#same with my aunt! she had the same childhood as mom but she treated her kids vastly different !

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

this might be weird to ask on a writing blog but do you have any manga recs?

yeah i got some recs! i'm gonna assume you mean less talked about titles rather than more well-known but quickfire popular recs i have are: chainsaw man, fullmetal alchemist, jjba, fruits basket, jjk and hell's paradise. but onto my other recs:

seinen

children of the sea**: a troubled teen named ruka embarks on the summer adventure of a lifetime after meeting two boys raised by dugongs at her dad's aquarium in the middle of a mysterious event taking place in the ocean.

the summer hikaru died: it's been months since yoshiki's childhood friend and secret crush, hikaru, went missing in the mountains for a week. hikaru's the same as usual, with his jokes and silly rambles and yet, yoshiki can't shake the feeling that whoever came back from that mountain, it wasn't hikaru. much to his horror, it wasn't. but rather than face reality and grief, yoshiki decides to play along with "hikaru's" act (body horror)

dorohedoro**: in a world where there are humans and magic users, humans have it rough being virtually treated as second class citizens. day after day, year after year, magic users come to the human realm to experiment on them with their magic. and after having his head turn into a caiman, kaiman, wants to get it back in blood and have his true form restored (body horror)

witch hat atelier*: in a world full of magic and witches, it's always been normal human girl coco's dream to be one. but after accidentally discovering a truth of this world and her mom getting caught up in the spell, coco becomes an apprentice of witch qifrey. (it was recently announced there's an anime in the works!)

skip & loafer**: desiring to become a government official to revitalize her hometown in the japanese countryside, iwakura mitsumi's first step to accomplish this goal is by going to a uni prep high school in tokyo. she's got a foolproof 10-step plan to boot! but of course, life hardly ever goes as plan, not even for a prodigy (mc's aunt has great trans rep)

jousei

sign of affection*: as someone deaf all her life, yuki has dealt with discrimination in both small and broad strokes. nor has she ever experienced romance. this all changes when she meets backpacker itsumi, a guy who goes to the same uni. just as he opens her world, she opens his

debu to love to ayamachi to***: after waking up in a hospital with no memories to her name, plus sized yumeko is told she is there after surviving a suicide attempt. the thing is, yumeko isn't sure why when she's just so beautiful! with a strong desire to live life to the fullest, yumeko decides to do everything the past her was to afraid to do. all the while it is revealed that her suicide attempt was more of an attempted murder... but who could have wanted to kill her?

my love story with yamada-kun at lv999**: nothing is worse than getting cheated on especially after akane invested a lot of time and energy into her shitty ex's gaming hobbies. but through gaming, not only does akane find herself healing, she managed to get herself a pretty cool boyfriend too

NANA**: 2 women, 2 different lives, 1 name shared. komatsu nana is quick to fall in love and after a series of less-than-lucky relationships, she finally has someone she thinks is the one. abandoned by her mother and her ex leaving her band, osaki nana hasn't had the easiest life. but on the same night, on the same train, these two women meet and their lives become deeply intertwined

shoujo

a condition called love*: when it comes to romance, hotaru's never experienced it besides stories of her friends relationships. but she soon finds herself about to experience the whirlwind of a lifetime when hananoi, the most popular boy in school, asks her to be his girlfriend

a bouquet for an ugly girl***: as her class' resident big girl, hana isn't expecting a blossoming spring in her high school career. and she's okay with that. she has everything she needsー otome games and gardening. but after her class' pretty boy catches her in the midst of changing the class flowers, their lives become a bit more intertwined

uruwashi no yoi no tsuki: yoi is quite popular at her school because of her neat short hair, beautiful face and overall princely appearance. in fact, it's gotten her dubbed 'prince' many times. but when the other prince of the school finally meets her, cupid's arrow quickly knocks him on his ass

shounen

frieren**: a manga that picks up after the journey has ended. the demon king has been defeated and the heroes have saved the day after 10 years of traveling together. 10 years? that's not even a 10th of elf mage frieren's life. but as her companions begin dying one by one of old age, she finds herself desiring to learn more about humans and the short yet impactful lives they still manage to have

dungeon meshi*: when a dungeon raid goes terribly wrong and laios' sister gets swallowed by a dragon, those that remain in his party decide to get it back in blood by saving laios' sister before she gets digested. in the mean time, there's nothing wrong with gordon ramsay-ing miscellaneous ingredients found in the dungeon along the way, right?

and if you like manhwa or would be down for some manhwa recs these are titles i don't see getting recommended enough

concubine walkthrough: a scifi & philosophical spin on the otome isekai genre that asks 'what is reality truly?', 'is your life any less real if you found out all your experiences were a simulation?' and 'what is reality to you?' where protagonist lee yona finds herself stuck in a VR edition of a game she only played once

a wicked tale of cinderella's stepmother: usually when someone wakes up in the body of a villainess, she's the same age as the protagonists. mildred, on the other hand, is stuck in the body of this story's cinderella's stepmother. with no husband and three daughters to take care of, there's only one thing she can really doー build up her daughters' sisterly bonds with one another and make sure they marry into good families (or that they can at least live lives they're happy with)

tricked into becoming the heroine's stepmother: at least mildred got the body of an important character, daisy on the other hand? she's in the body of an NPC you never even see in the story. bright side? this is a story she helped write and after meeting the presently six year old protagonist's father, she and father of the year decide to team up for the ultimate mission: making sure his daughter never meets any of the love interests

inso's law: ham dan-i is in a bit of a pickle when she wakes up and her new school uniform is completely different than the one her mom bought weeks ago. there's a drop dead gorgeous girl next door who claims to be her childhood best friend. even worse, like something straight out of a drama, there are four heavenly kings that rule her school. by the end of the day, dan-i has no other choice but to accept the fact........ her real life has somehow turned into a web novel. even worse, she's a side characterー the main character's best friend

webtoons

plum: in a world where fruit stacking is a major sport, little plum decides to be the very best like no one ever was and moves to the big city to compete in the fruit stacking games along with making some friends and rivals along the way

webtoons that are probably popular enough if they have hardcover copies at my local bookstore but i wanna talk about it anyway

cursed princess club: as the youngest princess of the pastel kingdom, gwendolyn loves her family. her protective papa, her oldest sister maria who often awakes to woodland creatures doing her hair. her older sister lorena who makes flowers bloom with her every step. and her younger brother jamie who's so pretty, he sparkles. and they adore her just as much. but things come to a very reality shattering halt when their father introduces maria, lorena and gwen to blaine, lance and frederick, the princes of the plaid kingdom and gwen overhears frederick call her ugly, something she's never heard in her entire life. somehow, gwen finds comfort in a club full of cursed princesses (and one prince) who teach her how to start loving herself again

key

*) receiving an anime adaptation

**) has an an anime series or movie

***) receiving an anime adaptation & contains a story with a plus-sized protagonist that doesn't involve weight loss

#look she's answering #anon #manga recs #seinen #jousei #shoujo #manhwa #otome isekai #children of the sea #hikaru ga shinda natsu #dorohedoro #witch hat atelier #skip and loafer #debu to love to ayamachi to #NANA #uruwashi no yoi no tsuki #hananoi kun to koi no yamai #a bouquet for an ugly girl #concubine walkthrough #a wicked tale of cinderella's stepmother #tricked into becoming the heroine's stepmother #cursed princess club #plum

[brokebonewritings]

Growing Pains

Matt Murdock x reader

Tags/Warning: 18+, Language, Emotional Abuse (NOT from Matt), Hurt/Comfort, Angst

Summary: You take Matt home to visit your family, now as a couple, and he finally experiences what you had vented to him all these years. Song: Matilda by Harry Styles

Word Count: 3.2K

Masterlist || Series Masterlist

A/N: This is a content warning, I'm not gonna lie. The EA part is short but can hit home to a few people I'm sure. I hope you enjoy, and please take care of yourselves!

The drive to Maine wasn’t too bad. It was the summer so no risk of ice on the road. Your childhood home was on the coast in Bar Harbor, and it was beautiful.

Too bad there wasn’t a better view in your little Hell’s Kitchen apartment. Maybe you would have felt more comfortable in the city then.

Matt had been more than willing to finally meet your family when you asked. The only hesitation he had was the way they treated you. You had started complaining about them in college after your father had passed. 

He could feel how tense you had gotten the closer to Bar Harbor you drove. It was the same every time you visited. It was nice to see your aunts and uncles that came to events, however your mom and sister were a different story.

You had warned Matt that the dynamic the three of you had was a bit toxic. He reassured you that nothing would scare him away. That was reassuring to say the least.

“Can I ask you something?” You ask while turning the radio down a bit.

“Anything.” He replies.

“Have you ever seen the ocean before?”

It was an innocent question. You always felt awkward when you asked about his sight, and if he had seen certain things before he went blind.

“Maybe. Does the view in New York count?” He turns his head towards you.

“Yeah, I would say it does.” You say. “The view here is breathtaking though. Better than the harbor.”

“Describe it to me.”

You take a moment to truly look out the window. There weren’t many cars on the road so you slowed down a bit. 

“Well, The ocean is a deep blue color, and the wind is pushing the waves against the small cliffs.” You start. “On the other side of us are green cliffs. When I say green, I mean there is no patch of dead grass anywhere.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Matt give you a small smile. Turning your head, you can see his face in full view. It makes your cheeks blush in a rose tint. He was beautiful to you. Nothing could have prepared you for this man loving you.

An hour later, your car rolls up to the gravel road and you park in the grass. It was a surprise that you were invited to say the least.

The last time you had been in Maine was 2 years prior. You take a step out of the car and walk around the car, waiting for Matt to exit the car.

You both walk up the front porch together and you knock. To your surprise your mom answers the door. She has a big smile on her face as she sees the both of you standing there.

“Oh! y/n! Come in, Come in.” She says holding the door open. “And who might this be?”

You smile nervously, before looking at Matt. “This is my boyfriend, Mom. Matt Murdock.”

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” He says, extending his hand, a smile on his face. God he was such a charmer.

“Nice to meet you.” She starts, while taking his hand. “I didn’t think she got out much, no less having a boyfriend.”

Your mom turns around and walks you both into the living room, where some distant relatives were joined together in groups. The family takes turns introducing themselves to Matt and catching up with a bit, before you take him outside for some air.

“I didn’t think your family was that big.” He chuckles.

“You can finally tell Foggy I beat him at something.” You giggle in return.

The breeze felt nice against your bare arms once you reached the backyard. You see your sister and her fiance sitting at the patio table, and she waves you over.

Hesitantly, you guide Matt over to the table and greet your sister before introducing them. You both take a seat at the table to be more comfortable.

“I didn’t know you could catch someone this attractive, y/n.” She says with a sly smile on her face. You wince in reaction and turn to see Matt’s face. He’s smiling, but you can tell deep inside he’s holding back from saying anything.

You clear your throat before speaking up. “So how is everything? It’s been almost 2 years. Congratulations on the engagement by the way.”

Chelsea, your sister, smiles at you before turning to her fiance. Their hands molding together, not letting go.

“Yeah, It’s been great! We were planning on moving back here before the winter.”

“Are you looking near here?” You question. 

She hums and nods in response before turning to Matt. “So how did you both meet? What do you do?”

“Well we have been friends since college.” He starts, turning his head to smile at you. He places his hand on your thigh. “I’m a lawyer. A friend and I have our own firm in Hell’s Kitchen.”

Just as he finishes, your mom comes to sit at the table. “A lawyer. Well at least one of you will have a successful career.” She says.

You turn bright red at the comment. She never approved the fact that you changed career paths in college. Stating that it was the most embarrassing moment in her life.

“I actually have a decent career at The Met.” You say in defense.

“Sure, y/n, that’s why you live in Hell’s Kitchen and not Astoria.” Chelsea says.

“Actually,” Matt’s voice startles you. “Y/n make more than I do. I take more pro bono cases than anything.”

Smiling, you appreciate him coming to your rescue and defending your honor. You sister huff, before your mom speaks up.

“Well that is very charitable of you.” She smiles.

More of your family files out into the backyard as it seems like the party has moved on from inside the house. It was a nice day. You watched as your younger cousins ran around the yard and chased each other. The older men of your family stand around talking about sports and projects. The women, you assume, are gossiping on current affairs.

“Congratulations, Chelsea!!” Your aunt says as she passes by your sister. The confused look you gave her was prominent amongst the groups.

“You got engaged 3 months ago though.” You say, Matt’s grip on your knee was a sign to let the topic drop.

Your sister looks at your mom uncomfortably before turning back to you. “Well, actually Gio and I got married.”

Now you were even more confused. “Like a courthouse wedding?”

“Now, let’s not turn this into a big argument” Your mom starts. “It was a small affair, just family in the backyard.”

“It wasn’t even a big deal, y/n.” Chelsea says nonchalantly.

Mouth falling open, you couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Your sister had gotten married, all your family knew. Everyone except you. Looking at the empty seat at the table, you wondered what your dad would have thought.

“Papa would have been so disappointed.” The words fly from your mouth before you have a chance to think. You see your sister stiffen in her seat.

“Don’t you dare bring Daddy into this.” She spits. “This is exactly why you weren’t invited.”

That was your breaking point. Pushing Matt’s hand off your lap, you stand and rush away. You don’t bother looking back because you know the only person following was Matt.

You didn't stop walking until you reached the end of the dock by the house. Standing there a moment, you considered going back, telling off your family and leaving. Hearing footsteps on the wooden dock makes you turn around.

Matt is walking straight towards you, using his cane to guide him down the way. Not that he truly needed it. Once he reaches you, you let out a choked sob and lean your head against his shoulder. He wraps his arm around your waist to bring you closer.

“They do this to me, every time.” You sobbed. Matt’s eyebrows twist in worry. He’s never seen you cry like this in a long time. Not since your dad had passed.

“Just let it out, sweetheart.” He said as he pressed soft kisses into your hair. That always seemed to sooth you.

The both of you just stood there as you cried. Saying nothing. You didn’t mind though, it was nice of him to let you just feel. No questions asked.

As your breathing slowed and the tears stopped flowing down your cheeks, you looked up to Matt and stared. He looked down at you with a frown plastered across his face.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get emotional.” You finally say.

“You don’t have to be sorry. This was not your fault.”

“Yeah… but my family didn’t make things better.”

You tug at his wrist for a moment to indicate that you were about to sit down. He kneels down at you until realizing you had your feet dangling off the dock. Taking a seat he folds up his cane and places it next to him.

“Sweetheart. You don’t have to keep coming back here if you don’t want to.” He says slowly.

“I feel like I do, or else I can’t see this home again.”

“What do you mean?”

You sigh as you look out onto the lake. A secret you had been keeping for a long time finally falling out of your mouth.

“The house is mine.” You say before looking up to him. His jaw moves as he clenches his teeth. Watching his lawyer brain start to work, you continue. “My dad left me the house, paid in full. I just haven’t had the heart to take it from my mom yet.”

The sigh he lets out is comforting. Like he understood the reasoning behind your current turmoil.

“I see.” He thinks for a moment. “Do you ever plan on taking the house?”

“Maybe one day. When I'm done living the city life, or maybe as a summer home.”

He tilts his head towards you. You smile and lean against his shoulder. Nothing mattered in this current moment. Just you and Matt. 

“You know. We’re your family.” He says.

You lift up your head and give him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“Foggy, Karen and I. We’re your family.” He elaborates. “Family doesn’t have to be blood, y/n”

Smiling, you nod your head and take his hand. Bringing his knuckles up to your lips, you kiss them softly. Watching as his lips curl upward into a smile. 

“You always have the right thing to say, huh?”

“I try my best, sweetheart.” 

Just as you open your mouth, you hear steps running down the dock. You turn your head to see your cousin running your way.

“Y/n! Your mom wanted you to help her in the office.” He said warmly “Oh! Who’s this?”

Matt turns his head towards the young man, same as you. 

“Peter, this is my boyfriend, Matt.” You start “Matt, this is my cousin, Peter.”

“Nice to meet you, Peter.” Matt says with a smile still on his face.

Peter kneels and sticks his hand out for a handshake. “You too, sir!”

You giggle at the sentiment and tap Matt’s leg. Though he was fully aware, he has to keep up the act.

“Pete, he’s blind.” You say.

“Shit! I’m sorry!” He stutters a bit, taking back his hand. “I- I didn’t know!”

“It’s okay. Kinda crazy how we all look like normal people huh?” Matt chuckles, and you giggle as Peter turns bright red. “Where are you from, kid? I’m getting a slight accent from you.”

“Queens.” He says proudly. 

“My mom didn't tell me you lived in Queens?” You said confusion in your voice.  “We live in Hell’s Kitchen”

“Well Aunt May took me in.”

“Right, I’m sorry Pete…”

“Ah it’s alright, that was years ago…” He stands. “Anyways, your mom?”

“Fuck…” You groan, starting to stand.

Matt reaches his hand out for you and you grab it. Helping him to his feel, you kneel back down and grab his cane and hand it back to him.

The three of you walk back to the house. You listen as Peter and Matt discuss the best pizza in the city. It was like they knew each other for years. As you approach the back door, you see your mom in the kitchen. 

Once she notices you, she moves slowly to the next room. Your heart speeds up a bit as you realize your mom probably didn’t need help. Most of the time it was a way to trap you in a corner and bombard you with guilt.

“Matty, you wanna come wait in the parlor while I help my mom?” You say as you turn to him.

He smiles at you and nods. “Of course sweetheart.” He gives Peter a brief goodbye before stepping behind you.

Opening the door, you let him enter first. He waits and grabs your forearm when you shut the door. You lead him into the parlor room that's right outside the office, and he takes a seat on the couch.

“I’ll be right back.”

He nods, and you turn to knock on the office door. You hear the okay to enter before stepping inside. Something was off as the air felt tight. Smothering almost. Your mom sat at the desk in the center of the room.

“Are you done acting like a hurt puppy?” Your mom says as you shut the door.

“Excuse me?”

“You know you hurt your sister’s feelings. I expect you to apologize to her.”

Was this woman serious? She expected you to apologize for your feelings getting hurt? 

“I will not be doing that.” You bluntly say. “If anyone needs an apology, it's me.

She snorts at your comment. “You weren’t invited because you always make it about yourself.”

“How could I make it about myself if I never get invited?”

“Because when you are invited, you do this!”

“You know what, stop!” You shout. “I’m not going to be gaslighted over this!”

“What are you talking about, y/n?” She starts. “Don’t you dare raise your voice at me.”

“No! I will raise my voice for once!” You can feel the in the palm of your hand. “You always leave me out of things!”

“We do not! Stop being so dramatic.” She looks back down at the papers on the desk. “I need to discuss something with you, if you’re done yelling.”

That makes you shut up, it always did. You step closer to the desk wiping your hands against your shorts. “What is it?”

“It’s about the house.” She starts. “I’m going to move out of it.”

“You’re moving out?” You knit your eyebrows together “But I thought you were going to wait until you retired?”

“I’m relocating actually. To Washington.” 

“So you have to ask me to sign the paperwork for the house?”

“Well…” She hands you a stack of papers. “I want you to give the house to your sister.”

Looking up from the paper, you drop your jaw. “But Papa gave the house to me. It was the only thing I got!”

“Your sister is married now, y/n. She needs a home to start a family in.”

“So then she can buy a house! I’m not signing this.” You say, placing the paperwork back on the desk.

“If you’re not going to use the house, then give it to someone who will.”

“Who said I wasn’t going to use the house?”

The older woman sighed, “There’s no sense in keeping it if you’re going to keep living in New York.”

“Well I’m not signing it over. That’s it.”

There was a beat before your mom started talking again. “You are being incredibly selfish. I’m very disappointed in you.”

“Yeah, well, I knew that for a long time.” You turn to leave.

“Your father would be disappointed too.” She says. “He knew you were a fucking brat, but if he could only see how much.”

This makes you stop dead in your tracks. She was only saying this to get you to do what she wanted. Finally this was what you needed. The final straw. Turning, you smile at your mom.

“You know what, Martha. I’m done.” You start, crossing to the desk. “My lawyer will be sending paperwork for the house. So I think you should start packing.”

“You little bitch.” She stands. “You’re going to kick your poor mother out of her home?”

“Funny. You don’t act like my mother.” That’s the last thing you say before leaving the room.

Once you exit, Matt is already standing by the door. You knew he had heard every word, and part of you wanted him to.

“Let’s go home, Matty.” You say softly, as he takes your arm.

You walk through the house and say a brief goodbye to your relatives before leaving. You wave to Peter and he runs over to give you a hug.

“Don’t be a stranger, Pete.” You say. “If you need us, you know where we’ll be.”

He nods, and you and Matt are on your way. In the car, your hands gripped the steering wheel. You had only been drive for about an hour. Guilt was beginning to build up in your chest once again. The sound of your heart must have been deafening because Matt places his hand on your thigh.

“I’m proud of you.” The words were tender coming from his mouth. You couldn’t help but shed a tear.

“Remember in college when I found out my dad passed?” You say suddenly, he nods in response. “I found out after the funeral. They didn’t even tell me.”

“What?” His hand gripped a little harder. “You never went to his funeral?”

You shake your head. Feeling the tears begin to fall more intensely, you pull the car off to the side of the road. This was the constant routine your mom and sister pulled. A major life event would happen, and you would be the last to know. Finding out through another family member, or in that case, a lawyer.

“That’s why it had been so hard on me. I didn’t even know he was sick. I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

Matt unbuckled his seatbelt then yours and then pulled you close to him. When you felt like that wasn’t close enough, you climbed over the divider and into his lap. He cradled you against his chest while you both sat in silence.

“It’s time you make a new family.” He says softly. You look up towards his face and his blinded gaze is upon you. “I won’t be going anywhere. Neither is Foggy and Karen.”

“That’s a pretty big promise, Murdock.”

“A promise I intend on keeping.” He leans in and kisses your temple. “It seems like you got good aunts and uncles too.”

You smile at the thought. He was right. “I noticed you and Peter were getting along.”

“He’s got a great personality.” He chuckles. You nod in agreement.

The both of you sit there for 10 more minutes before you get back in the driver’s seat. It was a 7 hour drive back to New York anyways.

There was a new peace you felt at the end of the day. Like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders.

Matt had been right. You had a family that loved you, and wanted you to be around. That’s all that mattered to you now.

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[cleoselene]

tw suicide, cancer

My Uncle Art, who married into the family when he married my Aunt Leslie, he's a great guy. He wasn't always, I'll be honest, he was a real dick for most of my childhood, but he was an alcoholic. And when he quit drinking, it was like a personality switch was flipped and he became this gentle, loving, helpful, compassionate person when he was none of those things before he got sober.

This last month alone, Art has been down from Ohio where he lives to visit his sister, who lives in the same town in Florida as me, three times. He comes down from time to time because he owns the condo she lives in (and pays all her bills and expenses... while she goes through a fifth a vodka a day. How she is alive, not one of us can comprehend. But while he was here, Art took time to A) install a new hot water heater for us and haul the old one out, B) do the same for our dishwasher (and then he went to the grocery store and bought us a huge tub of detergent pods and a bottle of rinse aid, because he's thoughtful like that and noticed we were low on pods when he was fussing around under the sink), and C) fixed the garbage disposal. He didn't have to do any of these things, he volunteered because he's one of those old guys that likes to, as my mom says, "putz around and fix things" because it's his love language, honestly. Acts of service.

Her daughter is a little younger than me? I'm almost 45, I wanna say she's 35. Anyway, I didn't know her super well, but I know her. We shared an aunt and uncle, not quite like a cousin, but she was nice. Chill. She sold me weed at cost (she was a weed dealer) a few times, we smoked out together a few times. She had survived leukemia, and we bonded over being in the Terribel Illness Club, right down to the fact that my disease-modifying drug is Kesimpta, which was used to treat leukemia under the name Arzerra. Bonded over the joys of poisoning your body to save your body.

Well, she unfortunately succumbed to mental illness yesterday, taking her own life. My poor uncle, he is devastated. So is my aunt. It never makes sense when these things happen, and it's sticking with me a little not just because I knew her and considered her a friend, but because she had been in the Awful Illness Club with me and she's beaten hers! I love when people get the diagnosis and beat it! It's one of my favorite things! My roommate had spinal surgery last year and he has recovered so much more mobility than he could have possibly dreamed of and I see him thriving more and more each day and it warms my heart, and he told me he feels bad because he knows there's no miracle procedure to make me suddenly turn around and feel better. But I don't want him to feel that way! I love living off successes like this vicariously!

Anyway, it turns out that leukemia was the one she could beat. Mental illness she could not. I'm so sorry, Emily. I hope you've found peace.

It has been a bad week for uncles. My Uncle Chris was diagnosed with prostate cancer. They think they caught it early, but given that he's 78 years old they have to look everywhere to make sure that's the only place the cancer is. I gotta admit, I'm scared. I know prostate is one of the more survivable cancers, one of my other uncles had it and the treatment was so fast and effective that the extended family didn't know it had happened until he was already in remission. But Chris is not Bob -- he has a much more fragile constitution, and probably an eating disorder? All his life he's been scary skinny and obsessive about his weight. Bob climbs mountains and stuff, Chris sits on his porch and sips vodka and watches the ducks. There's just a whole different level of healthiness here.

Also, to be frank, Chris's wife is a wretched succubus. She is AWFUL to be around because she is one of those people that just CREATES stress out of thin air. It's like her magical power, creating stress out of nothing at all! She has alienated him from all three of his sisters (well my mom not as much, but she also doesn't spend nearly as much time with him as she used to? They used to go to the beach and see the sunset 2-3 times a week. Now it's like. 2-3 times in the last year) .

I am not on speaking terms with the wretched bitch or her daughter (this child has been a brat since birth, and continued to be. Last I talked to her was an argument because she thought I was vagueblogging about her on Facebook, which, lol? I do not care enough about her life to be passive aggressive to her like that. She also accused me of being jealous of her life, which is HYSTERICAL because she has three small children (that she cannot handle and honestly didn't want more than one, but well...) and a Republican husband with the personality of damp toast. He's like 6'7" and I think she fell prey to the "he's not hot, just tall" trap. Anyway my cousin accusing me of being jealous of her life, really funny stuff, she's probably projecting? But sure, she can imagine that i'm jealous of her 3 children under 6 and her ugly inside-and-out husband and her exciting career shilling cleaning products for an MLM scheme.

But I love my uncle and I really am worried between his wife and his daughter they are going to stress him to the grave. They have stressed him out constantly for 4 decades now, don't see any reason they would change when they can both enjoy walking all over him. Which they do. It's depressing. My mom worked with DV offenders for 3 decades and she says their relationship has all the hallmarks of verbal and emotional abuse, and I believe it. Sometimes the things my aunt would say about my uncle would make me tilt my head because it would be some outrageously offensive thing that my uncle would never, ever say.

It goes like this: Aunt Beeyatch: Your uncle told me I looked fat Me: *head tilt* Really? That doesn't sound like something he would say. *turns to uncle* You didn't really say that, did you? My mom: Say what? Me: Aunt Bee just said Uncle Chris said she looked fat, which i thought was really weird, because it doesn't sound like something he would say it all. My mom: Of course he didn't say that, *dismissive as all hell, turns to Aunt Bee* Why would you make that up? Aunt Bee: I'm just joshing you (I kid you know she says "joshing" all the time -_-) Me; *politely* Oh okay. I knew it didn't sound like something he would say!

some version of this conversation has been had MANY times over the decades

all this to say I'm worried about my uncles :( send good thoughts to them both.

#mehh tbd probs idk family stuffff

[modyuki]

🎸 HERE! Soo did your eye get better? I hope it is.

And do you know about anime Oshi no ko? D*mn, I cried when I watch the anime.

But I get an idea, How about honami with S/o that has ptsd because the s/o saw their mother died(get killed) in front of them when they only kids? (Like 5/6 years old)

Thank you again and I love your writing! (It's really okay if you don't want do this anyway :D)

✧ · 𝐈'𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 · ✧

notes: HI THERE HAPPY TO SEE U HERE AGAIN , so about my eye well no it did not but I went to see a doctor and I'm using some kind of medicine and he said if it doesn't work they will need to cut it ' ^_^ , well I don't think I've heard of it before but I'll make sure to watch it :3 , and THANK YOU SO MUCH IT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY TO KNOW YOU LIKE MY WRITING :) , I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing it :3

TW: mentions of Death, PTSD, Panick attacks, Abuse

Summary: Honami with an S/O that suffers from PTSD due to seeing their mother die

⋆ When you were a kid your dad was extremely abusive towards you and your mother

⋆ you didn't like how he treated her at all , he would always hit your mom if she did one simple mistake and he would do the same thing to you if you did a mistake yourself

⋆ One day you were helping you were helping your mother in the kitchen to help her make you a cake since it was your birthday , one of the only days in the year you truly feel happy but your father had other plans for that day

⋆ After you and your mother finished celebrating your birthday in which you turned 5 years your father entered through the door and saw that none of you waited for him

⋆ When your mother saw the look in his face she told you to run quick and hide , she would distract him

⋆ luckily for you , your father didn't see where you were hidden , but before you noticed it he walked in to the kitchen dragging your mother by the arm

⋆ He had a strong grip on her you could tell , she was trying to get out but nothing worked

⋆ With that he took a knife from the drawers and stabbed her multiple times

⋆ After your mom stopped moving your dad left the house thinking you ran away and when he close the door you went out the closest

⋆ You were shaking and crying so much

⋆ You didn't know what to do , you were so scared what if he were to find you again what if he kill's you too

⋆ That same night the neighbors called the police for a noise complaints 🙄 which lead to the police finding you laying crying close to your mother's dead body

⋆ After that you stayed with your aunt and fortunately your father was putted in prison

⋆ But things weren't the same after that you were different

⋆ When you turned six your aunt said there was a few children that always played in the park close to the house so if anything went wrong you could come back

⋆ and you actually went , and this was were U met your childhood best friends Saki , Ichika , Shiho and Honami

⋆ Ever since that day you felt happier than you have ever been you felt happy to spend time with them

⋆ That was until Saki was sent to the hospital in middle school and had to stay during Junior high as well

⋆ All of you got separated well except you and Honami your mental health still got worse tho since some kids found out about what your dad did and because of that they thought you were gonna become just like your dad

⋆ Middle School was hell being constantly reminded about what happened that day over and over again just because some stupid classmate found out about it

⋆ You were on the verge of tears on your way to class until you heard a soft voice behind you catching your attention

S/O are you ok ? your breathing very fast is something wrong?

Oh Honami .... It's fine don't worry we should be heading to class anyway

⋆ It was your childhood friend and now girlfriend Honami

⋆ She confessed to you not to long ago actually she even gave you homemade apple pie she made herself to you

⋆ She knew about your past and how you had PTSD because of this she always made sure to comfort you

⋆She was always by your side when you had trouble sleeping , her hugs were always so soft not even your nightmares were able to fight against that

⋆ Apple pies became your comfort food , especially when your birthday came around instead of cake she would make you an apple pie since it helped you get your mind of it

⋆ She always did everything she could to make sure you didn't think about it

⋆ When Saki finally got back from the Hospital during High School They all fixed their friendship bods specially you , you were all so happy that you were all back together

⋆ A few days later they started noticing your behaviour change to what it seemed to be scared ? , but they didn't pay much mind to it since you've always been like this specially on your birthday .... How odd

⋆ After School Honami got asked by Saki

Why does (name) always seems so scared during the day's close to their birthday?

Oh about that...

I think it's better if you asked them yourselves since it's a very sensitive topic and I don't know if they are ready to talk about it

⋆ Now if they ask and you decide to tell them yourself , Honami will be beside you rubbing your back to comfort you , if you stop mid sentence she'll ask if you want her to finish it for you and she will tell that you were very brave for telling it to them

⋆ Now if you tell Honami to tell them she'll be very careful while telling them and also give them advice so they don't overwhelm you

⋆ Over all Honami would take very good care of you , she is an amazing girlfriend to have and she loves you no matter what all she would like in return was your affection and maybe a few apple pie pieces from her favourite bakery

notes: I'M SORRY IF THIS TOOK SO LONG 😭😭😭 I GOT BUSY AND I'M SORRY IF THIS GOT TOO SHORT OR TOO LONG I'M STILL GETTING USE TO WRITING, Still make sure to drink water eat something and get some sleep ok :3 have a nice day/night

#pjsk x reader #project sekai #project sekai x reader #colorful stage #pjsekai #pjsekai x reader #proseka #proseka x reader #honami mochizuki #honami mochizuki x reader #ichika hoshino #shiho hinomori #leo/need #x reader

[jaykorianddickkoriforlife]

You know what's interesting, every season in stranger things, everything happens in the span of like 3-5 days. We start off good, shit hits the fan midway, and then a quick wrap up at the end.

I would like for there to be other normal moments like in other shows where we get to see them have more interactions that doesn't involve being stressed tf out, where we see their families, and how they treat each other. Where we see them go out, and actually hang out without any drama.

Like I want to see El trying different meals, and learning different words, and playing board games with Hopper and the kids, etc. I want to see her and Mike actually go out on dates, want to see her friendship develop more with the boys, make actual conversation that doesn't involve anything to do with whatever danger pops up. I want to see it, not just see her suffer, and be at the brink of an aneurysm with the constant nose bleeds. Let my girl be normal, like I think the only time we see her actually going out, and happy was with Max at their shopping spree, and the snowball dance. Let me see more Damnit.

I want to see Hop working, and counting down the hours until he goes home, his interaction with Flo is so cute. I want to see him talking to Joyce that doesnt include any conversation about the government, and whatever else. I just want them to be happy for fucking once, and chill. Want to see the hopper family going to eat with the Byers family.

I want to see Will draw, and hang out with his family, have more cute moments with Jonathan. I want to see how he copes with everything, how he distracts himself. I want to see his friendship with Lucas and Dustin more, and I want to see him interact with El, and Max more, like actually talk talk. Let my boy play Dungeons and Dragons, fuck. He got hit with something so traumatic, went through it TWICE. If I were him I'd feel like my innocence, my childhood got wiped out, and I would've clung on to whatever made me feel normal, and young before everything as well.

I want to see Nancy, and Mike actually hang out as sibilings, and joke around, bickering like sibilings do. I want to see how she developed her love for journalism, want to see her ambitions go through, want to see her dates with Jonathan, her relationship with Steve afterwards. (I'm a big Jancy and Stancy fan, but my OTP when it comes down to it, between them, is all of them together because it just fits, for me.)

I want to see Steve actually interacting with the kids besides what we see on the show, like the mother hen personality developing more. I want to see how his reputation had dimmed down more outside, how he realized that it wasn't the same after the first season. I want to see Robin's interaction with the other kids, want to see her hang out with them as the cool aunt because let's be honest if Steve is the mom, Robin would be the cool aunt.

I want to see Max and her mom's connection, want to see her life behind the curtains where she actually has good moments, want to see the group hangout watching her skateboard, and fuck, I would love to see Max teach El how to skate. I want to see more of Lucas, and Max. Want to see them go out on dates, want to see all the break ups they had lol.

I'm dying for more sibiling content between Lucas, and Erica. DYING FOR IT. I want to see the small moments, the sweet ones, the protective ones. I want to see him get hit with the realization that his little sister is a hidden nerd, want to see him get shocked when he sees her in action.

I want to see Dustin doing little experiments, want to know more about his family. I want to see him and Suzie interact more, and have cute little moments. Actually I would love to have more scenes including their parents, more of a relationship, and more dialogue.

I want to see Jonathan doing photography again, want to see him go out just for the fuck of it to take pictures with no stress. I want to see more, you know?

Like for example in The Vampire Diaries, sure we have the drama and problems, but we also get to see more outside of it, and see them be friends outside of the danger that lurks, and that is only what is shown on TV.

I want more. That's why I love ST fanfiction, I get to "see" more of it, and it's so cute, however I'd like to actually see it on TV if you know what I mean.

#stranger things #el hopper #eleven hopper #mike wheeler #will byers #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #erica sinclair #steve harrington #jim hopper #joyce byers #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #mileven #karen wheeler #holly wheeler #the party #stranger things season 4 #stranger things season 1 #stranger things season 2 #stranger things season 3 #joncy #stancy #Jonathan x nancy x steve #lumax #suzie bingham #duzie

[jerzwriter]

How do both of your pairings manage Santa/Tooth Fairy/Easter Bunny and things like that with their kid/s?

UGH. Nonny. This was SUCH a big issue for me IRL. Personally, I don't believe in selling these things to children. We always say it makes childhood "magical," but that's because we're lying about reality. I think we should teach them what real magic is, the love of the people who surround them, and sometimes even the outside world.

Ironically, I adore the concept of Santa Claus, and I cry every damn year when I watch Miracle on 34th St. (tradition! lol). But it's a fable and should be treated as such. Kids should know it's their parents/guardians/whoever loves them and is doing these nice things for them. It is a way to teach love and giving to others.

And what of poor children? You know, the ones who don't have the money for oodles of gifts under the tree? Do they assume they are "bad" because they get nothing or get much less than other peers? Heaven knows we demonize the poor enough; does this just help kids internalize feeling lesser?

I didn't want to do this with my kids, and I was overruled. I knew it was a mistake as one child was special needs, and when they learned (in a really bad way) that these were essentially lies it was not a good thing at all. (I said I told you so A LOT.) If I had it to do over again, I would NOT do it. I know it's not a popular opinion, but I stand by it.

Now... why can I totally imagine Ethan feeling the same way? When he discusses it with Kaycee, definitely understands his point (see Casey's reasons below, Kaycee is the same, remember) but takes a more "traditional American" approach to this. They compromise (kind of what I did, lol), and with Santa, they will have one gift from Santa under the tree in the morning. The rest will be from Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa, etc. The focus will NOT be on gifts but on acts of service and love. And when the day comes, they will explain that Santa is sort of a metaphor for love, charity, and kindness, never meant to be taken literally. I think they'd skip the tooth fairy (part of the compromise) and just let the child know Mommy & Daddy will have something special for them in the morning.

Now... Tobias... I see him going full on Christmas and wanting to go all out with the tradition. I see Casey being the one who hesitates. Casey's family really struggled financially when she was a child. She lived in an area where many people lived in poverty, and she knows how the children who did without felt. (For her part, she was fortunate. Even for years, her parents couldn't afford gifts. She had aunts, uncles, and grandparents who were not wealthy but could step in and help). So I think they'd take a similar approach, Santa's part of the festivities, not the main focus. He leaves a gift and a stocking, but the big gifts come from Mom & Dad Grandma Vivian. Also, in their household, the religious aspect comes into play a bit more (it's not in the Ramsey household at all.) So it makes it easier to remove the focus.

Thanks for this ask - I'm sure you didn't want my dissertation. This has just always been an issue for me. lol

#ethan ramsey #tobias carrick #ethan x kaycee #tobias x casey #asks answered #santa claus #and other stuff

[world-where-nothing-makes-sense]

PANDORA'S BOX

The tale for Zofia and Pandora converge together many times, but this is the AU of Zofia falling to the ruinous powers of Chaos. This is her tale. Zofia was a privileged child from the start. A large home on Sotha, a good amount of family, with large farmlands and even help from the local chapter, Scythes of the Emperor. But, childhood was not a drought with strife and misery, with undiagnosed schizophrenia being a primary issue within her mind. Her father was a big proponent into enhancing her mind, even with her being one who spoke with the warp, there were sinister thoughts from the beginning. She had been a troubled maker still, and it didn’t help as she had thoughts from Chaos. Her father had beaten her black and blue on some nights, and then something changed. She stood there, looking to the kitchen floors, trying to find any resemblance in the empty house, but only seeing the bleeding body of her grandfather. Right next to the grandfather, her aunt’s mixture of urine and vomit, creating an ungodly smell in the kitchen. Her body stuck with needles, all piercing through her body. Soon enough, she had heard enough of the yelling of her Mom and Dad, going towards them in the living room. The Incident happened though, right in front of her.

“You wench! I have told you, enough! No more!” “David! You can’t be acting like this.. You aren’t the man I love, nor are you human at this point!” “I’ve told.. Enough! Just..” “What, David? What.” My arm. It rose up at the very moment, it felt natural for me.. It felt.. Freeing. My hand reached over to the mantle of our fireplace, grasping onto the statue that laid there. The Glorious Emperor in a famous position, thinking and intriguing about the future and hope. Oh how beautiful he looked, how much I wished to.. Her head was dented by this point. I looked to her bleeding body out, hearing her sobs and cries to be let go. Alive. No. No way! No way would I let her enjoy freedom.. My boot had did what I always wanted to do, stomping her head into a mess. My. Oh my.. How beautiful it felt. My darling daughter witnessed it all, seeing the entire thing happen. No way could I let this continue.. My ar-

He took them all into the basement, letting the bodies rot right next to her. Her arm was nothing burnt near off due to his abuse he gave her. It wasn’t only physical, but sexually and mentally too. He left her to smell the rotting bodies of her family, only giving food and water to see her. This was left with her father rotting away mentally too, letting the neighbors find her during the evacuation of Sotha. Managing to sneak her onboard of the evacuation ships, letting all space marines witness her. She looked up to see a massive marine with mutton chops, helping as many citizens evacuate off of Sotha. Something was interesting with this marine, some form of familial bond.

This was her introduction to her only family, Furos Make. Born Oswald Leyard, he was the Great Grand Uncle of her, even with him barely remembering his life back on Sotha. She found solace in the short time they had, even with him becoming a Primaris marine. Most of this changed as her psychic powers were unkempt, and were allowed to roam free. Chief Librarian Arariel of the Scythes of the Emperor had taken her under his wing, having her serve in his own library. Though, he was not a kind man. He hurt her more, yelling at her for messing up any little thing. He was cruel, abusive, and treated her as if she was nothing more than a serf.

The same could be said about her only friend, Atticus. He was abused as much as her by the very man who every Scythe saw as a god, Saint Josephus. Abused by the man who was the glory of the Emperor, along with being abused by the man she wanted to please, it was nothing but opening for her to fall.

A night. A dark cold night, it was like that upon the Aegida, she had wrapped up all the final deeds within the librarium and retreated to her quarters, going to find something to feel. Her eyes felt heavy, and soon enough she heard talking. Looking throughout the room, there was a crow sitting on her headboard, looking at her.

This was the start. It was originally just a friend to talk to after a hard day of work, a being to help her express her feelings, but soon it became more. It was helping her, wrapping her with bandages and mending her wounds. The more they talked, the more they began to understand each other. Soon, it’s true form as seen

She sat at the headboard, in horror and interest. She was shaking constantly, unknown to how she felt with this very being infront of her.

“Little one.. You darken yourself every night, seeing yourself fall. I cannot allow this anymore.. Take this hand, allow me to put you under my wing.” His aching form began speaking out, almost as if it was many voices speaking out at once. His form was a being of constant change, birds cawing than a gator immediately screeching, it looked like lava constantly swishing around at a constant pace. With little hesitance, she began to take his hand and experience the glory of Chaos.

The hand let her see a future full of power and love, people appreciating her finally and giving her what she wants. At the cost of following Tzeentch, it was all she wanted though. Love. Effort. With a kiss to her forehead, she drifted away into slumber finally. It felt like a dream.

Soon, after following the word of Tzeentch for 10 years, a box was offered. A wooden box with a lock. She had little understanding of the purpose of the box, but she had been well following under Tzeentch to know this was a test. A purpose for her, upon the very least. She had begun her time on how to open it, before finding the key within herself. Almost as if she had just turned into a Daemon, she reached into herself and through her chest. Pulling through the small key..

Opening this box had begun the ruination. She had lost it all, but one. She had become Pandora.

Instead of the refinination of Magnus the Red, she turned into the opposite of him. She loved the god himself, believing him to be her true father. While Magnus was well spoken, and mature in the sense of his future, Pandora had become erratic and unknown to what she had become.

Her memories had become a blur, nothing more but representations within small beings known as Dreamlites. Her powers had grown within the years, becoming a near God. Even with these powers, she couldn’t bring her best friend, Atticus. He had become a Librarian within the chapter, being one with the warp in the right sense. Nearly every day she tries to lure him, and every time he refuses, and calls her Zofia. He wants her back, but Zofia is gone.

Besides Atticus, the only friends she has are the Dreamlites, her favourite being the small orange rat, Luzko. He had become a representation of Atticus, being level-headed and aware of everything. She hates Luzko while loving him, letting him help her everyday.

Atticus still hopes to see Zofia return, but in the grimdark of the 41st Millennium, people lose their souls.

Lose themselves.

#pandora's backstory

[rambalaings]

R6 - Vittal

After such a long series of posts, time to take a breather with a shorter one, but not any less important as any. This one is about Vittal, literally a member of our family.

Vittal came to us from the time I can remember, which means he was probably in our home from my early childhood or thereabouts. More accurately it was around the mid 1970s so even prior to my birth.

To call him a house help or a servant would not do us any justice to his memory. He is probably no more than 10 years elder than me, perhaps a much lesser difference, actually. Yet, he took the role of an elder brother, a help that was always there, someone who was in and out without much fuss.

In Bombay, well into the 90s, the concept of child labor was par for the course. All members of the family had to work to make ends meet. This is what made the city a special place where anyone willing to work hard could make a living and live right next to someone who may be of the same age and does not need to work for a day in their life.

Vittal was not that fortunate or unfortunate, depending on which side you are looking from. As a child, he had desires to have fun, skip a day or two of work, much to the frustration of my grandma. He would abscond from the day's work without notice and always have a good story to tell on the next day. One day it might be his bike wheel that got punctured, or rain that damaged his tattered roof, or his mom got sick. But no cell phones, Whatsapp or any way to inform us upfront, he would show up with a long face and a good story the next day. No one ever knew whether any of these tales were true but at times it got so frequent that you might be tempted to follow him to see what transpires or do other reconnaissance work. But in those days everyone was running and no one really had the time! Each day he did not show up, my mom and aunt would have to cover for the chores whilst my grandma went to chitchat with her friends after dinner. They would do this cursing Vittal for his absence!

As he aged with us and kept serving longer, Vittal became more responsible, more than a house help. He integrated into the family, ate lunch, dinner and snacks at our place. I remember he used to remove his shirt sporting a shorts and a banian (vest) while working so that the shirt remained fresh for his next job. He worked atleast 3 jobs as far as I am aware, possibly more. Sometimes seasonally during festivals, he would take up even more ambitious jobs such as running a sandwich stall selling triangle sandwiches. My family did everything to boost his sales and it actually tasted good, so in a way the product sold itself. No one ever looked down upon him as a servant or poor person, doubted the ingredients or in any way show any discrimination. They were eating out of his street-side stall as if it were a Michelin star rated place. Where were there Yelp or other reviews to check. Life was much simpler.

My father and grandfather would give him "special tasks" to get tobacco rolled up in betel leaves, called Paan. He always knew which ones to get for my father and grandfather. Each of them had customizations the liked to their orders. Never did you have to tell Vittal, it was memorized. In fact it was so robotic that Vittal only had to show up at the shop and the Paan-wala would know what to do!

In time Vittal got married to a girl named Vasanthi. She was a darling of the house, almost like a daughter in law that was actually treated better than the real daughter-in-law given that she was by default not complaining while doing work, would be in and out in a matter of hours. So she did kitchen clean-up work while Vittal took the room, and wall cleaning. They would both cutely dine on our balcony by the bedroom without appearing in front of anyone else. Vittal used to take breaks to take his wife to visit his family at a remote village outside of Bombay. The stories about their commute to the village were very fascinating to me as they involved a train, a bus, a bullock cart or cycle rickshaw, and some walking. I would keep asking questions, especially about the train, and was always curious why they did not take a car to visit. They would not once mention their financial situation. Such was their maturity.

Vittal would drop me to school as a backup, when the guy that was supposed to take me to school skipped work. He would take my dad's old bicycle which had a little seat for me in the front. I loved sitting on that seat and riding especially into the monsoon rain, water splattering through my duck back raincoat. Vittal would make up some story and drop me off. I would bid goodbye and disappear into the bustle of school as he took off to make up for the time lost on another job!

Experiences in life are shaped in some way or form by the people you interact with, especially in your childhood. From Vittal, I learned the value of hard work. Doing that work with a smile. Not forget to enjoy life and everything it throws at you. Doing the very best you can with things you can control. Loyalty. From my family and the way they treated Vittal, early on, the aspects of discrimination on any basis were fairly invisible to me. This in no small ways contributes to my actively embracing and seeking diversity. In other ways, it blinds me to the brutalities caused by some of this discrimination. In some ways, the backdrop provided by the Beautifully diverse city of Bombay is impossible to match anywhere else in the world. It was also a function of time, the 80s provided plenty of catalysts for everyone to aspire to achieve their dreams. People began seeking employment in Gulf countries, the US, and Singapore. Repatriation of funds was increasing GDP. Those with the means helped boost the economy by providing domestic or corporate employment to several. The Gujrati community strong in its business virtues brought plenty of wealth into Bombay. Amidst all this, Vittal grew in his small way, and moved from a tent he lived under to brick housing. An achievement he celebrated with us. He brought us sweets on that occasion specially made by his mom.

My time with Vittal came to an end as I left for Kuwait. After then, I would enquire via phone once in a while on how he was doing but since our visits to India dropped to once a year, the depth of our connection also decreased. In a couple of years, Vittal took on gainful employment with a company and left doing work for our house - almost a dozen years after he first came in. It was sort of an end of an era as he was irreplaceable and the time was incomparable. My grandpa (yes, the one I wrote about), passed away, my father left for Kuwait, we followed him there. My aunts got married, had kids and moved on. So, it was really just my grandma and her sister who lived in our Bombay residence. Vittal would visit once in a while and my grandma made full use of his time, getting him to do some chores, and of course rewarding him with food, gifts, and other tchotchkes that he probably valued much lesser than he once did.

The time we shared with Vittal remains a beautiful memory.

[wouldnt-it-be-hilarious-if-i]

currently listening to: brave (acoustic version) by ella henderson

So, I picked out a few workbooks to get started on the long road to healing more of my trauma. I am also buying two books I've been eyeing for some time: The Body Keeps Score and It Didn't Start With You.

Both of my parents came from abusive households. On my mom's side, intense alcohol abuse and light drug abuse run pretty rampant. My mom's family are also immigrants from a very tiny community in Germany, so there's also that. I won't go into a huge amount of detail, but here's my first memory of my Oma from when I was little:

I was five or six years old and playing in her garden. I actually have a picture of this day (shown below). Anyway, I thought her flowers were so beautiful that I skipped around her yard picking one flower from each bush to make into a bouquet. I'm not sure if it was for her or not. But I remember it being for her.

When my Oma saw that I had done this (let me add here that this was the first time I remember meeting my Oma, so I didn't know these were her prized possessions and just thought they were pretty. I grabbed these flowers literally out of complete innocence.), she started shouting and cursing at me and nearly slapped me across the face. The only reason her hand didn't reach my face was because my mom yanked me back before it could 😂✋ She gently told me to give her the flowers, and to never ever pick her flowers again because Oma is very protective of them. 😭😭😭 I remember thinking for the rest of my childhood that she hated me even though she did try a few times to make me think otherwise (she also had no pictures of me in the house, so like....what was I supposed to think?). Like she took me to the store and let me pick out a computer game (totally spies 😂😂 I remember it like the back of my hand) and colors for a blanket she wanted to knit for me (I chose light pink, dark brown and light green like the early 2000s girly that I was).

My main color scheme as a child lol

Almost all of my cousins have similar memories (my cousin A never saw Oma again for the rest of his childhood after my aunt caught my Oma threatening him and calling him a horrible little boy when he was the same age as me for doing something literally any 7 year old would do lmao). However, knowing my Oma's childhood, I don't blame her for treating us this way. It was just what she knew.

My mom told me that when Oma was four or five, she was in charge of watching her one or two year old sister I think by a lake or something. Unfortunately, her little sister drowned. And my Oma was blamed for it for the rest of her life. It's just cruel. Her mother was very mean to her, and I'm convinced this has a lot to do with why she was so cruel to us and to her kids. Hurt people hurt people. My mom grew up with this anger, and with the alcoholism from the other side.

On my dad's side, the trauma is just as intense. It's why I hold a lot of space for both of my parents, but especially my dad. I don't talk to him, and won't ever again probably. But I still hold a lot of space for him given his background.

My dad was 10 years old when he and his family decided to leave Zambia. They were forced to due to a scary political situation that put them in danger. There is a lot more to this, but it's extensive. So, I won't get into it. But they essentially had to leave or risk enslavement (this was the late 70s, early 80s).

My dad and his family walked from Zambia to Egypt, where some of the most traumatic experiences a child could have happened to my uncle, my grandfather and my dad. The things my dad witnessed as a little boy are things no child should ever have to watch.

Later on, my dad's family finally made it to England. They did not have visas. They lived there for a year or maybe more before they were threatened with deportation due to being there illegally. That's when they gained refugee status in the United States.

By the time my dad got to the US, he was fifteen. At school, he was bullied relentlessly for his accent. He got beat up often, and told me that he left school and got his GED instead the same year after he and his brother were chased for several blocks by a gang of teenagers with crowbars and pipes threatening them. His dad kicked him out for leaving school, but my dad stood his ground.

After getting his GED, my dad coasted a bit before joining the military.

I try to keep these things in mind when thinking about my relationship with my family. My mother thinks sometimes that I must be very angry with my family members, and to some degree, I understand that. They do horrific things to each other, and to me.

But I also understand the conditions they grew from, and while many of them no longer have the right to be in my life anymore, I still try to remember their own experiences and trauma before falling into angry, hate-fueled thinking.

I do this with everyone---to an extent that is almost harmful to myself. Knowing how a person grew up and knowing how they've hurt and struggled, I've given excuses to a lot of people to treat me badly or make me feel weird about myself because I hold too much space for them and not enough for myself.

While I know what my dad has gone through, it took my entire life to remember that I can know what he went through and know how he brought me up was wrong at the same time.

For example, when I was a child, there was a rumor in my family that was often seen as the family joke. I had an imaginary friend named Jim, and he was my best friend. Unfortunately, my dad found Jim very creepy.

Most children have imaginary friends, and I had mine because I was pretty often alone. So, he was just a homie to converse with. Anyway, the family joke was that the reason Jim disappeared so suddenly was because I pushed Jim in front of a car and got rid of him because I was angry at him. And everyone accepted this as fact because I was a weird kid (I threw all of my Barbies into the mud once and refused to let them live in their dream house because they pissed me off for some unknown reason, and argued one time when I was four that violins weren't real but unicorns were and maintained this argument for two straight hours because I was that stubborn lmao).

I always just accepted this story even though I had no recollection of actually doing it. When I was fifteen or sixteen, I remember going to my dad and mentioning Jim. And my dad just starts laughing, and he goes, "Oh, that's because you didn't kill him."

And he explains that he found Jim creepy, so for a few weeks, he would casually tell me that something very bad was going to happen to Jim. He did this more and more until one day, he had me look out onto the street, and pointed to where Jim was "laying" in the road and told me that I got angry and pushed Jim in front of a car. Jim had died as a result of my anger, and he'd never ever come back.

I remember after that I tried to have more imaginary friends, but it never felt right or the same. It was hard. And when people laughed about the story my dad told everyone about me getting angry and pushing my imaginary friend in front of a car, I got angry because I didn't remember doing it. But I was sure I must have because my father literally manipulated me into thinking I did.

When my dad explained all of this to me, that's when I knew for real that he was a sick motherfucker. You don't just do that and tell the story back to someone while laughing so hard you're close to tears.

It's this memory, and other specific events, that I think back on when I consider having children. I just can't trust that my father wouldn't do or say something that my children might internalize without knowing.

When I tell you I literally just accepted that I was the one who pushed my imaginary friend in front of that car because my dad very carefully manipulated my perception of events as a child, I mean that. I really truly came to the conclusion that I must have been the one who did that and had no recollection of my father feeding this information to me.

Similarly, when I was eight years old, my father sat me down in front of my siblings because he was "worried" about me being boy crazy. He told me I was going to amount to nothing more than a teen mother. I would be pregnant by sixteen and be just like my older sister. I remember feeling so humiliated as he said this very seriously and made me feel like some kind of whore for wanting my first kiss (which as I said in a past post, I wanted because I was convinced if I had my first kiss with my true love, I would be happy and the abuse would stop). He did this in front of the three siblings that bullied me the most, so they repeated this at me during everything that we did and every conversation we had.

I remember my mom being livid and taking me to the beach. She told me not to ever let another person prophesize for me what my life would look like, even if it was my father.

That's a big reason why I'll never let my father back into my life. While I understand and hold space for him, his very existence is triggering to me and he doesn't deserve to be called a father or to be in my life. I have to remember that my experience and trauma matters too.

That what I grew up experiencing was wrong, and it's okay to distance myself from people who hurt me. It's okay to take a break and return to that relationship later if I ever desire to. It's okay to hurt over things that happened a decade ago. It's okay to hold space for myself and to choose to take care of me. It's okay to want to grow and heal from things.

Which is why I got these workbooks. I have a lot of growing and healing to do before I can ever think of bringing another person into my life and desiring a relationship. I have to learn to have boundaries, to not give into that insecure attachment style, to treat myself with care and love, and where to put those hard and difficult memories that hurt me to this day.

[lonelyl00n]

Je T'aime | Yandere! Joy

Summary: When your childhood bully won't let go of you.

Warning: manipulation, abuse of power, controlling relationship, jealousy, mention of killing

wc: 1.5K

This is was inspired by my favorite song Je T'aime by Hey. When I found out that Joy did a cover of that song, I got the creativity to create this. I wanted to get all of this out of my head, so it may feel a bit rushed in some areas.

You were in the library when you felt someone put their hands over your eyes. “Guess Who?”

“Hmmm.” You joked as you tapped your finger on your chin. “Is it…Namjoon?”

Your eyes were uncovered the second you said that. You laughed at Joy’s angry expression. “I told you not to mention him.”

“Sorry, sorry. What brings you here.”

“What do you mean what brings me here? It’s our night out.” Joy gasps.

“I’m sorry Joy, I don’t think I can do it tonight. Namjoon was supposed to be tutoring me, but I’ve been waiting for like thirty minutes.”

“I’m one of the smartest kids in the school. I’m in the Top 10 you know. Why didn’t you ask me?” Joy pouted.

You laughed at her outburst. “First of all, your parents would sue the school if you weren’t in Top 10, so that doesn’t really mean much.”

Joy's father was the CEO of a famous luxury brand, while her mom is a retired actress who was popular in the late 80's and 90's. Her parents had more money than you and your family could ever dream of. Growing up bouncing around from different relative’s basements made a lot of the kids at school growing up, make fun of you.

Especially Joy.

In 4th grade, is when she would begin to make your life a living hell. She would steal your lunch money and give you foods that she knew you were allergic to. She would constantly call you fat and make rude comments about you to her friends.

It got worse in 10th grade, when she made an announcement over the PA system that whoever talked, touched, or even looked at you would get beat up. She bought you and her matching rings at cost more than $1000, and would make you wear it all the time. She bought you clothes, gave you money, and even managed to convince her parents to buy your family an apartment with three bedrooms and a balcony.

 She basically owned you. You weren’t allowed to go out on the weekends because of her security guards guarding your apartment door. When you did try to leave the apartment, which you never succeeded, you would be taken by the guards to the Park Mansion and have to sit on Joy’s lap as you two watched a movie, as punishment.

You hated the power she had, you always did, she even forced you to go to the same college that she was going to, by threatening to hurt your Aunt Irene.

You reluctantly agreed to her ‘idea’, not wanting to hurt your family members that helped your family so much.

So now you followed Joy around the campus like a little puppy, while everyone else thought that you guys were just close friends who liked being near each other.

“And second of all.” you continued. “We are supposed to be working on a project together.”

Joy furrowed her eyebrows while thinking. A project? With a boy?! She thought she had already told all of your professors to not give you any partners at all. Especially a boy.

“I know what your thinking.” Y/N claimed, seeing the looked on Joy’s face. “But we went to London for a whole month, and this was a month-long project. I can’t do it alone.”

“Fine, then I’ll help you.” Joy suggested.

“But Namjoon has to get this grade too.”

“Why do you worry about other people so much, come on let’s just start this.”

You and Joy spent all night, researching, printing, and decorating your poster board. By the time you guys were finished it was 2 a.m.

“Well, that was quicker than I expected. I guess I’ll have to make a new reservation for tomorrow.” Joy sighed. “Let’s go home.” She said as she intertwined your hands and walke out the library.

As part of the deal, Joy had you move into a luxury 2-bedroom apartment that was about an hour away from campus. Joy demanded insisted that you shouldn’t use public transportation anymore because now, with the help of her money, you were worth a lot. Throughout your high school experience, Joy never let you get a driver’s license, so she has the pleasure of driving you to and from campus, always knowing your whereabouts.

You looked out the car window without having anything to do. As punishment for talking to a boy, Joy had taken your phone claiming that the only person you needed to talk to was always right beside you. “What do you want to eat.” She asked you.

“McDonald’s.” You say robotically. McDonald’s was the only fast food place that Joy allowed you to eat. It was the place she found your family at in 10th grade.

It was on a rainy day that your Aunt Irene had kicked you, your parents, and your little brother out of her basement for being a burden, which you didn’t understand because just a week ago your Aunt had said you all staying there was the best thing to happen for her since her illness was starting to worsen.

So, with no where to go and barely any money, your parents took you all to McDonald’s to split one box of 20 piece chicken nuggets, and 4 small drinks for each member of the family.

As you were told by Joy, her family's trailer had broken down on the way back home from the airport, so Joy offered to walk to the nearest building while her parents berated the driver. The nearest place just so happened to be the McDonald’s you and your family were at.

You instantly recognized Joy when she walked through the door, just like how Joy instantly recognized you. She sat a table across from the booth your family was at, and pulled out her phone. Gosh, were you so amazed. You had never had a phone before. Your parents only had one that they shared, and you didn’t have friends (because of Joy’s rules) to let you use theirs. Joy smiled at you awe-filled eyes and continued talking on the phone.

You didn’t even realize that you were staring at her until your mom slapped your wrist and told you to stop. When the phone call ended, Joy stood up and walked towards your table. You looked at the ground, afraid that she too would scold you. “Hello L/N’s. I’m Park Sooyoung.” She started. You heard a gasp in front of you and looked at your parents, who were looking at the entrance doors. A tall man wearing a suit, and a woman carrying a Chanel bag. Walked through the door.

Joy looked back and laughed. “Oh, those are my parents.” They came up to your booth, both shoke hands your parents and stood behind Joy. ”We wanted to give your family a place to stay, would you let us.” You mother, being the biggest fan of Joy’s mother growing up instantly nodded, while your father thought about it for a few seconds before evening his Wife’s beautiful smile. A smile he hadn’t seen since their wedding day. He agreed as well.

That night was significant to you because not only did your family get a place to reside, but it was also the first time that Joy was nice to you. Since that day she started treated you better, still not letting you talk to anyone else, but she was nice.

Although Joy would never tell you this, it was that night that she fell in love with you, completely.

After eating. You and Joy got into the bed that you two shared. Yes there were two bedrooms in your apartment, but you couldn’t sleep in a room by yourself.

You had slept in a room with somebody your whole life, it felt uncomfortable. So on the first week of living here, you asked Joy if you could sleep with her, even okay with sleeping on the ground. Joy let you into her bed, and sang you to sleep.

That became your routine every night after that. However tonight was different, you feel asleep the minute you got into bed. Joy snuck out of the bed and turned you alarm off. You didn’t need to go to school tomorrow, you wouldn’t have time anyways. Her makeup crew that were going to come today were rescheduled to come tomorrow. The day she had been waiting for since that night was going to happen.

 All of you and her family members were going to be at that restaurant and would watch as she would get down on one knee, just like in the romance movies, and propose to you. Just thinking about tomorrow made her heart flutter. Yes, she was furious about the change of plans today, but she would never take it out on you. Instead, she took it out on that Namjoon guy behind the library. Ugh! Just thinking about him getting close to you was sickening. She had her men take care of his body for her.

She kissed your cheek and whispers in your ear, “I love you.”

Everything was set in her plan. She loved you, and you…would have no choice but to love her. You were hers after all. Hers to love.

#yandere kpop #red velvet joy #red velvet #yandere #kpop fanfic #kpop #yandere bully #yandere sugar daddy #fanfic #kim namjoon #yandere red velvet #yandere joy

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

I didn't think there were other Septimus Heap fans out there so anyway thanks

Y’all, I have ZERO CHILL about the Septimus Heap series.

∙ I’m a sucker for found family, of course, and I don’t know that any other series has done it to quite the bonkers degree that Septimus Heap has. 

Sometimes family is your long-lost biological relations.  And sometimes family is two parents and seven siblings and a Young Army brat they accidentally kidnapped and their batty aunt and their batty aunt’s duck who was a cat and their mom’s other duck who was never a cat and an in-law with too many ribbons and their Young Army brat’s BFF and a smelly dragon and the smelly dragon’s boat-mom and the youngest sibling’s biological dad and the youngest sibling’s biological dad’s wife (who is also the Young Army brat’s second mom) and at least 1.5 trees.  And that’s before we get into the extended Heap family and start counting wolverines and witches and apprentices and Gringes and alchemists and Message Rats and scribes.

Like, somehow having a protagonist who (by default) has six older brothers and six uncles wasn’t enough family for Angie Sage, and she had to go and add a shitton more.  Which is amazing, because there are approximately twelve million characters in that series (six million of whom are Heaps) and I love every single one of them.

∙ If you don’t ship 821, you’re reading a different series from me.

821 (409 + 412) is my first OTP and I’ll ship it till I die. It shows the best side of both boys when they’re at their worst.  I love all the details that gradually emerge through the series about Boy 412 being the single most incompetent Young Army cadet in the history of the army (because of course Sep’s a mega-nerd who hates the outdoors) and Boy 409 basically carrying him through the do-or-die exercises to overcompensate for the dumbassery of his best friend (because of course Marwick is a softie at heart and no one else will talk with him about spaceships).  I’m just sayin, it’s a near-miracle that 412 made it six whole months without 409 before mostly-dying in a snowbank.

Plus, I love their weird messy dynamic as they become young adults together.  Syren especially hinges on how they effortlessly get each other, even when one or the other is behaving irrationally.  There’s such great contrast in their utter confidence in each other’s love, in contrast to neither one knowing quite what to do with his biological family.

∙ There is a trick to having screwball comedy and genuine, respectful, wrenching tragedy in the same work.  Angie Sage has it, K.A. Applegate has it, Louis Sachar has it, and few other authors do.

∙ Marcia.  Fucking.  Overstrand.

I cannot ever, ever get enough of the mentee-mentorship between Marcia and Sep.  I love how they’re both typically bad at getting along with other people — Marcia’s aloof and snobby, Sep’s awkward and off-putting — but then they meet each other and instantaneously start getting along because they’re the only two people in the universe who care as much as they do about magic.  And so they’re best friends in a matter of days, lifelong platonic soulmates in a matter of months.  To the point where they tend to forget to sleep because they want to do more magic.  To the point where it’s more than a little awkward how much closer Sep is with his magic-mom than his actual parents.  And we get why they like each other so much, because the books do an amazing job of showing that.

Also, can we talk about how fucking good Marcia is at navigating around Sep’s Odd Trauma Legacy Habits?  It’s her being quietly appalled but also willing to enable his insistence on wearing one specific brand of military boots.  It’s her refusal to accept “I’m scared” as an excuse but also making sure he knows how to feel safe while flying or using Darke.  It’s elaborate rituals around removing the bugs from the library instead of killing them.  It’s making sure the kid who hoards cabbage sandwiches can have an infinite supply of non-perishable food.  It’s supporting all the ways that he’s weirdly nostalgic for his godawful childhood, with the Young Army stew supplies and firestarter kits.  It’s her dealing with Sep’s “when in doubt, refuse to speak for months on end” default strategy through note-writing and journal-keeping.

∙ God DAMN do I love that Jenna’s journey as a character is all about her learning that the “don’t treat me like a princess... unless I happen to need something from someone” strategy is about her comfort, and that she can’t keep doing that if she ever wants to be a halfway responsible queen.  Way too often, stories imply that ““don’t call me ‘your highness’” is unironically a Good Thing in all situations at all times.

Anyway, I’ll stop screaming in joy now, because this is an Animorphs blog.

#septimus heap #magyk #long post #angie sage #marcia overstrand #nothing to do with animorphs #one single person from 500 years ago: *mocks sep's accent one (1) time* #sep: cool cool i'll just NEVER SPEAK AGAIN AS LONG AS I LIVE #jenna: bro bro we've talked about this. or rather we did once you FINALLY STARTED TALKING #Anonymous #ask

[miceenscene]

'tis the damn season

frankie/reader | childhood friends to lovers | pre-canon

wc: 1.8k/2.5k

summary: At one point in your lives, you knew Frankie better than anyone else on earth. When did that change?

warnings: none

an: don't let anyone tell you that second person doesn't work from another character's perspective, least of all yourself while editing

Masterpost | ao3

Chapter 2: Who am I Related to?

December 8, 2012 18:57

Hudson’s was a shitty bar just up highway 210 outside of Fort Bragg, the nearest watering hole to the base as the crow flies.

As a result, it served pretty damn near exclusively military personnel. When it changed ownership about four years back, the new management decided to reflect that and so the place looked like the Fourth of July and Top Gun had thrown up on it. Never mind that Fort Bragg was an Army base. Still, they had cheap booze and greasy food that was far better than the commissary, so it was always busy.

Pope had texted the usual suspects a few hours ago that he was heading to Hudson’s that evening, making Frankie immediately ditch his plans of drinking alone for drinking with Pope and whoever else showed up. Most likely just Benny and Ironhead now that Redfly had semi-retired down to Florida. It was a short drive to the bar from the dorms on base, but it was enough to make Frankie groan and press hands to his lower back as he got out of his car and made his way inside.

Pope was sitting at the bar and didn’t look up from texting on his phone as Frankie gingerly eased into the stool next to him.

“Hey, Fish,” Pope said, rereading the email.

“Hey.” At the bartender’s attention, Frankie pointed to Pope’s beer before daring a slight back stretch.

Pope sent his email and then looked over. “You alright?”

“Yeah, just finished PT.”

He chuckled once. “Back still fucked?”

“More tired than fucked anymore,” Frankie managed, shaking his head and wincing. The bartender delivered his beer, and Frankie took a swig. “When did we get old?”

“¿De qué estás hablando ‘nosotros’, viejo?”

Frankie jabbed an elbow and grinned slightly down at his next swig. “Culero.”

“Hey, before everyone gets here–” Pope looked at him, an oddly serious expression on his face for their usual bar. “I found out today you haven’t re-enlisted yet.”

Frankie immediately dropped his gaze to the suddenly very interesting glass in his hand. “Ah, no. No, I haven’t.”

“I’m trying to pull strings to get Benny into our unit full-time. I think he’d fit well with the team. Then Simmons tells me you haven’t signed your new papers yet. So what’s up?”

Frankie glanced over to see Pope still focused on him. “Nothing, nothing. I… I’m still thinking about it.”

He chuckled. “What’s there to think about?”

“We all want out someday, right? If we’re lucky enough to choose when we leave.”

“Yeah, but there’s thinking and thinking.” Pope smacked his shoulder. “What – are you gonna become a real estate agent like Redfly?”

No. Definitely not. Even just the idea of shilling condos was enough to make Frankie’s eyes glaze over. But still–

“Real estate agents make more money than we do.”

Pope made a considering face for a moment then brushed it off. “Yeah, but you’d miss it. You’re like me. We like the rush.”

Frankie nodded slightly. This is why he was still just thinking about it. It wasn’t a small thing to walk away from fourteen years with the Army. Especially since everyone knew the retirement benefits were absolute shit until you hit twenty. But he could already tell, he didn’t have another six years in him. He wasn’t even sure he had another deployment.

“You know the deadline’s New Year’s, right?” Pope said, cutting through his thoughts.

“Yeah, I know. I have some leave I have to take before the year’s out anyway.”

Pope nodded. “Good. Clear your head, get some perspective. See how fucking boring civvy life is, and then come back Jan 2 and join my team.”

Frankie smiled wryly; Pope always could make anything sound easy. “Something like that.”

“You have holiday plans then?” he asked, leaning an elbow on the bar.

Frankie sucked in breath. “I guess I’ll go back to my parents’. My mom’s been wanting me to visit for a while now.”

“How long’s it been?”

“I saw them in DC last summer, but I haven’t been back home… since I joined Delta.”

“Remind me where they’re at.”

“Up north. Little town in the middle of nowhere. Still in the same house I grew up in.” He could picture the wreath on the door, the twinkling lights his dad always strung across the front fence every December. A matching set used to be hung on the fence exactly opposite across the street. Who lived there now, he wondered. Would they put the tree in the front window too?

“Soldier coming home for Christmas. Sounds like a Hallmark movie.”

“Fuck you,” Frankie replied as the others finally arrived.

--

Frankie got his answer as he ducked out the front door of his parent’s house about a week later. His breath immediately fogged as he sucked in a few calming breaths of night air, the pressure in his head slowly levelling. Out in the still darkness, the noise level coming from the living room was finally manageable. Inside, with all of his cousins and his aunts and uncles and the music and everyone talking over each other and the heater set far too high for the number of people inside– he… he just needed a break.

Seven hours was a decent stint for his first day. He’d be around longer tomorrow. Wading in. That was the key. Because he was now the kind of person that had to treat time with his family like running a marathon. Apparently.

He walked down to the twinkling front fence, making a mental note to shovel the front walk tomorrow, and stopped. The house across the street – your house, as it would forever be in his mind – was completely dark. A small sign posted in the front yard announced some sort of home refurbishment company was going to be arriving soon. No doubt they would come in, strip away wallpaper and old tile and heart to paint it all beige and granite for the quick resell.

He hadn’t had the heart to ask his mother yet how long the house hadn’t belonged to your family. No need for another reminder of how much time had passed, how much he’d missed. He had more than enough already.

The front door opened behind him, casting a temporary warm glow across the dark snow, and his dad stepped out, pipe in hand. He meandered down the front steps to join Frankie at the gate, puffing a few times before speaking.

He shook his head. “It’d break his heart to see it so empty, but I understand why she sold,” he said, looking at the forlorn house with him.

“How long ago?” Frankie asked.

“Few months. Not too long after the funeral.” Dad looked his way for a moment. “I’ll give it ten minutes before I tell your mother you left.”

“I… thanks,” he replied weakly.

“Will you be back tomorrow?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be back.”

Dad nodded slowly, leaving just the pipe smoke wafting between them for a minute. “Take it slow, no need to rush.”

“Thanks.” He stepped through the gate, fishing in his pocket for his car keys.

“Francisco,” he said, making Frankie stop and look at him. “We’re glad you’re back.”

Frankie just nodded and went to his car. Even though he couldn’t bear another minute in the noisy press of his loved ones, the idea of going back to his lonely hotel room was truly abysmal. So after some finagling with the ignition, he started the engine and headed to the one bar he’d ever been to in his hometown.

--

There were Christmas lights in the window and a dancing Santa on the bar as Frankie walked in. Some sort of forcibly cheery holiday classic played over the speakers tucked between quirky memorabilia that hung over every square inch of wall space. And even though public smoking had been outlawed by the state well over a decade ago, cigarette stench had sunk into the very foundation of the place.

It was nothing like Frankie remembered. But it would do.

Eyes automatically sweeping across the moderately busy room for a Thursday night, he headed for a stool at the far end of the bar, ordering a beer when the bartender came by. It was just one step up from swill, but comfortably numbing in its mediocrity. He looked across the room again, checking for familiar faces this time and finding none. No surprise there. A decade was a long time, and really he hadn’t been around too much for the years before that too.

There were couples on dates here, friend groups, some sort of girls’ night happening in the corner, a few loners like him hovering at the bar. Most everyone was smiling, talking, laughing so hard their whole bodies shook. A whole world of Normal. And Frankie was a tourist.

Pope was right. He couldn’t go back to this. He couldn’t make it through one whole day with blood relatives anymore. What was he thinking? That he could just settle into a normal life like the last decade of his work was nothing? Get a 9-to-5 and a mortgage and a girl – not that he’d ever had too much luck in that department. Especially when there was one girl that eclipsed all others, and he didn’t even know her phone number any more.

The door opened, making the Santa on the bar dance, and every thought in Frankie’s head immediately stopped. His eyes drew wide as he stared, jaw barely restrained from slapping against his chest. Was it really – course it was, there wasn’t anyone else it could be. A whole century could pass, and he’d still know that face.

It was you.

Live, in the flesh you. Cheeks pinked from the wind, haloed by the street lights outside, wrapped in a truly astonishing number of woolen layers. Not a half-remembered fantasy, but Real and breathing and even more beautiful than his memory had claimed.

He watched you shake a few flurries out of your hair and stomp the excess snow off your boots, shutting the door behind you as you waved to the bartender. Your gaze swung across the bar, completely skimming past him, and landed on the girls’ night in the corner. You smiled. He stared.

You began to head over to the people you were obviously here to meet. On nothing but pure instinct, he immediately got out of his stool and followed you. Falling into step behind you, he stretched a hand forward to hook a few fingers inside your elbow.

You looked back at him, and for a heart-breaking breath there was no recognition in your eyes.

Till he gave you a half-smile and said, “Hey Bo.”

You blinked, mouth dropping open. “Frankie?” you asked.

He nodded.

Your astonishment ballooned so wide it froze your whole face solid for a moment. Then you laughed, out of far more shock than amusement, and gave him a smile all his own. “Oh my god!! You’re here!”

You immediately wrapped him in a hug. And though it took him a moment to return it, for the first time in ten whole years, he was home.

Chapter 3: Not my Homeland Anymore

taglist: @kelenloth ; @darnitdraco ; @gracie7209 ; @616wilsons ; @icanbeyourjedi ; @astroboots ;

#frankie morales #frankie morales x female reader #frankie morales x you #pedro pascal #pedro pascal character fic #triple frontier #frankie morales x reader #my writing #ttds

[niskoo]

The forbidden candy bar

pairing: best friend! Sunoo x reader

genre: fluff, crack

warnings: a bunch of swearing, they get a stomach ache LMAO

word count: 1.2k words

a/n: AAAAAH <33 THAT ANON WHO REQUESTED THIS <33333 IT SPARKED SOMETHING BUT THE WRITERS BLOCK IS STILL THERE UGHH

feel free to request and help get rid of my writers block!

After many busy months of classes, assignments, and exams, both you and best friend! Sunoo finally has time to have a sleepover! When you two were younger, you would usually have one every week, but with school now, it’s like a 2 time thing in a year.

Your mother was kind enough to let you two throw a sleepover after so long, for she would usually not allow them because of school. So here you are, next to Sunoo, under the sheets with a scary movie playing on his laptop. It was your favorite thriller, ‘Us’.

“Jesus motherfucking christ Y/n, why do you like this movie? It’s so scary!” For the nth time that evening, your best friend brings the blanket up to cover his eyes and complains, squirming and flinching at every little thing.

You laugh at his scared antics, “Exactly why I love it! The plot is so good!”

“Fuck no, bye! I’ll just stay under here for a while.” You were getting close to the end of the movie, thankfully, and you told Sunoo to take caution of it. “I really don’t care- actually, I do! I care a lot! It better be ending!”

He only peeks the top of his head, and his eyes, shutting them and muttering complaints of how ‘freaky’ the movie was as you snorted at his struggles.

Despite your differences, you two still stick together after so long, and it amazes you how you haven’t scared him off with all the scary movies you force him to watch with you. You truly think you have power in you.

“No! No no no no! We are watching Up after this! You hear me? Up!” You snicker and nod, munching on a few chips as the credits start to scroll and the eerie music starts to play once again.

“AAH! NOT THE SONG! I'M LEAVING! I'M GOING TO GET SOME WATER!”

“Nooo! Sunoo I’m sorry! Hey! Wait for mee!” You chase after your best friend who runs out the door with no hesitation, chuckling as you hear your mother ask if he’s had to watch yet another scary movie again.

You walk into the kitchen as Sunoo and your mother talk about your strange addiction of scary movies, thinking how Sunoo it is to talk bad about you behind your back. In a playful way, of course.

Your mother then gets up, and bids you and your best friend goodbye as she says she has to go call your aunt, warning you not to scare Sunoo further.

The second her bedroom door closes, you sigh, “I think she loves you more than me,”

“I think so too,”

You choose not to argue, knowing it would do nothing but start a fire between you two that would turn into some kind of bickering.

You look through your cabinets for some more apple juice, for you and Sunoo had a chug competition before the movie. He had to go to the bathroom thrice because of it.

Just as you have sight of the infamous apple juice and start to reach out for the bottle, a certain glint catches your eye and captures your attention. You gasp at the sight of the candy bar that you and Sunoo used to fight for back in middle school, whipping around to your best friend.

“Sunoo!” You whisper yell.

The boy gives you a weird look, glancing at your surroundings to see if anything was off, “Why are you whispering?” You instantly shush and beckon him towards you, telling him to quick up when he simply trudges.

“Okay, okay! Jeez Y/n why are you acting so su- HOLY SHIT!”

Once again, you shush him aggressively, waving your hands around. He shushes back even more violently, jumping up and down in his spot and pointing at the candy bar.

“I know what it is! Calm down oh my god!” You two finally settle down from the mini shush argument you had, turning to the cabinet with anticipation.

“Why do you think it’s in this cabinet? Your mom always hides stuff in this cabinet!” It was true, she always would go with the highest one because she knew either of you would be tall enough to reach it back in middle school.

“I don’t know,” there is a pause of silence as you stare at the golden plastic securing the chocolate good, thinking of how long it’s been since you’ve seen one of them. “Do you think it’s from middle school?”

“I bet you it is.”

“....you wanna open it?”

“Let’s do it!”

And in a matter of just a few moments, the golden wrapper is ripped and abandoned on the ground, it’s job finally done. Surprisingly, the chocolate bar is in perfect shape and condition, despite it being years old.

You two stare at the sugary good, saying nothing as you process what’s happening. “That is not natural.” Sunoo hums in agreement, scrunching his nose up, “I kind of wanna eat it,”

Instead of objecting and expressing how disgusting that idea is, you want to eat it too. It looks perfect, just how you remembered it to be.

“I mean it’s not the stupidest thing we’ve ever done, right?”

“Right.”

Another beat of silence between you two, before you both reach out to snap the treat in two and observe the contents of the chocolate bar. The same golden, melting goodness drips down just how you liked in middle school, and you somehow aren’t surprised.

With one glance with Sunoo, you both mutually agree to eat it, shoving the pieces in your mouth and cautiously chew.

It... it tastes magical. Like the chocolate marshmallow, and caramel aged nicely, like it was always supposed to, only it wasn’t supposed to.

You share a stare with your best friend, expressions showing each other your opinion of what you just did. He doesn’t seem to mind it either.

“I’m convinced this is like wine, it’s fermented nicely.” You nod along to Sunoo’s theory, enjoying the sweet and salty taste of the nostalgic treat of your childhood.

“What is going on?”

At the sudden voice of your mother, you quickly gulp down the forbidden candy bar, stepping on the wrapper to hide the evidence as you turn to her. Sunoo quickly swallows as well, turning to give your mom a nervous smile, “N-nothing, aunty!”

Your mother gives you two suspicious looks, which causes you to give Sunoo a nervous one, and that’s when you see it.

There’s chocolate smudged on his bottom lip, terribly visible. You don’t realize the chocolate smudged at the corner of your lips, but Sunoo sure does.

At the same time, you both slap your hand on each other’s mouths, covering evidence of chocolate on your mouths. And at that moment, you know you’re screwed.

“What did you two eat?”

“Nothing!”

That night, as you two put on your face masks, you feel a certain twist in your stomach, and you know you wouldn’t be able to sleep that night.

#enhypen #enhypen imagines #enhypen drabbles #enhypen fluff #enhypen x reader #enhypen blurbs #enhypen scenarios #kim sunoo #kim sunoo imagines #kim sunoo drabbles #kim sunoo fluff #kim sunoo x reader #kim sunoo blurbs #kim sunoo scenarios #requests! #iland

[corvus--rex]

Next in this bizarre collection of abandoned, semi-abandoned, and deeply sleeping wips is one that has more direct time travel. It's more in the deeply sleeping category as I'm still picking at it. It's also another Omegaverse, so if that's not your thing, feel free to skip it. Also, both Lance and Keith practice polytheistic religions that have been altered to fit an ABO setting

~*~*~*~*~

A few years after the war, the Paladins made the newly rebuilt Castle of Lions their home. Shiro and Adam retired from the Garrison and into diplomatic careers for the Coalition. Pidge’s parents were still with the organization, but she and Matt preferred to be more hands-on, maintaining the places on the castle and with the now-former rebellion. The still close-knit team were still recovering from the recent bonding ceremony for Hunk and Shay, who were also staying aboard the castle, although it was still uncertain as to whether or not human and Balmeran genetics were compatible; they were just waiting on genetic compatibility testing. Lance and Keith, however, were ahead of the game. They had gotten engaged while on the way back to Earth, announcing it to Lance’s family on their return. Not wanting to wait, and with no way of knowing what would happen in their war with Honerva, they’d held a small bonding ceremony the night before leaving Earth for the second time.

Keith had it the worst when it came to post-Hunk/Shay bonding recovery. He wasn’t going to miss Hunk and Shay’s bonding for anything, even if it meant dealing with Lance’s fussing. It had gotten bad enough during the reception that both Krolia and Lance’s mother Mariana told him to sit down and let his pregnant mate be. Keith could understand where Lance’s caution came from. While their little one was only one quarter Galra, and developing as a human child would, Keith’s half-Galra physiology had other ideas, his body and hormones changing like a shorter Galra pregnancy. It meant that he needed to be monitored more closely than he would if the pup’s development and his body’s lined up. It also meant that they didn’t have a concrete due date, and that it was entirely possible he could deliver a premature pup. But at sixteen weeks Earth time, there were still another two months until they needed to watch for their little one’s arrival. They had stayed behind on Earth an extra couple days after Hunk and Shay’s bonding ceremony for some of Lance’s extended family who wanted to see them both before the pup was born. Keith was exhausted from the three days of parties surrounding the ceremony and the event itself, but they were headed back to the castle after that and wouldn’t be back for another eight months, and by then the pup would be at least two months old.

Nadia and Sylvio were excited about their cousin, and had to be reminded that Keith was tired from everything going on. Right then, they wanted to see the inside of the Altean pod the matepair were taking back to the castle. Keith and Mariana burst out laughing when Lance appeared with his niece and nephew each tucked under an arm.

He “dropped” the giggling, squirming pups in front of his oldest brother. “I think you lost something.”

“Who, me? I haven’t lost anything,” Luis said, feigning ignorance.

Still laughing, Nadia and Sylvio began scaling their mountain of a father. Once they got to hip height, he grabbed them both the same way Lance had been carrying them and took off running while mock screaming, making his pups shriek with laughter. Lance just laughed to himself and shook his head at his brother and niblings.

“Like you can talk. You know damn well you're going to be just the same with ours,” Keith called.

“Yeah, probably,” Lance admitted, walking over.

“‘Probably’ nothing, mijo. I know you will,” Mariana said, “Just don’t forget to call when that little one arrives. We’ll be praying for a safe delivery.”

Lance’s parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles all practiced Santeria, and while Lance and his siblings had been raised in it and still believed, none of them actively practiced. His lack of participation didn’t lessen his appreciation of his mother’s intentions. He would have been worried when it came to telling Keith about his family’s practices if he didn’t already know about his Omega’s neo-paganism. Keith, likewise, had been relieved when Lance didn’t immediately declare him insane and instead explained about his own family.

“Thanks, Mami. So will we,” he said, hugging his mother.

“Doesn’t matter where you are in the universe, the Orisha will hear you,” she told him, then pulled Keith in, “And so will your gods, mijo.”

“I know. Thanks, Mami,” Keith answered.

The pod’s comms chirped, and Lance disentangled himself from his mate and his mother, disappearing into the small craft. Mariana wrapped an arm around Keith’s waist and he leaned into it, fully appreciating her maternal warmth. She was one of a very small number of people who had open permission to touch him. She understood that, especially after Lance had explained about Keith’s childhood in the foster care system and that he was largely touch-averse unless you were one of a select few who had earned his complete trust. She’d earned it through being the woman she was and treating Keith like one of her own children.

She reached over, resting a hand on his growing belly. “I pray for this pup every day. You two are going to be wonderful parents. And I know that you both will be safe up there – you and this little one.”

Keith breathed a laugh. “Altean technology makes humans look like we’re still playing with sticks and rocks. I mean, on an interstellar level, we kinda are. I’ve been thinking about that lately,” he admitted, “The ‘we’ part. I’m still half-Galra. Most of the time I feel like the only places on Earth I feel like I belong are out at my Dad’s place, and here.”

“Oh, mijo. It doesn’t at all matter that your wonderful mother isn’t human, or that you share her blood. What matters is what you do with it. And both of you used your heritage to do the right thing. And now she’s leading her – your – people to a new way of thinking. You both have done so much good. Never forget that. Or that you’re family. You’ll always belong here. And not just because you're carrying my grandpup.”

“We weren’t exactly planning on this.”

Mariana laughed. “Neither was I. For any of them. None of my five children were planned. We always wanted pups, but we decided to let it happen however it was going to happen. And we were blessed with five beautiful pups.” She nudged him gently. “Tell me, do you have any thoughts on what your pup might be? I knew for all of them, even when my mother was trying to tell me that I was wrong. Especially with Lance. She was convinced he was an Omega. And then he was born all Alpha.”

Keith nodded, understanding. “Yeah, that’s apparently not just a human thing. Mom said she knew I was an Omega before I was born. I think this one is too. I’m pretty sure it’s an Omega boy. Little brat keeps moving and won’t let us see, so we don’t know for certain yet, but I feel like it’s an Omega boy.”

“Oh, Veronica was the same. We didn’t know until she was an Alpha girl until she was born. And she’s still stubborn and independent.”

{What do you think, sweetheart? You an Omega boy?} she asked the unborn pup.

Her question was answered with a sharp kick.

“Is he always like that?” Mariana asked in surprise.

“Yes. Yes he is. I’ve been feeling him moving for almost two months, but it got more intense about three weeks ago. That, apparently, is a Galra thing.”

“What’s a Galra thing?” Lance asked, walking down the loading ramp.

“How hard the pup kicks,” Keith said.

“Yeah,” he agreed, “It really is that bad. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night before because of it.”

“Now imagine how I feel! Anyway, what was the comm call?”

“Oh, right. Just Allura asking when we were planning on going back up. I told her we were finishing getting the pod packed up and we’d be leaving within the hour. Varga. Whatever.”

Mariana hugged them both again. “Don’t forget. I want to know.”

Keith’s lips twisted in an amused smile. “As soon as we do,” he said.

Lance didn’t ask about it until they were settled in the pod’s cockpit and on their way to the wormhole point. “What are we telling my mother when we know it?”

“Huh? Oh, the pup’s primary and secondary sexes. I said that I feel like it’s an Omega boy, but that we haven’t been able to confirm it,” Keith explained.

“Yeah, he’s being a little brat about it,” Lance agreed, “We will find out eventually,” he added, poking the unborn pup only to be rewarded with another kick. “See? Brat.” He stood up, stretching hard enough to pop his spine. He let his arms drop and extended a hand to his mate. “Come on. Allura’s not opening a wormhole until we’re way out of system, and I want snuggles.”

When they first packed the pod to leave for Earth, Lance had shifted a few things around in the passenger compartment, making room for Keith to set up a nest. He was worried about their pup and was trying to just be a good Alpha for his Omega. Keith was particularly hormonal that day and broke down in tears when he saw the cleared space, his favorite nesting materials neatly sitting in the middle of it. Lance had been afraid he’d accidentally done something wrong until he found himself with his arms full of sobbing, pregnant Omega telling him how amazing he was through hiccupped tears. The nest was built and stayed there until they landed on Earth, where it was taken down and rebuilt in Lance’s old bedroom, right on top of his queen bed. Now it held their scents mixed with Lance’s family’s. Lance also knew about the sweater Krolia had given Keith for the express purpose of fitting it into his nest.

Keith let Lance lead them through to the rear of the pod and got settled into the nest. Leaning back against his Alpha, Keith reached into his shirt and pulled out the crystal he always wore. A clear quartz point, with a triple moon carved from rainbow moonstone woven into the silver wire wrapping the top of the crystal. He ran his fingers over the moonstone, feeling its carved lines and points, the smooth gem comforting. He was safe and comfortable in his Alpha’s arms, tucked into their temporary nest, but he still worried. He knew better than anyone that their pup could come earlier than anyone was comfortable with, especially him. He sighed, letting the quartz drop.

“What’s up?” Lance murmured sleepily into Keith’s neck.

“I’m just thinking again,” he said, the pad of his thumb following the back of his fingers in a small line on his belly.

Lance knew what he was thinking, read worrying, about, and wove their fingers together. “I know. But even worst case, even if he is three months early, he’ll be ok, and so will you. There is literally no one else like you in the entire universe, and all of this is new to everyone. Best we can do is take it one day at a time.” He grabbed the tablet from outside the nest, checking the autopilot. “We still have about an hour before we get to the wormhole point. Get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

Keith yawned, curling up in the nest, Lance wrapping his arms around his Omega. “Nap sounds great,” he mumbled, half-asleep already.

Lance didn’t last much longer, drifting off the second Keith’s breathing evened out in sleep.

They were woken by alarms blaring throughout the pod. Keith shot up, startled and growling. Lance went for the tablet, checking the readings from the pod’s sensors. They should still have been twenty minutes out from the meeting point, but the star map showed them being in an entirely different galaxy, the familiar Milky Way nowhere in sight. He leapt from the nest, running for the cockpit. When Keith had calmed a bit and hauled himself out of his spot and to the cockpit, Lance was at the controls.

“Get yourself strapped in,” the Alpha said without looking up, “We’re headed straight for an asteroid field and there’s no time to change course.”

Lance changed the controls to manual and the front shielding changed from opaque to transparent, showing the looming ancient debris in stunning real time. Keith sat himself in the co-pilot’s seat, fastening the 4-point harness over his chest just in time for the first asteroid to go whipping past. He wanted to take the controls, but he knew that his awkward current shape made it nearly impossible for him to fly with the deftness an asteroid field required. Lance had no such problem, weaving through the asteroid field with his usual liquid grace.

When they finally broke through and into empty space, they still had no real idea of where they were. Keith brought up the galactic map. He noted several familiar planets and systems, realizing that they were on the far side of the Andromeda galaxy. As he was relaying all of that to his mate, the pod’s comm chirped with an incoming hail. It was the castle, but something was different and they couldn’t quite put their finger on it. Lance answered the hail, Allura’s face filling the screen.

“Hey, Allura. Do you have any idea what the fuck just happened? We were on our way to the rendezvous point for the wormhole and now we’re here,” Lance asked.

Allura stared at them in complete shock. “I – I don’t understand. How are you two there? You can’t be there. You’re both here on the castle.”

Lance and Keith shared a confused look. “No. We’re not,” Keith said slowly, “We just left Earth a couple hours ago and were on our way to the spot you designated for the wormhole back to the castle.”

“Earth?! What the quiznak are you talking about?! Stay there. I’m going to tow your pod into the castle and we’ll talk about whatever prank this is.” The shock was in her voice at first, before it became almost angry. She looked back at them from her projected control screen, and then looked at them both more carefully. “Lance, how in the quiznak do you have Altean marks?”

“From you?” he answered, now totally confused. Had she forgotten reviving him after he took the full damage of an energy attack meant for her? Did she not remember that he’d ended up with sky blue Altean marks as a result of the sheer amount of quintessence she poured into him?

“That’s impossible. I can’t give you our markings. And Keith, have you gained weight?” She was still confused, but turned it to the Red Paladin.

“Not in the last three days,” he said, then glanced down and back to her, “Not that way, anyway.”

They felt the pod guided into the pod bay and land softly. “Stay there, inside the pod,” Allura said, “I’ll be right there.” The screen cut out, leaving them alone again.

“What in the absolute fuck is going on?” Keith asked.

“I wish I fucking knew,” Lance answered. “Does she really think this is some kind of over-elaborate prank? She can’t. She knows us. Knows we’re mated. Knows you’re pregnant.”

“Yeah, that was weird. Asking me if I've gained weight. I mean, I know I've put on about fifteen pounds, but that’s almost completely directly related to him. I haven’t really changed anywhere else.”

Lance sighed. “Yeah. I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. But at least we’re back. We can get your nest rebuilt in our suite and take a fucking nap.”

Something told Keith to leave his nest as it was, and he told Lance as much. They also decided not to get back into it while they waited for Allura. The matepair waited in the open seating, Keith nuzzling into Lance’s scent gland. It was something they’d come to realize was a side-effect of his pregnancy. He couldn’t get enough of his Alpha’s scent and would use any and every excuse to get close and scent himself, not that Lance minded it at all. It always stroked his Alpha’s ego that their Omega was so devoted to them.

They both looked up when there was a failed attempt to open the rear door of the pod, which was followed by a polite knock. “Hang on a tick,” Lance called. He extracted himself from his snuggly koala of a mate with a soft kiss to his temple and a gentle hand on their pup.

Allura stood in the doorway, possibly even more shocked than she was on the call. He was still in the faded blue t-shirt and grey sweats he’d been wearing all day, not having been bothered to change. He was expecting an off-hand comment about not being up to his usual standard at most, but she just stood there, staring like he was a new race they’d never met before.

“Allura?” he asked.

“Lance, what the quiznak is going on here? Where’s Keith?” she asked when she found the words.

“I was going to ask you the same thing. And Keith’s right here. The kids were all over him this morning and he’s still pretty tired.”

He didn’t think it was possible for Allura to be any more confused or her eyebrows to arch higher, but she was and they did.

“What kids? Why should he be tired?”

Keith listened to the questions being fired back and forth. Something wasn’t adding up. Allura knew they’d been with Lance’s family. She’d met Nadia and Sylvio before and knew what kind of energy they had. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he was worn out after dealing with them. Keyword shouldn’t. But she was. He decided to see her for himself, or more to the point, for her to see him. He slid out from the seating area, turning the corner to where she and Lance were asking questions without answering any. He stepped up beside Lance, sliding an arm around his Alpha’s waist, his free hand resting on his pregnant belly.

Allura’s jaw dropped. He knew she could tell that he wasn’t faking, and that she somehow either didn’t know or had forgotten that he was four months pregnant, even if he looked farther along because of his body’s reaction.

“I – how?! How did this happen?! When?! What is happening?!”

“Allura,” Lance said softly, “Has anything happened in the last two or three quintants?”

“What? No. Nothing. And you two are here onboard the castle. Keith, you said you would be in the training deck for at least a few vargas, and Lance, you were helping Hunk in the kitchen. How did you two end up out there and in a pod I didn’t know had gone missing? And don’t tell me you were on Earth. That’s utterly impossible. We can’t go back without leading the Galra directly there, you both know that. And how have you been hiding not only your apparent relationship but also – Keith, you're pregnant! How do you expect to be able to fly the Red Lion in your condition?”

The feeling of something being fundamentally off continued to tickle Keith’s brain. An impossible thought hit him. “Allura, I need you to answer this question honestly. How long have we been out here with you?”

“What do you mean? It’s only been about three phoebs, but we’ve made good progress in the war effort. I really believe we’ll win. But you already knew that.”

Lance cut her off before she could voice a suspicion about them being spies. He realized as soon as Keith said it. “I think we somehow managed to go back in time. We really are who we say we are, and so are you. But you obviously don’t know anything about us as we are now. I can promise that we’re not hiding anything from you.”

“Well…I don’t know that we can really say that…” Keith said, trailing off. If the them that Allura knew had only been in space for a few months, then he and Lance were already seeing each other secretly. But then they decided that keeping it from their friends made absolutely no sense, even if it meant that Pidge lost her bet with Hunk.

“Ok, fair,” he said, then turned to Allura, “What was the last major event that happened related to the war? It’ll help us narrow down when exactly we are.”

“You two seem awfully accepting of this,” she said, a note of accusation in her voice.

“We – we’ve been through a lot,” Keith said, intentionally not elaborating. They had been through a lot – alternate reality, quantum abyss, the quintessence field, Bob, finding themselves inside Honerva’s mind – but they couldn’t tell Allura any of it.

“And if we tell you anything, we don’t know if or how it could affect anything,” Lance added.

“Hm, I suppose that’s true. The last major event? Well, we’ve only just found out about your Galra heritage, but after meeting with Kolivan and Antok, I have come to realize that your blood does not define you. You both have only just returned from separate missions. Keith, you and Hunk went to retrieve the Scaultrite from the Weblum-” Keith shuddered involuntarily at the memory “-and Lance, you, Shiro, and Pidge went to rescue Slav from Beta Traz. He’s still here on the castle with us.”

“Wait wait wait – Slav’s still here?” Lance asked. He turned to Keith. “If Slav’s still on board, then he would be able to help figure out what happened. Maybe find a way to get us back to our own time. And hopefully before…” he trailed off, giving Keith a look that the Omega understood. Before the pup comes.

Allura also understood what Lance hadn’t said. “Um, how – how far along are you, exactly?” she asked awkwardly.

“That’s a little complicated,” Keith answered. “The pup’s developing like a normal human, but because I’m half Galra, my body is changing and reacting as if I were completely Galra. Pregnancies are shorter. Six Earth months, or about four and a quarter phoebs, to a normal human ten months or just over seven phoebs.”

“So, you're saying that with how your body is reacting, your pup could be premature?”

“It’s a distinct possibility. But to actually answer your question, sixteen Earth weeks. Almost eleven and a half movements. It gives us no more than five movements to figure this out and get us back to our time.”

Allura nodded, making her decision. “All right. We’ll meet in the lounge first. Paladins and Coran only. Shiro…doesn’t exactly do well with Slav.”

Lance and Keith laughed. “That’s something we will never forget,” Lance said as they followed her out of the pod. Keith turned, locking it with their biometrics. Given the alteration to Lance’s DNA thanks to Allura’s quintessence infusion, they knew that it would stay locked. Their younger selves didn’t have a chance.

They walked in silence for a while, following Allura down lesser used corridors to the lounge entrance that was never used. “Is there anything you can tell me?” she asked, “About your time. How far into our future are you?”

“I don’t know that that’s a good idea, Princess,” Lance said, “You already know that we make it to Earth safely, and I don’t know how that might already be affecting our time. I understand that you want to know if it’s all worth it in the end, but I can’t tell you.”

Allura thought for a few seconds. “I understand. My knowing about the future could affect the present. It could change our decisions about things that will change the outcome of the war. And I take it that however the war does end, it’s the best possible outcome.”

“We think so. There’s a lot more going on than just Zarkon, but if you knew what, I don’t know – there are just too many variables.”

She paused in the doorway to the lounge. “I really do understand. There are more factors and facets to this war than I am currently aware of. Knowing about them now could upset the balance. Well,” she said, gesturing to the room, “Make yourselves comfortable. You already know where everything is.” Her smile was one of genuine affection for the Paladins in front of her.

“Thanks, Allura,” Keith said, maneuvering past her.

Once they were seated comfortably (“Comfort is a bit relative for me at the moment,” Keith told her with a laugh) she called for the Paladins and Coran, and them only, to come to the lounge.

Lance was the first to arrive, ready to drop onto the sunken sofa from the floor above, but stopped himself when he realized he was looking at something that looked like the back of his own head. He only knew what that looked like after a prank involving his siblings and every single mirror in the house. He saw Allura sitting at one end of the semicircle and slowed, turning to her.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Ah. We should wait for the others to arrive before we explain,” Allura said.

“Actually,” one of the unknown people said and Lance nearly choked at hearing his own voice. A little rougher and maybe older, but it was definitely his own voice. He realized the other owner of his voice was still speaking. “I think we should start now. I know we’ll have to repeat ourselves, but I know that you’re kinda nauseous right now,” a long, tan finger pointed in his direction, “And I really think this is the better solution.”

“If that’s what you –” Allura was cut off by the next arrival.

“Allura? Why are we meeting here?”

Pregnant Keith snorted at how young he sounded. His mate patted his head. “I know. We sound like babies.”

The younger Keith froze.

“Yes we’re real. No you're not hallucinating,” pregnant Keith said without moving. He knew what his younger self was thinking.

“Well, as long as we’re both here,” Lance said, “We should explain as much as we can.”

The younger Red and Blue Paladins walked around to the steps and froze again when they were suddenly face to face with themselves. Their older selves were snuggled together in the middle of the sofa horseshoe, not caring who saw them. There was too much for them to take in all at once, but they did notice Lance’s Altean marks and the undeniable fact that the older Keith was significantly pregnant.

“Yeah,” pregnant Keith agreed, “It’s a lot to unpack. We’ll tell you what we can.”

The younger Paladins sat together opposite Allura, not knowing what to say.

“As far as we can tell, we’re from your future. We don’t know how we got here. We were on our way back to the castle and decided to let the autopilot handle the flying while I had a nap and woke up to all the alarms going off about a half hour later. We realized that we weren’t where we should be and found the castle after clearing the asteroid field nearby.”

“And, I’m – or, you – I don’t even know how to phrase that,” the younger Keith stumbled through.

Older Keith just laughed. “We? Since we’re the same person, just at different ages. But yes, I’m pregnant. I'm due fairly soon, so we need to figure this out as quickly as possible.”

Both his mate and Allura noticed how he phrased himself, but said nothing, understanding why he had done it.

It was the younger Lance’s turn to stumble through a sentence. “So, you’re – and – is that –”

Older Lance snickered at his younger self. “Yes. Yes we are, and yes it is.”

“What?! But -”

“But nothing,” older Lance said, “Although that might have prevented this.”

“Yeah, sure. You try telling my heat brain that,” pregnant Keith said.

The younger Keith pointed at his older self. “That. But, how? I mean, I’ve always been so careful about taking it on time. Unless…”

Pregnant Keith shook his head. “No, that hasn’t changed. It failed. We weren’t planning on this. But it happened, and we wouldn’t change it for anything.”

“Ok, so I just need to know one thing. Not about the future, not that.” His hand went to his chest almost unconsciously. “Just so I know. That you’re really me.”

Without moving from his spot snuggled into Lance’s side, Keith reached into his t-shirt and pulled the quartz and moonstone pendant out, letting it fall to his chest. “It was the first thing I ever bought for myself after Dad died. He taught me the basics of the Craft and I've kept it up ever since. Helps me feel connected to him even though it represents Omegas.”

Younger Keith nodded, holding his own crystal. “Yeah. It does.”

Looking from his not-so-secret boyfriend, the younger Lance turned to his own older self. “And he knows about…”

Older Lance cracked an amused smile. “Yeah, he does. But wait, haven’t you already told him about us?”

“Oh, well, yeah. I guess that didn’t really make sense, did it?”

“No, not really. But the last thing Mami said to me when we left her last was that it doesn’t matter where in the universe we are, the Orisha will hear us.”

“That – that’s –”

“What Mami said when I left for the Garrison. Yeah, she still says it.”

Pidge was next to arrive, and stopped when she saw the two older versions of her friends.

“No, you haven’t been up long enough to hallucinate yet,” pregnant Keith said through laughing.

“Come sit down, Pigeon. We’ll explain once everyone’s here,” Lance said, waving her forward.

They were all surprised that it hadn’t been Shiro to appear first, but he and Hunk were next, walking in together. If they thought that Pidge had been surprised, it was nothing compared to the double take from the Black and Yellow Paladins. Allura had yet to say anything once her Paladins began filtering in, and she still didn’t, letting the two older Paladins take the lead.

“Hi, Shiro,” pregnant Keith said. He still hadn’t moved from his mate’s side, enjoying the warmth and safety of his Alpha’s touch.

“What in the almighty fuck is going on?” Shiro asked, stunned.

“We’re just waiting for Coran, and then we’ll explain.”

Shiro and Hunk sat down, among the other Paladins. Hunk seemed to look for some kind of comfort from the familiarity of Pidge, and Shiro sat himself between his Lance and the older Keith with an expression told them that he was trying very hard to wrap his head around the idea of Keith being pregnant. Coran came running in a few minutes later.

“Oh, my apologies, Princess. The scanners went all wiffeley for a few ticks. They’re perfectly fine now.” He noticed the two new additions for the first time. “Erm, Princess…” he started, scratching his cheek with one gloved finger.

“Yes. It’s why I’ve called you all here,” Allura said, “When I was alone on the bridge briefly, scans picked up a single Altean pod. When I hailed it, well…”

“It was us,” the older Lance finished, “We seem to be from your future.”

Everyone stopped, if only briefly, before exploding into questions and demands. Questions about what happened, how they got here from their own time, how did the war end, what’s it like now, did everyone survive…

Lance put a hand up, silencing the onslaught. “We can’t answer most of those questions. Anything we tell you could possibly alter the timeline, and I can’t risk that.”

Pidge pouted, her curiosity getting the better of her. “Well, we already know you two end up together. And if you're here, then you guys obviously made it out.”

Pregnant Keith shifted, sitting up but not leaving his Lance’s personal bubble. “Yes, we did make it out. And yes, we know what it’s like now. But is it worth it to know about our future when it could change your own?”

For maybe the first time in her life, Pidge didn’t have an immediate answer. Her natural curiosity demanded to be sated. The older versions of two of her best friends were sitting in front of her with the answers to so many questions. So much of her own personal stress could be relieved just by knowing if she ever found Matt and Sam. She could know the outcome of the war. But thinking about those things, she realized that Keith was right. If she did know, it would change what she did, how she could react to things. The butterfly effect wasn’t real, or, if it was, it didn’t quite work that way, but a change to a major event could lead to a cascade of differences. And there was no way to know if those would be good changes or bad. But she didn’t get to answer the semi-rhetorical question because Slav walked in at that exact moment.

“So we’re in this reality,” he said, seeing the future Lance and Keith. He narrowed his eyes at them. “You haven’t told anyone anything, have you?”

“Nothing that wasn’t immediately obvious,” Keith answered, settling back against his mate.

“Ah. Right. I need to confirm things about you two before I can recalculate probabilities, but we should discuss this –” His owlish eyes narrowed again as he looked around the room. “- privately.”

~*~*~*~

Links to the rest of the series:

1 | 2 | 3* | 4 | 5* | 6* | 7 | 8 | 9* | 10 | 11 | 12* | 13 | 14 | 15* | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19*

#my writing #abandoned wips #klance #omegaverse #abo #omega keith kogane #alpha lance mcclain #mpreg #vld #voltron #voltron legendary defender #keith x lance