#*friend‚ not friends‚ big sis had to go to a doctor but she's okay

[nikibogwater]

Everybody sit down and strap in, 'cause I have a doozy of a tale to share.

I've had anxiety for literally as long as I can remember. I've had periods of my life where it was so intense it became legitimately life-threatening (don't worry I promise this is going somewhere funny). And this was really bizarre because I have zero childhood trauma. Like, my family life is so idyllic it's almost comical. Therapists would do abuse screenings on me and look utterly baffled when I told them everything was fine at home. They'd interrogate my parents just to make sure I wasn't lying. I have one friend who I'm fairly sure believed I was just severely gaslighting myself when I said my family was great, school wasn't too stressful, and I've never lived in a dangerous neighborhood or experienced poverty.

Anyways, despite no one being able to figure out where my disorder was coming from, my doctors were able to help me manage the symptoms so that I would like, not die, and actually be able to finish high school. Which was awesome. Now fast forward to late 2021. My big sister (who has also had intense anxiety her whole life which no one could figure out why) is finishing up her doctorate and getting her physical therapist's license. Somehow, during all her studying and schooling, she finds out about this thing called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which explains literally everything that was going on with us. EDS is a connective tissue disorder that kinda fudges up your body in a whole bunch of little ways, including dysautonomia (episodes of very fast heart-rate that kick your body into fight-or-flight mode), and hypermobility (unusual flexibility). It's a spectrum disorder, so the severity of symptoms vary from person to person, but we definitely checked almost every box on the diagnostic list. My sister went to see a specialist, and yep, she was diagnosed EDS positive. She immediately calls my mom and goes "I know what's wrong with Niki" (thanks, sis, that's real encouraging lol). Initially we're like "okay Katie, that's nice" because honestly this kind of sounds like jumping at shadows, but I go in to see the specialist anyways just to make sure.

One consultation and diagnosis later, and suddenly my entire life makes perfect sense.

Now we get to the funny part. See, the diagnosis stuff happened in early 2022. So by the time late 2023 comes around and we're looking for a new dog (I promise this is relevant), we've been riding that chronic illness diagnosis for a while. Once again, my sister, ever the proactive one, decides she's going to help us get a new dog. She scours the adoption website, sends us photos of the cutest dogs available, and helps us make a decision. This is how we got Beverly, who has been an unstoppable force of chaos in our lives ever since we signed the papers (but she's also really cute so she can get away with it). Now on top of being a very excitable and anxious pupper, Beverly's got a weird little gimp in her hindquarters, which makes her sit all splayed-out and funny-looking, and while it doesn't seem to be causing her pain, we take her to a vet to get it checked out. Vet finds absolutely nothing. X-rays are taken and examined. Still nothing. At this point, they go "well, we could try a CT scan of her brain, which would run about $5,000, and maybe we could find something--" but my parents are already packing this dog into the car like "well that is a HARD nope." So we decide, look, Beverly seems happy and healthy, and those gimpy legs don't seem to bother her, so we'll just leave it be until it becomes clearer what's wrong with her because we do NOT have a cool $5,000 to throw around here.

Readers more astute than my family and I will likely have already figured out where this is going.

This morning, my mom is looking at Beverly sitting in her funny sprawled-out way, and something in her brain goes "wait...weird physical symptoms with no tracible cause that vets can see..." She does a bit of googling. Can dogs have EDS/Hypermobility? Yes. Yes they can. And the listed symptoms describe Beverly to a T.

So not only is my sister the one to finally figure out what's wrong with me, she also unknowingly got us a dog who has the exact same chronic condition as us. Meanwhile my poor dad, who is the only Normal Person in our house, is coming to terms with the fact that he is apparently just fated to always love chronically ill people and animals, and there's absolutely nothing he can do about it.

[midwestmade29]

Prequel Request 💻

To Anonymous: Your idea was so cute! I loved coming up with the little moments that were shared between Christian, Adam, and Adam’s little sister. The summer part was fun to write too 😉 I hope I did your request justice🤞🏻Thanks so much for sending it in 🖤

Word count: 2,405 Divider by: @firefly-graphics

Disclaimers: Broken bone, losing virginity, sexual intercourse. Read at your own discretion.

Original Anonymous Request: “Sis! I need a prequel to the last fic! Anyway we can get something with the little moments with Adam, the Reader, and Christian as they all grew up as well as moments with The Reader and Christian that summer that they were all over each other when she was home from college?”

You'll find my original story that inspired this request here 🙂

School had just let out for the summer and your mother took you, your older brother Adam, and his best friend Christian to get ice cream and celebrate. You practically salivated all over the counter while you watched each worker scoop out the delicious dairy onto cones and into bowls. “What the heck is that monstrosity? That looks disgusting!” Christian said to you with a scrunched-up face. His words didn’t faze you though, and you happily dug into your sweet treat covered in gummy bears, sprinkles, cookie pieces and chocolate syrup. With your mouth full, you asked Christian if he wanted a bite and his response was a fake gag.

That same summer was when the 3 of you were outside riding your bikes, showing off different tricks each of you could do. You tried to one up your big brother and his best friend by attempting a trick you’d never done before, but it backfired immediately when you overturned your bike forcing it to land on your wrist and break it in 2 places! Adam carried you all the way home to your mom and Christian took care of your bike. Your mom rushed you to the emergency room to get x-rays, sighing in relief when the doctor said surgery wasn’t needed. Your wrist hurt, that’s for sure, but you were more focused on what color cast you were going to get to pay much attention to it! When you got home late that night, Adam was already fast asleep, and you weren’t too far behind. You were about to plop down on your bed when you noticed a Lex Luger and a Sting wrestling figure resting up against your pillow with 2 notes taped to their chests:

Dear sis, Sorry about your wrist! I hope it heals super-fast! Hopefully good old Lex can help cheer you up some. Love ya, Adam P.S.-You’re going to look so tough with your new cast!

To Y/N, You better be more careful next time! I’m letting you borrow Sting, but I want him back the minute your wrist is healed. -Christian P.S.- I’m glad you’re okay. Can’t wait to sign your cast.

“Come on guys, don’t fight! You two are best friends! Now hug and make up, right now.” You demanded. You stood in the middle of Adam and Christian while they had their backs turned towards each other. They had been arguing over petty stuff for the last 45 minutes, and you were getting tired of hearing them go back and forth. Even though you were the youngest out of the 3 of you, you were wise beyond your years! You surprised them both with your next words, “Seriously, will the stuff you two are fighting about even matter tomorrow? Stop being dummies! You’re best friends, not enemies so act like it!” Christian stayed disgruntled with his arms crossed, refusing to be the first to say sorry, but Adam’s stance softened when he turned around and looked at you. “Wow, you opened your mouth and mom came out there for a second Y/N! But you’re right. This fight was stupid and I’m sorry Christian. Friends?” he asked while extending his hand to his best friend. Christian didn’t budge or shake Adam’s hand until you kicked him in the shin, forcing him out of the stupor he was in. Through gritted teeth he shook Adam’s hand and agreed, “Friends.”

Christian’s feelings towards you were strictly platonic when you were kids, or so you thought. The older the two of you got, the more his feelings for you started to change. It was odd when he started being nice to you, and definitely strange when you noticed he was talking to you more than he was Adam. You just chalked it up to him sucking up to you so you would help him with his homework! You still remember the disappointed look on his face when you told him that you would be gone for nearly 2 months because you were going to be a counselor at a summer camp. “Really? 6 weeks? That won’t leave you much summer break when you get back. Are you sure you have to go?” Christian murmured. “Of course, I have to go, silly! It’s a great opportunity for me. It’s not like I won’t be having fun while I’m there too! There’s plenty of activities to do and I get to mentor kids,” you said full of excitement. You thought Christian’s next question was bizarre, even for his weird ass. “Is it a girl’s only camp?” You didn’t even bother responding to such a ridiculous question! Instead, you rolled your eyes and made your way towards your front door, Christian following behind you like a lost puppy.

2 more years passed, you were certainly all grown up now! You were looking forward heading off to college in the fall, and the summer ahead was just prolonging your independence and your desire to explore new surroundings. One night, your mother had baked cookies and you sat at the kitchen counter devouring them. Laughter filled the air, and the conversation flowed! Out of nowhere, your mom brought up Christian, “You know that boy has it bad for you, Y/N! It’s so obvious!” The horrified look on your face made her laugh! “Christian?! As in Adam’s best friend, Christian? The one who has teased me my whole life and been a thorn in my side? There’s no way mom!” your words came out a little faster than you meant them to, and the more you spoke on the matter, you weren’t sure if you were trying to convince your mother- or yourself that Christian didn’t have feelings for you. Your mother’s words were soft as she explained herself farther, “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, Y/N. The boy is smitten! He asks me about you all the time, you know? The two of you are old enough now to explore any…feelings that might be there. Better to discuss things now before it’s too late and you’re off to college.” That same night while you were lying in your bed, sleep evaded you while you continuously went over the conversation you had earlier with your mother. Her words didn’t seem so silly the more you thought about them, and they helped you realize something that you had suppressed deep inside of you for several years, you had feelings for Christian.

“Why wasn’t I supposed to tell Adam we were meeting here, Y/N? What’s going on?” Christian asked you as he slid into the corner booth. Seeing Christian in this new light made you feel shy, even a little awkward. The conversation you had planned in your head wasn’t going to be as easy as you thought it would be! “Because if he knew the reason why I asked you to come, you’d probably end up with a broken nose and he’d lock me in my room until summer is over!” you teased. Christian looked over his shoulder, making sure the coast was clear before speaking frantically, “Okay, spill it Y/N! You’ve got me worried that my best friend might try and kill me for talking to his sister. What the heck is going on?!” That night you confessed your feelings for Christian, laying everything on the table at your local diner. You practically handed the boy your heart on a silver platter! When he didn’t respond right away, you felt yourself sink a little in the booth and your cheeks felt like they were bright red. When he finally spoke, all your worry and doubt washed away. “Was I that obvious?” he asked sheepishly. “I thought I hid my feelings pretty well. Man, your mom doesn’t miss anything does she? Anyway, I’m crazy about you Y/N! I have been for a long time. What do you say? Do you want to see where the summer takes us and really give a relationship a try?” You were beaming from his words, eagerly responding, “Yes, of course! I want nothing more, Christian.”

Your mom helped you and Christian stay off Adam’s mind and out of his sight as your relationship continued to blossom. She made you promise her that you would tell your brother soon about you and Christian dating, but you hadn’t found the right time to break the news to him yet. Even though it felt wrong sneaking around behind your brother’s back, you were enjoying spending all your time with his best friend and getting him all to yourself! You and Christian shared your first kiss in the warm summer rain when it started to down pour while the two of you were at a concert in a local park. The kiss was something you had dreamed about ever since you could remember, and it turned out to be incredibly sweet and romantic. Most of the summer days were spent poolside to escape the heat. Christian definitely approved of your skimpy bikini while your older brother did not. Your favorite activity was one the two of you did almost every night as long as Adam was asleep or had other plans separate from yours. Christian always brought the blanket and made quick work of spreading it out on the ground so both of you could lay on it and look at the stars. You two shared several meaningful conversations, often talking about your childhood but also looking ahead and making plans for the future.

One night, things were heating up between you and Christian as you made out underneath the blanket of stars. This spot near the pond just behind your house had become your favorite place, almost a sanctuary of peace and serenity for you and Christian. But the more his hands roamed freely on your body, leaving you a panting mess whenever he would break a kiss to come up for air, it turned into a place full of passion and desire. Christian knew you were a virgin and he never made you feel embarrassed of it or ashamed, and never forcing you to do anything you weren’t comfortable with. You had talked about taking that next step in your relationship in recent conversations, but you were hesitant. You knew it wouldn’t be Christian’s first time, him giving up that part of him a long time ago, but you still wanted it to be special for him too. “What if I’m no good at it?” you asked while your hands covered your face. Christian slowly removed them so he could look into your eyes, his words full of sincerity as he reassured you, “Giving yourself to me in that way is a gift and it’s something I don’t take lightly. No matter when- or if it happens- I know it will be beautiful. I will do my best to make sure it’s special for the both of us.”

A week later, you made your final decision about having sex with Christian or not. When you told him you were ready, he nearly took you right then and there on your front porch! The very next night, Christian took you by the hand and led you to your favorite spot. You couldn’t believe your eyes when he parted the final tree branches, revealing a strand of lights that were strung from the tree over to the old swing. A lantern illuminated the familiar blanket on the ground that was now adorned with a few small pillows and a second blanket. The only noise that could be heard were the rustling leaves on the trees in the soft summer breeze and the sound of nature carrying on quietly all around you. Once you were comfortable on the blanket, Christian checked in with you one final time before proceeding any further, “Are you sure you want to do this, Y/N? It’s completely fine if you’ve changed your mind. I’d be more than happy to lay here with you and look at the stars.” You gave him the green light to continue, and he took his time removing your clothes. He kissed every inch of newly exposed skin as he went along, making sure to savor every part of you. You watched as he opened the condom with his teeth before sliding it down his hard length and positioning himself in between your legs. He warned you gently that it was going to hurt at first, but after a while the discomfort would go away.

You held your breath as he inched himself inside of you, gasping when his full length was all the way in. “A-are you okay, Y/N? If it’s too much, p-please tell me and I’ll stop,” Christian said breathlessly as his slowed his movements. “No, please don’t stop. K-keep going!” you reassured him. With each thrust of his hips, the discomfort started to dissipate and was replaced with pleasure as Christian’s tip hit all the right spots. Your fingers dug into his back as waves of pure bliss crashed over your body, your tight walls squeezing around Christian and milking him of everything he had to give you. His name fell from your lips when you came, your juices coating the condom allowing Christian to slide in and out with ease. With a few final grunts, Christian found his release too, his body still pinning you against the blanket as he tried to steady his breathing. He planted tender kisses on your lips between each breath and you couldn’t help but smile. “How are you doing sweetheart? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” his words were a mere whisper as he looked into your eyes, studying your face for any kind of sign that you were okay. You couldn’t help but to burst out into a fit of giggles when you asked Christian, “That. Was. Incredible! When can we do it again?”

That wasn’t the last time the two of you had sex that summer. Your appetite for Christian was insatiable, and he was more than willing to try and cure your hunger. If you could’ve stayed in the bubble you and Christian had created around yourselves, you certainly would have. Unfortunately, September was rapidly approaching, bringing you closer to the difficult decision that you knew each of you had to make. Little did you know at the time just how much the end of summer decision was going to alter the course of your relationship afterwards.

[christinescupofcoffee]

Quarter After Twelve

Chapter Three: This is My Good Eye

Christine leaned back in the spindly plastic chair with her hands folded over her lap. She had been there the day before when he went in for surgery, but she hadn’t heard a word since she had returned home for the night. She hoped that the surgery was over soon and that John had survived it all as he was in fairly bad shape: if the news and prognosis were all good, she would buy him as well as herself a bouquet of flowers.

She and John had known each other since the third grade: he was like a baby brother to her as he was a year younger but they had been joined at the hip when she asked him about the little container of baklava on the corner of his desk saved for recess, and he introduced her to his own little hub. It was right then she knew he liked her. 

He was the only one to ever refer to her as “Tina”, too. Tina Calderón with her long molasses-colored hair down to her thick waist.

It started with the headaches, when they had had lunch together a month ago and he had complained of an awful pain in the right side of his head and one that would only just go away with his drinking some water. It only persisted with every day, and when his vision began to slip away was when his girlfriend Brittany suggested he go to the hospital. Christine arrived right as they did, and right as the surgeons took him away into the first bed available. Brittany held back with her hands pressed to her mouth as if she was about to vomit or scream, but Christine held her close to her out of comfort.

The whole day felt like a complete whirlwind, and even more so when the two women returned home in shambles.

“He’s going to be okay,” Christine assured her with her arms around her once again.

“But what if he dies, Chris?” Brittany demanded, tearful. “What am I going to do if he goes?”

“He’ll be fine. Whatever it is, they’ll take it out and then he’ll be in the hospital for a few days to rest.”

The phone rang right then, and Christine ducked around her to fetch the cordless phone on the wall.

“Here, I’ll go see him tomorrow,” she volunteered with a finger raised to her. “You go to work in the morning and try to focus away from him. It’s gonna be hard, but it’ll be worth it.” Brittany wiped away a tear as Christine answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi, I’m Therese, the head nurse from urgent care in Bethlehem. Is Brittany there?”

“Um, not at the moment, no,” Christine replied as she knew that Brittany would in no way want to speak to them at all. “I’m Christine her friend, though, so I can relay this to her.”

“Okay, Christine! I wanted to tell her that John is still in surgery right now. He had a benign tumor embedded in his brain but as they were closing him up, they found two blood clots in his lungs.” Christine gasped at that. She had no memory of him having complained of anything in his chest at all. “They’re trying to extract the clots from his lungs, it’s a very delicate surgery but the surgeons are doing what they can for him, though.”

“Okay,” she replied with somewhat of a feeling of dread over her.

“If it’s unsuccessful, he’ll have to be on blood thinners for the foreseeable future,” the nurse continued. “But he’ll live, though.”

“Okay,” Christine replied with a nod of her head and a run of her fingers through her hair. “Okay, I’ll tell her.”

Needless to say, Brittany had all but fallen apart once the news was out. As a result, Christine decided to visit him alone.

It was one of those big but dimly lit hospitals in the heart of Pennsylvania where the foggy nights made her think of a man with a pyramid shaped helmet enshrouded over his head coming on out of hiding with a long wide knife in hand, ready to take them all out for blood. She lingered back against the wall with her hands folded over her lap in repose as doctors and nurses strode on past her.

The only thing she could do was wait and be patient.

She checked her wristwatch. Seven after noon. It had been nearly twenty-four whole hours since John had gone into surgery for something growing inside of his skull as well as the two blood clots in his lungs. He was only twenty-nine and yet he had the mother of all health problems.

But it had only been a single minute before the nurse emerged from behind the glass wall to face her. Christine raised her eyebrows at her.

“Are you Tina?” And Christine grimaced at the sound of her using the nickname that only her best friend used with her. But with the grimace came a nod of her head.

“The surgery on his brain was a success,” said the nurse. “They were able to extract the tumor as well as any surrounding tissue lest it come back again. But I’m afraid that the surgery on his lungs was not.” Christine closed her eyes at the sound of that and her heart sank. “This doesn’t mean he’ll die, though. It just means that he has to be on blood thinners for the foreseeable future.”

“Do you know what caused the clots?” Christine asked her.

“I’m afraid we don’t,” she replied. “We’re running tests but there’s nothing that we’ve confirmed yet.”

Christine nodded her head, and she stood to her feet and followed the nurse into the left wing of the hospital. The smell of disinfectant filled the air all around her. Machines beeped and whirred all across the room. A hoarse cough off to the left made her grimace and hold her breath.

Near the end of the row, at the last room, the nurse tugged the curtain aside, and Christine beheld the view of her best friend propped up against a pillow with his hands down by his sides.

The surgeons hadn’t done much to the actual crown of his head per se, but she could see the gauze rested upon the right side of the crown as well as the patch over his eye. A tube for supplementary oxygen had been taped up against his nose, and yet he breathed in deep and at a steady pace. The bracelet around his wrist beholding his full name of Jonathan Zachariah Malachi Gabríel Miranda; she smiled when she spotted the accent mark in his middle name.

“There you are,” she declared with her arms wide open for him. John kept his hands down by his sides as Christine lunged for him to embrace him.

“I’ll let you two catch up,” said the nurse, and they were left alone there in their very own private room. Christine tugged the chair up next to the edge of the bed. His long mousy brown curls dangled down over his shoulder like the vines of a tree. His skin was soft in appearance, and his body looked emaciated and withered away, and she knew that he hadn’t eaten a morsel of food at all, not even when he had woken up from his surgery.

“She literally thought you were my girlfriend,” he said in a broken voice.

“Who, the nurse?” Christine asked him.

“Yeah, she saw you and told me my lover is here to visit me.” He cracked her a smile, albeit a painful one, and he massaged his temple with his fingertips.

“A benign tumor the size of a ping-pong ball,” he said in a low voice. “They were able to take it out no problem but the clots in my lungs, they had hell of a time with, though. I’m probably going to be on blood thinners the rest of my life.”

“I’d be happy to remind you to take them,” Christine pointed out, and she rested a hand on the back of his. John sighed through his nose and let his eyes wander down to his feet and the far edge of the bed.

“I love you,” she whispered into his ear. He showed her a smile, albeit a small slightly sad one.

“You and my bubbie are kind of the only people I have,” he confessed in a light voice. “Mother’s gone, brother won’t talk to me—he thinks I do blow—and I haven’t seen my dad in years. I don’t even know where he is now. The last letter I got from him he was in the Azores and that was seven years ago.”

“You have Brittany, too,” Christine pointed out.

“It’s complicated with Brittany,” John confessed to her with a quick shake of his head. “I might just end it with her once I’m done here. She refuses to have sex with me—in fact, I can’t even remember the last time we had sex, either. She’s kind of just still with me because she likes being a part of a couple.”

He fetched up a sigh once again. She squeezed his hand.

“Let’s go to California,” she suggested. “My dad and my stepmom live out there. Living out there can help you recover more. I won’t leave your side, either.”

“What about my grandma, though?”

“We can take her with,” Christine promised him. “We’ll find a way to bring her with. We could… get ourselves out there first and then we’ll send for her to come along.” She leaned in closer to him, and she leaned in so close that she could smell the disinfectant from under the gauze over his eye. “Going to California, cowboy.”

“I don’t really know, Tina,” he confessed with a shake of his head.

“We’re both Portuguese,” she assured him. “We can do it. You can do it.” She extended a hand to him, and she linked fingers with his long and lanky ones. He reached up and nudged the eyepatch upon his head, to which Christine grimaced at the sight.

“You’re my best friend, Tina,” he said. “You’re kind of my rock now.”

“No, I’m the crazy one,” she assured him. “We’ve known each other since we were eight years old. I’m the one giving us a bunch of shit day in day out.”

“The crazy ones are usually the ones who rock steady after all,” he pointed out as his good eye drooped closed. John shifted his weight in the bed and Christine helped him out with the pillows nestled behind him. He leaned back and tilted his head back against the top of his main pillow: she eyed the shape of his throat, the way his Adam’s apple was all the more prominent given he hadn’t eaten anything in a long time.

“I’ll probably be out of here in a few days,” he told her. “You know. Just so I recover and everything.”

“Do you think they’ll take the eyepatch off around then?” she asked.

“I don’t really know,” he confessed. “The tumor was not only this side of my head, but it was pretty close to my eyes. When they took it out, they told me that they worried about damaging my optic nerve too much. So, to protect my eye from anything nefarious for the time being, they put this on me. The nurse said she’ll take it off in the next day or so to keep my eyes healthy.”

John then lifted his head and blinked his good eye a bit. He rested a hand on his stomach.

“I’m kind of hungry,” he said. “I had a little bit of soup when I woke up but it wasn’t very good. It didn’t help that it was tepid, too.”

“Ew,” Christine said with a wrinkle of her nose at that. “There’s the deli across the street, would you like a sandwich?”

“I would love a sandwich from there,” he replied with a raise of his good eyebrow. “A nice fat corned beef sandwich with some sauerkraut.”

“I’ll get that and also a wrap for myself,” she noted as she stood back up and slung her purse over her shoulder. She was about to head out of there when John cleared his throat again.

“Hey, Tina?”

She turned back around again to look on at him, her best friend in the last twenty years, now with a patch over his one eye and a scar on his head.

“Thank you.”

She showed him a smile when the sun outside seemed to grow a bit brighter than it had had a few minutes before.

“The hell?”

“Is it just me or did it just get awfully bright?” he asked her, baffled.

“It did,” she said, and she squinted her eyes at him. “I better hustle.”

He nodded his head and a few locks of his curled hair dangled down the side of his face onto his shoulder. “Please do. Not just from that, but from—” He rested his hand on his slender stomach once again, and she showed him a smile once more.

[nabibeans]

Little star.

Summary: Seonghwa and Hongjoong are friends with benefits; they stop hooking up after Hongjoong gets into a relationship while in America for tour. Seonghwa discovers she’s pregnant. This is their journey.

Disclaimer: Hong x Oc , fem! Hwa , Seongjoong (later on) , secret pregnancy, idolverse, lots of time skips so the story doesn’t drag.

•

Seonghwa stared down at the papers in her hands, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She’d gone to the urgent care clinic after being sick every morning for the past three months. Sure three months was a bit of a long wait but their schedules were packed, she hadn’t had time to visit a doctor; now she sat on the table holding the results of her checkup in her hands.

Pregnant. Seonghwa was pregnant. Being in an all male group as the only woman was already bad enough, but pregnant as well? Surely it would cause a scandal. The doctor had come back into the room, sitting across from the Korean woman whose hands trembled.

“Now Miss Park, I’m not sure what options Korea has in terms of termination of pregnancy; but in the United States it’s..risky…so it’s up to you to decide what you’d like to do regarding your pregnancy.”

Termination? Like an abortion?

“I’m not aborting my baby. I’m keeping it, I just…don’t think the father will be very active in the baby’s life. He has a girlfriend.”

“Oh. Oh my. That is, well; I’m sorry to hear.”

Seongwha got off the table bowing politely, her manager was waiting outside; they had a schedule.

“I’ll be in America for at least two months, should I wait to schedule any follow up appointments?”

The doctor hummed.

“At three months you’re really just growing a small bump, your breast will begin to change as well; just take it easy and get a prenatal check up scheduled for when you get back to Korea.”

Seonghwa nodded as she left the room, squeezing the papers tightly. She couldn’t believe she was pregnant, with Hongjoong’s baby. Hongjoong…

Hongjoong would be there right? Despite having a girlfriend? Sighing softly Seonghwa approached her manager who immediately took in her distressed state.

“Seonghwa-ssi, what’s wrong?”

Seonghwa sighed, “I’m pregnant. It’s Hongjoong’s.”

The manager gasped, she’d been aware of the two hooking up when stress relief was needed. But this was…

“I’m sorry Seongwha, come on. I’ll tell the others you aren’t gonna join in on the schedule.”

“No I want to be there, I’ll just take it easy.”

Heading back to the scheduled location Seonghwa felt uneasy, nervous, anxious. A mixture of emotions flooded her system, especially seeing Hongjoong’s arm wrapped around the dark skinned woman’s waist. Her puffy hair tied into a ponytail as she rested her head on his shoulder. Hongjoong was never like that, especially not when they’d hooked up; he’d never offered affection after..it was part of their deal. So why did it hurt?

“Noona! You’re back! Are you okay!?”

Wooyoung ran up to her excitedly, hugging her tightly. Oh sweet Wooyoungie, he was always looking out for her; he considered her his big sister.

“I’m…let’s talk about it later okay?”

Wooyoung nodded, though she didn’t miss the worry that flashed in his eyes. Seongwha walked over to where the other members were sitting, settling on sitting next to San and Mingi who both looked a bit concerned.

“Not sitting next to captain.” , “no.”

She could hear Hongjoong scoff, rolling his eyes in a manner she wasn’t sure was teasing or just being rude.

“I’m not that bad Seongwha Noona, I don’t bite. You don’t have to avoid me.”

“I’m not avoiding you, I’m sitting.”

Seongwha ignored him. Looking down at her phone instead, going into her period tracker app to update the details.

“Probably doesn’t want to offend me, none taken sister. I know you’re just friends.”

Just friends? I’m carrying his kid.

Seonghwa’s lips pressed tight together, glancing up at the woman who was looking right back at her.

“That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is it sis? Don’t like black women?”

“Didn’t say that. I’m not racist, your skin tone isn’t a big deal.”

“Maybe you’re just jealous it isn’t you then.”

Maybe you’re jealous it isn’t you. Seongwha swallowed the lump in her throat, squeezing her phone tightly. It was Hongjoong who stopped it from going any further.

“Leave her alone. She’s my group member, that’s all.”

Seongwha’s heart sank, so she was just a band member? After having sex nearly every day for years!? They were just group members.

“I need to use the bathroom, I’ll be back before filming starts.”

Seongwha got up, speed walking out of the room and to the restrooms. Turning on the sink she splashed water on her face, her makeup wasn’t done anyway. A knock on the door came,

“Noona? It’s Yeosang; can I come in?”

Yeosang. Her favorite member if she was being honest.

“Sure Yeosangie.”

She turned off the sink, wiping her face dry as Yeosang stepped into the restroom. Closing the door behind him and locking it for good measure.

“What’s wrong? Hongjoong was worried about you.”

“Was he? Or was he worried I offended that bitch on his arm.”

Seonghwa sighed, his girlfriend had always disliked her. That much she knew, who wouldn’t be intimidated with a group of men that had a female amongst them.

“Bitch is a bit strong but..it fits.”

Yeosang sighed, “but really, what’s wrong? Hongjoong really was concerned he asked me to check on you.”

Seonghwa hugged herself tightly. Her eyes meeting Yeosang’s.

“Promise you won’t tell?”

“Scouts honor Noona!”

Yeosang nodded, reaching out to take her hands in reassurance. Seonghwa nodded, starting off slowly.

“I went to urgent care today, since I’ve been so sick you know? And, I know why I’ve been sick.”

Yeosang’s brow arched, a confused look adorning his adorable little face.

“Noona…are you…?”

“I’m pregnant Yeosang, it’s Hongjoong’s. But you can’t tell him.”

Yeosang gasped, looking flustered as he took in the information.

“You have to tell him! He’s going to be a father, he deserves to know.”

Seonghwa sighed, “I know he does, but he has a girlfriend. And would she really want to be with a guy who’s having a baby with another woman?”

Yeosang nodded, looking at his Noona before humming.

“Why don’t you ask him to speak privately once she’s gone? I know you don’t want to offend her but come on, you can’t keep a baby a secret.”

Seongwha nodded.

“Okay, I’ll tell him. Can you…make sure no one gets too curious while I tell him?”

Yeosang nodded.

“Of course Noona, congratulations by the way; you’re gonna be an amazing mom.”

Seongwha smiled, hugging yeosang tightly.

“Thank you, I’m actually excited to be a mom..I just hope Hongjoong will be happy to be a dad.”

The two hugged a bit longer before leaving the restroom, it was going to be a long day.

•

Hongjoong watched as Seongwha and Yeosang came back, letting out a sigh of relief.

“I don’t get why she’s so special to you.”

His girlfriend rolled her eyes, making him frown.

“She’s my best friend Jay, don’t be so harsh. Besides, she’s a woman too. Gotta look out for her.”

The girl only hummed, looking back down at her phone. Seonghwa cleared her throat approaching Hongjoong slowly,

“Hey, can we talk?”

Hongjoong tensed up, nodding slowly letting go of his girlfriend who immediately stood up.

“No way you’re talking to him alone.”

“Stop. It’s fine.”

Hongjoong followed Seongwha to a quiet spot, in private away from everyone else. The two sat together on the couch in the dressing room, the silence was deafening; making Hongjoong squirm.

“So what’s wrong?”

His hands were getting sweaty while Seonghwa adjusted her top, he’d be lying if he said his eyes didn’t drift to her breast. Seongwha cleared her throat again, adjusting her posture.

“I went to the doctors today, and I discovered something pretty big.”

Hongjoong’s brow arched,

“Okay? What was it? Does it affect the group? Do you need a leave of absence?”

Seonghwa looked down, squeezing the fabric of her sweatpants between her thin fingers.

“If affects us, and the group; and your girlfriend.”

Oh?

“Well, I’m here; so let’s talk about it and then see where this leads us? But we do have to hurry, the schedule starts in an hour.”

Seongwha nodded, that’s when Hongjoong saw the tear sliding down her cheek; his thumb reached out to wipe the tear away.

“Hey…it’s okay, I’m here.”

Seonghwa nodded, her hair covering her face as she squeezed her pants tighter.

“You’re…I’m…baby.”

Baby?

“I don’t think I follow?”

“I’m..we’re having a baby. I’m pregnant Hongjoong, you’re going to be a dad.”

Immediately Hongjoong jerked back, a mixture of anger, confusion, and concern swirling in his stomach. Concerned how they’d take care of their baby as idols, confused as to how she was pregnant, angry it would have to be announced to his girlfriend.

“I..how..what..when? How far are you!?”

Seonghwa began to cry harder, her shoulders shaking.

“I don’t know! I’m three months along, maybe my birth control pill didn’t work…I don’t know how it happened but it did. You’re going to be a dad and…”

Suddenly Hongjoong’s hands were on her shoulders, his face close to her own. He didn’t look angry, not sad either; just..confused.

“Hey, we’re going to figure this out, we have to start by telling everyone. And if Jaydah says anything…then don’t worry about it okay? You’re gonna be a mom to my child, and we’re gonna take care of this baby together okay?”

Their eyes met, suddenly the world around them disappeared. It wasn’t clear who leaned in first. Their lips pressed firmly together in a soft kiss, Hongjoong’s hands still resting on Seongwha’s shoulders. After a few seconds the kiss broke, the two looking into each others eyes; unsure of what to say.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Seonghwa nodded, “yeah.”

•

The kiss replayed in Seongwha’s mind as they headed back, Hongjoong’s hand resting on her lower back for reassurance. He’d kissed her, they’d kissed. What did it mean now? Entering the backstage area Hongjoong took a deep breath,

“Ready? Does anyone else know?”

“Yeosang.”

Hongjoong nodded, “you’re gonna be a good mom okay? No matter what.”

Seonghwa nodded, offering a small smile.

“Yeah, okay.”

Approaching the group Hongjoong’s hand moved to squeeze her own, the gesture didn’t go unnoticed by his girlfriend who sneered.

“What’s this!? Holding hands!? Seriously?”

“Stop, and listen. We have something we need to tell you.”

The room fell silent, Yeosang offering a nod in Seongwha’s direction. The woman nodded back before speaking.

“I..went to the doctors today because I’ve been sick, and..I got my results back. The reason I’ve been so sick is because…I’m pregnant, and it’s Hongjoong’s baby. I’m about three months along so our baby should be showing themselves soon.”

Her hand rested subconsciously on her stomach, already imagining the little bump that would appear over the next few months. It felt more real now, she was having a baby. Hongjoong’s baby…the man she…

“You’re joking. Seriously joong!? Getting another woman pregnant.”

“It was befit we got together, don’t act this way.”

The woman scoffed, grabbing her bag.

“Don’t worry, I can’t be with a man that’s impregnating random women.”

With Jaydah gone the room went silent, Hongjoong’s jaw tensed as he turned to the woman who was leaving.

“She’s not a random woman! She’s my best friend and mother of my child, maybe it’s best you leave so I can focus on my child and not a spoiled brat.”

The woman’s jaw dropped, only huffing as she left. The room was silent before everyone burst into laughter.

“Damn captain, savage as always.”

San laughed, before getting up to hug the two.

“But congratulations on the baby! You two are going to be great parents!”

The group got up one by one, eventually forming a group hug. Everything was going to be okay, they had each other. Seongwha looked at Hongjoong over the members heads, their eyes locking. A smile formed on Hongjoong’s face, mouthing a ‘ I’m proud of you’ Seongwha would be lying if she said she didn’t cry again.

•

It had been 2 months since the two announced the pregnancy, Seongwha was currently laying on the table in the doctors office; her shirt pushed up just below her breast while Hongjoong sat next to her. His hand in hers as they waited for the doctor.

Hongjoong had become more attentive, more strict with the other members to not accidentally hurt the mother of his child; he’d even bought the two of them an apartment to raise their baby in without the other members being around. Hongjoong was acting as a father should, but maybe Seongwha wanted more. Maybe she wanted him to act like her boyfriend as well, kiss her head and hold her; cherish and love her the way she loved…the way she loved him.

She’d been in love with him since they’d began this whole friends with benefits thing, now they were having a baby together; and the feelings only grew more intense. Her eyes drifted over to the man, his eyes were glued to his phone; typing a reply back to Eden who was working on their new albums beats.

“Father of the year award.”

She joked, playfully rolling her eyes. Hongjoong laughed, putting his phone away immediately.

“Gotta make money for our baby Seongwha. You don’t want our little one sleeping in a box do you.”

She giggled, squeezing his hand tighter.

“Our baby is going to have much more luxuries than most babies have Hongjoong, the most spoiled baby in South Korea. Speaking of which, when should we announce our pregnancy to the public? I’m getting huge here.”

It was true, her bump was significantly larger than it had been when she first discovered she was pregnant. A noticable curve pushing against her tight shirts, but easily hidden under Hongjoong’s baggy ones. Atiny had already noticed she was wearing Hongjoong’s clothes, which had spawned a dating rumor, it was denied of course. They weren’t dating, but Seongwha wished they were.

Hongjoong hummed, leaning forward a bit.

“Well, the announcement of us having a baby coming after a denied dating rumor? A bit odd don’t you think? I want to tell atiny, I want to share our baby with our fans, but…I dunno, I don’t want it to seem like we lied. Even though we didn’t, we aren’t dating but..”

His cheeks heated up, looking away for a moment.

“I want to…I want to date you.”

Seongwha blushed now, her cheeks red before she coughed to clear her throat.

“Perfect confession Casanova. We’re in a doctor office.”

Hongjoong laughed again, god she loved that laugh; she hoped their baby laughed like him.

“Listen, let’s talk about it after okay? I’m too excited to see our baby.”

Seonghwa nodded as the doctor came in, having all the materials he needed.

“Well good afternoon you two, sorry I’m late. I’m doctor Min, you must be Miss Park and Mr. Kim .”

The pair nodded, holding hands a little tighter now.

“ Now before we start the ultrasound, are there any questions you have pertaining to the pregnancy? I understand you’re both idols so I’ll go ahead and recommend you both take a 3 month hiatus starting at about 8 months pregnant in order to monitor the pregnancy. Is that alright?”

Hongjoong nodded,

“Shouldn’t it be seven months? Eight seems to be cutting it close.”

Four month hiatus? They’d be dropping their album then, they’d miss promotions.

“That works as well, now; ready to see your baby?”

The pair nodded, their hands joined as they eyes focused on the screen. The gel was cold on Seonghwa’s stomach making her shiver a bit, earning a soft giggle from Hongjoong. A few seconds later their baby appeared on the screen, Seongwha’s eyes went wide; tears immediately pooling in them. Hongjoong’s own eyes were wet with tears as well, staring in awe at the screen that showed his child. Their child.

“There’s your baby, would you like to know the sex? We can tell right about now and you both can get started on a nursery and clothes.”

“Yes.”

They both spoke at the same time, watching as the doctor moved the wand a bit more.

“Well, it seems you two are expecting a baby boy. Congratulations!”

A boy, they were having a son!?

“Our son, Seongwha that’s our son.”

Hongjoong smiled widely, getting up and pressing a soft kiss on Seongwha’s lips. Taken by surprise she kissed him back, allowing herself to enjoy this moment. They’d be welcoming their baby boy soon, and they couldn’t wait for that moment to come.

Returning back to their apartment Seongwha yawned as she sat down on the couch, running her fingers through her long hair. It’d gotten longer since they first found out they were expecting a baby, now down to her mid back.

“You look beautiful, you know that?”

Hongjoong sat beside her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. Seonghwa blushed, laying her head against the crook of his neck; breathing in his cologne. Her heart began to beat faster, looking up at the man who looked back at her.

“Did you mean it? When you said you wanted to date me?”

Hongjoong’s eyes softened, tilting her chin up as he smiled.

“Seongwha of course I did, I…I love you. And I was foolish for not realizing it sooner. I love you, and I’ll do anything to protect you and our baby. I know the other members will too.”

Seongwha smiled, happy tears coming to her eyes.

“I love you, I always have Hongjoong.”

The pair leaned in, pressing their lips together as they shared a passionate kiss. Hongjoong’s hands moved to her lower back, pulling the woman impossibly closer as the kiss deepened. The moment Seongwha had been waiting for for months, after a few minutes the couple parted. Their foreheads pressed together.

“I love you, will you be my girlfriend? I love you.”

Hongjoong kissed her forehead softly. Seonghwa nodded, her head falling against his shoulder.

“Of course I will, I love you too.”

The couple relaxed in each others embrace, happy to finally be together.

•

It was two months later when they’d decided to tell Atiny. Seonghwa and Hongjoong were set to begin their hiatus soon, the apartment was already baby proofed; the nursery was done, all there was left to do was wait for their baby to arrive into the world. In two months of dating Hongjoong had showered Seongwha with gifts, affection, support. He was already showing how much of a good father he’d be, a good future husband. The two agreed marriage was a long way off, even if they’d be having a baby soon. They didn’t mind taking it slow.

“Hurry up guys, I think uncle Wooyoung might explode if he can’t cut the cake soon.”

Mingi laughed at the second youngest member, Wooyoung had been the most excited about being an uncle. Ready to shower his nephew in love and affection.

“My nephew will be here in two months! Can you blame me! Uncle Woo is gonna spoil him so much!”

The group members laughed, Seonghwa and Hongjoong sitting in the middle of everyone as the camera was set up. They’d agreed to do a gender reveal following the pregnancy and dating announcement, the members each had confetti poppers with blue confetti in them. Everything was ready to begin. Seonghwa brushed her hair out of her face, which didn’t go unnoticed by San who quickly secured a scrunchie in her hair tying it in a low ponytail.

“Feel better Noona?”

“Much, thank you Sannie.”

The camera started rolling, the members faces filling the screen as Atiny began flooding in.

“Hello Atiny! As you can see from the title we have a bit of an announcement. Well, a few announcements! The first one we’ll get out of the way but…our comeback is going to be a bit different this time around as we are going on hiatus.”

The comments ramped up, confusion and some anger flooding in.

“Don’t be angry Atiny! We have a good reason.”

Yunho pouted, he was reading the comments.

“Yunho is right, that leads us to our next announcement.”

Hongjoong held Seonghwa’s hand, gently kissing it.

“Seonghwa and I are dating! She’s my girlfriend, and..the mother of my child. We’re having a baby atiny!”

The comments stopped suddenly, before immediately being flooded with hearts. Overpowering the few angry face emojis. They’d known angry reactions would come, yet they didn’t care.

“We’re going to be uncles! Can I cut the cake now!”

Wooyoung was wiggling in his spot next to the cake, Seonghwa giggled softly.

“In just a moment, Atiny; do you want to know the gender of our baby? They’re due very soon hence why the group is going on hiatus.”

The comments were overwhelmingly answers of ‘yes’ and ‘please tell us’. The members prepared their party poppers waiting for the couple to announce it.

“Well..Hongjoong want to tell them?”

Hongjoong nodded, “well Atiny, we’re having…a baby boy! I’m going to have a son!”

The confetti showered over them, the blue paper fluttering to the floor. Wooyoung looked to the couple who nodded, immediately cutting the cake only to grab a slice on his hand and smear the blue icing all over their faces.

The couple laughed, Seongwha’s hand resting protectively on her large bump. Celebrating her pregnancy with her favorite people and fans was something she’d always dreamed of, now it was real. She was having a baby with the man she loved, a beautiful baby boy they’d welcome in just two short months. The couple shared a soft kiss on camera, the rest of the night belonged to them.

•

It was 2am when Seonghwa began to writhe in pain. Nine months pregnant, she was ready to pop; and it seemed like that time was now.

“Hongjoong, it hurts…”

Hongjoong immediately switched on the lights, carefully helping his girlfriend sit up.

“Is it the baby!? Are you okay!? Do we need to go to the hospital!?”

Seonghwa nodded, a wet feeling between her legs suddenly made her gasp.

“Fuck..we need to go now.”

Her water had broken, their baby would be coming soon. Hongjoong helped Seonghwa out of the bed, grabbing their hospital bag and the baby’s bag before heading out to the car, squickly making their way to the hospital. The whole drive Seongwha’s cries of pain progressively grew louder, her hands clutching her stomach as Hongjoong drove as fast as he could.

“We’re almost there baby, don’t worry, It’ll be okay.”

Hongjoong’s hand rubbed her thigh, making sure she was as relaxed as possible. Arriving to the hospital the couple made their way to the receptionist desk,

“Excuse me, my girlfriend is in labor!”

Hongjoong held onto his lover, keeping her steady on her feet despite the pain. The couple were immediately taken to labor and delivery, Seongwha was changed into a gown; her hair tied up in a messy bun as she lay in the hospital bed. Hongjoong next to her squeezing her hand.

“I’m here, soon we’ll have our baby boy.”

His lips pressed against her forehead, Seongwha grunted in pain as she nodded.

“I know it just hurts…so fucking bad!”

A scream came from her throat, hands squeezing the railing. It wouldn’t be long now.

•

Hours later their baby boy had been born, cuddled up to his mother’s bare chest; Hongjoong stared in awe at the small baby. His nose was slightly pointed like his own, but his remaining features matched his mother’s.

“He’s so beautiful, just like his mom.”

Seongwha nodded, happily cradling the baby against her chest. She had everything she could ever dream of, a loving boyfriend, a career she loved, and now a baby boy. Her little star.

“Our little star. Your uncles are going to be so excited to meet you.”

• to be continued •

|| I know I know cliff hanger! I just really didn’t want this to drag!!

[your-local-uwu-artist]

It was a warm day in June. The sun was shining brightly. It was the last day of school. Then, I’d be done for good (unless I went to college). my classes seem to take forever. Then it’s graduation time. My mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and younger sister are in the front row. My friend, Katherina maze, is called first. Then Fiona kettle, Mazza grave, and Anthony Brass. Then, my name, Timpani Ozona, is called. My family is cheering louder than ever before. In fact, my 4th grader sister, flute, even got her cheerleading squad to do a cheer for me! I was smiling wider than ever. I get to study to be a doctor, my dream job. I was excited, but might have gotten a bit carried away when I did a front flip in front of the audience. I go back to my spot, feeling awesome.” After everyone was called, me and my friends walked home. ‘How lucky!’ Kate exclaims. Her twin sister, Jane, replies in a know-it-all voice, “it takes skill, not luck.” Then she turns to me and congratulates me. When I get home, I get no break. We went out to Zina’s grill, my favorite. Then we went to get cake, where I bump into my friend celine. She congratulated me then says “tell me everything you learn, alright?” “I’ll try,” I reply. “I have to leave on august 1st. See you!” When we return home, I pack for college. It is in Madica, Cleveland. I’ll have to go live there. ✨S U D D E N L Y✨, my best friend hope pops up out of nowhere. “Agh! You scared me!” “We can be roommates!” She says excitedly. “Yes!” I say. The rest of the days go by in a blur. However, I can remember something late said. My old boyfriend, Dane, totally dumped me. I was sad for a while. Kate told me. “If you get an awesome boyfriend tell me!!!” Hope pipes up. Her little sister piper is there. She and my sis are BFFS. Three days later, I’m speechless. “Wow” I say, taking in all of Cleveland university of tequila. A guide shows us around. It’s amazing. I hear hope suddenly ask if we can be roommates. “You’ll have to talk to ms. Paleo.” He paused for a moment. “Do you have your books?” “Yes!” “Good. Your classroom is over here.” He says, pointing to a room marked ‘275’ I find two empty desks. We sit down. “Okay class, open to page 52 in the human body: anatomy and workings.” The days go by, and I learn a lot…

It is late august. I am twenty-three years old, and I still keep a diary. I don’t know why. Today this morning I went for a walk, but something told me to bring my first aid kit. I brought a fold up stretcher (are injuries really that severe today???) and stuff to set a broken bone (I’m a total weirdo). I had been strolling happily for five minutes when I heard something interesting. I saw two TOD (tribe of darkness) boys pestering- no, threatening another. They were slowly inching closer so he’d fall off. I caught one word tho: “you’re so scared you belong on the human side haha” they laugh. Why are they laughing, I wondered, why are they pushing someone off Cliff Cleveland, which is 150,000 meters tall. I set up my portable elevator (tons of technology, right? It’s the year of 2109. I climb down it, but it’s too late. The sound of somebody falling echoes through the canyon. He took quite a fall. I pull out the stretcher, and go somewhere where my supplies are. I’m thought learning learning how to treat TOD people was completely worthless, but it paid off BIG TIME. thirty minutes or so later, while I’m fixing myself a cup of tea, I hear a noise. I quickly head back to the room. He looks confused. I hadn’t really thought about what I’d do once he woke up. He starts squirming. He’s obviously trying to get out. He needs to stay 25 more minutes. I was warned about this. I also took psychology (I was a very lucky girl. Not many girls went to college. I had to get 100% on every assignment and had to do 15 sheets of extra credit every night. I had to work very hard.) I also learned that TOD people need to stay in bed for an hour. There were still twenty three minutes left.

@interdimensionalvoid ????????????????????????????????

[shiocreator]

It was a warm day in June. The sun was shining brightly. It was the last day of school. Then, I’d be done for good (unless I went to college). my classes seem to take forever. Then it’s graduation time. My mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and younger sister are in the front row. My friend, Katherina maze, is called first. Then Fiona kettle, Mazza grave, and Anthony Brass. Then, my name, Timpani Ozona, is called. My family is cheering louder than ever before. In fact, my 4th grader sister, flute, even got her cheerleading squad to do a cheer for me! I was smiling wider than ever. I get to study to be a doctor, my dream job. I was excited, but might have gotten a bit carried away when I did a front flip in front of the audience. I go back to my spot, feeling awesome.” After everyone was called, me and my friends walked home. ‘How lucky!’ Kate exclaims. Her twin sister, Jane, replies in a know-it-all voice, “it takes skill, not luck.” Then she turns to me and congratulates me. When I get home, I get no break. We went out to Zina’s grill, my favorite. Then we went to get cake, where I bump into my friend celine. She congratulated me then says “tell me everything you learn, alright?” “I’ll try,” I reply. “I have to leave on august 1st. See you!” When we return home, I pack for college. It is in Madica, Cleveland. I’ll have to go live there. ✨S U D D E N L Y✨, my best friend hope pops up out of nowhere. “Agh! You scared me!” “We can be roommates!” She says excitedly. “Yes!” I say. The rest of the days go by in a blur. However, I can remember something late said. My old boyfriend, Dane, totally dumped me. I was sad for a while. Kate told me. “If you get an awesome boyfriend tell me!!!” Hope pipes up. Her little sister piper is there. She and my sis are BFFS. Three days later, I’m speechless. “Wow” I say, taking in all of Cleveland university of tequila. A guide shows us around. It’s amazing. I hear hope suddenly ask if we can be roommates. “You’ll have to talk to ms. Paleo.” He paused for a moment. “Do you have your books?” “Yes!” “Good. Your classroom is over here.” He says, pointing to a room marked ‘275’ I find two empty desks. We sit down. “Okay class, open to page 52 in the human body: anatomy and workings.” The days go by, and I learn a lot…

Five years later

It is late august. I am twenty-three years old, and I still keep a diary. I don’t know why. Today this morning I went for a walk, but something told me to bring my first aid kit. I brought a fold up stretcher (are injuries really that severe today???) and stuff to set a broken bone (I’m a total weirdo). I had been strolling happily for five minutes when I heard something interesting. I saw two TOD (tribe of darkness) boys pestering- no, threatening another. They were slowly inching closer so he’d fall off. I caught one word tho: “you’re so scared you belong on the human side haha” they laugh. Why are they laughing, I wondered, why are they pushing someone off Cliff Cleveland, which is 150,000 meters tall. I set up my portable elevator (tons of technology, right? It’s the year of 2109. I climb down it, but it’s too late. The sound of somebody falling echoes through the canyon. He took quite a fall. I pull out the stretcher, and go somewhere where my supplies are. I’m thought learning learning how to treat TOD people was completely worthless, but it paid off BIG TIME. thirty minutes or so later, while I’m fixing myself a cup of tea, I hear a noise. I quickly head back to the room. He looks confused. I hadn’t really thought about what I’d do once he woke up. He starts squirming. He’s obviously trying to get out. He needs to stay 25 more minutes. I was warned about this. I also took psychology (I was a very lucky girl. Not many girls went to college. I had to get 100% on every assignment and had to do 15 sheets of extra credit every night. I had to work very hard.) I also learned that TOD people need to stay in bed for an hour. There were still twenty three minutes left.

Interdimensionalvoid i know it's you

[hotchs-second-wife]

Station 19 Spin-off, but it's their kids

Your girl just finished Station 19 up until the most recent episode and y'know she had to make their future kids as well!

Jack's got twins because I said so.

I can just see him being a twin dad, yk?

Their mother is the worst, so Jack has sole custody of his little prince, Dean, and little princess, Lila.

Yes, he would indefinitely name his son after Dean - we all know how much Jack loves his Station 19 family!!

And he clearly loved his foster sister so much.

Lila looks up to Maya and strives to be a captain, so she made it there bc she's a Gibson.

Dean settling with just being a regular firefighter and watching his big sis rise.

Carina would for sure name her kid after her brother. She had a whole episode where she mourned her baby brother!

I feel like he'd be a doctor just so his mama (Carina) doesn't lose another Andrew that she loves, but he really just wants to follow in his mom's (Maya's) footsteps.

And so he does.

Travis finally meets the new love of his life (after Michael's death) and they have a son through surrogacy - which Travis and his partner agree to call Michael, both after Travis' late husband and the partner's father- I guess?

I would love it if Pru became a battalion chief, especially after seeing Dean wanna rise through the ranks but couldn't because...well, death, and so Pru does.

And hell if she lets anyone downtalk her because she's a female battalion chief-

You know she's not going to let it slide - we all know her aunts would have taught her that.

Okay but I would love to see a 'he fell first, but she fell harder' relationship in S19 and I've already designated that to Andrew Deluca-Bishop and Lila Gibson.

"But wouldn't Andrew have been created with Jack's sperm and Carina's egg?" "Wouldn't they be half siblings through Jack?"

No.

Canonically in this AU, Carina's body just didn't take to Jack's little guys, and the Deluca-Bishops found Mason (Maya's brother). They decided to try again with Mason's sperm so at least the child would have similar DNA to Maya and PRESTO-

Idk if that's how you spell it-

Maya figured at least the baby would have more of a chance to look like her since Mason is her brother, but Andrew was born looking like Carina, so- didn't really matter anyway.

Maya still adores her son, even though he looks nothing like her and every bit like a male version of Carina. He's her little boy, she knew she'd always love him from the moment she held him.

Vic and Theo having a little badass who is just like her mother-

Exactly like her mother in every way; looks, personality, attitude, every bit.

19 raising their kids together; like a village.

THE KIDS CALLING BEN "Grandpa" BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS CALL HIM "Dad"

Little toddler Dean crying when Ben tells him that he (Ben) isn't actually Jack's dad-

"You made a toddler cry, man." "I didn't mean to!"

Lila being a protective big twin sister, even at 3-years-old, glaring at Ben as her brother cries into their dad.

Jack having no clue what to do with his own children, so when a baby play pen (or whatever its called, I was 2 when my little brother was born and I see my younger cousins like once a year, if that-) it put in the lounge of the station, he just sticks them in that until they're hungry or need the potty.

It's 2am on Boxing Day and I should be sleeping but I can't.

Don't finish off the eggnog in your fridge and an entire Monster can right before bed.

It messes with your already messed up sleep schedule.

Or do. I'm not the boss of you.

Andrew being scared of Jack when he's thinking about asking Lila on a date, when he should be scared of her Uncle Travis.

As close as he is to his mom's friends, he doesn't actually refer to them as Auntie or Uncle. So...

Considers them family, because they're his parents' family, but wouldn't go out of his way to refer to them with familial titles.

Anyway-

Travis, while having his own kid, being incredibly protective of Jack's little Lila and Vic's little Marion.

He never had a daughter, and can't imagine having one, if he was honest. So Marion and Lila are the closest he has to daughters.

So, protective Uncle Travis? I say YES.

These kids for sure grew up with happy Christmases.

Firehouse Christmases, for sure.

They'd probably make Jack dress up as Santa, in all honesty.

Little Dean crying for his dad, and Jack tries to comfort him but he's like "I WANT MY DADDY! NOT SANTA!"

Jack takes off the hat and wig, and Dean immediately hugs him, and Jack just has to crouch there and not say anything because he wants his son to maintain that childhood innocence that he couldn't.

Jack letting his kids be kids for as long as possible, even well into their teen years, because he wanted that family so he's going to make sure his kids get that.

I feel like Andy would have a son, and she'd name him after Ryan because we all know how much she loved her childhood friend.

Him and Andrew being really close bc their moms are.

I think I'll leave it there because I'm gonna write a little christmas tale of when the kids were little.

Regarding middle names; Vic and Theo made Marion's middle name Andrea, after Andy helped Vic birth Marion (with Carina's help ofc, you can guarantee that Carina was there for a majority of the births), Jack made his son's middle name after his foster dad, and Vic helped Jack a lot with his daughter, so Lila's middle name is Victoria (she even gave Lila the period talk for Jack), and Ryan's middle name is after his grandpa.

Okay, I'm done for now-

S19 Children, Parent/s and Ages

Marion "Mari" Andrea Hughes - Victoria "Vic" and Theodora "Theo" Hughes, 20yo

Dean Marco Gibson - Jack Gibson, 21yo

Lila Victoria Gibson - Jack Gibson, 21yo

Ryan Pruitt Herrera - Andrea "Andy" Herrera, 23yo

Michael "Mike/Mickey" Montgomery - Travis Montgomery, 26yo

Andrew Deluca-Bishop - Carina and Maya Deluca-Bishop, 27yo

Pruitt "Pru" Miller - Dean Miller and JJ Lau, 32yo

[mykastory]

Dating apps suck.

I finally matched with a guy who seemed okay.

He was a strong Christian, Korean American, and a year older than me.

One of his photos was at a place that I had also been, so once we matched, I (uncharacteristically) 먼저 말 걸었어 asking if it was where I thought it was.

Turned out it was, and we ended up chatting for quite some time.

He lived in the same area for much longer than me and offered to be my tour guide.

I had my reservations about him but he sent me his license to prove his age and also his naturalization certificate to show me where he was - on two different days, far enough apart for me not to be suspicious.

With his positive, upbeat attitude and sincere, thoughtful questions, it finally got to a point where I felt a little comfortable with giving him my number.

I was deciding when to let him know that he had worn down my defenses when I suddenly had to go back to Korea because of my father.

Ever since going back to Korea, my dad hadn’t been feeling well. Eventually he 입원했어 and after about 3 weeks, in the span of a week, they found he had a cerebral aneurysm which progressed to hydrocephalus, and then a cyst which turned out to be a tumor and then suddenly spread throughout the brain at a speed that the doctors had never seen before.

My sister had been recording what the doctors said to them so that I could explain it to them in a way that they understood, and once I understood the gravity of the situation, I was torn between whether to go for his funeral or to go now to teach mom and my sis how to take care of him before he passed. I decided the latter made more sense because the funeral is for other people whereas if I went now, it would be for his care which is why I became a nurse in the first place. I booked my ticket and was getting ready, when…

I woke up one morning to a bunch of missed calls and texts from my mom, sis, and BIL.

Got in touch with my sis and she tells me to get on the next plane because my dad took a turn for the worst - his O2 demand kept increasing and making him unstable.

“Oh, and btw… 큰아빠 just passed away too…”

He had recently broken his hip and was in the hospital waiting surgery when a fat embolism hit and he had an MI. He had also been crying for weeks since my dad was hospitalized, “동생을 어떻게 먼저 보내~”

I drove down to my BIL’s house to grab my dad’s favorite suit and got on the next plane to Korea, praying that he would wait for me before he passed.

Luckily I got to Korea in time. I was able to clean up his body and make him feel comfortable before he took his last breath, just four hours after I got there, and two days after his big brother had gone first to pave the way.

I’m so grateful that I was there to be able to take care of things - contacting his friends, funeral arrangements, 삼일장, embalmment, burial… One bit of silver lining is that I was able to redeem myself to a lot of people who thought I was a 깍쟁이 brat! Seeing how well I handled everything and took care of things by myself (“like the son mom and dad never had”) made people see me in a different light. I feel like I got my redemption and that everyone finally sees me for who I really am, which is one of the reasons why I became a nurse. Mission success! Thank you, God.

RIP daddy, I miss you and love you so much. Thank you for everything. You gave up everything for us. I will never forget that and will do everything in my power to honor you and your wishes.

So… during this dark time, I was surprised to see J reach out to me.

When I left, I had texted him from my phone (he had given me his number a while ago but I never had a given him mine), telling him that the tour would have to wait as I had to go to Korea all of a sudden because my dad took a turn for the worst (he knew that he was sick in the hospital and that I was planning on going).

He had some very kind words, and then a few weeks later, sent me a sermon that he thought I might like, followed by a CCM song about a week later.

I was touched by his consistency and contacted him when I got back.

After numerous deep conversations via text and phone, I agreed to meet him for a date.

Against my better judgment, I let him pick me up at my place. My friends pointed out that since I was moving soon, it would be okay.

He came by with a bottle of wine and cake.

“Is this your way of inviting yourself over after our dinner and movie?”

His bday had just passed and he found out that my bday was not too long ago, either, so he said it was “solely for me to enjoy.”

Sure buddy.

We had an early dinner at a cute Italian place near my house and then went to a cafe for coffee/tea.

Great conversation but after an hour with another hour to go before the movie started, I got antsy so we decided to hot box in his car lol

Bad idea. I guess I forgot how paranoid I get when I smoke.

I started to freak out, wondering what would happen if he tried to use his strength against me.

But there’s something I should tell you about him before that.

He confided to me a week or so before we met that he suffered from moyamoya disease and had had a stroke which left his left hand and foot paralyzed.

He said he could walk fine but could only text with his right hand.

It threw me off but I came to terms and was fine with it.

When he picked me up, I noticed him limping but he also said he had hurt his knee so maybe that was it, but then everywhere we went, he would only park in the handicap spot, leading me to believe that the limp was his baseline and not a result of the recent knee pain.

Surely, I could take on a hemiplegic?

Also, side note. Ever since we ate, he had this black piece of something - I’m guessing a spice - stuck in his teeth. I wanted to tell him but I’m really bad at bringing that kind of stuff up. I just let it bother me and ruin my whole image of that person. I know, it’s horrible.

So anyway, up until this point, I was evaluating whether I would be able to handle his hemiplegia and leaning positive because we really clicked emotionally. He checked a lot of my other boxes that were more important, like being a strong Christian and being vocal about how much he cares for and appreciates me. But you know how when you smoke, 사람 내면이 나와? Well, the 내면 of his that I saw wasn’t great. He kinda did a 180 and wasn’t as nice as before and only seemed interested in making out when I was trying to tell him a story.

Since I’m skeeved out by how fast he turned creepy and not really feeling it, I figure I’ll experiment. Let’s not tell him about that thing stuck in his teeth and see how he reacts to it when he gets home and finds out he had that in there all night. Will he be confident enough to brush it off, tell me, and laugh about it? Or will he just be embarrassed and never talk to me again? Or will he pretend like it never happened? Or will he never know that it was there cuz he brushes his teeth as soon as he gets home? Lol

We watched a movie (which he changed last minute -_-), during which he kept trying to kiss me but I tried to stay focused on the screen.

Afterwards, he drove me home and we were sitting in the car - him trying to find some way to get me to let him up and me trying to say goodbye.

I let him have a little fun with me - it never gets old hearing a guy gush about how hot your body is :p - but despite my trying to keep it PG-13 and saying no to his advances, he kept trying to push me further. Honestly, I was a liiiiiiiiitle bit tempted cuz it’s been a long time and I was super horny. But I didn’t want him to think that he could buy his way into my house with a cheap bottle of wine and cake from Publix. Puh-lease. I have more self respect than that.

I started to get annoyed and told him to cool it - and he would, only to try again five mins later.

At some point I got tired of hearing his begging and said goodbye and got out of the car.

He called me after I walked inside and he got back on the road, but he kept saying how he wanted to turn back around and to let him in.

After about a bajillion no’s and 하지마’s, I hung up on him.

He usually sends me a song to wake up to with a good morning text, but there was none the next day.

Just a few casual texts here and there, usually only lasting one or two exchanges.

Is it embarrassment from finding out he had that spice stuck in his teeth?

Did he lose interest cuz I didn’t sleep with him on the first date? Although he did say how endearing he found that I was so “shy” despite our racy texts.

Does he think I rejected him cuz of his hemiplegia?

근데… 안물안궁 ㅋㅋㅋ

The dark side I saw of him is enough to make me lose interest so it doesn’t really matter.

What I do know is that I was able to hold my own.

I used to be afraid to be vocal or disagree or push back against the grain, but apparently, not anymore. I was able to voice how I feel and advocate for myself.

I think it must be from nursing. Ever since I started nursing and learned to advocate for my patient, I feel like that made it easier to advocate for myself.

I was also able to resist physical temptation. Old me would’ve given in to the sexual tension and brought him upstairs, but I knew that the physical connection would strengthen our emotional connection and I didn’t trust him enough to let that happen yet. I tried to explain this to him multiple times but he didn’t seem to understand. *shrug

As bad as it makes me feel, I’m kind of glad that I don’t have to deal with the burden of… him.

I miss the connection we shared, because I really thought he might be the one, but the small bits that he showed me of his dark side were real eye openers. I think you always gotta trust your gut instinct.

I don’t know if i still believe him to be out there…

The original, hopeful part of me does,

but the old, jaded side of me wonders if the reason why I always cried at weddings was because I knew I would never get one…

No… that’s not true… I don’t believe that.

I believe I will find love.

That was the other thing.

The reason why I thought he might be the one is because I met him after I started praying 배우자 기도.

이번은 아니었지만 it was also a great opportunity to help me learn more about myself in a relationship.

Paving the way towards the final one?

[sunny6677]

It was a warm day in June. The sun was shining brightly. It was the last day of school. Then, I’d be done for good (unless I went to college). my classes seem to take forever. Then it’s graduation time. My mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and younger sister are in the front row. My friend, Katherina maze, is called first. Then Fiona kettle, Mazza grave, and Anthony Brass. Then, my name, Timpani Ozona, is called. My family is cheering louder than ever before. In fact, my 4th grader sister, flute, even got her cheerleading squad to do a cheer for me! I was smiling wider than ever. I get to study to be a doctor, my dream job. I was excited, but might have gotten a bit carried away when I did a front flip in front of the audience. I go back to my spot, feeling awesome.” After everyone was called, me and my friends walked home. ‘How lucky!’ Kate exclaims. Her twin sister, Jane, replies in a know-it-all voice, “it takes skill, not luck.” Then she turns to me and congratulates me. When I get home, I get no break. We went out to Zina’s Mexican grill, my favorite. Then we went to get cake, where I bump into my friend celine. She congratulated me then says “tell me everything you learn, alright?” “I’ll try,” I reply. “I have to leave on august 1st. See you!” When we return home, I pack for college. It is in Madica, Cleveland. I’ll have to go live there. ✨S U D D E N L Y✨, my best friend hope pops up out of nowhere. “Agh! You scared me!” “We can be roommates!” She says excitedly. “Yes!” I say. The rest of the days go by in a blur. However, I can remember something late said. My old boyfriend, Dane, totally dumped me. I was sad for a while. Kate told me. “If you get an awesome boyfriend tell me!!!” Hope pipes up. Her little sister piper is there. She and my sis are BFFS. Three days later, I’m speechless. “Wow” I say, taking in all of Cleveland university of tequila. A guide shows us around. It’s amazing. I hear hope suddenly ask if we can be roommates. “You’ll have to talk to ms. Paleo.” He paused for a moment. “Do you have your books?” “Yes!” “Good. Your classroom is over here.” He says, pointing to a room marked ‘275’ I find two empty desks. We sit down. “Okay class, open to page 52 in the human body: anatomy and workings.” The days go by, and I learn a lot… 

It is late august. I am twenty-three years old, and I still keep a diary. I don’t know why. Today this morning I went for a walk, but something told me to bring my first aid kit. I brought a fold up stretcher (are injuries really that severe today???) and stuff to set a broken bone (I’m a total weirdo). I had been strolling happily for five minutes when I heard something interesting. I saw two TOD (tribe of darkness) boys pestering- no, threatening another. They were slowly inching closer so he’d fall off. I caught one word tho: “you’re so scared you belong on the human side haha” they laugh. Why are they laughing, I wondered, why are they pushing someone off Cliff Cleveland, which is 150,000 meters tall. I set up my portable elevator (tons of technology, right? It’s the year of 2109. I climb down it, but it’s too late. The sound of somebody falling echoes through the canyon. He took quite a fall. I pull out the stretcher, and go somewhere where my supplies are. I’m thought learning learning how to treat TOD people was completely worthless, but it paid off BIG TIME. thirty minutes or so later, while I’m fixing myself a cup of tea, I hear a noise. I quickly head back to the room. He looks confused. I hadn’t really thought about what I’d do once he woke up. He starts squirming. He’s obviously trying to get out. He needs to stay 25 more minutes. I was warned about this. I also took psychology (I was a very lucky girl. Not many girls went to college. I had to get 100% on every assignment and had to do 15 sheets of extra credit every night. I had to work very hard.) I also learned that TOD people need to stay in bed for an hour. There were still twenty three minutes left.

The fitness gram pacer test is a multi state aerobic capaci— /ref /j

[crossover-enthusiast]

It was a warm day in June. The sun was shining brightly. It was the last day of school. Then, I’d be done for good (unless I went to college). my classes seem to take forever. Then it’s graduation time. My mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and younger sister are in the front row. My friend, Katherina maze, is called first. Then Fiona kettle, Mazza grave, and Anthony Brass. Then, my name, Timpani Ozona, is called. My family is cheering louder than ever before. In fact, my 4th grader sister, flute, even got her cheerleading squad to do a cheer for me! I was smiling wider than ever. I get to study to be a doctor, my dream job. I was excited, but might have gotten a bit carried away when I did a front flip in front of the audience. I go back to my spot, feeling awesome.” After everyone was called, me and my friends walked home. ‘How lucky!’ Kate exclaims. Her twin sister, Jane, replies in a know-it-all voice, “it takes skill, not luck.” Then she turns to me and congratulates me. When I get home, I get no break. We went out to Zina’s Mexican grill, my favorite. Then we went to get cake, where I bump into my friend celine. She congratulated me then says “tell me everything you learn, alright?” “I’ll try,” I reply. “I have to leave on august 1st. See you!” When we return home, I pack for college. It is in Madica, Cleveland. I’ll have to go live there. ✨S U D D E N L Y✨, my best friend hope pops up out of nowhere. “Agh! You scared me!” “We can be roommates!” She says excitedly. “Yes!” I say. The rest of the days go by in a blur. However, I can remember something late said. My old boyfriend, Dane, totally dumped me. I was sad for a while. Kate told me. “If you get an awesome boyfriend tell me!!!” Hope pipes up. Her little sister piper is there. She and my sis are BFFS. Three days later, I’m speechless. “Wow” I say, taking in all of Cleveland university of tequila. A guide shows us around. It’s amazing. I hear hope suddenly ask if we can be roommates. “You’ll have to talk to ms. Paleo.” He paused for a moment. “Do you have your books?” “Yes!” “Good. Your classroom is over here.” He says, pointing to a room marked ‘275’ I find two empty desks. We sit down. “Okay class, open to page 52 in the human body: anatomy and workings.” The days go by, and I learn a lot… 

It is late august. I am twenty-three years old, and I still keep a diary. I don’t know why. Today this morning I went for a walk, but something told me to bring my first aid kit. I brought a fold up stretcher (are injuries really that severe today???) and stuff to set a broken bone (I’m a total weirdo). I had been strolling happily for five minutes when I heard something interesting. I saw two TOD (tribe of darkness) boys pestering- no, threatening another. They were slowly inching closer so he’d fall off. I caught one word tho: “you’re so scared you belong on the human side haha” they laugh. Why are they laughing, I wondered, why are they pushing someone off Cliff Cleveland, which is 150,000 meters tall. I set up my portable elevator (tons of technology, right? It’s the year of 2109. I climb down it, but it’s too late. The sound of somebody falling echoes through the canyon. He took quite a fall. I pull out the stretcher, and go somewhere where my supplies are. I’m thought learning learning how to treat TOD people was completely worthless, but it paid off BIG TIME. thirty minutes or so later, while I’m fixing myself a cup of tea, I hear a noise. I quickly head back to the room. He looks confused. I hadn’t really thought about what I’d do once he woke up. He starts squirming. He’s obviously trying to get out. He needs to stay 25 more minutes. I was warned about this. I also took psychology (I was a very lucky girl. Not many girls went to college. I had to get 100% on every assignment and had to do 15 sheets of extra credit every night. I had to work very hard.) I also learned that TOD people need to stay in bed for an hour. There were still twenty three minutes left.

V O I D P L E A S E

[notesfrompublicschool-blog]

Notes from Public School (2023-2024) - Day 38

When I lived in Mali, my friends taught me an African proverb - “I am because we are. We are because I am.”

This is ubuntu.

Compassion and humanity.

I love it.

I try to live it, too.

My school is a part of me.

I am a part of my school.

The world is a part of me.

I am a part of the world.

My community is a part of me.

I am a part of my community.

If I give my gifts and talents, if I give myself, to my community, then it becomes a more human community.

If my community gives it’s gifts and talents to me, if it gives itself, to me, then I become a more human human being.

We become.

Together.

That’s the way community works.

I tried to write this proverb into a small story.

Here it is.

Gabby took the bus home to her apartment.

“Cómo estás, Luisa?” she asked the small woman in the window seat as she sat down beside her.

“Bien,” she answered. “A little tired. I cleaned a lot of rooms at the motel today. Y tu?”

“Si, bien. Un poco cansado, tambien. I scrambled a lot of eggs at the Scrambled Egg. I can’t wait to put my feet up and rest them. What you doing this evening?”

“I’m going to cook for my family and take my daughter to help me clean the doctor’s office. Then I’ll rest.”

Gabby put her arm around Luisa’s shoulder and hugged her.

“Eres una buena mujer,” she said. I’m glad you’re my friend.

“Y tu, mi Amiga. Y tu.”

Gabby got off the bus in front of her apartment on the west side of the city. She lived on the west side of town. She and her neighbors didn’t have much money, but they did have a lot of kindness for each other.

‘Sup Gabby. How you doin’?” asked Bryant, who everyone called Big B. He had just come home from his job as a mechanic at the auto shop.

“Hola Big B. Not much. Just glad to be home. How was your day?”

“It was all good. The squeaky wheel got the grease, as they say, today and ev’ry day.”

“One of these days I’m gonna buy a car and the only person I’m gonna let work on it is you.”

“Deal. If you need anything, let me know, okay?”

“Sure thing! Same here.”

“You could come over and cook up some steak and eggs for me, you know.”

“Ugh, anything except that. I’ve cooked enough steak and eggs today...and ev’ry day!”

“Bet. I’m jus’ kiddin’ wit’ cha. Night Gabby. Take care.”

“Night B. You take care, too.”

[hershelwidget]

It was a warm day in June. The sun was shining brightly. It was the last day of school. Then, I’d be done for good (unless I went to college). my classes seem to take forever. Then it’s graduation time. My mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and younger sister are in the front row. My friend, Katherina maze, is called first. Then Fiona kettle, Mazza grave, and Anthony Brass. Then, my name, Timpani Ozona, is called. My family is cheering louder than ever before. In fact, my 4th grader sister, flute, even got her cheerleading squad to do a cheer for me! I was smiling wider than ever. I get to study to be a doctor, my dream job. I was excited, but might have gotten a bit carried away when I did a front flip in front of the audience. I go back to my spot, feeling awesome.” After everyone was called, me and my friends walked home. ‘How lucky!’ Kate exclaims. Her twin sister, Jane, replies in a know-it-all voice, “it takes skill, not luck.” Then she turns to me and congratulates me. When I get home, I get no break. We went out to Zina’s grill, my favorite. Then we went to get cake, where I bump into my friend celine. She congratulated me then says “tell me everything you learn, alright?” “I’ll try,” I reply. “I have to leave on august 1st. See you!” When we return home, I pack for college. It is in Madica, Cleveland. I’ll have to go live there. ✨S U D D E N L Y✨, my best friend hope pops up out of nowhere. “Agh! You scared me!” “We can be roommates!” She says excitedly. “Yes!” I say. The rest of the days go by in a blur. However, I can remember something late said. My old boyfriend, Dane, totally dumped me. I was sad for a while. Kate told me. “If you get an awesome boyfriend tell me!!!” Hope pipes up. Her little sister piper is there. She and my sis are BFFS. Three days later, I’m speechless. “Wow” I say, taking in all of Cleveland university of tequila. A guide shows us around. It’s amazing. I hear hope suddenly ask if we can be roommates. “You’ll have to talk to ms. Paleo.” He paused for a moment. “Do you have your books?” “Yes!” “Good. Your classroom is over here.” He says, pointing to a room marked ‘275’ I find two empty desks. We sit down. “Okay class, open to page 52 in the human body: anatomy and workings.” The days go by, and I learn a lot…

Five years later

It is late august. I am twenty-three years old, and I still keep a diary. I don’t know why. Today this morning I went for a walk, but something told me to bring my first aid kit. I brought a fold up stretcher (are injuries really that severe today???) and stuff to set a broken bone (I’m a total weirdo). I had been strolling happily for five minutes when I heard something interesting. I saw two TOD (tribe of darkness) boys pestering- no, threatening another. They were slowly inching closer so he’d fall off. I caught one word tho: “you’re so scared you belong on the human side haha” they laugh. Why are they laughing, I wondered, why are they pushing someone off Cliff Cleveland, which is 150,000 meters tall. I set up my portable elevator (tons of technology, right? It’s the year of 2109. I climb down it, but it’s too late. The sound of somebody falling echoes through the canyon. He took quite a fall. I pull out the stretcher, and go somewhere where my supplies are. I’m thought learning learning how to treat TOD people was completely worthless, but it paid off BIG TIME. thirty minutes or so later, while I’m fixing myself a cup of tea, I hear a noise. I quickly head back to the room. He looks confused. I hadn’t really thought about what I’d do once he woke up. He starts squirming. He’s obviously trying to get out. He needs to stay 25 more minutes. I was warned about this. I also took psychology (I was a very lucky girl. Not many girls went to college. I had to get 100% on every assignment and had to do 15 sheets of extra credit every night. I had to work very hard.) I also learned that TOD people need to stay in bed for an hour. There were still twenty three minutes left.

It took me a few moments to realize EXACTLY what this was and I am losing my mind out here Anon (positive)

[starboundsingularities]

It was a warm day in June. The sun was shining brightly. It was the last day of school. Then, I’d be done for good (unless I went to college). my classes seem to take forever. Then it’s graduation time. My mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and younger sister are in the front row. My friend, Katherina maze, is called first. Then Fiona kettle, Mazza grave, and Anthony Brass. Then, my name, Timpani Ozona, is called. My family is cheering louder than ever before. In fact, my 4th grader sister, flute, even got her cheerleading squad to do a cheer for me! I was smiling wider than ever. I get to study to be a doctor, my dream job. I was excited, but might have gotten a bit carried away when I did a front flip in front of the audience. I go back to my spot, feeling awesome.” After everyone was called, me and my friends walked home. ‘How lucky!’ Kate exclaims. Her twin sister, Jane, replies in a know-it-all voice, “it takes skill, not luck.” Then she turns to me and congratulates me. When I get home, I get no break. We went out to Zina’s grill, my favorite. Then we went to get cake, where I bump into my friend celine. She congratulated me then says “tell me everything you learn, alright?” “I’ll try,” I reply. “I have to leave on august 1st. See you!” When we return home, I pack for college. It is in Madica, Cleveland. I’ll have to go live there. ✨S U D D E N L Y✨, my best friend hope pops up out of nowhere. “Agh! You scared me!” “We can be roommates!” She says excitedly. “Yes!” I say. The rest of the days go by in a blur. However, I can remember something late said. My old boyfriend, Dane, totally dumped me. I was sad for a while. Kate told me. “If you get an awesome boyfriend tell me!!!” Hope pipes up. Her little sister piper is there. She and my sis are BFFS. Three days later, I’m speechless. “Wow” I say, taking in all of Cleveland university of tequila. A guide shows us around. It’s amazing. I hear hope suddenly ask if we can be roommates. “You’ll have to talk to ms. Paleo.” He paused for a moment. “Do you have your books?” “Yes!” “Good. Your classroom is over here.” He says, pointing to a room marked ‘275’ I find two empty desks. We sit down. “Okay class, open to page 52 in the human body: anatomy and workings.” The days go by, and I learn a lot…

Five years later

It is late august. I am twenty-three years old, and I still keep a diary. I don’t know why. Today this morning I went for a walk, but something told me to bring my first aid kit. I brought a fold up stretcher (are injuries really that severe today???) and stuff to set a broken bone (I’m a total weirdo). I had been strolling happily for five minutes when I heard something interesting. I saw two TOD (tribe of darkness) boys pestering- no, threatening another. They were slowly inching closer so he’d fall off. I caught one word tho: “you’re so scared you belong on the human side haha” they laugh. Why are they laughing, I wondered, why are they pushing someone off Cliff Cleveland, which is 150,000 meters tall. I set up my portable elevator (tons of technology, right? It’s the year of 2109. I climb down it, but it’s too late. The sound of somebody falling echoes through the canyon. He took quite a fall. I pull out the stretcher, and go somewhere where my supplies are. I’m thought learning learning how to treat TOD people was completely worthless, but it paid off BIG TIME. thirty minutes or so later, while I’m fixing myself a cup of tea, I hear a noise. I quickly head back to the room. He looks confused. I hadn’t really thought about what I’d do once he woke up. He starts squirming. He’s obviously trying to get out. He needs to stay 25 more minutes. I was warned about this. I also took psychology (I was a very lucky girl. Not many girls went to college. I had to get 100% on every assignment and had to do 15 sheets of extra credit every night. I had to work very hard.) I also learned that TOD people need to stay in bed for an hour. There were still twenty three minutes left.

god i'm so interested to see where this goes (gushing in the tags)

[danagoestorehab]

5 stages of grief

w momentarily i’m definitely in the anger stage of three whole grieving this. like fuck this fuck them FUCK the universe i deserve everything i deserve nothing this is all somebody else’s fault but mostly my own and life isn’t fair and it should be and why the fuck should poor me have to deal w this shit again and i’m really sick of listening to the same taylor swift song on repeat but im also too antsy to focus on anything else and i want vengeance or something BIG and definitely should download a voice changer app on my phone or post their number on a weird thread on craigslist but also maybe i should be more angry at myself because i fuck things up but then being melodramatic and doing all of the shit i usually do would definitely prove them right but maybe also make them feel guilty so i reckon im probably in the right frame of mind and not at all being a covert-narcissist-disguised-as-altruist to actually commit to my PHD out OF spite and do all those big plans i always talk about doing but never get around to and then i can hand in the genius ramblings of a doctorate probably and publically blame them in my acknowledgments because that sounds like the only sane and semi reasonable solution rn

but then i’m also in the sad girlie part of grief where it feels like i’ve lost something really big and i could spend all day replaying out how things SHOULD have gone but the nice nurses from the one flew over the cuckoos nest placey reminded me that should is a no no word and i should use COULD instead to not feel guilty so maybe i could cry about the fact that this is shitty and it’s probably okay to feel shitty and i’m probably gonna be sad about being sad for a while and that’s okay too. but it’s also sad to think about being sad and being okay with it when girlies very aware her track history of being okay with things isn’t very great. and my sadness doesn’t always look the same like sometimes it’s very clear sadness and i’m all snotty in bed listening to the sane lorde ‘liability’ track as if i’m actually the antagonist in some some shitty novel and that’s my theme track. as if romanticising the ways in which everything’s gone wrong might make it hurt less and then i don’t have to think about my sadness as always being there or how things will be more sad before they’re less sad. or sometimes my sadness looks like a normal girl wearing clothes having a conversation with people downstairs or outside and feeling okay before they say something and i realise they have their own lives are their own lives aren’t broken in the same way as mine is and my okayness is a short term pretence and that’s even sadder so i quietly excuse myself and go back to my room and sit with these feelings of being an egomaniac w no one to talk to as i hear laughter from different places around my flat whilst i look at the same for corners of my room

the guilt bits really hard too because i already feel so guilty about everything all the time. And if people ever think i don’t hold myself accountable for my actions because they see someone so clearly not giving a fuck about everything as she pours it all down the drain, then i want to remind them or maybe myself that my guilt bothers me. famously, so often to the point where i can’t really function and find refuge in the solace of my local psychiatric ward. how i feel guilty towards my sisters or friends or the things which could have been or you for having to listen to yet another one of my long winded rants. or that how really i know my guilt is just self serving and i find myself feeling guilty for lives i never lived which i probably could have. where i had gone off and done good things and been nicer to others and lived properly instead of spending another night sitting in my room. i feel guilty to all of the people i assured that i would get better and i feel guilty that this final time never got to happen itself into existence. i feel guilty that a lot of people expected this situation and probably aren’t entirely surprised. i feel guilty for lorna after spending four hours of not sleeping and deciding to contact the local ombudsman at 4 in the morning. i feel guilty for all of the things i’ve ever felt guilt for and all of the things i know i’m going to have to feel guilty about in the short term future. i feel guiltier than most of the criminals i see on the defence stand of the shows i watch to try and distract myself from how guilty i feel about everything. i feel guilty for taking up your phone space and i feel guilty for even putting other people in a situation in which they have to witness my guilt as it also invites them to be culpable

denial? can’t really relate to that one cal they’re probably going to feel really really guilty very shortly for the way they’ve treated me and send me an email offering me the penthouse suite and bestest person award at the rehab in all honesty. jesus christ. i’m sure the ombudsman will arrange me some nice travel there. that’s probably the only reason i haven’t written bad reviews about them on google yet cal. because when they do let me in very shortly and we willl have a laugh about this then i won’t have to answer for that haha

waiting to be able to talk about that one

[loorain]

Sims 4 Fontenot Legacy - Reflections and Secrets

It's the day of Sigrid and Robin's baby shower, but before Sigrid had an appointment with her ob-gyn. Her doctor said the babies look good and encouraged Sigrid to take care of herself. Sigrid's emotions about the pregnancy fluctuate (mainly due to hormones more than anything else). After returning from her appointment, she spends some time out in the garden, reflecting. She's definitely feeling more secure about becoming a mom, but she still has moments of worry.

Robin finds her outside and goes to chat. Seeing him puts an immediate smile on her face.

Robin: Hey love. We doing okay?

Sigrid: Yes, we're doing just fine. Just thinking. The appointment went well. Babies are healthy.

Robin: Great news to be able to celebrate on our baby shower day. Aunt Scarlett is busy decorating inside. She's so excited.

Sigrid: Me too. It's been a while since the family has been together. This'll be fun!

Robin simply nods and smiles contently at his fiancée. The two are locked in, understanding each other without words.

Robin's correct in that Aunt Scarlett has been hard at work making sure the space is ready for guests, and soon enough people start making their way to the house!

After a wardrobe change, Sigrid is beaming at her shower. The guests enjoy snacks made by Aunt Scarlett and chat, dance, and hang out! Important people like Robin and Sigrid's siblings are here, and extended family and friends are able to make it. Even some of Sabrina's buddies make it, much to Robin and Sigrid's surprise.

Among the surprise guests are Sabrina's pals Alton and Marquise.

Sabrina: Hey Alton! Glad you could make it!

Alton: Happy to be here! You look great too, might I add. You're glowing. Did you do something different with your hair?

Sabrina: Nah, I think you just never appreciated my beauty fully until now.

Alton: Oh-ho-ho, big talk. I always liked your confidence.

Sigrid spends time chatting with her sister Yolanda (with her brother Harley looking miserable in the background for some reason lol).

Sigrid: How are the kids? They must be getting so big now!

Yolanda: Yeah, that's for sure! Veronica left me in quite a pickle with those twins. Hard to believe she's been gone as long as she has been.

Sigrid: I know. I still think about calling her, especially during this pregnancy. She had two sets of twins, I could really use her advice.

Yolanda: Well as the carer of those kids now, I'll say that caring for multiples is a challenge for sure. But you're in a luckier position than she was, or even me. You have a soon-to-be-husband, cousin-in-law, and aunt-in-law to help immediately. You'll be okay.

Sigrid: I hope so. Sometimes I feel ready, and other times it all feels like too much.

Yolanda: You've got this. I know you do.

Sigrid: Thanks, sis.

Sigrid takes a moment to address everyone during the party.

Sigrid: Thank you all so much for your love through this! Robin and I are lucky to have such a big village of support. I'm sure we'll be leaning on you from time to time, so please give us your best advice!

Sigrid accepts gifts from different party guests happily.

In the corner, Lakshmi also gives Sabrina a gift. She tries to keep it quiet, but Scarlett takes notice.

Scarlett manages to corner Sabrina in the kitchen.

Scarlett: So, when were you going to tell us?

Sabrina is shocked at their mother's words.

Sabrina: Huh?

Scarlett: The gig's up, honey. I know.

Sabrina sighs.

Sabrina: I didn't know how to tell you guys...

*FLASHBACK*

Sabrina (narrating): I've known for a while now. It was a surprise, for sure, but I knew from the first moment I wanted this baby.

Sabrina (narrating): I had started to feel off. I thought it was just my body dysmorphia, so I started really working out again, but nothing was working. My body started feeling so foreign.

Sabrina (narrating): I told Lakshmi and Nyla first. I knew they would understand.

Sabrina (narrating): I told Marquise and Alton next. In all honesty, either of them could be the father. They weren't happy to be in this predicament, but both of them are committed to being a father if nothing else. That's why I invited them to the party.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

Sabrina: I just entered my second trimester. It's a boy.

Sabrina pulls out the ultrasound photo to show their mom.

Sabrina: Look, here's the proof. You're going to be a grandma.

Scarlett: Oh my goodness, look at the little bean! Sabrina, this is wonderful!

Sabrina: You're not mad?

Scarlett: How could I be mad when you show me this? I'm going to be a grandma... Oh, Sabrina!

Scarlett pulls Sabrina into a hug.

Scarlett: Congratulations, baby.

Sabrina: Thanks, Mom.

[bibiana112]

Thought unrelated to zero escape, but you're cool and I hope you had a good day

This was very nice to get yesterday when I was stressing myself out over stuff I had to do today, thank you