#patry banter

[anastoza]

I'm on a quest to sketch my favorite party banters maybe next time I won't get so carryed away and color it heh, but my soul kinda needed some colour Also, I kinda went through act 2 and 3 untill they've fixed missing party banter, I personaly haven't heard it myself, but i did hear it on youtube

[pitchsidestories]

training season II Lucy Bronze x Reader

masterlist I word count: 1140

summary: Lucy and you're married, but she still wants to impress you especially during gym sessions with the team.

a/n: hi, it's based off this request here, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did while writing the oneshot.

Staying focused.

That was always your priority when you were in the gym with your Barcelona teammates.

Your hands were getting sweaty as you did your last set of leg presses on the machine.

Alexia did the same exercises next to you. You liked being in her presence, she always made sure you pushed yourself.

But today, she seemed distracted, pausing in the middle of her set.

“Y/n, your wife…“, she said into the silence.

“What about her?“, you huffed as you pushed the weight with your legs once again.

Alexia rolled her eyes: “She’s annoying.“

“Annoying, huh?“, you laughed. You set your feet down and turned towards your wife.

“Look.“ Alexia nodded in her direction and resumed her exercises.

Lucy was in the middle of the floor, doing push-ups in rapid succession.

You smirked: “Luce is trying to impress.“

“I wonder who she’s trying to impress here. It’s definitely not us.“, Mapi teased. She was sitting on a gymnastic ball and grinned at you.

You shrugged innocently: “Who knows.“

Still, your gaze subconsciously drifted back to your wifes biceps.

“Pretty obvious.“, Alexia concluded with a raised eyebrow.

On the order side of the gym, Lucy looked over to Mariona who was next to her on the floor, massaging her muscles with a foam roller.

“Mario, is she looking?“

“Yes, and everyone else too.“, the midfielder replied, sounding bored.

Patri joined the conversation, letting herself drop on the mat next to Mariona: “Also you know that this rooms isn’t that huge and everyone can hear you, right, Lucia?“

“Shut up.“, Lucy replied jokingly.

The younger player just shrugged: “Your wife doesn’t look too impressed so far.“

Lucy frowned as she looked over towards you: “It’s because Alexia and Mapi keep distracting her.“

“Or you need to do something more impressive.“, Mariona suggested.

The defender stopped doing push-ups and considered her teammate for a moment: “I think I have an idea for that.“

She got up, moved over towards a pull-up bar and started doing pull-ups. No break between the exercises, just steady and quick movements over and over again. The veins in her forearms started to protrude and her breathing pattern was off,

You could tell when your wife was overdoing it.

“Lucia Roberta Tough Bronze!“, you called her.

She let go of the bar and dropped to her feet: “Yes?“

The smile on her face let you know that she got what she wanted. Your attention.

“Sarina Wiegman would kill you if she saw you doing that!“, you warned her. It was a running gag between the two of you. Her national team coach was always worried about Lucy doing too much at her age.

Your wife shrugged: “She’s not here though!“

“Still, that’s why we won the world cup against your team, you never listen to the advice your coach gives you.”, you remarked with the hands demonstrative on your hips.

“Excuse me what?!”, she replied, in an attempted scandalized tone.

“You heard me.”, you countered smirking.

“You know that’s a lie. You were just lucky.”, Lucy protested, despite her playful annoyance, her green eyes lit up during your banter, there were only a few things she enjoyed more than this.

“Yes, it was. But maybe you should focus more on your running than your arms.”, you continued, the smirk on your lips deepened as you padded her shoulder, feeling the muscles working underneath the skin.

“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?”, the defender pouted. Although she clearly enjoyed that you finally touched her.

“Oh, nothing.”, you answered innocently.

“You couldn’t go a day without touching my biceps.”, your wife responded confidently, flexing said body part to underline what she just said.

“In fact, y/n already touched it.”, Mapi observed with a cheeky smile on her face. Obviously, the heavily tattooed Spaniard was on her side.

“Mapi!”, you scolded only half-heartedly.

“See? Maybe you should work on your arms instead.”, Lucy gave you one of her winning grins.

“Rude. Gym session is over though, so it’s time for training and there I want to see you run.”, you reminded her winking.

“Don’t worry. I’ll try to tackle you not too hard.”, the older woman promised snorting.

Watching you two from the distance Alexia turned curiously to the other English player in the room:” Keira? Were they always like that?”

“Yeah, we’re lucky that we’re in training otherwise they’d start making out.”, Keira made gagging noises.

“That sounds like them.”, the captain admitted.

“It’s weird.”, the red-haired midfielder told her teammate.

“It’s not!”, Lucy  promptly shot back.

“Oh, thought you were too busy flirting with your wife.”, Keira mocked her.

“She’s very sensitive about it.”, you explained quickly.

“Lucia?”, Mapi called your wife.

“Huh?”, she looked up to her.

“Let’s see who’s the first one on the training pitch!”, the Spanish woman proposed to the older player who never said no to a challenge.

“Obviously me!”, Lucy yelled excitedly, before the two of them start running, leaving everyone else behind them, almost crashing into a staff member while doing so.

“I won’t let you win, you impressed your wife enough.”, you could hear Mapi shout at her.

With a loud sigh Ingrid wrapped her arm around your shoulders, while you both walked in a normal pace to the training pitch:” They don’t belong to us, y/n.”

“Of course not.”, you agreed smiling.

“No, we always know they’re your two idiots.”, Alexia shook her head.

Watching your wife and teammate race each other, you sighed: “Yeah okay, they are.“

“See.“ Alexia gave you a told-you-so-look that you chose to ignore.

On the other side of the pitch, Lucy announced proudly: “I was first!“

“No, you weren’t.“, Mapi disagreed, pouting.

Lucy lowered her voice: “Shhh, don’t tell anyone.“

The Spanish defender let out a laugh, her gaze shifting in your direction: “I’m sure your wife still loves you anyway.“

“I do.“, you confirmed, wrapping her arms around your wifes waist as you arrived on the pitch.

She turned towards you, looking directly at you: “Just for the record, we were here at the same time.“

You nodded slowly: “Sure, love.“

Lucy considered you for a moment. With a smile on her face, she pressed a kiss to your temple and whispered: “I can’t wait to go home with you later…“

Keira grimaced in disgust: “Too much information.“

“Sorry.“, you grinned innocently. You took a step back from your wife. There was still a light training session to be done and you needed to focus on that.

But the truth was, you could not wait to go home either.

You would never admit it but yes, it worked. You were, in fact, impressed by her silly antics.

Even after years of marriage, your gaze always found her in every room.

There was no need to impress you, she always had your attention.

[mapiforpresident]

Game Night

patri x reader x pina

Your shared apartment was unusually lively tonight. The living room, usually a calm space where you and your girlfriends could cuddle after long training sessions, had been transformed into game night central. The coffee table was cleared of its usual magazines and candles, replaced with board games, card decks, and snacks. Patri, had insisted on organizing the evening.

You were currently arranging the last of the snacks when you felt a pair of hands slide around your waist. “You’ve been working too hard, amor,” Patri murmured, her warm breath brushing against your ear. “Come sit. Everything is ready.”

You turned your head slightly, catching the soft smile on her face and couldn't help but lean in to kiss her. “Just finishing up. Someone has to keep this night running smoothly.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. You glanced toward the door, but Claudia was already sprinting past you. “I got it!”

A flurry of greetings filled the room as Ona and Lucy walked in, followed closely by Mapi and Ingrid, and then the youngsters. Aitana and Alexia trailed in last and you thought you saw a hickey peaking out from Aitana's shirt and Alexia seemed happier than usual but you weren't going to question it.

“Are we ready to crush each other?” Mapi announced, setting a bottle of wine onto the table with a smirk.

“Relax, Mapi,” Ingrid said, rolling her eyes fondly. “It’s just game night.”

“There’s no such thing as ‘just game night,’” Patri muttered under her breath, earning a laugh from you.

~~~

You had barely explained the rules of Pictionary before things descended into chaos. Teams were chosen—Patri, Lucy, and Ona against you, Claudia, and Mapi. Ingrid had volunteered as the judge, sitting back with a wine glass in hand, clearly enjoying the show. The rest of the girls lounged around ready to watch the game

“Alright, first word!” Ingrid said, flipping the timer over.

Patri grabbed the marker and began sketching furiously on the whiteboard. Lucy and Ona leaned in, shouting guesses almost immediately.

“Boat! Sailboat! Canoe!”

“No, no, no!” Patri huffed, erasing part of her drawing and adding something new.

“Paddleboard?” Ona guessed, tilting her head.

“Time’s up!” Ingrid declared, stifling a laugh as Patri groaned.

“It was a submarine! How did you not see it?” Patri gestured dramatically to her admittedly questionable drawing.

Lucy squinted at the board. “That’s a banana with windows.”

The room erupted in laughter, and you found yourself leaning into Claudia’s side as she grinned. “Patri’s competitive streak is showing,” she whispered, her tone teasing.

Your turn came next, and you took the marker with an air of confidence. The word was “elephant,” and you began sketching quickly.

“Tree? No, wait, a flower?!” Mapi shouted before you had even drew a full line.

“It’s obviously a horse,” Claudia added.

“Are you two serious?” you groaned, adding the trunk to your drawing.

“An anteater!”

“A giraffe?”

“Time’s up!” Ingrid announced again, and you turned to your teammates in mock disbelief.

“It was an elephant!” you exclaimed.

Mapi threw her hands up. “Well, your drawing could’ve fooled me.”

Claudia nudged you playfully. “Maybe we’re just bad guessers, amor.”

~~~

Pictionary was abandoned after Mapi and Lucy started bickering over the rules, and someone suggested Uno as a less contentious alternative. It was, in hindsight, a terrible idea.

“Draw 2!” Claudia said gleefully, slapping down her card.

“Why me?” Mapi groaned as she picked the cards up.

“Because you deserve it,” Claudia teased, sticking her tongue out.

You laughed at the playful banter, but your attention was drawn to Patri, who had been suspiciously quiet. She glanced at her hand, then at the stack, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.

“I’m sorry, mi amor,” she said sweetly, before slamming a wild +4 card onto the pile.

Your jaw dropped. “Patri!”

“What? It’s part of the game,” she said innocently, though the gleam in her eye betrayed her.

“I thought you loved me!” you exclaimed dramatically, drawing your cards as the rest of the team burst into laughter.

Ona, meanwhile, had been plotting her own move as she skipped Lucy's turn.

The room erupted in chaos, with Mapi accusing Ona of stacking the deck after she used 4 skips in a row and Lucy attempting to challenge the legality of her skips. Amid the noise, you leaned back into your chair, Patri’s arm slipping around your shoulder.

“Chaos,” you murmured, though you couldn’t help but smile.

“Fun chaos,” Patri corrected, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

~~~

By the end of the night, the team had mellowed out, the earlier drama replaced by laughter and a few too many bottles of wine. Patri had pulled you onto the couch, her arms wrapped securely around you, while Claudia leaned against your other side.

“This was a good idea,” you said softly, glancing at the remnants of the evening scattered across the room.

Patri hummed in agreement. “Even if Mapi and Lucy nearly killed each other?”

“Especially because of that,” Claudia said, grinning. “What’s game night without a little drama?”

You laughed, feeling a wave of contentment wash over you. These moments, surrounded by your team and snuggled up with your girlfriends, were what made all the hard work worth it.

“Same time next month?” Ona called from across the room.

[chidoroki]

Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King - movie reaction

Don’t normally do these for movies but WHATEVER. I’m too happy to care right now! It took me like..three & a half hours to get through the entire movie because I kept replayed scenes over and over again. I was just so amazed at how beautiful it all was and I was beyond emotional to see & hear everyone.

(full reaction below the cut with obvious spoilers)

Y’all wouldn’t believe how much I’m shaking. I couldn’t stay up late waiting for the movie to drop because I was so exhausted but NOW.. I’m up! I’m awake at seven in the morning (though this is probably gonna post much later) on a day off (yes I took off just for this) and it’s finally happening!

Julius’ time magic is breaking apart? Dunno why exactly but it certainly can’t be a good thing.

So the sneak peak they showed on twitter yesterday was of a flashback of ten years ago. I figured it had to be something like that since Fuegoleon, Yami, and Julius looked so young, but then ya got Nozel who seems the same as ever! Still handsome though, of course.

And is that a younger Theresa with Fuegoleon too? Back when she was an active magic knight?

It’s already in dub? Alright, good. I prefer that honestly, since that’s how I first watched BC, but I’ll pop up the subs on screen as well just in case there’s any slight differences.

Crazy how Conrad’s key/door magic, whichever it is, negated everyone else’s that was holding him down with little effort.

Ooohh everything already looks so beautifully animated, and Mereoleona! Going nuts as usual!

The way my little heart sped up upon seeing and hearing Nozel.. aahh! I still think it hilarious how much this man grew on me once I caught up with the manga. Now I love him IMMENSELY!

Ayyy Yami coming in with a quick save to Julius.

Yeaaaahh Julius! Time bind his crazy ass! (so it was Conrad who was breaking free at the start, huh?)

“My magic is never giving up!” Okay excuse you sir, you can’t steal Asta’s line like that!

The sunrise is gorgeous.. everything is. Ohhh I may cry.

Now we got a full colosseum? Is there a little tournament on the horizon? That should be fun, but hello Mimosa! Please explain this Triumph event!

Now who’s this shady person walking the streets hm?

Aw Fanzell, Dominante, Mariella and Fana cameo!

I love Klaus & Mimosa’s little banter.

Of course Julius is gonna watch all the action from the stands.. and there’s our lovely Black Bulls! Charmy with the snacks and Vanessa with the drinks as usual. These girls got their priorities straight.

Ahahaa Yuno’s little fan club.. and naturally Charmy’s gonna cheer for him too.

Oh, the shady person from the streets was our boy Asta disguised.. and apparently he can’t compete because of that devil trial, but obviously, he doesn’t care. He wouldn’t dare miss out on an opportunity to battle against Yuno.

“The Masked One?” “Surely nobody entered the tournament with such a ridiculous name?..Oh, they did!” Pfftt, the surprise in Klaus’ voice was perfect.

You can stay disguised all you want Asta, but those swords of yours are too recognizable that they’re gonna give your identity away..

Conrad and the other three Wizard Kings are already here..? I guess we’re not gonna see any part of the tournament. Shame, I was kinda excited for the idea.

It’s gonna bother me that I won’t know the other WK’s voice actors til the credits because I don’t recognize any at the moment, but at least we learn that Jester has barrier magic.

Damn, so Conrad’s seal weakened when Patri killed Julius? Eh, makes sense.

Legion magic from Princia (whom I’m also fond of her voice) summons up countless warriors.. nice.

Asta!!! Look at our boy! That smile of his is so bright! And taking these warriors out no problem!

“Ugh, these guys are the worst! They ruined my awesome disguise!” “And here I thought you were a lost child who wandered onto the field.” I love snarky Yuno so much.

Asta and Noelle literally having each other’s backs and supporting each other.. aahh it warms my heart, it’s adorable!

I dunno why, but Jester may be my favorite out of this WK trio. He’s got that sly bastard energy.

Good to see the Bulls joining the fight, but where the hell are the captains? Shouldn’t they be fine with their large supply of mana? Unless they were helping the crowd evacuate. That’s probably the reason.

Speak of the devil, there’s our Yami. And the rest of them.. and Leo?

I was about the question the backstory between Kaiser and Conrad since they seemed familiar with each other, but then remembered Kaiser was there in the beginning flashback. Silly me.

Asta and Finral tasked to go fetch something to help against Conrad and naturally Noelle slides right into the portal with them.

A sword that can store up magic power and can possible destroy a whole country when it releases it? No wonder Julius tried to get rid of it.

Eeehehe, Nozel and Fuegoleon and their dramatic entrances! I love these stylish men.

Yami c’mon, must you always poke fun at my boy? At least Julius found it funny. Nozel, not so much.

“I’m awake for a change, but this feels like a dream. It’s way too crazy!” “This is filling my brush with inspiration. Then again, maybe now’s not the time to be painting.” Ahaha, I love them all so much and happy that they’re getting some screen time too.

The stadium was one of Conrad’s weapons the entire time?

I know Julius said Nero was assisting at Branch Zero but I did not expect the lab coat.

“Key magic. It grants him the ability to create keys that can open or close rifts out of thin air. The magic space behind these doors is able to absorb whatever Conrad wishes. Tools, grimoires.. magic itself.” And he can steal other people’s magic with that too hm? Thank you for the info Nero.

Okay, well damn, Conrad managed to beat them all here and knock out Sally.

Ah geez Finral, always getting hurt. I hope he doesn’t stay knocked out for long.

Shit, I had a feeling he stole some of Marx’s magic to learn all about them.

YEAH NOPE! Despite seeing this scene before in trailers I’m STILL NOT OKAY seeing Nozel knocked out in a pool of blood!! Aaaahhh!!!

“To think that such a coward was allowed to be a captain of the magic knight!” Oh hell no! You can’t speak about my boy like that, Conrad! Go on Noelle, go fuck up this bastard!!

I love how upset/angry she gets on Nozel’s behalf and I’m in awe with how they animated her water in this movie!

Damn it, Conrad stole her magic so easily.. I really hope this doesn’t hinder her the entire movie. I really wanna see her go all out.

But that’s why Asta gets so pissed off? Yeaaah boy! Make Conrad pay!

Wait, hold up.. the fire and lighting magic attributesare common, but a magic that resembles poison? Did Conrad already steal the Bull’s magic too? That would explain those threads Conrad held Asta down with but I pushed aside the thought of it being Vanessa’s since it looked like it also had needles to it.. but who knows. Maybe I’m over thinking.

Sure they both want a world where people respect other but Conrad is just a little, sorta kinda, very much insane.

Oh! Asta broke one of the keys! Does that restore people’s magic maybe? Or just cancel out the attack?

Aw, even when completely worn out, one of Asta’s concerns is for Conrad to return Noelle’s magic.

Oohhh we got a pissed off Yuno as back up, as well as Millie and Sally.

Well, at least for a moment before they decided to retreat.

If they bring the fight to Hage, then you know our two main boys are gonna be angry.

DAAAMMNNN, Noelle always looks SO GOOD with her hair down like that.

Oh Sekke, always with the give up and run away strategy hm?

Asta coming through with that inspirational talk-no-justu! And of course Noelle is the first to offer her strength to him! You go girl! Support your man!

“So! What are we gonna do first?” “I’m gonna figure that out, right now!” “You’re what?” Asta would make for a wonderful WK, but he would still be a fool, and I love him for that.

I was wondering when we were gonna get one of Sekke’s famous laughs and it comes along with Mereoleona busting down doors. I probably should’ve expected that from her by now.

William, Jack and Charlotte were away this whole time? Wait, were their seats really empty at the stadium when they showed all the other captains and I just never noticed? Oops.

They show Yami, Fuegoleon and Nozel trapped within the barrier but what happened to Kaiser then?

Love-struck Charlotte is still as funny as ever.

Charmy…? Were you small in Asta’s hair this whole time or what?

Ah, nevermind, all the Bulls are all here too, thanks to Yami and Rouge.

I’m so terrible.. I didn’t even realize Henry & Gordon were missing til Vanessa pointed it out.

Aahh precious Noelle and Vanessa hug!! I love both these girls so much!

Aww Vanessa making another headband for Asta! I also.. didn’t realize that was missing til now.. damn, I’m really not observant at all today.

Mmmmhmhm, even now, whenever William speaks, all I can hear is Ginoza.

Good lord, Princia can summon up quite an army of these warriors and she’s not even close by.

Half way through the movie and we finally get a Asta-Yuno fist bump!

I was so proud when they all managed to pass Jester but then Princia and Edward joined the fun..but then Finral stepped in to help! Yay!

Zora’s laugh never gets old. He also as the best comments.

“Also, don’t forget I am your superior!” Ya gotta have the typical Finral line too!

Mereoleona holding up the entire Bull’s base.. this woman is a mad lad.

Aw come on, I’m glad Yuno & Asta made it inside but I really wanted to see everyone else join the big brawl too! Hopefully they show up later.

Oh my.. that big, confident grin of Yuno’s made me weak.

So we do get to see the Bulls fight more!! Great! And it’s all of ‘em against Edward!

And Mereoleona fights one vs one against Princia? Hell yeah, let’s goooo! She’s definitely gonna enjoy that fight too.

Yuno used Jester’s attacks against him to free the three captains. Smart move boy!

Luck is gonna love this fight against Edward, no doubt. And thank god for Rouge as always!

Awww Gauche saving Grey! How cute!

Took a damn long while but we finally got a namedrop for Edward’s magic. Ice wedge. And the fact he can freeze magma with it is insane.

Why must captains always get stabbed?? Seems like Mereoleona is cauterizing her wound though so that’s good.. or she can just summon up a huge purgatory mana zone and crush the blade in her hand. That works too.

Oh so Princia is indeed crazy deep down as well. She and Mereoleona are quite the pair.

Nozel, can you stop getting hurt please? My heart can’t take it. No matter the media, you’re always bleeding.

Of course, how foolish of me to not think that Jester also has a phase two. The other two WK pretty much did too.

And during all that, Asta couldn’t catch up to Conrad? The dude wasn’t even moving!

What’s with this Shippuden ending 12 style dream Mereoleona is experiencing right now?

Goddamn, these women are so fucking INTENSE!!

I didn’t know I needed to see a combo spell between Yami, Fuegoleon and Nozel til now and I’m so happy that it happened!

I guess that necklace of Conrad’s once belonged to someone he really cared about huh?

Maannn, I thought Asta really got him good but Conrad didn’t even bother to parry it “out of respect.”

Bitch be looking like an Arceus with that magical ring behind him, hello??

There ya go! The Black Bulls are still standing! Time to counter!

Or Edward can just summon up an ice beast three times the size as the last one, whatever!

Asta getting stabbed too, in a real slow and calm manner might I add.

LIEBE!!? I questioned whether or not we would see him since this all happens before Nacht appears, but here he is! Our little devil!! Huzzah!

Still can’t get over how beautiful this movie is and this new soundtrack absolutely slaps!!

Oh good! Asta managed to connect the sword to Conrad’s grimoire to restore Noelle’s magic! Everyone else is so excited for her too, even Zora.

Aahh Gauche using mirror brigade on her with her valkyrie form! Nice!!

I am getting fucking chills watching our Bulls go off!! Fuck, I love this family!

Welp, there goes the three Wizard Kings, but we still got a couple minutes left of the movie sooo perhaps Conrad isn’t quite done yet.

AAAAHH they actually got “Haruka Mirai” blasting!!! Can I get a big ol’ HELL YEEAAHH!

Pfftt leave it to Zora to still look so calm and/or bored near the end.. but praise our boy Finral for setting up so many portals to bring together everyone’s magic! I love this lad!

NO FUCKING WAY! They actually included Nacht!!! I’m gonna cry!

“A nice long nap doesn’t sound like the worst idea. Especially if it means someone who’s doing a good thing get rewarded.” He may have had only two lines but it fills me with GREAT JOY!!

But hold up, how did Finral know to put a portal there in front of him?? He hasn’t even met Nacht at this point.

Ah, that necklace belonged to some Conrad knew, probably his lover? But aww that shot of the Bulls is so damn precious!

Oohoho they did the whole black & white sketchy style thing with Asta’s final attack!!

This boy deserves so much happiness!! I’m so proud of him!

I am.. so incredibly giddy seeing Nozel in the credits first.

Oh but the ending song! It is beyond beautiful!!! Ah, and it’s by Treasure, no wonder!

This little ending scene with Asta and Yuno is exactly what we needed, to see them start another fight since their encounter in the colosseum got interrupted.

Aaahh, okay.. I really enjoyed that. I wish we got to see the Black Bulls be their chaotic selves a little more, but it definitely filled my heart with many happy feelings to see them and everyone else again. I say that as if it’s been so long when in reality I only caught up with the series last year. It’s crazy to think that I got interested in this series because of the first movie trailer and here I am, finally getting to watch it. But I really hope the anime returns someday too, especially with this kind of quality! It’s real ambitious to release episodes weekly instead of seasonally and I didn’t mind the animation style at all when I binged it, but if it returns with even a fraction of this quality, it’ll be amazing. I’ll love this series regardless, of course. It was a lovely experience and I can definitely see myself watching this several times over.

[kirain]

So I was walking with Ellie and Max in my party and I lost the video footage, but here’s the audio of their conversation. It made me burst out laughing. He’s such a dick, but I live for his sass.

[thespiralgrimoire]

Omg I have to tell a story

So, I have pulled an all nighter exactly one time in my life.

It was to do a project for my health class about how smoking was bad. I stayed up all night editing together the drawings I'd been working on for two weeks into an AMV to the English dub of Alice of Human Sacrifice. Classic cringe. I was very proud of it, still appreciate 16-year-old me's dedication. This is not actually important to the story, all you need to know is that I went to bed at 4 and woke up at 6.

I once heard that going 17 hours without sleep is similar to chugging 2 glasses of wine, as far as mental fog. I don't know if that is actually true but I can say that I have never felt as inhibited as I was going to school that day on 2 hours of sleep.

Most of my teachers were pretty chill about it. I was a good student and teacher's pet, so when I told them what was up they chuckled and didn't bat an eye at me passing out, open mouth, drooling onto my desk in their classes.

The exception to this was AP World History. This wasn't because the teacher didn't particularly like me; it was just that that day in class, we were doing fishbowls.

Now for those of you who don't know what fishbowls are, they are basically a very structured discussion. The teacher gives you a subject, and you spend an allotted time with half the class on the inside of the "fishbowl" discussing the topic while practicing dialectic phrases like "I agree, and" and "Working off of what X said..." The other half of the class on the "outside" of the fishbowl grades you based on how many buzz phrases you use

This is a difficult thing to sleep through.

I started the class inside the fishbowl, which meant that I needed to say some stuff to get credit for class. I think that I started the class knowing what the subject of discussion was, but 5 minutes in, I had no fucking idea, and I also hadn't heard a single word anyone had said. But I had been filled with sleepless, righteous fury. I had a hill to die on. I had something important that needed to be said.

I pulled my thousand-pound-head off the desk, and straight up cut off my classmate mid-word to say, "You know what I think?"

And then I blacked out.

I swear to God, I have no fucking clue what came out of my mouth after that. The moment those words left my mouth, my memory abandoned me. I have no idea if I even stayed on the topic I wanted to talk about. I don't know if I said anything at all. Because the next thing I remember, I was no longer talking, sittinf just where I'd started, and my entire class was staring at me exactly like this

And then the bell rang.

The entire fucking class was over

Twenty to thirty minutes. Gone.

That would have been jarring in and of itself, but it's what happened in the moment that the bell rang that really shook me. Every single member of my class picked up their stuff and fled the room. They evacuated. They left that class like they were running for their lives.

My teacher wouldn't look me in the eye.

Now if you're anything like me, you're probably wondering what the FUCK I said in those 20-30 unaccounted minutes. Because that's what I was wondering the next day after a good night's sleep. Problem was, it was years before I was brave enough to ask my classmates what happened. And not a single person mentioned this episode once in my entire high school career.

But on the bright side, I went to a pretty small high school, so all the people who I struck with the fear of God were still around to ask when my embarrassment finally eased. I asked 4 or 5 of them. I really needed some closure on this.

And you know what they told me?

They have no idea.

For some of them, the day I came to school so sleep deprived that I couldn't walk a straight line just wasn't memorable. They admitted that it could have happened, but some people had actual shit going on in high school and this didn't even register on their radar. I get that. Can't fault them there. But others? They remembered that day. They remembered this class even, although vaguely. And despite not disagreeing with a single detail of this story, they can't even guess at what I said while I was blacked out.

They know I definitely said something. But they can't fathom what it might have been.

If I hadn't spoken to these people one at a time, years and miles apart, I would think that the whole class conspired to fuck with me. But I can't really accept that as a possibility because... Frankly, I wasn't interesting enough to fuck with. And most of these people aren't the type to maintain a joke like this well into their adult years.

This remains the second most interesting thing to happen to me as a teenager; the first being the time I consensually kidnapped my best friend with my boyfriend but did such a good job that everyone involved was a little afraid that everyone else wasn't in on the joke.

Anyway I kinda got off topic but my point is that William and Patry definitely have a story like this

P.S. Sleep is important to your health

[lostinwoso]

Do one where a Fan starts flirting with Alexias girl and the team tease reader for always attracting women anywhere and everywhere...

Quite The Catch (Alexia x Reader)

A/N: Part Two 'Alexia's Property'

You and Alexia are walking down the street hand in hand towards the bowling center, where the team decided to spend an afternoon together.

"You seem excited." Alexia takes note.

"I am! I haven't been bowling in a while, and the girls also being there will make it even more fun." You explain to her.

"It's definitely going to be fun and chaotic." She confirms.

Taking the last turn, you can already see some of the girls waiting in front of the center. Arriving, you all greet each other.

Waiting for the few girls that are still to arrive, light conversations were held in the group when Mapi speaks up, "I hope you all are ready to lose."

"Please, if anyone is going to win here, it's me." Patri speaks up, which leads to a banter between them on who is going to win.

"Both of you are going to lose, okay?" Your girlfriend interrupts their banter.

"Oh really? Who is going to win then?" Mapi asks the Barcelona captain.

A smirk forms on Alexia's face, "Me.". This answer starts a complete new banter between the girls, this time only getting put to a stop when the rest of the girls arrive.

_______________________

You are halfway through, so far the game has been going great for you, even throwing two strikes, but the score still leaves the winner open, most of the team also doing really well.

Deciding it's time to get a refill on the drinks, Mapi, Patri, Lucy and you take the girl's orders before making your way to the bar.

Giving the bartender the order, you wait for the drinks to get ready when you feel someone poking you on your shoulder. Turning around, you are faced by a woman your age.

"Hey." She speaks up with a smile on her face.

"Hey." You reply, although a bit confused on why she approached you, you offer a friendly smile.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but you play for Barcelona, right? I'm a big fan. Also, I'm Elena." She says, holding her hand out for you to shake.

"Oh, yea I do, I'm Y/N, but you probably already know that." You answer with an awkward chuckle while shaking her hand.

She lets out a small laugh, "It's nice to meet you, I've been watching you play bowling, and you are quite good, do you have any advice for me?" she says while stepping a bit closer to you.

Claudia who is waiting with the rest of the team notices the girl talking to you, "What a surprise, another girl trying to shoot her shot with Y/N again."

Hearing this, Alexia quickly turned around, seeing how the girl stands way too close to you, with her hand on your arm. She also notices your rather uncomfortable posture, but before she can make her way over to tell the girl off, the bartender announces that the drinks are ready and with that you say a quick goodbye before making your way over with your teammates to the rest of the team.

Setting the drinks down, Claudia speaks up again directed towards you, "We really can't take you anywhere, huh? No matter where we are, there is always at least one girl trying to chat you up."

"That's not true, also she was just asking for some bowling advice." You say, handing your girlfriend her drink.

"Uh, she clearly was not that interested about the bowling advice, and it is true what she said." Patri chimes in.

"No it's not." You say, trying to stand your ground, glancing towards your girlfriend.

"So I imagined that one woman that tried to get your number two days ago when we went to get coffee?" Claudia asks.

"Oh, or the one server at the sushi place we were last week!" Mapi now also joining the conversation.

"Don't forget the one reporter after the last game." Patri reminds them.

You are sure your face could be easily mistaken for a tomato with the blush that's covering your face. "Okay, maybe it sometimes happens." You say, hoping to end this conversation soon.

"Sure sometimes." Patri says while rolling her eyes before adding with a slight pout, "I wish I have this much game, it's kinda unfair."

Before anyone can add anything, the voice next to you speaks up in a rather annoyed tone, "Can we continue playing now?" turning towards your girlfriend, you immediately notice the pissed expression on her face.

"Sure we can, unless your girlfriend attracts another girl again." Mapi says in a teasing tone. Sending her one quick sharp look, she holds her hands up before the game continues.

_______________________

It was as if the conversation inflamed a fire in Alexia, your girlfriend was the clear winner at the end of the evening, no one even coming close to her score.

After you all said your goodbyes, you and Alexia walked in silence back home, hand in hand again, "You played amazing." You break through the silence.

"Thank you."

Letting out a small sigh, you speak up again, "I'm sorry about what the girls said earlier."

Coming to a stop she turns to you, pulling you into her, "You don't have to apologize for these idiotas, I mean they are right, it's not like I haven't noticed all the girls approaching you too." saying the last part with a roll of her eyes.

"It still was uncalled-for them to say all that in front of you. But you know you don't have to worry about that, right? You are the only one for me." You say, pressing a small kiss on her forehead.

"I know, I can't blame them anyway, you are quite the catch." She replies with a sneaky smile, pulling you into kiss after.

"Well, so are you." You whisper to her.

Smirking she breaks away and takes your hand again, pulling you to walk again, "I wouldn't mind a reminder of this."

[footygirl114]

Protective (Mapi Leon x Reader)

Happy Birthday to My Birthday Anon, Present you the Mapi fic you requested :) 

You had decided it was best to move to Barcelona. It helped that your cousin Alexia had an extra bedroom for you to crash in. You knew you were running away form Madrid but you couldn’t help it, you felt like you needed to. 

Alexia had been your rock from the moment you called her crying as you were sitting in the back of an ambulance waiting to be questioned after your bastard of an ex beat you. You knew that she would be the one to help you get out safely. As soon as you were able to after all the police questions, she picked you and your stuff up and let you crash in her spare room. 

Luckily, you could work from anywhere as you owned an online business, so you were able to hide out for weeks at her apartment until you face started to heal and the bruising started to fade. 

You had been getting hate messages from some of your old friends as you were dating a guy from the same friend group, and some of your friends couldn’t believe he would ever do that. You deleted your social medias and tried to stay away from answering them. 

Alexia could see the toll this was taking on you and tried to get you to cheer up and come out with her more. Alba would come and hang out when Alexia was away at games, but you hadn’t seen anyone else in a month. 

Alexia had come home from training waltzed into your room where you were lounging on your bed, she hopped up beside you and said “The team wants to finally meet you”

You had been avoiding it because of the bruising, but you knew she wouldn’t let it go “Why? Im boring?” you tell her.

“They don’t know what happened, just that you moved here with me. They wanna meet the mysterious hermit living in my apartment” she tells you with a smile. 

At this you smack her on the arm and respond “Im not a hermit, just recovering”

Upon hearing this she turns and wraps you in a hug and says “I know, but I think its time to get out of the house again”

You know she’s pouting and won’t stop asking so you give in and say “fine, when do they want to meet me?”

“Saturday night after the game, we’re going to go out to our favourite club, and you are coming with” she tells you, as she gets her phone out to tell her team the news. 

All you can think about is how you hope that no one asks why you moved because you don’t know if you will be able to tell them the reasons. 

***

The following Saturday night, you and Alexia decide to grab a taxi into the city. You get to the club and its packed, but as you get out of the cab behind Alexia, you see the heads turn to her. You always knew she was kind of a big deal, but you still remember her as the tiny pigtailed girl you would chase around the yard when you were younger. 

Getting in wasn’t issue, of course the whole team was on the list, finding the team in the mass of bodies was. You just follow along when Alexia grabs your arm and drags you towards the back booths. You get there and there’s a bunch of players staring at you, Alexia introduces you to them and your eyes get caught on the blonde haired one who introduces her self as Mapi. 

“So Y/N, what can we get you to drink?” Jenni asks as she saddles up next to you, she is the one player you have met before as her and Alexia were close. 

“Yeah Y/N, how you answer this question will determine how much we interrogate you” Leila says to you with a serious expression. 

“Oi, lay off her” Alexia stands up for you

“Come on Ale, we're just joking with her” Leila says with a laugh.

You put your arm on Alexia’s arm to calm her down and answer the original question “Ill take a beer” 

“A girl after my own heart” winks Patri, you respond with a blush and instantly settle. 

The banter continues between the players and you sit back and watch them with interested eyes. You learn that Ale is like the mom of the group and always keeps the peace. You see that Jenni, Patri, and Leila all seem to be instigators and jokesters. You learn that Mapi generally goes along with them, but they’ve all been teasing her about being on her best behaviour for some reason tonight. 

It's an hour or so later, when you feel your self fully relax. You know you are safe here with these girls, and not one of them has asked you anything uncomfortable about your past. You get dragged out on the dance floor with the group and are having great time when the night turns sour. 

“Oh look its Y/N” says someone near you in the crowd, you turn to the girl and realise its some of your ex friends from Madrid. “Who knew you could ruin his life and then still be out partying.” one of the girls tells you. 

You could feel the team listening in behind you and you choose to not respond. 

“you cant even speak up for what you did? He would have never done that to you” a different girl chimes in to the first. 

“You don’t know what he’s capable of” you tell them back. 

At this one of them loses it and throws her drink on you, she goes to swing at you, when Alexia steps up and grabs her arm to stop her “I wouldn’t do that if I were you” she says. 

You had stepped back in shock and were just standing there covered in something sticky watching most of the team stand up and fight your battles. 

You see Mapi come over and grab your hand and says “C’mon lets get you cleaned up”

You follow her blindly to the bathroom, where she settles you to lean on the sink where she grabs some paper towels and wets them. She walks up to you and before she does anything she asks “Y/N Im going to wipe this off your face, is it okay if I touch you?”

You hadn’t realised you had curled up as much as you could to protect your self, hearing her ask this makes you look into the softest eyes you had ever seen. You could see so much care in them and you knew she was safe. You nod you head and watch her gently remove all the liquid off of your face. 

Its a few minutes of her tenderly cleaning up as much of the excess liquid on your clothes, when Alexia walks in to see you. “Y/N, Im so sorry that happened and I wasn’t there for you, are you okay?” 

“Im okay, Mapi kept me safe” Its like at that moment Alexia realises what she walked in on. You were sat on the counter with Mapi between your legs cleaning your face and torso. 

You blush as Mapi steps back and says “I was just helping her get cleaned up” 

Alexia looks skeptical but lets it go and says “do you want to go?” 

You nod, and get off the counter. You cant help but to look over at Mapi and say “thank you for everything tonight”

“It was nothing, Im glad you are okay” she says back to you with a soft smile. 

You follow Alexia out of the club, knowing that next time she asks you to come out with the team you will be saying yes. 

[gunterfan1992]

Interview with Fan Artist loycos!

(Art by loycos)

So a few months ago, I was absent-mindedly scrolling on Tumblr (or was it Twitter?) when I came across something: an Adventure Time fan comic by an artist named loycos. As a person embedded in fan spaces, I find fanart like this all the time, but this time, there was something special about the art I was seeing. It was so... show-accurate!

I don’t mean that necessarily in regard to the art style (although it does feel right at home in the Land of Ooo, while still being its own thing with its own flourishes), but rather in relation to the characterization; the way loycos wrote the characters was spot on. She nailed PB and Marceline’s dynamic as former lovers who deep-down miss one another. She nailed Finn’s naive heroism and his one-sided crush on PB. She nailed Jake’s goofball energy. It was perfect.

In the past, I’ve only interviewed people affiliated with the show’s production, but I thought I’d mix things up a bit and reach out to some fan artists that I think are fantastic. As such, I’m delighted to share with you an interview I had with loycos, who answered my questions about her art, her history with Adventure Time, and where her work is headed!

What is your 'artistic origin' story?

[It’s] kind of a corny answer, but I've been drawing since I remember myself. My earliest drawing memories are drawing Clifford (the big red dog) fanart when I was around 5 y/o. I was always more of a "fangirl" artist, [and] I would draw characters from my favorite franchises to illustrate my headcanons and daydream scenarios I'd put them in. That hadn't changed one bit since. I had since gone on to study animation and illustration in official institutions which forced me to design characters and worlds of my own, but when I draw for myself it's always back to fanart (or studies). I don't have any OCs.

Are there particular artists or styles that you were inspired by and/or like to emulate or allude to?

I'd joke that my artstyle is just a mesh of all the franchises I've drawn fanart for over the years, but honestly, is it even a joke? I think you can easily recognize I had a Disney Phase like every other teenager (I didn't have an anime phase though! I know, I'm an anomaly) and [Steven Universe] definitely left it's fat mark on my style too. Out of [Steven Universe]'s storyboarding crew (which I followed very closely over the years) I especially love Raven Molisee and Jeff Liu for their wacky expressions and proportions, and of course Rebecca Sugar for their fluid and carefree lines. When it comes to art in general, I tend to prefer stylized, colorful and brushy styles over realistic or gothic ones, So people like Hue Teo and Patri Balanovsky pop to my mind (and my artstation feed, seriously look them up).

How do you approach your projects; what is your general art process?

It really depends on the type of project I'm doing, though, my [Adventure Time] comics were all pretty similar in their conception: I write down all of my ideas in my notes so I won't forget them. Then I either roughly sketch out the entire comic as fast as I can, or I write a script (if the concept is specifically very dialog heavy) and then sketch it roughly. Then I do the lineart and color, nothing too complicated. The one thing I think is worth noting in my long comic process is that I draw all of my panels on the same document- that way it's easier for me to make sure the characters stay on model and that my panel layout remains fresh. So basically, the way you read the comics on tumblr, as a long scroll, is the format I work on.

How did you come to find Adventure Time? What made you join the fandom?

Adventure Time is one of those shows you just know about, so I don't remember how I first found out about the show. However, I do remember when I started shipping Bubbline—after the episode “Broke His Crown” aired. I somehow ended up in their Tumblr tag and was blown away by the (by 2016's standards) blatant representation. Despite my obsession with them at the time, I never actually watched any episode that didn't feature the girls' relationship. I only started fully watching the show recently. But I did consume a lot of fan content, which I think helped me shape my own headcanons and such. After my initial interest in 2016 I put Bubbline back on the back burner and kept on my [Steven Universe] ramage, until last year's “Obsidian,” which brought me back fully on board the Bubbline decks around 2 weeks before it aired, so I was in maximum hype mode when I watched the special. It did not disappoint [and it] really reminded me of why I loved these characters and their relationship to begin with. I started drawing my own art for the ship shortly after, when I felt like the hype around the special died down and there wasn't much to keep me sustained anymore. I make what I want to see ;)

As for joining the fandom, I don't know if I can be considered a member, seeing how inactive I am most of the time and my very limited list of [Adventure Time] mutuals. I am extremely flattered that my stuff caught ATimers attention in a positive way.

You've done some amazing Bubblegum and Marceline stuff. What draws you to their dynamic?

I'm gay.

OK, seriously now. I have a soft spot for extremely feminine, dainty characters that are very reserved, so PB immediately marked herself as an obvious fav, and the road to shipping her with Marceline (who is such an obvious candidate and a multilayered, fascinating character herself) was a short one. I know calling PB dainty is far from a true statement, but that's what she appeared like on the surface and that's what caught my attention. Another thing is that I love relationships between immortal beings, I think it always adds another layer of complexity to any relationship, especially a romantic one. The whole "getting older without appearing like you've aged" and "watching everyone you love die around you while you stay the same" can surely make 2 beings bond, right? It always felt like PB and Marcy get each other in a way no one else can, they are very different on the surface but share fundamental internal similarities. Oh, and the fact that they're EXES? The romantic tension and the longing? The familiarity and banter they had in every scene they shared?This hit the jackpot on literally every relationship trope that I love. I'd much rather watch a "getting back together" than a "falling in love for the first time" story.

All of this and the fact that they [are] gay. It's really that simple sometimes.

In broad strokes, what is next for you as an artist and/or as a fan?

I have a few [Adventure Time] comics ideas\scripts on the back burner and one that is in the making. I think I'll dabble into some Nintendo fanart cause I've been playing a lot of Smash Bros and [Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild] lately.

I’m so excited to see what comes next! Either way, a huge thanks to loycos for chattin’ with me! If you’d like to check out more of her art, visit her Tumblr and her Twitter page!

[putellas14]

Hi, I’m your pina/patri hottaker

I heard that they are both commenting flirty things under each other’s posts on Insta, but it still doesn’t disregard the fact that Carla came to the Wolfsburg vs Barca away game in Germany. So idk what’s going on, the magic of Barca’s lesbian smorgasbord ig?

But they all do this, to a certain degree. These Iberdrola girls are on another level. For now, I’m not on board this ship. I don’t believe it. Flirty banter and topless beach time don’t a couple make in Spain.

[mostlywoso]

They’re pretending they didn’t want her and now that we want to have a little bit of banter they go crazy it’s unbelievable really 🤣. They’re also saying she would be their 5th best midfielder too 😭. I don’t think she’s better than Alexia, Aitana or Patri but Engen and Walsh aren’t better than her

i know right 🤣😭 they were twerking for erin back in the summer when rumours were around & now they’re calling her shit and the 5th even 6th best midfielder 😭 like have some shame

i agree on you that she’s better than engen & walsh

[ikuyeah]

The Dawn Rises

Summary: Sukehiro Aki won’t lie. She’s thought about what it would be like being romantically involved with William. But not even her wildest dreams could have prepared her for what his courtship would entail.

(Part Two of the Attract Light Series)

Click here for Part 1

A/N: FUN FACTS!!! This one had some flowers and plant symbolism in it so if you encounter one of them go to the end notes. I've added some fun flower facts to make you even more emo.

Six Years Prior…

“Hey Will.” Aki called out to him, perched atop one of the branches of his world tree. Below, ensnarled in its roots, were the members of the gang they’d apprehended for a string of petty theft at the local markets.

“Yes, Aki?” He hopped down from a higher branch, sitting next to her.

“Can you grow a tree for me?” She asked, turning so she was sitting criss cross facing him. The ease with which she manoeuvred and the belief she wouldn’t fall endearing to him.

William dug into his pocket with his free hand and asked. “What kind?”

“The kind that can make me brave.” She answered, raising her head to the sky.

Within him, he could hear Patri snorting at the sentiment. Nevertheless, he settled on one of the flowering trees, watching Aki as her eyes glittered and mouth opened in awe. The Magnolia tree unfurled, the flowers blooming pure white with its petals breaking off, floating on the wind.

“What tree is this, Will?” Aki asked, snatching a petal from the air.

“It’s a Magnolia.”

Aki laughed softly, voice a little hoarse from the cold night. “That’s kind of a boring name for the tree that can make me brave.” Shivering, she pulled her Grey Deer robe tighter around herself.

Throwing his red coat around her, they watched in silence as more magnolias bloomed in dark red. “Right, let’s call it Faith.” He suggested.

“Alright, Faith.” Aki nodded, swinging her legs to the side so she could tilt over and catch some more flowers, never mind that she could just ask him for one. William couldn’t help but marvel at the amount of faith she had in him and in his power, faith she didn’t seem to have in her own.

Finally catching a flower in her hand, Aki passed it to him. “Faith is a good name.”

“So you’ve finally accepted Captain Shiny’s feelings for you, huh?” Yami wiggled his eyebrows at her over the bouquet of white, pink, and red camellias she’d carefully been spraying with water. It was maybe the third batch of flowers he’d sent her. The first caused a stir among the Black Bulls who hadn’t known about her friendship with William. But as time passed, it became a common variable of the team’s banter.

Aki continued spraying at the flowers, frowning when she spotted a few drooping petals. She could only keep them alive for so long but she loved them, loved how pretty and alive they were against the dark tones of the Black Bull base.

Idly, she thought, it was that kind of parallel that drew her to William in the first place. The stark beauty of his magic, his ideals, and his kindness drew a stunning parallel to her own dark magic. One of the petals, a red one, fluttered down until it rested against the tabletop.

For some reason, it reminded her of his heart, his bleeding heart for anyone in need.

“Oi, are you so out of it that you can’t even hear me talking to you?” Yami’s voice cut through her musings and she stared at him, unimpressed.

“I haven’t.”

“Huh? That’s kind of rude of you, keeping a man waiting like that.” Yami grinned. “I couldn’t be more proud.”

Aki snorted. “Of course you are.”

Vanessa’s voice echoed from the halls, sweetly calling out to them. “Captain! Captain Vangeance is here to see you!”

Aki could feel her heartbeat hasten in her chest before making an effort to calm it. By the time she’d gotten her feelings under control, Yami had stood up and made his way out the door.

“Aren’t you coming?” He asked.

“Why?” She retorted, grey eyes meeting grey.

With a shrug, Yami answered. “I don’t know. To say hi to your suitor or whatever?”

Aki rolled her eyes at him. She’d known how unconventional he was as a Captain. But, for the sake of good camaraderie, she’d always been the one who had to whack him back in his place when Finral and the others couldn’t.

“He’s here to see you for work, isn’t he? Will’s very professional. Unlike another Captain I know.” She snickered, sweeping the fallen petals into her palm and then throwing them out the window.

From the corner of her eye, she could see several members of the Golden Dawn in their uniforms. She wondered what she would have looked like wearing it, what she’d have looked like if she accepted his offer years ago to be his Vice-Captain.

‘Then I wouldn’t have grown this much.’ She thought, going back to arranging today’s training regimen in her head.

“Besides, I have to plan with everything the Heart Kingdom is teaching Asta and the rest in mind. If you can get it through your muscle-filled head, remember to ask Will if we can have an official sparring match so we can schedule it into our training.” She waved her brother off, already cursing that she’d forgotten to get back to Mereonleona on their own joint training venture. It was a miracle the woman hadn’t broken their door down again .

Yami watched his sister, clearly spiralling into a panic from overthinking, and sighed. “Suit yourself. Don’t think too hard.”

“Wow, maybe you should think a little harder to compensate for once.”

-

“Sorry. My lazy brat of a sister didn’t want to come out and say hi.”

William raised a brow at Yami when his fellow Captain finally deigned to come out of his base. “Why would she? This is a business visit. I’d appreciate it if we can attempt to be professional, Yami.” He said, posture relaxing slightly in the company of his friend.

“Look, I didn’t ask to be verbally attacked by you two.” Yami raised a brow back at him in disbelief. “You’re not even in a relationship yet and you’re reading each other’s minds.” He murmured.

Refusing to comment on the subject, William returned to the purpose of his visit. “I’m here for news about a member of my squad, Mimosa Vermillion. Your Spacial Mage, Roulacase, said he would be prepared to give a verbal report today.” He informed, tone cordial but expression bemused.

“Well, as you can see, the useless lump isn’t here.” Yami inhaled deeply, the cigarette between his teeth losing its effect. “Stop standing around out here. You might as well wait inside.”

William opened his mouth to protest but the older man had already turned, gesturing for him to follow.

“Very well.” He surrendered, Alecdora and Letoile taking cues from their own Captain and entering close behind him.

“Well, well. It’s the Golden Dawn!” A scantily clad pink haired woman, Vanessa, approached them with a bottle of alcohol in hand. “Welcome to our humble home.”

“Sober up before you embarrass us.” Yami waved her away as if she were some kind of fly.

William averted his eyes from her, watching as a shorter girl walked up to him with a cupcake. She offered it up to him with a dazed expression. “How about something to eat, la?”

Before Alecdora could protest, William raised a hand to indicate that it was alright.

Kneeling down to meet her at eye-level, William stared at the treat and accepted it with a small bow. “Thank you.”

The girl smiled widely. “As expected from the Captain of my Meal-Saving Prince.” She hummed. “I made it special from ingredients in the Heart Kingdom. It’s really yummy.”

William looked at her and then at the cupcake, small and pink and unassuming. “Have you been training in the Heart Kingdom?” He asked.

“Oh yeah, Charmy. If you’re here then Finral must have brought you back with him. Where is he?” Yami asked, staring down impatiently at his subordinate.

“Don’t know, la.” She shrugged.

Yami clicked his tongue in annoyance. “What a pain. Henry, can you bring that useless lump here?”

The base rumbled to life, some of the walls and floor panels shifting until a room which looked like a supply room emerged with the Spacial Mage handing a box of something vaguely fruit shaped to a surprised Sukehiro Aki.

“You know Nii-chan, it’s one thing to use Finral to send you to the bathroom and it’s another to use Henry to drag us wherever you want without consent.” Aki leveled a withering look at her brother.

“It’s his fault for setting an appointment with Captain Shiny and then being late. You’re giving others a bad impression of us.” Yami scolded.

“Since when have you cared about that kind of thing?” All the Black Bulls seemed to murmur in unison.

“Ah, my apologies, Captain Vangeance. I did bring back some correspondences, reports from Mimosa and letters from her to her family.” Finral approached the Captain, sheepishly offering up the bundle of envelopes.

“Come to think of it, isn’t it kind of strange that the Captain himself would come to collect a report?” Vanessa said with a knowing smirk causing a blue haired girl to stutter that she shouldn’t say things like that in front of a Captain.

Aki shrugged. “He’s just kind like that.” She explained softly.

Professionalism aside, William couldn’t help but smile a little.

“You should show more respect if you know who it is you’re answering to.” Alecdora sneered from behind William who looked otherwise unbothered by his offended subordinate.

“Is their training progressing well?” William asked, trying to gauge how prepared they were for their joint defense against the Spade Kingdom in several months.

“Princess Loropechika has taken to training with Mimosa and Noelle personally. By their ranking, Mimosa’s been able to reach Stage 2 with Loropechika’s assistance. They plan to use this as part of their strategy.” Finral explained.

“I see. Regardless, that’s a great leap in her growth. Thank you, we appreciate your effort in keeping us informed.” William bowed his head and gave Finral a kind smile.

“Y-You’re welcome, Captain Vangeance.” Finral responded, unsure how to react to the man. “Is there anything else we can help you with?”

“You’ve done more than enough. As I said, you have our thanks.”

The Black Bulls looked at each other and then at their Captain, sharing a thought. ‘Is this what it’s like to have a normal Captain?’  

“Since your business here is over, would you mind if I had something to say?” Aki piped up, garnering the attention of everyone in the room.

“That’s pretty brave, Aki.” Vanessa murmured, sobering at the tension building.

“Oi, whatever happened to that professionalism thing you were going on and on about earlier?” Yami teased.

Aki rolled her eyes, snuffing out his cigarette with her magic. “You forgot to ask about joint training, Captain .”

“We can make time for it.” William agreed, ignoring the incredulous look on Alecdora’s face. “It will be a good opportunity to test what my squad has been developing as well.”

“What kind of technique are you trying?” Aki leaned forward, intrigued. If it was something they could incorporate into their own training she’d want to know. She’d always been a very responsible Vice-Captain. William had known she would be exceptional at it which was one of the reasons he’d offered the position to her years ago.

“Some of us still feel the effects of the elves’ power. Despite how we might feel about the matter, right now it’s an asset we can leverage on to get stronger.” He explained. His openness in sharing the information put Alecdora and Letoile on edge. He understood that his squad members, specifically those who were under the effects of the reincarnation, were uneasy exposing themselves and their supposed weakness this way. But the Black Bulls were undoubtedly strong and had unique abilities. They would need to work together to win this war.

“If that’s true then there’s merit in including whatever measures you’ve adjusted in your training to Gauche’s training and maybe even Luck’s though he’s hard at work learning Mana Method already.” Aki responded with a nod. “We’d appreciate any information you can share on the topic as well.”

“Fortunately, this concludes our duties for today.” William smiled but it was good natured this time, as though he’d shed the role of Golden Dawn’s Captain for a moment. “I’ve heard tell that dinner at our Headquarters this evening will be the talk of the town.”

Alecdora and Letoile shared a look and nodded in assent to their Captain. “We can arrange to seat their party for tonight.” They pulled out communication devices, no doubt having alerted the entire headquarters of their arrival.

“Food from my Meal-Saving Prince’s Squad. I wonder what it will be like?” Charmy drooled just thinking about it.

“We have to get you back to the Heart Kingdom for your training…” Finral said weakly, knowing a lost fight when he sees one. “But, maybe Langris will be there.”

“Forget the food, what kind of booze would the Golden Dawn have? They’re pretty straight-laced.” Vanessa interjected, pondering the merits of wine.

“Free food is free food, I guess.” Yami shrugged, instructing Finral not to drink so he could transport everyone there and back.

Aki hid her laugh behind the palm of her hand. Having drifted to William’s side in the commotion, she only had to lean a little so that he could hear her. “At this rate, you will monopolize every dinner vacancy I’ll have for the rest of my life.” She mused as the rest of the Black Bulls celebrated their free dinner. Being next to him again settled her nerves if only for a little. She’d seen him several times after his proposal of courtship but they hadn’t had the chance to talk like this.

“You of all people know that it would be my pleasure to.” William leaned down a little, though at the volume everyone else was speaking only she could hear whatever he had to say. The proximity only made her face heat up.

“ Professionalism , Captain.” She shot back, satisfied when William blinked thrice rapidly, the only outward sign that he was flustered as well.

“This matter is of a very Professional nature.” He retorted.

Aki considered going with the flow of their conversation, of the new dynamic their mutual attraction brought to it. But then she remembered how earnestly he’d asked to court her and she pulled away.

It was only fair for her to give him a proper and honest answer.

“About that dinner, it’s been a while. We should make a day of it so we have more time to tell each other everything, don’t you think?” She proposed with a small but hopeful smile. “After all, I don’t think you could tell me about your secrets and your fears and stuff over a single meal.” She continued, finding herself rambling in the same way she used to when she was afraid he’d find her a boring conversationalist.

“Would tomorrow be amenable?” William asked, his eyes shining with what she hoped was elation.

Taken aback, it took Aki several seconds to think of a halfway decent reply. “You have nothing better to do, Captain?” She sputtered.

“Nothing which offers better company than yours, my friend.” He responded. And there he was, the kindest man in the world. Even in the face of this opportunity, he makes certain to reiterate the importance of their friendship. Aki doesn’t know sometimes what she did to deserve a friend like him. She could feel affection so deep and warm that it burst through the seams flooding her with a fuzzy sensation.

In the face of it all, Aki couldn’t help but beam at him.

“Sounds like a plan, then.”

-

Aki looked around at the terrace filled with tables. The candle-lit dining area was much more refined in a way that made it seem like a different universe compared to the Black Bull’s base. Nevertheless, the base was their home. It didn’t hurt to indulge in a little luxury every now and then. “I wish Henry could be here to see it-” Aki thought aloud.

“Aki-chan.” A slow drawl caught her ears and she turned to find Henry boxed into a small portable looking room with one window. “I’m here too!”

“Henry! I’m glad you could come with us after all!” Aki cheered, patting the top of the portable room. “It looks like a fun time, doesn’t it?”

Looking out at the dining area, he could see Vanessa at one of the tables challenging all manner of older men to a drinking contest. Finral was valiantly trying not to flirt with anyone, seated beside his brother Langris and chatting amicably at him though the younger only responded with single or double syllable responses. Gauche was sitting in a corner, showing Marie the view from the terrace through his mirror. Charmy was rolling around, butterfly net in hand murmuring about cooking that spirit while Grey and Gordon made many valiant attempts to stop her.

And at one of the middle tables, Yami and William were conversing with two Golden Dawn members.

“And look.” Slowly pointing ahead. “Asta-kun’s friend Yuno is at the Captains’ table.”

“Eh? Wow, I didn’t expect Asta’s childhood friend to be Vice Captain of the Golden Dawn.” Aki tilted her head, walking to the table to take her place between Henry and her brother. “Did I miss anything?”

Yami shrugged. “Just a conversation between men.”

Aki raised a brow at him, trying to imagine what they could have been talking about. “I have a feeling your definition of a man is very different from theirs.” She jibed.

William’s lips twitched in amusement.

Ever the responsible knight, he started identifying areas that improved due to the elves’ residual power. They’d discovered an increased magic power as well as some other physical enhancements.

The bespectacled man, Klaus, chimed in every now and then. His tone was much friendlier than Alecdora’s but still cordial. Aki wouldn’t be surprised if he was on the younger side.

Aki took it all in, asking situational questions that gave rise to other possible tactics they can pursue in the fight to come.

“Have you tried any kind of Union Magic between people possessed by particularly strong elves?” She asked.

“In practice, our squad has been more successful in joint defensive maneuvers. We would appreciate any assistance in bolstering our own offensive attacks.” William responded, Klaus taking notes and murmuring to Yuno what they would need to prepare to make it happen. The raven haired wind mage continued to stare out towards the view, uninterested in the lot of them.

“What the hell is going on?” Yami lit another cigarette, watching his sister making plans with his ex-rival and friend.  

“This must be what-” Henry said in that slow drawl of his. “A conversation between men sounds like.” He joked.

Yami felt a strong urge to throw him out the terrace but remembered how frail Henry still was despite his renewed mobility.

“Sukehiro-san.” Klaus called to Aki who had stopped talking for a while to get some food in her stomach.

“Yeah, Klaus was it?” He nodded and she gestured for him to continue with her fork. “Aki’s fine, after all there’s two of us Sukehiros at the table and I’m not a Captain.”

“Aki-san, if I’m not mistaken you wield Dark Magic similar to Captain Yami’s. May I ask how it is similar or different to that of the Captain’s?” He asked earnestly. It seemed that the topic was one most of the Golden Dawn were curious about given the way most turned slightly towards them. Even unbothered Yuno looked like he was listening.

“I wield Moon Magic.” She clarified. “It’s dark magic but its power is amplified depending on my proximity to the moon. Like now, for example, I have considerably more mana than I would if it were late in the afternoon tomorrow.”

“I see, that must be a hindrance.” Klaus nodded in understanding.

“It used to be. It was why many of my missions were those requiring the cover of night. The only times I worked with anyone during the day were with your Captain and several others.” She said, setting aside her empty plate and utensils.

“Indeed, many covert operations were made infinitely simpler with your assistance.” William complimented.

Aki waved to a server, thanking them when they took the plate and utensils away before addressing the table. “Oh hah, Will was a big help. I learned a lot of offensive applications to my magic from him so it’s strange that you’re stumped by it when it comes to your squad members.”

“I never instructed you in offensive application, only in the control of your mana.” William clarified, the nostalgia of it all bringing an air of comfort to the duo.

“Hm, makes sense. I don’t think anyone can out-offense my meathead brother.” Aki bumped her fist against one of Yami’s arm muscles as if to prove it.

Opening his mouth to scoff at her, he thought that maybe there was a way out of his own responsibilities in this joint venture and shifted gears. “Don’t be modest. Your Akatsuki has improved a lot these days.”

Catching on to what he was doing, Aki quickly retorted. “You must be proud, since I borrowed a little of your own Dimension Slash technique to improve it.”

Unaware of their unspoken bout, William had recognised the name and asked. “Your dawn attack has been perfected?”

“That’s the one.” Aki responded, unsurprised but still touched that he’d remembered. “As I was saying, much of my magic is very support and capture oriented so Yami would be the best candidate to maximise your team’s offensive capabilities-”

“What kind of support magic?”

Aki’s eyes widened a little, surprised to find Yuno’s eyes on her. “I can take away mana. I’ve learned to reverse the flow as well. I’ve learned to halt the mana even inside of another person’s body.” She reached out a hand and closed her eyes, her white Grimoire floating up and turning its pages.

“ Blue Moon’s Blessing. ”

Klaus marveled at the way mana was sucked from the surroundings and joined the overflowing pool of Yuno’s mana.

“And to halt it…” Aki opened her eyes, her irises glowing blue for a moment. “ Blue Moon’s Wrath. ”

Yuno gasped, feeling all the magic inside him seizing up. He couldn’t move, couldn’t even blink. He stared at Aki in confusion.

The girl put her hand down, closing the Grimoire and releasing Yuno from her spell. “The moon’s pretty close tonight, so it must have been stronger than I expected. Sorry about that. If you had enough willpower, you could probably have broken through it.” She explained, trying to take away the befuddlement in the younger man’s gaze.

“That level of control over mana is incredible, Aki-san.” Klaus complimented.

“It’s nothing Mereonleona couldn’t do in a heartbeat.” Aki shrugged. Both Sukehiro’s shivered at the mention of the woman. “I learned a lot of my control from dungeons Mereonleona has recommended to me but my fundamentals were all your Captain’s effort.”

The Golden Dawn members approached the table, drawn to this seemingly normal Black Bulls member and asking all manner of questions to improve themselves. Aki did her best to field all of their questions, asking each of them their names and their magic before doling out any advice or fun facts.

“Ah, she’s gone and done it again.” Yami rolled his eyes, the uncharacteristically childish action drawing William’s attention. “The Black Bulls’ Golden Girl indeed.”

“We don’t…” Henry raised a hand to the window of his little room. “Make it hard… Since we’re all… Weird.”

“Good point.” Yami breathed out, smoke rising and dissipating into the air. “But she still has class.”

William watched as she continued to get along with his squad members, shaking hands and patting shoulders with everyone he’s been working with and fighting beside as if she were a part of them. “What a marvel you are, Aki.”

-

“So were you planning on letting me know tomorrow morning or were you going to go on your date with the Captain of the Golden Dawn dressed like you normally are?” Vanessa strolled into Aki’s room, looking for all intents and purposes like it was her own.

Aki crossed her arms, hiding the identical yellow top and black skirt she’d hung up to wear tomorrow. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“Nothing, you’re just always wearing them.” Vanessa shook her head.

Aki smirked, seeing a chance for mischief and taking it. “Ah, your clothing choices make so much sense now. You see, in our society, we always wear clothes, Vanessa.” She snickered.

“You know what I mean, you little menace.” Vanessa threw a pillow at her before complaining exasperatedly. “You should spruce up a little. It pays to go on these things feeling pretty, Aki.”

In the back of her mind, Aki heard the muttering and moaning of nobles and of women. An amalgamation of all the jeers and scoffs formed a symphony of doubt that bombarded her each time she’d thought about following her heart, about possibly maybe accepting.

“Well, you can have at it. I doubt I’ll feel pretty no matter what you do.” She murmured, the voices finally dying down.

Vanessa sat next to her, troubled but still eager to help. “I don’t think this has anything to do with your outfit, then. But come on, let’s talk about it while we decide on one.” She gestured for her to scoot over so they were closer to each other.

Aki sighed, dragging herself across her bed with her pillow in hand. She didn’t want to delve into her psyche right now, but it looked like this was happening either way. And honestly, she wanted to feel good about herself too. “Alright.” She threw her closet open. “What should I talk about first?”

“For starters, why don’t you think you’re pretty?” Vanessa waved her fingers across the air, pulling all of her clothes across her thread for inspection. “And do you have a preference apart from yellow and black? You’re a walking Black Bull advert.”

Pointing to the small selection of white and red clothes in the bottom row of the closet, Aki began to consider how she could word her feelings on the matter. “I don’t think I’m ugly or anything. It’s just… it’s more the way Will is that intimidates me? It’s always been like that. The murmurs of people saying things about how we don’t match don’t particularly bother me anymore, it’s what they represent to me.” She struggled through her explanation, her eyes catching a nice red summer dress she forgot she owned. The pattern reminded her of the camellias William had sent. “That one.”

Vanessa’s eyes lit up when she’d spotted the dress. “Good eye.” She started putting everything back and fixing some of the stitching. “How do you feel about the Captain? Are you interested in accepting his courtship?”

“I mean, of course. He’s… he’s Will . Being loved by him no matter what the context is the most incredible thing that could ever happen to me.” Aki said in a burst of honesty that surprised even her. “If I could describe him in two words it’s painfully kind. He’s so… so down on himself. He doesn’t allow himself to be kind towards himself sometimes. Which is painful because he has unending patience for absolutely everyone. And-”

Aki stopped for a while, shooting her arms through the dress so that Vanessa could check the fit.

“And he’s the most accepting person even with how shunned he was. He’s never turned his back on anyone, not even the pettiest and most shallow people. He listens to everyone and remembers everything you say. He makes you feel like… like you’re the only person in the world.” Her voice which was loud grew quieter with every uttered proof of her admiration.

“And his magic is…” Aki breathed in, surprised to find that her nose was runny. “Will’s magic is seriously incredible. It’s probably the most amazing and beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in the world. As expected from the most amazing and beautiful person in the world.” She touched her cheek, numbly staring at the wetness that clung to her fingertips.

“I’m nothing… nothing like him.” She felt a pain constrict in her heart, her tears turning to quiet heaving sobs. “How am I supposed to just accept that someone like that has feelings for me?”

Vanessa wrapped her arms around the younger knight, waiting until she could breathe again before speaking.

“I can’t tell you what he feels or why he feels that way.” Vanessa’s voice was low, like something whispered into the air and lost forever.

“You can only find out if you ask.”

-

William had left the Golden Dawn headquarters alone, much to Alecdora’s chagrin, outfitted in his most casual clothes which were a variant of his uniform in all white aside from his red cape and black boots. Any other changes to his appearance would draw attention from his squad members. As it was, many stares followed him when he emerged from his quarters without his Golden Dawn robes. His mask stayed on which would make it hard to remain unnoticed by the public but he hoped people would understand by his state of dress that he was off duty.

The closer he got to the Black Bulls’ base, the more uncertain he was about his clothes. Aki wouldn’t mind it, he was sure. But part of him also wanted to be presentable, to be seen as attractive in the same way he was attracted to her.

Speaking of the girl, Aki emerged from the mishmash of a building in a red floral summer dress, her hair down with a red ribbon tying up any strands that could obscure her face.

Descending on his broom, William greeted his friend with a smile. “You look stunning, Aki.”

“Thank you. You clean up well, as usual.” Aki reached out, startling him by wrapping her arms around him in a warm hug. “Ah sorry, I missed you a lot. I’ve wanted to do that for a while.” She murmured.

“And I you, my friend.” He returned the hug, squeezing lightly, pleased at how neatly she fit in his arms.

Yami appeared next to them, frowning. “Break it up and get going already.” He grumbled, pulling at Finral’s collar so that he could transport them away faster. “Remove them from here before they make us all hurl.”

Aki pulled back, rolling her eyes at her brother. “Whatever you say, Captain.” She saluted, her arm slotting through William’s comfortably. “If you would be so kind.” Aki nodded to Finral in thanks.

“Of course, Aki.” Finral waved in a gesture that it was fine before opening a portal.

Aki looked up at her companion curiously. “Do you have a preference, Will?”

“I’m open to suggestions.” He shrugged lightly.

With a smile, Aki pulled him through the portal and to what looked like the main streets of the Capital. “I promise I’m not trying to remind you of work.” She laughed, entertained by the confused look on his face. “While we did those patrols, I loved taking these morning shifts because of all the fresh food you could get. I’m trying to see if they still have the stuff from before.” She explained, already waving back to an older lady who offered her a muffin all the while welcoming her back after so long.

The lady turned her gaze from Aki to William, her dimples deepening in affection. “Captain Vangeance, I see your little lady has returned to you.” She cooed, chortling when Aki blushed the same shade as her dress. “I remember all of the burglars you two caught around here. You were always so proud of each other and happy to see each other. No one ever believes an old crone like me when I say you have your heart set on someone. I was concerned when the Magic Parliament got their hands on you dear!” She walked around the storefront and started loading various muffins and bread and snacks into a basket.

“I did endanger a whole bunch of people.” Aki pointed out nervously.

“Hush hush. If you meant to do something like that this darling wouldn’t be here with you. He’s got a good eye, this boy. Your Golden Dawn lads and lasses are very good to us.” She flapped an arm to silence Aki and then patted William’s arm, smoothly draping the basket’s handle over it.

Aki grabbed the lady’s hand in thanks, slipping the payment into her palm and then pulling William away. “Thank you, he… he’s really very kind to me. As you have been. We’ll be on our way now!” She waved to her and then continued down the street with William keeping step next to her.

“Not exactly what I had in mind, but she makes good food.” Aki said with a sigh, reaching into the basket, letting out an elated yip when she found a cookie.

“She’s right.” William patted a hand against the arm Aki had wrapped around his reassuringly. “I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to say so, but I know you never did anything wrong. Not intentionally.”

“I know, it’s…” Aki agreed, munching on the cookie so she could find the words. “Now that my control is much better, I feel better about it. About making those mistakes. My intentions were to protect her, Freese’s daughter, and my dedication towards protecting the kingdom hasn't changed.”  

“I had no doubt that they would remain that way.” William smiled, taking some bread crumbs from the basket and spreading them across the ground for the birds to peck at.

Aki watched as William continued to do that every few steps, the birds chirping louder now that they’d caught on to the benevolence of their benefactor. “How?” She asked, laughing when William reached into the basket and began to point to the bread crumbs at the bottom. “I mean how are you so sure? How do you have so much faith?” She asked, her voice softening to a whisper in embarrassment. “In me, I mean.”

William’s mouth dropped open, scrambling to correct her perspective. “Aki, I don’t think you understand how much your friendship… how much your care meant to me. You may have looked up to me but I found comfort in you in every moment we spent together. Your time and your honesty, the determination you had in pursuing a friendship with me. I had never felt more seen than I did when I was with you.” He cleared his throat, a little shy but knowing how important it was to be honest with her as she had always been with him. “I felt like I could live another day just to see you again.”

“Will.” Aki said breathlessly, smiling like a fool when he ushered her to sit at a bench to catch her breath. “Y-Yeah, let’s sit down. Honestly, how could you sweep me off my feet like this?” She stuttered, brushing her fingers against each other to stop them from shaking.

“I promised to return your care a hundred fold. I would think you’d be responsible enough to prepare yourself since you were forewarned.” He, William Vangeance, teased. Aki knew about his wicked sense of humor but he really wasn’t holding anything back anymore.

“What I would have given to see you joking around like this back then.” She mused, swinging her legs side to side. “I would have given you the world.”

“I felt the same.” William said, eyes never straying from her face. “I would still.”

“I want to let you.”

William’s eyes widened in shock.

“You really rattled me, I don’t think I can quite…” Aki breathed in and out deeply, eyes glassy when she finally looked back at him. “Could you catch me up a little? Just for now?” She asked.

William nodded, elaborating on the events of the years she’d been gone, about the rise of the Golden Dawn, about their achievements. While he was in the middle of a retelling of Yuno gaining the power of the Wind Spirit, they’d cleared the basket of food and wandered around to get lunch. William made it a point to pay this time claiming that she paid for “breakfast”.

Several vendors recognised William and they waved away offers of free items and food once again. Thankfully, not many nobles were around in this area of the Capital. From the corner of his eye, William could have sworn he caught sight of a red cat or a flash of light ricocheting off a steel surface.

They brought their lunch to a nearby park and under the shade of a tree, William talked about Patri and the elves, about his squad members’ struggle against the Eye of the Midnight Sun, and about the truth behind the story of the Wizard King.

“You-” Aki’s eyes fluttered, the motion fascinating William for a second. “You almost died. He almost stole your body.” She shook her head.

“He was and still is my friend.” He retorted, watching Aki’s awe and annoyance and interest swirling in the grey of her irises.

“You’re so kind.” She leaned forward, the top of her head bumping against his chest. “You’re way too kind. I can’t believe you.” She continued to bump her head against him.

William placed a hand on the back of her head to stop her. “I can’t say I regret anything apart from doubting our Wizard King.” He admitted.

“I know you don’t.” Aki sighed, breathing deeply until she had the courage to look up at him and smile. “After all, your kindness is what I love most about you.”

William let go of her, letting the girl take his hands in hers. He could feel her palms shaking even through the fabric of his gloves and he shook them off so that the warmth of his hands could calm her. “You can take your time.” He reassured.

“I’m okay, better than okay.” She giggled, his favorite kind, the kind that fluttered uncontrollably in a giddy way, one that meant she was thrilled though she was embarrassed. “I might just be an intermediate wizard, and a foreign peasant. I might not be in control of myself all the time. And I might have times when being around other people makes me so nervous I can’t speak. But I’m through with hiding behind all of that. Even if I’m not strong enough yet, I want to become the person who stands next to you.”

“Aki-” William watched as her eyes turned glassy with happy tears, tears of triumph over her obstacles. He couldn’t be prouder, he couldn’t be more in love. “Are you-”

And then, with all her courage and honesty, she answered.

“Yes.”

Aki surged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Yes, please court me.” She continued, laughing loudly enough for everyone in the clearing to hear if there were people, her whole body shaking from the force of it. “And for the love of Clover if you don’t kiss me right now I will knock you out.” She said, hiding her flaming blush against his cheek.

And William remembered.

“Wait. I-” He eased her back into a sitting position, his hands slowly reaching up to his mask. “I need to do something first.”

Aki’s face contorted in surprise, her hands softly caressing his. “Will, you don’t have to-”

“I want to.” He said adamantly, his voice softening as her expression turned to concern. She was always an open book to him. “It’s only fair that you know who it is you’re standing next to.” He reasoned, if only to console her.

Slowly, with one hand holding hers and another on his mask, he revealed himself to her with both eyes open.

And her tears began to fall but her smile remained radiant, as bright and pure white as Magnolias on a cold night six years ago. “Thank you. I-I don’t know how to show you but I trust you too.” She said, cupping his cheek and gasping at the warmth and softness of his face, at the piercing intensity of his eyes as he looked back at her.

“You don’t have to. I know you do.” William smiled, his eyes creasing from the fondness and joy. “It’s what I love most about you.” He responded, a little proud of himself for the comeback.

Aki snorted, too happy to be embarrassed about it. “Wow, credit me at least.”

“Sorry, love.” He gave in, pressing his lips to her forehead, thumbing away the damp lines left by her tears. “Originally quoted by Sukehiro Aki, the love of my life.”

“Say that again.” Aki said, breathless once again.

Instead of saying it, from his pocket he’d produced a familiar seed unfurling next to them and stretching over them with bunches of white flowers.

“What tree is this, Will?” Aki grinned, picking at the white petals that fell onto his hair and running her fingers through it lightly.

“A tree that can make me brave.” William whispered back, like a secret.

“Is your Faith back then?” She asked, gasping as he leaned closer, her breath caressing his face, the face he was afraid to show, the face he trusted her to see.

“She is.”

And against her lips, he mouthed an answer.

“And I still love her. And I always will.”

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

A/N: FUN FLOWER FACTS!!

Magnolias:

Magnolias are supposed to have existed since the beginning of time.

It represents longevity and perseverance which is pretty apt since Aki asks for something to make her brave. - But it also resonates with William’s own story, the traits that made him brave.

It also means a love of nature and kind of a feminine charm, both traits William sees in her.

More ironically, it also means nobility and dignity. Things William sees in her that she doesn’t see in herself.

If they’re white, they also symbolise the moon.

Camellias:

Camellias are more common in Japanese culture. I like to think William asked Yami for advice on this, wanting to get flowers that remind her of home or to symbolise his acceptance of her foreign roots.

In China, it represents a long lasting bond. See this excerpt from ftd by Design...

“The delicately layered petals represent the woman, and the calyx (the green leafy part of the stem that holds the petals together) represents the man who protects her. The two components are joined together, even after death. Typically when the petals of a flower fall off, the calyx will stay intact. With camellias however, the calyx and petals fall away together, which is why the camellia also represents eternal love or long-lasting devotion.”

The colors mean:

White: Adoration and is given to someone who is well-liked. Pink: A longing for someone and is given to someone who is missed. Red: Love, passion, and deep desire.

Originally, I chose the Camellias just for the Japanese connection but it ended up being really apt for how William feels.

[srbachchan]

DAY 3481

Jalsa, Mumbai                    Oct 7/8,  2017                Sat/Sun 12:08 AM 

Tomorrow will be ‘karaka chaturthi’ or the day of ‘karva chauth’ .. the day the wives shall fast for their husbands’ long and prosperous life .. they shall break their fast after seeing the moon at night, through a sieve .. they shall dress in their finery the entire day .. do prayers and rituals in the early hours .. and when the moon is sighted, the prayers are repeated ..

Husbands shall remain by them the entire day .. trying their best to keep them entertained so their minds are driven away from consumption of and the temptation to eat .. the husbands seldom succeed .. the wives are stronger and do better than the men .. the men at times and in some homes keep a sympathetic fast too .. most do not .. 

The sanctity of the festive day is ever maintained .. the sighting of the moon has always been a trial .. attendants are asked to perch themselves at vantage points so they can sight the moon at the earliest .. on most occasions the Moon plays tricks .. hides itself behind large dark clouds, making it even more torturous for the wives to hold back .. I think this is a little unfair on the part of the Moon .. but its status is such in all our lives that one dare not take umbrage .. 

The domesticity for the Blog over it is now to the business end - the chatter the talk of the normal and Ef oriented banter .. tell me then what goes, or if it is comes, then what comes .. 

What comes to me are some serious questions on the work schedule ..

That is all that invades my mind , for the present .. for the future there is always the elements to react to and with .. known futures are unwelcome .. better be taken by surprise than to wait for it to happen .. astrologers will and shall not love or like this .. but there you are .. they discover the study of the stars and their values through those complicated charts the ‘janam patri’s’ .. one that fascinates most of the world population .. the desire and the need to know what shall come to them tomorrow, what shall be a good object to possess, a stone a band a ‘jap’ that needs to be done to ward off the negative elements .. so much study and science in its working .. a most revered document in the lives of all that be around .. countless interpretations and endless hours of study and research, they shall predict and tell you what shall happen with you the very next hour and minute .. those lucky days, those lucky colours to wear on particular day, those signings for deals sand those opportunities that are to come your way and the cautions that need to be executed ..

I would rather die on my own than be told of my death ; to be commissioned on a particular day and time .. its that rather valid debate on Capital Punishment that has plagued the legal system for years .. the sudden and unexpected killing by the murderer, or the capturing of the villain, putting them in prison, subjected to life or hanging, but not telling them when .. so they wait knowing they are to be hanged, but when .. is the question under debate .. is it rather more cruel to get them to wait where they do not know when they shall be executed .. or more cruel to be suddenly without warning be given an end to your life ..

NO .. there is no celebration of any kind for the 75th .. and there is no possibility of my presence here in the city .. they speculate .. they aver .. they get to know from their ‘sources’ , details which can be completely wrong .. at times one wishes to be those sources - for we never ever know who or what they are ... and the state of this state would be the largest wonder .. but so is the business that that Omerta is beyond all .. the code of conduct, of silence, that they sign is invaluable remote and unbreakable in the entire universe .. one that only justifies silence .. but one that has deep and final penetration in the conduct of them that pay allegiance to it ..

Why does the controversial always have the code of perfection - silence ! its a world wide phenomena ..एक चुप , सौ सुख  ।। k chup, sau sukh !! ... one silence, a hundred happinesses ..

And here I am breaking all the ‘omerta’ .. by breaking every code of silence ..

Good night 

Amitabh Bachchan

[gloriaandrews]

Hi Addy! I wanted to ask who are your favourite fandom writers and what do you like specifically about their writing style or their fics :)

alright! here are a few of my favorites (definitely not all of my favorites, there are too many for me to list all of them ahaha).

TheCellarDoor (@donotdialnine) - Okay aha i feel like I never shut about it, but I just really think Patri does pining and tension THE BEST.  I always feel like I’m dying in the middle of the fic.  ahaha particularly with Faking it and also Autumn At My Window.  I particularly love how Harry and Louis are always so warmly written, also.     

missandrogyny (@paynner) - I part of why I love reading missandrogyny fics because they have a lighthearted sensibility.  @100percentsassy (another of my super favorite authors, lol) is always talking about how great it is when fanfics capture this sort of banter-y romcom quality, and I think paynner really does that so well!!! Everythings always entertaining and genuinely funny! i really loved to kill the mess we've made and I am very excited to read the cuddling fic this afternoon!!

RealName (@realname91) - I am just always super impressed by how emotionally believable things are in RealName fics.  And emotionally complex, too! Like, people are screwing up and hurting each other sometimes, but it’s understandable as to why.  My favorite of theirs is Big, Bright World, but I’m always trying to get everyone to read Cold, as well.  I mean the pining and the angst!!!! I went on a annie lennox listening tear after I read it. 

juliusschmidt (@juliusschmidt) - I’m not sure how to describe this exactly, but I love it how Alex writes stuff that like, accurately reflects the world and all the problems in it.  Like, realistically sexist teenage boy conversations or just subtle or not so subtle homophobia coming from character’s parents and friends.  Also, I think Alex is very funny.  I know I just recced her advent fic a little while ago, but also definitely read little wings on my shoes right away, if you have not!!    

stylinsoncity (@alienproof) - I feel Chelsie always has like 3500 ideas that she’s working on and she tries so many different things and it’s amazing. I really love the Wonderlands because there is so much emotion in it, i love the way Harry’s relationship with his daughter is handled.  so good!!   

 okay, that’s it for now! Sorry if I repeated myself a ton ahaha i just love emotions, i guess!