#except for Marco ofc

[horriblehistorieschild]

Well it's about damn time.

[raayllum]

What really makes Rayla's ghosting f*cked up to me is the Silver Groves reasoning behind it. It was the simple fact that she was the only member of the team who survived (to their knowledge). Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I'm getting the impression that they (Ethari obviously being the exception) expected her to die on the mission as "redemption" for her parents supposed cowardness.

To me I think it's worse, somehow, because I don't think the Silvergrove expected Rayla to die for her parents' sins (at least not on that level, but Rayla does internalize a lot of it that way in 3x08 pretty directly).

The Ghosting is a punishment for if you don't die, or 'kill' yourself (die in the line of duty accordingly), we'll kill you ourselves (metaphorically in the show, more literally in the book one novelization). Public collective shaming and ex-communication and all that. There's a reason, I think, why people have been able to pretty smoothly read aspects of religious, particularly Christian, trauma onto Rayla and her attitudes towards sacrifice/suffering and the response(s) of her village to her.

That said: the Silvergrove wasn't wrong to be mad or grieving. They'd just lost 5 members of a clearly close knit and fairly small community, all of whom had families/loved ones. However, the issue is:

They had no way of knowing any of what had happened was Rayla's fault

They had no way of knowing she hadn't just been captured and escaped, or injured and taking a longer time to get home

She was 15 years old

As Callum says, "You didn't even give Rayla a chance to explain herself," which means it's a collective punishment without a trial

Rayla states that "They think I ran away, just like my parents" which means there probably is a societal shame/linking "guilty by association" aspect coming into play, too

Thereby, what the Silvergrove based their entire, seemingly irreversible judgement on was 1) everyone else on Rayla's team died in a timely fashion and 2) for whatever reason, she didn't, and they assumed it was because she was too afraid to die for their cause (when if anything, Rayla is routinely a little too willing to die for any and all causes she thinks is worthy of it) despite having zero tangible evidence for it.

Runaan and the other assassins were counting on having the element of surprise, wanted to make it home (ofc / "I promise I will return your heart to you"), and expected to: "We can accomplish this mission without sacrifice" (1x01). But once Rayla lets Marcos go, as Runaan says, "You let him live, but you killed us all" (which yes they could've, at any point, just called off the mission for their own wellbeing, but they were 1. already bound and 2. Moonshadows don't usually work like that, nevermind Moonshadow assassins).

Which could be decent, if still brutal, grounds for Ghosting Rayla, but like - the Silvergrove doesn't even have that, with even less proof than they had for Lain and Tiadrin (egg stolen, no bodies found).

It's like... either you all die for the good of the cause, or you all survive, and anything in between is unacceptable. Nothing like an extreme, steep hell heaven divide y'know?

[musicalmoritz]

I need your tsumitsukou headcanons…

Here to deliver, bestie!! Fair warning, I like them super toxic. If you haven’t noticed I kind of mainly talk abt Mitsukou from a toxic standpoint so when you add in Tsukasa that’s like triple the toxic yaoi. But ik you like them healthy so I’ll add in some fluff headcanons too!!

• So I think things started out between them as Tsukasa and Kou getting competitive over Mitsuba. They both firmly believed Mitsuba to be Theirs and wanted to keep him away from the other. Which led to them essentially playing tug-of-war with poor Mitsu (like they do in canon except Tsukasa is participating LMAO) 

• Mitsuba can’t bring himself to choose between his two favorite awful men and so it’s Kou who comes to the conclusion that Mitsuba simply isn’t allowed to date anyone else without him present

• They just kinda tell Tsukasa that the three of them are dating now and he’s like “Oh okay” 

• When I say Tsukasa is competitive over Mitsuba I mean that he’s mainly doing it for entertainment purposes. He doesn’t actually hate Kou or anything but he finds it really funny when Kou gets mad

• So ofc he gets confused when he actually starts to care about these idiots!! I mean, he always liked Mitsuba but he didn’t realize he likes Mitsuba Like That, let alone Kou 

• Kou and Tsukasa basically start dating by accident bcuz it’s another way for them to compete with each other. Think of that scene from SVTFOE where Tom has Marco in a chokehold and he’s like “Say I’m a good boyfriend” and it looks like he’s talking abt being Marco’s boyfriend instead of Star’s. It’s like that 

• But they’re both way too stubborn to admit they’re together, they keep insisting that they’re only in it for Mitsuba. It’s Mitsuba himself who is eventually like “omg shut up and admit you love each other already.” Cue TsuKou kisses

• Speaking of kisses- time for the fluff I promised!! (This is already kind of fluffy but shhhhhh) 

• I typically hc Tsukasa as being aspec so by the time he starts dating Mitsuba and Kou, he’s not really sure how much affection he’s comfortable with. Suddenly he has two very clingy boyfriends which should be a nightmare, but it actually makes it easy for him to decide what he likes and dislikes early on. He’s not a big kisser but he can appreciate a peck every now and then, mainly he’s fond of cuddling and hand-holding 

• Mitsuba is very kissy and likes to kiss Kou’s face a lot. He gives very slobbery kisses tho so everyone but Kou finds them off-putting. With Tsukasa he’s more chaste but he still loves to kissy kiss kiss kiss when Tsukasa lets him

• Kou obviously bites people. And I hope you all know I don’t mean that in a weird way, I mean he’s like a cat that will attack your hand if you pet it for too long. He usually sticks to kisses on the lips or forehead kisses. He lifts Mitsuba and Tsukasa’s bangs to kiss their foreheads. If he’s kissing either of them on the mouth tho then they will need bandages afterwards (evil cat) 

• I promised toxic yaoi and this actually isn’t that toxic, let me lock in. So sadomasochism. Tsukasa and Kou torture the hell out of that boy. Since its sado/masochism/ Mitsuba is very okay with it but he is still getting tortured 

• Their dates end with him having to pull staples out of his skin (Kou helps him + bandages him up while Tsukasa stares at them like 0_0)

• Mitsuba is so extremely attached to both of them and they’re both very aware of it so sometimes they make him choose between them. It will be over super simple things too like who’s the better kisser, who picks better dates. Or, in extreme cases, who does he like better. This sends Mitsuba into a panic bcuz he physically cannot stand the thought of making either of them mad- especially when he’s seen how violent they both can get. But they won’t leave him alone until he answers… 

• They make up for it tho bcuz Mitsuba always gets to be in the middle of their cuddle piles 

• Tsukasa gets extra affectionate with Mitsuba whenever he’s trying to get a rise out of Kou. Mitsuba doesn’t rly notice tho and thinks Tsukasa is just being nice to him 

• We’ve seen Tsukasa force-feed Mitsuba, and we’ve seen Kou force-feed Mitsuba, but what about them force-feeding Mitsuba together??? Teamwork!! 

• Likely Kou ends up holding him down while Tsukasa makes him eat the hearts. Kou does the forcing, Tsukasa does the feeding 

• Kou frequently tells Tsukasa that they don’t need him which. Does not help his “I will do anything to make you happy even if you hate me” complex. So Tsukasa just fully accepts that his boyfriends hate him and will leave him someday 

• Kou doesn’t get out of this unscathed either. Having two boyfriends and becoming possessive over both of them feeds into his inferiority complex. The reason he insists that him and Mitsuba would be better off without Tsukasa is because subconsciously he’s scared that Tsukasa and Mitsuba would be better off without him. He’s constantly trying to outdo both of them and earn their love

• Yk how we talked abt Kou being stressed and needing to hit something and Tsukasa and Mitsuba are both like “I volunteer” ?? Well the reverse happens whenever Mitsuba has a bad day

• He complains abt his boyfriends being mean to him but then he’ll be like “Can you guys stab me please👉🏻👈🏻”

• They’re all so insane I love them dearly 

Cutting it off here bcuz I’m uncreative. Feel free to add to this if you’d like!!

[brave-and-gentle]

good afternoon i am stalking ur content on da clock once again😼

a penny for your thoughts on the sort of music jean listens to...? the last time i made him a playlist i was a teenager and it was all aggressively 2018 indie. perhaps some dad rock? unsure and i love ur hcs (no pressure to go into details ofc hehe)

YESSSS as is your right!! I was writing smutty content on the clock today - for a Second Chances chapter far in the future, hehehe. Forewarning that I'm not the best with music references (some EB lore: when I was a kid my mom would only allow Christian music in the house so the only time I could listen to secular music was at a friend's house which unfortunately still makes me a noob 20-something years later) so pls nobody come after me if I mislabel a genre, okay? Okay! I can totally see Jean being into some aggressive 2018 indie lmao. It's what he turns on when he's having friends over for dinner or generally hanging out - it's a chill vibe (imo at least).

Dad rock for sure, except he only listens to it at the gym. If anyone found out, he'd beat them with a rock. Marco does actually know, and god bless his soul, has never spoken about the time that Jean headphones stopped working mid bench press and his phone started blaring . . . idk, Dave Matthews band?? Very bold of me to expand on this head canon when I don't even know the meaning of dad rock. But nonetheless, I see the vision!! Jean also went through a punk phase, which tbh, he never truly left. He definitely skipped class to go to a Killers concert, and he paid good money to see My Chemical Romance (I know some people out there don't think they are true punk okay but this is my head canon <3). He dips his toes into heavy metal, but that's about as far as it goes. He'd probably fuck it up in an Iron Maiden concert. But Jean's biggest, baddest, darkest secret? He's a Sabrina Carpenter stan. And I mean STAN. He'll deny this at gun point ofc, but he'll blast "Please Please Please" and "Espresso" while he's in the shower. "Bed Chem" is another Jean favorite. He desperately wants to go to a concert, but he can't risk being seen, so he's considering buying tickets in a far away city where nobody will recognize him. If anyone *ever* finds out about this, they won't survive to tell the tale, not even Marco.

You didn't ask for this, but Reiner also loves Sabrina.

[hannahbarberra162]

OP and Tan Line HCs

🌥️🌥️🌥️

Just some hahas. In honor of summer in the northern hemisphere, here are my HCs about tan lines in OP.

Completely pale, no tan whatsoever 🧴🫥🫥🫥

Trafalgar Law

Sabo

Mihawk

Izou (skincare Queen 💅)

Deep tan on top, harsh cut to a lily white booty 🕶️ 🌞

Zoro

Luffy (he stays with the jorts)

Shachi

Thatch

Silvers Rayleigh

Benn Beckman

Not a substantial difference, but is slightly darker overall ⛅⛅⛅

Jimbe

Chopper

Buggy**

Penguin

Sanji (except on occasion when he gets sunburned and looks like a lobster)

Crocodile

Robin**

Farmer’s Tan 🧑‍🌾🧑‍🌾

Usopp**

Katakuri

Donquixote Rosinante

Swimsuit tan lines 👙👙👙

Nami ofc

Franky (he’s always wearing a swimsuit so it would happen regardless of how often he takes it off)

No tan lines - anywhere 😎😎😎

Shanks

Ace**

Marco**

Brooke 

Donquixote Dolflamingo

*** Bonus silly tan lines***

Ace - dumb tanline from never taking off those boots. Also would have something like this:

Marco - from keeping that tassel on his leg

Buggy - puts a sticker on his stomach to get an image of his own jolly roger

Usopp - goggle tanlines lol

Robin - She'd have a really complicated swimsuit and get weird tan lines from it. Something like this:

[xamaxenta]

Here r some degen thoughts for you

Werewolf ace goes into heat in the middle of the night Marco is gone for a shift at the hospital and sabo is dead asleep and lor is he a heavy ass sleeper so ace with no other outlet strips sabo and has his way with sabos pretty little ass soft moans escape sabo yet he hasn't woken up yet when he Finally wakes up its to the biggest soppiest orgasm ever with ace knotted deep in his ace teeth buried in the nape of his neck and his stomach bulging from the pressure of aces cum cock and knot all in one mans is drooling with tears as he swells full also so u know it's the same anon every time I send one imma start marking it xD just so u know how down bad I am for these boys -S

Wow ☺️ itadakimasu thank u for this meal!!!

What if Marco drugged Sabo, ensured he would be a dead weight and completely out of it for when Ace ends up inevitably needing an outlet

Its all consensual sexy fun, Sabo agreed to the drugging, Ace did too and yet they all know the true struggle will lie with what exactly Ace will be willing to do to get what he wants or needs

Will he hold back or will he devour Sabo selfishly :3c

Ofc his instinct takes over and by the time Sabo wakes up hes all stuffed full and sore and knotted up and he didnt get to experience ANY OF IT except right at the end when he cums dry and pathetic bc he was asleep for the entire marathon

Ueuee so cute…

[mayisgoingnuts]

ik ur prooolllly asleep so im rambling this here since i cant really doodle the comic since comics are not my strong suit MARCO is just begging for some of them to not vote for streber and vote for her (kids freak out and say not to vote her ofc-) and is basically just like telling everyone he gave her a home and etc etc- it sorta backfires since most of the stuff is just about her and not anyone else- Streber just silently freaking out since time is ticking down and tells marco its sorta pointless. Besides hes smart he knows hes not gonna make it- Even if he really wanna make it- he tells marco that if she lives or makes it out to take care of the house and he hopes he sees her again soon- anddd he dies and marco just freezes up as she tries not to lash out to everyone else- and a biggg motivator for her after that is to actually live for streber even ifff that doesnt happen-

she doesnt break down for any of her cult family but streber means alot and it just breaks her and its so weird because shes usually happy and now she has no smile or trying to help anyone out except the kids. she stays pretty quiet until she votes or protecting the kids or kevin or radford or rick if they are still in the game lol

she stays quiet so she doesnt lash out bc if she does shes screaming VIOLENTLY.

NOT ASLEEP YET MWHAAH

AND OMGGGG... NOOO

IMAGINR IF A GRUMPY ONE THERE CONFRONTS HER ON BEING QUIET.... SOMEONE ELSE SAUS THAT "hey a loved one of his died here??? Are you dumb??" AND SHE JUST GIVES UP. WAAHH

[melyn188]

Im shamelessly re-reading all of Animorphs because my mental health is low, so here are sketches of my favourite gang!! I dont know if these are book accurate (especially eye colour), and are likely to be not 90s-accurate either, but idk i had fun!

i really didnt plan out how to fit them all on two pages (why did I draw Jake on an ANGLE?), so apologies for Cassie in the corner (she’s my fave and i left her for last because i was scared to not do her justice).

Ax’s human morph has little things from everyone (except Tobias ofc), mainly Jake’s face shape and hair texture, Rachel’s eye colour, Marco’s skin colour and eye shape, and Cassie’s hair colour and nose shape (i changed his hair to match after taking pics)

Gave some of the kids acne, because they’re pre-teens, and Marco a mullet because why the hell not. I cannot draw a hawk, thus human Tobias

[apphiarothowrites]

*walks in like a lost child*

Because @xamaxenta keeps talking bout demon ace I think we need to discuss it more

So like modern Marco as a overworked doctor who spends his spare time reading the most horrendous smut like, this man is a monster fucker through and through change my mind

Anyway he get isikied or isekied?

Whatever truck kun comes knocking or he get summoned I’m not sure on specifics but. He gets there and there’s a huge demon lord in front of him like “you will be my wife.”

And Marco is like “excuse me?”

And the demon lord is like “there’s no use resisting, I command all of the this realm blah blah”

And Marco saunters up to this sexy demon lord like “your majesty I will be nothing less then you husband!”

The demon lord “…Wut.”

Marco “tell me do those scales go all the way? Pls tell me they go all the way.”

Anyway the demon lords name is Ace and he thinks that he is unlovable so he got marco to win a bet against his brothers , problem is marco is a kinky ass fucker and does not mind the horns at all. And it’s all super cheesy and romantic beauty and the beast shebang except like monster fucking adjacent. Ofc Ace can’t help but actually fall for the competent man with blue eyes and has a laugh that sounds like bells (he had no chance)

*jazz hands*

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk

There’s totally a scene where marco shows his medical prowess and everyone is just like 83

good shit good shit good shit-

I am totally on board with monster fucker Marco getting grabbed up and dumped in Ace's lap (on a whim, for a bet, whatever works!). And Ace, unused to people being genuinely into him, has no idea what to do with a very attractive human who is so down to clown with his demonic dick.

Marco wowing everyone when he splints a broken arm or wing or some shit, and he's just vaguely stunned that healing of any kind just isn't done as a practice in the demon realm like...we're demons why would we admit weakness to anyone and Marco The Doctor from the very social human species is like why the fuck wouldn't you??? you could die????

anyway I'm imagining ace lifting and spinning marco like he's nothing and marco being unbearably horny about that, while ace is unbearably horny about marco giving him a scalp massage and kissing his bandaged cuts better

[quinloki]

…… it is consuming all of my brain function I barely have brain cells to rub together for ANYTHING ELSE RN IM SO SORRY ITS SO LONG

Marco and Sabo who aren't actually from conflicting organizations, they're from organizations that are partnered (whitebeard/revolutionaries) but they have this weird rivalry (mostly on Sabo's side tbh) bc Ace and Sabo grew up together but Ace didn't join the same organization bc Sabo disappeared similar to canon but they were reunited at some point and ace yapped his ear off about his partner marco

anyways the organizations both have someone in their eye (reader) and decide to work together to obtain the asset. however ace is trash at undercover work so they send sabo and marco together instead

reader works for croc maybe doing something similar to what robin used to do and kinda similar vibes to nami in a sense of owing croc a bunch of money they occasionally prowl the casino floor looking for dudes to 'rip off' to help pay the debt down

and oh look it's a pair of brothers talking about how their dad left them a bunch of money and they've never done this before time to get them drunk and clean them out ofc they'll only act drunk and you offer to escort them up to their room safely

then bam drugged and you're out cold and stuffed in a suitcase and they're out of there (but being followed oh nooo) and you wake up in a totally different hotel room and you try to fight them but trained spies so you basically just end up pinned like we're ready to make you a better deal than crocodile just calm down and you're like ???? wait you're not here to use me against crocodile??? i'm down I was only working for him bc I owed him money and his new business partner (doffy) gives me the creeps so what can you offer

and sabo is like what is this stockholm syndrome already and marco just shakes his head and sighs and they basically outline what the organizations are looking for/offer which is like 10x better than working for crocodile so you accept but oop yall are still being followed so spy shenandigans and little scuffles follow and you travel a lot trying to get back to their base

and it puts you all in very close proximity for some time often sharing hotel rooms and then one time the only room available is one bed and ofc then comes the bickering of who will sleep where with the guys planning on the floor and it's like come on we're all adults here it'll be fine (famous last words) and ofc yall wake up snuggled together and sabo is interally like wtfff that's the best I've slept probably ever

and yall have all been practically attached at the hip for safety so everyone is pent up and they both get some morning wood and its like this is wrong yall are brothers and they're like we're not real brothers?? and then you're like oh. well then.

fun times ensue and after it's a bit awkward like well what do we do now but then bam croc's men catch up so it's run away and not think about that time and there's a few more stops between then and getting back to safety and a few more fun times and then yall are seperated when you get back and it's like aw it's over but they start sneaking in to see you and it's like welp I guess this is a thing

and you see them together and seperate and while they see eachother in your company they see very little of eachother outside of it bc they're dealing with eachother for you except marco is very good at putting sabo under him and riling him up and it's always so hot to watch especially when marco orders sabo to do specific things to you

and yall have fun like that for awhile and then ofc there's some drama like maybe croc's men finally sneak in and snatch you up but you're like a beloved member of both organizations so they'll go to war for you and snatch you back and the boys are so happy to have you back they spend days showing you just how much

anyways brain is empty rn imma go to bed and maybe think about more or just more specific sexy times so sorry for the brain dump love you lots hope you enjoyed <3333

Okay - no but that was an awesome ride \o/

You’re in bad with Crocodile, and Doffy wants to “help”, but gods the strings attached to that offer are so bad you’d rather sleep with Croc honestly, but that’s not happening because your relationship with him is exceptionally negative in this story. (I imagine to the point of his cigars making you rankle.)

In come easy marks Sabo and Marco, and oh it’s fun and flirting as you ply these men with drinks and compliments. They even give you small gifts in exchange, tips whether they win big or not. The flirting becoming more heated as the drinks continue in.

Neither is really affected. Sabo’s tolerance is legendary, and Marco can’t even get drunk because of the Phoenix. At least not drinking so little. (He’d slammed a gallon or two once in frustration and had managed to feel drunk for minute or two.

Once the facade is dropped and things are explained (helluva hook you have there, Sabo admits, having taken a wild swing to the jaw), your on board. But you have concerns - your bullshit debt aside, you’re an asset to Croc, he doesn’t let go of assets.

Worry not, their bases are in the New World, and Croc’s connections are in Paradise. It’s going to be a long trip - island hopping down the grand line to reach the Red Line and safety. Weeks and months of staying under the radar and keeping close.

You’re the one to admit you don’t mind some stress relief as long as it doesn’t get weird. They’re brothers - oh wait they aren’t - okay but you’ll be coworkers of a sort, no mixing business and pleasure. We’re all adults here.

Your only concern is that these orgasms aren’t going to be outdone because it’s criminal how well these two work your body. You make it to the Red Line - feelings are caught, you’re caught, war breaks out.

Confessions and concessions as you drown in your two sweet blonde boys, never to be worried about anyone or anything no matter how dangerous it gets.

I love it - it’s a very action packed take on the ideas for Outnumbered, and I love the emotions tied to reader getting kidnapped/saved.

[andydrysdalerogers]

Sliding Into Home ~ The One with the World Series

Pairing: MLB!Frank Adler x Abigail Hernandez (OFC)

Synopsis:

After a trade from Boston to Los Angeles, first baseman Frank Adler would seem to have it all. Money, women, an amazing niece, yes Frank should have it all. Except for one thing. One thing that left after a mistake five years ago. Los Angeles should be the chance to start over. Except she is supposed to be in Boston. Not his new medical director.

* A Frank Adler AU x Major League Baseball Story**

Warning: ANGST (i can't stress this enough), second chances, cheating, S~M~U~T!!, slow burn, drug use, abandonment issues, betrayal, domestic violence (i may have missed some), flashbacks

Dividers by me

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Trial by Fire

Sliding Into Home Master List Main Masterlist

Two weeks later... 

“I want to know.”  

“So do I.” 

“So why can’t we?” 

“Because It’s too early for it to show up.”  

“That seems stupid. Why are we here? You’re perfect.”  

“I’m a mess.”  

A chuckle. “But you’re my mess.” 

“Thanks, I think.”  

Frank kissed the top of Abby’s head. “You’re beautiful Cricket.”  

“I don’t feel like it.”  

“You’re twelve weeks pregnant, Cricket.” Frank took her hand. “You’ve been nauseous every day for the last two weeks. Plus, the stress from the hearing wasn’t helping.”  

“And you’re leaving,” she mumbled.  

“Sweetheart, you know I don’t want to leave you. I have to go to work.”  

“Stupid playoffs.”  

Frank chuckled. Abby had always hated when the playoffs started because he would have to be on the road for five days at any time during the current series. They were starting in LA, the Dodgers having the best record in the West, facing off against Arizona. “Cricket, it’s gonna be fine. Marco and Scott will be home to help. Please, just take it easy, ok?” 

Abby sighed. She knew this but it didn’t stop her anxiety. She thought back on the last couple of weeks.  

Mike had been officially charged with kidnapping and endangerment since there were drugs found in his house.  He was fighting it, of course, but now Frank and Abby had a protection order against him.  He went back to Boston in custody, his bail revoked.  

Diane pled no contest to her charges of assault and battery. The deal she made was to allow her to stay in treatment in Boston as long as she had no contact with Abby or Mike. She asked for a letter to be delivered before she accepted.  Abby read the letter, Diane’s apologies all over it. Abby closed that chapter in her heart, grateful her friend had found peace and recovery.  

Bobby Fuller was suspended pending a full investigation for his involvement with Frank’s incident in Vegas as well as helping Mike with the kidnapping.  He made a statement, saying he was not going to fight any charges or decisions made by the league.  He had earned what would happen to him after everything had concluded and offered his apologies to the Adler family. 

Now, she was dealing with the playoffs and the push for Los Angeles to make it to the World Series once again. She came out of her thoughts as her doctor entered the room. “Hello Dr. Adler.”  

“Hey Dr. Montgomery.”  

“Mr. Adler,” she shook Frank’s hand. “Ready to start the playoffs? 

“Absolutely Doc.” Frank flashed her a smile. “Game one tomorrow.”  

“You better bring that trophy home,” she replied.  “Now Abby, how are you feeling?” 

“Nauseous and thirsty at the same time.  Kinda weird.”  

“Yeah, that happens. Any drowsiness, bloating, cravings?” 

“A little bit of everything.” Abby smiled. “Just generally tired. Had back to back surgeries yesterday and then Mary decided it was time to learn a new hobby.” She gave Frank a pointed look. 

“How did I know she wanted to learn the drums? She said she wanted to play an instrument.” Frank shrugged and gave his best boyish grin.  

Dr. Montgomery chuckled. “Yeah, I can understand that. Well, your blood work came back great, your weight is on track for twelve weeks.”  

“When will I pop?” Abby placed a hand over her belly. “Right now, I just feel big but Frank says I look the same.” 

“No, I said you look beautiful,” Frank argued.  

“Whatever.”  

“Usually, moms pop their bellies closer to 15 or 16 weeks. Like I mentioned, your weight is great for twelve weeks. Now, are we ready to see baby?” Abby nodded.  “Ok, scoot down, shirt under your breast and pants down a little.  Sorry, this is a little cold.”  She squirted gel onto Abby, grabbed the wand and rolled over her skin.  Frank and Abby stared at the screen, just a mix of black, white and gray, until... 

“There it is.” A little peanut shaped blob appeared. It was different from the first scan where it was just a blip of something.  This time, a head was clearly taking shape. “That’s your baby.”  

“It’s like a little peanut alien,” Frank said. 

“Frankie,” Abby whined.  

“What? Cricket, it’s a peanut. It's our...” he stopped as Dr. Montgomery turned on the sound and a rapid noise echoed in the room. “Is that...” 

“Baby’s heartbeat. Its nice and strong, about 150 beats per minute, which is perfect.”  

“They are perfect,” Abby breathed. A tear ran down her face.  

“Cricket, what’s wrong?” 

“I just thought with the stress, that I did something to the baby.” 

Dr. Montgomery cleaned Abby up. “Abby, you are doing everything right. I know that the hearing was stressful, but everything is perfect. I don’t think you need an amniocentesis, so I would relax and enjoy.”  

Abby nodded as Frank said, “thanks Doc.”  

“Pictures will be up front, and I want to see you in four weeks. Good luck, Frank.”  

As Abby and Frank made their way up, they started to talk about baby names. “I like Emily for a girl or Steven for a boy,” Abby said.  

“I’m ok with Emily but Steven? Steve Adler?” Frank twisted his mouth in disgust. 

“It sounds good.”  

“No Cricket it doesn’t. How about Daniel?” 

“Dan Adler? I mean, its ok.”  

Frank sighed.  “We have time right?” 

“Yes, we do.” Abby leaned into him. “When are we going to announce this?” 

“Let’s do it after the playoffs. You won’t be showing for a few more weeks, and we have the box, so you’ll be hidden.”  

“Ok, now if we can only guarantee that Mary will keep her mouth shut,” Abby muses.  

“That’s like asking Johnny not to call himself the ‘Human Torch’. Just impossible,” Frank smiled and kissed her head. “But keep dreaming.”  

The Dodgers make it through the Wild Card and Division series, defeating The San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cub, respectively. Johnny had pitched a no hitter in the first game against the New York Mets, but a rouge bounce made Frank miss a ground ball in game two, letting the Mets win that game. Fortunately, the Dodgers held themselves together for games three and four and were sitting on the verge of their 13th World Series appearance.  

Frank was pumped. He was already a two time World Series winner with Boston and he wanted to make his new team proud. They were away in New York, but it was Saturday, so his family and Abby’s parents were able to make the game.  

Abby: No matter what, Mary, peanut and I love you so much Frankie. Good luck baby! 

Frank smiled as he finished dressing.  Johnny was also looking at his phone, smiling like a goofball.  “What has gotten into you? Or should I say who?” 

Johnny dropped his phone.  He scrambled to pick it up. “Nothing, no one, what, wait, huh?” 

Frank grabbed his chest and laughed so hard it brought attention from the entire team.  “What is so funny Adler?” Mookie Betts asked.  

“Johnny Storm, our own Human Torch, has a girl!” Frank said through gasps of air.  “Pay up losers!” 

Over half the team grumbled as they pulled out their wallets with Frank and a couple of others holding out their hands. “What the actual fuck is going on?” Johnny asked.  

“I told the guys you were going to be infatuated with a girl.  Thanks for this,” Frank holds up his hand holding up a few bills.  

“You bet on me meeting a girl?” 

“No, that’s a stupid bet. I bet you would fall for a girl. Told them I introduced you to one and said I think this is the one for him and Betts said there wasn’t a chance in hell and others agreed so we made a small yet rather fruitful wager.”  

“You couldn’t have waited until the end of the season, could your Torch?” Betts slapped his back.  

Johnny tried to be angry but instead smiled. “Hell no. Have you see her?” He showed off a picture of him and Katie together by the beach.  “She is smart, gorgeous...” 

“And should have no business with you,” Kershaw said. “She is smoking.”  

“She likes baseball, hangs out with Mary and likes it and she...” he stopped himself. “Never mind. All I’m saying is that I hit the jackpot with my girl so you all can fuck off now.”  He turned back to his locker to finish getting ready.  

“$100 says he’s engaged if we win the World Series,” Kershaw says.  

“No bet. I think he’ll do it at Christmas.  More romantic,” Frank says. Johnny just flips them the bird and the team laughs.  

The game is tense, but Johnny manages to throw only one hit the entire game.  Mookie hits a grand slam and seals the Dodgers fate to another World Series. After the celebration in the locker room, Frank showers and heads out. He sees his wife, daughter and best friend in the family room, Mary asleep in her grandfather’s arms, Abby leaning against Scott and Susie in Marco’s lap. Johnny walked in right after and saw his sister. Before Johnny could say anything, Frank covered his mouth. “Shut up,” he whispered.  

“That’s my sister,” Johnny pointed.  

“Have you not noticed she been dating my brother in law?” Frank hissed. “Since the All Star game.” 

“Seriously? I thought she was with that nerd Reed.” 

Frank sighed and ran a hand over his face. “According to Abby, Reed said he didn’t have time to date because of some crap project about a cloud in space, who the fuck knows. Anyway, when everyone was trying to find Mary, I guess Susie broke down in the backyard and Marco comforted her. One thing led to another, and they started seeing each other in LA.”  

Johnny looked at his sister.  “Why didn’t she tell me?” 

“Geez, I wonder,” Frank deadpanned.  

“Yeah, alright, you don’t have to be a dick about it. Let’s take them to the hotel and get some sleep before we fly home.” He took another look at his sister. “She’s happy, and he’s a good guy?” 

“I couldn’t trust anyone better to protect this family.”  

The Dodger has two days off before they have to start their series with Boston. The irony was not lost on Frank. Playing the team that had traded him after missing the playoffs last year would either be glorious or gut-wrenching. They are starting on the road this time and Frank is nervous.  Not for the game, but for the fact that Abby had now been dealing with a streak of morning sickness that left her pale, dehydrated and bedridden.  

“Cricket, maybe I can miss the first game? Just until I know you are better.” He smoothed her hair away from her clammy forehead.  

“Frankie, you can’t miss. Susie said she would stay with me and Nugget and Marco. Scottie and Steve are going to go and support. If I feel better, I’ll fly out with Mary for game two.”  

“But...” 

“No, Frank, this is your job.  Win this, babe, and come home and finish it for me here in LA. I promise, if something is wrong, we will call. Your baby just likes to test me is all.”  

Frank ran a hand through his hair.  “The minute something is wrong?” 

“You’ll be the first call, ok? I love you.”  

He knelt next to the side of the bed. “I love you Peanut. Be nice to momma, ok?” He kissed her stomach and then kissed her forehead. “I love you, Cricket. So very much.”  One last kiss, he grabbed his suitcase and was out the door.  

Mary, Susie and Abby watched their boys play in Boston. They took game one with ease, Frank making a spectacular dive in the fourth for a double play.  Johnny hit two homers in the ninth securing the win.  Game two was a different story.  Boston came to play, outscoring Los Angeles by ten.  Abby flipped off the TV at the end of the game, tugging on Mary’s ponytail. “At least Frank hit it.”  

“But they lost.”  

“I know, but you have to look at the positives, Nugget. I’m sure Dad would appreciate it if we kept to the positives.  It’ll make flying home easier.”  

“I guess.” Mary shrugged. “I don’t remember Boston being that good.”  

“Me neither.”  

Frank and the rest of the team came home in a dejected state. Losing that hard took its toll but it just made the Dodgers want to work that much harder.  He hadn’t mentioned it to Abby, but a couple of the Boston guys jeered at him when his was on base.  Fans did too, during game two. It had messed with his head a little bit. Johnny had heard it and reminded Frank that he hadn’t chosen to leave Boston. It still stung.  

The next three games were at home and the Dodgers took the lead after five, with spectacular performances from Kershaw and Storm. Betts hit homers in every game and Frank had two RBIs. Abby had been feeling better to attend the games, making Frank feel better knowing his girl was at the stadium with him.  

Game six and the teams were back in Boston.  It had been a close game, but Frank fouled up in the ninth allowing the winning run on base. But former Dodger Justin Turner would not be denied. He had come over during Frank’s trade and had something to prove.  He launched a walk off rocket off a fast ball from Joe Kelly that went right over the famous Green Monster wall. Joe and the rest of the team walked off of the field with the crowd going absolutely wild in the background.  

As Frank woke up on the day of game seven, he stared at the ceiling. This was the last day to prove to everyone that, despite the year of chaos he had, he was still the best at this game. He turned and looked at his beautiful wife. Abby’s hair cascaded down her naked back, finding comfort of no clothes during her fourteenth week of pregnancy.  Frank moved a piece of hair that had fallen over her face back. Winning her back, completing his mission to marry the love of his life, he knew he had already won the year.  

Abby curled more into his side and Frank wrapped his arm firmly around her. He could snooze for a few more before the chaos of the day began.  

The game was tight and scoreless. Both teams were playing with no errors. It was the top of the ninth and Frank was on second, having a lucky bounce allowing him to get the double.  Johnny was now at bat and had a two count. Frank took a small lead of the base and could see a fastball would be delivered. Johnny read it perfectly and it bounced in left field. Frank ran for third and the third base coach waved him through to home. Frank slid and beat the throw home.  

Dodgers –1 – Boston – 0.  

The next batter strikes out, but the damage has been done.  It's up to the defense to hold off Boston for the next half of the inning.  Johnny came in as relief to Kershaw and has been on his game all night. He quickly dispatches a batter but walked the next and now it's do or die for Boston.  And Justin Turner is at bat.  

Johnny settles, a shake of his head, then a nod, and let go of his patented fast ball. Strike.  He gets the ball back and takes a breath.  He looks at Frank, who gives him a reassuring nod and he turns back.  Another nod and Johnny threw his change-up, leaving Turner swinging.  

One more.  

Johnny sets, rears back and lets go of the ball.  

It's perfect.  

Until the crack of the bat sounds.  

And Frank watches as it sails over the right field wall. 

Boston has won the World Series. 

I'm sorry, don't kill me...

NEXT

Taglist

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[liverpool-enjoyer]

Ch 20 has haunted me for weeks. Everything about it was so perfect but ofc the mullendowski drama was *chef kiss* it was everything and more. You're absolutely exceptional in building up drama because that chapter had me in a chokehold.

The last line for example absolutely destroyed me. I had to put down my phone and process it for a minute. It felt like my own heart broke. It felt like I got cheated on. And that's what brings me to your ask box.

There's this song called "Llueve Sobre La Ciudad" by Los Bunkers. I don't know if it's the direction you're characterizing with Marco, but I could not stop listening to it while thinking of him. Idk it could be because there's a certain emptiness (and perhaps defeat?) in the song that reflects their relationship. Marco just feels like such a doomed character and I tend to associate this song with a doomed ship so yippee!!

Here's the song I've been blasting on repeat for a good 3 hours every day with English subtitles: https://youtu.be/LrstPzHptq8?si=TasvKhwn4v8QYVs1

There are more songs that I think of and play whenever I reread your uefa high fics, but some of them are in Spanish and there aren't any eng translations D: (at least, not on youtube). But I'll think of some next time, this song is just so powerful. Anyway, love your works

AHHHH first of all THANK YOU for this it was such a lovely thing to wake up to yesterday!!! it rlly means the most to me that you liked chapter twenty sm, as i put a lotta time into it n was rlly looking forward to getting it out there <3

oh marco,,, hes a doomed character indeed. i havent managed to find a good time to mention it in uefa high yet, but lets jus say romance isnt the only part of marcos life thats riddled w problems :(((

n the fact that you listen to songs n think of MY fic??? i have ascended. this is the highlight a my year. also i love the song you recommended!!! the resignation is very marco coded. poor guy. plus its catchy so i'll be adding it to my playlist (also im tryna listen to more music in spanish to get outta my no sabo era so thanks for that :D). but yeah feel free to send in more songs you associate w the fic / characters i'd love to hear em!!

thank you sm for this sweet ask <3

[merwynpersonalhub]

Ittoku and Marco >:3

this one is slightly more difficult bc my brain melting and i forgot the big thing i wanted to ramble about- Marco always has soft spots for kids. Of course hes going to try to get along with Kids (except roy bc they are both gremlins X3) I feel like they met Marco walking down the street and saw Ittoku sorta messed up a tiny bit. like a bruise or smth. So marco would try to help Ittoku out.

Uh.. Yeah i feel like ittoku grows attached to him more than marco at first funny enough. Person trying to help you out ofc your going to get like "friend! :3" when ittoku gets adopted basically its marco being a very hard working person for money and trying his best to save up for ittoku. He wants ittoku to have a better life than what he heard about after all!! Hes more gentle and kinder to ittoku as well!! He did not want him to feel unsafe with him. He tries to stop his bad habits and treats him right. and when he comes out as a trans girl Marco is his number one supporter. Very loving and tries his best for Ittoku to make sure she is comfortable!

basically very loving and sweet stuff

[warriorlid14]

So, I'm guessing this is a situation where Tobias isn't a nothlit.

Rachel's mom: she's overworked and overwhelmed and gets little help from Dan, all of which don't make her an ideal foster parent, BUT. She's also a privileged, wealthy lawyer so I think she'd be likely to be approved to foster him. I do think that in a Tobias-is-a-human world she'd be one of the adults he's in closer proximity to, simply because that's his girlfriend's mom. And I think Naomi *would* notice that this shy, quiet kid her daughter is dating is undefed, doesn't have the best clothes, is overworked (if Tobias stayed human I can't imagine him not being forced to take a part time job; Marco is also parentified but he got out of poverty pretty early on with Peter's new job and Tobias would not have that luxury), and is probably neglected. I think she'd probably want to help out. I don't think that it'd be through fostering though. I can picture her having extra food around for him or trying to buy him new clothes or telling him that he's welcome to crash on their couch whenever. And ofc she probably wouldn't want her daughter and her boyfriend living together. So unless things got really really dicey for Tobias and he actually told her (which he wouldn't), I don't think she would. I do see the possibility of her calling CPS on his uncle though which could cause a whole other set of issues.

Cassie’s parents: also unlikely to end up in a fostering situation because he's not around them much and also he would be trying his hardest to NOT end up in the foster system (and not just because it would make fighting yeerks harder). But if it DID happen, this is how I think it would go:

He gets kicked out of his uncle's in the middle of the night for xyz reason

He could try to crash at Jake or Marco’s but it's too late in the night and he'd have to give an explanation and doesn't want to admit he's been kicked out

It's too cold to stay at Ax's. He *could* break into a hotel room but he still remembers how much Jake disapproved of that move with David and though Tobias is not morally opposed to breaking into an overpriced, empty hotel room, he'd feel weird about it

So he decides to crash in Cassie’s barn and he'll just get up before anyone else comes in and then make some excuse to crash at Jake or Marco’s for the next few days until things clear up at his uncle's

Except he doesn't wake up early enough and so Walter finds him sleeping on a hayloft

Cue Tobias having to hastily explain to a very confused Walter and a very concerned Cassie, that yes, his uncle kicked him out, but it's fine this has happened before ("What do you mean this has happened before??") and that it's not a big deal. His uncle will cool off in a few days. No he has no other family to call, but it's fine. He'll rent a hotel room for a few days, he has some money saved up, and Oh God please don't call CPS

So Cassie’s parents let him stay in the spare room for a week. They sit Cassie down and ask her about his family life and she tells them the truth

And Cassie’s parents didn't really know Tobias beyond him being Cassie’s friend and being kind of quiet and shy. But they still feel guilty for not noticing that one of her friends was being horribly neglected. And they tell him that he's welcome to stay any time. And start packing Cassie and extra lunch for school and ask about him and make sure to talk to him any time he's around

Tobias, in gratitude, volunteers to help out at the barn sometimes and so they form a bond

When his uncle kicks him out again a couple of months later, Tobias sheepishly shows up at their door and they let him in without question. He once again asks him to not call CPS

And they understand the lack of trust in a system that's supposed to, in theory, help. But also this is a teenager who's being abused and they can't just let this continue. Plus, they really like him. So when Cassie’s parents ask her if she'd be okay with them fostering Tobias, she's like "omg please", being his friend first, thinking about consequences for the war second

At the subsequent team meeting, Tobias says that while he really appreciates the concern, truly, it'll be a security risk. Marco reluctantly agrees. Jake mentally agrees but also feels so horrible that he didn't realize how bad Tobias’s home life was that he doesn't vocalize it. Rachel and Ax plot on how to kill Tobias’s uncle while making it seem like an accident

Cassie points out that if he let his parents foster him, Tobias wouldn't have to work anymore which would actually free him up for missions. This is enough to change Jake's mind (who rlly was just looking for an excuse to say yes)

A few weeks after he's moved in to Cassie’s house, Tobias sneaks back into his room in the middle of the night after a mission. Her parents catch him. He's convinced that they're going to decide he's too much trouble and send him back to his uncle's. And even though he had said it's what would be best for the war because his uncle didn't care that he was out at all hours, he really really doesn't want to go back

But instead they sit him down and tell him that they understand he's having a tough time and that they hope he can trust them and talk to them. He only barely manages to not burst out sobbing

The kids have to rely more on the Chee to cover for Cassie and Tobias

Also ofc Dude moves in as well

BIG THINK: Tobias fostered by one of the other animorphs parents

I'm drawing a blank as to how the kids could do this while still maintaining their cover. Only Jake or Cassie's parents are likely to get permission to foster a kid, Jake's house is a bad idea for obvious Tom-reasons, and Cassie's might work but she'd have a heck of a time explaining how she suddenly knows this kid so well. Anyone else have ideas?

[kevjrr]

I was so confused about how they met at first but then I remembered they all acted in money heist

[clockworkbee]

Fuck all romances except whatever the hell that boy and girl ready to burn together had going on.