!” georgia replied victoriously. 

back to the present.. the mid-september air signaled the approach of fall, and you found yourself wrapped in the cozy familiarity of bayern's campus. the evening breeze brought with it a sense of transition—not just in the season but in your life as well. 

stepping into your kitchen at home, you couldn’t help but smile at the prospect. your love for baking had been a hidden gem among your close peers, a talent and passion you reserved for only those you trusted. 

the thought of making banana and pumpkin loafs danced in your mind like autumn leaves caught in a playful wind.

after a few joyful hours in the kitchen alone, you pulled the loaves from the oven. 

today was just another training session, but you knew you’d see lena there. she had been working hard to recover from her acl injury. though, you made a mental note—lena had to try your banana and pumpkin loaf like the rest of the girls did when you first came from lyon.

as you arrived at the girls' dressing room, the chatter and laughter of your teammates immediately enveloped you. you placed two trays of beautifully baked loaves on the table, their golden tops glistening invitingly. 

the third tray, still covered in plastic, was reserved just for lena but you kept it away from the team’s eyes. 

glancing over, you noticed obi seated with lea, deep in conversation. there was something heartwarming about seeing lena smile, even if it was tinged with the exhaustion from her recovery.

you found yourself subtly watching her as she interacted with lea, a pang of curiosity stirring in your chest. surprisingly, your mind wandered to the saran-wrapped tray. you couldn’t shake the intrigue of it—what would lena think? what if she didn’t like bananas.. or pumpkin’s? you were being ridiculous.

as you turned to chat with kathi, who is recovering from her acl injury like lena, you felt a soft flutter of nerves each time you stole a glance at lena. 

the moment you leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on kathi's cheek, doing your best to encourage her as she had a moment of weakness about her recovery, you were acutely aware of lena's gaze on you. 

as the girls began to filter out of the dressing room after practice, you felt that familiar urgency rising within you. scanning the space, you spotted lena gathering her things. 

“hey, lena!” you called out, your voice cheerful amidst the fading sounds of chatter. 

“could you wait for me in the hallway for just a sec? i almost forgot something.”

she looked up, a hint of curiosity dancing in her eyes, but you could see a flicker of excitement as well. “sure,” she replied, a soft smile gracing her lips. you grinned back, heart racing, and hurried back into the dressing room to retrieve the tray meant just for her.

with the tray in your hands, you ran back into the hallway where lena was waiting. her eyes lit up when she saw you, and for a brief moment, it felt as if the entire world melted away, leaving just the two of you standing there.

“what’s that?” lena asked, glancing at the tray covered with plastic wrap. you could see the intrigue in her expression, a mixture of curiosity and hunger that made your heart flutter. 

“this?” you said, lifting the tray slightly and unveiling it a moment later. “it’s for you.” 

her brows knit together in surprise. “for me? really? why?”

“because that’s what friends are for,” you replied, the words spilling out with conviction even though they felt too simple for what you were beginning to feel. 

as you handed the loaf to her, you felt a flutter in your chest. lena's fingers brushed against yours, an innocent contact that sent a warm shiver coursing through your body. 

this is not normal for someone who flirts with women like its her second job. 

“thank you, y/n. this means a lot,” she said, her voice soft and genuine.

“no prob.. i might just be the secret ingredient for your recovery.”

lena laughed lightly, a sound so lovely it played like music in your ears. “you definitely are,” she replied, her tone warm, her eyes sparkling.

“see you tomorrow for practice?” you asked, trying to maintain your composure while dodging the swirling feelings inside you.

“absolutely. you’d better bring more of this deliciousness,” lena replied playfully, hefting the tray as if it were a precious gem.

as you turned to walk away, your mind began to plague. what was this? you had always been a flirt, known in your circles for your charm and charisma, but lena felt different. you couldn’t shake the thought that perhaps this flirtation was unfolding into something else. 

part two here

[wangxianficrecs]

Posting Schedule, Changes & A Small Break

~*~

My fellow wangxianists.

I am very sorry that I have to make this announcement, but I need to take a little break.

Let me start by promising that I will not abandon this blog and I will definitely continue posting, but I really do need a break. For the past two years, I managed to keep this blog running with daily fic recs, no matter what was happening in my own life. I prepared the queue for when I had a major surgery last year and for when I went on a long vacation this year, but currently the queue is empty and I can't bring myself to hastily throw another post together just so that I will not miss my daily fic rec.

In the beginning of August, I moved across the country and started a new job. It's my dream job and I worked hard for literal years to have this opportunity, but it's also very demanding and I often come home and continue working. I just don't have as much time anymore to read fics and then prepare a fic rec post (write the rec itself, make the graphic, format everything, etc.) and I found myself only hastily reading whatever short fic came across my dash and then quickly throwing a post together and it's becoming an unfortunate pattern. I don't want fic-reading burnout. I love reading fic and I love this fandom very much. I also still want to have enough time to write my own fanfics. It's my dearest hobby and I often neglected it to keep the WangxianFicRecs queue running.

Needless to say, things have to change and here's what I decided so far:

No more daily fic rec posts

From now on, I will add all posts to the queue. My own recs, Follower Recs, Proud Author Spotlights, Event Boosts, everything will get added to the queue. So on some days, e.g. you might get one of my recs or your might get a Follower Rec. And if there is no post for a day or two, that's fine too.

Bringing back old recs

There are over 1.400 bookmarks in the WangxianFicRecs Collection and we made posts for all of them. Going forward, whenever the queue is looking a little sad and empty, I will queue some of our old recs similar to Throwback Recs. I'm sure there are more than a few recs you missed originally.

Housekeeping

I will take a break for at least a week (I'll add all submissions in the inbox to the queue) and take some time to think about how I want to run this blog going forward. I've also promised myself to finally clean up our tag page and maybe get a better system sorted for making the graphics.

In the meantime, thank you for your support and being such lovely followers! I really love running this blog and I want to keep loving it going forward.

Love, Kay.

[markrosewater]

You have mentioned the player base as a whole or as an amalgam several times on this blog and I think that's a big part of the frustration. We feel like we used to represent a larger share of the player base and what we wanted was more important. Now it feels like we've been outvoted by this larger group that we're not aligned with and it doesn't seem like it's going to stop. Repeating that we have to move according to the popular will doesn't help at all when we know the popular will is against what we want in what used to be our game.

We don't want to hear that Magic is constantly changing or you have to make the game the player base as a whole wants. We want to hear what you're doing to protect the niche game we love from the influence of this new popularity.

I started playing Magic in August of 1993. I have been playing continuously since then. I remember when you had to say “no ante” when sitting down to play a stranger. I remember getting my physical DCI card in the mail. I remember reading the first copy of The Duelist from front to back. I remember when it sucked to open a basic land as your rare. I remember when it was foolish to play with creatures.

I have nostalgia for old time Magic, and it is important to me, and the rest of R&D, that we remember our roots. For example, we enjoy bringing back old favorites when we can. Foundations, in particular, was high in having a throwback feel.

Part of my love of the color pie is the tie to tradition. And while mechanical executions of it might shift, it’s important to me that the core philosophies stay the same.

There is something special to the ethos of the game, and I don’t want to ever lose that.

It’s important to remember though that adaptation is also core to its soul. Part of what makes Magic Magic is that it evolves and changes. That was as true in the mid 90’s as it is today. You can’t respect what Magic has been without acknowledging that.

Part of my job as Head Designer is balancing the past, present, and future. I have to explore new veins of design, but I also want to revisit things that players once loved. This means there will always be a desire to keep alive the spirit of Magic from days gone by.

But that nod to the past won’t be through an exclusion of trying new things. It will be interwoven with it. You’ll note that one of the things we enjoy doing with Universes Beyond is finding opportunities to tie new cards to Magic’s past, to do a new take on an old classic.

So yes, we are trying to keep alive a lot of what Magic has been, but we don’t look at the new influence as a negative force, but as something that will allow Magic to continue to evolve.

[yasmeensh]

Scrapped Zelda 2 comic notes and pages

A Throwback to the Zelda 2 comic I abandoned. Some of you might remember it from earlier in the year. I penciled everything, I just need to ink. And I got lazy. Maybe I should redo it and ditch the inking... Thought I'd share some of my rough pages that get the gist of the story through:

The plot of the mini comic is the question of HOW Link found out that his blood is even needed to revive Ganon? A seer informing Link might be it, but I had a version with action in mind. This is it.

You visit spectacle rock again in Zelda2, so it's an opportunity to tell the story from there! What would Link be feeling about going back to the place he killed Ganon? You find the magic hammer and a potion in the game, I wanted to make it more goal oriented and had a magician send him on a quest to retrieve an item, like all the wise old men do in zelda games lol.

It's during his trip there that he encounters Ganon's body, gets into a fight with monsters, & discovers why the monsters were after him after a certain accident. Idk if it's worth making a comic for but I HAVE A STORY! MAYBE WORTH TELLING. Idk why I decided to ink. Should've done it sketchy style like always. *(Reads from right to left)

[oxymorayuri]

HI YURII, i absolutely adore the way you write and i wanted to request some hc’s or a small fic abt law reaction to reader’s pregnancy, likeee how’d he react after telling him and how those 9 months would affect law’s personality and relationship w reader

but only if u want too ofc! thx and have a wonderful dayy <3

A/N: Hi there, my darling ♡

How can I refuse such a lovely request? I feel very honored every time you guys tell me that you enjoy my stories. My heart fills with pride when I read your kind comments.

OneShot or HC? Why not both? Two are better than one!

Here are the headcanons [Law|Ace|Kid|Doffy]

Okay, let's go! Have fun with the OneShot!

✦ Pairing: Trafalgar D. Water Law x Reader ✦ Content: idk, not much, i guess? I'm pretty bad at this lol. bit angst, a little jealousy and endless fluff ✦ Spoiler: none ✦ Description: You're pregnant and Law's reaction is everything you could wish for *-* This OneShot doesn't completely fit the request, hence the HC, hope that's okay :3

Wordcount: 6383

❝𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠!❞

It's quite unusual for you to wake up in the middle of the night, but you woke up with an overwhelming craving for something sweet. Falling straight back to sleep is hopeless, so you're forced to stare around the room until perhaps drowsiness sets in.

Aside from the ticking of the clock, it's absolutely silent but you feel as if the ticking is becoming progressively louder 'til you have satisfied your ravenous appetite.

You picture it, the mousse that Ikkaku made… You have no clue how she makes it. You've tried to make it yourself, even following her recipe, but it's just not the same. However, when Ikkaku makes it, it tastes heavenly.

You can feel the foamy dessert melting on your tongue and the subtle hint of dark chocolate spreads through your mouth. Your saliva starts to gather in your mouth... That's enough! You need to eat dessert. Immediately!

The chance of waking Law is high, yet you would kill for a little midnight snack! The only thing is; you have to get out of Law's arms first...

You look at the dark haired man as he sleeps with a peaceful face. One arm around your waist, face to face.

On days like this, when you two haven't had much of each other, you'll at least have your little moments in your shared bed. With your faces turned towards each other, you talk about your busy day… Until one of you falls asleep and that one is usually you.

It's mostly you who talks about your day and Law hangs on your every word while you talk enthusiastically about all sorts of things.

Law is usually a bit reserved, because in his opinion he always does the same thing anyway and you must be getting bored of that. But that's not the case. You love the sparkle in his eyes when he talks about the things he has learned from his book, or when he has got hold of a rare coin.. He always lights up like a little boy who's been at school for the first day.

[throwback]

“…And did you know that an adult's entire intestine is 5 to 7 meters long? Imagine that.” You raise your eyebrow in disbelief.

“Five to seven meters?! No way, how is that supposed to fit?” You stroke your stomach while Law laughs at your bewilderment. Of course you believe him, you believe anything he says. He could tell you every lie and you would believe it immediately, but luckily Law doesn't lie to you. He is sometimes very secretive towards you and keeps a lot to himself like a loner, but he is by no means a liar.

“No joke, you can believe me… I could show you if you like.” Law speaks with a confident self assurance that makes you snort.

His confused eyes look at you insistently and he repeats that he could show you while raising his hand.

“Room!” You immediately realize what he's up to and you reach out with both hands to stop him. He really is planning to show you his intestines. Ah, no thanks.

You shake your head, still chuckling.

“I always believe you, my love… It's just kind of hard to imagine…” - “Yes, I know... I could hardly believe it either. That's why I took my intestine out straight away and measured it.”

You can't take any more. Law speaks with a nonchalance that brings tears to your eyes. You love him for his strangeness, that's what makes him so human.

“Anything for science.” you whisper quietly to him.

No longer interested in how long the human intestine is, you lean over and give him a little kiss. Being with Law is always a learning experience, the special thing is what you learn about Law along the way. About his heart and mind, while he talks about all the things that fascinate him.

Gosh, you adore him so much.

[throwback end]

Law's slight movement snaps you out of your reverie and for a moment you have the chance to slip out of his arms.

Silent as a ninja, you sneak out of your room and scurry into the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, you can't wait another second and spoon up the dessert right in front of the fridge.

Whilst you let each scoop melt in your mouth, you hear footsteps coming closer to the kitchen. You try to hide, but it's too late because Bepo, who also wanted to sneak into the kitchen, enters.

You look at him like a frozen deer and he gives you a similar look. With your eyes still staring at the polar bear, you slowly bring the spoon to your mouth and devour the chocolate mousse. Without your eyes parting for even a second.

“What are you doing?” You leave the spoon in your mouth and look at him with a tilted head.

“Err, what does it look like…?” Your voice a little muffled, as if you were brushing your teeth. It's obvious what you're doing? With the bowl in your hand, you sit down at the table and wave the Mink over to you.

“Come on, get over here before the mousse is gone.” A little taken aback, he blinks a few times and joins you at the table.

Of course he wants some of the chocolate wonder, so he hurries to you.

You take turns spooning from your bowl and after each bite you hold your hand to your flushed cheek. It tastes simply divine.

However, you barely exchange a word, because it goes without saying that this meeting will remain a secret. You only hear a pleasurable moan and a soft mumble in between.

A few days have passed since then and a few other unusual things have happened. Your cravings have become a little weirder, your sense of smell has increased and fish suddenly no longer tastes good to you! As soon as you smelled sushi, you felt sick to your stomach. Unusual, you thought, but it could have been something else. You didn't think anything else of it and went about your everyday duties, quickly forgetting about the oddities anyway.

Until you got up one morning and ran straight to the toilet. You felt nauseous and it came out faster than you would have liked, so you left the door open and it gushed out of you straight into the toilet.

Your dinosaur like noises woke up the grouchy Law who rubbed his eyes in a drowsy state.

Who or what is that? And why is it so loud?

Law is definitely not a morning person. Talk to him before his coffee and you will see… Well, nothing will happen except that he ignores you and turns around. He won't even talk to you before he takes a sip, but no problem. Isn't it always like this; that a bright person is together with a grumpy one?

Tired, the black haired man sits up and runs his fingers through his tangled hair while still sitting on the edge of the bed with his eyes closed.

The noise is unusually loud and seems as if it is directly in the next room… In the next room… And finally it clicks in his head. You are making that noise.

Law snaps his eyes open, being fully awake now, and hurried to the open bathroom. There he looked down at you with your head almost IN the bowl, unable to stop vomiting.

At first he stood in the doorway, looking somewhat at a loss, until he finally remembered that he was a doctor.

You weren't responsive right now anyway… So Law prepared a few things for you when you finally finished throwing up…

Concerned, he stands behind you with a glass of water in his hand. It seems to be reaaally bad. He doesn't like seeing you like this, your health is important to him, probably more important than his own.

You've noticed for a while that Law is standing behind you and you appreciate him not saying anything. You're not embarrassed, not in front of Law, he's taken care of you before when you've drunk yourself into a coma so the sight shouldn't be that strange. You had to smile a little when you noticed how he tied your hair in a ponytail, so it wouldn't fall in front of your face, while you emptied out your stomach.

“Oh god. There shouldn't be *bleurggh* anything left in my *bleurggh* stomach…” A little out of breath, you lean against the wall next to the toilet.

You're not quite sure if it's the end, but it feels all right.

“I assume it's a little better now?” Tired from throwing up, you look up at him while he hands you the glass of water with a scrutinizing look.

You can't do more than nod half heartedly.

Law walked over to the toilet and flushed the contents, which looked like two days' worth of stomach contents.

He squatted down to you and began to clean your face with a lukewarm cloth. You don't look sick. Your eyelids don't droop and your skin doesn't look too pale. You just look a little worn out, which is no wonder. After all, you've given the toilet the biggest serenade of your life.

“I should take you to the infirmary and run some tests.” His hands reach for yours. With his thumb, he gently strokes the back of your hand and pulls lightly to help you to your feet. A little wobbly on your feet, you hold on to him and smile weakly at him.

“…I'm fine, thank you my love.” A little cold water on your face should be enough, so you go over to the sink to freshen up.

“Don't argue y/n, as your captain and doctor, I'm telling you that I'll give you a check up.” You look at him through the mirror as you run your wet hands through your face and roll your eyes.

“Uh huh, as captain and doctor…”

he groans a little and takes you in his arms from behind

“And as your partner too, of course.”

He kisses you on the cheek and you lean into his embrace with a little chuckle. For just a moment, you can savor your embrace, but the very next second, you find yourself in the same position with him in the infirmary.

That whole shambling around doesn't do you any good at all, you were already feeling sick anyway and you always feel a bit dizzy when he teleports with you. You put your hand over your mouth but it's too late. You quickly rush to a garbage can and fill it with your vomit.

“Hah… Law, that wasn't so clever…” You lean on the bin with both hands as you kneel in front of it.

“Ah…uh…sorry, force of habit…” His words seem a little flustered and as you look over your shoulder you see him sheepishly stroke his beard.

Yep, force of habit… It's definitely not the first time he's teleported you somewhere. Whether he wanted to kidnap you in your busy routine or wanted to steal you away from annoying guys.

He can be a bit jealous sometimes, even if he doesn't say anything, you can see right through him. Honestly, you have to admit to yourself that you enjoy it perhaps a little too much. Law usually reacts rather passively, but at some point things start to get over his limit and he reacts, somewhat flashily…

[throwback]

It's a lovely afternoon on the Sunny, and before you went your separate ways, the Heart Pirates and the Straw Hats wanted to throw a nice party to celebrate your victory.

You had a good time together and formed strong friendships, it makes you a little sad that you won't see each other for a while… but you are sure that your paths will cross again soon.

You keep glancing back to where Law is drinking some sake with Zoro, while Usopp and Luffy were doing all sorts of silly things. You can't help giggling at the sight. Their conversations are also rather short, but somehow they both seem quite relaxed and enjoy the silence between them. Your sweet introvert…

You turn back to the ladies at the table and get into a conversation full of girl stuff and laughter. Right by your side, there's Bepo napping on the floor and while your chin rests in one hand, listening to Nami, you pat Bepo's head with the other.

At your service is none other than Sanji and he serves you with the most distinguished manners. You like Sanji, he is charming and knows how to talk to women and sometimes you allow yourself to have fun and go for it… You don't flirt back, no way! You're crazy about Law and everyone knows it, but you like to have a bit of fun.

“Here my beautiful ladies, I've allowed myself to prepare your favorite drinks.” With grace and style, he holds the tray in his hand and serves you some fresh drinks. He pushes a beautifully decorated cocktail glass in front of you, one with a light blue liquid, topped with whipped cream and blue glitter sprinkles.

You know exactly what kind of drink is in front of you and happily thank the Blondie. How thoughtful he is… he's made you your favorite drink; swimming pool!

You gleefully nip at the straw and let the refreshing drink run down your tongue. As you spoon down some of the cream, you notice that Sanji has used coconut milk ice cubes instead of water ice cubes. How creative! This way the drink doesn't get watered down and only gets creamier and that's exactly how you love your swimming pool - creamy!

“Aww Sanji, you're always so thoughtful and good to us!” With your eyes closed, you enjoy your drink. It's so well prepared that you can barely taste the alcohol; how dangerous.

With your hand on your cheek, you praise the cocktail. Nami gushes with you and sighs contentedly that this is her everyday life... and Sanji loves doing it! That's the best part.

“We're really lucky to have Sanji, aren't we?” Robin giggles, as Sanji loses his temper in a dramatic way. It's as if all the attention is making his heart leap through his chest, and on one knee he babbles something about how it's not just an honor to serve you, but his greatest joy.

He may be a little pushy but isn't he also a little funny? Your girl gang bursts out into laughter, oh dear, if you only knew how Law watches the spectacle from behind with an annoyed expression…

With his chin in his hand, Law taps his cheek a little impatiently with one finger. He can hit on whoever he wants, but does he always have to get so close to you? He's got Nami and Robin to ogle, but you're his!

He knows he doesn't have to be jealous. You're only being friendly to him, as you are to everyone, but the reaction of others is what annoys him. The fact that some people think you're flirting with them, when you're just very kind and approachable (yea guess who's not.) literally pisses Law off.

He is quite sure that no one but himself has a chance with you, in fact he knows that you can become quite different if someone crosses your line… If Law's line hasn't been crossed before… It's pretty different sometimes…

Like today for example, today Law doesn't have that much patience and since Sanji moves in your inner circle, his limits are crossed quite quickly. And maybe all that sake is also to blame.

Because of your lively conversation, you realize far too late, how Law has formed his blue dome over you and just as Nami remarks it, you find yourself already on Law's lap.

Bewildered, you look up at him while his gaze is somewhat serious on Sanji. When he felt your gaze on him, he looked you in the eye with his typical grin and spoke with an absolute calmness that made your heart flutter.

“You all right?” You widen your eyes a little and raise both eyebrows. Is he serious? As if it's such a normal thing to just teleport me onto his lap out of nowhere, like it's the most normal thing in the world.

You know exactly why he did it. You saw the look he gave Sanji, but okay, you just play along. Let's see what happens.

“Yes, of course. Do you need something, love?”

He comes a little closer to you, his gaze melts the ice in your drink because you're getting so hot, but you try not to show it and smile at him innocently.

Before he reaches for the straw, he looks provocatively over to Sanji and drinks from your cocktail.

“You talked so highly of it, I really wanted to try it too, you know?” - “Sure…” like hypnotized you watch him sip from your drink while his eyes rest on your lips.

“You've got some whipped cream on your lip…” you want to quickly wipe the cream away with your hand but Law holds it tight and speaks in a low mellow voice "no, let me..."

Barely a second later, his lips are already on yours and he licks the cream off your lips in a luscious kiss.

You didn't even realize what was happening to you as you sat frozen on his lap. You can only vaguely make out the annoyed murmur of Zoro telling you to get a room or Nami cheering joyfully. You slowly come back to your senses and lean close to his ear, to whisper a few sweet words…

“I love sweet kisses… how 'bout we continue on the Polar Tang?”

Honestly, you love the way Law steals you away. He doesn't do it in an aggressive way, but in a way that makes it clear who you belong to. He never confronts the others, he just shows how in love you are with each other.

If that's not territory marking then you don't know BUT you love it.

His reaction is as expected. You know that look all too well. There's something overwhelming about the way Law's beautiful eyes run over your face as you innocently bite your lip. You could swear his eyes darken and he runs his tongue over his lower lip with a grin.

His grip tightens and his laugh deepens so that you can feel the vibration of his voice.

“Good idea.” He places a small kiss on your cheek before saying goodbye to the others. The question marks are written all over your face. You really just wanted to tease him, but you could have guessed what is about to happen.

You barely managed to wave goodbye before you found yourself back in your room on the Polar Tang. And well, you know it's obvious what will happens next… ;)

[throwback end]

“All right, so far so good. Now just a small blood check and then we'll be on the safe side.” His words bring you out of your memory and you look at his back. At a small table, he prepares a syringe to take some of your blood.

With concentration, he turns around and traces along your arm to locate a suitable vein.

“Could you make a fist?” You do as he says and he nods in response. When he had found a suitable spot, you were allowed to relax your hand and he smoothly drew the blood into the tube.

You watch him in complete devotion as he looks attentively at the syringe. Your eyes meet for a moment before he quickly returns to his task and presses a band aid onto the needle mark.

“That's it.” Again, he turns away from you to dispose the materials properly. A little disappointed, you slide down with your butt from the stretcher. You wish you could have watched him a little longer. He always looks so handsome when he's fully concentrated on his work.

“When will the results be ready?” you ask curiously as you look over his shoulder. By now you're feeling much better, you're sure it's nothing serious.

“Give me a few hours and I should have something out.” - “Hardworking as ever.” You gently stroke his shoulder as you went to turn around and Law quickly reached for your hand.

He gently pulls you close to give you a kiss on the back of your hand, his eyes always have a powerful effect on you and your cheeks turn a soft pink.

“We should go for breakfast, you should regain your energy. Go ahead, I'll clean up and come straight away.” Your heart softens at his care.

“I'll make us some coffee then.” Satisfied, he nods at you and lets go. In a good mood, you walk along the corridors of the cold Polar Tang, humming a bright melody.

The day went on as usual, the work on the Polar Tang was pure routine. A few small repairs here and inspections there. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just as you were about to leave the engine room to write your report, you bump into your friend.

“Heyyy y/n, already done with work?” You look up from your notes and have a chat with Ikkaku. After an waaay too short talk, you part ways as her beeper has gone off and she quickly went back to work. Apparently she has a lot to do... Your eyes go back to your list. You need to talk to Law, because you're slowly running out of materials for the maintenance of your submarine.

You've been underwater for quite a while now and you should be ascending soon. Ikkaku could probably use some materials too, maybe you should do a general inventory and make a supply list with Law. Just as you were about to turn around to go to Ikkaku to start with her, your beeper sounds.

A quick glance at your black device tells you that Law wants to talk to you, so you turn around again.

So, then you'll start the list tomorrow. After all, you'll be traveling for a few more days before you reach the next island...

You can't quite believe your ears and you stand in front of Law with your mouth open, completely frozen. Your pretty brain has to process this information first. You actually want to say something but don't quite know how to start the sentence.

“Y-you say I'm pregnant?!!!” You automatically reach for your belly.

“How could this happen?!” you look up at Law, unsure of how you should feel. To be honest, you're a little overwhelmed, but it's not actually a bad thing. You're actually at the age where it's appropriate, aren't you?

Law, who is leaning against his table in front of you, takes a breath to explain to you HOW this could have happened, in a physical and medical sense.

With knitted eyebrows, you shake your hand in front of Law in order to stop him. You know how, but somehow you're surprised. You often hear that the birth control failed here and there and the woman got pregnant, but somehow you think it would never happen to you and now it's happened to you.

Surprise, surprise.

You drop into a chair and look a little defeated.

“Shit…” you mutter. Law takes the results of your blood report and tries to change the subject.

“But hey, judging by your results, you're perfectly healthy and have the best possible condition for the baby." He turns the page to check a few more things.

“We should probably just get some more sun and fresh air for your wellbeing. Your vitamin D levels are a little low… No wonder down here…” In his head, he makes a mental note to talk to Bepo and Hakugan about surfacing today.

That sounds as if…

“Do you want me to keep the child?” You look up at him, a little surprised. A pleasant excitement spreads through your chest at the thought that Law will be the father of your child.

His eyes peek over the edge of the paper, looking down at you. He examines your glazed eyes, places the papers on the table and crouches down in front of you to be closer to you.

“Do you want to keep the child, y/n?” he notices that you're a little unsure, but that's okay. That's normal... but he will follow your final decision. No matter what you decide, he will stand by you and make sure you are both safe and happy.

Somehow it all feels surreal. You and Law are having a baby. That will change everything now, but you're longing to find out what it's like. You shrug your shoulders a little sheepishly.

“Uh-huh… kind of, yea.” Somewhat embarrassed, you smile at him. For you, getting together with Law has always been like hitting the jackpot, but you'd never thought about you two becoming parents.

But dear, if you only knew how Law sees you… He'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy about becoming a dad, but right now you're coming first, since you're feeling 'a little under the water'. [sorry but I couldn't help myself, lol]

“Well, I guess we have something to celebrate, don't we?“

Law's grin makes you smile. Somehow he always pushes the right buttons with you. With his charming looks, his cunning manner and clever little head, he always manages to mess with your feelings. You've never felt this way about anyone before and you weren't exactly a virgin before… Now that you're becoming parents, you feel like you're starting to really mature with Law.

“How are we going to tell them?” Parties are not his thing, you know that, but as soon as the others find out, they want to throw a party anyway.

He seems to be thinking deeply as he plays with your fingers.

“Maybe we'll just throw a party…” you look down at him in surprise, but he explains why.

“I know for a fact that we won't be able to avoid it…” a small giggle slips out of your mouth and you gently squeeze his hand, but Law breaks your eye contact.

“Well, I won't be able to get around it…” You're never against a fun party, but after an hour Law's social battery is usually drained and he disappears into his study.

“Not a bad idea, actually. If we plan the party, we can be sure that it won't be too chaotic. Let's keep it simple.” Law is pleased that you share the same thought. Well, it's probably because you can't party as hard as usual, but it doesn't make you sad. Somehow the joy slowly sets in.

Law gets up and pulls you up with him while you both hold hands. Without saying a word, he takes you in his arms and you breathe in his calming scent. At this very moment you just feel so good, even though you were so scattered until a few moments ago, you are sure that everything will work out with Law by your side.

You're kind of excited. The crew thinks you're throwing a party because you're resurfacing today and they believe that cheap lie, but what pirate crew needs a reason to throw a party? They probably don't give it a second thought and are happy to have food and booze under the sun.

In a good mood, you hum a little tune in the kitchen while you prepare a few treats in the kitchen. At some point, Shachi comes by and you tell him that he shouldn't be snacking, but he just laughs cheekily at you and stuffs a filled onigiri into your mouth. You hum contentedly as you taste the tuna cream.

“You're getting better and better y/n, the shape is a real triangle this time too!” you smack him on the back of the head and huff in offense.

He's used to it and your blows don't even really hurt so he just laughs as he rubs his head.

“I'm sure Law will be more than pleased.” Without a care in the world, he picks another treat from the little buffet you've set up and disappears into the corridor.

Your gaze rests on your bitten onigiri. You are secretly thrilled that he thinks Law will be happy. You wonder if he is looking forward to your current situation in general.

After you surfaced with the Polar Tang, Law and a few others set up the deck. Tables and benches were set up and you and Ikkaku hung up some hanging garlands to make it look more festive. After putting the finishing details on the final appearance, you put your hands on your hips in satisfaction while Law stepped to your side.

“They really don't suspect anything…” he whispers in your ear.

You just smile to yourself. After all, it just seems like you're having a party as usual. The buffet, the decorations, the festive lights and a small bar on the deck are just the same as usual.

Law doesn't know it, but you couldn't help yourself and had to tell Ikkaku about it immediately. After all, she's your best friend. You can definitely trust her not to spill the beans and it shouldn't be too difficult because you're throwing the party today anyway. She even offered to prepare a few desserts. With hearts in your eyes, you accepted her offer, of course.

All in all, it was an evening like any other with your crew. There was laughter, some dancing, a lot of goofing around and singing. Avoiding the alcohol was quite difficult, but luckily Ikkaku was your knight in shining armor. She always swapped your cup with hers, with only water inside, in an discreet fashion.

As the sunset glowed over your submarine and the atmosphere on deck calmed down allowing everyone to enjoy the last rays of sunshine, Law decided that now was the perfect time to spread the news.

He raised his glass and tapped it lightly with his fork so that everyone's attention was drawn to him by the clinking sound.

A few of the pirates look up at him in surprise. It's not that unusual for Law to make a speech from time to time, but there shouldn't be any special reason for him to make one today. Or maybe there is?

Glances go round among themselves. You smile knowingly to yourself as you watch the confusion on their faces.

“Sometimes there are unexpected twists and turns on our travels and sometimes it's the best thing that could have happened to us. In the end, everything always turned out well and that's only because we trusted and helped each other. We may be pirates, but we are also…” - “A FAMILY” Penguin and Sachi cry and shout in unison.

Law's words are unexpectedly touching. His words are always wise and uplifting… but this time he not only speaks from the heart, but with it and everyone is moved to the core.

You could cry because you know why he uses such beautiful words. With a satisfied grin, he agrees with the men.

“Exactly. We are a family and today y/n and I want to announce something to you.” Little by little, questioning glances wander to you and Law nods to you with an encouraging expression on his face. He now leaves you the honor of continuing.

“I'm pregnant!” you blurt out in a squeaky voice.

The looks go back and forth between you two in a rather funny way while the surprise is written all over everyone's face.

All of a sudden, the group erupts into a joyful roar and congratulations are given to you. Ikkaku can finally take you in her arms, her eyes overflowing with tears. A few of the men are shaking hands with Law while Bepo rushes up to Law and almost crushes him in a hug.

Your heart bursts as you watch the cheering crowd and stroke Ikkaku's back in a soothing manner as she utters some incomprehensible words of joy…

In the chaotic happiness, your and Law's eyes met. He seems as happy as you feel.

The atmosphere were already great before, but now it's just amazing.

They raise a toast to both of you and your little one, while Penguin and Shachi fight over which of them gets to listen and feel your belly first. You have to laugh at their goofiness, because there's not much of the typical pregnancy belly to be seen yet.

Bepo comes running towards you with cute beady eyes and gives you a warm embrace. He snuggles up to your head and you brush against his soft fur…

You hear his soft sniffle and in a low voice he whispers to you how happy he is for you guys.

“You're going to be great parents!” You wipe a small tear of joy from his face and pull yourself together so that you don't burst into tears yourself, but you're just too emotional. Your walls collapse and the tears roll down your cheeks.

The rest of the gang decides to come up to you and engages even Law in a huge group hug. It touches you more than anything how happy your friends are for you.

You can hardly wait to tell your friends the Straw Hats. You wonder how they will react. You secretly hope that it will be the reason you'll see each other sooner than you thought.

You really want to go shopping with Ikkaku, Robin and Nami for the baby!

You let the evening fade away together until at some point it was just you and Law.

The evening got a bit chilly and before you could even get cold, Law put his coat around you. Thanking him with a quiet smile, you can still see the joy on his face… And you? You can still hardly believe it. You're going to be parents… but you're still thinking about how Law really feels. He's obviously happy but you wish you could hear what he's thinking.

“Law, tell me, how do you feel?” Your eyes are fixed on the sea. You watch the glittering reflection of the moon in the water, while his gaze rests on you.

“I don't know. I kind of feel everything. Excitement, joy but also some fear.” Your gaze quickly goes up to him, but his eyes are now on the open sea.

The fact that he feels the same as you is somehow reassuring. You're a bit jealous of him for always keeping such a cool head, because unlike you, he seemed so calm and confident the whole time.

“You know y/n, when I went through the results today I could hardly believe my eyes when I realized why you were feeling bad.” With his arms leaning against the railing, he smiled down at you.

“I thought my heart stopped working and when it started beating again, a new feeling was born...” The glimmer in his eyes is as calming as a fire, that is about to fade out.

You are not used to so many touching words and your heart starts beating quicker with each word. The way he says everything is saved in your brain like a video and you dare not to speak a word.

He turns his upper body towards you and moves a little closer to gently brush a strand of hair out of your face. A little hesitantly, he begins to speak again, as if searching for the right words in your eyes.

“A feeling... that I thought I had long lost… The feeling of having a family.”

Okay y/n don't cry. Don't cry!

Law kisses your forehead as he wipes a tear from your face. The feeling of his warm lips disappears faster than you'd like, though, and Law takes a step back to get down on one knee.

With his gaze fixed on your eyes, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box. You know what this means but you fail to move or say anything. Wide eyed, you follow Law's movements.

“I wanted to do this much earlier… but somehow I didn't find the right time… or maybe I was just waiting for this very moment?” Law isn't quite sure himself where he gets these words from, but so much has changed after today. He opens the box and your gaze falls on the sparkling ring.

“Y/n will you marry me?”

With quivering lips, you nod at him while tears flow like a waterfall and you throw yourself onto him, wrapping your arms around his neck.

You usually have a lot to say, but this time Law has left you completely speechless.

You could have said yes a thousand times but it would never be enough to make it clear how much you want to be his wife.

Masterlist

A/N: Oh well… Law. I bet you'd be great as a dad.

I hope you enjoyed it ♡

[spotlightlowlife]

IMPlying

Season finale was, fine.

What was expected really.

Can't say I didn't roll my eyes at Stolas being gloomy and ungrateful as others make efforts for him, particularly Blitzø but yet again all of IMP come to his rescue and there's not a shred of respect for the danger they put themselves in.

He had a massive nerve throwing down his notebook of 'fantasies' and trashing the office before charging off to see his daughter as if foregoing Blitzø and the modest little life he lives, after all this, forcing his way into Blitzø reality in the first place. All of this seems to imply passive blame.

This ofcourse happened while he was filling in for Loona as receptionist while the rest worked. I appreciate that we went back to work and we meet a dinner with a job request and there's a good joke that the request was to take out her husband who left her for a man resulting in Stolas having his drama shoved in his face.

It would have been good to spend a little more time with the sinner to see that she was in the wrong and for the moral high ground of IMP to be questioned more? Way too dismissive.

For all we know that husband could have been responsible for his wife becoming a sinner if you know what I mean, we don't know what happened to her.

Blitzø and Moxxie having a moment of shared understanding of why this isn't a good job to take on could look like a throwback to season one murder family but them no, it was all about Blitzø seeing himself and Stolas in two men with their children. What if this man had left his wife for another woman, would he be less empathetic? Ultimately nothing will change, if we see them at work in season 3 or a short, what are the chances that they include a clause to not do families or interfere in relationships? How could they vet?

We still don't know how sinners pay.

Also they're working on a holiday and missing out on a paid job because it's too close to home, even though Loona showed empathy to Blitzø and was willing to take in the job herself, which leads on to another thing...

More tell not show

Loona actually wanted to get out the office and do a job with the team.

Since when?

It really would have took two seconds once or twice in previous episodes to have her complaining about being stuck at the desk while they go out, maybe even reminding them that she has a hunan disguise, maybe then we could have found out when and how she learnt such magic and since when did she make friends? Her friends are very cute btw but when did this happen? Bee's sham of a party?

Seeing as she is supposed to be like a moody teen who us slowly growing up and learning to appreciate her dad, complaining more could have served as a reminder that there have been times where she could have had more responsibility. These recent episodes have had a habit of telling us new things out of nowhere after all this time.

Who has been consistent

I read tonnes of comments and the dislike for Octavia is astounding.

What did she do wrong?

She actually did everything right.

She saw for herself that her mother and uncle were enjoying Stolas's downfall, she wondered around her home and found her dad's pills, she came to the correct conclusion that he was always unhappy, didn't like Stella and was persevering for her, what's wrong with this, it's the truth.

He did go on to leave following his fling which he had been enjoying up until recently and we all saw him thirsting over Blitzø or arguing with Stella over quality time with his daughter on the few occasions we have seen her.

Furthermore she rescued Stolas and IMP.

And she didn't blame Blitzø for any of this.

I appreciate that she made a decision for herself and I'm amazed at the massive lack of compassion there is for her.

Her song sucked.

Also what was the confusing dialogue of Stolas trying to call for a month when we saw that he suddenly remembered that he had to talk with Octavia, who has a mobile and was seen with her phone alone, this was after Stella discouraged her from answering it, it wasn't ever confiscated?

And to not be forgotten for being stable

Why did the Millie pregnancy thing have to be so weird, miserable and the clifhanger like she was hiding something?

We watch her casually not get beaten down when it comes to being behind on the bills.

We see the teams lives in danger constantly.

We have watched her admit to liking attention.

We have seen how family oriented she is and dispite her family having no respect for her husband, she remains close with them and has both in her life.

Moxxie and Millie are constantly being pushed as the wholesome loved up couple and yes a pregnancy is a big deal that will change things but this maried couple are supposed to be kinky af and massively supportive of one another, so why was this so much more dramatic than nervousness? Should it not be a bigger deal that this character would seem gloomy? We heard none of Millie's conversation with her only friend sister.

We watched Sallie May's forced drama in the first short where Millie was supportive and didn't let herself be guilted and we watched Blitzø and Millie's (better late than never I suppose) backstory that showed how proud she was at how far they had come. Now she has a big secret and is it her pregnancy? Did she really need drama? Is this the only way she can get a story and we remember her during the break, to have her accompany all others in trauma?

[thechekhov]

Chekhov Reads Dungeon Meshi: CH46

D....dark Laios?

I mean, you DID consent!

The fact that ghosts can pass through walls and take other things with them... it kind of elicits another type of organism. Like, what can pass through cell walls? What other parts of the body can just yoink stuff from one place and bring it to another?

Congrats! It's all just been a dream!

I'm sorry what the SHIT?!?!?

Well, I-- .... yeah, I GUESS.

Though it looks more like one of those carousel horses.

I think this is probably still inside the dungeon. Very... DEEP. Inside the dungeon.

What? WHAT?! These things are like regular animals down here???

Oh, I--hm. I see.

Ordered by WHOMST?

Is this just an entire society of (humans??? ghosts?) that lives here in the dungeon deep? Is there still a king under the mountain? Are the rumors of the king dying not true at all?

........or are these people and descendants of adventurers who came in but were never able to leave? And the fact that Senshi points out that none of them are old.... are they ageing?

Laios, Senshi n--...... welp. There they go.

Bless this man and his absolutely non sexual obsession with monsters. But.

Izutsumi, who is a human-level intellect beastkin (though she's low on wisdom and patience....) is being very.... beast-ly and soft here. She's being magically compelled, presumably, to chill the fuck out.

Which means all these monsters are also under the same effect? Isn't that a little fucked up? They're basically under a permanent drugged effect.

Also. Hm. 'short lifespan' is....relative. Short lifespan compared to what? Immortality?

Orcs know this place exists....?

These people planting things for fun means they're absolutely trapped here like spirits.

Keeping up appearances for. Whom.

These poor people have no new incomers to talk to, huh.

Oh, I uh---- ................ hm. THat's not at all what I was imagining either.

Fashion is cyclical after all I guess....

Mmmmm. Mmmm-hmmmMMM.

WHEEEEZXE

Knowing I've finally hit these two absolutely iconic panels... amazing.

......I guess it can only do so much to make her docile...... she still doesn't like Laios.

Why does he look familiar...?

....so Derghal had a son. And a grandson. So then why is there a bid for the throne...?

Laios. Laios, is milking the minotaur the ONLY thing you did? Or was there more to it? Laios.

It's interesting. That bartender said he was 600 when he started his now-400 year old ale. So. That means they're 1000 years old.

That means that they're about as long lived as elves? Haven't gone mad yet. But that's still a long time.

That's kinda worse, yeah, but a loss of the self is a type of death, in a way...? So....

The most throwback of all time.

Actually, I feel like that's been there for a while, although it didn't always look EXACTLY like a lion's head. I feel like the little living armor he keeps in there made it that design? But how would it do that on purpose?

this is what it looked like some chapters back. Yeah, it's been sculpting into a lion's mane for a while now.... Ohohohoh playing the long game are we? 👀

Ah, it's not a wolf. How tragic for you, Laios. It'll never work out.

Also, damn, those wings sure be lookin like Falin's very non-dragon wings. What a wild coincidence. I'm sure that doesn't mean anything. :)

laughing hysterically. This poor guy can't get a break. He's been running from responsibility and inheritance for his entire life and it still catches up and trips him purposefully.

There is definitely a certain amount of tragedy there, yeah. These people aren't asking Laios for help because it's easier. They're legitimately stuck in a nightmare scenario. Unless you're someone who can get pleasure from other avenues, living all that time without the basic needs will drive a person mad. Elves live just as long, presumably, but they're still able to eat, I assume.

I'm honestly more surprised they're all as sane as they are.

.......King of Forgor.

[therealslimshakespeare]

Hello my darlings,

Ok so, workday and all this isn’t going to be as well thought out as I would like it to be. Go ahead and come for my phasing if need be but just try to read me as you always do, with the kindest intent.🥰

As creator of the content on this blog, the intellectual owner of all stories and characters therein 🤓 I have both the right and responsibility to moderate this blog as well. For that reason I’m making this post instead of answering every ask currently in my inbox. It’s not meant as a slight to your personal message and opinion if it goes unanswered, rather a way of being able to give all such a more heartfelt response.

Right here and now.

That ask…understandably raised a load of concern, caused bafflement and even, I surmise, hurt. When reading it I personally was more than a little unsure about reposting it at all due to some of it that was just plain…alarming? But I chose to. And I appreciate that all of yall have been kind enough to give me the benefit of the doubt for doing so…I did post it in hopes that I could shift this incessant comparison over and out for good. For some of the newcomers, perhaps this is a new phenomenon. But back in spring it was almost constant and it’s the opposite of what I’d like in regard to my OC’s. I had hopes it was done for. So I replied to this one, which was a bit of a throwback in general. I didn’t agree, but I replied in hopes of trying to refocus this whole viewpoint on the girls.

Didn’t really achieve that, tho. Or if I did, it certainly had the cost of making this space more than a little upset- understandably so. Which, while I love my OC’s- I love their readers even more, so I want to be loving and as good a guardian of this space’s wellbeing as I can.

And so, as moderator, I’m gonna go ahead and take that one down, it’s not adding much and it’s in fact hurting a good bit and maybe doing so will prevent others from feeling the same. Because, of course, I would never want to spread hurt, ever. I obviously, previously and repeatedly have disagreed with the sentiments expressed in that ask so in respect of how many indigenous fans my girl Lu has, we’re gonna exercise our moderating powers and take that one down.

Now, I know that doesn’t mean the discussion or sentiment is gone- just poof, all fixed! however, it’s the best I can do since I trust and hope that yall do understand my own position on this and that in reposting any ask I am by that action inherently publishing other’s opinions not necessarily reflective of my own.

Just wishing to steer all these discussions into kinder but also wise and aware channels.

Xoxo, I love you all. And remember- it takes guts to be gentle and kind 💋

[earthtoharlow]

Don’t Like The Lights

Sequel to Flashing Lights series, must read Flashing Lights first to understand

series masterlist

11. Adore You

I could do this for eternity. You and me, were meant to be in holy matrimony. God knew exactly what he was doing, when he lead me to you

Jack had been feeling like he was watching Maryse slip through his fingers ever since she started working again. The stalker incident had left its mark, not just on her but on him too, and he could see the weight of it in the way she carried herself—pushing forward, but always with a hint of something lingering in the background. He missed her, missed them, and knew she needed a break just as much as he did.

So, he decided to plan a day that was just for them, where they could shut out the world and just be together. No obligations, no work, just them. He didn’t tell her his plans, wanting to surprise her with something special, something that would remind her of everything they still had together.

Jack woke up early the next morning to go to their favorite bakery that was down the street. When he walked into the bedroom balancing a tray filled with pastries, fruit, and two steaming mugs, Maryse was just waking up.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he greeted with a grin, making his way over to her.

Maryse propped herself up on the pillows, smiling back at him. “Is this breakfast in bed? What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion,” he said, carefully setting the tray down in front of her before climbing back into bed. “Just wanted to spoil my girl a little.”

She raised an eyebrow, smirking as she reached for a croissant. “I could get used to this. What’s your angle?”

“No angle,” Jack replied, leaning in to steal a bite of her pastry. “Just missed you, that’s all.”

Maryse rolled her eyes playfully. “Missed me? You’ve seen me every day this week.”

“Yeah, but not like this.” He took a sip of his tea, his eyes on her. “I’ve missed us. Feels like we’ve been running on empty lately.”

She softened, knowing exactly what he meant. The past few months had been a whirlwind, and even though they were always together, the weight of everything that had happened hung over them. “Yeah, me too,” she admitted, taking a sip of her tea.

Jack reached over, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s why today is just about us. No work, no stress—just you and me.”

“Sounds perfect,” she said, feeling a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the tea. “What do you have planned?”

“First, breakfast in bed,” he said, gesturing to the tray. “Then, a little drive—just the two of us, see where the day takes us.”

“Hmm, sounds mysterious,” she teased, picking up a piece of fruit. “But I like it.”

They spent the rest of breakfast talking and laughing, reminiscing about old times and making each other smile like they hadn’t in weeks. It was simple, but it felt like exactly what they needed.

After breakfast, they got dressed and headed out, piling into the car with no set destination in mind. The kind of wandering that they used to do when their schedules weren’t packed to the brim.

The sun was shining, the windows were down, and they had the music blasting—singing along, terribly off-key, but not caring one bit. It felt like a throwback to simpler times, and it made him realize how much he missed just being in the moment with her.

As they drive, Jack glances over at Maryse, her curls blowing in the wind, framing her face perfectly. He can’t help but be struck by how beautiful she looks, even more so in this candid moment. He stares a little too long, and when she catches him, she gets a bit nervous.

“What?” she asks, her hand instinctively going to her face. “Do I have something on my face?”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “No, nothing like that. Just… you look beautiful.”

Maryse could feel the warmth rise to her cheeks, and then tried to play it cool. “Gross,” she mutters before quickly turning her attention back to the window, hiding the smile that’s tugging at her lips.

Jack laughs softly, shaking his head. “Annoying.”

She just shrugs, still looking out the window, but that blush isn’t going away anytime soon.

When they stumbled upon a quaint farmer’s market, they decided to explore. They walked hand in hand through the stalls, picking out little trinkets and tasting samples from local vendors.

“Look at this,” Maryse said, holding up a small, hand-painted dish. “It’s cute, right?”

“Very cute,” he agreed, taking it from her and examining it. “Let’s get it. We can put it in our new kitchen once it’s done.”

She smiled at the thought, nodding. “Okay, let’s do it.”

As they walked back to the car, he noticed a little ice cream stand and steered them towards it. “You want some?”

“Always,” she said, not hesitating.

They shared a cone, passing it back and forth between them as they wandered down a path that led to a small lake. Finding a spot by the water, they spread out a blanket they had in the trunk and sat down, enjoying the quiet.

“This is nice,” she said after a while, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I needed this.”

“Me too,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “We should do this more often.”

She nodded, closing her eyes and just soaking in the moment. “Yeah, we should.”

Maryse’s mind drifted back to her work, thinking about something that has been on her mind for months.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” she began hesitantly, her fingers tracing patterns in the grass beside her. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my album.”

Jack looked at her, his attention fully on her. “What’s on your mind?”

She sighed, trying to find the right words. “I know we’re supposed to be forgetting about work today and just enjoying ourselves, but it’s been on my mind a lot. I’ve been considering scrapping the whole album and starting over. After everything that’s happened, it just doesn’t feel like it represents me anymore. I’m worried it won’t connect with my fans the way I want it to.”

Jack nodded, his eyes understanding. “I get it. It’s been a tough year, and you need to feel like what you’re putting out is true to who you are. But are you sure? I mean, there’s a lot of work that’s gone into this album.”

“I know,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “It’s just that I feel like I’ve changed so much over the past year. I want to create something that feels authentic to me right now, not what I thought I was a few months ago.”

Jack reached over, taking her hand in his. “You know, your fans are going to support you no matter what. And you have that amazing collaboration with Usher from the Color Purple soundtrack coming out soon. They won’t be without music for long. Real fans will understand that this is about you finding your voice again.”

She looked at him, grateful for his support. “I hope so. I hate the thought of disappointing them, but I need to do what feels right for me.”

Jack gave her a reassuring squeeze. “You’re doing what’s best for yourself, and that’s important. Your true fans will stick by you through it all. And hey, if you need a break, we’ll get through it together.”

She smiled, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. “Thanks. I really needed to hear that. I know we’re supposed to be taking a break from work and just enjoying this day, but it’s hard to shut it all out when it’s been on my mind so much.”

Jack’s gaze softened, and he leaned in closer, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “You’ve always been so strong, and I admire that about you. But it’s okay to be vulnerable and to make changes when you need to.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder, letting out a sigh. “Thanks. I really needed to hear that.”

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. Maryse practically laying on top of him. “I’ve got your back, always,” he whispered. “And when you’re ready, we’ll make sure this new album is everything you want it to be.”

Maryse sighed with contentment, happy that she had Jack, not knowing what she would do without him.

As the sun began to set, they headed back towards the city, but instead of going straight home, he took a detour to their house—the one they were building together. The sun was low in the sky, casting a golden glow over the half-finished structure as they pulled up.

“Thought we’d check in on the progress,” he said as they got out of the car.

Jack smiled as he and Maryse walked hand in hand inside the unfinished house stepping over tools and materials scattered on the ground. It was still very much a construction site, but he could already picture the finished rooms, filled with laughter, music, and the kind of life he’s always dreamed of having with her.

“We’re gonna need a lot of bedrooms,” he says, grinning as he runs his hand along the frame of what will be their living room. “You know, for all eight of our daughters.”

He glances over at Maryse, waiting for the reaction he knows is coming. Sure enough, she raises an eyebrow at him, trying to hide the smile tugging at her lips. “You’re very ambitious.”

“Hey, gotta plan ahead,” he replies, keeping his tone light, though he’s only half-joking. The idea of a big family with her isn’t just a fantasy; it’s something he really wants, even if they haven’t talked about it seriously yet. “And we definitely need a studio here. That way we can work from home more, right?”

Maryse nods thoughtfully, and he can tell she’s already picturing it too. “Makes sense. But you do realize neither of us can cook, and you want a big kitchen?”

He laughs, the sound bouncing off the empty walls. “Who said anything about us cooking? That’s what the big kitchen’s for—to look good while we order takeout.”

He watches her chuckle, shaking her head at his logic, and he feels a warmth in his chest. There’s something about planning their future like this, even if it’s just hypothetical, that makes him feel more connected to her. “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”

“Of course I have,” Jack says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they continue walking through the space. “I want this place to be perfect for us… and the kids.” He catches himself, almost surprised by how easily that last part slipped out, but it feels right. This house isn’t just for them; it’s for the life they’re building together.

Jack glances at Maryse, seeing the way her eyes soften when he mentions kids. It makes his heart race a little. “You’re really serious about those eight daughters, huh?”

“Absolutely,” he grins, leaning down to kiss her temple. “And we’ll need a space for them to play, and a yard big enough for all the dogs we’re gonna adopt.”

Maryse laughs again, and he can see her holding back a full smile, but it’s there in her eyes. The way she’s looking at him makes him feel like he’s on the right track, like maybe, just maybe, she’s thinking about that future too.

As he continues to ramble on, talking about the yard and the dogs, Jack sneaks glances at Maryse, trying to catch every little reaction. Her quiet smile, the way she’s holding back but also letting herself dream along with him, makes him feel like they’re already halfway there.

As they continue to walk through what will eventually be their home, Jack’s eyes kept catching on the promise ring she wore, the way the diamond caught the light whenever she gestured. It was supposed to be a simple token, something to say, “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere,” but now it felt like more than that. The idea of marrying her no longer felt like some distant plan; it felt like a certainty, something inevitable that he was ready for.

Jack slows down, an idea forming in his mind. He stops in the middle of what will be their bedroom, turning to look at her with a mischievous grin.

“You know what we should do?” he says, his voice low and playful.

Maryse rolls her eyes, “Jack, I’m not going to have sex with you in here! I might get splinters in my ass!”

Jack let out a huge laugh, the curls on the top of his freshly cut mullet, moved as his body shook.

“M, that’s not what I was going to say!” Jack tried to explain through his laughter.

Her face warmed, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Ok so, what?”

“We should write our names on the walls,” he suggests, a spark of excitement in his eyes. “Like, right now, while everything’s still just frames and drywall. It’ll be our little secret, something only we know is there.”

“You want to graffiti our own house?”

Jack laughs, shaking his head. “Not graffiti—just a little mark, something to say this place is really ours. Imagine, years from now, we’ll know it’s there, even if no one else does.”

Maryse considers it for a moment, then smiles. “I like that idea. It’s like leaving a part of us here, in the foundation.”

“Exactly,” he nods, already pulling a Sharpie out of his pocket. “We’ll put our names, maybe a little heart or something cheesy like that. What do you think?”

She giggles, watching him with a mix of amusement and affection. “You’re really prepared, huh?”

“Always,” he replies, uncapping the pen and holding it out to her. “Ladies first.”

Maryse takes the marker, and with a glance at him, she steps up to the nearest wall. Carefully, she writes her name, adding a small heart next to it. When she’s done, she hands him the pen, and he leans in, writing his name beside hers.

“There,” he says, stepping back to admire their work. “Now this place is officially ours.”

She looks at the names on the wall, then back at him, her smile softening. “I love it. It’s like a little promise, something we’ll always have here.”

He wraps an arm around her, pulling her close as they both look at their names on the wall. “Our little secret,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to her temple. “This house is gonna be filled with memories, and now we’ve already got our first one.”

Maryse leans into him, resting her head on his shoulder. “I can’t wait to make more.”

As they stand there, wrapped up in the moment, Jack feels a deep sense of contentment. This house, their future, all the plans they’re making—it all feels so real now.

But Jack couldn’t help but break the comfortable silence. “You sure you don’t wanna have a quickie?”

“Jack!” Maryse exclaimed, giving him a hard shove and walking away to explore the rest of the house.

Jack laughed and then pouted as he followed behind her. “HEY! You’re the one who brought it up first.”

As they strolled back to the car after their day together, it was starting to turn dark outside, the moon casting a glow over everything. Maryse turned to Jack, her expression soft and full of gratitude.

“Thank you for today,” she said sincerely. “I really needed this, more than I realized.”

Jack smiled, reaching out to gently brush a curl away from her face. “You don’t have to thank me,” he replied. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I know it’s been a lot lately.”

She nodded, a lump forming in her throat. “It’s just… everything’s been so heavy, you know? Today, I felt like I could actually breathe again.”

He pulled her into a hug, holding her close. “That’s all I wanted,” he whispered against her hair. “You deserve to be happy, to feel at peace.”

She hugged him back tightly, then let out a small laugh. “I’m sure Lou Lou has been driving Urban crazy,” she added, thinking of their dog.

Jack chuckled. “Probably, but he’ll survive. We can’t be the only ones she tortures.”

Maryse smiled, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” he replied, squeezing her gently before pulling back to look at her with a soft smile. “Ready to head home?”

She nodded, smiling back at him. “Yeah, let’s go.”

***

an: a little filter chapter of our favorite couple thank you to the lovely @harlowcomehome for helping me with this

Tag List

(message me if you'd like to be added or removed)

@heavyhitterheaux @hoodharlow @neon-lights-and-glitter @babiefries @jackmans-poison @dstark-0706 @harlowsbby @itsyagirljaz @leftapricotprofessorlover @toocriticalharlow @minkookie95 @harlowcomehome @jackharloww @jaydaaasworld @kkrenae @hufflewhore128 @w1ldthoughts @jackiehollanderr @katiaw2 @halfmoondaze @babybardi2 @daphnescorner @angelluv444 @coquette-harlow @wabi-sabi1090

[banditthewriter]

The Box - A Gale drabble

A throwback to my old bandit days, I've written 2 drabbles in one day. This is extraordinary, but I've had a lot of inspiration. Tried my hand at Gale this go around. Thanks for reading!

Enjoy!

***

A clatter came from the direction of Gale’s office, but it wasn’t uncommon. The two of you each had a habit of making a bunch of rackets when the two of you were in your offices. He would be perfecting different spells and incantations, you were trying to brew new potions that sometimes went boom. Most of your adventuring days were behind you but you did admit to writing down the recipes of the ones that went boom—never knew when you or one of your long time friends might need it.

Another clatter, this time louder, came out and made you jump just as you were adding the last ingredient. Hesitantly you put it down and dampened the fire under the flask set before you turned to the door of your alchemy room. 

Since your arrival in Waterdeep, the two of you had spent innumerous hours together getting to know each other while the world was not on the precipice of apocalypse. The separate offices had been your idea. It was good and healthy to have a place that was just your own. While there were no set in stone rules about going into each other’s spaces, both of you tried to respect the other’s privacy when you were in your offices.

However a flash of memories came to you of various people coming after you and the others. Loyalists to the Absolute who hadn’t been tadpoled before the final battle who were upset that they had lost the promise of power they’d once had.

Caution to the wind, you left your office and crossed the hallway to Gale’s office door. It was usually shut when he was working, but it was half opened which worried you more. A loud thud resounded and you quickly threw the door open.

Gale was squatting beside a gilded chest, both hands thrust inside. It was like no chest you’d ever seen; the opening seemed to glow with Gale’s magic and then disappear into a dark void. Just as you started to wonder if it was hurting him somehow, Gale pulled his hands out and tossed aside a golden cauldron.

“Don’t even know why I kept that,” he muttered as he thrust his hands back into the chest.

There were other items strewn beside him. A large picture frame with what seemed to be a painting of his parents, a small chest that had popped open and spilled out scrolls, a sterling silver plate with his family’s crest etched in the middle.

“What is the opposite of spring cleaning?”

Gale jumped at your voice, obviously having missed your entrance in the midst of him pulling out the cauldron. 

“Autumnal cluttering, perhaps?” He grinned over at you and then frowned back at the chest. “The charm I had placed on this chest to work like a bag of holding has apparently gone awry. I can no longer just summon the item I want but need to fish for it in what feels like a never ending clutter.”

“Which has led you to throwing half the contents onto the floor.”

You stepped over a few glittering odds and ends. As you reached his side, he pulled out a clock that had diamonds encrusted on the face. He didn’t toss it to the side but gently placed it down before thrust his hands back into the chest.

“Is there something I can do to help you? Four hands are better than two,” you offered as you raised your hands and wiggled your fingers.

“No, no,” he said quickly with a shake of his head, “no, the magic is tied to me and though it has gone afoul, I do not want to think what might happen if you put your hands in—AHA!”

With a yank, Gale was sent backwards onto his rear. Clutched in his hands was a small leather box. He laughed as he looked down at it, his fingers delicately rubbing against the leather.

“Found what you were looking for?”

Gale’s eyes snapped up to you and you saw a whirlwind of emotion cross his features. Then he simply laughed.

“I did. In more ways than one. This wasn’t how I planned on going about this, but when has a hurdle ever stopped us?” He lifted the box in one hand out towards you. “This box belonged to my grandmother on my father’s side. It was given to me should I ever…find someone that I wanted to spend my life with. During my seclusion here, I put it in the chest because I truly never thought I’d find that person. Truly wasn’t sure what sort of life I would have even if I did. But with you, I found so much more than just someone to spend my life with. I found someone to enjoy my life with. To love living life as much as I love you.”

Tears were in your eyes as Gale moved to kneel before you. He held the box up and gently undid the golden clasp to open it.

Inside on a purple velvet pillow was a beautiful ring. A silver band with a diamond that seemed to glitter with every color in the universe. 

“Will you–”

You dropped to your knees and grabbed his face, tugging him towards your lips. Somehow the two of you maneuvered so that he could slip the ring onto your finger—and then onto the left hand when you realized in your excitement you’d had the hands mixed up—without releasing the kiss.

When you both finally pulled back, Gale’s smile could have brightened up the entire sky. Instead it just brightened your heart.

[thebest-medicine]

#5 “No, I’m just- uh- sensitive.” with Dean and Cas?

Prompt 5 - "No, I'm just- uh- sensitive."

A/N: oh man it's a throwback... let's go!!!! to quote @nhasablogg: what in the 2014 is happening here

…

Dean twitched again as Castiel’s hand passed the middle of his back, just between the shoulder blades. Castiel watched him with a twinkle of concern.

He had come in and sat down on the couch at Dean’s invitation earlier, only for Dean to then lounge across the couch and his lap, laying face down on a pillow and popping some reruns on the TV. Cas had taken it upon himself to shower the hunter with a little affection and check to make sure he was uninjured after their last outing. This led to Cas rubbing his back and neck here and there, and some affectionate tracing along his skin (perhaps also a ploy to check for sore muscles or knots) to see if he could help Dean feel a bit better.

“What’s wrong, Dean?”

“Nothin’.” Dean hummed against the pillow on the arm of the couch. “S’fine.”

Cas continued tracing along the muscles of Dean’s shoulders, pushing in when he sensed a knot and massaging here and there. He ran a few fingers along his spine up to his neck and Dean flinched again.

“Dean.” Cas stressed, stopping his ministrations.

“It’s fine, Cas. I’m… it’s just- uh- sensitive there.”

Castiel leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse of the human’s expression to better read him. He seemed content, happy even, he wasn’t getting up or moving away. He wasn’t hiding anything… any injury, right? Cas noticed a rosy coloring on the tip of his ear. He smiled gently.

“Sensitive.?” He inquired softly, starting to curl his fingers again along the back of Dean’s neck and over his shoulder, along his back. The thin t-shirt was soft under his fingertips, and it must have been on Dean’s skin as well. Dean squirmed again, digging himself deeper into the couch and Cas’s lap. Cas caught a strangled bit of a laugh almost made its way through the pillow. He smiled a little as he caught on.

“Sensitive… like you are here?” Cas continued, and suddenly his other hand was scratching at Dean’s ribcage.

Dean squawked at the new, more directly ticklish contact. He curled onto his side. “Hehheehe- wait! Nohohohohohooo!” He laughed, his blushing face now free. Cas caught sight of his delightful smile and felt warm.

“Can I get you to laugh like this if I try tickling back here?” Cas said curiously.

Dean protested through his laughs as he squirmed about, still tired, but didn’t do much to actually stop the ticklish attack. Cas drew both hands back and started to make the same spidering motions along the backs of Dean’s ribs and tracing up and down his spine. He scribbled at Dean’s neck, then at the small of his back. Dean laughed all the same, twitching and twisting until he finally squirmed his way onto his back, facing the angel. He caught Castiel’s hands in his and Cas stopped for a moment, taking in his wild eyes and fierce blush in contrast with his freckles.

“Heh- yeesh. You trying to kill me?” Dean laughed, closing his eyes under the scrutiny.

“You have a very sweet laugh.” Castiel said, smiling as Dean squirmed at the compliment too. “And a very ticklish back.” Another squirm.

“Shut up. You’re probably worse.” Dean scoffed.

“Well, maybe you’ll find out one day.”

Dean looked back up at him, raising an eyebrow with a little smirk. “Wanna find out?”

“Not now.” Cas smirked after he spoke, and Dean gave him a bewildered look before fingers fluttered along his stomach and began pinching his sides, and Dean lost his protests to laughter once again.

…

[more sentence starter fic prompts]

[other sentence starter fics]

[read this & further SPN drabbles on ao3]

[witchofthesouls]

Wait something funny just occurred to me. In the AU where the kids get cyber formed but remain on the edge of being adults, someone would have had to give them the Cybertonian version of The Sex Talk.

Would it be Ratchet, giving them the strictly medical side of things, or would it be some bot, talking about the experimental/exploring parts?

(I genuinely believe Ratchet would have an aneurysm of some kind at the prospect of it. But let's pretend)

I have to name this verse properly because Tarn isn't here, but it will eventually lead the D.J.D. to Earth. I'll keep the soulmate au tag until I can figure out something.

Ratchet does have an aneurysm because he has set ideas on what is and isn't 'appropriate' from Functionist-held Golden Age Cybertron, but he also carries a lot of guilt from out-surviving almost all his friends, cohorts, and students...

And it's all being dragged into the mud by the Jasper trio, who gives no quarter on crushing his prejudices and fears. Even Raf, his favorite, casually steamrolls over it with the draconian and American mindset of giving no fucks.

Team Prime had harmless thought exercises of what their charges' Cybertronian frames would be like... and none of them were remotely correct!

Because Miko is a Seeker femme, Raf may or may not be a type of Predacon, and Ratchet can't get proper readings on Jack's base-coding, Ratchet sits them all down because they're not sparklings or mechlings with sealed plates but full-framed mecha with total access. He gives them the reproductive talk, especially since Seekers and beastformers go into reproductive heats, but humans don't have that. He's trying to be mindful, and Ratchet is going through the different sexual methods and the variations of parts. Of course, Raf has to interrupt because the draconian mech has two spikes and no receptacle, and he would like to know about any necessary care.

All in all, it's really Ratchet having another fit because his weird humans are now weird Cybertronians of yore/throwbacks. And the ex-humans are taking it rather well, but Jack, Miko, and Raf had literally lifetimes to explore sexuality: as humans, human-hybirds by exploring their heritage as well as alchemical concoctions and very curious lovers.

This, however, did kickstart the path of Ratchet teaching Miko his medical knowledge as she doesn't want the results. She's burning to have the technical skills and knowledge of the processes. Ratchet does pass on his skills to Raf and Jack, but Raf prefers the science as Jack is more fascinated by procuring research material. Miko literally bullzoned her way to become his student. The howling matches they had shook the foundations of the base, but she got her way because she deliberately aimed at his vulnerable parts. ("You'll leave us one day to go back to Cybertron! And you're refusing to tell me how to properly care for myself!?") Ratchet is highly concerned about how voracious Miko's appetite is for that knowledge.

She yearns to become a Tsunade/Unohana terror among them because they have a strong suspicion that if their status is revealed, then they'll become targets. She'll become a Cybertronian Bloodbourne horror if it means she'll never be trapped like what happened to some of her kin.

[nolita-fairytale]

Carmy as Your Baby Daddy | Social Media AU & Headcanon Series | part four

a/n: I’ve got too far and I’d like to keep going TYSM. Your IG feed during your pregnancy and a post paired with the cutest fluffiest little blurb where carmy reacts to one of your posts.

blurb word count: 531

part three | masterlist | part five

*

"I can't believe you have this," Carmy chuckles, shaking his head at something on his phone.

"Hm?" you hum in response, as you lay propped up against the pillows and the headboard behind you.

"This photo of me," he answers, showing his phone to you. You place the book you’re reading down on your lap, narrowing your eyes as you peer over at the bright phone screen.

It's the photo you'd posted earlier that day. He must've just checked his instagram account. You giggle as you realize what photo he's talking about, a broad smile stretching across your face as you turn to him. Pictured is a much younger Carmy, standing over a bar in an open kitchen, his hair much shorter than now — just like when you’d met him.

"What a throwback, huh?" you shoot back.

You shift in bed just a little -- certainly not enough to disturb a perfectly curled up Aioli whose asleep at the foot of your bed.

" I-, I cut my hair... right when I moved to New York," he recalls with a shake of his head as he runs a tattooed hand through his curls. "Thought I'd like... cut off my hair and like... be a new person or whatever. It was stupid."

"Stupid? No. But I'm so glad you only kept it up for a little bit. I prefer your long hair," you add cheekily.

"Where did you get this?" he asks, still in disbelief as he looks down at the photo on the his phone screen.

"Well, I don't know about you, Carmy, but I do have access to the internet," you tease him, in reference to the fact that the photo had been taken to accompany an Eater article announcing his new position as CDC.

He rolls his eyes playfully, "I just mean-. I didn't even think you liked me back then."

"I didn't," you shrug, easily.

He scoffs, shaking his head once again as he looks away from you. You're a piece of work -- one of the many things he loves about you. This time, as he turns his whole body towards you, he moves further down so that he can talk to you and the baby. As he sets his phone down somewhere on the bed, you decide to take a more genuine approach this time as you answer his question.

"When we started getting to know each other... during quarantine," you begin to share. "I don't know. It must've been after one of our FaceTimes or something... I went back to the article and saved the photo."

He blushes, the softest smile appearing on his face as his blue eyes pierce right through your heart.

"There was something about it... that I liked. And I found it the other day when I was cleaning out my camera roll. Guess I've had it ever since."

"You liked me then?" he asks softly, as he looks up at you.

You nod.

"At least, enough to save this photo of you," you tease with a raise of an eyebrow.

He chuckles, leaning down to place the gentlest kiss to your round, extended tummy.

"And what about now?" he asks, coyly.

"Well, I like you enough to let you knock me up," you banter with him with a giggle.

He smirks, reaching over to put a hand on your belly, "Enough to let me do it again?"

You laugh incredulously as you say, "Let's just get through this first one, Berzatto."

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 409: Bro I’m Straight Up Having a Good Time

Previously on BnHA: AFO murdered his brother like the mischievous knave he is. Bruce was all, “hey Kudou don’t look now but I think Yoichi might have given you his secret quirk that we didn’t know he had.” Kudou was all, “damn that’s wild, it almost feels like this is a pivotal moment that will change all our destinies forever, you’d think Horikoshi would have spent just a little more time elaborating on this but I GUESS NOT.” Back in the present day, AFO was all, “I’m just going to use all my quirks at once because fuck this kid,” and Katsuki was all, “lol oh shit.”

Today on BnHA: Kacchan is all, “okay, I know I should be hopelessly outclassed, but hear me out: what if I just win anyway. What if I just go ahead and blow his shit up, because this is the final battle, and this is what all of my character development has been building up to since day one. What if I just beat him, because I’m the guy who wins. Simple as that. What if I just kick his ass with my one quirk, and prove all the haters wrong.” Horikoshi is all, “okay, sure.” AFO is all, “wait, wha -- ”

oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my g

huh. well I wasn’t expecting to start tearing up less than two panels into this chapter but HERE WE ARE

I love that he’s screaming and crying with his balled up little fist right from the get go lol. he was born a pissed off baby

he’s so squishy

and so tiny!!!!?!?! !?!??!?!

and he was RAISED WITH LOVE. fucking thank you, lol. gonna print that out and frame it on my wall. turn it into a flashing neon sign to give me comfort any time I stumble across stray Mitsuki discourse lol

anyway. oh my goodness. if this is a sign of things to come, there’s a very strong possibility this chapter may destroy me. how exciting!!

yep. yep yep yep. this is for sure going to be the chapter that finally does me in. it’s been a great ride folks

you better not be thinking any thoughts about dying, young man. this had better be meant in the sense of “because I’ll be by your side supporting you instead”, as opposed to “because I will be a little pile of dust in about three seconds’ time oh shit”

(ETA: after finishing the rest of the chapter, I’m pretty sure it’s the former! the first flashback is a reference to his chapter 120 speech -- “even higher than you, Chosen One.” the second is a throwback to chapter 247, when he told Endeavor he only had his one quirk, but it was strong enough to do anything he wanted to do. and the third flashback is one he also had at Jakku when he sacrificed himself to push Izuku out of the way.

so to me, this reads like (1) a reminder of his determination to surpass Izuku and become the strongest hero; (2) foreshadowing for him defeating AFO with Explosion, the Little Quirk That Could; and (3) a reminder of his “origin.” that last one being important because nowadays it’s just as strong of a motivator as his original goal. back at the beginning of the series, all he cared about was being the strongest. now, though, he’s not just fighting for himself; he’s also fighting to atone, and he’s learned to put himself aside if necessary.

as for the dialogue, this reads like a continuation of his mental conversation with Izuku that he began in chapter 362 (“gotta win... right, Izuku?” “so, Izuku... can I still catch up to you?”), and then continued in chapter 406 (“for some reason, I feel like I could overtake you now”). so in that context, “I’ll no longer get in your way” basically means that he’s done chasing Izuku, and that he’s caught up now and can hold his own. his determination to get stronger hasn’t wavered. his confidence in his own quirk and his own skills hasn’t wavered. and his resolve to atone for everything he did to Izuku is as strong as ever. put those all together, and we have the recipe for quite a spectacular redemption fight. his follow-up to chapter 362.

because earlier when he fought Tomura/AFO, he was basically just trying to buy time. no one ever planned or expected him to have to face the Big Bad one-on-one; that was supposed to be Izuku’s job. he was only meant to be there as support. and in the end he wasn’t strong enough, and he nearly died. and rather than being able to support Izuku, he ended up being used against him.

but this time is different. he’s no longer the decoy, the distraction. he’s no longer the pebble. he won’t get in Izuku’s way, because this time he’s going to be strong enough to win the fight. he’s going to hold his own, and get the job done.

so yeah. “I won’t get in your way” = “you can depend on me”, basically. because he’s become that guy at last. the guy who shows up in the clutch and wins the day. the hero he always wanted to be. good stuff.)

OH MY GOD

once again, just really solid hero advice from All Might here. there’s a reason he’s the GOAT

lol but in all seriousness it does tug at my heart to see him shouting so desperately at this kid. especially knowing that he’s presumably feeling the same pride and awe that I am, but with a lot more heart-stopping terror mixed in because unlike me, All Might doesn’t know that Kacchan is actually going to live forever. he narrated chapter 285, All Might, have a little faith

AFO is the extra-est mfer to ever live. but also it really tickles me to think that Kacchan pissed him off THIS much. it’s kind of an honor in a way

of course his plan is to simply just blow AFO up. of fucking COURSE it is. maybe there will be brain cells later on in this chapter, but for now who even needs them lol

OH MY GOD?!?

DID THIS MOTHERFUCKER JUST BLOW THE FUCK UP FROM THE INSIDE?? am I seeing this right?? DID KACCHAN JUST SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST ALL FOR ONE WITH HIS MIND

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

(ETA: shoutout to AFO for being so analytical when I personally would have just been screaming, “OH MY GOD MY FUCKING EYEBALLS AHHHHHHHHHH.”)

THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING THOUGH!! HIS POWER WASN’T DONE AWAKENING YET, APPARENTLY??

oh no wait it’s even better. this isn’t Awakening at all, this is just Katsuki playing 5D chess

so he actually did have brain cells the whole time then! Katsuki I sincerely apologize. you somehow had the presence of mind to make a goddamn minefield even in the midst of all of this hullaballoo

AND HE’S HUMBLE TOO LMAO

it’s true!! I’m people!! please ignore the multitude of times I’ve previously called him a dumbass, including earlier in this very chapter lol

hahahahaha yesssssssss

this chapter is incredibly validating for a number of reasons. I’m going to attempt to remain calm about it. but I’m enjoying this a lot ngl

oh AFO

:D :D :D

(ETA: you know what, I actually do have more to say about this. because I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve debated with people about this very thing, lol. for a while there post-Jakku it was just constant pessimism about Kacchan’s future in the manga. all this stuff about how Katsuki doesn’t have a main villain. Katsuki isn’t important enough. Katsuki is being phased out. Katsuki isn’t strong enough. Katsuki’s done developing. Katsuki’s just a joke character now. Katsuki’s just the damsel in distress. Katsuki’s always going to be second fiddle to Izuku. etc. etc. etc.

and then this chapter -- this whole entire fight, really -- comes along, and it’s just nonstop rebuttals, lol. and it’s not just that he’s proving all the negativity wrong. it’s that he doesn’t even care about any of that. AFO is out here trying to goad him with that same “YOU’RE JUST A SIDE CHARACTER” bait, and in response Katsuki just hits him with a Howitzer and tells him to shut the fuck up. AFO thinks he can get to him by being petty, because AFO still sees him as the bratty kid from the Sports Festival. but the present day Katsuki has long since moved past all of that, and no longer gives a fuck whether or not he shares the spotlight. unlike AFO, who never lost his childish egotism, Katsuki has learned to see outside himself, and the resulting growth has made him a bigger badass than AFO could ever hope to be.)

(۶•̀ᴗ•́)۶

ouch

HAHAHAHAHA

bro I’m straight up having a good time. this recap is gonna suck this week because there’s absolutely no commentary I can think of to add other than “I’M REALLY ENJOYING THIS, THIS IS GREAT”

I want to take this entire chapter and get it tattooed on my face

sorry AFO. this must really suck for you

lmao. is that all Kacchan. tell him how you really feel

OH MY GOD NO WAY LOL

so, fun fact, I literally just read chapter 385 last night lmao. most fortunate timing I’ve ever had, holy shit

okay so lemme just add some more thoughts on this one really quick

Hawks deserves all the nice things in the world and I’m so sad I can’t give them to him, but at least he gets this. sweet sassy revenge

I am once again calling everyone’s attention to the fact that AFO continues to be his own undoing. congrats on screwing yourself over bucko

Kacchan’s sleeve ripping up Deku-style is once again making my Plus OFA Theory senses all tingly. it probably is just a coincidence and has nothing to do with OFA, but I can’t unassociate it now, so I’m just gonna sit here and read as much into it as possible

if I had a nickel for every time AFO’s eyes blew up in this chapter, I would have two nickels, and that is way too many fucking nickels jesus christ

ever since he came back from the dead, Kacchan’s been doing this thing where he is just really pretty at all times, even when he is being a gremlin. and honestly it’s taken some getting used to, although I’m not complaining

but like in this panel especially, it just really stands out to me how even his “GRYAHHH I’M GONNA KILL YA!!!” face somehow has this really cool, intense, piercing glare now and he no longer looks like a baby troll when he does this kind of thing lol

OH FUCK YEAH

୧༼✿ ͡◕ д ◕͡ ༽୨

“THERE’S NO WAY I COULD’VE WON THIS ALONE.” OMG. THAT KACCHAN CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT JUST HITS DIFFERENT EVERY DAMN TIME, I SWEAR

he and Hawks basically pulled a “you hold him and I’ll punch” lol. thanks for the assist Hawks

Mitsuki and Masaru being all, “my little baby boy!!” and “HOLY SHIT”, respectively, sent me all the way to the moon lmao

HELLO THERE YOICHI? fancy running into you here. just chilling out over in this montage of people close to Bakugou who are watching him kick ass. did you take a wrong turn, mayhap. you’re not inside of AFO, we know that much. and Deku, much as I’m sure he’d love to have a front row seat to all this, seems to have his hands full dealing with Tomura right now, sadly

so all of that does seem to raise an interesting question, no? where did you come from just now, and why? and when Kacchan says he’s not alone, is there perhaps more truth to that statement than even he knows? or am I once again just reading way too much into this lmao

anyway so yeah! that sure was fun. and with the end of the year approaching and back-to-back two-week chapter breaks coming up, I have a chance to do the funniest thing of all time, and still not manage to catch up, lol. nah but I’m gonna try my best though. pretty sure I should be able to manage